Question 1

Terrence uses opiate drugs daily. He normally takes his pills in the morning, right after he has a shower. If Terrance has developed tolerance to these pills, what is likely to happen after his shower if Terrance does NOT take the pills?

Accepted Answer

Based on the scenario provided, if Terrence has developed tolerance to the opiate drugs, his body will have adapted to the regular dosing of the drugs. This means that the body will have developed conditioned compensatory responses to the drugs, which will counteract the effects of the drugs to maintain a state of homeostasis. Thus, if Terrence skips his usual dose of pills, his body will still expect the drugs and will respond with conditioned compensatory responses, which will be experienced as withdrawal. In this context, the morning shower is likely to elicit conditioned compensatory responses, which will exacerbate any withdrawal symptoms that Terrence experiences. Therefore, choice D is the best answer.

Question 2

As described in your text, Domjan and his colleagues studied the adaptive significance of sexual conditioning. On which of the following topics might research like this shed light?

Accepted Answer

Research on sexual conditioning can help explain how associations between certain stimuli and sexual arousal can lead to the development of sexual fetishes in humans.

Question 3

After a painful experience, Frederick cringes every time he hears a dentist's drill, even when he is sitting in the waiting room of his dentist's office. What is the pain of dental drilling in this example?

Accepted Answer

The pain of dental drilling is an unconditioned stimulus because it naturally (without prior learning) causes a response, which in this case is the feeling of pain or discomfort.

Question 4

A woman reports feeling happy when she smells fresh hay and manure because of the association of these smells with wonderful visits to her grandparents' farm. How did the positive emotional response that this woman experiences develop?

Accepted Answer

The woman's positive emotional response to the smell of fresh hay and manure resulted from classical conditioning, whereby the previously neutral stimuli (the smell of hay and manure) became associated with positive experiences (visiting her grandparents' farm) and subsequently elicited a positive emotional response.

Question 5

What is the initial stage of learning a response called?

Accepted Answer

The initial stage of learning a response in classical and operant conditioning is called acquisition.

Question 6

What is the irrational fear and anxiety that a person experiences in a phobia, from a classical conditioning perspective?

Accepted Answer

The irrational fear and anxiety experienced in a phobia is a conditioned response, as it is a learned behavior that has been paired with a specific stimulus through classical conditioning. For example, a person with a phobia of spiders may have initially encountered a spider (unconditioned stimulus) and experienced a natural fear response (unconditioned response). However, if this experience is repeated multiple times in association with other stimuli (such as a certain location or time of day), the person may come to associate these other stimuli with the fear response as well. Eventually, the fear response becomes a conditioned response - the person experiences fear and anxiety in response to the stimuli associated with spiders, but not in response to spiders themselves in other contexts.

Question 7

Ming is afraid of all spiders because her brother once dropped a spider down her shirt when she was younger. Today, even the sight of a rubber spider is enough to send shivers down her spine. Which learning process can best account for Ming's fear of spiders?

Accepted Answer

Ming's fear of spiders is most likely a result of classical conditioning, as her negative experience of having a spider dropped down her shirt has become associated with all spiders, leading to a fearful response. Operant conditioning involves learning through rewards and punishments, which is not applicable in this scenario. Delayed reinforcement refers to reinforcement that is not immediate, and is also not relevant to Ming's fear of spiders. Observational learning involves learning from others' experiences, which does not apply to this situation as Ming's fear is based on her own personal experience. Therefore, the best choice is C, classical conditioning.

Question 8

Advertisers pair their products with attractive people or enjoyable surroundings, in the hope that the pairings will cause their products to evoke good feelings. Which learning principles are advertisers using?

Accepted Answer

Advertisers are using classical conditioning principles, specifically the principle of association between a neutral stimulus (the product) and a naturally evocative stimulus (attractive people or enjoyable surroundings) to evoke positive feelings towards the product.

Question 9

A woman reported feeling very happy whenever she smelled cigarette smoke and Beemans gum because of the association of these smells with her first love. What is her happiness, in this example?

Accepted Answer

The woman's happiness is a learned response (not automatic), meaning it is a conditioned response (CR). The cigarette smoke and Beemans gum are conditioned stimuli (CS) that have become associated with her first love, which was the unconditioned stimulus (US) that naturally elicited the unconditioned response (UR) of happiness. Over time, the CSs became paired with the US, and now they alone can elicit the response of happiness (CR).

Question 10

Which of the following is necessary for classical conditioning to occur, according to Pavlov?

Accepted Answer

According to Pavlov, temporal contiguity, or the close temporal relationship between the conditioned stimulus and the unconditioned stimulus, is necessary for classical conditioning to occur. This means that the two stimuli must occur close together in time for learning to take place. The other options (B, C, and D) are not necessarily required for classical conditioning to occur, although they may influence the strength and durability of the conditioned response.

Question 11

Researchers have found that animals show evidence of classical conditioning if they are injected with a drug that chemically causes immunosuppression, while they are simultaneously drinking an unusual-tasting liquid. What is the conditioned response in these studies?

Accepted Answer

In classical conditioning, the conditioned response is the learned response to the previously neutral stimulus. In this case, immunosuppression becomes the conditioned response to the unusual-tasting liquid after being paired with the drug injection.

Question 12

After a painful experience, Sebastien cringes every time he hears a dentist's drill, even when he is sitting in the waiting room of his dentist's office. What term applies to Sebastien's cringing in the waiting room, in this example?

Accepted Answer

Sebastien's cringing in the waiting room is a response to the sound of the dentist's drill, even though the sound is not causing him any pain at the moment. This type of response is known as a conditioned response (CR), because it has been learned through past experiences (i.e. the painful experience with the drill) and is now associated with a particular stimulus (i.e. the sound of the drill). The sound of the drill in this case is the conditioned stimulus (CS), because it now elicits a response (the cringing) that was previously only associated with the unconditioned stimulus (UCS) of pain.

Question 13

Eduardo's mother always wore Chantille perfume, and he always smelled it when she hugged him. Today, whenever he catches a whiff of Chantille perfume, it makes him feel calm and relaxed. Which learning process best accounts for Eduardo's response to the scent of Chantille perfume?

Accepted Answer

Eduardo's response to the scent of Chantille perfume is a classic example of classical conditioning, in which an initially neutral stimulus (the scent of Chantille perfume) becomes associated with a naturally occurring response (feeling calm and relaxed when hugged by his mother). Over time, the scent itself comes to elicit the same response without the need for the actual physical presence of his mother.

Question 14

Which of the following terms is used for the form of classical conditioning that is used by advertising campaigns to alter the preferences or attitudes of consumers?

Accepted Answer

Evaluative conditioning is the form of classical conditioning where neutral stimuli are paired with positive or negative stimuli, resulting in an alteration of people's attitudes or preferences towards the neutral stimuli. This is commonly used by advertising campaigns to influence consumer behavior by creating positive associations between their products and desirable outcomes. The other options (B, C, and D) are not commonly used within the field of psychology and do not accurately describe this specific form of conditioning.

Question 15

Cherise has developed a tolerance for the effects of heroin. She normally uses heroin in her boyfriend's apartment, and always uses the same administration routine. What will happen if Cherise uses heroin in a different location, using a different routine?

Accepted Answer

Cherise's body has become accustomed to the drug's effects in a specific context (her boyfriend's apartment with a routine). Using heroin in a different location with a different routine can disrupt these conditioned responses, potentially leading to an underestimation of the drug's potency, thereby increasing the risk of overdose due to the body's reduced ability to tolerate the usual dose in a new context.

Question 16

Which of the following could be accounted for by classical conditioning?

Accepted Answer

Classical conditioning occurs when a neutral stimulus is repeatedly paired with a meaningful stimulus to elicit a response. In this case, the smell of Grandpa's aftershave was initially a neutral stimulus, but became associated with positive feelings through repeated exposure and pairing with enjoyable experiences, resulting in the person learning to love the smell.

Question 17

A major automaker has developed a series of television commercials that show its cars in the great outdoors, in peaceful settings, away from the hustle and bustle of big cities. The company hopes that seeing the cars in these settings will condition good feelings about its cars. Which learning principle is this particular auto maker attempting to use?

Accepted Answer

The automaker is attempting to use classical conditioning by pairing its cars with peaceful outdoor settings in the hope that it will evoke positive feelings about its products.

Question 18

Quyen woke up one night with a spider dangling in front of her face. She screamed, and from that point on she could not stand to be near spiders. What caused Quyen's fear of spiders?

Accepted Answer

Quyen's fear of spiders was caused by classical conditioning. The spider dangling in front of her face was the unconditioned stimulus (UCS) that caused her to have an unconditioned response (UCR) of fear. This fear then became associated with the spider through the process of classical conditioning, which explains why she now has an automatic fear response to spiders.

Question 19

A woman reports feeling happy whenever she smells hot dogs and campfires because of the association of these smells with her favourite family vacations. What is the combined smell of hot dogs and campfires, in this example?

Accepted Answer

The combined smell of hot dogs and campfires is the conditioned stimulus because it has become associated with the positive experience of the woman's favorite family vacations.

Question 20

Which of the following processes can influence allergic reactions and the growth of drug tolerances, according to studies?

Accepted Answer

Classical conditioning has been shown to influence allergic reactions and the growth of drug tolerances. In classical conditioning, an organism learns to associate a neutral stimulus (such as a pill) with a biologically relevant stimulus (such as an allergen or a drug), leading to a conditioned response (such as an allergic reaction or the body's tolerance to the drug). This type of learning can contribute to the development of allergies or drug tolerances.

Quiz 6: A: Learning