Question 1

In which of the following scenarios is Roxie,the dog,most likely to rapidly learn to associate a conditioned stimulus with food?

Accepted Answer

In scenario D, Roxie's owner consistently pairs the sound of the squeaky kitchen cupboard with the delivery of food, allowing for a strong association to be formed. Consistency and immediacy are key factors in the formation of a conditioned response. In the other scenarios, there is inconsistency or multiple stimuli associated with the delivery of food, which can impede the formation of a strong association.

Question 2

As a child,Jordan would jump excitedly when the Sponge Bob Square Pants theme song started playing on the television,receiving laughter and attention from adults for the excited jumping.Now that Jordan is a teenager,adults no longer direct laughter and attention at the excited jumping,and Jordan no longer reacts to the familiar theme song.This scenario illustrates the process of ____.

Accepted Answer

This scenario illustrates the process of extinction, as the behavior of jumping excitedly in response to the Sponge Bob Square Pants theme song has become extinguished due to the lack of reinforcement (laughter and attention from adults) over time.

Question 3

Jonah is playing on his tablet one evening,when his father asks him to finish up and get ready to take a bath.Jonah nods but completely ignores the request.After a few minutes his father repeats the request with a slightly sterner voice.Jonah says,"Okay,let me just finish this game." Ten minutes later,when Jonah has clearly played several more games,his father repeats the request but with a very firm voice.Jonah,knowing that his father is getting angry,puts down the tablet and goes to take a bath.Jonah's different responding to different "voices" from his father illustrates _____.

Accepted Answer

Jonah's ability to respond differently to his father's requests with different tones of voice indicates discrimination. Discrimination refers to the ability to differentiate between similar but distinct stimuli and respond differently to each one. In this case, Jonah discriminates between his father's requests based on the tone of voice, and responds accordingly. Acquisition refers to the process of learning new behaviors, while inhibition refers to the process of suppressing or stopping a behavior. Generalization refers to the tendency to respond to stimuli that are similar to the initial learned stimulus.

Question 4

Tim would like to stop drinking alcohol,but he is finding it difficult to resist the urge to drink when he meets up with friends.Tim's therapist assures him that if he can resist the urge to drink during these social events,his cravings for alcohol will diminish even further,eventually fading away.What process is Tim's therapist describing?

Accepted Answer

Tim's therapist is describing the process of extinction, which involves the gradual weakening and disappearance of a behavior (in this case, drinking alcohol) as a result of not being reinforced (by resisting the urge to drink during social events). Over time, the association between drinking and socializing will weaken, leading to a decrease in Tim's cravings and eventually, their complete disappearance.

Question 5

The tendency to respond to stimuli that are similar to an original conditioned stimulus is called ____.

Accepted Answer

Generalization is the tendency for a conditioned response to be evoked by stimuli that are similar to the original conditioned stimulus. This occurs when the new stimuli share some of the same features as the original stimulus.

Question 6

Peter's mother normally arrives home from work in a terrible mood,causing Peter extreme anxiety.However,when Peter sees that his mother is wearing sweat pants,Peter feels at ease,knowing that she has been home from work for a while.Peter's recognition that the sweatpants indicate no reason to feel anxious illustrates ____.

Accepted Answer

Inhibition refers to the process where a conditioned response is suppressed or reduced due to the presence of a specific cue or signal. In this case, the sight of sweatpants acts as a signal that inhibits Peter's anxiety response.

Question 7

The recognition that two different stimuli call for two different responses is known as ____.

Accepted Answer

Discrimination refers to the ability to recognize and respond differently to different stimuli. This can be seen in classical conditioning, where an animal learns to respond to one specific stimulus (the conditioned stimulus) but not to other similar stimuli (stimulus discrimination).

Question 8

When a conditioned stimulus can predict the nonoccurrence of an unconditioned stimulus,this is referred to as ____.

Accepted Answer

When a conditioned stimulus predicts the nonoccurrence of an unconditioned stimulus, it is referred to as inhibition. This is because the conditioned stimulus inhibits the occurrence of the unconditioned stimulus.

Question 9

What type of stimulus elicits a response without prior experience-that is,without learning having taken place?

Accepted Answer

An unconditioned stimulus is one that naturally and automatically triggers a response without any prior learning. For example, the smell of food causing hunger.

Question 10

Eli is afraid of bees,and has been ever since he was nearly stung by one a few months ago.Lately,his father has been very distressed to see that Eli is now afraid of any flying insect,even tiny ones like gnats.The fact that Eli gets terribly afraid and runs to another room whenever he sees a flying "bug" demonstrates _____.

Accepted Answer

Eli's fear of all flying insects, not just bees, demonstrates generalization. He has generalized his fear response to other similar stimuli.

Question 11

Which of the following would decrease the likelihood of acquisition?

Accepted Answer

Presenting the unconditioned stimulus long after the conditioned stimulus would decrease the likelihood of acquisition because the association between the two stimuli would weaken over time. This is known as temporal contiguity, and it is an important factor for successful conditioning.

Answer: D
 If the unconditioned stimulus evokes a negative response in the participant, it may be more difficult to establish a positive association with the conditioned stimulus. This is because negative emotions can interfere with learning and attention. Therefore, presenting a negative unconditioned stimulus would decrease the likelihood of acquisition.

Question 12

A reaction to a given stimulus that is learned or acquired over time is referred to as a(n)____.

Accepted Answer

A learned reaction to a stimulus is a conditioned response. An unconditioned response is an automatic, innate reaction to a stimulus. A characteristic response and uncharacteristic response are not specific terms in psychology.

Question 13

Jenna,who is recovering from drug addiction,attends counseling sessions so that she will no longer associate the sight of a needle and syringe with an expected drug effect.During the counseling sessions,Jenna handles a syringe without receiving any drugs as her counselor pairs a new signal with the sight of the syringe: a favorite song of Jenna's.The method used here illustrates the use of ____.

Accepted Answer

An inhibitory conditioned stimulus is a stimulus that has been paired with an unconditioned stimulus to produce a conditioned response that is opposite to the original response. In this case, the sight of the syringe (the conditioned stimulus) has been paired with a favorite song (the unconditioned stimulus) to produce a new conditioned response (no longer associating the sight of the syringe with an expected drug effect).

Question 14

Greg,who mainly drank coffee when out with friends,recently quit drinking coffee.However,each time he visits a bar or restaurant with his friends,he has the strong urge to drink a cup of coffee.This is an example of ____.

Accepted Answer

Spontaneous recovery refers to the reappearance of a previously extinguished response after a period of time has passed. In this case, Greg's urge to drink coffee has reappeared even though he has quit drinking it, which fits the definition of spontaneous recovery.

Question 15

Dr.Graham exposes rats to a vanilla scent prior to receiving a food pellet in the left corner of their cage,but provides no food after exposure to a lemon scent.After several trials,upon smelling a vanilla scent,the rats wait at the far left corner of the cage regardless of whether a food pellet is present.However,they do not wait in the far left corner when exposed to the lemon scent.What is the unconditioned stimulus in the experiment?

Accepted Answer

The unconditioned stimulus in this experiment is the food pellet because it elicits an unconditioned response (eating behavior) without any prior conditioning. The vanilla scent becomes a conditioned stimulus because it is associated with the unconditioned stimulus (food pellet) through repeated pairings, eventually leading to a conditioned response (waiting behavior in the left corner of the cage). The lemon scent does not have any association with the unconditioned stimulus, therefore, it does not elicit any conditioned response.

Question 16

As Ronnie hears a song on the radio,she feels stressed: her heart races,her hands become clammy,and her breathing becomes rapid.The song is familiar because it was very popular at a time when her parents were going through a divorce that caused Ronnie intense anxiety.In this scenario,identify the following in the same respective order: the conditioned stimulus,the unconditioned stimulus,the conditioned response,and the unconditioned response.

Accepted Answer

- The conditioned stimulus is the song because it is what triggers the conditioned response (anxiety) after being associated with the unconditioned stimulus (parents' divorce). 
- The unconditioned stimulus is the parents' divorce because it naturally caused anxiety in Ronnie without any previous association. 
- The conditioned response is the anxiety toward the song because it was learned and associated with the parents' divorce. 
- The unconditioned response is the anxiety toward parents' fighting/divorce because it is a natural response to a stressful event like divorce.

Question 17

The reappearance of conditioned responses after periods of rest between sessions of extinction training is called ____.

Accepted Answer

Spontaneous recovery is the reappearance of conditioned responses after periods of rest between sessions of extinction training. Option A (dominant presentation) is not a recognized term in classical conditioning. Option B (reacquisition) refers to the process of learning a previously learned behavior faster than one would learn a new behavior. Option D (higher order conditioning) refers to the process of pairing a neutral stimulus with a previously conditioned stimulus to create a new conditioned response.

Question 18

What mechanism is responsible for the process of extinction?

Accepted Answer

Extinction occurs when new learning inhibits or suppresses the old association, rather than the old association being forgotten or replaced.

Question 19

The development of a conditioned response is called ____.

Accepted Answer

Acquisition refers to the process by which a neutral stimulus becomes associated with a meaningful stimulus and thereby acquires the capacity to elicit a similar response. This is the process by which classical conditioning occurs. Options A, B, and C refer to other concepts in classical conditioning but do not describe the development of a conditioned response.

Question 20

A reaction to a given stimulus that requires no previous experience is referred to as a(n)____.

Accepted Answer

An unconditioned response is a natural, automatic response to a stimulus that does not require any prior conditioning or training. This type of response is often innate or instinctual, such as the reflexive flinch when a loud noise is heard. In contrast, a conditioned response requires previous conditioning or learning to occur.

Quiz 8: The Adaptive Mind Learning