Question 1

The type of learning that occurs due to ____ helps you prepare for future events but seldom allows you to change those events.

Accepted Answer

Classical conditioning involves learning through association, which helps individuals anticipate and prepare for events by associating one stimulus with another. However, it does not typically enable the individual to change the outcome of these events, as it is more about predicting and reacting to stimuli rather than altering them.

Question 2

In Garcia and Koelling's experiment on taste aversion using rats,the authors concluded that it makes evolutionary sense that the rats associated their nausea with ____.

Accepted Answer

Garcia and Koelling's experiment on taste aversion demonstrated that rats more readily associated nausea with something they ate (taste) rather than external stimuli like electric shocks, sounds, or sights. This finding supports the idea that it is evolutionarily advantageous for animals to avoid foods that have made them ill in the past.

Question 3

Fear can be learned through ____,as demonstrated by Watson and Raynor's study with Little Albert.

Accepted Answer

Watson and Raynor's study with Little Albert demonstrated that fear can be learned through stimulus generalization. Little Albert was conditioned to fear a white rat, and this fear generalized to other similar stimuli, such as a rabbit, a dog, and a fur coat.

Question 4

Frank becomes so anxious upon entering a classroom to take an exam that his ability to concentrate is affected.What could best explain this anxiety?

Accepted Answer

Higher-order conditioning is a type of learning in which a neutral stimulus becomes associated with a conditioned stimulus, and then the neutral stimulus begins to elicit the same response as the conditioned stimulus. In this case, the classroom could be the neutral stimulus, and the exam could be the conditioned stimulus. After repeated pairings of the classroom and the exam, the classroom alone could begin to elicit anxiety, which would interfere with Frank's ability to concentrate.

Question 5

Consider John Watson's experiment with the eight-month-old boy,Albert.Albert became fearful of not only white rats but also various white fuzzy objects that resembled white rats.His aversion to the other objects was most likely due to ____.

Accepted Answer

Stimulus generalization occurs when a response to a specific stimulus becomes associated with similar stimuli, leading to a similar response to those stimuli. In this case, Albert's fear response to the white rat generalized to other white, fuzzy objects.

Question 6

Essentially,Watson and Rayner classically conditioned Little Albert to develop a(n)____ to white rats.

Accepted Answer

Watson and Rayner's experiment with Little Albert involved conditioning him to fear white rats by pairing the sight of the rats with a loud, frightening noise, leading to the development of a phobia.

Question 7

In a study of women undergoing treatment for ovarian cancer,researchers found that,following several chemotherapy sessions,the patients' immune systems were weakened as soon as they entered the hospital-in anticipation of the treatment.What had become a conditioned stimulus in this example,causing an inhibition of cellular activity?

Accepted Answer

The hospital had become a conditioned stimulus because the patients' immune systems started to weaken as soon as they entered the hospital, anticipating the chemotherapy treatment. This is an example of classical conditioning, where a previously neutral stimulus (the hospital) becomes associated with an unconditioned stimulus (chemotherapy) that elicits an unconditioned response (weakening of the immune system). Over time, the neutral stimulus alone can elicit a conditioned response similar to the unconditioned response.

Question 8

Which of the following is a drawback of the chemotherapy drugs given to cancer patients?

Accepted Answer

Chemotherapy drugs target rapidly dividing cells, which include not only cancer cells but also some healthy cells, such as those in the immune system. This can lead to a reduction in the growth of immune cells, making patients more susceptible to infections.

Question 9

A classical conditioning procedure in which a neutral stimulus becomes a conditioned stimulus after being paired with an existing conditioned stimulus is known as ____.

Accepted Answer

Higher-order conditioning occurs when a neutral stimulus becomes a conditioned stimulus by being paired with an already established conditioned stimulus, without the need for the original unconditioned stimulus.

Question 10

Who developed the law of effect?

Accepted Answer

Edward L. Thorndike developed the law of effect, which states that behaviors followed by positive outcomes are likely to be repeated, while behaviors followed by negative outcomes are less likely to be repeated.

Question 11

Higher-order conditioning is also called ____.

Accepted Answer

Higher-order conditioning is also called second-order conditioning, where a stimulus that was previously neutral is paired with a conditioned stimulus to produce the same conditioned response.

Question 12

In one study,captured wolves were fed sheep carcasses containing lithium chloride,a chemical that causes severe nausea and vomiting.After recovering from this very unpleasant experience,these same hungry predators were placed in a pen with a live sheep.At first,the wolves moved toward the sheep in attack postures.However,as soon as they smelled their prey,they backed off and avoided further contact.In this study the unconditioned response is ____.

Accepted Answer

The unconditioned response is the natural, unlearned reaction to a stimulus, which in this case is the severe nausea and vomiting caused by the ingestion of lithium chloride.

Question 13

The relationship between behavior and its consequences is called the ____ because behavior becomes more or less likely based on the effect it has in producing desirable or undesirable consequences.

Accepted Answer

The law of effect, proposed by Edward Thorndike, states that behaviors followed by positive outcomes are likely to be repeated, while behaviors followed by negative outcomes are less likely to be repeated. This principle is foundational in the study of operant conditioning.

Question 14

Evolutionary pressures will not remove fear of snakes until,over the long term,the fear ____.

Accepted Answer

Evolutionary pressures tend to remove or reduce traits that are disadvantageous to survival and reproduction. If the fear of snakes becomes an actual disadvantage, it may be selected against, potentially leading to its reduction or removal over generations.

Question 15

____ contend that the reason people more easily develop phobias for certain objects or situations is because they once posed a real danger to our ancestors.

Accepted Answer

Evolutionary theorists argue that certain fears or phobias are more prevalent because they have been evolutionarily advantageous in the past. This perspective suggests that being afraid of things that were dangerous to our ancestors (like snakes or heights) helped them survive, and those fears have been passed down through generations.

Question 16

In Watson's experiment with Little Albert,the loud noise that startled him is the ____.

Accepted Answer

The loud noise that startled Little Albert in Watson's experiment is considered an unconditioned stimulus because it naturally elicited a fear response without any prior conditioning.

Question 17

Identify the technique used by John Garcia to control predators' attacks on ranchers' livestock.

Accepted Answer

John Garcia is known for his work on conditioned taste aversion, which involves teaching predators to avoid livestock by associating the taste of the livestock with an unpleasant experience, thereby reducing attacks on ranchers' livestock.

Question 18

The smell of pine needles elicits pleasant thoughts from your memory.The scent reminds you of your childhood and Christmastime,and all the presents and tasty food available at this time of the year.These fond recollections stem from ____.

Accepted Answer

Higher-order conditioning is a type of learning in which a neutral stimulus becomes associated with a conditioned stimulus, which in turn has been associated with an unconditioned stimulus. In this case, the smell of pine needles (the neutral stimulus) becomes associated with the sight of Christmas trees (the conditioned stimulus), which in turn has been associated with the positive emotions of childhood and Christmastime (the unconditioned stimulus).

Question 19

Identify the term that refers to exaggerated and irrational fears of objects or situations.

Accepted Answer

Phobia is the term that refers to exaggerated and irrational fears of objects or situations.

Question 20

Which of the following greatly increases the number of situations in which classical conditioning explains behavior?

Accepted Answer

Second-order conditioning expands the range of classical conditioning by building on an already established conditioned stimulus to create further associations, thus increasing the number of situations where classical conditioning can be applied.

Quiz 6: Learning