Question 1

In Aldous Huxley's Brave New World, infants develop a fear of roses after roses are presented with electric shock. In this fictional example, the presentation of the roses is the

Accepted Answer

In classical conditioning, the conditioned stimulus (CS) is a neutral stimulus that is repeatedly paired with an unconditioned stimulus (UCS) until it elicits a conditioned response (CR) on its own. In the example given, the roses were presented with an electric shock until the infants developed a fear of them, making the roses the CS.

Question 2

An allergy attack triggered by the sight of plastic flowers best illustrates the process of

Accepted Answer

Generalization occurs when a person or animal responds in the same way to similar stimuli. In this case, the sight of plastic flowers is similar enough to real flowers for the individual to have an allergic reaction, which is a generalized response to the stimuli. Higher-order conditioning involves associating a neutral stimulus with a previously conditioned stimulus, delayed reinforcement refers to reinforcement that is not immediately given, and spontaneous recovery is the reappearance of a previously extinguished response.

Question 3

The stage of classical conditioning when a neutral stimulus first begins triggering a conditioned response is called

Accepted Answer

The term used to describe the stage of classical conditioning when a neutral stimulus first begins triggering a conditioned response is the acquisition phase. This is when the association between the neutral stimulus and the conditioned response is forming, and the organism is learning to make a connection between the two.

Question 4

Two-year-old Philip was recently clawed by the neighbor's cat. Philip's newly developed tendency to fear all small animals demonstrates the process of

Accepted Answer

Generalization refers to the process of applying a learned response to similar stimuli. In this case, Philip's fear of all small animals is a generalization of his fear of the neighbor's cat, indicating that he has applied this learned response to similar stimuli (i.e. other small animals). The other options (observational learning, spontaneous recovery, and secondary reinforcement) do not accurately describe the process occurring in this situation.

Question 5

After getting a slight burn from the spark of a flickering campfire, Julie became afraid of getting close to lighted gas stoves. This best illustrates the adaptive value of

Accepted Answer

Generalization occurs when a response is elicited by stimuli that are similar to the original conditioned stimulus, in this case, Julie's fear of lighted gas stoves after being burned by a campfire.

Question 6

If the sound of an electric can opener causes a child to salivate because it has previously been associated with the presentation of food, the child's salivation to the sound of the can opener is a(n)

Accepted Answer

The child's salivation is not an automatic or unlearned response to the sound of the can opener, but rather a learned response due to its association with the presentation of food. Therefore, it is a conditioned response.

Question 7

If a tone regularly signals food and produces salivation, then a light that becomes associated with the tone may also begin to trigger salivation. This best illustrates

Accepted Answer

This scenario describes higher-order conditioning, which is the process by which a neutral stimulus (in this case, the light) becomes associated with a conditioned stimulus (the tone) and triggers a conditioned response (salivation).

Question 8

For the most rapid acquisition of a CR, the CS should be presented

Accepted Answer

This is known as forward conditioning, where the CS is presented shortly before the US, leading to a more rapid acquisition of the CR. This is because the CS serves as a predictor for the upcoming US, making the association between the two stronger.

Question 9

When a CS is not paired with a US, the subsequent fading of a CR is called

Accepted Answer

When a conditioned stimulus (CS) is repeatedly presented without the unconditioned stimulus (US), the conditioned response (CR) gradually fades away over time. This process is called extinction. Option A, discrimination, refers to the ability to distinguish between two similar stimuli and respond differently to them. Option B, generalization, refers to responding similarly to different stimuli that are similar to the original CS. Option C, delayed reinforcement, refers to a delay between a behavior and the reinforcement that follows it.

Question 10

Male Japanese quail became sexually aroused by a red light that had previously been associated with the presentation of a female quail. In this instance, the female quail is a

Accepted Answer

The answer of Male Japanese quail became sexually aroused by...

Question 11

After Pavlov had conditioned a dog to salivate to a tone, he repeatedly sounded the tone without presenting the food. As a result, ________ occurred.

Accepted Answer

Extinction occurred, as Pavlov repeatedly sounded the tone without presenting the food, which resulted in the dog no longer salivating to the tone. Extinction refers to the gradual weakening and eventual disappearance of a conditioned response when the conditioned stimulus (in this case, the tone) is repeatedly presented without the unconditioned stimulus (food).

Question 12

Spontaneous recovery refers to the

Accepted Answer

Spontaneous recovery refers to the reappearance of an extinguished conditioned response after a pause in training.

Question 13

Long after being bitten by a stray dog, Alonzo found that his fear of dogs seemed to have disappeared. To his surprise, however, when he was recently confronted by a stray dog, he experienced a sudden twinge of anxiety. This sudden anxiety best illustrates

Accepted Answer

Alonzo's sudden twinge of anxiety when confronted by a stray dog, despite previously losing his fear of dogs, best illustrates spontaneous recovery. Spontaneous recovery refers to the reappearance of a previously extinguished conditioned response after a period of time has passed without further conditioning.

Question 14

Which of the following provides evidence that a CR is not completely eliminated during extinction?

Accepted Answer

Spontaneous recovery is the reappearance of a conditioned response (CR) after a rest period following extinction. This suggests that the original association between the conditioned stimulus (CS) and the unconditioned stimulus (US) has not been completely eliminated. Choices A, C, and D do not provide evidence that a CR is not completely eliminated during extinction. Partial reinforcement refers to a schedule of reinforcement where not every correct response is reinforced, but it does not relate to extinction specifically. Generalization and discrimination refer to the ability to respond to stimuli that are similar or different from the original CS, respectively, but they do not necessarily relate to extinction or the persistence of the CR following extinction.

Question 15

An experimenter plans to condition a dog to salivate to a light by pairing the light with food. The dog will learn to salivate to the light most quickly if the experimenter presents the light

Accepted Answer

Conditioning will be most effective if the conditioned stimulus (the light) is presented immediately before the unconditioned stimulus (the food). Half a second before the food is the best timing for presenting the light. This is known as forward conditioning. Presenting the light too far in advance may lead to the dog failing to form a strong association between the light and the food, while presenting the light after the food is presented may lead to no conditioning occurring at all.

Question 16

After receiving a painful shot from a female nurse in a white uniform, 3-year-old Vaclav is fearful of any woman wearing a white dress. Vaclav's reaction best illustrates

Accepted Answer

Generalization refers to the tendency to respond in a similar way to stimuli that resemble the conditioned stimulus. In this case, Vaclav's fear of women wearing white dresses (the stimuli that resemble the initial conditioned stimulus) is an example of generalization.

Question 17

In Pavlov's experiments on the salivary conditioning of dogs, the CS was

Accepted Answer

The answer of In Pavlov's experiments on the salivary conditioning...

Question 18

The tendency for a CR to be evoked by stimuli similar to the CS is called

Accepted Answer

Generalization is the tendency for a CR to be evoked by stimuli similar to the CS.

Question 19

The infant Albert developed a fear of rats after a white rat was associated with a loud noise. In this example, fear of the white rat was the

Accepted Answer

The answer of The infant Albert developed a fear of...

Question 20

In classical conditioning, discrimination refers to the learned ability to distinguish between a ________ and other irrelevant stimuli

Accepted Answer

Discrimination in classical conditioning refers to the ability to distinguish between a conditioned stimulus (CS) and other irrelevant stimuli, such as similar but non-associated stimuli. Discrimination is an important aspect of learning, as it allows individuals to respond selectively to specific stimuli and to avoid unnecessary or inappropriate responses to other stimuli. In this context, the unconditioned stimulus (US) and unconditioned response (UR) are not relevant to discrimination. The conditioned response (CR) is a learned response to the CS.

Quiz 20: A: Basic Learning Concepts and Classical Conditioning