Question 1

Describe an experimental procedure one could use to study blocking in humans (other than the category-learning procedure discussed in the text). Be sure to indicate what outcome would signal that blocking had occurred.

Accepted Answer

The procedure should follow the typical blocking paradigm, involving the three usual phases (1-pair CS1 with the US; 2-pair CS1 + CS2 with the US; 3-test response to CS2); the outcome that demonstrates blocking must involve little or no response to the redundant CS (CS2).

Question 2

In trace conditioning, the:
A) CS begins before the US and ends before the onset of the US.
B) US begins before the CS and ends before the onset of the CS.
C) CS begins before the US and stays on until the US has occurred.
D) US begins before the CS and stays on until the CS has occurred.

Accepted Answer

Trace conditioning involves presenting a CS and then a US, with a gap or trace period in between. In this type of conditioning, the CS begins before the US and ends before the onset of the US, allowing for a short period of time (the trace) where the animal or person must remember the association between the CS and US in order to form a conditioned response. Therefore, choice A is the best answer.

Question 3

In eyeblink conditioning the puff of air is the:
A) CS.
B) US.
C) CR.
D) UR.

Accepted Answer

In eyeblink conditioning, the puff of air serves as an unconditioned stimulus (US) because it naturally elicits a response (the blink reflex) without any prior learning or conditioning. The conditioned stimulus (CS) is typically a tone or light that is paired with the puff of air to eventually elicit a conditioned response (CR) of blinking in response to the CS alone. The unconditioned response (UR) is the natural blink that occurs in response to the puff of air without any conditioning.

Question 4

A theory of learning in which all of the cues that occur during a trial and all of the changes that result are considered a single event is known as:
A) interstimulus interval.
B) trial-level model.
C) delay conditioning.
D) trace conditioning.

Accepted Answer

The trial-level model considers all of the cues and changes that occur during a trial as a single event, unlike delay and trace conditioning which focus on specific timing of cues and responses. Interstimulus interval refers to the time between cues and is not a theory of learning.

Question 5

Some pet owners use a "clicker" device to train their pets. For example, if a cat owner wants her cat to stay off the bed, she might make a "click" sound with a clicker whenever the cat gets on the bed, and follow it shortly by a squirt of water to the cat. In this example, identify the CS, US, CR, and UR.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Some pet owners use a "clicker" device...

Question 6

Recordings of activity in the _____ during eyeblink conditioning in rabbits show activity that occurs _____ the response is made.
A) cerebellar cortex; a few milliseconds before
B) cerebellar cortex; at the same time as
C) interpositus nucleus; a few milliseconds before
D) interpositus nucleus; at the same time as

Accepted Answer

Recordings of activity in the interpositus nucleus during eyeblink conditioning in rabbits show activity that occurs a few milliseconds before the response is made.

Question 7

Suppose a child acquired a fear of the doctor's office because the office came to be associated with getting shots. To remove this fear, the child's parents decide to bring the child to the doctor's office several times each week without the child getting a shot. What technique are the parents using to eliminate the child's fear?
A) extinction
B) blocking
C) trace conditioning
D) latent inhibition

Accepted Answer

The parents are using the technique of extinction, which involves repeatedly presenting the conditioned stimulus (the doctor's office) without the unconditioned stimulus (getting a shot) in order to weaken the association between the two and eliminate the fear response.

Question 8

The mechanisms for classical conditioning in Aplysia involve _____ changes in the neural circuits that connect the _____.
A) presynaptic; CS and UR
B) postsynaptic; CS and UR
C) presynaptic and postsynaptic; CS and UR
D) presynaptic and postsynaptic; CS and CR

Accepted Answer

Classical conditioning in Aplysia involves both presynaptic and postsynaptic changes in the neural circuits that connect the conditioned stimulus (CS) and the conditioned response (CR), not the unconditioned response (UR). This is because the learning process modifies the strength and efficiency of synaptic connections to produce a new or altered response to a previously neutral stimulus.

Question 9

In Garcia and Koelling's taste-aversion studies, which was an unconditioned stimulus?
A) a tone
B) an unfamiliar taste
C) a shock
D) feeling sick

Accepted Answer

The answer of In Garcia and Koelling's taste-aversion studies, which...

Question 10

The US first activates which brain area?
A) inferior olive
B) pontine nuclei
C) cerebellar cortex
D) interpositus nucleus

Accepted Answer

The answer of The US first activates which brain area?
A)...

Question 11

Explain why the Rescorla-Wagner model is considered to be one of the most influential models of learning.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Explain why the Rescorla-Wagner model is considered...

Question 12

What is a conditioned compensatory response? Explain what purpose it serves.

Accepted Answer

The answer of What is a conditioned compensatory response? Explain...

Question 13

The hippocampus:
A) must be intact for normal eyeblink conditioning to occur.
B) is especially active during the early phases of classical conditioning.
C) is important in mediating response timing.
D) computes the degree to which the US is unexpected.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The hippocampus:
A) must be intact for normal...

Question 14

Suppose a parent loves jazz music. Describe how she could use classical conditioning principles to increase the likelihood that her child will also like jazz music. Be sure to identify the CS, US, CR, and UR in the description.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Suppose a parent loves jazz music. Describe...

Question 15

Removing the interpositus nucleus results in:
A) small, poorly timed conditioned responses.
B) complete loss of conditioned responses.
C) small, poorly timed unconditioned responses.
D) complete loss of unconditioned responses.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Removing the interpositus nucleus results in:
A) small,...

Question 16

According to the Rescorla-Wagner model, an increase in the association between the CS and US occurs when:
A) the prediction error is zero.
B) an unexpected US follows a CS.
C) the prediction error is negative.
D) a predicted US follows a CS.

Accepted Answer

According to the Rescorla-Wagner model, learning occurs when there is a discrepancy between what is expected and what actually occurs. The prediction error, or the difference between the expected outcome and the actual outcome, drives learning. In this model, an unexpected US following a CS creates a large prediction error, which leads to an increase in the association between the two stimuli. Therefore, choice B is the best answer.

Question 17

Every day when Isabelle returns home from work, her son gives her a big hug as soon as she walks through the front door. Now, the sight of the front door makes Isabelle feel happy. In this example, the conditioned stimulus is:
A) Isabelle's son.
B) the front door.
C) a big hug.
D) Isabelle.

Accepted Answer

The conditioned stimulus is the front door because it is now associated with the positive experience of receiving a hug from Isabelle's son.

Question 18

Because Carrie's friend Emily often brings home-baked goodies when she visits, Carrie feels her mouth water at the sight of Emily. For one week Emily, brought her cousin Michelle with her whenever she visited Carrie. A few weeks later, Carrie bumped into Michelle at the store. In this scenario, blocking would be demonstrated if Carrie:
A) no longer feels her mouth water when she sees Emily.
B) still feels her mouth water when she sees Emily.
C) does not feel her mouth water when she sees Michelle at the store.
D) feels her mouth water when she sees Michelle at the store.

Accepted Answer

Blocking occurs when a previously learned association between a cue (Emily) and a response (salivating) is disrupted by the introduction of a new cue (Michelle) that predicts the same outcome (no baked goods). Therefore, if Carrie does not feel her mouth water when she sees Michelle at the store, it suggests that the association between Emily and baked goods has been weakened or blocked by the introduction of Michelle. Option A and B are incorrect because they refer to the association between Emily and Carrie, not the blocking effect of Michelle. Similarly, option D is incorrect because it suggests that the association between Michelle and baked goods has been formed, which is not demonstrated in the scenario.

Question 19

If a US occurs just as often without the tone as it does in the presence of the tone, then little or no conditioning will accrue to the tone. This would suggest that animals are sensitive to _____ of the potential CS and US.
A) causality
B) contingency
C) cue-outcome
D) frequency

Accepted Answer

If the US occurs just as often without the tone as it does in the presence of the tone, there is no contingency between the tone and the US. Contingency refers to the predictive relationship between a CS and US, indicating that animals are sensitive to the contingency or causal relationship between the CS and US, which is reflected in the conditioning. Therefore, option B, contingency, is the best choice. Options A (causality) and C (cue-outcome) are related to contingency, but not the best answer. Option D (frequency) is not relevant in this context.

Question 20

It has been suggested that drug addicts should use small amounts of their drug during therapy to extinguish their habit. This is because:
A) the addict will experience less withdrawal.
B) drug use is part of the context.
C) drug use has become a US.
D) the addict will experience fewer cravings.

Accepted Answer

Drug use has become a US (unconditioned stimulus) that is associated with various cues and contexts. By using small amounts of the drug in therapy, the addict can learn to dissociate these cues and contexts from the addictive behavior, making it easier to break the habit. Additionally, the use of small amounts can help to reduce the risk of severe withdrawal symptoms and cravings that may interfere with therapy.

Quiz 4: Classical Conditioning:

Describe an experimental procedure one could use to study blocking in humans (other than the category-learning procedure discussed in the text). Be sure to indicate what outcome would signal that blocking had occurred.

In trace conditioning, the:

In eyeblink conditioning the puff of air is the:

A theory of learning in which all of the cues that occur during a trial and all of the changes that result are considered a single event is known as:

Recordings of activity in the _ during eyeblink conditioning in rabbits show activity that occurs _ the response is made.

The mechanisms for classical conditioning in Aplysia involve _ changes in the neural circuits that connect the _.

In Garcia and Koelling's taste-aversion studies, which was an unconditioned stimulus?

The US first activates which brain area?

Explain why the Rescorla-Wagner model is considered to be one of the most influential models of learning.

What is a conditioned compensatory response? Explain what purpose it serves.

The hippocampus:

Suppose a parent loves jazz music. Describe how she could use classical conditioning principles to increase the likelihood that her child will also like jazz music. Be sure to identify the CS, US, CR, and UR in the description.

Removing the interpositus nucleus results in:

According to the Rescorla-Wagner model, an increase in the association between the CS and US occurs when:

Every day when Isabelle returns home from work, her son gives her a big hug as soon as she walks through the front door. Now, the sight of the front door makes Isabelle feel happy. In this example, the conditioned stimulus is:

If a US occurs just as often without the tone as it does in the presence of the tone, then little or no conditioning will accrue to the tone. This would suggest that animals are sensitive to _____ of the potential CS and US.

It has been suggested that drug addicts should use small amounts of their drug during therapy to extinguish their habit. This is because: