Question 1

A behavioral psychologist tries to train a bird to climb a tree to get a reward of a piece of fruit.At first,the bird learns how to climb the tree with its legs and beak.After a while,it starts flapping its wings and hopping around before it starts to climb.Eventually,the bird flies up to the piece of fruit,even though that prevents it from getting the fruit.According to the Brelands' analysis of biological constraints,the bird is demonstrating ________.

Accepted Answer

The Brelands' analysis of biological constraints suggests that animals are limited in their ability to learn new behaviors and are more likely to revert to instinctual behaviors. In this scenario, the bird's instinctual behavior of flying to the fruit took over, even though it prevented it from getting the reward. This demonstrates the influence of biological constraints on learning and behavior.

Question 2

Molly is sometimes loud and disruptive in class,and her teacher thinks she acts this way when she wants attention.The teacher worries that yelling at Molly might serve as a positive reinforcer for her bad behavior because it is giving Molly the attention she wants.One behavior modification that might help with this child is ________.

Accepted Answer

The use of time-outs would remove the positive reinforcement that even a scolding gives the child. This would help to discourage disruptive behavior by removing the attention that the child seeks through such behavior. The use of partial reinforcement or classical conditioning by shocking the child is unethical and ineffective, while instinctive drift therapy is not applicable to the given scenario.

Question 3

The first time José sees a cat,his mother tells him,"That's a cat.Can you say cat?" He repeats the word gleefully,and his mother praises him.The next day,he is watching a cartoon and sees a tiger on the television.He points at the tiger and says,"Cat!" This is an example of ________.

Accepted Answer

José has generalized the word "cat" to include not only the specific cat his mother showed him, but also the tiger he saw on television.

Question 4

In order to get her 3^rd grade students to memorize the poem written on the chalkboard,Mrs.Thyberg gives the students stickers for each poem they can recite from memory.After earning 5 stickers,a student gets to pick a prize out of the goody box.Mrs.Thyberg is using a(n)________ to modify the children's behaviors.

Accepted Answer

Mrs. Thyberg is using a token economy by providing stickers as a reward for reciting poems from memory. This is a behavior modification technique where tokens or rewards are given for specific desired behaviors, which can then be exchanged for larger rewards or prizes.

Question 5

An operant conditioning technique in which a learner gains conscious control over his or her own biological response is ________.

Accepted Answer

Biofeedback is the operant conditioning technique in which a learner gains conscious control over his or her own biological response. This can be achieved by using monitoring equipment to provide feedback about bodily functions such as heart rate, brain waves, or blood pressure, and then teaching the individual to consciously regulate those functions. Contingency training involves rewarding or punishing behaviors to increase or decrease their frequency, while cellular training and social learning are not operant conditioning techniques.

Question 6

A school issues tokens to the children for good behavior.This issue of a token is an example of ________.

Accepted Answer

Issuing tokens for good behavior is an example of behavior modification, a technique used to encourage desirable behaviors through rewards or consequences. In this case, tokens act as a form of positive reinforcement, increasing the likelihood of good behavior being repeated.

Question 7

An example of a discriminative stimulus might be ________.

Accepted Answer

A discriminative stimulus is a cue in the environment that signals that a particular behavior will be reinforced or punished. In this case, a stop sign is a clear discriminative stimulus for drivers to stop their vehicles at an intersection.

Question 8

Mary's parents want her to put her books in her bookcase.At first,they praise her for putting the books together in one pile.Then they praise her for getting the books on the same side of the room as the bookcase.When she gets the books on top of the bookcase,she gets praise.Finally,her parents praise her when she puts her books in the bookcase.This is an example of ________.

Accepted Answer

This is an example of shaping, as Mary's behavior of putting her books in the bookcase is gradually shaped and reinforced through positive reinforcement of successive approximations towards the desired behavior.

Question 9

For years,parents have wondered whether physical discipline of their children (spanking,for example)was an effective and acceptable practice.What findings from many research studies have promoted the idea that spanking a child may be a bad idea?

Accepted Answer

The answer of For years,parents have wondered whether physical discipline...

Question 10

In the process of shaping,behaviors are ordered in terms of increasing similarity to the desired response.These behaviors are called ________.

Accepted Answer

Successive approximations are the behaviors that are ordered in terms of increasing similarity to the desired response during the shaping process. Each successive approximation is reinforced until the final desired behavior is achieved. Primary and secondary reinforcers are types of rewards used in operant conditioning, while unconditioned stimuli are natural stimuli that elicit a response without any prior learning.

Question 11

Applied behavior analysis (ABA)has been used to help children with autism.The basic principle of this form of behavior modification is ________.

Accepted Answer

ABA is based on the principle of shaping, where positive behaviors are reinforced and negative behaviors are ignored or discouraged. Through repetition and positive reinforcement, individuals can learn and develop new behaviors to replace undesirable ones.

Question 12

Professor Rochelle told her students that if her door was closed it meant that she was unavailable to them and would be angry if they knocked on her door.But if her door was open,it meant that she was in a rare good mood and would answer questions at that time.Professor Rochelle's door being open was a ___________ for _______________.

Accepted Answer

This is an example of a discriminative stimulus, as it signals to the students whether or not they should approach Professor Rochelle with questions. The correct response to the discriminative stimulus of an open door is to ask questions, as this is the behavior that has been reinforced by Professor Rochelle's previous responses.

Question 13

How did the research of Taylor,Manganello,Lee,and Rice (2010)differ substantially from those who had come before in the exploration of the impact of spanking on children?

Accepted Answer

The research of Taylor, Manganello, Lee, and Rice (2010) differed substantially from previous studies because it controlled for other maternal risk factors, such as neglect and drug use. This helped to isolate the impact of spanking specifically on children's outcomes. The other options presented (A, C, and D) all describe studies that would limit the generalizability of the findings, rather than contributing to a more comprehensive understanding.

Question 14

A discriminative stimulus is typically viewed as ________.

Accepted Answer

A discriminative stimulus is a cue or signal that certain consequences are likely to follow a certain behavior. It does not have to be negative or promote punishment, but simply indicates a context in which a behavior will be reinforced or punished. A warning may be a type of discriminative stimulus, but not all discriminative stimuli are warnings.

Question 15

________ is an operant-conditioning procedure in which successive approximations of a desired response are reinforced.

Accepted Answer

Shaping is the operant-conditioning procedure where successive approximations of a desired response are reinforced. This means that a behavior that is initially similar to the desired behavior is rewarded, and then the reward is gradually given for behaviors that are increasingly similar to the target behavior. This process is used to train animals, such as teaching a dog to roll over or a bird to peck a lever.

Question 16

A discriminative stimulus is a stimulus that ________.

Accepted Answer

A discriminative stimulus is a cue that indicates to an organism that a certain response will result in reinforcement. It helps the organism to discriminate between responses that will bring them reinforcement and those that will not.

Question 17

Which of the following statements is true about behavior modification?

Accepted Answer

Behavior modification does involve the process of shaping, which involves reinforcing successive approximations of a desired behavior until the complete behavior is exhibited. This method can be used with both humans and animals in order to modify their behavior. Choice B is incorrect because behavior modification can be useful for individuals with a variety of learning and behavioral challenges, not just autism. Choice C is incorrect because behavior modification is a form of behaviorism, and the terms are often used interchangeably. Choice D is incorrect because behavior modification can be used with animals, and is commonly used in animal training.

Question 18

Bob has learned that he can usually get what he wants from his parents if he keeps whining for something.One day Bob starts whining in the toy store because he wants a GI Joe action figure.His father refuses to give it to him and ignores his whining.What will happen?

Accepted Answer

Extinction is the gradual disappearance of a behavior when it is no longer reinforced. In this scenario, Bob's whining behavior is no longer reinforced when his father ignores him, so the behavior should decrease over time.

Question 19

When Keller and Marian Breland,two psychologists who became animal trainers,decided that it would be cute to have a pig drop a big wooden coin into a box,they found that _______________.

Accepted Answer

The pig displayed instinctive drift by reverting to its natural rooting behavior, which interfered with the learned task of dropping the coin into a box.

Question 20

Ellen,an adult who has an intellectual disability,has just received a "token." Based on this information,it is most reasonable to assume that Ellen ________.

Accepted Answer

A "token" typically refers to a small object or coin that can be exchanged for a good or privilege, such as a token at an arcade or for public transportation. It is not related to praise, homelessness or therapy program completion.

Quiz 5: Learning