Question 1

According to cognitive psychologists, learning cannot be shown by changes in behavior.

Accepted Answer

According to cognitive psychologists, learning is shown by changes in not only behavior but also mental processes such as memory, attention, and problem-solving. Therefore, learning can be demonstrated by both behavioral and non-behavioral changes.

Question 2

In the context of classical conditioning, _____ helps organisms adapt to situations that recur from time to time.

Accepted Answer

Spontaneous recovery is the temporary return of an extinguished response after a delay, and it helps organisms adapt to situations that may recur in the future by allowing them to quickly re-learn the previously conditioned response. Cognitive dissonance refers to psychological discomfort that arises when beliefs or behaviors conflict with one another, and is not directly related to classical conditioning. Genotypic variation refers to differences in genetic makeup among individuals in a population, and is not related to classical conditioning. Free association is a technique used in psychoanalytic therapy to uncover unconscious thoughts and feelings, and is not directly related to classical conditioning.

Question 3

Ivan Pavlov proved that reflexes cannot be learned by association.

Accepted Answer

Ivan Pavlov's experiment with dogs demonstrated that reflexes could be learned by association, also known as classical or Pavlovian conditioning.

Question 4

In the context of operant conditioning,__________is the act of following a response with a stimulus that increases the frequency of the response.

Accepted Answer

Reinforcement is the act of following a response with a stimulus that increases the frequency of the response. Punishment, on the other hand, is the act of following a response with a stimulus that decreases the frequency of the response. Extinction is the gradual disappearance of a behavior due to lack of reinforcement. Regularization is not a term commonly used in operant conditioning.

Question 5

In a__________, a specific amount of time must elapse between the previous and subsequent times that reinforcement is available.

Accepted Answer

A fixed-interval schedule requires a specific amount of time to pass before reinforcement is available again. The other options, variable-interval, fixed-ratio, and variable-ratio, do not have a specific time requirement but rather are based on the number of responses or amount of time elapsing between reinforcement.

Question 6

__________is the acquisition of knowledge and skills by watching others rather than by means of direct experience.

Accepted Answer

Observational learning is the process of acquiring knowledge and skills by observing and imitating others, rather than by direct experience. It involves watching and modeling the behavior of others, and is often used in educational settings to teach social skills and the like. Systematic desensitization is a therapeutic technique used to reduce anxiety by gradually exposing the patient to the feared object or situation while cognitive mapping is a process of creating a visual image of one's thoughts, feelings, or knowledge. Free association is a psychoanalytic technique in which a patient speaks freely, without censorship or conscious control, in order to reveal unconscious thoughts and emotions.

Question 7

In the context of operant conditioning, the removal of a pleasant stimulus is known as__________.

Accepted Answer

Negative punishment is when a response is followed by the removal of a pleasant stimulus, which decreases the likelihood of that response occurring again in the future. Positive punishment involves adding an aversive stimulus to decrease the likelihood of a behavior, positive reinforcement involves adding a pleasant stimulus to increase the likelihood of a behavior, and negative reinforcement involves removing an aversive stimulus to increase the likelihood of a behavior.

Question 8

Johnny has always feared going to the dentist as he associated these visits with pain. After repeated visits to the dentist, Johnny also developed the fear of bright lights as he had started associating it with the dentist's cabin. In the given scenario, the development of Johnny's fear of bright lights is due to _____.

Accepted Answer

Johnny's fear of bright lights is an example of higher-order conditioning. This is because he developed this fear by association with his pre-existing fear of going to the dentist. The initial fear (going to the dentist) served as the unconditioned stimulus, which led to the unconditioned response of fear. Over time, the bright lights became associated with the dentist's cabin, leading to the development of a conditioned response of fear towards the bright lights. This process is known as higher-order conditioning, where a conditioned stimulus (bright lights) becomes associated with an existing conditioned stimulus (dentist's cabin) which had been previously associated with the unconditioned stimulus (going to the dentist).

Question 9

Which of the following statements is true in the context of taste aversions?

Accepted Answer

In taste aversion learning, the unconditioned stimulus (such as illness or nausea) can indeed occur hours after the conditioned stimulus (the taste), and the association can still be formed. This is a unique aspect of taste aversion, differing from many other forms of classical conditioning where the stimuli must be presented very close together in time to form an association.

Question 10

Which of the following statements is true about primary reinforcers?

Accepted Answer

Primary reinforcers, such as food, water, and sex, are effective because they fulfill basic biological needs and drives of an organism, making them inherently rewarding. They do not require any prior learning or association to become reinforcing.

Question 11

Which of the following statements is true in the context of the effects of violent video games?

Accepted Answer

Moderating variables such as social connectedness figure into the effects of media violence. The other options are not supported by empirical evidence.

Question 12

Paula taught her dog to lie down every time she rang a hand bell. However, the dog began to apply this command even to the sound of a doorbell. In this scenario, the dog's action of lying down as a response to a similar stimulus is due to a tendency called__________.

Accepted Answer

The dog's response of lying down to a similar stimulus (doorbell) is due to the tendency known as generalization. This means that the dog has generalized the command to respond to other similar stimuli, beyond the specific hand bell that was initially used to teach the command.

Question 13

Cynthia had an intense fear of cats. Her psychologist repeatedly paired her love for classical music with the gradual exposure of Cynthia to a cat until her fear for cats was cured. In this scenario, Cynthia's fear was cured using _____.

Accepted Answer

Cynthia's fear was cured using counterconditioning, which involves pairing a feared stimulus with a positive or neutral stimulus to change the emotional response to the feared stimulus. In this case, the positive stimulus was Cynthia's love for classical music, which was paired with exposure to cats. Eventually, the positive association with music transferred to cats, leading to a reduction in fear. Regularization, cognitive dissonance, and free association are not applicable in this context.

Question 14

Brandon had a fear of dogs. To extinguish this fear, his mother baked him his favorite cake and gradually brought a dog closer to him while he ate the cake. In this scenario, Brandon's mother used__________to cure his fear.

Accepted Answer

Counterconditioning involves pairing a feared stimulus with a positive or neutral stimulus in order to reduce the fear response. In this scenario, Brandon's mother paired the presence of the dog with the positive experience of eating his favorite cake, gradually reducing his fear of dogs over time. Therefore, the correct answer is C) counterconditioning.

Question 15

Which of the following best defines the term latent learning?

Accepted Answer

Latent learning refers to learning that is not immediately evident or observable in behavior, but rather hidden or concealed. It may only become apparent when a person is motivated to use the knowledge they have acquired.

Question 16

Secondary reinforcers are also called _____ because they acquire their value through being associated with established reinforcers.

Accepted Answer

Secondary reinforcers are also known as conditioned reinforcers because they derive their value through being associated with established, or primary, reinforcers. Examples of conditioned reinforcers include money, grades, and praise.

Question 17

Behaviorists explain classical conditioning in terms of the ways in which stimuli provide information that allows organisms to form or revise mental representations of their environment.

Accepted Answer

Behaviorists explain classical conditioning as a process of learning through association, focusing on observable behaviors rather than mental representations.

Question 18

In the context of classical conditioning, a learned reaction to a learned stimulus is known as a(n)__________.

Accepted Answer

A learned reaction to a previously neutral stimulus (conditioned stimulus) is known as a conditioned response in classical conditioning.

Question 19

Max is a waiter at a coffee shop. He gets paid $100 every day at 9 p.m. regardless of the number of customers he serves during the day. In this scenario, Max's payment is based on the _____.

Accepted Answer

Max's payment is based on a fixed-interval schedule, as he receives the same amount of pay at the same time (9 p.m.) every day regardless of how many customers he serves.

Question 20

Which of the following is a view of cognitive psychologists?

Accepted Answer

Cognitive psychologists believe that people have the ability to choose whether or not to imitate behaviors they observe, including aggressive behaviors. This view emphasizes the role of cognitive processes such as perception, attention, and memory in shaping behavior.

Quiz 5: Learning