Question 1

Cues that influence operant behavior by indicating the probable consequences (reinforcement or nonreinforcement)of a response are referred to as
A) reinforcement-extinction stimuli.
B) generalization stimuli.
C) discriminative stimuli.
D) operant stimuli.

Accepted Answer

Discriminative stimuli are specific stimuli that indicate when a behavior is likely to be reinforced or not reinforced. These cues help the organism learn when a response is appropriate and likely to lead to a desired outcome, and when it is not. Reinforcement-extinction stimuli and operant stimuli are not commonly used terms in operant conditioning, and generalization stimuli refer to when a behavior is emitted in response to a similar stimulus, not when a specific cue is signaling the likelihood of reinforcement.

Question 2

A circus trainer wants to train a cat to pull a rope as part of an animal act.The probability that the cat will just pull a rope is very low.What technique would be the best choice to use to help the cat learn to emit the desired response?
A) shaping
B) stimulus generalization
C) extinction
D) stimulus discrimination

Accepted Answer

Shaping is a technique used to train animals to perform a desired behavior by reinforcing successive approximations of the behavior. It is effective when the desired behavior is not initially present in the animal's repertoire. In this scenario, the cat does not have the behavior of pulling a rope, so shaping could be used to reinforce smaller actions or behaviors that lead up to pulling the rope, eventually leading to the cat successfully pulling the rope. This is a more gradual process and can increase the chances of success compared to other methods, such as extinction or stimulus discrimination. Stimulus generalization may not be helpful in this scenario as the behavior of pulling a rope is very specific and may not generalize to other contexts or stimuli.

Question 3

An operantly conditioned response that is very durable and relatively hard to extinguish is said to show
A) high resistance to extinction
B) low resistance to extinction
C) high association with reinforcement
D) low association with reinforcement

Accepted Answer

High resistance to extinction refers to a response that persists even when the reinforcement is no longer present. This implies that the association between the behavior and the reinforcement is strong, making it difficult to extinguish the response.

Question 4

The gradual disappearance of an operant response that is no longer being reinforced is called
A) extinction.
B) unconditioning.
C) conditioned forgetting.
D) spontaneous remission.

Accepted Answer

Extinction refers to the gradual disappearance of a behavior when it is no longer reinforced. The other options (unconditioning, conditioned forgetting, spontaneous remission) either do not apply to operant conditioning or are not accurate descriptions of the process of extinction.

Question 5

Bart used to go to his health club every day after work because he almost always saw Abigail there.For two full weeks Abigail wasn't at the club when Bart went there for his workout,and now Bart has stopped going to his health club.This example illustrates the operant conditioning process of
A) extinction.
B) punishment.
C) avoidance.
D) resistance.

Accepted Answer

Extinction is the process of weakening or eliminating a learned behavior by removing the reinforcement that had been maintaining it. In this case, Bart had been reinforced by the sight of Abigail at the health club, which had kept him going there every day. When Abigail stopped showing up, the reinforcement was removed and Bart's behavior of going to the health club was weakened and eventually stopped altogether.

Question 6

When Kristen asks her grandmother for a cookie,her grandmother usually gives her one.Last week at the park,Kristen's mother was embarrassed when Kristen walked up to five different elderly ladies and asked them for cookies.Kristen's behavior illustrates the concept of
A) unconditioned reinforcement.
B) stimulus generalization.
C) stimulus discrimination.
D) observational learning.

Accepted Answer

Kristen's behavior of asking multiple elderly ladies for cookies shows stimulus generalization, which means that the behavior is generalized to different stimuli that share similar characteristics with the original stimulus (her grandmother giving her a cookie).

Question 7

The basic principles of gradual acquisition,extinction,stimulus generalization,and discrimination apply
A) to both classical and operant conditioning.
B) only to classical conditioning.
C) only to operant conditioning.
D) to learning by animals, but not to learning by people.

Accepted Answer

The basic principles of gradual acquisition, extinction, stimulus generalization, and discrimination apply to both classical and operant conditioning. These principles are fundamental to our understanding of how learning occurs in both forms of conditioning.

Question 8

A pigeon learns to peck at a disk lighted green to receive reinforcement,but not at a disk lighted red.This means that,for the pigeon,the color of the disk is a
A) reinforcer or nonreinforcer
B) punisher or nonpunisher
C) generalization stimulus
D) discriminative stimulus

Accepted Answer

The fact that the pigeon learns to peck at the disk lighted green suggests that it has come to associate this particular color with the presence of reinforcement. Therefore, the green disk serves as a discriminative stimulus (D) that signals when pecking behavior is likely to lead to reinforcement. In contrast, the fact that the pigeon does not peck at the red disk suggests that it has learned that this particular color does not result in reinforcement, and it does not serve as a discriminative stimulus. The other choices - A) reinforcer or nonreinforcer, B) punisher or nonpunisher, and C) generalization stimulus - are not as accurate in this context, as they do not describe the role of the color of the disks in the learning process.

Question 9

Nicolas has autistic disorder and he was mute.A therapist working with Nicolas initially gave him a piece of chocolate any time he made a sound with his lips.This slowly changed until Nicolas only received a piece of chocolate for saying complete words,and eventually only for saying complete sentences.In this example,Nicolas developed speech skills through the use of
A) classical conditioning.
B) modeling.
C) shaping.
D) negative reinforcement.

Accepted Answer

This scenario demonstrates the use of shaping, where the therapist gradually reinforces more complex behaviors by rewarding small steps towards the desired behavior. In this case, Nicolas was rewarded for any sound, then only for complete words, and eventually only for complete sentences. This allowed him to develop his speech skills gradually and in a structured manner. Classical conditioning involves associating a neutral stimulus with a naturally occurring stimulus to produce a desired response, so it is not applicable in this scenario. Modeling involves learning by observing others, and negative reinforcement involves removing a negative stimulus to increase the likelihood of a behavior, neither of which are directly applicable here.

Question 10

Kylee used to bring drawings home from her kindergarten class every day.Her parents would put the pictures on the refrigerator and tell Kylee how nice the pictures were.Lately,her parents haven't been putting her artwork on the refrigerator,and now Kylee has stopped bringing drawings home with her.This example illustrates the operant conditioning process of
A) punishment.
B) avoidance.
C) resistance.
D) extinction.

Accepted Answer

This example illustrates the process of extinction, which occurs when a behavior that was previously reinforced (in this case, bringing home drawings and receiving praise from her parents) no longer results in the same consequence (putting the drawings on the refrigerator and receiving praise). As a result, the behavior (bringing home drawings) decreases in frequency until it eventually stops altogether.

Question 11

Extinction of an operantly conditioned response occurs when the response
A) is followed by continuous reinforcement.
B) is followed by intermittent reinforcement.
C) is no longer associated with the CS.
D) is no longer followed by reinforcement.

Accepted Answer

Extinction of an operantly conditioned response occurs when the response is no longer followed by reinforcement. This means that the behavior will eventually decrease and may even disappear altogether if it is not reinforced consistently. Therefore, the best choice is D.

Question 12

When reinforcement for a behavior is removed,the consequence will be
A) an immediate weakening and eventual disappearance of the behavior.
B) a brief increase in the frequency with which the behavior is performed, followed by the weakening and eventual disappearance of the behavior.
C) the emergence of superstitious behavior designed to reinstitute the reinforcement.
D) unpredictable unless more information about the nature of the behavior is provided.

Accepted Answer

When reinforcement for a behavior is removed, it is common to observe an initial increase in the behavior's frequency, known as an extinction burst, before the behavior weakens and eventually disappears. This is because the individual or animal may try harder to obtain the reinforcement that previously followed the behavior.

Question 13

At preschool,Jessi has learned that she must wash her hands before snack-time in order to get a snack.At home,however,her parents do not check to make sure she washes her hands.When she is home,Jessi does not wash her hands before eating.Jessi's behavior illustrates the process of
A) response generalization.
B) response discrimination.
C) stimulus generalization.
D) stimulus discrimination.

Accepted Answer

The answer of At preschool,Jessi has learned that she must...

Question 14

When you approach a traffic light and see a red light,you stop.On the other hand,when you approach that same light and see a green light,you continue driving.This example illustrates
A) stimulus generalization.
B) extinction.
C) stimulus discrimination.
D) spontaneous recovery.

Accepted Answer

Stimulus discrimination is the ability to differentiate between a conditioned stimulus and other stimuli that are irrelevant or different, and respond only to the CS. In this case, the red and green light are two different stimuli that elicit different responses - stopping and continuing driving, respectively. Therefore, the best choice is C, stimulus discrimination. The other options do not fit the scenario described.

Question 15

Continuous reinforcement occurs when
A) reinforcement is delivered continually, regardless of whether or not a response is made.
B) it is not known in advance what responses will be reinforced.
C) every behavior engaged in by the subject is reinforced.
D) every occurrence of the designated response is reinforced.

Accepted Answer

Continuous reinforcement occurs when every occurrence of the designated response is reinforced. This means that reinforcement is delivered every time the behavior is exhibited, rather than only some of the time.

Question 16

The technique used to teach animals complex tricks,such as teaching pigeons to play ping-pong,is
A) respondent conditioning.
B) continuous reinforcement.
C) programming.
D) shaping.

Accepted Answer

Shaping is a behavior modification technique used to teach animals complex behaviors or tricks through rewarding successive approximations of the desired behavior. This method involves breaking down the behavior into small steps and rewarding each step as it is accomplished, gradually building up to the final desired behavior. This is commonly used in animal training, including teaching pigeons to play ping-pong.

Question 17

Jeremy stops gambling five minutes after his slot machine last paid off; Jessica is still gambling,even though her slot machine hasn't paid off in over an hour.In this example,Jeremy's behavior ____ while Jessica's behavior ____.
A) shows low resistance to extinction; shows high resistance to extinction
B) has been classically conditioned; has been operantly conditioned
C) shows high resistance to extinction; shows low resistance to extinction
D) is controlled by conditioned stimuli; is controlled by unconditioned stimuli

Accepted Answer

Jeremy's quick cessation of gambling after the slot machine stops paying off demonstrates low resistance to extinction (he stops the behavior quickly once the reinforcement stops). Jessica's continued gambling despite not winning indicates high resistance to extinction (she continues the behavior for a long time without reinforcement).

Question 18

Julie has a desk right next to her manager's office.Whenever her manager is in his office,Julie makes sure that she works hard at her computer.However,if the manager is away from his office she often works much more slowly and takes more breaks.In this case,the manager being in his office is acting as
A) a positive reinforcer for working hard.
B) a negative reinforcer for working hard.
C) a discriminative stimulus for working hard.
D) an unconditioned stimulus for working hard.

Accepted Answer

The manager being in his office is a discriminative stimulus because it signals to Julie that she should work hard. When the manager is not in his office, Julie does not have that same stimulus signaling the need to work hard. It is not a positive or negative reinforcer because it is not directly reinforcing any behavior, and it is not an unconditioned stimulus because it does not naturally elicit a response from Julie.

Question 19

When resistance to extinction is high,it means that
A) responding will continue for a long time after reinforcement is discontinued
B) responding will taper off quickly when reinforcement is discontinued
C) responding will fail to show spontaneous recovery following a period of extinction
D) shaping was done incorrectly when the initial response was acquired

Accepted Answer

When resistance to extinction is high, it means that responding will continue for a long time after the reinforcement is discontinued. This indicates that the behavior has been well-established or reinforced frequently enough to maintain responding even in the absence of reinforcement.

Question 20

After owning a car with a manual transmission,Don buys a car with an automatic transmission.When first driving his new car,he keeps reaching for the nonexistent clutch and gearshift.This is an example of
A) acquisition.
B) stimulus generalization.
C) stimulus discrimination.
D) shaping.

Accepted Answer

This is an example of stimulus generalization because Don is responding to his previous experience with a manual transmission by reaching for the clutch and gearshift in his new car with an automatic transmission. He is generalizing his previous learning to the new situation, even though the stimuli are different.

Quiz 6: Learning

Cues that influence operant behavior by indicating the probable consequences (reinforcement or nonreinforcement) of a response are referred to as

A circus trainer wants to train a cat to pull a rope as part of an animal act.The probability that the cat will just pull a rope is very low.What technique would be the best choice to use to help the cat learn to emit the desired response?

An operantly conditioned response that is very durable and relatively hard to extinguish is said to show

The gradual disappearance of an operant response that is no longer being reinforced is called

Bart used to go to his health club every day after work because he almost always saw Abigail there.For two full weeks Abigail wasn't at the club when Bart went there for his workout,and now Bart has stopped going to his health club.This example illustrates the operant conditioning process of

When Kristen asks her grandmother for a cookie,her grandmother usually gives her one.Last week at the park,Kristen's mother was embarrassed when Kristen walked up to five different elderly ladies and asked them for cookies.Kristen's behavior illustrates the concept of

The basic principles of gradual acquisition,extinction,stimulus generalization,and discrimination apply

A pigeon learns to peck at a disk lighted green to receive reinforcement,but not at a disk lighted red.This means that,for the pigeon,the color of the disk is a

Extinction of an operantly conditioned response occurs when the response

When reinforcement for a behavior is removed,the consequence will be

At preschool,Jessi has learned that she must wash her hands before snack-time in order to get a snack.At home,however,her parents do not check to make sure she washes her hands.When she is home,Jessi does not wash her hands before eating.Jessi's behavior illustrates the process of

When you approach a traffic light and see a red light,you stop.On the other hand,when you approach that same light and see a green light,you continue driving.This example illustrates

Continuous reinforcement occurs when

The technique used to teach animals complex tricks,such as teaching pigeons to play ping-pong,is

Jeremy stops gambling five minutes after his slot machine last paid off; Jessica is still gambling,even though her slot machine hasn't paid off in over an hour.In this example,Jeremy's behavior while Jessica's behavior .

When resistance to extinction is high,it means that

After owning a car with a manual transmission,Don buys a car with an automatic transmission.When first driving his new car,he keeps reaching for the nonexistent clutch and gearshift.This is an example of