Question 1

Don is delighted when he successfully conditions his roommate,Lloyd,to cringe at the sound of the squeaky drawer by pairing the squeak with a ping-pong ball to his roommate's head.He decides to continue his classical conditioning experiment and creates another squeaky noise by dragging his chair legs across the floor.At first,Lloyd cringes at the new squeak,illustrating ____.

Accepted Answer

Lloyd's initial response to the new squeaky noise indicates generalization, which is when a conditioned response is elicited by a similar but not identical stimulus. Habituation is the decrease in response to a repeated stimulus over time, and dishabituation is the recovery of a response to a habituated stimulus when a novel stimulus is presented. Discrimination is the ability to distinguish between two similar but distinct stimuli and respond differently to each.

Question 2

Which statement is TRUE about spontaneous recovery?

Accepted Answer

Spontaneous recovery refers to the sudden reappearance of a conditioned response after it has been extinguished. This can occur even long after the extinction process, when the organism is again exposed to the conditioned stimulus. Therefore, option A is correct. Option B is incorrect because spontaneous recovery suggests that the conditioned response had not been forgotten, but rather suppressed temporarily. Option C is also incorrect because spontaneous recovery can occur with any type of conditioning, not just taste aversion. Option D is incorrect because spontaneous recovery specifically refers to the reappearance of a response after it has been extinguished.

Question 3

Spontaneous recovery refers to when a(n)____.

Accepted Answer

Spontaneous recovery is the reappearance of an extinguished conditioned response after a period of time has passed. Therefore, the best choice is B, where an extinguished conditioned response reappears.

Question 4

Joseph told his buddies at work a joke that made fun of women.To his surprise,no one laughed at the joke,and one person even scolded him for telling it.As a result,Joseph decided never again to tell a joke like that at work.Joseph's experience is an example of what principle of learning?

Accepted Answer

Joseph's experience shows that he received a negative consequence (scolding) for his behavior (telling a joke that made fun of women), and as a result, he changed his behavior (decided not to tell a similar joke again). This is an example of the law of effect, which states that behaviors that are followed by positive consequences are more likely to be repeated, while behaviors that are followed by negative consequences are less likely to be repeated.

Question 5

The fact that you go to work each day in order to have enough money to pay your bills is best explained by ____.

Accepted Answer

The law of effect states that behaviors that are followed by positive outcomes are more likely to be repeated, whereas behaviors followed by negative outcomes are less likely to be repeated. Going to work to earn money to pay bills is a behavior that is followed by a positive outcome (having enough money to pay bills), which would increase the likelihood of that behavior being repeated in the future.

Question 6

Susanna has been classically conditioned to feel anxiety every time she walks through the anti-theft security devices at a local store because in the past she has set off the alarm many times when clerks failed to demagnetize her purchases.Susanna has the best chance of eliminating her classically conditioned anxiety by ____.

Accepted Answer

The best way to eliminate Susanna's classically conditioned anxiety is to repeatedly walk through the anti-theft security devices without setting off the alarm. This will help her unlearn the association between the alarm and her anxiety response, leading to extinction of the conditioned response. Avoiding the store altogether (A) or setting off the alarm even more (B) will not address the underlying conditioning process and may even reinforce it. Demanding compensation (C) is also unlikely to be an effective solution.

Question 7

Edward Thorndike is best known for his work on ____.

Accepted Answer

Edward Thorndike is best known for his work on the law of effect, which states that the consequences of a behavior determine whether it will be more or less likely to occur in the future. This concept is fundamental to operant conditioning and remains relevant in modern psychology.

Question 8

While on vacation,Juana eats bologna and then suffers an attack of car sickness.Now,when Juana even thinks of bologna,she feels sick to her stomach.How can Juana get to the point where she can once again eat bologna without feeling sick?

Accepted Answer

This is a form of exposure therapy, where Juana gradually exposes herself to the stimulus (bologna) in a controlled environment where she is less likely to get sick. Over time, her association between bologna and sickness will weaken and she may be able to eat it without feeling nauseous. Option A is incorrect as it is possible for Juana to retrain her association with bologna. Option B is not a valid solution as it would only reinforce her negative association with bologna. Option D is also incorrect as avoidance will not help Juana overcome her aversion to bologna.

Question 9

Although Shera has not had any alcohol in 25 years,she will occasionally experience a slight craving.  This experience,which is somewhat similar to the cravings she experienced when she drank regularly,is called ____.

Accepted Answer

Spontaneous recovery is defined as the reappearance of an extinguished behavior after a period of rest or non-exposure to the conditioned stimulus. In this case, Shera has not had alcohol in 25 years, but occasionally experiences slight cravings, which is similar to the cravings she experienced when she drank regularly. This suggests that her craving behavior has undergone extinction but is now showing spontaneous recovery. The other options (acquisition, stimulus discrimination, and stimulus revisitation) do not fit the scenario described in the question.

Question 10

According to the law of effect,if an organism commonly expresses a certain behavior,you can bet that ____.

Accepted Answer

The law of effect states that behaviors that have led to positive consequences in the past are likely to be repeated in the future. Therefore, if an organism commonly expresses a certain behavior, it can be inferred that the behavior has been reinforced in some way, either through positive reinforcement or negative reinforcement. Observational learning and punishment may also be factors in shaping behavior, but the law of effect specifically emphasizes the role of reinforcement in behavior acquisition and maintenance.

Question 11

A conditioned response that has undergone extinction ____.

Accepted Answer

Extinction is the process of gradually weakening a conditioned response by repeatedly presenting the conditioned stimulus without the unconditioned stimulus. When a conditioned response undergoes extinction, it is not completely erased, but rather becomes suppressed. This means that the conditioned response may reappear when exposed to the conditioned stimulus again, even after a period of time has passed without the unconditioned stimulus. This phenomenon is called spontaneous recovery. Option A is incorrect because a conditioned response that has undergone extinction is actually easier to reacquire than one that was never conditioned in the first place, due to the continued existence of the association between the conditioned stimulus and the unconditioned stimulus in the brain. Option B is incorrect because while the strength of a conditioned response may be greatly reduced by extinction, it is not permanently erased. Option D is partially correct because a previously extinguished response could be reacquired, but it is not true that it will not spontaneously recover temporarily.

Question 12

Thorndike concluded that his cats were learning because ____.

Accepted Answer

Thorndike's cats were observed to learn how to escape a box more quickly over time, which indicates that they were able to learn through trial and error, known as the law of effect. The other options also demonstrate learning, but they are not specifically attributed to Thorndike's studies on cats.

Question 13

Which term refers to refers to the degree to which the NS/CS and US occur close together in time?

Accepted Answer

Contiguity refers to the degree to which the NS/CS and US occur close together in time. Consequence refers to the result or outcome of a behavior. Conflation refers to the merging of two or more things into one. Contingency refers to the relationship between a behavior and its consequences.

Question 14

Carolyn is training her new puppy Ollie using a method called clicker training.The first step is to click a clicker and give Ollie a treat.In this case,the originally neutral stimulus is ____.

Accepted Answer

In clicker training, the clicker is the originally neutral stimulus. It is paired with a treat to create a positive association in the dog's mind. Eventually, the clicker becomes a conditioned reinforcer, meaning it serves as a reward in itself for the dog's behavior.

Question 15

In Thorndike's work on the law of effect,he observed ____.

Accepted Answer

Thorndike's work on the law of effect involved testing how animals (such as cats) learn through trial and error to escape a puzzle box.

Question 16

Carlotta's husband took out the trash without being nagged to do so,and Carlotta gave him a big hug.  Carlotta seems to be using ____ on her husband.

Accepted Answer

The law of effect states that behaviors that are followed by positive consequences are more likely to be repeated in the future. In this scenario, Carlotta's husband took out the trash without being nagged and was rewarded with a hug from his wife. This positive consequence will make him more likely to take out the trash without being reminded in the future. Therefore, the best choice is C - the law of effect.

Question 17

Tad's ex-girlfriend used to wear Chanel perfume.Since their bitter break-up,Tad has found that he feels angry whenever he smells Chanel No.5.What is the best way for Tad to get to the point where smelling Chanel No.5 will no longer make him feel angry?

Accepted Answer

Repeated exposure to the scent without the negative association can help Tad desensitize and reduce the anger response through a process known as extinction in classical conditioning.

Question 18

Carolyn is training her new puppy Ollie using a method called clicker training.The first step is to click a clicker and give Ollie a treat.In this case,the unconditioned stimulus is ____.

Accepted Answer

The unconditioned stimulus is the treat, as it is a natural, instinctive response for Ollie to be drawn to food as a reward. The clicker is a neutral stimulus that will eventually become conditioned after being repeatedly paired with the treat. Carolyn and Ollie are not stimuli in this scenario.

Question 19

Suppose a behavior that has been extinguished temporarily exhibits itself again.This would be a(n)____.

Accepted Answer

Spontaneous recovery is a common phenomenon in which an extinguished behavior temporarily reappears without reinforcement. This occurs because the association between the behavior and the reinforcing consequence has not been completely eliminated through extinction. Negative conditioning, counter-conditioning, and stimulus generalization are not relevant to this scenario.

Question 20

Don wants to classically condition his roommate,Lloyd,to cringe whenever Don opens the squeaky drawer on his desk.To do this,Don decides to wait until his Lloyd is studying.Don will then open the drawer and then toss a ping-pong ball towards his roommates head.Don knows it is important to coordinate the squeaking from the drawer and tossing the ball so they are close together in time.Don is concerned about ____.

Accepted Answer

Contiguity refers to the association between two events that occur close together in time and/or space. In this scenario, Don is trying to pair the sound of the squeaky drawer and the sight of the ping-pong ball being thrown at Lloyd's head to create an association between the two stimuli. Therefore, Don's concern about coordinating the squeaking of the drawer and the tossing of the ball implies that he is concerned about contiguity.

Quiz 6: Learning