Question 1

Conditioning is a specific type of learning. What does it involve?

Accepted Answer

Conditioning involves learning associations between events that occur in the environment.

Question 2

Carson used to really enjoy lime sherbet, and when he was in Mexico he tried frozen lime margaritas. After his fourth margarita Carson became extremely ill. Now he finds that even the sight of lime sherbet in a bowl can make him feel queasy. What is the unconditioned stimulus in this example?

Accepted Answer

The unconditioned stimulus (UCS) is the illness that followed the fourth margarita. The UCS is the natural trigger for an unlearned response (in this case, feeling queasy). The sight of lime sherbet, which was previously enjoyable, has become associated with the UCS through classical conditioning. Therefore, it is now the conditioned stimulus (CS) which triggers the conditioned response (CR) of feeling queasy.

Question 3

Which of the following is a conclusion we can draw as a result of decades of research on animal models of learning?

Accepted Answer

Decades of research on animal models of learning have shown that many principles of learning, including classical conditioning and operant conditioning, discovered in animal research apply quite well to humans. This has been supported by various studies comparing learning in animals and humans, as well as neurobiological research that has demonstrated similarities in the underlying neural mechanisms of learning between animals and humans.

Question 4

Which of the following could be accounted for by classical conditioning?

Accepted Answer

Classical conditioning is a type of learning in which a response is elicited by a previously neutral stimulus that has been paired with another stimulus that naturally elicits the response. Fear of the dark can be learned through classical conditioning if the dark is repeatedly paired with an aversive stimulus, such as a loud noise or a scary experience.

Answer: None of the above 
 Learning to sing a song, tie shoe laces, and print letters are more likely to be accounted for by operant conditioning, where behavior is shaped by consequences, or observational learning, where behavior is learned by observing others.

Question 5

Holly was dancing with her new boyfriend. When the band started playing "Fever" her boyfriend gave her a long, passionate kiss. Now, when Holly hears "Fever," she becomes a little flushed. What is the conditioned stimulus, in this example?

Accepted Answer

The conditioned stimulus is the song "Fever" because Holly's flushing response is a result of hearing the song. The kiss from her boyfriend was the unconditioned stimulus that led to the initial response, but the song became associated with the response through classical conditioning.

Question 6

What is the major difference between a conditioned stimulus and an unconditioned stimulus?

Accepted Answer

The major difference between a conditioned stimulus and an unconditioned stimulus is that the unconditioned stimulus is a stimulus that naturally and automatically triggers a response, while the conditioned stimulus is a previously neutral stimulus that, after being paired with the unconditioned stimulus, acquires the ability to elicit a response. Therefore, one reliably elicits the response of interest prior to conditioning (unconditioned stimulus) while the other does not (conditioned stimulus).

Question 7

What is learning, according to your text?

Accepted Answer

According to the text, learning is defined as "a relatively durable change in behaviour or knowledge that is due to experience." Option C is the closest to this definition, making it the best choice. Option A is too broad as learning can be temporary and not necessarily result in a change in behaviour. Option B is also too narrow as it only considers knowledge gained through direct instruction. Option D adds the unnecessary qualifier of intentionality.

Question 8

What is a conditioned stimulus?

Accepted Answer

A conditioned stimulus is a previously neutral stimulus that, through conditioning, acquires the capacity to elicit a conditioned response. Conditioning is a learning process in which an association is made between a neutral stimulus and a meaningful stimulus, resulting in a change in behavior.

Question 9

Pavlov found that meat powder placed on a dog's tongue will make the dog salivate. What is the meat powder in Pavlov's terms?

Accepted Answer

The meat powder is the unconditioned stimulus because it is the natural stimulus that triggers the dog's salivation response without any prior conditioning.

Question 10

Floyd had been working at Qualton Enterprises for two years when his boss asked to see him in her office. The boss told Floyd he was being laid off as a result of company downsizing. Floyd could feel his heart pounding as he listened to the news. Floyd has a new job, but every time his new boss asks to talk to him in private, Floyd feels a little faint. What term is used to describe the event of Floyd's new boss asking for a private talk, in this example?

Accepted Answer

The event of Floyd's new boss asking for a private talk is the conditioned stimulus. This is because it is a previously neutral stimulus (just a request to talk) that has now become associated with the negative experience of being laid off in the past. As a result, it now elicits a response of feeling faint or anxious in Floyd.

Question 11

One Saturday, Lacey was sitting at home when the telephone rang. A local company was making promotional calls and told Lacey she had just won a $1,000 gift certificate. She felt a rush of excitement at the thought of what she could do with $1,000. Now Lacey finds that whenever she hears a telephone ring, she feels a surge of excitement. What is the rush of excitement that Lacey felt when she heard she had won, in this example?

Accepted Answer

The rush of excitement that Lacey felt when she heard she had won is the unconditioned response, as it was an automatic reaction to the news of winning the gift certificate. The telephone ringing was the neutral stimulus, which became associated with the feeling of excitement through classical conditioning, but the rush of excitement itself was the unconditioned response.

Question 12

A neutral stimulus acquires the capacity to evoke a response that was originally evoked by another stimulus. What is this process called?

Accepted Answer

Classical conditioning is the process in which a neutral stimulus acquires the capacity to evoke a response that was originally evoked by another stimulus. This process was first studied by Ivan Pavlov with his experiments on dogs.

Question 13

Nadja used to really enjoy potato salad, and at a family reunion she ate a large helping. Unfortunately, the potato salad had gone bad, and Nadja became quite ill after eating it. Now she finds that even the sight of potatoes in the grocery store can make her feel sick to her stomach. What is the sick feeling Nadja experiences when she sees potatoes in the grocery store, in this example?

Accepted Answer

Nadja's sick feeling is a conditioned response because it is a learned reaction to a previously neutral stimulus (the sight of potatoes) that has been paired with an unconditioned stimulus (eating bad potato salad).

Question 14

Veronica had been working at Zenex Industries for eight months when her boss called her to his office. The boss told Veronica she was being laid off. Veronica could feel her heart pounding as she listened to the news. Veronica got a new job, but every time her new boss asks to talk to her in private, Veronica feels a little faint. What is the unconditioned response in this example?

Accepted Answer

The unconditioned response is her pounding heart when she heard she was being laid off, as it is a natural, unlearned reaction to the stimulus (the bad news of being laid off).

Question 15

Which of the following responses by dogs in Pavlov's laboratory triggered Pavlov's interest in conditioning?

Accepted Answer

Pavlov's interest in conditioning was triggered when he noticed that the dogs began to salivate right before the food was presented to them, indicating that they had learned to associate the sound of the food delivery with the arrival of food. This led to further experiments and the development of classical conditioning theory.

Question 16

What was the unconditioned response in Pavlov's original experiment on classical conditioning?

Accepted Answer

The unconditioned response in Pavlov's original experiment was salivation elicited by the presentation of meat powder. This response was natural and did not have to be learned.

Question 17

Darrel was dancing with his new girlfriend. When the band played "Love Song", his girlfriend gave him a long passionate kiss. Now Darrel finds that every time he hears "Love Song" on the radio, he becomes mildly excited. What is the kiss, in this example?

Accepted Answer

The kiss is an unconditioned stimulus because it naturally elicits a response (excitement) without prior conditioning.

Question 18

What is the stimulus that naturally evokes an unlearned response in classical conditioning?

Accepted Answer

The unconditioned stimulus is the stimulus that naturally evokes an unlearned response in classical conditioning. This response is called the unconditioned response.

Question 19

One Saturday, Adhar was sitting at home when the telephone rang. A local company was making promotional calls and told Adhar he had just won a $500 gift certificate. He felt a rush of excitement at the thought of what he could do with $500. Now Adhar finds that whenever he hears a telephone ring, he feels a little surge of excitement. What is the conditioned response in this example?

Accepted Answer

The conditioned response in this example is the surge of excitement that Adhar feels whenever he hears a telephone ring. This response has been conditioned by the telephone ringing being repeatedly paired with the exciting news of winning a gift certificate. Option A (ringing of a telephone) is the neutral stimulus, option B (news of winning a gift certificate) is the unconditioned stimulus, and option D (rush of excitement when he won the certificate) is the unconditioned response.

Question 20

In classical conditioning, what is the stimulus that is originally neutral but comes to elicit a response as a result of learning?

Accepted Answer

The stimulus that is originally neutral but comes to elicit a response as a result of learning is called the conditioned stimulus. This means that through repeated association with another stimulus (the unconditioned stimulus), the previously neutral stimulus now produces a conditioned response.

Quiz 6: A: Learning