Deck 8: Biological Influences on Learning

Question 1

______ behavior is not reinforcement oriented.

A)Appetitive
B)Terminal
C)Interim
D)SIP

Answer 1

C

Question 2

The belief that the laws of operant conditioning hold for many different species and situations has been supported by ______.

A)Skinner
B)Bowles
C)Timberlake
D)Watson

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Timberlake,Wall,and King propose animal misbehavior is due to ______ in the situation.

A)operant conditioning
B)Pavlovian conditioning
C)both operant and Pavlovian conditioning
D)species-specific defense reactions

Answer 3

C

Question 4

According to Timberlake,constraints on learning occur ______.

A)when the environmental circumstances not suited to the animal's instinctive behavior system
B)when the environmental circumstance suits the animal's instinctive behavior system
C)when the environmental circumstance creates a new behavior
D)when the environmental circumstance stops a new behavior

Question 5

Timberlake argues ______.

A)different stimuli cannot be conditioned to different modes
B)different stimuli cause different conditioned responses
C)different stimuli cause the same conditioned response
D)different species of animals learn particular behaviors at different rates

Question 6

John is a baseball player.Every time he comes up to bat,he looks up at the sky,hits both shoes with his bat,hits the plate,and then stands ready.This is an example of ______.

A)interim behaviors
B)tactile behaviors
C)virtual behaviors
D)superstitious behaviors

Question 7

When reinforcement occurs on a regular basis,______ behavior occurs during the last few seconds of the interval and is not reinforcement oriented.

A)interim
B)terminal
C)tactile
D)virtual

Question 8

What is a predisposition?

A)instances where animals are constrained by their environment
B)instances where an animal learns more rapidly or in a different form than expected
C)instances where animals learn more slowly than is expected
D)instances where animals learn in the same form

Question 9

Animals possess instinctive behavior systems.Further,each instinctive behavior system is independent and serves a special function or need within the animal.This approach is called ______.

A)the general laws of learning approach
B)the functional features of behavior system approach (FFBSA)
C)the behavior systems approach
D)the instinctive behavior systems approach

Question 10

In the behavior systems approach,the assumption is made that ______.

A)organisms are born with no knowledge,therefore all knowledge must be acquired based on experience
B)learning modifies a preexisting set of instinctual behavior patterns
C)class: instrumental conditioning follows different principles of learning
D)changes in behavior can be explained by general laws of learning

Question 11

Animal misbehavior is due to ______.

A)operant conditioning only
B)classical conditioning only
C)classical and operant conditioning occurring together
D)learning selectivity

Question 12

Keller and Marian Breland did not ______.

A)develop the behavior systems approach
B)train over 6,000 animals to emit a wide range of behaviors
C)develop the concept of instinctive drift
D)demonstrate commercial applications of operant conditioning

Question 13

Individuals who support that learning is to enhance existing organization rather than create new organization include ______.

A)Skinner
B)Garcia and Garcia y Robertson
C)Hall
D)Birch

Question 14

Instinctive drift does not occur in ______.

A)pigs
B)fish
C)humans
D)instinctive drift occurs in all of these organisms

Question 15

The general laws of learning approach assumes ______.

A)learning is to enhance organization of behavior rather than create new organization
B)learning functions to organize reflexes and random responses
C)learning modifies preexisting instinctual systems
D)none of these are correct

Question 16

According to the work of the Brelands,the ability of food reinforcement to control behavior is limited because ______.

A)many animals cannot learn on the basis of food reinforcement
B)food reinforcement elicits territorial behavior of many animals
C)food reinforcement elicits instinctive behaviors that interfere with responding
D)operant responses for food reinforcement extinguish quickly in most animals

Question 17

According to Timberlake,when an animal learns less rapidly than expected by the laws of conditioning,the animal is displaying ______.

A)learning selectivity
B)imprinting
C)a constraint on learning
D)instinctual drift

Question 18

Pigs can be conditioned to deposit coins in a piggy bank for food reinforcement.However,with continual training,the effectiveness of the operant behavior decreases.This change in the pigs' behavior is an example of ______.

A)declining intelligence
B)learning selectivity
C)instinctive predisposition
D)instinctive drift

Question 19

Why do operant psychologists believe that bar pressing is a good technique to use in examining behavior?

A)because it takes a while to learn
B)because the animal comes into the conditioning situation without any past experience
C)because animals bar press naturally
D)because animals associate the bar press with other behaviors

Question 20

Deterioration of operant behavior with continual reinforcement is called ______.

A)behavioral contrast
B)food elicitation behavior
C)instinctual contrast
D)instinctive drift

Question 21

When developing flavor aversions,organisms ______.

A)develop their aversion based on the salience of the stimulus
B)only develop aversions to food
C)only develop aversions to visual stimuli
D)develop aversions to tactile information and food

Question 22

A rat is placed in a cage with three foods.The rat first tastes Food A (which has a nausea inducing substance),then it tastes Food B,and finally it tastes Food

A)Food A
B)Food B
C)According to concurrent interference theory,which food should the rat become aversive to?
C)Food C
D)The animal will become aversive to all three foods.

Question 23

A rat nibbles on a new food item to check it out.Several hours later,the rat becomes sick.As a consequence,he never eats that food item again.This is an example of ______.

A)long-delay learning
B)Pavlovian preconditioning
C)instinctual contrast
D)schedule-induced polydipsia

Question 24

Skinner observed that pigeons,when performing certain tasks,would often display ritualistic behaviors that were unnecessary for reinforcement.Skinner called these behaviors ______ behaviors.

A)interim
B)superstitious
C)terminal
D)virtual

Question 25

Which is more salient when preceding an illness in birds?

A)water
B)food
C)visual cues
D)sound

Question 26

What causes schedule-induced behavior?

A)being on a fixed-ratio schedule
B)being on a variable-ratio schedule
C)the aversiveness of the situation
D)reinforcement

Question 27

The concurrent interference view of flavor aversion learning claims that ______.

A)animals can only develop flavor aversions if they had once been made sick by consuming food
B)animals can only develop a flavor aversion if the animal is not consumed other foods between the initial food and resulting illness
C)a sensitivity period exists for the learning of flavor aversions
D)flavor aversions are learned on the basis of operant,not Pavlovian conditioning principles

Question 28

Faulk deprived rats of food,then trained them to bar press for food reinforcement.When water was available in the operant chamber,the animals consumed excessive amounts of water.This is called ______.

A)schedule-induced polydipsia
B)appetitive water behavior
C)food water contrast
D)water wood contrast

Question 29

A rat is placed in a cage with food.The rat then tastes the food,(which has a nausea inducing substance).Then the rat is exposed to a low-intensity noise.Finally,the rat is exposed to the color pink.According to concurrent interference theory,which item should the rat become aversive to?

A)the food
B)the noise
C)the color pink
D)The rat will become aversive to all three items.

Question 30

Cancer patients often show aversions to specific foods eaten prior to chemotherapy.How might this aversion be prevented?

A)have then consume less food than normal
B)have them consume more food than normal
C)have them consume different types of foods
D)have them consume the food without illness prior to beginning chemotherapy

Question 31

Kalat and Rozin proposed a model of flavor aversion learning which claims that ______.

A)visual cues in the conditioning situation are used by the animal to predict whether the food is safe
B)animals develop a preference to avoid the taste of any food as they continue to eat the food
C)when an animal eats of food and no illness occurs,it learns that the food can be safely eaten
D)animals must have previous experience with the source of food before they can learn to avoid it

Question 32

One day,in his cage,my parrot became sick.Since then,he always becomes sick when he is exposed to that particular item.What might that item be?

A)food
B)water
C)seeing an object
D)sound

Question 33

Schedule-induced behavior in humans ______.

A)decreases after very short intervals between reinforcements
B)remains for long periods of time
C)causes high rates of responding
D)creates excessive consummatory behaviors in humans

Question 34

Which schedule is potentially responsible for some individuals' excessive consumption of alcohol?

A)ratio schedules
B)interval schedules
C)both ratio and interval schedules
D)DRH schedules.

Question 35

Schedule-induced behavior is most often seen in ______.

A)fixed interval schedules
B)fixed ratio schedules
C)variable interval schedules
D)variable ratio schedules

Question 36

Which is more salient when preceding an illness in rats?

A)water
B)food
C)shock
D)visual cues

Question 37

Schedule-induced polydipsia is a good animal model for human alcoholism because ______.

A)animals will consume excessive alcohol
B)animals show tolerance to the effects of alcohol
C)animals come to prefer alcohol over other solutions
D)all of these are correct

Question 38

A rat nibbles on a new food item to check it out.Several hours later,the rat becomes sick.As a consequence,he never eats that food item again.Which model best explains why the rat never eats that food item again?

A)concurrent interference theory
B)learn safety theory
C)instinctual contrast effects
D)schedule-induced polydipsia

Question 39

According to Staddon and Simmelhag's analysis of superstitious behavior in pigeons,______ behavior refers to the elicitation of responses appropriate to the receipt of reinforcement.

A)consummatory
B)appetitive
C)terminal
D)interim

Question 40

Various theories have attempted to explain long-delay flavor aversion learning.Which is one of these?

A)stimulus signaling theory
B)contrast modeling theory
C)learned helplessness theory
D)concurrent interference theory

Question 41

Human infants do not form attachments to mothers who are ______.

A)responsive
B)sensitive
C)anxious
D)loving

Question 42

Brain structures involved with flavor aversion conditioning do not include ______.

A)the lateral amygdala
B)the parietal lobe
C)the prefrontal cortex
D)flavor aversion conditioning is associated with all of the structures

Question 43

Imprinting occurs readily ______.

A)during sensitive periods
B)prior to birth
C)when the organism sees its first moving object
D)immediately after the organism is born

Question 44

Damage to the ______ impairs flavor aversion conditioning.

A)the parietal lobe
B)the amygdala
C)the thalamic paraventricular nuclei
D)the prefrontal cortex

Question 45

A person goes out to a bar where they consume eight shots of tequila.Three hours later,they become nauseated,vomit,and develop a severe hangover.On the following weekend,if the person goes out to a bar again.What will they consume?

A)They go to the bar but consume less tequila.
B)They will consume the tequila again at the same rate.
C)They will consume scotch.
D)None of these are correct.

Question 46

Which of the following structures is the brain's reinforcement center?

A)the caudate nucleus
B)the medial forebrain bundle
C)the lateral geniculate nucleus
D)The lateral forebrain bundle

Question 47

Harlow observed that infant monkeys prefer to attach to ______.

A)humans instead of their natural mothers
B)other infant monkeys
C)any object that feeds them
D)terrycloth rather than wire mesh mothers

Question 48

Individuals select flavors for a variety of reasons.Which is one of these?

A)the way the item appears
B)the sweetness of the item
C)the colors of the item
D)whether the item is hot or cold

Question 49

Which neurotransmitter played a significant role in regulating the behavioral effects of reinforcement?

A)norepinephrine
B)acetylcholine
C)GABA
D)dopamine

Question 50

John has a brain tumor that has caused him to stop liking sweet flavors.In which brain area is a tumor probably located?

A)the prefrontal cortex
B)the amygdala
C)the nucleus accumbens
D)the thalamus

Question 51

According to Bolles,many species have developed species-specific defense reactions.The purpose of these reactions is to ______.

A)provide inherited tendencies to avoid dangers because animals have little opportunity to learn how to avoid danger
B)make animals aggressive which enhances their chances for survival
C)provide the motivation for learning of responses that are needed for survival
D)eliminate the need to imprint to increase the chances for survival

Question 52

The brain structure associated with social attachment is ______.

A)the prefrontal cortex
B)the dorsal amygdala
C)mesocerebellar cortex
D)the parietal lobe

Question 53

Several brain structures are involved with flavor aversion learning.Of these,only one has a central role in all aversion learning experiences.This brain structure is called the ______.

A)prefrontal cortex
B)the thalamic paraventricular nuclei
C)the lateral geniculate nucleus
D)the amygdala

Question 54

Lorenz's demonstration of imprinting is related to Ainsworth's findings that human infants prefer to attach to ______.

A)fathers who vocalized to the infants
B)mothers who display high levels of intelligence
C)mothers who are responsive and sensitive to the infant's needs
D)the first moving object they see after birth

Question 55

In humans,negative emotions ______.

A)enhance the ways individuals treat or meet danger
B)increase the way a person can respond to a threat or danger
C)limit the way in which dangers or threats are met
D)increase more responses to emotions

Question 56

If tart cherry juice has a bitter/sour taste,why would a person drink this substance when they wake up in the morning?

A)It is sweet.
B)It contains a substance that causes you to like it.
C)It has positive nutritional consequences.
D)It creates an association for other conditioned stimuli.

Question 57

Deprivation ______.

A)reduces the activation of the lateral geniculate nucleus
B)increases the level of dopamine
C)arouses the medial forebrain bundle when there is an opportunity for reinforcement
D)increases arousal in the nigrostriatal pathway when there is an opportunity for reinforcement

Question 58

According to Bolles,the particular species-specific defense response that will be shown by a rat is determined by ______.

A)its previous learning history
B)the type of environmental danger confronting the rat
C)individual differences in inherited tendencies
D)none of these are correct

Question 59

A behavior systems approach contends each instinctive behavior system is independent and serves a specific function or need within the animal.

Question 60

Young ducks follow their mother wherever she goes.They do this through a social attachment process called ______.

A)imprinting
B)attachment facilitation
C)social experience processing
D)none of these are correct

Question 61

Compare and contrast a behavior systems approach with the general laws of learning approach.

Question 62

Describe two theories for flavor aversion conditioning.

Question 63

Humans do not experience species-specific defense reactions.

Question 64

The major neurotransmitter involved with reinforcement is norepinephrine.

Question 65

Describe the process of imprinting.What are some variables that may impact it?

Question 66

Both operant and Pavlovian conditioning contribute to producing animal misbehavior.

Question 67

Only food causes flavor aversion in all organisms.

Question 68

Flavor aversion learning may be viewed as an example of long-delay learning.

Question 69

The instinctive means to avoid danger is called species-specific defense reactions.

Question 70

Hungry rats drink excessive amounts of water in situations such as fixed-interval schedules with the availability of food is predictable.However,they will avoid drinking ethanol just as they do in other situations.

Question 71

The nucleus accumbens plays a crucial role in the development of flavor preferences.

Question 72

Instinctive drift refers to refinement of an operant behavior with continued reinforcement.

Question 73

Flavor aversion does not occur in humans.

Question 74

Terminal behavior is not reinforcement oriented.

Question 75

Schedule-induced polydipsia refers to illnesses experienced by an animal that consumes too much food while performing on an FI reinforcement schedule.

Question 76

The lateral and central amygdala plays a central role in all aversion conditioning experiences.

Question 77

For newly hatched goslings and ducklings,imprinting is equally likely to occur throughout the life span of the animal.