Question 1

John has to give his cat Garfield a pill every day. He always opens up the pill bottle (which makes a popping sound) and removes one pill before giving it to Garfield, and he follows this by giving him a treat as a reward. After a while, John notices that when he opens up the pill bottle, Garfield comes running to him right away. In this example, the __________ is the conditioned response.

Accepted Answer

The conditioned response is a response that is learned through association with a specific stimulus. In this case, Garfield has learned to associate the sound of the pill bottle opening with the reward of getting a treat, so the conditioned response is running to John when he hears the sound of the pill bottle opening. The sound of the pill bottle opening is the conditioned stimulus, the pill-taking and giving of the treat are unconditioned stimuli, and the cat running to John is the conditioned response.

Question 2

John has to give his cat Garfield a pill every day. He always opens up the pill bottle (which makes a popping sound) and removes one pill before giving it to Garfield, and he follows this by giving him a treat as a reward. After a while, John notices that when he opens up the pill bottle, Garfield comes running to him right away. In this example, the __________ is the conditioned stimulus.

Accepted Answer

The sound of the pill bottle opening has become associated with the treat that Garfield receives after taking the pill, so it has become a conditioned stimulus that elicits the response of Garfield running to John.

Question 3

Learning to make a reflex response to a stimulus other than to the original, natural stimulus is called

Accepted Answer

Classical conditioning involves learning to make a reflex response to a stimulus that is not originally an innate reflex response. The stimulus is paired with a natural reflex response and eventually becomes associated with it, leading to the development of a conditioned response. Operant conditioning involves learning to associate behaviors with consequences through reinforcement or punishment. Memory linkage refers to the connection between memories, while adaptation refers to a process of adjusting to new environmental conditions.

Question 4

Which observation led Pavlov to begin studying the process of classical conditioning?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which observation led Pavlov to begin studying...

Question 5

__________ is any relatively permanent change in behaviour brought about by experience or practice.

Accepted Answer

The definition provided matches the concept of learning, which involves a change in behavior or knowledge as a result of experience or practice. Adaptation refers to the process of adjusting to a new environment or situation, muscle memory is a type of procedural memory that involves the repetition of a motor task, and memory enhancement refers to the improvement of memory function through various means.

Question 6

Who was the first person to describe learning as acquired through classical conditioning, while studying the digestive process of dogs?

Accepted Answer

Ivan Pavlov was the first person to describe learning as acquired through classical conditioning, while studying the digestive process of dogs. John B. Watson is known for his work on behaviorism, but he is not credited as the first to describe classical conditioning. Albert Bandura focused on social learning theory and observational learning. B.F. Skinner studied operant conditioning.

Question 7

Which of the following events most intrigued Pavlov and led to his discoveries?

Accepted Answer

Pavlov was most intrigued by the dogs' ability to salivate at the mere sight of his assistant, before they even received the food. This led him to discover the concept of conditioned reflexes and paved the way for his famous experiments in classical conditioning.

Question 8

As an infant, Stephanie received many painful injections from a doctor. When she later saw a photographer in a white coat that was similar to the doctor's coat, she started to cry. This is an example of

Accepted Answer

This is an example of classical conditioning, where a neutral stimulus (photographer in a white coat) becomes associated with a traumatic experience (painful injections) and elicits a conditioned response (crying).

Question 9

__________ occurs when we respond more strongly over time to a repeated stimulus, and __________ occurs when we respond less strongly over time to a repeated stimulus.

Accepted Answer

Sensitization is the process where we respond more strongly over time to a repeated stimulus, while habituation is when we respond less strongly over time to a repeated stimulus.

Question 10

The sound of an insect buzzing around your ear becomes more annoying over time and you just can't ignore it. Which form of learning does this represent?

Accepted Answer

This represents sensitization, which is the process in which a stimulus (the insect buzzing) becomes more annoying over time and elicits a stronger response (a stronger urge to swat it away).

Question 11

John has to give his cat Garfield a pill every day. He always opens up the pill bottle (which makes a popping sound) and removes one pill before giving it to Garfield, and he follows this by giving him a treat as a reward. After a while, John notices that when he opens up the pill bottle, Garfield comes running to him right away. In this example, the __________ is the unconditioned stimulus.

Accepted Answer

The treat is the unconditioned stimulus because it naturally and automatically triggers Garfield's response of coming to John without any prior learning.

Question 12

Trevor is trying to study in the library and is distracted by students who are talking at nearby tables. After a while, he does not notice them and is able to concentrate on his studying. What form of learning has Trevor experienced?

Accepted Answer

Trevor has experienced habituation, which is the process of becoming less responsive to stimuli that are presented repeatedly. Over time, Trevor became less responsive to the students talking and was able to concentrate on his studying.

Question 13

Nic smiled when he heard a song that reminded him of a great summer, years ago. That song was very popular that summer, so it became associated with a lot of fun events. Which type of learning does this represent?

Accepted Answer

This scenario represents classical conditioning, where the song (neutral stimulus) became associated with the fun events (unconditioned stimulus) during the summer and eventually became a trigger for happy memories (conditioned response).

Question 14

Learning is said to be a relatively permanent change in behaviour because

Accepted Answer

According to research, learning is said to be a relatively permanent change in behavior because it is thought that when learning occurs, some part of the brain physically changes. These changes may include new neural connections or increased efficiency of existing connections. This is known as neuroplasticity, and it allows for the retention and application of new knowledge and skills. Option B is incorrect because forgetting can occur due to various factors such as lack of practice, interference from other memories, or brain injury. Option A is incorrect because nerve fibre patterns in muscles do not change with learning. Option D is incorrect because learning and memory processes are closely linked and both involve changes in the brain.

Question 15

Some stimuli elicit responses from us very naturally. Other stimuli are neutral and don't elicit any meaningful responses. If we learn to respond to a neutral stimulus because it has been paired with a meaningful stimulus, which type of conditioning is that?

Accepted Answer

This is an example of classical conditioning, where a neutral stimulus (conditioned stimulus) becomes associated with a meaningful stimulus (unconditioned stimulus) and elicits a response (conditioned response) similar to the response elicited by the meaningful stimulus.

Question 16

Sarah learned to associate the smell of popcorn with watching movies. Which type of learning is this?

Accepted Answer

Classical conditioning is a form of learning in which a neutral stimulus becomes associated with a meaningful stimulus and acquires the capacity to elicit a similar response. In this case, the smell of popcorn (neutral stimulus) became associated with watching movies (meaningful stimulus) and triggered a response (anticipation of entertainment).

Question 17

Which researchers is known for documenting and describing classical conditioning?

Accepted Answer

Ivan Pavlov is known for his extensive research on classical conditioning, which he first discovered while studying digestion in dogs. He noticed that the dogs began to salivate at the sound of the lab assistant's footsteps, a stimulus that had become associated with the presentation of food. Pavlov's work laid the foundation for a better understanding of learning and behavior. Skinner, Thorndike, and Watson all made important contributions to the field of behaviorism, but they are not primarily known for their work on classical conditioning.

Question 18

Pavlov placed meat powder in the mouths of dogs, and they began to salivate. In this example, what is the food?

Accepted Answer

The food, or meat powder, is the unconditioned stimulus in this example.

Question 19

Normally, when food is placed in the mouth of any animal, the salivary glands start releasing saliva to help with chewing and digestion. In Pavlov's description of learning, salivation is

Accepted Answer

Salivation in response to food is an unconditioned response because it is a natural, automatic reaction that does not require learning to occur.

Question 20

Which type of learning allows you to ignore irrelevant details about the world, in order to focus on what matters?

Accepted Answer

Habituation is a type of learning that involves ignoring repetitive or irrelevant stimuli in order to focus on what is important. This allows organisms to conserve energy and resources by not responding to stimuli that do not require a reaction.

Quiz 6: Learning