Deck 12: Comparative Cognition II: Special Topics

Question 1

A cat is trained to fetch a piece of balled paper.The cat has learned that the sound of the paper being crumpled means that the game is on.The game being on tells the cat that the paper is about to fly.Seeing the flying paper means that it is time for the hunt.Grabbing the paper lets the cat know that a treat is waiting.This cat must have learned

A) paired associates.
B) a serial pattern.
C) stimulus-response associations.
D) serial representations.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Which of the following is most closely analogous to human episodic memory?

A) the contents of value transfer in pigeons
B) the contents of memory for hidden food items in scrub jays
C) the contents of paired associate learning in chimpanzees
D) the contents of the internal clock in pigeons

Answer 2

B

Question 3

A rat is used in a modified matching-to-sample experiment.If the rat is presented with a 4-second-long sample,it must push the left lever.If the sample is 10 seconds long,the rat must depress the right lever.This type of experiment tests the rat's ability to

A) form concepts.
B) produce durations.
C) estimate durations.
D) chunk information.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

In an ordered behavior task,a response to stimulus A results in the presentation of stimulus B.Responding to B results in C,and so forth.This type of task is called

A) paired associate learning.
B) a response chain.
C) serial pattern learning.
D) serial representation learning.

Question 5

A simultaneous stimulus array cannot be solved by learning

A) a serial pattern.
B) serial representations.
C) stimulus-response associations.
D) paired associates.

Question 6

A trial begins with presentation of a discriminative stimulus.If the stimulus is a light,a food pellet reinforcer will be set up after 20 seconds and can be earned with a lever press.If the stimulus is a tone,a food pellet reinforcer will be set up after 40 seconds and can be earned with a lever press.Test trials involve recording the subject's responses over 80 non-reinforced seconds.This type of experiment is investigating an organism's ability to

A) form concepts.
B) produce durations.
C) estimate durations.
D) chunk information.

Question 7

To increase the speed of your subject's internal clock,you could

A) provide auditory rather than visual start cues.
B) administer haliperidol to your subject.
C) increase the rate of food reinforcement.
D) change the duration of the timing interval.

Question 8

Monkeys were trained to press five buttons,"A" through "E," in alphabetical order.When presented with the smaller subset of keys "B" and "D," they were able to press these keys in order also.This suggests the monkeys learned

A) paired associates.
B) response-outcome associations.
C) stimulus-response associations.
D) serial representations.

Question 9

In an ordered behavior task,a response to stimulus A results in the presentation of stimulus B.Responding to B results in C,and so forth.In order to correctly perform this task,a subject must learn

A) paired associations.
B) serial patterns.
C) stimulus-response associations.
D) serial representations.

Question 10

A dog is trained to fetch sodas from the refrigerator.It knows to first go the refrigerator.Once at the refrigerator,it knows to pull on the door.When the door is open,it knows to grab the can.With the can in its mouth,it knows to return to its master.This dog probably learned

A) serial patterns.
B) serial representations.
C) stimulus-response associations.
D) paired associates.

Question 11

A trial begins with presentation of a discriminative stimulus.If the stimulus is a light,a food pellet reinforcer will be set up after 20 seconds and can be earned with a lever press.If the stimulus is a tone,a food pellet reinforcer will be set up after 40 seconds and can be earned with a lever press.Test trials involve recording the subject's responses over 80 non-reinforced seconds.This procedure is called

A) a duration estimation task.
B) a peak procedure.
C) an interval training task.
D) a model-rival technique.

Question 12

Results from duration estimation tasks suggest that

A) rats can base their behavior on duration estimation, but pigeons cannot.
B) pigeons can base their behavior on duration estimation, but rats cannot.
C) neither pigeons nor rats can base their behavior on duration estimation.
D) both pigeons and rats can base their behavior on duration estimation.

Question 13

In order to correctly perform the behavior required of a response chain,a subject must learn

A) S-R associations.
B) paired associations.
C) R-O associations.
D) All of the above

Question 14

Which of the following is not true of the internal clocks of rats?

A) The clock measures how much time has elapsed from the start of a stimulus.
B) Different clocks measure the timing of auditory and visual stimuli.
C) The same clock is used to measure intervals of different durations.
D) The clock can be stopped and restarted without much loss of information.

Question 15

A task in which the discriminative stimulus is the length of time of an event is referred to as a _____ task.

A) time shaping
B) interval training
C) duration estimation
D) time conditioning

Question 16

According to the behavioral theory of timing,the discriminative stimuli for the required timing responses are

A) the number of impulses sent by the pacemaker.
B) the total time the switch is active.
C) the comparison of impulses in the comparator.
D) the subjects own adjunctive responses.

Question 17

The speed of the internal clock can be altered by all of the following except

A) the stimulus modality.
B) diet.
C) the rate of food reinforcement.
D) body temperature.

Question 18

A pigeon is used in a modified matching-to-sample experiment.If the bird is presented with a 3 second long sample,it must peck a red key.If the sample is 10 seconds long,the pigeon must peck a green key.This type of experiment is called a

A) duration estimation task.
B) time conditioning task.
C) interval training task.
D) time shaping task.

Question 19

According to the information processing model of timing,which of the following is not part of the clock process?

A) the comparator
B) the switch
C) the accumulator
D) the pacemaker

Question 20

Which of the following is not a feature important to the behavioral theory of timing?

A) a pacemaker
B) a comparator
C) adjunctive behaviors
D) a decision process

Question 21

Monkeys were trained to respond sequentially in a simultaneous stimulus array procedure.After training,which of the following sets of test stimuli will lead to the longest latency to press the second key?

A) E, A
B) B, C
C) C, B
D) D, B

Question 22

Perceptual concepts involve

A) generalization within a category.
B) discrimination within a category.
C) generalization between categories.
D) All of the above

Question 23

If Kanzi wanted Phil to carry him,the sentence he would be most likely to communicate would be

A) CARRY, and then a point to Phil.
B) a point to Phil, and then CARRY.
C) CARRY only.
D) with a point to Phil only.

Question 24

Which theory of perceptual concept learning is based on conventional concepts of discrimination learning and stimulus generalization?

A) discrimination theory
B) exemplar theory
C) feature theory
D) prototype theory

Question 25

Little Bobby points at a cow and says,"Doggie." When you ask him why he thinks the cow is a dog,he says that whenever he points to an animal with four legs and says,"Doggie," his mother laughs and pays attention to him.Bobby's response supports

A) exemplar theory.
B) similarity theory.
C) feature theory.
D) prototype theory.

Question 26

Monkeys were trained to respond sequentially in a simultaneous stimulus array procedure.After training,which of the following sets of test stimuli will lead to the longest latency to press the first key?

A) C, B
B) A, E
C) E, D
D) A, D

Question 27

If Kanzi wanted to run to the place where cola is kept in the woods,the sentence he would be most likely to communicate would be

A) RUN COKE.
B) COKE RUN.
C) COKE.
D) RUN.

Question 28

Studies of perceptual concept learning suggest that

A) only humans form true perceptual concepts.
B) only primates form true perceptual concepts.
C) only primates and dolphins form true perceptual concepts.
D) many species, including pigeons, form true perceptual concepts.

Question 29

Evidence of generalization to novel exemplars is used to support

A) a paired associate learning interpretation.
B) a stimulus-response learning interpretation.
C) a concept-learning interpretation.
D) a serial pattern learning interpretation.

Question 30

Which theory assumes that concept learning is due to responding to certain stimulus aspects that members of a perceptual category have in common,stimulus aspects to which the instrumental response becomes conditioned when the organism is reinforced?

A) similarity theory
B) exemplar theory
C) prototype theory
D) feature theory

Question 31

After learning to press five keys,"A" through "E," in alphabetical order,monkeys were given tests in which subsets of two keys were presented.A comparison of the latencies to press the second key revealed that as the number of letters missing between the two test keys increased,(BD) versus (BE) for example,the latency to press the second key _____,suggesting that the monkeys were using mental scanning to perform the task.

A) remained the same
B) increased
C) decreased
D) increased if the first key was "A" or "B," and decreased if the first key was "C" or "D" ("E" could not be the first key)

Question 32

The simplest explanation for perceptual concept learning is

A) exemplar theory.
B) similarity theory.
C) feature theory.
D) prototype theory.

Question 33

In the model-rival technique,

A) a prototype of the lexigram is repeatedly presented to the subject.
B) a model of the lexigram is presented by the experimenter.
C) a different student competes with the subject for the experimenter's attention.
D) several different prototypes of the lexigram are presented only once in series to the subject.

Question 34

Attempts to determine if nonhuman animals are capable of language have led to the conclusion that

A) only chimpanzees are capable of language.
B) many species of animals are capable of language.
C) only chimpanzees and dolphins are capable of language.
D) this is not an answerable question.

Question 35

Which of the following is not a consideration of nonhuman language learning?

A) Can animals learn language?
B) What type of training leads to language skills?
C) What language skills do animals develop during training?
D) How can language skills be documented?

Question 36

Human infants are said to have language

A) at birth.
B) usually by 6 months.
C) usually by 12 months.
D) There is no one point where a child can be said to graduate to having language.

Question 37

The most sophisticated demonstrations of language competence have been obtained with

A) Washoo.
B) Kanzi.
C) Lana.
D) Sherman.

Question 38

Which of the following is not a component of linguistic competence?

A) learning a vocabulary
B) developing a grammar
C) language comprehension
D) None of the above; all are components of linguistic competence.

Question 39

In order to respond correctly in tests of perceptual concept learning,a dolphin must

A) respond similarly to members of different categories if they share similar elements.
B) respond differently to members of the same category if they have different elements.
C) respond similarly to members of different categories even if they are very different.
D) respond similarly to members of the same category even if they have different elements.

Question 40

Steve explains that he knows a cow is a cow because he has seen other cows,and he has been able to generalize from those times when he has correctly identified other cows to this instance of cow-spotting.Steve's explanation supports which theory of perceptual concept learning?

A) prototype theory
B) feature theory
C) discrimination theory
D) exemplar theory

Question 41

Describe how responsiveness to word order may be evaluated in the language comprehension of chimpanzees and children.

Question 42

Describe the peak procedure and how results obtained with the peak procedure may be explained by scalar expectancy theory.

Question 43

What are the components of language competence? What evidence of these components is found in nonhuman animals?

Question 44

What does learning a perceptual concept involve?

Question 45

Describe food caching behavior and what factors experimenters have to rule out before concluding that the behavior is mediated by working memory.

Question 46

Describe the internal clock.Compare the information processing and behavioral theory of how timing might take place.

Question 47

Compare and contrast perceptual and abstract concept learning.

Question 48

Compare and contrast the scalar expectancy model of timing and the behavioral theory of timing.

Question 49

Explain why tests with subsets of items from a simultaneous array are useful in assessing the mechanisms of serial pattern learning.

Question 50

Describe two techniques for measuring an animal's ability for timing behavior.

Question 51

Describe how the behavior of food storing birds can be used to provide evidence of episodic memory.

Question 52

Do you believe that tool use is a defining feature of advanced intelligence? Why or why not? Why might the New Caledonian crow have a predisposition for tool use?

Question 53

Why has determining whether nonhuman animals are capable of learning language come to be considered an unimportant question? What do modern investigations of animal language attempt to determine?

Question 54

Compare response chains,paired associate learning and serial representation learning.How can an investigator determine which strategy is being used by an animal in a serial pattern learning task?

Question 55

What evidence suggests that food caching birds know where food is stored,what food is stored,and when they stored the food?