Question 1

In a standard Skinner box, a _____ earns food by _____.
A) rat; pressing a lever
B) rat; running in a wheel
C) pigeon; pressing a lever
D) pigeon; flapping its wings

Accepted Answer

In a standard Skinner box, a rat earns food by pressing a lever, which is a classic example of operant conditioning.

Question 2

Operant conditioning is also called _____.
A) classical conditioning
B) latent inhibition
C) instrumental conditioning
D) spontaneous recovery

Accepted Answer

Operant conditioning is also referred to as instrumental conditioning. This term emphasizes the role of the organism in operating on the environment to produce outcomes or consequences that then guide future behavior.

Question 3

Reflexive is to _____ conditioning as intentional is to _____ conditioning.
A) classical; operant
B) operant; Pavlovian
C) instrumental; respondent.
D) Both b and c are correct.

Accepted Answer

Reflexive responses are typically associated with classical (Pavlovian) conditioning, while intentional actions are associated with operant conditioning.

Question 4

Thorndike was motivated to conduct experiments on animal intelligence, partially due to
A) the massive popularity of experimental research on animal learning at the time.
B) his skepticism about the anecdotal approach to animal intelligence.
C) the availability of new technology designed to examine neural correlates of behavior.
D) his profound belief that humans and other animals solve problems in exactly the same way.

Accepted Answer

Thorndike's motivation for conducting experiments on animal intelligence was driven by his skepticism towards the anecdotal and introspective methods that were prevalent at the time. He sought a more empirical and systematic approach to studying how animals learn and solve problems.

Question 5

The law of effect stated that behaviors leading to a(n) _____ are _____.
A) satisfactory state of affairs; stamped in
B) reinforcer; stamped in
C) positive reinforcer; strengthened
D) unconditioned stimulus; stamped out

Accepted Answer

The answer of The law of effect stated that behaviors...

Question 6

In _____ conditioning, it is what comes _____ the behavior that is critical.
A) operant; after
B) classical; after
C) instrumental; before
D) Both b and c are correct.

Accepted Answer

In operant conditioning, the consequences that follow a behavior (what comes after the behavior) determine whether the behavior is likely to be repeated. This form of learning relies on reinforcement or punishment to increase or decrease the likelihood of a behavior.

Question 7

Freud believed that humans are motivated to seek pleasure and avoid pain. This notion accords most closely with _____ definition of _____.
A) Thorndike's; the law of effect
B) Skinner's; respondent behavior
C) Thorndike's; operant conditioning
D) Skinner's; the law of effect

Accepted Answer

Thorndike's law of effect states that behaviors followed by pleasant outcomes are likely to be repeated, while those followed by unpleasant outcomes are less likely to be repeated, aligning with Freud's belief in seeking pleasure and avoiding pain.

Question 8

In the context of the Skinner box, rat is to _____ as pigeon is to _____.
A) lever press; key peck
B) key peck; lever press
C) turning circles; lever press
D) lever press; turning circles

Accepted Answer

In the context of the Skinner box, rats are typically trained to press a lever to receive a reward, while pigeons are trained to peck a key to receive a reward.

Question 9

According to Thorndike's law of effect, behaviors leading to a(n) _____ state of affairs are stamped in, while behaviors leading to a(n) _____ state of affairs are stamped out.
A) annoying; satisfying
B) satisfying; annoying
C) irregular; regular
D) regular; irregular

Accepted Answer

The answer of According to Thorndike's law of effect, behaviors...

Question 10

Skinner's development of the operant conditioning chamber was partly motivated by his desire to find a procedure that yielded _____ patterns of behavior.
A) inflexible
B) reflexive
C) regular
D) irregular

Accepted Answer

Skinner's development of the operant conditioning chamber, also known as the Skinner box, was motivated by his desire to find a procedure that yielded regular patterns of behavior. This allowed for the systematic study of learning and behavior modification through reinforcement and punishment.

Question 11

Goal-oriented is to automatic as _____ behavior is to _____ behavior.
A) operant; elicited
B) elicited; operant
C) conditioned; unconditioned
D) unconditioned; conditioned

Accepted Answer

Goal-oriented behavior is a type of behavior that is directed towards a specific goal or outcome. Automatic behavior, on the other hand, is a type of behavior that is performed without conscious thought or effort. Operant behavior is a type of behavior that is reinforced or punished, while elicited behavior is a type of behavior that is triggered by a specific stimulus. Therefore, goal-oriented behavior is to automatic behavior as operant behavior is to elicited behavior.

Question 12

The first psychologist to systematically investigate the learning ability of animals was
A) Skinner.
B) Pavlov.
C) Tolman.
D) Thorndike.

Accepted Answer

Edward L. Thorndike was the first psychologist to systematically investigate the learning ability of animals, particularly focusing on trial-and-error learning, which led to the development of the Law of Effect.

Question 13

Behaviors that are influenced by their consequences are called _____ behaviors.
A) operant
B) classical
C) elicited
D) deficit

Accepted Answer

Operant behaviors are those that are influenced by their consequences, a concept central to operant conditioning theory proposed by B.F. Skinner. This theory posits that behaviors are more likely to recur if they are followed by positive outcomes and less likely if followed by negative outcomes.

Question 14

Skinner's operant conditioning procedure is known as the free operant procedure because a rat
A) is put on a free feeding schedule before the experiment starts.
B) is free to enter and leave the chamber.
C) is free to move about the chamber.
D) freely controls the rate at which it responds for food.

Accepted Answer

In Skinner's operant conditioning, the free operant procedure allows the rat to freely control the rate of its responses, such as pressing a lever, to obtain food, without being restricted by the experimenter.

Question 15

When first setting out to investigate the behavior of animals, Skinner had originally thought that behavior could best be explained in terms of
A) thoughts and feelings.
B) reflexes.
C) operants.
D) fixed action patterns.

Accepted Answer

The answer of When first setting out to investigate the...

Question 16

With his puzzle box experiments, Thorndike discovered that learning is usually a(n) _____ process.
A) sudden
B) unpredictable
C) stressful
D) gradual

Accepted Answer

Thorndike's puzzle box experiments led to the discovery that learning is a gradual process, where animals learn through trial and error, gradually understanding how to solve the puzzle to receive a reward.

Question 17

In one of his experiments conducted with animals, Thorndike found that cats learned to escape from a puzzle box
A) gradually.
B) suddenly.
C) with insight.
D) Both b and c are correct.

Accepted Answer

Thorndike observed that cats learned to escape from a puzzle box gradually through trial and error, rather than suddenly or with insight.

Question 18

Skinner's operant conditioning procedure became known as _____ procedure because _____.
A) an instrumental; the consequences are free
B) the free operant; the animal is free to respond at any rate
C) an instrumental; the animal is free to enter or leave the chamber
D) the adjunctive; the experimenter is free to observe the rat's behavior

Accepted Answer

Skinner's operant conditioning procedure is known as the free operant procedure because it allows the animal to respond at any rate without being limited by the experimenter, providing a more naturalistic observation of behavior.

Question 19

Thorndike argued that animal intelligence could be studied only using
A) systematic investigation.
B) anecdotal evidence.
C) analogy to human intelligence.
D) ethological approaches.

Accepted Answer

Thorndike emphasized the importance of systematic investigation in studying animal intelligence, arguing against reliance on anecdotal evidence or purely speculative comparisons to human intelligence. He believed in observing animals' behaviors in controlled experiments to understand their mental processes scientifically.

Question 20

In one variant of the Skinner box, a pigeon earns food by
A) flapping its wings.
B) turning circles.
C) pecking a response key.
D) pressing a lever.

Accepted Answer

In a variant of the Skinner box designed for pigeons, the pigeon earns food by pecking a response key. This method of operant conditioning allows the pigeon to learn that pecking the key results in a reward, thus reinforcing the behavior.

Quiz 6: Operant Conditioning Introduction

In a standard Skinner box, a _ earns food by _.

Operant conditioning is also called _____.

Reflexive is to _ conditioning as intentional is to _ conditioning.

Thorndike was motivated to conduct experiments on animal intelligence, partially due to

The law of effect stated that behaviors leading to a(n) _ are _.

In _ conditioning, it is what comes _ the behavior that is critical.

Freud believed that humans are motivated to seek pleasure and avoid pain. This notion accords most closely with _ definition of _.

In the context of the Skinner box, rat is to _ as pigeon is to _.

According to Thorndike's law of effect, behaviors leading to a(n) _ state of affairs are stamped in, while behaviors leading to a(n) _ state of affairs are stamped out.

Skinner's development of the operant conditioning chamber was partly motivated by his desire to find a procedure that yielded _____ patterns of behavior.

Goal-oriented is to automatic as _ behavior is to _ behavior.

The first psychologist to systematically investigate the learning ability of animals was

Behaviors that are influenced by their consequences are called _____ behaviors.

Skinner's operant conditioning procedure is known as the free operant procedure because a rat

When first setting out to investigate the behavior of animals, Skinner had originally thought that behavior could best be explained in terms of

With his puzzle box experiments, Thorndike discovered that learning is usually a(n) _____ process.

In one of his experiments conducted with animals, Thorndike found that cats learned to escape from a puzzle box

Skinner's operant conditioning procedure became known as _ procedure because _.

Thorndike argued that animal intelligence could be studied only using

In one variant of the Skinner box, a pigeon earns food by