Question 1

A box used in operant conditioning of animals that limits the available responses and, thus, increases the likelihood that the desired response will occur is called a __________

Accepted Answer

The box described in the question is commonly known as a Skinner box, named after the psychologist B.F. Skinner who developed it for use in his studies of operant conditioning. The box usually contains a lever or button that an animal can press to receive a reward, and it is designed so that other responses are limited or impossible, increasing the likelihood that the desired response (pressing the lever) will occur.

Question 2

Pouncer, a hunting dog, gets excited at any opportunity to go hunting. Pouncer's handlers always wear bright orange clothes while hunting for safety reasons. However, they have noticed recently that a red sweatshirt that one of them wears often makes Pouncer get excited and bark. Pouncer's actions are likely a result of __________

Accepted Answer

Pouncer's excitement at the sight of the red sweatshirt indicates that he has generalized the association of bright colors with hunting. He has learned to associate the orange clothes with hunting and may have now generalized that association to include the red sweatshirt as well. This is an example of stimulus generalization.

Question 3

A child learns that whenever he eats all of his dinner he gets a cookie for dessert. This type of learning is BEST explained by __________

Accepted Answer

The scenario described involves the use of positive reinforcement in operant conditioning. The behavior of eating all of his dinner is being reinforced by receiving a cookie for dessert.

Question 4

Rewarding successive approximations of a desired behavior is part of which process?

Accepted Answer

Rewarding successive approximations of a desired behavior is a part of shaping, which involves reinforcing behaviors that gradually approximate the desired behavior. Reinforcement (choice A) refers to any consequence that increases the likelihood of a behavior being repeated, while extinction (choice C) involves removing reinforcement to decrease the likelihood of a behavior being repeated. Generalization (choice D) involves applying a learned behavior to new situations.

Question 5

Skinner found that a pigeon reinforced for pecking at a yellow disk is likely to peck at another disk similar in color. This is an example of __________

Accepted Answer

Generalization is the tendency to respond to stimuli that are similar to the conditioned stimulus. In this case, the pigeon has generalized its response to the yellow disk to other disks that are similar in color. Shaping refers to gradually molding a behavior to a desired outcome, extinction refers to the gradual disappearance of a behavior due to the lack of reinforcement, and classical conditioning involves pairing a conditioned stimulus with an unconditioned stimulus to elicit a response.

Question 6

After many years of hosting the Today Show on TV, Bryant left to host the Early Show on another network. His first day at the Early Show Bryant welcomed his viewers to the Today Show. This might be an example of __________

Accepted Answer

This is an example of generalization, as Bryant's habit of welcoming viewers to the "Today Show" was so ingrained that he did it automatically even though he was now working for a different network and a different show.

Question 7

Billy taught two rats how to play basketball for his experimental psychology class. What process did he likely use?

Accepted Answer

Shaping involves breaking down a complex behavior into smaller, achievable steps and reinforcing each step until the desired behavior is achieved. In this case, Billy likely started with simple behaviors such as touching the ball and gradually shaped the rats' behavior until they were able to play basketball. Operant conditioning, reinforcement, and punishment may all have been used to reinforce or discourage certain behaviors during the shaping process, but shaping is the most specific process involved in teaching the rats to play basketball.

Question 8

Susan trained her rat to press a bar in a Skinner box in order to get a food pellet. Susan's rat pressed the bar a lot. However, later when Susan ran out of food pellets her rat eventually stopped pressing the bar. What had happened?

Accepted Answer

Extinction occurs when the previously reinforced behavior (pressing the bar) no longer leads to the desired outcome (receiving food pellets). As a result, the behavior will eventually decrease and stop. This is likely what happened in this scenario when Susan's rat no longer received food pellets for pressing the bar. Conditioned aversion refers to the development of an aversion to a previously neutral stimulus that is associated with a negative outcome, while satiation refers to the reduction in motivation to engage in a behavior due to excessive reinforcement. Withdrawal typically refers to the physical and psychological symptoms that occur when a person stops taking a drug they have become dependent on, and is not relevant in this scenario.

Question 9

In operant conditioning, __________ is necessary to create the association between the stimulus and the repetition of a voluntary response.

Accepted Answer

Reinforcement is necessary to create the association between the stimulus and the repetition of a voluntary response in operant conditioning. It strengthens the behavior and increases the likelihood of it being repeated in the future. The other options are not necessary for this process. The law of negative effect refers to reducing the likelihood of a behavior repeating if it has negative consequences. Conditional emotional linkages are associations between stimuli and emotions, not behavior. A long time delay would not be helpful in creating an association between a stimulus and a response.

Question 10

A Skinner box is most likely to be used in research on __________

Accepted Answer

A Skinner box, also known as an operant conditioning chamber, is specifically designed to study the principles of operant conditioning, in which behavior is shaped by rewards and punishments. Classical conditioning, vicarious learning, and cognitive learning are different forms of learning that do not typically use a Skinner box as a research tool.

Question 11

__________ is an operant-conditioning procedure in which successive approximations of a desired response are reinforced.

Accepted Answer

Shaping is the operant-conditioning procedure in which successive approximations of a desired response are reinforced. The correct answer is thus A. Spontaneous recovery refers to the reappearance of an extinguished conditioned response after a rest period. Stimulus generalization is the tendency to respond to stimuli that are similar to the original conditioned stimulus, while stimulus discrimination involves learning to respond to a specific stimulus but not to other similar stimuli.

Question 12

Extinction in operant conditioning involves __________

Accepted Answer

Extinction in operant conditioning involves withholding reinforcement. This means that a previously reinforced behavior is no longer reinforced, which leads to a decrease in the frequency and persistence of that behavior. It is important to note that extinction is not the same as punishment, which involves the addition of an aversive stimulus to decrease behavior.

Question 13

The kind of learning that applies to voluntary behavior is called __________

Accepted Answer

Operant conditioning involves learning through the consequences of voluntary behavior. The individual learns to repeat behaviors that are reinforced or rewarded, and to avoid behaviors that result in punishment or negative consequences. Classical conditioning, on the other hand, involves learning through associations between two stimuli, such as Pavlov's dogs associating the sound of a bell with the arrival of food. Effective based learning and spontaneous recovery are not relevant to the question of voluntary behavior.

Question 14

Two-Ton, the circus elephant, can balance his whole weight on one of his front legs. What is the likely way in which Two-Ton learned his trick?

Accepted Answer

Shaping successive approximations involves gradually training an animal to perform a complex behavior by rewarding closer and closer approximations to the desired behavior. This is likely how Two-Ton learned to balance on one front leg, as it would have been a complex behavior to learn all at once. Classical conditioning, paired associations, and negative reinforcement would not be as effective for teaching this type of behavior.

Question 15

Skinner designed a soundproof apparatus, often equipped with a lever or bar, with which he conducted his experiments in operant conditioning. This has been called a __________

Accepted Answer

The soundproof apparatus that Skinner designed, equipped with a lever or bar, is commonly known today as a Skinner box.

Question 16

Mary's parents want her to put her books in her bookcase. At first, they praise her for putting the books together in one pile. Then they praise her for getting the books on the same side of the room as the bookcase. When she gets the books on top of the bookcase, she gets praise. Finally, her parents praise her when she puts her books in the bookcase. This is an example of __________

Accepted Answer

This is an example of shaping, where Mary's behavior is gradually guided towards the desired behavior through positive reinforcement. Each step towards the final goal (putting books in the bookcase) is praised, which encourages her to repeat the behavior and learn the correct way to complete the task.

Question 17

A(n) _________ is anything that strengthens or increases the probability of the response that it follows.

Accepted Answer

A reinforcer is anything that strengthens or increases the probability of the response that it follows. Operant refers to voluntary behaviors that are influenced by consequences, reward is a specific type of reinforcer that is pleasurable or desirable, and a punisher decreases the probability of a response.

Question 18

If we drive through a red traffic light, we might receive a ticket. If the light is green, we will not receive a ticket. In operant conditioning terms, the red and green lights serve as __________

Accepted Answer

Discriminative stimuli are cues in the environment that signal the availability of reinforcement (or punishment) for a response. In this scenario, the red and green traffic lights are discriminative stimuli because they signal whether or not a response (driving through the intersection) will result in punishment (ticket) or not.

Question 19

Lori's dad is in an exceptionally happy mood having just purchased a new car. Seeing this good mood, Lori asks "can we stop for ice cream on the way home?" Lori's dad, who generally does not approve of sweet treats says "sure." In this situation, the dad's mood might have served as __________

Accepted Answer

Lori's dad's happy mood likely served as a discriminative stimulus, indicating that Lori's request for ice cream might be met positively at this time, unlike other times when her dad might not be in such a good mood. A discriminative stimulus signals the availability of reinforcement following a certain behavior in a given context.

Question 20

Which of the following is NOT an example of operant behavior?

Accepted Answer

Operant behavior refers to behavior that is influenced by consequences, such as rewards or punishments. Option C, a dog blinking its eyes after a flash of light is presented, is a reflexive behavior and not influenced by consequences, therefore it is not an example of operant behavior. Options A, B, and D are all examples of operant behavior because they are influenced by consequences such as rewards or avoidance of punishments.

Quiz 5: Learning