Question 1

Study of the principles of classical conditioning reveals that:

Accepted Answer

Extinction, the process of eliminating a conditioned response, typically requires multiple sessions where the conditioned stimulus is presented without the unconditioned stimulus.

Question 2

Higher-order conditioning involves using an already established ________ to establish a new conditioned stimulus.

Accepted Answer

Higher-order conditioning involves using an already established conditioned stimulus to establish a new conditioned stimulus.

Question 3

Higher-order conditioning may contribute to the formation of:

Accepted Answer

The answer of Higher-order conditioning may contribute to the formation...

Question 4

Iris learns a positive response to the word Thanksgiving because of its association with lots of good food and visits from favourite relatives. This would be an example of:

Accepted Answer

This is an example of higher-order conditioning because the positive response to the word Thanksgiving has been learned through its association with other positive experiences (good food and visits from favourite relatives).

Question 5

________ is defined as a procedure in which a neutral stimulus becomes a conditioned stimulus through association with an already established conditioned stimulus.

Accepted Answer

Higher-order conditioning is the procedure in which a neutral stimulus becomes a conditioned stimulus through association with an already established conditioned stimulus. It involves pairing a neutral stimulus with a previously established conditioned stimulus, creating a secondary association between the two stimuli. This process can lead to the formation of higher-order conditioning, in which the neutral stimulus becomes a conditioned stimulus in its own right, capable of eliciting a conditioned response even in the absence of the original conditioned stimulus.

Question 6

The weakening and eventual disappearance of a learned response is called:

Accepted Answer

The weakening and eventual disappearance of a learned response is called extinction. This occurs when a previously reinforced behavior is no longer reinforced, resulting in the behavior dissipating over time. Option A, instinctive drift, refers to the tendency of animals to revert to innate behaviors despite learning conditions, while discrimination (option B) refers to the ability to distinguish between similar stimuli. Counterconditioning (option D) refers to the process of replacing an undesirable response with a more desirable one.

Question 7

In classical conditioning, when the conditioned stimulus is no longer paired with the unconditioned stimulus, ________ occurs.

Accepted Answer

Extinction occurs when the conditioned stimulus is no longer paired with the unconditioned stimulus, which leads to a decrease or disappearance of the conditioned response. Discrimination refers to the ability to distinguish between similar stimuli, while instinctive drift refers to the tendency of animals to revert to instinctual behaviors rather than learned behaviors. Counterconditioning is a technique used in behavior therapy to replace an undesirable response to a stimulus with a desirable one.

Question 8

A girl classically conditions her dog to blink by blowing into her dog's eyes just after saying "blink!" Unfortunately, her parrot overhears the procedure, and says "blink" all day long when the girl is out. When she returns, the girl says "blink" to her dog, but he does not blink. It appears as though:

Accepted Answer

The procedure of the girl trying to condition the dog to blink with the use of a verbal cue ("blink") and blowing into the dog's eyes is an example of classical conditioning. The dog has learned to associate the verbal cue with the blowing sensation and the resultant blinking. However, since the parrot has been repeatedly saying "blink" in the absence of the girl's procedure, the dog's conditioned response to the verbal cue may have weakened and ultimately extinguished. Therefore, when the girl returned and said "blink" to her dog, he did not respond because the conditioned response had been erased by the lack of reinforcement. This implies that the procedure of the girl has undergone extinction.

Question 9

Every week, Pearl spends her allowance on 500 grams of sour lemon gummy candies even though they always make her mouth water. One day, as she is walking down the street, Pearl notices a girl carrying a little white bag that looks like a candy shop bag! Pearl notices that her mouth is puckering and overflowing with saliva. In this example, the conditioned stimulus is the:

Accepted Answer

The conditioned stimulus is the little white bag because it triggers the conditioned response (puckering and saliva) due to its association with the candy shop and the sour lemon gummy candies.

Question 10

You classically condition your dog Milo to salivate when middle C is played on the piano. When you play D instead of C Milo doesn't receive food and eventually Milo is salivating for C but not for D! This phenomenon is known as:

Accepted Answer

Stimulus discrimination refers to the ability to distinguish between different stimuli and respond differently to each one. In this scenario, Milo has learned to associate the sound of the middle C on the piano with receiving food, but not the sound of the D note, and therefore only salivates in response to the C.

Question 11

When Arthur fed his fish, he used to switch on the light just before he gave them their food. He noticed that they would swim to the top as soon the aquarium light came on. He decided to see what would happen if he switched on the light but did not feed the fish. For one week he doesn't feed the fish after turning on the light. Arthur is trying to see if ________ will occur.

Accepted Answer

Arthur is trying to see if the behavior of the fish (swimming to the top when the light turns on) will decrease or go extinct when food is not given after the light is turned on. This is an example of extinction, which is the gradual weakening and eventual disappearance of learned behavior when reinforcement is withheld. The other options are not applicable in this scenario: counterconditioning involves changing an emotional response to a stimulus through conditioning; discrimination involves the ability to distinguish between similar stimuli and respond differently to them; and instinctive drift refers to the tendency of animals to revert to innate behaviors rather than learned behaviors.

Question 12

If a conditioned stimulus is repeatedly presented without the unconditioned stimulus, then ________ will occur.

Accepted Answer

Extinction occurs when a conditioned stimulus is repeatedly presented without the unconditioned stimulus. This leads to a reduction in the association between the conditioned stimulus and the unconditioned stimulus, thus resulting in a decrease in conditioned responding.

Question 13

The proverb "He who hath been bitten by a snake fears a rope" illustrates:

Accepted Answer

The proverb illustrates stimulus generalization, as the fear of a rope (which may resemble a snake) is generalized from the experience of being bitten by a snake.

Question 14

When words are paired with objects or other words that already elicit some emotional response, they may come to elicit that response. This would be an example of:

Accepted Answer

This is an example of higher-order conditioning, where a neutral stimulus (the words) become associated with an already conditioned stimulus (the object or other words that elicit an emotional response) and elicits the same response.

Question 15

Using Pavlov's procedure for classical conditioning you are able to condition your dog to salivate to middle C played on the piano. When you play the note above middle C, your pet still salivates, even though she never received food paired with this note! This phenomenon is known as:

Accepted Answer

This phenomenon is known as stimulus generalization, where the conditioned response is elicited by a stimulus that is similar to the original conditioned stimulus. In this case, the note above middle C is similar enough to middle C that the dog still salivates.

Question 16

You train your dog Milo to salivate to the sound of a bell. Then you ring the bell every five minutes and don't follow the ringing with food for Milo. He salivates less and less and finally stops salivating at all when the bell rings. But the next morning, when you ring the bell, Milo salivates! What term is used to explain the reappearance of this response?

Accepted Answer

Spontaneous recovery refers to the reappearance of a previously extinguished response after a period of time has passed. In this case, Milo's salivation in response to the bell ringing had been extinguished through repeated exposure without food reinforcement. However, after a night's rest, Milo's response had spontaneously recovered and he salivated again in response to the bell ringing.

Question 17

Mary found herself uncontrollably salivating at the sight of the Dairy Queen sign. Her behaviour is an example of:

Accepted Answer

Mary's salivation in response to the sight of a Dairy Queen sign is an example of classical conditioning. This is because she has learned to associate the sign with the pleasure of eating Dairy Queen products, leading to the automatic response of salivation.

Question 18

Isabella learns a positive response to the word birthday because of its association with gifts and attention. This would be an example of:

Accepted Answer

Higher-order conditioning occurs when a neutral stimulus becomes associated with a conditioned stimulus, leading to a conditioned response. In this case, the word "birthday" becomes associated with the positive experiences of gifts and attention.

Question 19

When an organism also responds to a stimulus that is similar to the conditioned stimulus, ________ is said to have occurred.

Accepted Answer

Generalization is the phenomenon where an organism responds not only to the specific conditioned stimulus but also to similar stimuli. This occurs because the organism has learned to associate the original stimulus with the response, and similar stimuli can also evoke a similar response.

Question 20

The reappearance of a learned response after its apparent extinction is called:

Accepted Answer

Spontaneous recovery refers to the reappearance of a learned response after it appeared to have been extinguished. This can occur when the conditioned stimulus (CS) is presented again, even after a delay, and it can cause the previously learned response to re-emerge temporarily. The other options do not fit this definition. Counterconditioning is the process of creating a new, positive association with a previously feared stimulus. Instinctive drift refers to the tendency of some animals to revert to their innate behaviors, even after learning a new response. Stimulus discrimination is the ability to distinguish between a particular stimulus and other similar stimuli.

Quiz 7: Learning and Conditioning