Deck 7: Instrumental Conditioning

Question 1

According to the two-process theory, emotional states

A)develop from an association between the stimuli S and the instrumental response.
B)are characteristic of the peripheral nervous system.
C)only act to suppress behaviors, as in CER procedures.
D)do not invariably lead to particular responses.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

A male Japanese quail was pecking at a key light for access to a quail hen.During this time, the researcher presented the male with a tone CS that had previously signaled the end of a period of access to food.According to the two-process theory, in response to the CS, the keypeck rate will

A)remain the same.
B)decrease.
C)increase.
D)decrease, then increase.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Which of the following is not true of the two-process theory?

A)It assumes that the rate of an instrumental response will be modified by the presentation of a classically conditioned stimulus.
B)It assumes that the primary outcome of the classical conditioning that occurs during instrumental conditioning trials involves the learning of a particular response.
C)It assumes that classically conditioned stimuli do not always suppress responding, as in the CER procedure.
D)It assumes that central emotional states become conditioned to either situational cues or to discriminative ˢᵗᶦᵐᵘˡᶦ.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

The findings from Pavlovian instrumental transfer experiments generally support

A)the Hull-Spence rg-sg mechanism.
B)reward-specific expectancy theory.
C)the modern two-process theory.
D)SOP and AESOP theories.

Question 5

According to Hull and Spence, what mediates expectancy of reward?

A)the R-O association
B)the S-O association
C)the O-R association
D)the S-R association

Question 6

According to the two-process theory, classically conditioned emotional states are assumed to

A)elicit specific conditioned responses.
B)elicit specific instrumental responses.
C)motivate instrumental behavior.
D)arise from the rg-sg mechanism.

Question 7

Sally was pushing the buttons of a video game to earn gold pieces when she heard the bicycle-bell belonging to her cruel older brother, signaling that he was home.According to the two-process theory, she will push the buttons

A)more rapidly.
B)less rapidly.
C)at the same rate.
D)more rapidly at first and then less rapidly.

Question 8

Two-process theory predicts that instrumental responding will decrease if

A)the central emotional state reflects a negative mood.
B)the central emotional state was conditioned with an aversive stimulus.
C)the central emotional state was conditioned with an appetitive stimulus.
D)the conditioned central emotional state is opposite to the emotions that motivate instrumental behavior.

Question 9

According to the two-process theory, the emotional state generated by an instrumental conditioning procedure is determined by

A)the CS modality.
B)the type of reinforcer presented.
C)the type of instrumental response.
D)the rg mechanism.

Question 10

Bob was washing dishes to avoid getting fired.Just then he heard the sound of his crazy boss arriving at the restaurant.According to the two-process theory, he will now wash the dishes

A)more rapidly.
B)less rapidly.
C)at the same rate.
D)more rapidly at first and then less rapidly.

Question 11

What is likely to occur in the testing phase of a Pavlovian instrumental transfer experiment?

A)A conditional stimulus that had previously been trained in a compound is presented alone.
B)A conditional stimulus is presented while an organism is engaged in an instrumental behavior.
C)A conditional response is recorded as an organism makes an instrumental response.
D)An unconditional stimulus is presented while an organism is making a conditional response.

Question 12

A rat is first trained to press a lever for food reinforcement.Then, a tone is sounded and a brief footshock is delivered.Lastly, the rat is again allowed to press the lever for food, and the experimenter records how the rat's lever pressing behavior changes when the tone is sounded.This researcher is employing

A)a Pavlovian instrumental transfer procedure.
B)an omission control procedure.
C)a blocking procedure.
D)negative reinforcement procedure.

Question 13

A CS that had previously been paired with shock termination is presented to a rat pressing a lever for food reinforcement.According the two-process theory, the rate of lever presses is likely to

A)increase.
B)decrease.
C)remain the same.
D)increase briefly, then decrease.

Question 14

Kim was working diligently on her art project in order to earn a gold star.According to two-process theory, when she smelled the perfume of her favorite teacher, signaling the teacher's arrival, Kim's work rate

A)remained the same.
B)increased at first, then decreased.
C)increased.
D)decreased.

Question 15

Hull and Spence added a classical conditioning component to Thorndike's Law of Effect by suggesting that the presence of stimuli S

A)elicits the response.
B)elicits an expectation of the response.
C)elicits the outcome.
D)elicits an expectation of the outcome.

Question 16

Fearing failure, Keith was cramming for his upcoming exam under the watchful eye of mean old Professor Jones. According to two-process theory, when Keith notices the evil professor pull out his briefcase in order to leave, Keith will study

A)more intensely at first and the less intensely.
B)at the same rate.
C)less intensely.
D)more intensely.

Question 17

Which of the following CS pairings during Phase 2 is most likely to result in a sign tracking response that will complicate the interpretation of a Pavlovian instrumental transfer experiment?

A)A tone CS is paired with an annoying noise.
B)A key light CS is paired with footshock.
C)An odor CS is paired with the termination of an annoying noise.
D)A puff of air CS is paired with termination of food access.

Question 18

An instrumental conditioning procedure provides the opportunity for a subject to learn many associations.Which of the following possible associations is thought to arise due to classical conditioning?

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

Question 19

The pairing of activity of which two neurotransmitters is thought to act as a "teacher" that binds sensory attributes with reward value?

A)GABA and dopamine
B)dopamine and glutamate
C)glutamate and GABA
D)acetylcholine and GABA

Question 20

Pavlovian instrumental transfer experiments are designed to explore

A)the effects of omission control procedures.
B)the effect of rg on the instrumental response.
C)the development of the rg-sg expectancy.
D)the effects of a CS on instrumental behavior.

Question 21

Based on the data presented in the textbook, the best description of the action of dopamine is

A)that it codes negative valences for stimuli.
B)that it codes positive valences for stimuli.
C)that it codes the reward prediction error.
D)that it codes the reward.

Question 22

In order to determine if one response will reinforce another, what would Premack suggest you need to know?

A)the primary drive level of the subject
B)the incentive drive level of the subject
C)the species typical response rate
D)the probabilities of each response

Question 23

According to Premack's theory,

A)reinforcement is dependent on species typical responses.
B)protecting physiological homeostasis motivates behavior.
C)high probability responses reinforce lower probability responses.
D)the likelihood of all instrumental responses is the same.

Question 24

Which of the following is the focus of the response allocation approach?

A)the relative probabilities of instrumental responses in instrumental conditioning
B)the relative probabilities of reinforcing responses in instrumental conditioning
C)the drive states of an organism in instrumental conditioning
D)the distribution of responses and how they are altered in instrumental conditioning

Question 25

Thirsty rats will drink more than they run in a wheel.When they are not thirsty, the same rats will run more than they drink.The evidence suggesting that running can be reinforced by drinking in thirsty rats, and drinking reinforced by running in non-thirsty rats, supports

A)the differential probability theory.
B)the drive reduction theory.
C)the optimal foraging theory.
D)the incentive motivation theory.

Question 26

Artificially sweetened solutions made a substantial contribution to theories of reinforcement because

A)they have a bitter aftertaste and provide bidirectional reward.
B)they cannot reduce a biological need but still are rewarding.
C)they are a supernormal stimulus.
D)all of the above

Question 27

According to the response deprivation hypothesis, an organism will work to gain access to a reinforcer response if

A)access to that reinforcer response has been restricted.
B)the baseline probability of making that response is greater than that of making the instrumental response.
C)the baseline probability of making that response is less than that of the making the instrumental response.
D)making that response reduces a deprived physiological drive state.

Question 28

According to reward-specific expectancies, lever press behavior rewarded with access to food will most increase if a CS is presented that had previously been paired with

A)water
B)sugar water
C)food
D)all of the above

Question 29

Which of the following theories suggests it is possible for a low probability response to reinforce a high probability response?

A)the Premack principle
B)the differential probability theory
C)drive reduction theory
D)the response deprivation hypothesis

Question 30

Which of the following is not considered a contribution of the Premack principle?

A)It encouraged thinking about reinforcers as responses.
B)It pointed out that any activity could be used as a reinforcer.
C)It pointed out sensory reinforcement as an alternative to drive reduction.
D)It paved the way for applications of reinforcement procedures to many differing human problems.

Question 31

A child who chewed very little gum was fitted with braces and cannot chew gum at all.Now, the child's friends can reward mischievous behavior in the child by sneaking the child pieces of gum.Which of the following theories best accounts for the ability of gum chewing to reinforce other behaviors in this child?

A)drive reduction theory
B)the response deprivation hypothesis
C)the Premack principle
D)the differential probability theory

Question 32

A major contribution of the Premack principle is that

A)it focused attention on the homeostatic mechanisms of behavior.
B)it encouraged thinking about reinforcers as responses.
C)it began the discussion of neural mechanisms of reinforcement.
D)it challenged drive reduction theory by focusing attention on sensory reinforcement.

Question 33

According to the response allocation approach, when a rat is hungry, it pushes a lever to get food in order to

A)reduce a physiological drive state.
B)stay as close as possible to an unconstrained baseline of behavior.
C)receive the sensory stimulation of consuming the food.
D)make the species typical response of consuming food.

Question 34

Which technique is similar to that employed to provide evidence of R-O associations?

A)US devaluation
B)blocking
C)overshadowing
D)response prevention

Question 35

Most intuitive explanations of instrumental behavior are based on associations.

A)R-O
B)S-R
C)S-O
D)R-S

Question 36

The problem with assuming that R-O relationships act alone to produce instrumental behavior is that

A)it is difficult to demonstrate R-O relationships in the laboratory.
B)R-O relationships are theoretical constructs.
C)the R-O relationship does not explain what causes the response in the first place.
D)R-O relationships ignore rg-sg mechanisms.

Question 37

Which of the following cannot be explained well without R-O mechanisms?

A)A rat decreases lever-pressing for food when presented with a CS for footshock, but increases pressing when a CS signaling access to food is presented.
B)A rat decreases rod-pushing for food when presented with a CS that signals the end of access to food, but increases pushing when a CS signaling access to sugar water is presented.
C)A rat decreases licking a grape-flavored solution after that solution was paired with illness, but continues to lick a strawberry-flavored solution.
D)A rat decreases pushing a bar to the right for food after that food was paired with illness, but continues to push the bar to the left for water.

Question 38

According to which of the following theories is the instrumental conditioning procedure itself responsible for the creation of a reinforcer?

A)the Premack principle
B)drive reduction theory
C)the response deprivation hypothesis
D)the differential probability theory

Question 39

Which of the following relationships are not included in two process theory?

A)O-O
B)R-O
C)S(R-O)
D)none of the above are included

Question 40

According to Berridge and Robinson

A)liking is related to the unconscious motivation to obtain a reward.
B)liking is related to the hedonic state elicited by a reward.
C)liking encodes the subject's drive to consume a reward.
D)liking encodes the subjects's drive to obtain a reward.

Question 41

An instrumental contingency results in increased performance of a target instrumental response.According to the response allocation approach, this increase is due to

A)behavioral regulatory mechanisms that function to minimize deviations from the optimal distribution of responses.
B)an animal's attempts to earn as many reinforcers as possible, given the time constraints.
C)changes in the physiological drive state of the organism during response deprivation.
D)activation of dedicated brain pathways sensitive to response contingencies.

Question 42

If you wanted to study "spending" in an instrumental procedure, you would be interested in

A)the instrumental contingency.
B)the instrumental behavior.
C)the deprivation period.
D)the reinforcer quality.

Question 43

In economic concepts of response allocation, "prices" are equivalent to

A)instrumental schedules.
B)instrumental behaviors.
C)instrumental rewards.
D)instrumental spending.

Question 44

The bliss point can be identified by

A)the relative frequency of behavior under instrumental constraint.
B)the relative sensory input under instrumental constraint.
C)the relative sensory input in an unconstrained situation.
D)the relative frequency of behavior in an unconstrained situation.

Question 45

A child would normally eat candy for 20 minutes of each hour and play pinball for 40 minutes.According to the minimum deviation model, if the child is required on average to play pinball for 50 minutes in order to eat candy for 20 minutes, the child will most likely distribute its behavior to

A)play pinball for 50 minutes to gain access to 20 minutes of candy.
B)play pinball for only 40 minutes for less than 20 minutes of candy.
C)play pinball for between 40 and 50 minutes for less than 20 minutes of candy.
D)play pinball for more than 50 minutes to get as much candy as possible.

Question 46

According to the minimum deviation model, when an instrumental contingency is imposed that will not allow an animal to achieve its behavioral bliss point,

A)the animal will fulfill the optimal level of responding for biologically driven responses.
B)the animal will fulfill the optimal level of responding only for the instrumental response.
C)the animal will compromise and perform more of the instrumental response and less of the contingent response.
D)the animal will fulfill the optimal level of the contingent response.

Question 47

According to the response allocation approach, reinforcement effects occur because

A)behavioral regulatory mechanisms function to minimize deviations from the optimal distribution of responses.
B)the drive state changes due to the instrumental contingency.
C)an animal attempts to earn as many reinforcers as possible, given the time constraints.
D)the animal seeks to maximize the sensory reinforcement of the contingent behavior.

Question 48

If you wanted to increase the "price" in an instrumental procedure, you could

A)increase the size of the reinforcer.
B)increase the sensory reinforcement of the reward.
C)increase the number of lever presses required.
D)increase the deprivation time.

Question 49

The distribution of responses that occurs in the absence of restrictions is called

A)the unrestricted baseline.
B)the Premack principle.
C)the Premack baseline.
D)the behavioral deprivation point.

Question 50

In some cases, imposing an instrumental contingency makes it impossible for an organism to return to the free- baseline behavioral bliss point.In these circumstances,

A)the animal relies on physiological mechanisms of motivation.
B)the animal relies on sensory reinforcement.
C)the animal performs whichever response was last reinforced.
D)the animal is motivated to defend against challenges to its most comfortable distribution of responses.

Question 51

Newspapers have seen a steep decline in readership due to the availability of 24 h news channels.This demonstrates that the elasticity of demand

A)is dependent on the availability of substitutes.
B)is invariant for luxury items.
C)is invariant for necessary items.
D)is independent of consumer desire.

Question 52

For which of the following items will a 10% price increase have the greatest impact on the demand for the object?

A)a 50 cent candy bar
B)a 10 cent candy bar
C)a 1 dollar box of candy
D)a 5 dollar box of candy

Question 53

Which of the following theories views an instrumental contingency as a disruption of distribution of responses from free baseline?

A)drive reduction theory
B)the response allocation approach
C)the response deprivation hypothesis
D)optimal foraging theory

Question 54

When response allocation cannot return an organism to its bliss point, the response allocation between instrumental and contingent behaviors becomes a matter of compromise.Which theory suggests that the new distribution of behaviors is the least different from bliss point?

A)drive reduction theory
B)minimum deviation model of behavioral regulation
C)the Premack principle
D)optimal foraging theory

Question 55

The unrestricted baseline or behavioral bliss point is best defined as

A)a time when all physiological drives are at a minimum.
B)a distribution of responses, among available alternatives, in the absence of restrictions.
C)a distribution of sensations that generate behaviors indicative of a pleasure response.
D)a behavior that is the most likely to occur.

Question 56

A rat spends equal amounts of time running and drinking.In a graph of this behavior, time spent running is represented on the x axis.The y axis represents time spent drinking.When running is restricted by an instrumental constraint, the slope of the line representing the new instrumental contingency

A)is steeper than the slope of the line through the bliss point.
B)is less steep than the slope of the line through the bliss point.
C)is the same as the slope of the line through the bliss point.
D)cannot be determined with the above information.

Question 57

The elasticity of demand for candy is likely to be the elasticity of demand for gasoline.

A)the same as
B)less than
C)greater than
D)This cannot be determined.

Question 58

If a situation remains unchanged during an experiment, the unrestricted baseline is assumed to

A)vary with the physiological drive state of the animal.
B)vary with shifting motivational states of the organism.
C)be stable across time for an organism.
D)vary with differing behaviors of the animal.

Question 59

Which of the following is not considered a determinant of the elasticity of demand?

A)availability of substitutes
B)price range
C)income level
D)reinforcer quantity

Question 60

According to the response allocation approach, imposing an instrumental contingency

A)establishes a new physiological drive state.
B)activates dedicated brain regions sensitive to reinforcement.
C)disrupts the distribution of responses from free baseline.
D)causes increased attention to sensory reinforcement.

Question 61

Which of the following will not have much of an effect on the demand a group of rats has for food pellet reinforcers?

A)the amount of time the rats have to make responses
B)the number of responses required to earn a reinforcer
C)the availability of food substitutes
D)the availability of time on a running wheel

Question 62

Provide evidence that supports the hypothesis that animals can develop specific reward expectancies during conditioning procedures.

Question 63

One contribution of the response allocation approach was that it moved us toward considering instrumental conditioning as

A)stamping in instrumental behavior.
B)creating a new distribution of responses.
C)strengthening an instrumental response.
D)a biological mechanism.

Question 64

Suppose you want to reduce the occurrence of some undesired social behavior (like illegal drug use).Describe two things you would do that, according to economic concepts of response allocation, would decrease the behavior.

Question 65

Compare the Premack principle to the response deprivation hypothesis.What evidence supports the response deprivation hypothesis?

Question 66

Briefly describe an experiment that would test the Premack differential probability principle.

Question 67

Describe what an S-O association is and what research tactic provides the best evidence for it.

Question 68

What is the unconstrained baseline/behavioral bliss point? How does an experimenter determine this? How does the baseline/bliss point approach account for reinforcer effects?

Question 69

What is the central premise of the modern two-process theory? Describe specific predictions of the theory.

Question 70

What factors influence the elasticity of demand? How do these factors influence our understanding of instrumental conditioning studies with animals?

Question 71

What are the primary contributions of economic concepts to the understanding of the motivational bases of instrumental behavior?

Question 72

Which of the following is not a contribution of the response allocation approach?

A)It moved us away from thinking about reinforcers as a special class of stimuli.
B)It highlighted that instrumental behavior cannot be considered in a vacuum.
C)It suggests that behavioral economics is useful in understanding the tradeoffs in an instrumental contingency.
D)Instrumental conditioning began to be viewed as a strengthening of the instrumental response.

Question 73

How do studies of the associative structure of instrumental conditioning help in understanding the nature of drug addiction?

Question 74

Describe implications of modern concepts of reinforcement for behavior therapy.

Question 75

What investigative techniques are used to provide evidence of R-O associations? Why is it not possible to explain instrumental behavior by assuming only R-O association learning?

Question 76

Describe similarities and differences between the Premack principle and subsequent response allocation models.

Question 77

Intuition suggests that subjects make responses in order to receive a particular outcome.What evidence is there of
R-O associations in animals?

Question 78

Describe what is an S-R association and what provides the best evidence for it.