Deck 6: B: Learning

Question 1

In the experiment with Little Albert,the unconditioned stimulus was

A)the experimenter.
B)the laboratory.
C)the loud noise.
D)the rat.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Rachel has found that when she opens the cupboard door to get the cat food,the cats come running to the kitchen.Rachel knows that this is classical conditioning and that the conditioned stimulus is the

A)cat food.
B)cat.
C)running of the cats.
D)cupboard door opening.

Answer 2

D

Question 3

What must be paired together for classical conditioning to occur?

A)unconditioned stimulus and unconditioned response
B)conditioned response and unconditioned response
C)neutral stimulus and unconditioned stimulus
D)neutral stimulus and conditioned stimulus

Answer 3

C

Question 4

We associate the name of _______ most closely with classical conditioning.

A)B.F.Skinner
B)Robert Rescorla
C)Albert Bandura
D)Ivan Pavlov

Question 5

Most young children put their hands over their ears when they hear the loud boom of firecrackers at a Canada Day festival,but at first pay scant attention to the person lighting the firecrackers.However,after just a few firecrackers have been exploded,some of the children put their hands over their ears as soon as they see the person approach the firecracker with a match! What is the <i style='mso-bidi-font-style:normal'>unconditioned response</i>?

A)the person lighting the firecrackers
B)the loud booming sound made by the firecrackers
C)the children putting their hands over their ears when they see the person about to light the firecrackers
D)the children putting their hands over their ears when the firecrackers explode

Question 6

By pairing the ringing of a bell with the presentation of meat,Pavlov trained dogs to salivate to the sound of a bell even when no meat was presented.In this experiment,the presentation of the meat was the

A)unconditioned stimulus.
B)unconditioned response.
C)conditioned stimulus.
D)conditioned response.

Question 7

In classical conditioning,the stimulus that normally evokes an automatic response even without new learning is called the

A)conditioned stimulus.
B)reflexive stimulus.
C)unconditioned stimulus.
D)orienting stimulus.

Question 8

Which of the following statements about classical conditioning is true?

A)Most cases of classical conditioning require repeated trials.
B)One trial is usually enough for conditioning to occur.
C)Learning will continue to increase indefinitely.
D)Learning is more effective if trials follow each other very quickly.

Question 9

Which of the following is an example of classical conditioning?

A)A child learns to blink her eyes to a bell because the ringing of the bell has been followed by a puff of air to the eye.
B)A pigeon learns to peck at a disc in a Skinner box to get food.
C)Rich saw that when Donna banged her fist against a particular vending machine,she got a free soft drink,so now he bangs his fist against that machine when he wants a free soft drink.
D)A monkey learns to escape from a cage.

Question 10

As she walked through her neighbourhood,Jodie,a 6-year-old girl,frequently saw a large brown dog.She repeatedly walked to the dog to pet it,but as her hand approached the animal,it barked and bit her.The bite was painful and caused her to cry.Now Jodie cries when she sees dogs of any colour or size.The sight of dogs is the

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

Question 11

The process by which experience or practice results in a relatively permanent change in behaviour or potential behaviour is known as

A)learning.
B)intelligence formation.
C)imprinting.
D)cognition.

Question 12

Learning is a process by which experience results in

A)acquisition of motivation.
B)relatively permanent change in behaviour.
C)amplification of sensory stimuli.
D)delayed genetic behavioural contributions.

Question 13

Many individuals decide that they feel hungry and eat lunch when they see both hands of the clock on the 12,indicating that it is noontime.This may occur regardless of how recently they ate breakfast.In this example,the conditioned response is

A)the act of eating breakfast.
B)the act of eating lunch.
C)the counting of the number of hours since breakfast.
D)the watching of the hands of the clock.

Question 14

When Ivan Pavlov presented meat powder,the dog salivated.The meat powder was the ________ and salivation was the ________.

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

Question 15

As she walked through her neighbourhood,Jodie,a 6-year-old girl,frequently saw a large brown dog.She repeatedly walked to the dog to pet it,but as her hand approached the animal,it barked and bit her.The bite was painful and caused her to cry.Now Jodie cries when she sees dogs of any colour or size.Jodie's crying when she sees dogs is the

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

Question 16

Most young children put their hands over their ears when they hear the loud boom of firecrackers at a Canada Day festival,but at first pay scant attention to the person lighting the firecrackers.However,after just a few firecrackers have been exploded,some of the children put their hands over their ears as soon as they see the person approach the firecracker with a match! What is the <i style='mso-bidi-font-style:normal'>unconditioned stimulus</i>?

A)the person lighting the firecrackers
B)the loud booming sound made by the firecrackers
C)the children putting their hands over their ears when they see the person about to light the firecrackers
D)the children putting their hands over their ears when the firecrackers explode

Question 17

Which scenario would result in the fastest acquisition of a classically conditioned response?

A)Hugh repeatedly rings a bell after he gives his dog a bone,over multiple trials.
B)Hugh rings a bell and then gives his dog a treat 30 minutes later,over multiple trials.
C)Hugh makes his dog "play dead" and then gives him a treat if he has performed the behaviour.
D)Hugh makes two pieces of toast every morning,and when they pop out of the toaster,he throws one of the pieces of toast to his dog.

Question 18

In the experiment with Little Albert,the conditioned response was

A)the rat.
B)the laboratory.
C)the loud noise.
D)fear.

Question 19

By pairing the ringing of a bell with the presentation of meat,Pavlov trained dogs to salivate to the sound of a bell even when no meat was presented.In this experiment,the ringing of the bell was the

A)unconditioned stimulus.
B)unconditioned response.
C)conditioned stimulus.
D)conditioned response.

Question 20

Most young children put their hands over their ears when they hear the loud boom of firecrackers at a Canada Day festival,but at first pay scant attention to the person lighting the firecrackers.However,after just a few firecrackers have been exploded,some of the children put their hands over their ears as soon as they see the person approach the firecracker with a match! What is the <i style='mso-bidi-font-style:normal'>conditioned stimulus</i>?

A)the person lighting the firecrackers
B)the loud booming sound made by the firecrackers
C)the children putting their hands over their ears when they see the person about to light the firecrackers
D)the children putting their hands over their ears when the firecrackers explode

Question 21

Corky's mouth waters when he sees Ball Park Franks,but not when he sees other brands of franks.This response is known as

A)extinction.
B)discrimination.
C)generalization.
D)intelligence.

Question 22

The process of presenting the conditioned stimulus alone so often that the learner no longer associates it with the unconditioned stimulus and stops making the conditioned response is called _________ .

A)extinction
B)generalization
C)spontaneous recovery
D)shaping

Question 23

Of the following phenomena,which one best explains the spreading of phobias to objects similar to the one to which the phobia was originally acquired?

A)discrimination
B)extinction
C)generalization
D)spontaneous recovery

Question 24

Paul is coming down with the flu,but he eats spaghetti anyway and subsequently becomes violently ill.A month later,he sees that spaghetti is being served in the dining hall and is overcome by nausea.What type of learning is illustrated by this episode?

A)operant conditioning
B)cognitive learning
C)latent learning
D)classical conditioning

Question 25

The process of learning to respond only to a single specific object or event is called _________ .

A)extinction
B)inhibition
C)stimulus generalization
D)discrimination

Question 26

As she walked through her neighbourhood,Jodie,a 6-year-old girl,frequently saw a large brown dog.She repeatedly walked to the dog to pet it,but as her hand approached the animal,it barked and bit her.The bite was painful and caused her to cry.Now Jodie cries when she sees dogs of any colour or size.This illustrates which of the following?

A)generalization
B)discrimination
C)extinction
D)spontaneous recovery

Question 27

If a rat has learned to press a lever to obtain pellets of food and,all of a sudden,the response permanently ceases to produce any food,then _______ will occur.

A)shaping
B)discrimination
C)generalization
D)extinction

Question 28

Operant conditioning assumes that

A)events that follow behaviour affect whether the behaviour is repeated in the future.
B)one's mental processes (e.g. ,memory and perception)mediate what behaviours one does in a situation.
C)voluntary behaviours are reflexive.
D)one learns by watching others' behaviour.

Question 29

A small boy has just recently delighted his parents because he learned to call his father "daddy." However,it has now become an embarrassment to his mother when she takes him out with her because he keeps calling other men "daddy." This is an example of

A)associative linkage.
B)generalization.
C)higher-order conditioning.
D)spontaneous recovery.

Question 30

Taste aversions seem to be specific examples of what type of learning?

A)classical conditioning
B)insight learning
C)vicarious learning
D)operant conditioning

Question 31

One of the best-known examples of classical conditioning in humans was the Little Albert study,conducted by

A)Pavlov.
B)Freud.
C)Watson.
D)Skinner.

Question 32

If a dog salivates when it sees a green light or a yellow light,it is exhibiting

A)generalization.
B)discrimination.
C)higher-order conditioning.
D)extinction.

Question 33

Repeatedly presenting a CS by itself will result in

A)extinction.
B)spontaneous recovery.
C)stimulus discrimination.
D)stimulus generalization.

Question 34

A research participant hears a tone followed by a puff of air directed toward his eye.Later,he blinks when he hears the tone.Before ending the experiment,what could the researcher do in order to extinguish the blinking to that tone?

A)present the tone alone repeatedly
B)present the puff of air alone repeatedly
C)increase the loudness of the tone
D)increase the amount of air that is directed toward the eye

Question 35

Which two learning processes seem to be opposites?

A)acquisition and generalization
B)discrimination and extinction
C)discrimination and generalization
D)acquisition and discrimination

Question 36

Which scenario is an example of classical conditioning?

A)training a rat to run a maze by rewarding it with food once it reaches the end
B)ignoring a patient who fakes anxiety attacks because the attacks normally result in attention from staff
C)teaching a child to do her chores by giving her a cookie when she has completed them
D)helping a patient's phobia of spiders by exposing him to the dangerous stimuli when he's in a relaxed state

Question 37

In the experiment with Little Albert,the unconditioned response was

A)fear of the loud noise.
B)fear of the rat.
C)fear of the experimenter.
D)fear of the laboratory.

Question 38

Spontaneous recovery

A)occurs before the pairing of the CS and US.
B)occurs after a fixed-interval schedule of reinforcement.
C)is an unlearned response.
D)can occur once a response has been extinguished.

Question 39

Stimulus discrimination

A)is a response followed by a reinforcer.
B)occurs when responses are made to stimuli that are similar to the original CS.
C)is the removal of a stimulus.
D)occurs when responses are made to certain stimuli,but not to others.

Question 40

This is the first exam you have ever taken in Professor Smith's class.You know nothing about her tests,and she has never done anything harmful to you or anyone else.Nonetheless,you are anxious about the test.Your anxiety in this situation is an example of

A)generalization.
B)discrimination.
C)backward conditioning.
D)none of the above.

Question 41

Nagging someone to do something until they do it is an example of

A)negative reinforcement.
B)aversive conditioning.
C)punishment.
D)positive reinforcement.

Question 42

Which of the following statements about positive reinforcement is accurate?

A)It is used in negative reinforcement.
B)It weakens the behaviours that it follows.
C)It strengthens the behaviours that it follows.
D)It strengthens the behaviours that lead to its removal.

Question 43

Positive reinforcement takes place when a stimulus is ________ and thus ________ the probability of a response.

A)removed;decreases
B)presented;increases
C)presented;decreases
D)removed;increases

Question 44

What has occurred when there is a decrease in the likelihood or rate of a target response?

A)positive reinforcement and negative reinforcement
B)negative reinforcement
C)punishment
D)positive reinforcement

Question 45

When someone uses negative reinforcement to change a behaviour,the behaviour is likely to __________ .

A)occur less frequently
B)occur more frequently
C)occur at the same rate
D)completely stop

Question 46

Anything that follows a response,making that response more likely to recur,is

A)an antecedent.
B)an enhancement.
C)reinforcement.
D)consequence.

Question 47

An example of a behaviour that is learned through operant conditioning is

A)blinking in response to a flash of light.
B)studying in order to get a teacher's approval.
C)sneezing in response to dust.
D)pulling one's hand away from a flame.

Question 48

The apparatus that has come to symbolize the theory of operant conditioning is the

A)Rubik's cube.
B)Skinner box.
C)Pavlov bell.
D)Thorndike puzzle.

Question 49

Training a rat to push a lever to escape from an electric shock is an example of

A)aversive punishment.
B)negative reinforcement.
C)positive reinforcement.
D)response cost.

Question 50

A woodchuck tries to crack a walnut shell in two different ways-with his paws and with his teeth.The last method worked and the first did not;hence,the woodchuck will be more likely to rely on his teeth for splitting the next nut.This observation illustrates the

A)the discrimination principle.
B)the law of practice.
C)the law of effect.
D)the Premack principle.

Question 51

Negative reinforcement is best thought of as

A)reinforcement for an undesirable activity.
B)punishment.
C)something that was predicted to serve as reinforcement but did not do so.
D)stimuli whose termination or removal increases behaviour.

Question 52

What did Thorndike's research with cats lead him to conclude?

A)Cats learn by insight and can grasp the nature of a problem.
B)All animals are capable of experiencing an "aha reaction" when they solve a problem and respond correctly after that point.
C)All learning,in animals and humans,occurs by trial and error.
D)Learning that is strongly reinforced occurs faster and is less subject to extinction.

Question 53

Wearing sunglasses all the time because people tell you they make you look "irresistible" is an example of which of the types of punishment or reinforcement?

A)aversive punishment
B)negative reinforcement
C)positive reinforcement
D)response cost

Question 54

A child is praised for using his fork instead of his fingers to eat some spaghetti.This is an example of __________ reinforcement.

A)positive
B)extrinsic
C)higher-order
D)secondary

Question 55

Thorndike's main apparatus in his operant conditioning research was

A)a wire monkey.
B)a cognitive map.
C)a puzzle box.
D)a buzzer.

Question 56

To avoid getting a headache,Lory always lets her dog outside when it sits by the door and howls.This is an example of which type of punishment or reinforcement?

A)aversive punishment
B)negative reinforcement
C)positive reinforcement
D)response cost

Question 57

The Canada Revenue Agency threatens Sue with a penalty if she fails to pay her back taxes.She pays,and the threat is withdrawn.In the future,she is more prompt in meeting her obligation.This is an example of the use of _______ to control behaviour.

A)positive reinforcement
B)negative reinforcement
C)positive punishment
D)negative punishment

Question 58

A reinforcer that adds something rewarding to a situation is called a(n)__________ reinforcer.

A)positive
B)additive
C)primary
D)secondary

Question 59

Putting on sunglasses to relieve glare is an example of which of the types of punishment or reinforcement?

A)aversive punishment
B)negative reinforcement
C)positive reinforcement
D)response cost

Question 60

Mary arrives home to find her son washing the dirty dishes left from his party the night before.When she discovers his first-semester grade report on the table and sees that he got straight A's,Mary rewards him by relieving him of the unpleasant task of finishing the dishes.Which operant process does the example illustrate?

A)positive reinforcement
B)negative reinforcement
C)extinction
D)punishment

Question 61

Which of the following is NOT negative reinforcement?

A)turning off an electric shock
B)giving a spanking
C)removing a noxious odour
D)silencing a banging door

Question 62

A camp leader repeatedly hugs a camper after she helps her friend.Each time,the camper is embarrassed and shies away from future acts of assistance.In the example,"hugging the camper" is

A)a positive reinforcer.
B)a primary reinforcer.
C)a punishment.
D)none of the above.

Question 63

According to observational theory,a child who pretends she is smoking because she saw her favourite TV star smoking would be learning through

A)reinforcement.
B)punishment.
C)imitation.
D)practice.

Question 64

Which of the following statements about punishment is NOT true?

A)Punishment does not always work.
B)Rewards should always immediately follow punishments.
C)Effective punishment is consistent punishment.
D)In itself,punishment serves to inhibit responses.

Question 65

Mom and Dad think it is really funny and laugh when their 2-year-old,Bruce,says dirty words.When Bruce is sent home from kindergarten because of swearing,they don't understand why he cusses.Now when he cusses at home,they ignore the cussing.(They don't think it's cute anymore.)Laughing,in this example,is

A)positive reinforcement.
B)a negative reinforcer.
C)a primary reinforcer.
D)a neutral stimulus.

Question 66

Which learning principle is characterized by a less-pronounced response to stimuli that differ from the original stimulus?

A)habituation
B)stimulus generalization
C)extinction
D)stimulus discrimination

Question 67

What do we call learning that has taken place but is not demonstrated?

A)insight learning
B)serial enumeration
C)latent learning
D)shaping

Question 68

To teach a tiger to jump through a flaming hoop,the tiger is first reinforced for jumping up on a certain pedestal,then for leaping from that pedestal to another.Next,the tiger has to jump through a hoop between the pedestals to get the reward.Finally,the hoop is set afire and the tiger must jump through it to get the reward.This is an example of

A)modelling.
B)shaping.
C)negative reinforcement.
D)secondary learning.

Question 69

Negative reinforcement is negative in the sense that

A)a consequence stimulus is delivered in a negative manner.
B)it results in the removal of the behaviour.
C)the behaviour results in the removal of a negative reinforcer.
D)the behaviour is decreased/weakened.

Question 70

Peggy wanted to teach her dog how to roll over.She tried giving him instructions,but it didn't work.She tried waiting for him to roll over so she could reinforce the behaviour,but she had to go to bed before the dog rolled.Finally,she began reinforcing the dog when it made behaviours that more closely resembled rolling over.At last,using _______,she was able to teach the dog to do the trick.

A)shaping
B)positive reinforcement
C)positive reinforcers
D)secondary reinforcers

Question 71

A young girl is just learning to dress herself.At first,the parents call her a "big girl" just for putting on her clothes "frontwards," even if they are not buttoned.Then they call her a "big girl" if she tries to button them-even if the buttons are not in the right holes.Then,they call her a "big girl" only if she buttons them correctly.They have been using

A)discrimination.
B)generalization.
C)higher-order conditioning.
D)successive approximation.

Question 72

The 5-year-old child of two very busy parents has been throwing tantrums.Whenever the child goes off the deep end,one or both of his parents immediately come to his side and fuss over and cajole him.Nevertheless,his tantrums do not diminish;they even seem to increase.We may assume that his parents' fussing over him serves as

A)negative reinforcement.
B)punisher.
C)positive reinforcement.
D)model.

Question 73

The presentation of an aversive stimulus following a particular operant response is called

A)negative reinforcement.
B)discrimination training.
C)aversion conditioning.
D)punishment.

Question 74

Elizabeth was given a $1000 raise after her last performance evaluation.Her raise is a

A)primary reinforcer.
B)punisher.
C)negative reinforcer.
D)secondary reinforcer.

Question 75

Shaping is achieved through

A)discrimination training.
B)generalization.
C)higher-order conditioning.
D)successive approximations.

Question 76

At the local zoo,a polar bear suffered a broken tooth,and keepers needed a safe way of treating the problem.The bear was rewarded first for sticking its nose through a slot in the cage door,then for allowing a keeper to lift its lip and touch its teeth.Finally,a veterinarian was able to treat the damaged tooth while the bear waited placidly for its familiar reward.This is an example of

A)modelling.
B)shaping.
C)negative reinforcement.
D)secondary learning.

Question 77

When you were first learning to make your bed,your parents told you that you did a good job when you got the bedspread pulled up,even though the bed was still a little messy.For the next week,they showed you how to be a little neater each time you made the bed.What operant conditioning procedure did your parents use?

A)generalization
B)extinction
C)shaping
D)punishment

Question 78

Billy throws rocks.Each time he throws a rock,he is immediately spanked.Spanking is a

A)positive reinforcer.
B)negative reinforcer.
C)negative punishment.
D)positive punishment.

Question 79

Which of the following statements is true?

A)Punishment does not always work.
B)The effectiveness of punishment depends solely on its force.
C)Punishment should be applied intermittently.
D)Punishment usually enhances the learning process.

Question 80

On a variable-interval schedule,reinforcement is given for the

A)first correct response after a fixed amount of time has passed.
B)first correct response after varying amounts of time have passed.
C)next correct response after a fixed number of responses have occurred.
D)next correct response after a varying number of responses have occurred.