Question 1

The term "personal adaptation" is concerned with how
A)the laws of learning and the environment shape the behaviour of organisms
B)learning directly modifies the genes of a species
C)adaptive significance affects species adaptation
D)evolutionary factors operate through the environment to shape the biology of a species

Accepted Answer

Personal adaptation refers to the process by which individuals adjust their behavior in response to the environment, influenced by the laws of learning. This concept does not involve direct genetic modification or evolutionary factors but rather focuses on the behavioral changes and learning processes of organisms.

Question 2

Psychologists who focus on how organisms learn and assume that there are general laws of learning that apply to virtually all organisms are called __________________.
A)ethologists
B)behaviourists
C)neurobiologists
D)cognitivists

Accepted Answer

Behaviourists focus on observable behaviors and the ways in which learning influences behavior, often seeking to identify universal principles of learning that apply across different organisms.

Question 3

While writing your exam, the person next to you keeps tapping their pencil. At first you find it quite distracting but after a while you stop noticing it. This is an example of ______.
A)habituation
B)extinction
C)sensitization
D)latent learning

Accepted Answer

Habituation is the process by which an individual becomes accustomed to a stimulus after repeated exposure, leading to a decrease in response, as in the case of no longer noticing the pencil tapping.

Question 4

You have just settled down to begin studying for your exam in this course when your roommate decides to turn on some music. At first, the music distracts you from your studying, but after a short time, the music no longer bothers you even though it continues to play. This example most clearly demonstrates the process of
A)extinction
B)negative reinforcement
C)classical conditioning
D)habituation

Accepted Answer

This example demonstrates habituation, which is the process of becoming accustomed to a stimulus over time, leading to a decrease in response. In this case, you become used to the music and it no longer distracts you.

Question 5

According to the cognitive expectancy model, the effectiveness of classical conditioning depends upon how well the CS predicts the UCS.

Accepted Answer

The cognitive expectancy model suggests that classical conditioning is more effective when the conditioned stimulus (CS) is a reliable predictor of the unconditioned stimulus (UCS), indicating that the learning process involves cognitive understanding of the relationship between stimuli.

Question 6

The phenomenon of instinctual drift was introduced to illustrate a limitation of operant conditioning.

Accepted Answer

Instinctual drift refers to the tendency of an animal to revert to instinctive behaviors that interfere with a conditioned response, demonstrating a limitation of operant conditioning by showing that innate behaviors can override learned behaviors.

Question 7

A picture fell off the wall startling James quite a bit, making him jump. His roommate comes home a couple minutes later and his shutting the door makes James jump again though it doesn't typically. The reason he jumps the second time is that the falling picture ______ to loud noises.
A)made him vulnerable
B)habituated him
C)sensitized him
D)made him more aware

Accepted Answer

The falling picture sensitized him to loud noises, meaning it made him more responsive or sensitive to them, which is why he jumped again when the door shut. Sensitization is a process where a response to a stimulus becomes more pronounced with repeated exposure, especially if it's a startling or alarming stimulus.

Question 8

A decreasing response to a repeated stimulus is called ____________.
A)extinction
B)latent learning
C)habituation
D)shaping

Accepted Answer

Habituation is the process by which an organism decreases or ceases its responses to a stimulus after repeated presentations. Essentially, the organism learns to stop responding to a stimulus which is no longer biologically relevant. For example, people living near train tracks eventually become habituated to the sound of trains and may not notice them.

Question 9

Five-year-old Anais has foolishly covered her arms in masking tape. As her mother starts to remove the tape, little Anais cries harder and harder as the removal of tape becomes more and more painful over time. This would be an example of _______.
A)habituation
B)latent learning
C)operant conditioning
D)sensitization

Accepted Answer

Sensitization is the correct answer because it refers to an increase in behavioral response after exposure to a stimulus. In this case, Anais's increasing pain and crying in response to the tape being removed is an example of becoming more sensitive to the stimulus (the removal of the tape) over time.

Question 10

Ahmen adopts a dog from the local animal shelter. When Ahmen's mother comes home that day, she runs to the dog to pet her, but the dog cowers and puts her tail between her legs. The dog continues to exhibit this response whenever Ahmen's mother approaches her. Eventually, after several weeks, the dog cowers less until finally, Ahmen's mother is able to pet the dog. What the dog has learned is that Ahmen's mother will not harm her; therefore, her response decreases with time. This is an example of
A)latent learning
B)extinction
C)tabula rasa
D)habituation

Accepted Answer

The answer of Ahmen adopts a dog from the local...

Question 11

The results from Albert Bandura's classic "Bobo doll" experiment demonstrated the importance of the distinction between primary and secondary reinforcers.

Accepted Answer

The Bobo doll experiment by Albert Bandura demonstrated the social learning theory, particularly how children learn aggression through observation and imitation, not the distinction between primary and secondary reinforcers.

Question 12

Which perspective in psychology assumes that the laws of learning apply to virtually all organisms, and therefore studies learning in animals such as rats and pigeons to learn more about humans?
A)Psychoanalytic
B)Cognitive
C)Humanist
D)Behaviourist

Accepted Answer

The behaviourist perspective in psychology posits that behaviors can be studied in a systematic and observable manner regardless of internal mental states, and it often uses animal models to understand human behavior. This perspective emphasizes the importance of environmental influences on observable behavior and often utilizes principles of learning, such as conditioning, to explain behavior in both humans and animals.

Question 13

Learned taste aversions were discussed to demonstrate the concept of higher-order conditioning.

Accepted Answer

Learned taste aversions are an example of classical conditioning, not higher-order conditioning. They occur when an organism associates the taste of a certain food with symptoms caused by a toxic, spoiled, or poisonous substance. Higher-order conditioning involves the pairing of a neutral stimulus with a conditioned stimulus to produce the same conditioned response, which is not the process involved in learned taste aversions.

Question 14

This form of learning has strong adaptive significance because if we responded continuously to every stimulus in the environment, we would quickly become fatigued and overwhelmed. This form of learning is called
A)habituation
B)one-trial learning
C)extinction
D)negative reinforcement

Accepted Answer

Habituation is the process by which an organism decreases or ceases its responses to a stimulus after repeated presentations. This form of learning allows organisms to disregard stimuli that are irrelevant or non-threatening, preventing them from becoming overwhelmed or fatigued by constant stimulation.

Question 15

Which of the following provides the best definition of habituation?
A)Habituation is a continuous response to a discriminative stimulus.
B)Habituation is a decrease in the strength of response to a repeated stimulus.
C)Habituation is an increase in the strength of response to a changing stimulus.
D)Habituation is an extinction of response to an increasing stimulus.

Accepted Answer

Habituation is a form of learning in which an organism decreases or ceases its responses to a stimulus after repeated presentations. Essentially, the organism learns to stop responding to a stimulus which is no longer biologically relevant. For example, people living near a train track can eventually ignore the train noise.

Question 16

Research studies suggesting that animals use "insight" and have "cognitive maps" provide a strong challenge to psychologists who take a cognitive perspective on learning.

Accepted Answer

These research studies actually support the cognitive perspective on learning by demonstrating complex mental processes in animals, such as problem-solving and spatial navigation, which are central to cognitive theories of learning.

Question 17

Habituation has strong adaptive significance because it allows organisms to learn not to respond to _____________ stimuli.
A)changing
B)uneventful and familiar
C)novel
D)discriminative

Accepted Answer

Habituation is a form of learning in which an organism decreases or ceases its responses to a stimulus after repeated presentations. This process allows organisms to ignore stimuli that are uneventful and familiar, which do not provide new information or pose a threat, thereby conserving energy and attention for more significant, novel, or changing stimuli.

Question 18

The notion of tabula rasa, or blank tablet upon which learning experiences were ascribed, is most closely associated with which of the following schools of psychology?
A)Ethology
B)Cognitive perspective
C)Behaviourism
D)Constructivism

Accepted Answer

The notion of tabula rasa is most closely associated with behaviorism, which posits that all behaviors are acquired through conditioning and that individuals start as a "blank slate." This concept is particularly linked to the work of behaviorist psychologists like John B. Watson and B.F. Skinner, who emphasized the role of environmental factors in shaping behavior, rather than innate or inherited traits.

Question 19

In a fourth-grade classroom, a teacher rewards his students for keeping their desks clean by awarding them stars for every day they do this. At the end of the school year, the stars can be redeemed for prizes such as colouring books or pencil sets. This teacher is using what is called a token economy.

Accepted Answer

A token economy is a system of behavior modification based on the systematic reinforcement of target behavior. The reinforcers are "tokens" that can be exchanged for other reinforcers (prizes in this case), which is exactly what the teacher is doing by awarding stars that can be redeemed for items.

Question 20

While our biology affects our learning, our experiences and learning environments do not affect our biological functioning.

Accepted Answer

Our experiences and learning environments can indeed affect our biological functioning, including changes in brain structure and function, through processes such as neuroplasticity.

Quiz 7: Learning and Adaptation: the Role of Experience

The term "personal adaptation" is concerned with how

Psychologists who focus on how organisms learn and assume that there are general laws of learning that apply to virtually all organisms are called __________________.

While writing your exam, the person next to you keeps tapping their pencil. At first you find it quite distracting but after a while you stop noticing it. This is an example of ______.

According to the cognitive expectancy model, the effectiveness of classical conditioning depends upon how well the CS predicts the UCS.

The phenomenon of instinctual drift was introduced to illustrate a limitation of operant conditioning.

A picture fell off the wall startling James quite a bit, making him jump. His roommate comes home a couple minutes later and his shutting the door makes James jump again though it doesn't typically. The reason he jumps the second time is that the falling picture ______ to loud noises.

A decreasing response to a repeated stimulus is called ____________.

Five-year-old Anais has foolishly covered her arms in masking tape. As her mother starts to remove the tape, little Anais cries harder and harder as the removal of tape becomes more and more painful over time. This would be an example of _______.

The results from Albert Bandura's classic "Bobo doll" experiment demonstrated the importance of the distinction between primary and secondary reinforcers.

Which perspective in psychology assumes that the laws of learning apply to virtually all organisms, and therefore studies learning in animals such as rats and pigeons to learn more about humans?

Learned taste aversions were discussed to demonstrate the concept of higher-order conditioning.

This form of learning has strong adaptive significance because if we responded continuously to every stimulus in the environment, we would quickly become fatigued and overwhelmed. This form of learning is called

Which of the following provides the best definition of habituation?

Research studies suggesting that animals use "insight" and have "cognitive maps" provide a strong challenge to psychologists who take a cognitive perspective on learning.

Habituation has strong adaptive significance because it allows organisms to learn not to respond to _____________ stimuli.

The notion of tabula rasa, or blank tablet upon which learning experiences were ascribed, is most closely associated with which of the following schools of psychology?

While our biology affects our learning, our experiences and learning environments do not affect our biological functioning.