Question 1

Which of the following portrays an intrinsic reinforcer?
A) Larry receives a bonus in his paycheck for meeting his sales quota for the month.
B) John is an architect and enjoys planning and designing the construction of buildings.
C) Jenny is praised for her performance in the local marathon.
D) Harry gets an 'A' for her excellent essay on American foreign policy.

Accepted Answer

Intrinsic reinforcers come from within an individual and are usually activities or tasks that are self-motivating or enjoyable. John, the architect, enjoys planning and designing buildings, which is an example of an intrinsic reinforcer. The other options are extrinsic reinforcers, which come from external factors such as rewards or praise.

Question 2

A reflexive response elicited by a stimulus in the absence of learning is called a conditioned response.

Accepted Answer

A reflexive response elicited by a stimulus in the absence of learning is called an unconditioned response. A conditioned response occurs after learning has taken place and is a response to a previously neutral stimulus that has been associated with an unconditioned stimulus.

Question 3

Which of the following is true about the use of extrinsic versus intrinsic rewards?
A) Extrinsic rewards should never be used.
B) Extrinsic rewards should be used carefully and not overdone.
C) Intrinsic rewards should never be used.
D) Intrinsic rewards should be used carefully and not overdone.

Accepted Answer

Extrinsic rewards can be effective in motivating behavior, but they should be used carefully and not overdone, as relying too much on extrinsic rewards can actually decrease intrinsic motivation. Similarly, intrinsic rewards should also be used carefully and not overdone, as they may not always be enough to motivate behavior.

Question 4

Extrinsic reinforcers are defined as reinforcers that:
A) are not inherently related to the activity being reinforced.
B) are inherently related to the activity being reinforced.
C) are related to the satisfaction of accomplishing a task.
D) are related to the inherent enjoyment of a particular task.

Accepted Answer

Extrinsic reinforcers are not inherently related to the activity being reinforced. Examples include money, praise, and grades, which are given as rewards for completing a task, but are not inherently related to the task itself.

Question 5

The concept of latent learning was developed by:
A) Watson.
B) Skinner.
C) Thorndike.
D) Tolman.

Accepted Answer

The concept of latent learning was developed by Edward Tolman, who discovered that rats that were allowed to explore a maze without a reward still showed improved performance in finding the food at the end of the maze. This concept challenged the behaviorist view that all learning is the result of reinforcement and demonstrated that cognitive processes can be involved in learning.

Question 6

The automatic, involuntary responses involved in blood pressure and muscle contractions cannot be
classically conditioned.

Accepted Answer

Classical conditioning can influence involuntary responses, including those related to blood pressure and muscle contractions, as demonstrated by experiments such as those by Ivan Pavlov.

Question 7

Being severely physically punished in childhood is a risk factor for which of the following?
A) depression and autism
B) depression, aggression, and low self-esteem
C) ADHD and aggression
D) ADHD and depression

Accepted Answer

Studies have shown that severe physical punishment in childhood is associated with increased risk of depression, aggression, and low self-esteem. While ADHD and autism may also have environmental risk factors, they are not commonly associated with physical punishment.

Question 8

Extinction occurs when the conditioned stimulus is no longer paired with the unconditioned stimulus.

Accepted Answer

Extinction is the process by which the conditioned response decreases or goes away when the conditioned stimulus is repeatedly presented without the unconditioned stimulus.

Question 9

Counterconditioning occurs when a learned response reoccurs after its apparent extinction.

Accepted Answer

Counterconditioning is a type of learning that involves replacing a negative or unwanted response with a positive or desired response through conditioning. It is different from extinction, which refers to the gradual weakening and eventual disappearance of a learned response after it is no longer reinforced.

Question 10

Social-cognitive theorists would argue that learning is not just a change in behavior, but it is also a change in knowledge that has the potential for affecting behavior.

Accepted Answer

Social-cognitive theorists believe that learning involves both changes in behavior and changes in knowledge or cognitive processes, which in turn can affect behavior. They emphasize the role of observation, modeling, and self-reflection in the learning process.

Question 11

A conditioned response is a reflexive response elicited by a stimulus in the absence of learning.

Accepted Answer

A conditioned response is a learned response that is acquired through classical or operant conditioning. It is not a reflexive response elicited in the absence of learning.

Question 12

After watching her father slide through pictures on his smartphone using his index finger, Laura, a 5-year- old, learns to use her finger to slide the screen on his smartphone. Laura acquired this behavior through ________.
A) classical conditioning
B) observational learning
C) operant conditioning
D) counterconditioning

Accepted Answer

Laura learned through observation, which is a key aspect of observational learning. Classical conditioning involves associating a neutral stimulus with a response that it would not normally produce, while operant conditioning involves learning through consequences of behavior. Counterconditioning involves replacing an unwanted response with a different, more desirable response through conditioning. None of these options fit as well as observational learning.

Question 13

Social-cognitive learning theorists argue that omitting mental processes from explanations of human learning is essential in maintaining a rigorous scientific approach.

Accepted Answer

Social-cognitive learning theorists emphasize the importance of mental processes (such as attention, memory, and motivation) in their explanations of human learning. They argue that understanding these mental processes is necessary for a complete and rigorous scientific approach to studying learning.

Question 14

Tim yells at his daughter Allison for soiling her pants. He also threatens to spank her if she ever does it again. Next week, she soils her pants again. According to studies on punishment, why did Tim's approach fail?
A) The threat was a reinforcer.
B) The punishment did not tell her how to change her behavior.
C) Allison wasn't punished immediately.
D) Yelling is not a form of punishment.

Accepted Answer

Tim's approach failed because he did not provide Allison with information on how to change her behavior. He simply punished her and made a threat, but did not offer any guidance or alternative behaviors. Without this information, Allison was likely to repeat the behavior again.

Question 15

If a dog begins to salivate at the sight of its dog food dish, then the dish is called a conditioned stimulus.

Accepted Answer

This is an example of classical conditioning, where the dog has learned to associate the sight of its dog food dish with food and begins to salivate at the sight of it. The dish has become a conditioned stimulus.

Question 16

What is learning that has taken place but is not demonstrated called?
A) observational learning
B) latent learning
C) classical conditioning
D) instinctive drift

Accepted Answer

Learning that has taken place but is not demonstrated is called "latent learning." This means that the knowledge or ability has been acquired but is not immediately apparent, and may only become evident when a particular stimulus or situation arises. This is different from observational learning, which involves learning by watching others and does not necessarily involve any hidden or unexpressed knowledge. Classical conditioning and instinctive drift are also related to learning, but do not specifically refer to learning that has not been demonstrated.

Question 17

Learning is defined in the textbook as a relatively permanent change in behavior (or behavioral potential) due to experience.

Accepted Answer

The definition of learning provided in the textbook is that it involves a relatively permanent change in behavior or behavioral potential as a result of experience.

Question 18

A reflexive response elicited by a stimulus in the absence of learning is called an unconditioned response.

Accepted Answer

An unconditioned response is an automatic, natural response to a stimulus, and does not require any learning or conditioning to occur.

Question 19

The social-cognitive learning theory accounts for behavior in terms of observable acts and events, without references to mental events.

Accepted Answer

The social-cognitive learning theory considers mental events such as beliefs, expectations, and attitudes in explaining behavior.

Question 20

A conditioned stimulus is an event or a thing that elicits a response automatically or reflexively.

Accepted Answer

A conditioned stimulus is an initially neutral stimulus that comes to elicit a response after being associated with an unconditioned stimulus, which naturally elicits that response.

Quiz 7: Learning and Conditioning

Which of the following portrays an intrinsic reinforcer?

A reflexive response elicited by a stimulus in the absence of learning is called a conditioned response.

Which of the following is true about the use of extrinsic versus intrinsic rewards?

Extrinsic reinforcers are defined as reinforcers that:

The concept of latent learning was developed by:

The automatic, involuntary responses involved in blood pressure and muscle contractions cannot be classically conditioned.

Being severely physically punished in childhood is a risk factor for which of the following?