Question 1

Which of the following is a secondary punisher?

Accepted Answer

Secondary punishers are those which initially do not have any punishing effects but later can become punishing due to the association with the primary punishers. Criticism is a type of social punishment that may not have immediate physical consequences but can become aversive due to the associated negative feelings and attitudes. A, B, and D are all primary punishers that have immediate aversive effects on behavior.

Question 2

Which of the following is a secondary reinforcer?

Accepted Answer

A secondary reinforcer is a stimulus that gains its reinforcing property through association with a primary reinforcer. Money is a good example of a secondary reinforcer because it gains its reinforcing value through its association with things that are valuable, such as food or shelter.

Question 3

Individuals being treated for cancer may develop nausea when they arrive at the place where they have been receiving chemotherapy. In this case, the conditioned stimulus is ________.

Accepted Answer

The conditioned stimulus in this scenario would be the place where therapy takes place, as it has become associated with the nausea that the individual experiences during chemotherapy.

Question 4

Research discussed in your textbook suggests that a specific drug can speed up the extinction of a phobia (fear of heights) if taken during virtual reality treatments. This drug is believed to enhance a certain type of receptor in the _________.

Accepted Answer

The amygdala is a key brain structure involved in fear and anxiety, and research has shown that certain drugs can enhance the function of a specific type of receptor (NMDA) in this area, which can speed up the extinction of a phobia.

Question 5

A variation of the counterconditioning procedure developed by Watson and Jones has been used to treat adult phobias. This variation is called:

Accepted Answer

Systematic desensitization involves gradual exposure to a feared object or situation while maintaining relaxation in order to overcome the phobia. It is a variation of the counterconditioning procedure developed by Watson and Jones, which involved pairing a feared object with a pleasant stimulus to eliminate the phobia. While positive reinforcement, intermittent reinforcement, and shaping are all principles of operant conditioning, they are not directly related to the treatment of phobias.

Question 6

_____________ reinforcement occurs when you escape from something unpleasant.

Accepted Answer

Negative reinforcement occurs when a behavior is strengthened by removing or avoiding something unpleasant, such as escaping from a painful situation. This is different from positive reinforcement, which involves the addition of something desirable to increase the likelihood of a behavior.

Question 7

In classical conditioning, ________ is the process of pairing a conditioned stimulus with a stimulus that elicits a response that is incompatible with an unwanted conditioned response.

Accepted Answer

Counterconditioning is the process of pairing a conditioned stimulus with a stimulus that elicits an incompatible response, thus weakening the unwanted conditioned response. Extinction is the process of reducing the frequency of a behavior by removing the reinforcement that follows it. Stimulus discrimination is the process of responding differently to similar stimuli based on their association with a particular outcome. Stimulus generalization is the tendency to respond to stimuli that are similar, but not identical, to a conditioned stimulus.

Question 8

Which of the following is a secondary reinforcer?

Accepted Answer

A secondary reinforcer is a learned reinforcer that gains its value through its association with primary reinforcers or other secondary reinforcers. Applause is a secondary reinforcer because it gains its value through association with the primary reinforcer of social approval or the secondary reinforcer of compliments. Food is a primary reinforcer because it satisfies a basic biological need. Pain and criticism are not reinforcers; pain is an aversive stimulus, and criticism is a conditional stimulus that may function as a punisher or a discriminative stimulus.

Question 9

________ is the process by which a response becomes more likely to occur or less so, depending on its consequences.

Accepted Answer

The process described in the question is operant conditioning, in which a behavior becomes more likely or less likely to occur depending on the consequences that follow it. Classical conditioning refers to the process by which a neutral stimulus becomes associated with a reflexive response through repeated pairing with an unconditioned stimulus. Higher-order conditioning involves pairing a previously neutral stimulus with a conditioned stimulus to create a new conditioned response. Counterconditioning involves replacing a negative conditioned response with a positive one through exposure to a different stimulus.

Question 10

The process by which a stimulus strengthens or increases the probability of the response that it follows is called ________.

Accepted Answer

Reinforcement is the process by which a stimulus strengthens or increases the probability of the response that it follows. Choice A refers to a type of classical conditioning where a conditioned stimulus is paired with a new neutral stimulus. Choice B refers to learning that occurs without reinforcement but is not a process by which a stimulus strengthens a response. Choice C refers to a technique used to replace an unwanted conditioned response with a more desired one.

Question 11

Ayden is afraid of swings. To overcome this fear, his father places him on a swing and gives Ayden an ice pop to eat while gently pushing it. This is an example of ________.

Accepted Answer

The scenario described shows counterconditioning, which is a type of classical conditioning where a negative conditioned response is replaced with a positive response. In this example, Ayden's fear of swings is the negative response, which is being replaced with a positive response (enjoying an ice pop) while on the swing. Latent learning refers to learning that occurs without an obvious reinforcement, spontaneous recovery is the reappearance of a conditioned response after extinction, and operant conditioning involves learning from the consequences of behavior. None of these concepts accurately describe the scenario described.

Question 12

Which of the following statements reflects the difference between classical and operant conditioning?

Accepted Answer

Classical conditioning involves pairing a reflexive response (such as salivating) with a previously neutral stimulus (such as a bell), whereas operant conditioning involves shaping voluntary behaviors through reinforcement and punishment. Therefore, the response in classical conditioning is more reflexive, while in operant conditioning it can be more complex and deliberate.

Question 13

Which of the following behaviorists is associated with operant conditioning?

Accepted Answer

B.F. Skinner is associated with operant conditioning. He developed the theory of operant conditioning, which emphasizes the role of the consequences of behavior in shaping and maintaining behavior. Skinner believed that behavior is modified by its consequences, and that behavior can be strengthened or weakened by reinforcement or punishment.

Question 14

After Little Albert acquired a conditioned fear of a rat, Watson and Rayner wanted to see how he would react to a rabbit, cotton wool, and a Santa Claus mask. They were studying whether or not _______________ had occurred.

Accepted Answer

Watson and Rayner were studying whether or not Little Albert's fear response would generalize to similar stimuli (such as a rabbit and cotton wool), which is known as stimulus generalization. The Santa Claus mask is not mentioned as being similar to the rat or any of the other stimuli used, so it does not relate to the question being studied. Extinction involves the gradual disappearance of a conditioned response, which was not the focus of this experiment. Counterconditioning involves replacing a negative conditioned response with a positive one, which was not tested in this experiment. Stimulus discrimination involves the ability to distinguish between similar stimuli and produce different responses, which is opposite to what was being studied in this experiment.

Question 15

Thorndike was known for his work with:

Accepted Answer

Thorndike is most well-known for his use of puzzle boxes in his work on animal learning and behavior.

Question 16

Individuals being treated for cancer may develop nausea when they arrive at the place where they have been receiving chemotherapy. In this case, the unconditioned stimulus is ________.

Accepted Answer

The unconditioned stimulus is the chemotherapy, which is the cause of the nausea without any conditioning or learning.

Question 17

The process by which a stimulus weakens the probability of the response that it follows is called ________.

Accepted Answer

Punishment is the process by which a stimulus weakens the probability of the response that it follows. Negative reinforcement strengthens the probability of a response by removing a negative stimulus. Higher-order conditioning is the process by which a neutral stimulus becomes associated with a previously conditioned stimulus. Determinism refers to the idea that behavior is determined by prior events and experiences.

Question 18

Based on his observations of cats in puzzle boxes, Thorndike concluded that:

Accepted Answer

Thorndike's observations of cats in puzzle boxes led him to the conclusion that behavior is controlled by its consequences. This is the foundation of his Law of Effect, which states that behaviors that are followed by satisfying consequences are more likely to be repeated, while behaviors that are followed by unpleasant consequences are less likely to be repeated.

Question 19

Graham is a 5-year-old who has a conditioned fear of furry and hairy things. He is fond of a snack of milk and chocolate cookies and associates pleasant feelings with it. Psychologists pair a cat with the snack that Graham enjoys until his fear of the cat goes away. This is an example of ________.

Accepted Answer

The scenario presented is an example of counterconditioning, which involves pairing a feared stimulus with a desirable or enjoyable one in order to change the emotional response to the feared stimulus. In this case, the cat (a feared stimulus due to Graham's conditioned fear of furry and hairy things) is paired with the pleasant experience of eating milk and chocolate cookies, ultimately reducing Graham's fear of the cat.

Question 20

The difference between a reinforcer and a punisher is that:

Accepted Answer

Reinforcers are stimuli that increase the likelihood of a behavior being repeated, while punishers are stimuli that decrease the likelihood of a behavior being repeated. Therefore, reinforcers strengthen behavior, whereas punishers weaken behavior. The distinction between primary and secondary reinforcement/punishment is not relevant to this concept, and the terms positive and negative are related to the valence (pleasant or unpleasant) of the stimulus, rather than whether they are reinforcers or punishers.

Quiz 7: Learning and Conditioning

Which of the following is a secondary punisher?

Which of the following is a secondary reinforcer?

Individuals being treated for cancer may develop nausea when they arrive at the place where they have been receiving chemotherapy. In this case, the conditioned stimulus is ________.

Research discussed in your textbook suggests that a specific drug can speed up the extinction of a phobia (fear of heights) if taken during virtual reality treatments. This drug is believed to enhance a certain type of receptor in the _________.

A variation of the counterconditioning procedure developed by Watson and Jones has been used to treat adult phobias. This variation is called:

_____________ reinforcement occurs when you escape from something unpleasant.

In classical conditioning, ________ is the process of pairing a conditioned stimulus with a stimulus that elicits a response that is incompatible with an unwanted conditioned response.

Which of the following is a secondary reinforcer?

________ is the process by which a response becomes more likely to occur or less so, depending on its consequences.

The process by which a stimulus strengthens or increases the probability of the response that it follows is called ________.

Ayden is afraid of swings. To overcome this fear, his father places him on a swing and gives Ayden an ice pop to eat while gently pushing it. This is an example of ________.

Which of the following statements reflects the difference between classical and operant conditioning?

Which of the following behaviorists is associated with operant conditioning?

After Little Albert acquired a conditioned fear of a rat, Watson and Rayner wanted to see how he would react to a rabbit, cotton wool, and a Santa Claus mask. They were studying whether or not _______________ had occurred.

Thorndike was known for his work with:

Individuals being treated for cancer may develop nausea when they arrive at the place where they have been receiving chemotherapy. In this case, the unconditioned stimulus is ________.

The process by which a stimulus weakens the probability of the response that it follows is called ________.

Based on his observations of cats in puzzle boxes, Thorndike concluded that:

Graham is a 5-year-old who has a conditioned fear of furry and hairy things. He is fond of a snack of milk and chocolate cookies and associates pleasant feelings with it. Psychologists pair a cat with the snack that Graham enjoys until his fear of the cat goes away. This is an example of ________.

The difference between a reinforcer and a punisher is that: