Question 1

Once conditioning has been acquired,presenting just the conditioned stimulus without the unconditioned stimulus produces:

Accepted Answer

Once conditioning has been acquired, presenting just the conditioned stimulus without the unconditioned stimulus will lead to extinction of the conditioned response. This occurs because the organism learns that the conditioned stimulus no longer predicts the unconditioned stimulus.  Generalization (choosing similar stimuli to the conditioned stimulus) and spontaneous recovery (the reappearance of a conditioned response after a rest period) are not applicable in this scenario. A new conditioned response is also not applicable as the stimulus remains the same.

Question 2

New learning that works in the opposite direction from the original learning results in ________.

Accepted Answer

New learning that works in the opposite direction from the original learning results in extinction, which means the original learned behavior decreases and eventually disappears. Shaping involves gradually reinforcing behaviors that are closer and closer to the desired behavior. Generalization is the tendency for learned behavior to occur in similar situations, and spontaneous recovery is the reappearance of extinguished behavior after a period of time.

Question 3

Spontaneous recovery:

Accepted Answer

Spontaneous recovery refers to the reappearance of a previously extinguished response after a period of time without further conditioning. Therefore, it can only occur once a response has been extinguished.

Question 4

A research participant hears a tone followed by a puff of air directed toward his eye.Later,he blinks when he hears the tone.Before ending the experiment,what could the researcher do in order to extinguish the blinking to that tone?

Accepted Answer

Presenting the tone alone repeatedly without the air puff will help to extinguish the blinking response to the tone. This is because the blinking response was conditioned through the pairing of the tone with the air puff, so presenting the tone alone repeatedly will help to break the association between the tone and the air puff, and therefore, decrease the blinking response. The other options (B, C, and D) are not likely to be effective in extinguishing the blinking response as they do not address the underlying conditioning process.

Question 5

The process of presenting the conditioned stimulus alone so often that the learner no longer associates it with the unconditioned stimulus and stops making the conditioned response is called _________ .

Accepted Answer

Extinction is the process of presenting the conditioned stimulus alone so often that the learner no longer associates it with the unconditioned stimulus and stops making the conditioned response. Generalization is the tendency to respond to similar stimuli as the conditioned stimulus. Spontaneous recovery is the reappearance of the conditioned response after a period of extinction has occurred. Shaping is the process of reinforcing closer and closer approximations of a desired behavior.

Question 6

In the experiment with Little Albert,the conditioned stimulus was __________.

Accepted Answer

The conditioned stimulus is the stimulus that is originally neutral but becomes associated with the unconditioned stimulus and elicits the conditioned response. In Little Albert's case, the rat was originally a neutral stimulus, but after being paired with the loud noise, it became the conditioned stimulus that elicited fear in Albert.

Question 7

A person originally feared great heights,such as standing on top of tall buildings.Now the person has also developed fears of flying in airplanes,standing on ladders,and even watching high-wire artists perform.These new fears are probably the result of _______.

Accepted Answer

Stimulus generalization occurs when a person responds in a similar way to stimuli that are similar to the original stimulus that elicited the response. In this case, the original fear of great heights has generalized to other situations that involve heights, such as flying in airplanes or standing on ladders. Watching high-wire artists perform may also be similar enough to trigger the same fear response. This is different from response generalization, which occurs when a person responds in a similar way to different responses that produce similar outcomes. Modeling and discrimination are not relevant in this scenario.

Question 8

Stimulus generalization occurs:

Accepted Answer

Stimulus generalization occurs when a conditioned response is elicited by stimuli that are similar to the conditioned stimulus (CS). This means that the individual has generalized the response to other similar stimuli, rather than just responding to the specific CS that was originally presented. This can happen even after extinction, and is a natural and important part of learning and generalization. It is not dependent on whether a response is followed by a reinforcer or on an individual's capacity to learn.

Question 9

A person is conditioned to fear white rats.Soon after,she also begins to fear white cats,white dogs,and white rabbits.Her new,unconditioned fears result from _______.

Accepted Answer

Stimulus generalization occurs when stimuli that are similar to the conditioned stimulus also elicit the conditioned response. In this case, the person's fear of white rats has generalized to other white animals such as cats, dogs, and rabbits.

Question 10

Repeatedly presenting a CS by itself will result in ________.

Accepted Answer

Repeatedly presenting a CS by itself will result in extinction, which is the gradual weakening of a conditioned response when the CS is presented without the US.

Question 11

Who was Little Albert?

Accepted Answer

Little Albert was a nickname given to a child used in a famous experiment by behaviorist John Watson and Rosalie Rayner. The experiment was conducted to demonstrate classical conditioning, where Albert was conditioned to fear a white rat by pairing its presence with a loud, jarring noise. This fear reaction was later generalized to other stimuli, including a wide range of white, furry objects.

Question 12

This is the first exam you have ever taken in Professor Smith's class.You know nothing about her tests,and she has never done anything harmful to you or anyone else.Nonetheless,you are anxious about the test.Your anxiety in this situation is an example of:

Accepted Answer

The anxiety in this situation is an example of generalization because you are feeling anxious about the test even though you have no prior negative experiences with Professor Smith's exams. This anxiety is likely due to generalized fear or anxiety about taking exams in general.

Question 13

The opposite of stimulus generalization is:

Accepted Answer

Stimulus discrimination is the process of learning to respond differently to stimuli that are similar but not identical to the conditioned stimulus. This is opposite to stimulus generalization, which involves responding to stimuli that are similar to the conditioned stimulus. Therefore, option A, stimulus discrimination, is the correct answer. Unconditioned stimulus, conditioned stimulus, and response generalization are not the opposite of stimulus generalization.

Question 14

A pigeon learns to peck only at a red disk.It will not peck at an identical disk of any other color.This illustrates the concept of _______.

Accepted Answer

This scenario illustrates the concept of discrimination, as the pigeon has learned to discriminate between the red disk and disks of other colors. The behavior of pecking only at the red disk is an example of a learned discrimination response.

Question 15

Little Albert (Watson,1920)learned through classical conditioning to fear ______.

Accepted Answer

The study showed that Little Albert developed a fear of white rats after they were repeatedly paired with a loud and startling noise.

Question 16

When a CS is repeatedly presented by itself,______ will occur.

Accepted Answer

When a CS (conditioned stimulus) is repeatedly presented by itself without the previously associated US (unconditioned stimulus), extinction will occur. This means that the learned association between the CS and the CR (conditioned response) will weaken and eventually disappear. Generalization refers to the tendency to respond to stimuli that are similar to the original CS, discrimination refers to the ability to distinguish between different stimuli and respond only to the relevant one, and stimulus substitution is not a well-established phenomenon in classical conditioning.

Question 17

A child who calls all four-legged animals "dogs" is exhibiting ______.

Accepted Answer

Stimulus generalization occurs when a behavior that has been learned in response to a specific stimulus also occurs in response to similar stimuli. In this case, the child has learned to label dogs as "dogs" and is generalizing that label to other animals with four legs.

Question 18

Reacting to a stimulus that is similar to the one to which you have learned to react is called _______.

Accepted Answer

Stimulus generalization occurs when an organism responds to a stimulus that is similar to the one to which it has learned to respond. Response generalization refers to producing a similar response to different stimuli. Higher-order conditioning is when a new stimulus is associated with a previously learned stimulus to elicit the same response. Modeling is the process of observing and imitating the behavior of others.

Question 19

The process of learning to respond only to a single specific object or event is called _______.

Accepted Answer

Discrimination refers to the process of learning to respond only to a single specific object or event, while extinction refers to the diminishing of a conditioned response when an unconditional stimulus no longer follows a conditioned stimulus. Inhibition refers to the ability to stop a previously learned response due to a change in the environment or reinforcement, and stimulus generalization refers to the tendency to respond to stimuli that are similar to a conditioned stimulus.

Question 20

Corky's mouth waters when he sees Ball Park franks,but not when he sees other brands of franks.This response is known as:

Accepted Answer

The behavior being described is discrimination, which is the ability to distinguish between similar stimuli and respond differently to them. In this case, Corky is able to distinguish between Ball Park franks and other brands and responds differently (by salivating) only to Ball Park franks.

Quiz 4: Learning