Deck 22: Operant Conditioning

Question 1

Elijah has learned to expect that whenever he studies diligently for tests,he will receive good grades.This suggests that associative learning involves

A) modeling.
B) cognitive processes.
C) intrinsic motivation.
D) instinctive drift.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Pigeons learn to flap their wings to avoid shock ________ easily than they learn to peck a disk to avoid shock.They learn to flap their wings to obtain food ________ easily than they learn to peck a disk to obtain food.

A) more;more
B) more;less
C) less;less
D) less;more

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Psychologists once believed that any stimulus (whether a taste,sight,or sound)could serve equally well as a conditioned stimulus.This belief was challenged by research demonstrating the importance of

A) extrinsic motivation.
B) latent learning.
C) modeling.
D) biological constraints.

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Evidence that organisms are biologically predisposed to learn the associations that most readily aid their survival has been provided by

A) Skinner's study of reinforcement.
B) Bandura's study of observational learning.
C) Pavlov's study of salivary conditioning.
D) Garcia and Koelling's study of taste aversion.

Question 5

It is easier to train a dog to bark for food than to train it to stand on its hind legs for food.This best illustrates the importance of ________ in learning.

A) predictability
B) generalization
C) biological predispositions
D) mirror neurons

Question 6

Many psychologists have criticized Skinner for discounting the influence of ________ on behavior.

A) unconditioned stimuli
B) associative learning
C) conditioned stimuli
D) private thought processes

Question 7

Some psychologists believe that rats develop mental representations of mazes they have explored.These representations are called

A) extrinsic motives.
B) mirror neurons.
C) prosocial models.
D) cognitive maps.

Question 8

Garcia and Koelling's findings on taste aversion in rats challenged the previously accepted principle that

A) positive reinforcement is more effective than punishment in changing behavior.
B) the US must immediately follow the CS for conditioning to occur.
C) learning is influenced by the frequency of association between the CS and US.
D) learning occurs only if a response is followed by reinforcement.

Question 9

After repeatedly drinking alcohol spiked with a nauseating drug,people with alcohol use disorder may fail to develop an aversion to alcohol because they blame their nausea on the drug.This illustrates the importance of ________ in classical conditioning.

A) biological predispositions
B) extrinsic motivation
C) cognitive processes
D) instinctive drift

Question 10

Professor Kingston emphasizes that learned fears reflect the interacting influences of a person's inborn emotional reactivity,family life history,and capacity to generalize from previous experiences.The professor's emphasis best illustrates

A) behaviorism.
B) intrinsic motivation.
C) prosocial behavior.
D) a biopsychosocial approach.

Question 11

Animals most readily learn the specific associations that promote

A) taste aversion.
B) survival.
C) extrinsic motivation.
D) prosocial behavior.

Question 12

Biological constraints are ________ biological tendencies that predispose animals' behavior and learning.

A) classically conditioned
B) extrinsically motivated
C) prosocial
D) evolved

Question 13

Pigs trained to pick up large wooden coins subsequently delayed receiving a food reinforcer because they would repeatedly drop and push the coins with their snouts.This best illustrates

A) modeling.
B) extrinsic motivation.
C) instinctive drift.
D) latent learning.

Question 14

A CS for sexual arousal is relevant if it is similar to stimuli associated with sexual activity in an organism's

A) cognitive map.
B) natural environment.
C) fixed-interval reinforcement schedule.
D) mirror neurons.

Question 15

Birds appear to be biologically predisposed to develop aversions to the ________ of tainted food.

A) taste
B) smell
C) sight
D) sound

Question 16

Classical conditioning occurs most rapidly when the learner perceives the ________ to cause the ________.

A) US;UR
B) CS;CR
C) UR;CR
D) CS;US

Question 17

If a shock is always preceded by a tone,and then sometimes also is preceded by a light that accompanies the tone,a rat will react

A) with no fear either to the tone or to the light.
B) with fear to the tone but not to the light.
C) with fear to the light but not to the tone.
D) with equally high levels of fear both to the tone and to the light.

Question 18

A biological predisposition to learn associations that have survival value is referred to as

A) instinctive drift.
B) preparedness.
C) a cognitive map.
D) latent learning.

Question 19

Research on the role of cognitive processes in learning indicates that the strength of a conditioned response depends primarily on the ________ of the CS-US association.

A) frequency
B) distinctiveness
C) duration
D) predictability

Question 20

Biological constraints predispose organisms to most readily learn behaviors favored by

A) extrinsic motivation.
B) cognitive maps.
C) natural selection.
D) fixed-interval reinforcement schedules.

Question 21

Caroline loves to read and enjoys looking up the meanings of words she does not know.In school,her teacher promises a gold star to students each time they learn a new word.The teacher's behavior is most likely to undermine

A) latent learning.
B) intrinsic motivation.
C) prosocial behavior.
D) instinctive drift.

Question 22

The best evidence that animals develop cognitive maps comes from studies of

A) modeling.
B) instinctive drift.
C) latent learning.
D) intrinsic motivation.

Question 23

When Julie saw her brother being praised for cleaning his bedroom,she increasingly engaged in cleaning her own bedroom.This best illustrates the impact of

A) instinctive drift.
B) classical conditioning.
C) vicarious reinforcement.
D) intrinsic motivation.

Question 24

Although Josh learned aggressive behaviors by watching a violent movie,he did not imitate those behaviors until days later when he was offered money to do so.Josh's behavior best illustrates the importance of

A) classical conditioning.
B) latent learning.
C) unconditioned stimuli.
D) intrinsic motivation.

Question 25

Pavlov is to classical conditioning as ________ is to ________.

A) Watson;modeling
B) Skinner;latent learning
C) Bandura;observational learning
D) Garcia;computer-assisted instruction

Question 26

Which of the following are thought to become active both when people watch an action being performed and when they perform that action themselves?

A) cognitive maps
B) fixed-interval schedules
C) mirror neurons
D) extrinsic motives

Question 27

Without any explicit training from adults,many 8-year-old children know how to turn the ignition key to start their parents' cars.This best illustrates the importance of

A) observational learning.
B) classical conditioning.
C) operant conditioning.
D) extrinsic motivation.

Question 28

Marcy grows roses for the sheer joy of it;Jennifer grows them to sell at a profit.Marcy's behavior reflects ________,whereas Jennifer's behavior reflects ________.

A) latent learning;modeling
B) an unconditioned response;a conditioned response
C) intrinsic motivation;extrinsic motivation
D) operant conditioning;classical conditioning

Question 29

The tendency to discontinue behaviors that we observe others being punished for performing best illustrates the influence of

A) intrinsic motivation.
B) vicarious punishment.
C) classical conditioning.
D) cognitive maps.

Question 30

The tendency for children to imitate behaviors seen on television best illustrates the importance of

A) modeling.
B) latent learning.
C) immediate reinforcement.
D) cognitive maps.

Question 31

Latent learning can occur in the absence of

A) reinforcement.
B) cognition.
C) experience.
D) any of these factors.

Question 32

The process of modeling is most closely associated with

A) operant conditioning.
B) observational learning.
C) extrinsic motivation.
D) classical conditioning.

Question 33

Neuroscientists have discovered mirror neurons in the

A) frontal lobe adjacent to the motor cortex.
B) temporal lobe adjacent to the auditory cortex.
C) parietal lobe adjacent to the sensory cortex.
D) occipital lobe adjacent to the visual cortex.

Question 34

Bandura's experiments indicate that ________ is important in the process of learning.

A) extrinsic motivation
B) instinctive drift
C) modeling
D) a fixed-interval reinforcement schedule

Question 35

Acquiring new responses by watching the behaviors of a teacher is called

A) classical conditioning.
B) operant conditioning.
C) observational learning.
D) latent learning.

Question 36

Professor Jones has found that when one monkey sees a second monkey touch four pictures in a certain order to gain a banana,the first monkey learns to imitate that sequence.Professor Jones has found an example of

A) instinctive drift.
B) spontaneous recovery.
C) observational learning.
D) shaping.

Question 37

When observing movie characters smoking,observers' brains spontaneously simulate the act of smoking.Some researchers believe that this is due to the activation of

A) mirror neurons.
B) spontaneous recovery.
C) extrinsic motivation.
D) partial reinforcement.

Question 38

The rapid transmission of fads and fashions best illustrates the impact of

A) classical conditioning.
B) instinctive drift.
C) operant conditioning.
D) observational learning.

Question 39

The desire to engage in an activity for the sake of its enjoyment alone involves

A) instinctive drift.
B) modeling.
C) intrinsic motivation.
D) latent learning.

Question 40

Observational learning was illustrated by a famous experiment involving

A) Pokémon characters.
B) a Pacman video game.
C) wooden coins.
D) a Bobo doll.

Question 41

Children of violent parents can often learn to be aggressive by imitating their parents.This best illustrates the impact of

A) operant conditioning.
B) observational learning.
C) classical conditioning.
D) extrinsic motivation.

Question 42

Prolonged exposure to media violence causes people to become indifferent to violent brutality in real life.This best illustrates that one effect of viewing media violence is

A) vicarious reinforcement.
B) desensitization.
C) latent learning.
D) conditioned taste aversion.

Question 43

Children who are promised a payoff for playing with an interesting toy have later been observed to play with the toy less than those who are not promised the reward.This provides evidence for the role of ________ in operant behavior.

A) mirror neurons
B) latent learning
C) cognitive processes
D) biological predispositions

Question 44

If you get violently ill a couple of hours after eating contaminated food,you will probably develop an aversion to the taste of that food but not to the sight of the restaurant where you ate or to the sound of music you heard there.This best illustrates that associative learning is constrained by

A) intrinsic motivation.
B) biological predispositions.
C) modeling.
D) cognitive maps.

Question 45

Ten-year-old Karen frequently watches violent movies on television.This is most likely to lead her to

A) underestimate the actual frequency of violent crimes in the real world.
B) experience less distress at the sight of other children fighting on the school playground.
C) become more hesitant about personally starting a fight with another child.
D) become less fearful about being criminally assaulted.

Question 46

After reading a first-person account of another's experience of overcoming obstacles to vote,university students were subsequently more likely to vote in a presidential primary election.This best illustrates the impact of

A) instinctive drift.
B) extrinsic motivation.
C) vicarious experience.
D) classical conditioning.

Question 47

Adult males who spent three evenings watching sexually violent films became

A) progressively more bothered by the filmed violence and later expressed more sympathy for domestic violence victims.
B) progressively less bothered by the filmed violence and later expressed less sympathy for domestic violence victims.
C) progressively less bothered by the filmed violence and later expressed more sympathy for domestic violence victims.
D) progressively more bothered by the filmed violence and later expressed less sympathy for domestic violence victims.

Question 48

A biological predisposition to learn associations that have survival value is called

A) cognitive map.
B) latent learning.
C) motivation.
D) preparedness.

Question 49

Mr.Zandee has stopped smoking because he wants to model healthy behavior patterns for his children.Mr.Zandee is apparently aware of the importance of ________ in his children's development.

A) extrinsic motivation
B) observational learning
C) instinctive drift
D) operant conditioning

Question 50

Experimental research on the effects of viewing media violence indicates that

A) viewing violence takes people's minds off their own problems and thus reduces their aggressive urges.
B) exposure to media violence can cause increased levels of aggression.
C) there is no correlation between viewing aggression and behaving aggressively.
D) although viewing violence is correlated with increased aggression,there is no evidence that viewing violence actually leads to aggression.

Question 51

The violence-viewing effect is especially likely when the observed violence

A) causes visible harm.
B) goes unpunished.
C) seems unjustified.
D) is committed by an unattractive person.

Question 52

Some scientists have suggested that mirror neurons most clearly provide us with the capacity for

A) instinctive drift.
B) intrinsic motivation.
C) fixed-interval reinforcement.
D) imitation.

Question 53

Young children's developing capacity to experience empathy for another's suffering provides an indication of their developing

A) theory of mind.
B) cognitive map.
C) instinctive drift.
D) extrinsic motivation.

Question 54

Researchers found that in the United States and Canada,homicide rates doubled over a time period in which TV with its violent programming was introduced.This finding does not prove that viewing violence on TV causes aggression because

A) the finding could not be replicated in another country.
B) the researchers randomly assigned viewers to watch either violent or nonviolent programming.
C) the research finding involved correlational evidence.
D) the research participants knew they were part of an ongoing TV viewing study.

Question 55

A dramatic increase in children's violent play after they viewed violent cartoons illustrates the role of television as a source of

A) respondent behavior.
B) spontaneous recovery.
C) negative reinforcement.
D) observational learning.

Question 56

When seeing a couple warmly kiss and embrace,observers may vicariously experience and mentally simulate the romantic interaction.According to some researchers,this reaction of the observers is partially attributable to the activation of

A) instinctive drift.
B) a fixed-interval reinforcement schedule.
C) mirror neurons.
D) cognitive maps.

Question 57

Experiments suggest that children exposed to a model who says one thing and does another will

A) ignore both what the model says and does.
B) ignore what the model does but talk in ways consistent with what the model says.
C) ignore what the model says but act in ways consistent with what the model does.
D) talk in ways consistent with what the model says and act in ways consistent with what the model does.

Question 58

Copying an adult,young children will wave a stick over a box and then use the stick to push on a knob that opens the box when all they needed to do to open the box was to push on the knob.This best illustrates

A) operant conditioning.
B) prosocial behavior.
C) overimitation.
D) classical conditioning.

Question 59

Inferring another's mental state is an ability known as

A) cognitive mapping.
B) latent learning.
C) theory of mind.
D) modeling.

Question 60

Prosocial behaviors are actions that are

A) harmful to others.
B) classically conditioned.
C) helpful to others.
D) overimitated.

Question 61

Vicki once loved the taste of carrots.But after eating some carrots that had been contaminated by nausea-producing toxins,she developed a taste aversion to carrots.This best illustrates the impact of

A) latent learning.
B) classical conditioning.
C) negative reinforcement.
D) observational learning.

Question 62

Preparedness is

A) the process of observing and imitating a specific behavior.
B) a biological predisposition to learn associations that have survival value.
C) learning by observing others.
D) a desire to perform a behavior effectively for its own sake.

Question 63

Most of the TV shows that 9-year-old Fred watches involve violence.This is most likely to lead Fred to

A) react with a sense of distress at the sight of two children fighting on the school playground.
B) perceive the injuries of victims of violence as less severe.
C) be more inhibited about personally starting a fight on the school playground.
D) overestimate the pain and injury experienced by victims of violent crime.

Question 64

Animals tend to revert from newly learned habits to their biologically predisposed behaviors.This is an example of

A) latent learning.
B) instinctive drift.
C) intrinsic motivation.
D) modeling.

Question 65

Like European Christians who risked their lives to rescue Jews from the Nazis,civil rights activists of the 1960s had parents who

A) consistently used reinforcement in combination with punishment to shape their children's moral behavior.
B) modeled a strong moral or humanitarian concern.
C) consistently used psychological punishment rather than physical punishment in shaping their children's behavior.
D) consistently explained to their children the harsh consequences of immoral behavior.

Question 66

An integrated understanding of associative learning in terms of genetic predispositions,culturally learned preferences,and the predictability of certain associations is most clearly provided by

A) Pavlov's experiments.
B) Watson's behaviorism.
C) a biopsychosocial approach.
D) instinctive drift.

Question 67

Tendencies developed through evolutionary history that predispose members of a species to learn some associations more readily than others illustrate

A) cognitive maps.
B) preparedness.
C) extrinsic motives.
D) conditioned responses.

Question 68

Which pioneering learning researcher highlighted the antisocial effects of aggressive models on children's behavior?

A) John B.Watson
B) Albert Bandura
C) Ivan Pavlov
D) B.F.Skinner

Question 69

An empathic husband who sees his wife in pain will exhibit some of the same brain activity she is showing.According to many researchers,this best illustrates the functioning of

A) cognitive maps.
B) latent learning.
C) mirror neurons.
D) extrinsic motivation.

Question 70

Garcia and Koelling's studies of taste aversion in rats demonstrated that classical conditioning is constrained by

A) cognitive processes.
B) biological predispositions.
C) a fixed-interval reinforcement schedule.
D) latent learning.

Question 71

It's easier to train a pigeon to peck a disk for a food reward than to flap its wings for a food reward.This illustrates the importance of ________ in learning.

A) extrinsic motivation
B) modeling
C) cognitive maps
D) biological predispositions

Question 72

An organism's ability to mentally anticipate that a US will follow a CS is most likely to be highlighted by a(n)________ perspective.

A) evolutionary
B) behaviorist
C) cognitive
D) neuroscience

Question 73

When chemotherapy in a clinic triggers nausea,cancer patients may develop a nausea response to the sights,sounds,and smells associated with the clinic.This best illustrates

A) operant conditioning.
B) latent learning.
C) classical conditioning.
D) observational learning.

Question 74

If one chimpanzee watches a second chimp solve a puzzle for a food reward,the first chimp may thereby learn how to solve the puzzle.This best illustrates

A) operant conditioning.
B) observational learning.
C) classical conditioning.
D) instinctive drift.

Question 75

When Evie saw that her classmates got the teacher's attention after asking questions in class,Evie started asking questions in class.This best illustrates the impact of

A) a fixed-interval reinforcement schedule.
B) cognitive maps.
C) classical conditioning.
D) vicarious reinforcement.

Question 76

Which of the following has helped prevent coyotes and wolves from attacking sheep?

A) observational learning
B) conditioned taste aversion
C) positive reinforcement
D) latent learning

Question 77

The idea that any perceivable neutral stimulus can serve as a CS was challenged by

A) Garcia and Koelling's findings on taste aversion in rats.
B) Pavlov's findings on the conditioned salivary response.
C) Rescorla's findings about the effects of expectations on an animal's conditioned response.
D) Bandura's findings on observational learning and aggression in children.

Question 78

Rats most easily learn to associate nausea-producing radiation treatments with

A) loud sounds.
B) bright lights.
C) novel tastes.
D) high-pitched sounds.

Question 79

Evidence that organisms most readily learn behaviors favored by natural selection best illustrates the importance of

A) vicarious reinforcement.
B) extrinsic motivation.
C) conditioned reinforcers.
D) biological constraints.

Question 80

After pigs learned to pick up and deposit wooden coins in a piggy bank,the pigs subsequently dropped the coins repeatedly and pushed them with their snouts.This best illustrates the importance of ________ in operant conditioning.

A) taste aversion
B) latent learning
C) intrinsic motivation
D) biological predispositions