Question 1

Athletes who believe they have no control over factors that lead to poor performance are less likely to believe they can succeed in the future and are less likely to persist in the face of failure. This illustrates the phenomenon of:

Accepted Answer

The phenomenon described in the question is learned helplessness, which refers to the belief that one has no control over situations and outcomes, leading to a sense of helplessness and lack of motivation to change one's circumstances. The other options (the Premack principle, partial reinforcement effect, and biological preparedness) are unrelated to the concept of learned helplessness.

Question 2

Classical conditioning is to operant conditioning as _____ are to _____.

Accepted Answer

Classical conditioning involves learning reflexive, involuntary responses, while operant conditioning involves learning nonreflexive, voluntary responses.

Question 3

The basic strategy for overcoming learned helplessness is to:

Accepted Answer

The basic strategy for overcoming learned helplessness is to acquire a sense of control and mastery over challenging circumstances. This can be done by taking small steps towards accomplishing goals, focusing on areas of strength, and seeking support from others. Punishment and withdrawal do not address the underlying issue of learned helplessness, and displacing frustration onto another object is simply a temporary coping mechanism that does not promote long-term growth and resilience.

Question 4

After dogs have experienced inescapable shocks, they are placed in a shuttlebox in which they can easily jump over a barrier from one side of the shuttlebox to the other. If the dogs have developed learned helplessness, they would most likely respond to another shock by:

Accepted Answer

If the dogs have developed learned helplessness, they would not try to escape the shock as they have learned that their actions are futile and no matter what they do, they cannot escape the shock. Therefore, they would do nothing and simply endure the shock.

Question 5

Classical conditioning involves _____, while operant conditioning involves _____.

Accepted Answer

Classical conditioning involves behavior elicited by a stimulus, such as associating a bell with the sound of food and causing the dog to salivate at the sound of the bell alone. Operant conditioning involves behavior emitted by an organism, such as a rat pressing a lever to receive a food reward.

Question 6

College students who experience feelings of learned helplessness may respond to academic setbacks, such as failing a test, in which of the following ways?

Accepted Answer

The characteristic response of learned helplessness is to give up or procrastinate instead of persisting in the face of academic setbacks. It is a feeling of being powerless to change the situation that leads students to this response. Options B, C, and D are less likely to be the response of students who experience learned helplessness.

Question 7

_____ was one of the first psychologists to use positive reinforcement to teach basic self-help skills to people with developmental disabilities and also helped train marine mammals for the U.S. Navy.

Accepted Answer

Marian Breland was a pioneer in applying the principles of operant conditioning, including positive reinforcement, to teach skills to individuals with developmental disabilities and in training animals, including marine mammals for the U.S. Navy.

Question 8

The famous Bobo doll studies demonstrated that:

Accepted Answer

The Bobo doll studies showed that children's performance of aggressive behavior was influenced by their observation of adults receiving reinforcement or punishment for similar behavior. This supports the idea that cognitive expectations of reinforcement or punishment can affect behavior.

Question 9

The famous Bobo doll research was conducted by _____ and showed the power of _____.

Accepted Answer

The famous Bobo doll research was conducted by Albert Bandura and showed the power of observational learning, where children imitated aggressive behavior they had witnessed in adults. Option A is incorrect as Tolman conducted research on cognitive maps and their role in learning, Option B is incorrect as Thorndike's research focused on the law of effect, Option C is incorrect as Skinner's research focused on reinforcement and punishment.

Question 10

Which of the following statements best describes the phenomenon of instinctive drift?

Accepted Answer

Instinctive drift refers to the tendency for an animal's innate behaviors or instincts to interfere with learning new operant behaviors. As the animal learns a new behavior through operant conditioning, their natural instincts may lead them to revert to their instinctive behavior, which can interfere with the learned behavior.

Question 11

Which of the following psychologists has conducted extensive research on observational learning?

Accepted Answer

Albert Bandura is known for his extensive research on observational learning, including the famous Bobo doll experiment in which children observed an adult model's behavior towards a toy and subsequently imitated that behavior. Edward L. Thorndike and Edward C. Tolman are known for their work in behaviorism and learning theories, but not specifically for observational learning. Martin Seligman is known for his work in positive psychology and learned helplessness, but not for observational learning.

Question 12

The famous Bobo doll study demonstrated that:

Accepted Answer

The Bobo doll study found that children were more likely to imitate the actions of an adult model who was rewarded for their aggressive behavior than an adult model who was punished for their aggression. This suggests that children are influenced by the consequences of behavior when deciding whether or not to imitate it.

Question 13

In using operant conditioning principles to train animals to perform tricks, Keller and Marian Breland found that:

Accepted Answer

Keller and Marian Breland found that an animal's inborn or instinctive behavior patterns could interfere with the operant conditioning of new behaviors. This is known as instinctive drift, where the animal drifts back to its instinctive behaviors instead of performing the learned behavior. Thus, it is important to understand the animal's natural behaviors before attempting to train them.

Question 14

Animal trainers Keller and Marian Breland tried to train a raccoon to pick up two coins and deposit them in a metal box. However, instead of dropping the coins in the box, the raccoon would rub the coins together, much as raccoons do with their food in the wild. This tendency of the raccoon to revert to its natural behavior patterns is termed:

Accepted Answer

Instinctive drift is the tendency of animals to revert to their instinctual behavior patterns during training, rather than learning the new task that is being taught to them. In this case, the raccoon's natural tendency to rub objects together overrode its ability to learn the new task of depositing coins in a box.

Question 15

According to psychologist Albert Bandura, four processes are involved in observational learning. Which of the following is NOT one of those processes?

Accepted Answer

While reinforcement is a possible outcome of observational learning, it is not considered one of the four key processes outlined by Bandura. The four processes are attention, retention, reproduction, and motivation.

Question 16

The expectation that the CS reliably predicts the UCS is a cognitive aspect of _____, whereas the expectation of consequences following the behavior is a cognitive aspect of _____ .

Accepted Answer

The expectation that the CS reliably predicts the UCS is a cognitive aspect of classical conditioning, whereas the expectation of consequences following the behavior is a cognitive aspect of operant conditioning. Options A, B, and D are all incorrect because they either do not accurately describe the concepts in the question or refer to specific subtypes of conditioning rather than the broad categories of classical and operant conditioning.

Question 17

The idea that an animal's natural behavior patterns did not matter and had little or no effect on the effectiveness of operant conditioning principles was challenged by research conducted by:

Accepted Answer

The Brelands' research on animal behavior and operant conditioning demonstrated that an animal's natural behavior patterns and instincts could interfere with conditioned responses. This challenged the traditional view of operant conditioning and emphasized the importance of considering an animal's natural tendencies in training and behavior modification. The other options either did not directly address this issue or did not challenge the traditional view of operant conditioning in the same way as the Brelands' research.

Question 18

Angela's friend Drew told her that he was thinking about dropping out of college because no matter how hard he studied, he couldn't seem to get his grades above a C average. Angela realized that Drew was experiencing feelings of learned helplessness. What should she advise Drew to do? He should:

Accepted Answer

Advising Drew to break tasks down into smaller, manageable goals and seeking information about exactly what is needed to succeed in each class can help him address the feelings of helplessness he is experiencing. This approach can also help him build a sense of competence and mastery over time, which can boost his confidence and motivation. Simply telling him to "try harder" may not be effective if he feels overwhelmed and stuck. Going to a career counselor or blaming the faculty may be options, but they may not address the underlying issues with his study skills and mindset.

Question 19

A number of factors increase the probability that a behavior will be imitated. Which of the following is NOT one of the factors?

Accepted Answer

The correct answer is D because the likelihood of imitation increases when the model (the person being imitated) is perceived positively, such as being competent, rewarded, or caring. Indifference or a lack of reward in the model typically decreases the probability of their behavior being imitated.

Question 20

Classical conditioning involves _____ while operant conditioning involves _____.

Accepted Answer

Classical conditioning involves associating two stimuli (e.g., Pavlov's dogs associating a bell with food, leading to salivation), while operant conditioning involves associating a response with a consequence (e.g., a rat learning to press a lever to receive food).

Quiz 5: Section 2: Learning