Question 1

Which of the following illustrates an unconditioned stimulus (UCS)?
A) blinking when air is blown into your eye
B) blinking, when you hear your favorite song
C) your favorite song
D) a puff of air to your eye

Accepted Answer

A puff of air to your eye is an unconditioned stimulus because it naturally and automatically elicits the reflexive response of blinking.

Question 2

When Ivan Pavlov presented meat powder, the dog salivated. The meat powder was the ________ and salivation was the ________.
A) UCR, UCS
B) UCS, UCR
C) CS, CR
D) CR, CS

Accepted Answer

In classical conditioning, the unconditioned stimulus (UCS) is the natural or innate stimulus that elicits an unconditioned response (UCR) without any prior learning. In this case, the meat powder is the UCS because it naturally elicits salivation in dogs. Through conditioning, the UCS becomes associated with a conditioned stimulus (CS) that was not originally associated with the UCR. Here, the CS is the presentation of the meat powder before salivation, which eventually becomes associated with the UCS of the meat powder so that the dog salivates to the CS alone. Once this association has been formed, the response to the CS (salivation) is called the conditioned response (CR). Therefore, the correct answer is B, with meat powder being the UCS and salivation being the UCR.

Question 3

Classical conditioning was discovered by _______.
A) Pavlov
B) Watson
C) Thorndike
D) Skinner

Accepted Answer

Classical conditioning was discovered by Ivan Pavlov, a Russian physiologist, in his experiments with dogs in the late 19th century.

Question 4

The "law of effect" was first proposed in the modern scientific community by:
A) James.
B) Skinner.
C) Thorndike.
D) Pavlov.

Accepted Answer

The "law of effect" was first proposed by Edward Thorndike in 1898. This law states that behaviors that are followed by positive consequences are more likely to be repeated, while behaviors followed by negative consequences are less likely to be repeated.

Question 5

The learning process studied in the Skinner box is known as:
A) social learning.
B) higher-order conditioning.
C) cognitive learning.
D) operant conditioning.

Accepted Answer

The learning process studied in the Skinner box refers to operant conditioning, which is a form of learning in which behavior is modified by its consequences through reinforcement or punishment. In this context, Skinner demonstrated how animals (and humans) could learn to associate a behavior with a consequence by manipulating the rewards and punishments in their environment.

Question 6

By pairing the ringing of a bell with the presentation of meat, Pavlov trained dogs to salivate to the sound of a bell even when no meat was presented. In this experiment, the ringing of the bell was the __________.
A) unconditioned stimulus
B) unconditioned response
C) conditioned stimulus
D) conditioned response

Accepted Answer

In this experiment, the ringing of the bell was paired with the presentation of meat until it became associated with the meat and the dogs began to salivate in response to the bell alone. Therefore, the ringing of the bell became the conditioned stimulus (CS) that elicited the conditioned response (CR) of salivation. The meat, which originally elicited the salivation without any learning, was the unconditioned stimulus (US), and the salivation to the meat was the unconditioned response (UR).

Question 7

Taste aversions seem to be specific examples of what type of learning?
A) classical conditioning
B) insight learning
C) vicarious learning
D) operant conditioning

Accepted Answer

Taste aversions are a result of a type of classical conditioning called biological preparedness. In this type of conditioning, the organism is biologically predisposed to learn certain associations more easily than others. For example, a taste aversion may occur when an organism associates a particular food with sickness, and they subsequently develop an aversion (a negative feeling or reaction) to that food. This type of learning is specific to certain stimuli (the food and illness) and is not usually subject to conscious control.

Question 8

What must be paired together for classical conditioning to occur?
A) unconditioned stimulus and unconditioned response
B) conditioned response and unconditioned response
C) neutral stimulus and unconditioned stimulus
D) neutral stimulus and conditioned stimulus

Accepted Answer

Classical conditioning occurs when a neutral stimulus is paired with an unconditioned stimulus, which naturally elicits an unconditioned response. Eventually, the neutral stimulus (now a conditioned stimulus) alone will elicit a conditioned response.

Question 9

Classical is to _____ as operant is to _____.
A) Pavlov; Skinner
B) Skinner; Pavlov
C) Pavlov; Watson
D) Watson; Pavlov

Accepted Answer

Classical conditioning is associated with Pavlov, while operant conditioning is associated with Skinner.

Question 10

The Law of Effect was proposed by:
A) Titchener.
B) Watson.
C) Skinner.
D) Thorndike.

Accepted Answer

The Law of Effect was proposed by Edward Thorndike in 1905.

Question 11

Thorndike's main apparatus in his operant conditioning research was:
A) a wire monkey.
B) a cognitive map.
C) a puzzle box.
D) a buzzer.

Accepted Answer

Thorndike's main apparatus in his operant conditioning research was the puzzle box. The puzzle box was a small wooden chamber with a door that could be opened in various ways. Cats were usually used as subjects, and food was placed outside the box as an incentive for the cats to figure out how to open the door and escape to get the food. This allowed Thorndike to study the trial-and-error learning process and develop the law of effect, which states that behaviors that are followed by pleasant consequences are more likely to be repeated, while behaviors followed by unpleasant consequences are less likely to be repeated.

Question 12

Classical is to _______ as operant is to _______.
A) Pavlov; Skinner
B) Skinner; Pavlov
C) Pavlov; Watson
D) Watson; Pavlov

Accepted Answer

Classical conditioning is associated with Ivan Pavlov, who conducted experiments with dogs, leading to the discovery of this learning process. Operant conditioning is linked to B.F. Skinner, who expanded on the theory by introducing the concept of reinforcement.

Question 13

We associate the name of _______ most closely with classical conditioning.
A) B. F. Skinner
B) Robert Rescorla
C) Albert Bandura
D) Ivan Pavlov

Accepted Answer

Ivan Pavlov is most closely associated with classical conditioning, as he conducted experiments demonstrating how dogs could learn to associate a neutral stimulus (like a bell) with an unconditioned stimulus (like food), leading to a conditioned response (salivation).

Question 14

The person associated with the law of effect is _______.
A) Watson
B) Pavlov
C) Skinner
D) Thorndike

Accepted Answer

The law of effect is a principle of psychology that was first described by Edward Thorndike in 1898. The law states that responses that are followed by a satisfying consequence become more likely to be repeated, while responses followed by an unsatisfying consequence become less likely to be repeated. Thorndike conducted a series of experiments with cats and puzzle boxes that led him to develop the law of effect. Watson and Skinner were both behaviorists who drew on Thorndike's work, while Pavlov is best known for his research on classical conditioning.

Question 15

The apparatus that has come to symbolize the theory of operant conditioning is the:
A) Rubik's cube.
B) Skinner box.
C) Pavlov bell.
D) Thorndike puzzle.

Accepted Answer

The Skinner box is the apparatus that B.F. Skinner used to study operant conditioning. It featured a lever that an animal could press to receive a reward or avoid punishment, and allowed for systematic study of how behavior is shaped and maintained by reinforcement or punishment.

Question 16

Thorndike is to _______ as Skinner is to _______.
A) reinforcement; Law of Effect
B) Law of Effect; reinforcement
C) reinforcement; punishment
D) positive reinforcement; negative reinforcement

Accepted Answer

Thorndike is known for his Law of Effect which states that behavior followed by a favorable consequence will become more likely, whereas Skinner expanded on this idea by inventing operant conditioning, which involves the use of reinforcement and punishment to shape behavior. Thus, Skinner is associated with reinforcement as well, but he is more specifically known for his development of the concept of operant conditioning.

Question 17

Classical conditioning was discovered by:
A) Pavlov.
B) Watson.
C) Thorndike.
D) Skinner.

Accepted Answer

Classical conditioning was discovered by Ivan Pavlov, a Russian physiologist, in his study of digestion in dogs.

Question 18

Thorndike conducted research on:
A) operant conditioning.
B) classical conditioning.
C) shaping.
D) higher-order conditioning.

Accepted Answer

Thorndike is best known for his work on operant conditioning, particularly his experiments with cats in puzzle boxes, which led to the formulation of the Law of Effect.

Question 19

A research participant hears a tone followed by a puff of air directed toward his eye. Later, he blinks when he hears the tone. Before ending the experiment, what could the researcher do in order to extinguish the blinking to that tone?
A) present the tone alone repeatedly
B) present the puff of air alone repeatedly
C) increase the loudness of the tone
D) increase the amount of air that is directed toward the eye

Accepted Answer

Presenting the tone alone repeatedly without the puff of air will eventually lead to extinction of the conditioned response (blinking to the tone) as the association between the tone and the puff of air will weaken over time. Presenting the puff of air alone repeatedly (Option B) may lead to some habituation to the puff of air, but it is unlikely to extinguish the conditioned response to the tone. Increasing the loudness of the tone (Option C) or the amount of air directed toward the eye (Option D) may actually strengthen the association between the tone and the puff of air and make the blinking response more pronounced.

Question 20

B. F. Skinner is known for his theory of:
A) cognitive learning.
B) intelligence.
C) classical conditioning.
D) operant conditioning.

Accepted Answer

B.F. Skinner is primarily known for his theory of operant conditioning, which posits that behavior can be modified through reinforcement and punishment.

Quiz 5: Learning

Which of the following illustrates an unconditioned stimulus (UCS) ?

When Ivan Pavlov presented meat powder, the dog salivated. The meat powder was the and salivation was the .

Classical conditioning was discovered by _______.

The "law of effect" was first proposed in the modern scientific community by:

The learning process studied in the Skinner box is known as:

By pairing the ringing of a bell with the presentation of meat, Pavlov trained dogs to salivate to the sound of a bell even when no meat was presented. In this experiment, the ringing of the bell was the __________.

Taste aversions seem to be specific examples of what type of learning?

What must be paired together for classical conditioning to occur?

Classical is to _ as operant is to _.

The Law of Effect was proposed by:

Thorndike's main apparatus in his operant conditioning research was:

Classical is to _ as operant is to _.

We associate the name of _______ most closely with classical conditioning.

The person associated with the law of effect is _______.

The apparatus that has come to symbolize the theory of operant conditioning is the:

Thorndike is to _ as Skinner is to _.

Classical conditioning was discovered by:

Thorndike conducted research on:

A research participant hears a tone followed by a puff of air directed toward his eye. Later, he blinks when he hears the tone. Before ending the experiment, what could the researcher do in order to extinguish the blinking to that tone?

B. F. Skinner is known for his theory of: