Question 1

If your dog was classically conditioned to wag his tail when you pick up a leash to go for a walk, what would extinguish this behavior?

Accepted Answer

Classical conditioning behaviors can be extinguished by repeatedly presenting the conditioned stimulus (in this case, picking up the leash) without following it with the unconditioned stimulus (going for a walk). This breaks the association between the two stimuli.

Question 2

Suppose you had extinguished your fear of spiders for a few months and then this week you suddenly gasped in horror and felt your heart pounding when you saw a small spider on your desk. Which of the following best describes the experience?

Accepted Answer

Spontaneous recovery refers to the sudden reappearance of a previously extinguished response. In this case, the fear of spiders that had been extinguished reemerged unexpectedly, which is characteristic of spontaneous recovery.

Question 3

A couple broke up several years ago and, after time, no longer had any romantic feelings toward one another. However, last week the couple ran into each other at a concert and the romantic feelings started to reappear. This is an example of ________.

Accepted Answer

Spontaneous recovery refers to the reappearance of a previously extinguished response after a period of no exposure to the conditioned stimulus. In this case, the romantic feelings that reappeared after the couple ran into each other at a concert, following a period of no contact, exemplify spontaneous recovery.

Question 4

If a conditioned stimulus is reintroduced after a period of extinction, conditioning occurs much faster the second time. This is an example of ________.

Accepted Answer

Reconditioning refers to the process where a conditioned response is relearned after it has been extinguished. When the conditioned stimulus is reintroduced, the association with the unconditioned stimulus is relearned more quickly than it was originally learned, demonstrating the principle of reconditioning.

Question 5

When you add or remove a stimulus after a behavior and the result is an increase in that behavior, you have used ________.

Accepted Answer

Reinforcement is the process in which a behavior is followed by a consequence that results in an increase in the future frequency of that behavior. Adding a stimulus to increase a behavior is positive reinforcement, while removing a stimulus to increase a behavior is negative reinforcement. Both fall under the broader category of reinforcement.

Question 6

When you add or remove a stimulus after a behavior and the result is a decrease in that behavior, you have used ________.

Accepted Answer

Punishment involves adding or removing a stimulus after a behavior to decrease the likelihood of that behavior occurring again.

Question 7

Which of the following is an example of Thorndike's law of effect?

Accepted Answer

Thorndike's law of effect states that behaviors followed by pleasant consequences are likely to be repeated, while behaviors followed by unpleasant consequences are less likely to be repeated. In choice B, the teenager's grades improve because he receives money for good grades, which is a pleasant consequence that increases the likelihood of the behavior (studying or getting good grades) being repeated.

Question 8

According to Thorndike's law of effect, the frequency of an action is ________.

Accepted Answer

Thorndike's law of effect states that behaviors followed by pleasant consequences are more likely to be repeated, thus increasing their frequency.

Question 9

Tarani's father offered her a trip to Disney World if she got a 3.5 grade point average this year. In this example, the trip to Disney World is ________.

Accepted Answer

The trip to Disney World is a secondary reinforcer because it is a reward that is not inherently satisfying by itself (unlike primary reinforcers such as food or water) but has been learned to be rewarding through its association with primary reinforcers or other secondary reinforcers.

Question 10

How are negative reinforcement and punishment related?

Accepted Answer

Negative reinforcement increases the likelihood of a behavior by removing an unpleasant stimulus, while punishment decreases the likelihood of a behavior by introducing an unpleasant stimulus or removing a pleasant one.

Question 11

A rat presses on a lever, and the electric shock to his feet is terminated. The rat continues to press on the lever. This is an example of ________.

Accepted Answer

This is an example of negative reinforcement because the rat's action (pressing the lever) results in the removal of an unpleasant stimulus (electric shock), which increases the likelihood of the behavior being repeated. Negative reinforcement involves the removal of an aversive stimulus to strengthen a behavior.

Question 12

George wants his son to stop pulling the dog's tail so George spanks his son every time his son pulls the dog's tail. What kind of operant conditioning is George using?

Accepted Answer

George is using positive punishment by adding an unpleasant stimulus (spanking) in response to his son's behavior (pulling the dog's tail) to decrease that behavior.

Question 13

To prevent your children from swimming in the pool when you are not home, you inform them that they will lose television time for a week if they are caught in the pool when no adults are home. If you actually employ this punishment, you are using ________.

Accepted Answer

Negative punishment involves removing a desirable stimulus after a behavior to decrease the likelihood of that behavior occurring again. In this scenario, removing television time (a desirable stimulus) after swimming without supervision (the behavior) is an example of negative punishment.

Question 14

A child is given time-out away from toys and videos because she had a temper tantrum. This demonstrates ________.

Accepted Answer

Negative punishment involves removing a desirable stimulus after a behavior to decrease the likelihood of that behavior occurring again. In this case, taking away toys and videos (desirable stimuli) because of the temper tantrum is intended to reduce future tantrums.

Question 15

To be effective, punishment must be ________ and ________.

Accepted Answer

For punishment to be effective, it needs to be immediate, so the individual can make a clear connection between their action and the consequence, and consistent, to reinforce the learning process and establish clear expectations.

Question 16

Leslie has a problem with a coworker and dislikes them intensely. After the coworker misses a team meeting because of sickness, Leslie "accidentally" forgets to provide the team member with important updates about submitting travel and other reimbursement forms. This is an example of ________.

Accepted Answer

Leslie's behavior is an example of passive aggressiveness, where negative feelings are expressed indirectly rather than through open confrontation.

Question 17

Because Diane is unhappy, she often yells at her spouse, who now stays away from Diane as much as possible, staying late at work and making up errands to get out of the house. The spouse's actions are an example of ________.

Accepted Answer

The spouse's actions are an example of avoidance behavior, where they actively take steps to stay away from the source of discomfort or unhappiness, in this case, Diane's yelling.

Question 18

Some parents use physical punishment of their children when the child hits, bites, or otherwise deliberately harms another child. The problem with such an approach is that by using physical force to get a desired response, the parents are ________.

Accepted Answer

Modeling aggression means demonstrating aggressive behavior, which children may then imitate. By using physical punishment, parents inadvertently show that aggression is an acceptable response to conflict, thus modeling aggressive behavior for their children.

Question 19

The fact that drivers slow down when they see a police car and then speed up again after it has passed is an example of ________.

Accepted Answer

This behavior is an example of temporary suppression, where drivers temporarily change their behavior (in this case, slowing down) in response to the presence of a police car and then resume their original behavior (speeding up) once the stimulus (the police car) is no longer present.

Question 20

Sarah misses her curfew and decides it is best not to enter her house using the front door, where her parents will be waiting for her, but to sneak in through the back door. This is an example of ________.

Accepted Answer

Sarah's decision to sneak in through the back door to avoid confrontation with her parents is an example of avoidance behavior, where she is actively avoiding a situation that she perceives as unpleasant or potentially punishing.

Quiz 6: Learning