Question 1

When workers down the street began using a jackhammer, a dog in the surrounding area reacted with fright at the unusual noise. An hour later, however, it was fast asleep, though the noise level remained the same. This is an example of

Accepted Answer

This is an example of habituation, where the dog becomes accustomed to the noise over time and no longer reacts to it as strongly, eventually ignoring it and falling asleep. Habituation is a decrease in response to a stimulus after repeated presentations.

Question 2

Shock-elicited aggression in rats

Accepted Answer

Shock-elicited aggression in rats is more likely to occur in rats that have been trained to be aggressive, indicating that experience and prior conditioning can influence the likelihood of aggressive responses to shocks.

Question 3

Fixed action patterns have evolved to help animals cope with certain aspects of their environment which, throughout the animals' evolutionary history, have

Accepted Answer

Fixed action patterns are innate behaviors that occur in response to specific stimuli. They have evolved in environments that have remained largely consistent over time, allowing these behaviors to become hardwired into the species' genetic makeup.

Question 4

A decrease in the strength of an elicited behavior following repeated presentations of the eliciting stimulus is known as

Accepted Answer

Habituation is the process by which there is a decrease in the strength or occurrence of a behavior after the repeated presentation of the stimulus that initially elicited the behavior. This process indicates an organism's ability to adapt to constant stimuli over time.

Question 5

The inborn tendency of a dog to scratch dirt after it urinates is an example of a(n)

Accepted Answer

The inborn tendency of a dog to scratch dirt after it urinates is an example of a fixed action pattern, which is a series of instinctual behaviors that are triggered by a specific stimulus and are carried out to completion once started.

Question 6

A very faint vibration (as in a moving car) is likely to result in _____, while an extremely strong vibration (as in an earthquake) is likely to result in _____.

Accepted Answer

Habituation occurs with repeated exposure to a mild stimulus, leading to a decrease in response, while sensitization happens with a strong stimulus, increasing the response.

Question 7

Becoming accustomed to the ongoing sound of a fan during a three-hour period one afternoon is an example of

Accepted Answer

Short-term habituation refers to the decrease in response to a repeated stimulus over a relatively short period, such as becoming accustomed to the sound of a fan during a single afternoon.

Question 8

A weakening of an elicited behavior following repeated presentations of the eliciting stimulus refers to _____, while a strengthening of an elicited behavior following repeated presentations of the eliciting stimulus refers to _____.

Accepted Answer

Habituation is the process where a response to a stimulus decreases after repeated exposure, while sensitization is when a response increases following repeated presentations of a stimulus.

Question 9

Which of the following is illustrated by a deer's tendency to run in a zigzag manner when being pursued by a predator?

Accepted Answer

A fixed action pattern is an instinctive behavioral sequence that is relatively invariant within the species and almost inevitably runs to completion. The deer's zigzag running is an example of such a behavior, designed to evade predators.

Question 10

A dog indicating its desire to play by wagging its tail is an example of

Accepted Answer

A fixed action pattern is an instinctive behavioral sequence that is relatively invariant within the species and almost inevitably runs to completion once initiated. A dog wagging its tail to indicate a desire to play is an example of such an instinctive behavior, common and recognizable across many dogs.

Question 11

The more you clap your hands, the more excited your dog becomes. This scenario is an example of

Accepted Answer

Sensitization is the process where a repeated stimulus (in this case, clapping) results in the progressive amplification of a response (the dog becoming more excited). It's the opposite of habituation, where a response diminishes over time with repeated exposure to a stimulus. Dishabituation and disinhibition refer to the restoration of a response due to a novel stimulus or the removal of inhibitory influences, neither of which directly applies to the scenario described.

Question 12

In general, a(n) _____ stimulus results in _____.

Accepted Answer

A moderate stimulus often leads to an initial increase in response (sensitization) followed by a decrease in response (habituation) as the organism becomes accustomed to it.

Question 13

A _____ is a specific stimulus that elicits a fixed action pattern.

Accepted Answer

Both a releaser and a sign stimulus can act as specific stimuli that elicit fixed action patterns in animals. A releaser is a type of sign stimulus that triggers a very specific, innate behavior.

Question 14

The _____ stimulus for a male stickleback's aggressive actions is not the presence of the other male but the sight of its red underbelly.

Accepted Answer

The correct term is "sign stimulus," which refers to a specific feature or aspect of the environment that triggers a fixed action pattern or instinctive behavior in an animal. In this context, the red underbelly of another male stickleback acts as a sign stimulus that triggers aggressive behavior.

Question 15

Becoming increasingly irritated during a play because the person next to you keeps sniffling is an example of

Accepted Answer

Sensitization is the process where a repeated stimulus causes an increased reaction. In this case, becoming more irritated by someone's sniffling over time is an example of sensitization, as the repeated sniffling leads to an increased level of irritation.

Question 16

Fixed action patterns are sometimes also called

Accepted Answer

Fixed action patterns are innate behaviors that occur in a predictable way across members of a species, hence they are also known as species-specific behaviors.

Question 17

Wesley finds that the creaking sound of chalk on a blackboard sends shivers down his spine. Moreover, the longer the sound persists, the more aversive it becomes. This scenario is as an example of

Accepted Answer

This scenario is an example of sensitization, where repeated exposure to a stimulus (in this case, the sound of chalk on a blackboard) leads to an increased response (feeling more aversive or shivers down the spine) over time.

Question 18

During the spring, an animal engages in a stereotypic dance sequence whenever it sees a female. The female is best described as a ______, while the dance sequence is a ______.

Accepted Answer

The female acts as a sign stimulus, triggering a specific, innate behavior in the male, which is the dance sequence, known as a fixed action pattern. Fixed action patterns are complex, innate behaviors triggered by specific stimuli and are carried out to completion once started.

Question 19

The more often you try to attract your cat's attention, the less attention it pays to you. This scenario is an example of

Accepted Answer

Habituation is a decrease in response to a stimulus after repeated presentations. In this scenario, the cat becomes less responsive to the attempts to attract its attention over time, which is a classic example of habituation.

Question 20

An increase in the strength of an elicited behavior following repeated presentations of the eliciting stimulus is known as

Accepted Answer

Sensitization refers to the process where repeated administration of a stimulus results in the progressive amplification of a response. It is the opposite of habituation, where the response to a stimulus decreases over time.

Quiz 3: Elicited Behaviors and Classical Conditioning