Question 1

When Luis was a child,he really liked the smell of the rose-scented perfume his mother always wore.He came to associate that scent with snuggles and hugs from his mom.As an adult,Luis feels calm and contented when he smells any floral scent,including lilacs and wildflowers.What process does this illustrate

Accepted Answer

The process illustrated is stimulus generalization, as Luis associates the scent of roses with positive feelings and extends that association to other floral scents.

Question 2

Ken used to drool when he smelled cookies baking.However,Ken's new roommate makes terrible cookies,and the smell of them baking is no longer associated with a wonderful taste experience.Consequently,Ken finds that the smell of the cookies no longer makes him drool in anticipation.Which classical conditioning process does this illustrate

Accepted Answer

Extinction is a process in classical conditioning where the conditioned response (in this case, drooling when smelling cookies baking) gradually disappears when the conditioned stimulus (the smell of cookies baking) is repeatedly presented without the unconditioned stimulus (the taste of delicious cookies). In this scenario, since Ken's roommate makes terrible cookies, the smell of them baking no longer leads to a positive taste experience, which causes the conditioned response to gradually disappear, leading to extinction.

Question 3

Which of the following is an example of stimulus generalization

Accepted Answer

Stimulus generalization refers to the tendency of an organism to respond to new stimuli that are similar to the original conditioned stimulus. Therefore, option B best fits the definition of stimulus generalization. Option A refers to temporal contiguity, which is the closeness in time between two stimuli. Option C refers to stimulus discrimination, which is the ability of an organism to differentiate between stimuli that are similar but not identical. Option D is not related to stimulus generalization.

Question 4

On Tuesday morning,Chloe prepared her typical breakfast of cereal with milk,fruit,and black coffee.However,instead of having grapefruit with her breakfast as she normally does,she tried eating mango for the first time.Later she became extremely ill.If her illness causes her to develop a conditioned response to one of her breakfast items,which food will elicit the conditioned response

Accepted Answer

Chloe became ill after trying mango for the first time, which suggests that the novel stimulus caused the illness. As a result, she may develop a conditioned response to the mango, leading to an aversion to eating it in the future.

Question 5

You have conditioned a dog to salivate in response to a flashing green light.What would you expect to happen if you continue to pair the green light with food,but periodically present a white light that is NOT followed by food

Accepted Answer

The dog would learn to differentiate between the green light (which signals food) and the white light (which does not), demonstrating stimulus discrimination. This is because the dog is being trained to respond only to the specific stimulus (green light) that is paired with food, while the white light, not being paired with food, does not elicit the same response.

Question 6

When Diana was three years old,she became terrified when the neighbour's pet parrot kept flying near her head.Today she is afraid of all birds,including robins,pigeons,and blue jays.What process does this illustrate

Accepted Answer

This illustrates stimulus generalization, which is the process where a conditioned response is elicited by a stimulus that is similar to the original conditioned stimulus. In this case, the fear of birds has generalized from the pet parrot to all birds, including robins, pigeons, and blue jays.

Question 7

What do the renewal effect and spontaneous recovery both suggest about extinction

Accepted Answer

Both the renewal effect and spontaneous recovery suggest that extinction suppresses a learned association, but does not permanently erase it. The renewal effect occurs when a response that was extinguished in one context reappears when the individual is placed back in the original context in which learning occurred, indicating that the original association is still intact. Spontaneous recovery occurs when a previously extinguished response reappears after a period of time has passed, suggesting that the original association has not been completely erased.

Question 8

The continued presentation of the conditioned stimulus without the unconditioned stimulus will result in the gradual disappearance of the conditioned response.What is this phenomenon called

Accepted Answer

Extinction is the gradual disappearance of the conditioned response when the conditioned stimulus is presented repeatedly without the unconditioned stimulus. The other options are not applicable in this scenario: conditioned forgetting implies the loss of the conditioned response due to interference or passage of time; suppression is an intentional effort to inhibit a response; and inhibition refers to the reduced strength of a response due to the presence of competing stimuli.

Question 9

What is typical about the recovered response when a conditioned response shows spontaneous recovery

Accepted Answer

When a conditioned response shows spontaneous recovery, the recovered response is typically weaker than the previously conditioned response.

Question 10

Alex quit smoking and his cravings for cigarettes have reduced significantly.One day he had very strong cravings again as he was walking home from work.If Alex asked you for advice,which of the following would be an appropriate response

Accepted Answer

Spontaneous recovery of cravings is a normal process in overcoming addiction, and it will diminish over time. It is essential to recognize that setbacks may happen, but they do not signify a failure. It is crucial for Alex to maintain his willpower and continue with his efforts to quit smoking.

Question 11

Anthony classically conditioned his cat to purr whenever the phone rang.One day,the phone rang for nearly two hours straight when Anthony wasn't home,and the cat's conditioned purring response underwent extinction.Today,the response has spontaneously recovered,but what should Anthony expect if the conditioned purring response were to undergo extinction again

Accepted Answer

When a response undergoes spontaneous recovery, it means that the response has not been completely extinguished but rather suppressed. Therefore, if the conditioned purring response were to undergo extinction again, it would take less time to extinguish than it took for the original extinction because the response has already been partially extinguished.

Question 12

Mariah developed a fear of the water when she fell off a river raft last summer.This year she took swimming lessons and thought she had finally overcome her fear of water.She was eagerly anticipating an upcoming rafting trip; however,as soon as she stepped onto the raft she was instantly terrified again.What process does this illustrate

Accepted Answer

Spontaneous recovery refers to the sudden reappearance of a previously extinguished conditioned response after a period of no exposure to the conditioned stimulus. In Mariah's case, her fear of water had diminished but returned unexpectedly when she encountered the situation (rafting) that initially caused the fear, illustrating spontaneous recovery.

Question 13

What should you present to weaken or eliminate a conditioned response

Accepted Answer

Presenting the conditioned stimulus alone several times without pairing it with the unconditioned stimulus can lead to extinction, which weakens or eliminates the conditioned response. This process is known as extinction in classical conditioning.

Question 14

Carly used to get very anxious in the waiting room at her doctor's office because it was associated with the pain of having blood drawn.Recently,Carly's doctor retired,and a new doctor took over his office.Carly's new doctor uses a technique that is virtually painless,and the sight of the waiting room is no longer associated with pain.Consequently,Carly finds her anxiety in the waiting room has disappeared.Which classical conditioning process does this illustrate

Accepted Answer

The process of extinction involves the weakening and eventual disappearance of the conditioned response when the conditioned stimulus (in this case, the waiting room) is presented repeatedly without the unconditioned stimulus (the pain of having blood drawn). In Carly's case, the new doctor's painless technique has resulted in the discontinuation of the unconditioned stimulus, causing Carly's association between the waiting room and pain (the conditioned response) to gradually disappear.

Question 15

After training one of his dogs to salivate in response to a tone,Pavlov continued to present the tone periodically without the food.What did the dog do

Accepted Answer

The dog gradually stopped responding to the tone because it learned that the tone no longer predicted the arrival of food. This process is known as extinction in classical conditioning.

Question 16

Kaleb developed a fear of snowstorms two winters ago when his car spun off the road and hit a tree during a blizzard.As the winter progressed,and he had no further accidents,Kaleb thought his fear of snowstorms had disappeared.To his surprise,this winter when the first heavy snow started to fall as he was driving,he found his heart was pounding and he was trembling.What does this illustrate

Accepted Answer

Spontaneous recovery refers to the reappearance of a previously extinguished response after a period of rest. In this scenario, even though Kaleb had gone through a winter without any accidents, the fear response resurfaced when he encountered heavy snowfall again, indicating spontaneous recovery. It cannot be stimulus generalization, as it refers to the tendency to respond to a similar but not identical stimulus to the original conditioned stimulus. Higher-order conditioning involves a conditioned stimulus being paired with a neutral stimulus to create a second conditioned stimulus, which is not evident in this scenario. Extinction would occur if Kaleb's fear response had weakened with repeated exposure to snowstorms.

Question 17

Chad learned to fear dogs on his grandparents' farm because the dogs there would often bite him.Back in the city,he lost his fear of dogs because he always had good interactions with dogs there.Which phenomena is likely to occur when he returns to his grandparents' farm

Accepted Answer

Response renewal occurs when a previously extinguished response reappears in the context where it was first acquired. Chad's fear of dogs was extinguished in the city due to positive experiences, but it's likely to reappear at his grandparents' farm, where the fear was initially learned.

Question 18

Which term refers to the reappearance of a conditioned response after extinction and a period of rest

Accepted Answer

Spontaneous recovery is the reappearance of a conditioned response after extinction and a period of rest, during which the conditioned stimulus is not presented. This is a normal and expected part of the learning process, in which the original association between the stimulus and the response is temporarily reactivated. Choice A (disinhibition) is the temporary suppression of a previously learned response due to the presentation of an unrelated stimulus. Choice B (reconditioning) is the process of learning a new association between a previously neutral stimulus and a conditioned response, often after the original association has been extinguished. Choice D (stimulus generalization) is the tendency to respond to stimuli that are similar, but not identical, to the original conditioned stimulus.

Question 19

Cody developed a severe fear of flying when he was piloting a small plane through some severe turbulence.He has been seeing a therapist,and it appears that his fear response has been successfully extinguished.The therapist used a flight simulator to help Cody practise his piloting skills in a safe setting.However,the first time Cody stepped back into a real plane,his fear returned.What phenomenon does this illustrate

Accepted Answer

This illustrates the renewal effect, which occurs when an extinguished response reappears when the individual is exposed to the feared stimuli in a different context, such as when Cody was in a real plane after practicing in a flight simulator. This can happen because the individual did not learn to generalize their fear extinction to other contexts.

Question 20

When would you expect the greatest degree of stimulus generalization in classical conditioning

Accepted Answer

The greatest degree of stimulus generalization in classical conditioning is expected when the stimuli are very similar to the original conditioned stimulus. This is because when the stimuli are similar, the organism is likely to respond in the same way it did to the original conditioned stimulus.

Quiz 6: A: Learning