Question 1

Which of the following is the result of natural development?

Accepted Answer

C) is the result of natural development because it describes a milestone (sitting up) that typically occurs as part of a baby's physical development around six months of age, without specific conditioning or learning from external stimuli.

Question 2

The process by which an environmental stimulus and a behavior are connected is known as

Accepted Answer

The process described in the question is known as conditioning, which involves linking a behavior with an environmental stimulus. Choice A (cognition) refers to mental processes such as perception, thinking, and problem-solving, but does not specifically address the connection between stimuli and behavior. Choice B (episodic memory) refers to the ability to remember specific events or experiences, which may or may not involve conditioning. Choice D (behavior modification) is a broader term that can encompass different methods for changing behavior, including conditioning, but is not specific to the process described in the question.

Question 3

What term is used to describe a decrease in a behavioral response after repeated exposure to nonthreatening stimuli?

Accepted Answer

Habituation is the term used to describe a decrease in a behavioral response after repeated exposure to nonthreatening stimuli.

Question 4

The first time you pick up your pet hamster it recoils in fear, but after a week of handling, your hamster is not bothered anymore.What change came over your hamster through the simple act of repetitive handling?

Accepted Answer

Habituation is the process by which an organism becomes less responsive to a repeated stimulus over time. In this case, the hamster became used to being handled and therefore no longer recoiled in fear.

Question 5

What term is used to describe an increase in a behavioral response after exposure to a threatening stimulus?

Accepted Answer

Sensitization is the term used to describe an increase in a behavioral response after exposure to a threatening stimulus. Habituation refers to a decreased response to a stimulus after repeated exposure, orienting refers to the redirection of attention in response to a novel or significant stimulus, and Aplysia is a type of sea slug often used in studies of learning and memory.

Question 6

Which of the following statements accurately describes the difference between associative and nonassociative learning?

Accepted Answer

Associative learning involves making connections between two or more stimuli or between a stimulus and a response, exemplified by classical and operant conditioning. Nonassociative learning, such as habituation or sensitization, involves changes in response to a single stimulus over time, without the need to form associations between different stimuli.

Question 7

Which sentence below best defines the concept of tabula rasa?

Accepted Answer

The concept of tabula rasa, which translates to "blank slate" in Latin, posits that individuals are born without built-in mental content and that all knowledge comes from experience or perception. Option D accurately reflects this philosophy by stating that an infant comes into the world knowing nothing and acquires knowledge through sensory experiences.

Question 8

The school of behaviorism was based on the belief that

Accepted Answer

Behaviorism posits that all behaviors are acquired through conditioning and that humans and animals are born with the potential to learn anything through interaction with the environment.

Question 9

According to Watson, children are born as a blank slate, or tabula rasa.Which of the following characteristics should a child then possess from birth?

Accepted Answer

According to Watson's theory, children are born with basic reflexes through which they can have sensory experiences, but they do not possess any innate cognitive capabilities or associations between actions and their effects.

Question 10

Who founded the school of behaviorism?

Accepted Answer

The school of behaviorism was founded by John B. Watson, an American psychologist who published a paper titled "Psychology as the Behaviorist Views It" in 1913. While other psychologists, such as Ivan Pavlov and B.F. Skinner, contributed to the development of behaviorism, Watson is generally considered to be its founder.

Question 11

According to Watson, if he were given a dozen infants and control of their world, he would be able to

Accepted Answer

John B. Watson, the founder of behaviorism, believed that through conditioning, he could train infants to become any type of specialist regardless of their talents, inclinations, races, or abilities. This reflects his view on the power of the environment and learning over innate qualities.

Question 12

Adjusting to a phone ringing during a lecture is an example of learning, whereas feeling excited when your own phone gives a text message alert is an example of learning.

Accepted Answer

Adjusting to a phone ringing during a lecture involves learning to associate the sound of the phone ringing with the need to silence it in that context, which is an example of associative learning. Feeling excited when your own phone gives a text message alert is an example of nonassociative learning, as it is an automatic response to a stimulus that does not require a learned association between the stimulus and a response. Therefore, the correct choice is nonassociative for the second scenario. Hence, the correct answer is B)nonassociative; associative.

Question 13

One of the earliest and strongest proponents of learning theory was

Accepted Answer

John Watson was one of the earliest and most influential proponents of learning theory. He is often referred to as the father of behaviorism and believed that all behavior could be explained through observable and measurable stimuli and responses. He conducted many experiments on animals and humans to test his theories, and his work laid the foundation for much of the research that followed in the field of learning and behavior.

Question 14

You know that genetics has given your new baby sister innate traits, such as how to suckle and cry.Yet some people tell you that she is born knowing nothing.These people believe in , which says that the environment teaches infants everything.

Accepted Answer

The term "tabula rasa" refers to the philosophical belief that individuals are born with a blank slate and that all knowledge, behaviors, and traits are learned through experiences in the environment. This view opposes genetic determinism, which suggests that innate qualities and characteristics are determined by genetic factors alone.

Question 15

You are driving to school when suddenly an ambulance rushes past you with its sirens blaring, shocking you so much that you fear that you might lose control of your car.A minute later, you hear sirens in the distance and increase your vigilance to be prepared for another emergency vehicle on the road.What change has come over your normal reaction to sirens?

Accepted Answer

Sensitization is when there is an increased response to a stimulus after being exposed to a previous similar stimulus. In the given scenario, after being shocked by the first ambulance siren, the person has become more sensitive and alert to the sound of sirens, increasing their vigilance for emergency vehicles on the road. Hebbian learning involves the strengthening of connections between neurons, habituation is when there is a decrease in response to a stimulus after repeated exposure, and the fight-or-flight response is a physiological reaction to a perceived threat.

Question 16

The best definition of learning is that learning

Accepted Answer

Learning involves a relatively enduring change in behavior that results from experience, whether it be through trial and error, observation, or other forms of conditioning. While adaptations in behavior may occur as a result of other factors such as natural development or genetics, these do not necessarily qualify as learning.

Question 17

Which of the following falls outside of our current concept of learning?

Accepted Answer

Development is not considered a form of learning, but rather a progression of natural growth and maturation. Learning involves acquiring new information or understanding through experiences, whereas development refers to the body or mind's natural progression towards maturity or complexity.

Question 18

A relatively permanent change in behavior that is due to experience is called

Accepted Answer

Maturation and development refer to natural processes of growth and do not involve experience or learning. Behaviorism refers to a particular approach to the study of behavior, but it is not a definition of learning itself. A relatively permanent change in behavior that is due to experience is called learning.

Question 19

According to Watson's view, which is not necessarily considered accurate today, what is the only valid indicator of psychological activity, and why?

Accepted Answer

Watson believed that the only valid indicator of psychological activity was overt behavior, because it alone can be studied using the scientific method. This view is no longer considered accurate or complete in modern psychology, as it overlooks the importance of internal mental processes and subjective experiences.

Question 20

Eric Kandel's study of learning in invertebrate animals provided evidence for neuronal alteration during

Accepted Answer

Kandel's study focused on the Aplysia, a type of sea slug, and found changes in synaptic connections between neurons during the processes of habituation and sensitization. These processes involve a change in the animal's response to a repeated or novel stimulus, and Kandel's findings supported the idea of neuronal plasticity in the context of learning and memory. The other options listed do not have as direct a connection to Kandel's research.

Quiz 6: Learning