Question 1

Ziggy
Lynne has trained her dog, Ziggy, to ring a bell when he needs to go outside to urinate. First, she hung a bell from the doorknob. Every time she took Ziggy outside to urinate, she would ring the bell as she opened the door. If Ziggy bumped into the bell even by accident, she would praise him and take him outside (and he would get a treat each time he eliminated outdoors). If Ziggy urinated indoors, Lynne would ignore him and clean up the mess very quickly. Ziggy learned that going outside to urinate led to treats and praise but urinating indoors led to no attention at all. Ziggy began to intentionally hit the bell with his paw when he needed to go outside. Once this began to happen, Lynne no longer opened the door for Ziggy when he simply bumped into the bell. Also, as the behaviour became more predictable, Lynne no longer provided treats every time Ziggy urinated outdoors. She only provided a treat for urinating outside approximately once per week. There was one major downfall to this training plan. Ziggy came to associate the sound of the bell with urination a little too strongly, so that he ended up wanting to go outside whenever the phone rang!
-What do you call Ziggy's behaviour of ringing the bell,from a conditioning perspective

Accepted Answer

Ziggy's behavior of ringing the bell is an example of operant behavior because it is a learned behavior that is reinforced by the consequence of being let outside and receiving treats.

Question 2

Shelley bites her nails whenever she is watching TV.If Shelley wanted to eliminate the antecedent of her nail-biting behaviour,which of the following would she do

Accepted Answer

The answer of Shelley bites her nails whenever she is...

Question 3

What would increase your likelihood of success when using punishment in a self-modification program

Accepted Answer

It is important to balance punishment with reinforcement in any self-modification program in order to increase the likelihood of success. By allowing opportunities to earn some reinforcers alongside the punishment, the individual can work towards achieving goals and positive outcomes, rather than solely focusing on avoiding punishment. This can lead to greater motivation and commitment to the program. Gradually increasing the intensity of the punishment over time, getting someone else to withhold the punishment, or putting the punisher on an intermittent schedule may actually decrease the effectiveness of the punishment and potentially have unintended negative consequences.

Question 4

In today's business world,management often emphasizes positive reinforcement more than in the past.Which of your text's unifying themes does this illustrate

Accepted Answer

This illustrates the theme that "Psychology evolves in a sociohistorical context," as it highlights how management strategies and psychological practices change over time in response to societal and historical developments.

Question 5

Complete the following analogy: Classical conditioning is to reflexes as operant conditioning is to ______________.

Accepted Answer

Classical conditioning is a form of learning that involves associating an automatic response to a particular stimulus (reflex). On the other hand, operant conditioning involves learning voluntary behaviors and consequences that follow them. So, the best choice is D, voluntary behaviors.

Question 6

Bette creates a television ad that alternates between images of garbage dumps and people drinking in a bar.She is hoping that people who watch the ad will develop negative feelings toward drinking.What principle is Bette is relying on

Accepted Answer

Bette is using classical conditioning by pairing the image of drinking in a bar with the negative emotion of seeing garbage dumps. As a result, she hopes that people will start to associate drinking with negative feelings.

Question 7

What would be an effective technique in setting up reinforcement contingencies in a self-modification program

Accepted Answer

Choosing a reinforcer that is readily available and potent is an effective technique as it increases the likelihood of the target behavior being reinforced and maintained. Delayed reinforcement, option B, may not be as effective because it may not be immediate enough to strengthen the behavior. Option C involves waiting for a drastic change in behavior before providing reinforcement, which may not be feasible in a self-modification program. Option D, continuous reinforcement, may lead to behavior extinction if the reinforcer is not consistently available. Therefore, option A is the most effective in setting up reinforcement contingencies.

Question 8

Ziggy
Lynne has trained her dog, Ziggy, to ring a bell when he needs to go outside to urinate. First, she hung a bell from the doorknob. Every time she took Ziggy outside to urinate, she would ring the bell as she opened the door. If Ziggy bumped into the bell even by accident, she would praise him and take him outside (and he would get a treat each time he eliminated outdoors). If Ziggy urinated indoors, Lynne would ignore him and clean up the mess very quickly. Ziggy learned that going outside to urinate led to treats and praise but urinating indoors led to no attention at all. Ziggy began to intentionally hit the bell with his paw when he needed to go outside. Once this began to happen, Lynne no longer opened the door for Ziggy when he simply bumped into the bell. Also, as the behaviour became more predictable, Lynne no longer provided treats every time Ziggy urinated outdoors. She only provided a treat for urinating outside approximately once per week. There was one major downfall to this training plan. Ziggy came to associate the sound of the bell with urination a little too strongly, so that he ended up wanting to go outside whenever the phone rang!
-What process was Lynne using by rewarding even accidental ringing of the bell,but gradually working up to reinforcing only intentional ringing

Accepted Answer

Lynne was using the process of shaping, which involves reinforcing successive approximations towards the desired behaviour while gradually increasing the level of difficulty. In this case, Lynne initially rewarded accidental ringing of the bell, but gradually worked up to reinforcing only intentional ringing.

Question 9

Ziggy
Lynne has trained her dog, Ziggy, to ring a bell when he needs to go outside to urinate. First, she hung a bell from the doorknob. Every time she took Ziggy outside to urinate, she would ring the bell as she opened the door. If Ziggy bumped into the bell even by accident, she would praise him and take him outside (and he would get a treat each time he eliminated outdoors). If Ziggy urinated indoors, Lynne would ignore him and clean up the mess very quickly. Ziggy learned that going outside to urinate led to treats and praise but urinating indoors led to no attention at all. Ziggy began to intentionally hit the bell with his paw when he needed to go outside. Once this began to happen, Lynne no longer opened the door for Ziggy when he simply bumped into the bell. Also, as the behaviour became more predictable, Lynne no longer provided treats every time Ziggy urinated outdoors. She only provided a treat for urinating outside approximately once per week. There was one major downfall to this training plan. Ziggy came to associate the sound of the bell with urination a little too strongly, so that he ended up wanting to go outside whenever the phone rang!
-What is the term used to describe Ziggy responding to the phone with the need to go outside

Accepted Answer

Ziggy's response to the phone ringing is an example of generalization, where he has learned to associate the sound of the bell with the behavior of urination and has applied it to another stimulus (the phone ringing).

Question 10

Geraldo begins to chew his fingernails every time his teacher enters the classroom.What is the antecedent in this case

Accepted Answer

The antecedent is the cause or trigger for the behavior, and in this case, it is the teacher entering the classroom that leads to Geraldo chewing his fingernails. Antecedent refers to the event or action that leads to a particular behavior or response.

Question 11

Marvin creates a television ad that alternates between images of coffins and people buying cigarettes.He is hoping that people who watch the ad will develop negative feelings toward buying cigarettes after seeing these ads.What is the conditioned stimulus in Marvin's ad

Accepted Answer

The conditioned stimulus in Marvin's ad is the images of people buying cigarettes, as these are the neutral stimuli that are being paired with the unconditioned stimulus (images of coffins) to create a conditioned response (negative feelings towards buying cigarettes).

Question 12

What is the first step in a behaviour modification program

Accepted Answer

The first step in a behavior modification program is to specify the target behavior, as it is essential to clearly define what behavior is to be changed before any other steps can be taken.

Question 13

Ziggy
Lynne has trained her dog, Ziggy, to ring a bell when he needs to go outside to urinate. First, she hung a bell from the doorknob. Every time she took Ziggy outside to urinate, she would ring the bell as she opened the door. If Ziggy bumped into the bell even by accident, she would praise him and take him outside (and he would get a treat each time he eliminated outdoors). If Ziggy urinated indoors, Lynne would ignore him and clean up the mess very quickly. Ziggy learned that going outside to urinate led to treats and praise but urinating indoors led to no attention at all. Ziggy began to intentionally hit the bell with his paw when he needed to go outside. Once this began to happen, Lynne no longer opened the door for Ziggy when he simply bumped into the bell. Also, as the behaviour became more predictable, Lynne no longer provided treats every time Ziggy urinated outdoors. She only provided a treat for urinating outside approximately once per week. There was one major downfall to this training plan. Ziggy came to associate the sound of the bell with urination a little too strongly, so that he ended up wanting to go outside whenever the phone rang!
-On what schedule of reinforcement did Lynne provide treats after conditioning was well established

Accepted Answer

Lynne provided treats on a variable-interval schedule after the conditioning was well established, as she only gave treats approximately once per week, not after a set number of behaviors or a fixed time period.

Question 14

Tia wants to be the mayor of her city.In all her television ads,she plays patriotic music and has the Canadian flag displayed in the background.If voters develop positive feelings toward Tia because of these ads,what would those positive feelings represent

Accepted Answer

The positive feelings that voters develop towards Tia because of the patriotic music and Canadian flag displayed in her ads would represent a conditioned response. This is because Tia is pairing the neutral stimuli of the music and flag with herself as a candidate, and through repetition, a positive association is formed between the stimuli and Tia. This results in voters developing positive feelings towards Tia when they see or hear the stimuli in the future, even if Tia is not present.

Question 15

Which goal is specified in an appropriate format for designing a self-modification program

Accepted Answer

Option A is specific and measurable, making it appropriate for a self-modification program. It focuses on a concrete behavior (time spent watching television) that can be quantified and tracked over time.

Question 16

With most behaviour modification programs,what should you do once a terminal goal has been reached

Accepted Answer

It is important to phase out the program gradually by reducing the frequency of reinforcers once a terminal goal has been reached. Abruptly stopping the program could lead to a regression in behaviour, while switching from positive to negative reinforcement or from a ratio to an interval schedule of reinforcement could be confusing to the individual and may not be effective in maintaining the desired behaviour. Gradually reducing the frequency of reinforcers allows the individual to continue displaying the desired behaviour without the need for constant reinforcement.

Question 17

What is an antecedent in a behaviour modification program

Accepted Answer

An antecedent in a behavior modification program refers to an event that precedes a behavior. It can be a trigger that sets off a particular behavior, such as a specific cue or stimulus that elicits a response. Identifying and manipulating antecedents can help to modify behavior by controlling the conditions that lead to the behavior in the first place.

Question 18

Which of your text's unifying themes is illustrated by the biological preparedness explanation for conditioned taste aversions

Accepted Answer

The biological preparedness explanation for conditioned taste aversions suggests that there is an inherent biological predisposition (heredity) which interacts with environmental factors (learning) to influence behavior. This illustrates the theme of heredity and environment jointly influencing behavior.

Question 19

Which term refers to the application of operant principles to solve behaviour problems

Accepted Answer

Behaviour modification is the application of operant principles (such as reinforcement and punishment) to modify or change behaviour, usually to solve behaviour problems. Insight training refers to a type of training that focuses on learning through understanding and problem-solving. Cognitive engineering involves designing technology and systems that are easy for humans to use and understand. Modelling refers to learning by observing and imitating others. None of these terms specifically refer to the application of operant principles to behaviour problems.

Question 20

An organization creates a television ad that alternates between images of ruined landscapes and people filling up huge trucks at gas stations.If people develop negative feelings about buying large trucks as a result of watching this ad,what would those negative feelings represent

Accepted Answer

The negative feelings developed by people towards buying large trucks after watching this ad represent a conditioned response. This is because the ad has paired the visual of ruined landscapes with the act of filling up large trucks at gas stations, thereby conditioning the viewers to associate negative feelings with buying large trucks.

Quiz 6: A: Learning