Question 1

The contingencies are as follows: if the response occurs, a stimulus is presented; if the response does not occur, the stimulus is not presented. Under this procedure the strength of the response decreases. What procedure is being used?

Accepted Answer

The procedure described is punishment because the presentation of the stimulus serves to decrease the strength of the response. Neither positive nor negative reinforcement is being used, as there is no reward involved. Avoidance training involves the use of a negative reinforcer to increase the likelihood of a behavior, which is also not present in this scenario.

Question 2

____________________ reinforcers include things such as food, water, warmth, and sex, which are inherently reinforcing because they satisfy biological needs.

Accepted Answer

The answer of ____________________ reinforcers include things such as food,...

Question 3

In a signal relations study, CS-US trials are alternated with presentation of the US alone. What will occur?

Accepted Answer

Alternating CS-US trials with presentation of the US alone is called partial reinforcement or intermittent reinforcement. This can lead to weaker conditioning because the association between the CS and US is not consistently reinforced, resulting in slower learning and weaker conditioning compared to continuous reinforcement. The presentation of the US alone may also contribute to extinction of the conditional response if it occurs repeatedly without the CS. However, latent learning, which refers to learning that occurs without any overt reinforcement, is unlikely to occur in this situation as both the CS and US are presented.

Question 4

When the rat presses a lever, the mild electric shock on the cage floor is turned off. What procedure is being used?

Accepted Answer

The answer of When the rat presses a lever, the...

Question 5

In terms of the traditional view of conditioning, research on conditioned taste aversion was surprising because

Accepted Answer

The traditional view of conditioning posited that there needed to be a relatively short delay between the conditioned stimulus (CS) and unconditioned stimulus (US) for learning to occur. However, research on conditioned taste aversion found that there could be a long delay (up to several hours) between consuming a certain food (CS) and experiencing gastrointestinal distress (US) and still result in a strong aversion to that food. This was surprising and challenged the traditional view of conditioning.

Question 6

John says, "Please pass the salt." Ralph passes the salt. "Thank you," says John. John's request precedes a behavior (salt passing) that is reinforced ("Thank you"). Thus, the request "Please pass the salt" is a ____ for passing the salt.

Accepted Answer

The request "Please pass the salt" is a discriminative stimulus because it precedes and signals an appropriate behavior (passing the salt) which is reinforced by the response of "Thank you."

Question 7

____________________ conditioning is a form of learning in which responses come to be controlled by their consequences.

Accepted Answer

The answer of ____________________ conditioning is a form of learning...

Question 8

In classical conditioning the neutral stimulus becomes the ____________________ stimulus because of its association with the ____________________ stimulus.

Accepted Answer

The answer of In classical conditioning the neutral stimulus becomes...

Question 9

Recent research has shown that classical conditioning procedures can lead to ____________________, or a decrease in the production of antibodies.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Recent research has shown that classical conditioning...

Question 10

In higher-order conditioning, a conditioned stimulus functions as if it were a(n) ____________________ stimulus.

Accepted Answer

The answer of In higher-order conditioning, a conditioned stimulus functions...

Question 11

On a cumulative recorder, a rapid response rate produces a(n) ____________________ slope.

Accepted Answer

The answer of On a cumulative recorder, a rapid response...

Question 12

Food would be considered a(n) ____________________ reinforcer, while money would be considered a(n) ____________________ reinforcer.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Food would be considered a(n) ____________________ reinforcer,...

Question 13

Which of the following produces strong resistance to extinction?

Accepted Answer

Intermittent reinforcement schedules (also known as partial reinforcement schedules) produce strong resistance to extinction because the individual may not receive a reinforcement every time they engage in the behavior, but they still believe that the behavior may lead to a reinforcement. This creates a sense of unpredictability and uncertainty, which increases the individual's persistence in the behavior. A continuous reinforcement schedule (choice A) is when the behavior is reinforced every time it occurs, but it can lead to faster extinction of the behavior when the reinforcement is no longer provided. Optimal foraging behavior (choice C) is a behavior exhibited by animals in their search for food that maximizes their energy gain and minimizes their energy expenditure. Discrimination and differentiation (choice D) refer to the ability of an individual to distinguish between different stimuli or behaviors and to respond accordingly, but these do not necessarily produce strong resistance to extinction.

Question 14

Earlier learning viewpoints considered classical and operant conditioning to be automatic processes involving only environmental events that did not depend at all on biological or cognitive factors. Research on which of the following concepts cast doubt on this point of view?

Accepted Answer

Latent learning, signal relations, and preparedness all suggest that classical and operant conditioning are not purely automatic processes and that biological and cognitive factors play a role in learning. Latent learning suggests that learning can occur without any obvious reinforcement or punishment, which implies some level of cognitive processing. Signal relations suggest that an organism may learn to associate one stimulus with another based on similarities or differences, suggesting some level of biological processing. Preparedness suggests that certain stimuli may be more easily associated with certain responses due to their evolutionary history, again suggesting biological factors at play.

Question 15

A cue light comes on in the dog's shuttle box. It jumps the hurdle to the other side. What procedure is being used?

Accepted Answer

The procedure being used is avoidance. The dog jumps the hurdle to avoid a potential negative outcome associated with the cue light, which it has learned to associate with an aversive stimulus.

Question 16

____________________ refers to a relatively durable change in behavior or knowledge due to experience.

Accepted Answer

The answer of ____________________ refers to a relatively durable change...

Question 17

According to Thorndike's ____________________, if a response, in the presence of a stimulus, leads to a satisfying effect the association between the stimulus and the response is strengthened.

Accepted Answer

The answer of According to Thorndike's ____________________, if a response,...

Question 18

A rat is reinforced for the first lever-pressing response that occurs, on the average, after 60 seconds. Which schedule is the rat on?

Accepted Answer

The rat is on a variable-interval (VI) schedule because reinforcement is given for the first response after an average amount of time (60 seconds) has passed, rather than after a fixed amount of time or a fixed number of responses.

Question 19

For the first 10 trials rats simply explore a maze, with no reward. For the next ten trials they receive a food reward for going to the goal box. Learning appears to occur as fast for this group as for a group that received 20 consecutive reinforced trials. What was the explanation?

Accepted Answer

Tolman's latent learning suggests that learning can occur even without reinforcement or reward, and that the knowledge is stored and can be used when there is a motivation or incentive to do so. In this case, the rats may have been exploring the maze and forming a mental map without any direct reinforcement, and this knowledge was then utilized when the reward was introduced in the second set of trials.

Question 20

____________________ refers to the initial stage of learning something.

Accepted Answer

The answer of ____________________ refers to the initial stage of...

Quiz 12: Learning Part 2