Question 1

For every 10 cars Gus sells, he gets a bonus. Gus's sales are being reinforced according to a ________.

Accepted Answer

Gus's sales are being reinforced on a fixed-ratio schedule because he receives a bonus after a specific, constant number of sales (every 10 cars). This type of reinforcement schedule rewards after a set number of responses, making it a fixed-ratio schedule.

Question 2

Matthew has been playing the clarinet for many years, and he can play musical scales without giving much thought to the finger positions involved in the process. Matthew's mastery of the clarinet is most likely a result of ________.

Accepted Answer

Matthew's ability to play the clarinet without much thought is due to the strong synaptic connections that have been built during years of practice. This is a result of a process known as synaptic plasticity, where repeated practice strengthens the connections between neurons involved in the specific tasks, making the actions almost automatic.

Question 3

In the 1950s John Garcia and his colleagues wondered whether the rats had developed a taste aversion for the food and water they had consumed while they received radiation. Which of the following statements is true as per this research conducted by John Garcia?

Accepted Answer

Garcia's research demonstrated that taste aversion could be conditioned using a specific stimulus (taste) paired with an unconditioned stimulus (radiation-induced sickness), challenging the belief that any neutral stimulus could be used to produce a conditioned response.

Question 4

________ can be defined as the addition of a stimulus that decreases a behavior.

Accepted Answer

Positive punishment involves adding a stimulus after a behavior that decreases the likelihood of that behavior occurring again in the future.

Question 5

While training his dog, Mark first says the word "sit" and once the dog sits, he gives her a treat. Immediately after this, he says, "Good dog!" He repeats the same process many times, and each time his dog sits after listening to his command. In this example, which of the following is the primary reinforcer?

Accepted Answer

The treat is the primary reinforcer because it is inherently rewarding to the dog, satisfying a basic need or desire (in this case, hunger or the pleasure of eating), which strengthens the dog's response to the command.

Question 6

Natalie is a kindergarten teacher. She gives a candy to the students who successfully complete their activities in class. This ensures that her students pay attention to what is being taught in class. Natalie's act of giving students a candy or a toy for paying attention in class is an example of ________.

Accepted Answer

Natalie's act of giving students a candy or a toy for paying attention in class is an example of positive reinforcement. This is because she is adding a pleasant stimulus (candy or toy) following a desired behavior (paying attention in class), which increases the likelihood that the behavior will occur again.

Question 7

To be effective, reinforcers have to be things that ________.

Accepted Answer

Reinforcers are most effective when they are things that the learner desires or wants, as this increases the likelihood that the desired behavior will be repeated in the future.

Question 8

Which of these techniques would work best to change a behavior?

Accepted Answer

Positive reinforcement, such as rewarding desired behavior with a new toy, is generally more effective for long-term behavior change than punishment.

Question 9

Billy, a five-year-old boy, sees his father applying shaving cream on his face while shaving his beard in front of a mirror. Billy copies his father's facial and hand movements and later that day Billy stands in front of the mirror and pretends to shave. Billy's behavior is an example of ________.

Accepted Answer

Billy's behavior is an example of mimicry, as he is copying his father's actions after observing them.

Question 10

Which of the following is most likely to be useful to help people kick the smoking habit?

Accepted Answer

Operant conditioning is a method of learning that employs rewards and punishments for behavior. It can be highly effective in helping people change their behaviors, including quitting smoking, by reinforcing positive behaviors (like not smoking) and/or punishing negative ones (like smoking). Stimulus generalization, habituation, and imprinting are not directly related to behavior modification techniques used to help people quit smoking.

Question 11

Janice is a physical instructor at a school. She gives chocolates to students every time they perform well in athletics because she notices that giving chocolates to students encourages them to perform better. This is an example of ________.

Accepted Answer

Janice is using positive reinforcement by giving chocolates to students for performing well in athletics. Positive reinforcement involves adding a rewarding stimulus after a desired behavior is exhibited, making the behavior more likely to happen in the future.

Question 12

Who coined the term 'operant' to refer to behavior that acts-or operates-on the environment to produce specific consequences?

Accepted Answer

B. F. Skinner coined the term 'operant' to describe behavior that operates on the environment to produce effects or consequences, forming the basis of operant conditioning theory.

Question 13

Which of the following scenarios best represents variable-ratio schedule?

Accepted Answer

A variable-ratio schedule is characterized by a response being reinforced after an unpredictable number of responses. This makes it very resistant to extinction. The scenario with Rishi and the slot machine (D) is a classic example of a variable-ratio schedule because he does not know how many times he needs to play to win, making the reinforcement (winning) unpredictable.

Question 14

The reinforcement of successive approximations of a desired behavior is called ________.

Accepted Answer

Shaping is the process of reinforcing successive approximations of a desired behavior until the desired behavior is achieved.

Question 15

Juan hears his older brother singing loudly while in the shower, and now Juan also imitates it. According to Bandura's social learning theory, this is an example of ________.

Accepted Answer

This is an example of modeling, where an individual learns and imitates behaviors by observing others, as per Bandura's social learning theory.

Question 16

Can negative reinforcers be punishers?

Accepted Answer

Negative reinforcers increase desired behaviors by removing or avoiding a negative outcome, which is different from punishment that aims to decrease an undesired behavior.

Question 17

Raymond learns how to properly fold and neatly arrange his clothes by watching his mother do it. This is an example of ________.

Accepted Answer

Observational learning occurs when someone uses observation of another person's actions and their consequences to guide their future actions. Raymond learning by watching his mother is a classic example of this process.

Question 18

In the context of classical conditioning, which of the following terms is defined as an object or a situation that when presented alone does not lead to an automatic (or unconditioned) response?

Accepted Answer

A neutral stimulus is something that, before conditioning, does not naturally bring about the response of interest. In classical conditioning, it is paired with an unconditioned stimulus to produce a conditioned response.

Question 19

________ is the presentation or addition of a stimulus after a behavior occurs that increases how often that behavior will occur.

Accepted Answer

Positive reinforcement involves the addition of a stimulus (a reward or positive outcome) after a behavior, which increases the likelihood of that behavior being repeated in the future.

Question 20

Tracy was bitten by her neighbor's dog, and now she will not go near any household pets. This is an example of ________.

Accepted Answer

This is an example of stimulus generalization because Tracy is now afraid of all household pets, not just the dog that bit her. She has generalized her fear from one specific dog to all animals that resemble household pets.

Quiz 8: Learning