Ch.5 What is Learning

Josephine has just finished listening to a lecture on the causes of learned behavior. During the lecture, she heard that mental expectations of reinforcement affect the performance of what has been learned. Josephine has just heard a lecture based on the work of: Please choose the correct answer from the following choices, and then select the submit answer button.

albert bandeura

A mental representation of the physical layout of the environment is called a: Please choose the correct answer from the following choices, and then select the submit answer button.

cognitive map.

Robbie receives his paycheck every Friday. Robbie is being paid on a _____ schedule.

fixed-interval

The two primary types of conditioning discussed in the text are _____ and _____.

operant; classical

Dalbir believes that reinforcement is NOT necessary for learning to occur, but that it does have a positive impact on the performance of what has been learned. Dalbir's view is MOST consistent with the phenomenon called:

latent learning

David routinely forgets the password to his computer. He posts a sticky note on his computer with a password clue so he can remember it. Eventually, David remembers his password by simply thinking of his clue and no longer needs his sticky note. This is an example of _____ behavior.

learned

When Cal first attended college, he either barely passed or failed almost all his courses despite his best efforts. After working at a low-paying job for a couple of years, Cal has returned to school. Overwhelmed with the demands of exams, term papers, library assignments, and the need to concentrate on his studies, Cal finds himself procrastinating and engaging in other self-defeating passive behaviors. This example illustrates the phenomenon of: Please choose the correct answer from the following choices, and then select the submit answer button.

learned helplessness

Joey watches his older brother twirl his pasta around his fork using a spoon. Joey then attempts to twirl his pasta in the same way. Joey's older brother served as a _____ for Joey.

model

Penpa is watching a group of girls tease a classmate at her new school. The girls are about Penpa's age and she perceives them as having interests similar to hers. Based on what we know about imitation Penpa is:

more likely to imitate them because they seem similar to her.

Justin has trained his beagle to come when called and to walk next to him without a leash. One day while walking in a park, his beagle sees a rabbit and takes off and would not come when called. This misbehavior by Justin's dog supports the idea that Justin's beagle:

has a biological predisposition to chase rabbits and other small rodents.

Behaviors learned through operant conditioning are often acquired through:

shaping.

The operant conditioning procedure involving teaching a new behavior through prompting and reinforcing behaviors that come closer and closer to the goal behavior is referred to as:

shaping.

Road construction is preventing you from getting to the shopping mall using the route that you always travel. After thinking about it for a moment, you come up with a different route to take. You are using what Tolman referred to as: Please choose the correct answer from the following choices, and then select the submit answer button.

a cognitive map

Classical conditioning focuses on _____ behavior, whereas operant conditioning focuses on _____ behavior.

automatic; voluntary

Jody has begun to see a counselor for anger problems that are interrupting his ability to have healthy relationships. He believes that his anger problems are inherited because both his father and grandfather had the same type of anger problems. If John B. Watson were Jody's counselor, he would likely tell him that:

his anger is the result of conditioning and learning.

Frances is studying nonreinforced, natural behaviors and their impact on learned behaviors. It is likely that Frances is going to be tested on:

operant conditioning.

According to the _____ model developed by _____, behavior is shaped and maintained by its environmental consequences. Please choose the correct answer from the following choices, and then select the submit answer button.

operant conditioning; B.F. Skinner

Monica is a junior in high school. In order to increase the likelihood that she will get good grades, Monica's parents institute an incentive program in which they give her $25 for every "A" she receives on her report card. According to the principles of operant conditioning, Monica's increase in studying is called the _____, and the $75 she will eventually receive for 3 "A" grades is the _____. Please choose the correct answer from the following choices, and then select the submit answer button.

operant response; positive reinforcer

The last time Ethan went camping he found a snake in his tent. He is deathly afraid of snakes. Now, he is nervous every time he thinks about camping or watches a movie or television show that involves camping. The unconditioned stimulus in this case is/are:

snakes

About five hours after Dr. Sheckenov had successfully extinguished a dog's classically conditioned response of salivating to the sound of a bell, she discovered that the dog once again salivated in the presence of the bell. This example illustrates the phenomenon of:

spontaneous recovery

If an animal can be trained to respond to one stimulus and not the other, you can conclude that:

stimulus discrimination is occurring.

Which person is likely to experience learned helplessness?

Jodie, who is in an abusive relationship and feels that she cannot escape or get help

Nate is training his dog, Noodles, to bark when there is a knock on the door. He already knows that squeaking a mouse toy will make Noodles bark. So, he decides to squeak the mouse and knock on the door at the same time to condition Noodles to bark. What is the conditioned response in this case?

Noodles' bark

Although Skinner and other behaviorists did not think that it was necessary to refer to thoughts or expectations when explaining human learning, findings from experiments with rats suggest otherwise. Which finding suggests that cognitive processes are involved in operant learning?

Rats appear to experience latent learning while exploring mazes.

Though he did not discover the law of effect, _____ did the most to elaborate on it.

Skinner

_____ is the reappearance, after a pause, of an extinguished conditioned response.

Spontaneous recovery

Operant conditioning strengthens behavior through the:

consequences that occur.

Georgia likes to make tuna fish sandwiches for lunch. She uses her electric can opener and then usually gives the can with a few bits of tuna left inside to the cat as a treat. Georgia recently noticed that the cat comes running into the kitchen every time she uses her can opener to open anything, not just tuna fish. The cat's behavior when it hears the sound of the can opener is a result of:

classical conditioning

A psychologist with a _____ perspective would view mental processes as inherent to the learning of new behaviors

cognitive

Keisha's husband comes home from a busy day at work with a tired and unhappy expression. Keisha then decides to delay mentioning some good news. The look from her spouse functioned in this situation as a:

discriminative stimulus.

Three-year-old Todd enjoys having books read to him and frequently asks to be read to. Todd hates to have his hair washed and will run and hide if he sees his parent get the shampoo out. Edward Thorndike would explain his behaviors using the law of:

effect

Geri puts up her umbrella soon after it starts to rain to prevent her clothes from getting any wetter. This example illustrates _____ behavior and _____ reinforcement.

escape; negative

With continuous reinforcement, an organism is reinforced _____. With intermittent reinforcement, an organism is reinforced _____. Please choose the correct answer from the following choices, and then select the submit answer button.

every time the desired behavior occurs; sporadically when the desired behavior occurs

Which behavior is LEAST likely to be studied by researchers using operant techniques?

eye blinking

Sarah gets a weekly allowance, but only if all of her chores are completed by 5 P.M. on Friday night. Although Sarah does some work around the house during the week, most of her chores are done in a burst of activity after she comes home from school on Friday afternoon. Sarah's behavior is being maintained on a _____ schedule of reinforcement. Please choose the correct answer from the following choices, and then select the submit answer button.

fixed interval (FI)

During a typical morning, Colin will check the clock more frequently as the time for his regularly scheduled lunch break approaches. In this case, Colin's clock checking behavior is reinforced on a _____ schedule. Please choose the correct answer from the following choices, and then select the submit answer button.

fixed-interval

Lauren spent the first week of the semester exploring the campus. Later, she had no trouble locating the library, although she had never been there before. According to Tolman, Lauren:

formed a cognitive map.

Six-year-old Tony was recently bitten by his grandmother's Pekinese. Tony sees a different kind of small dog in the park a week later and begins to cry, but he does not cry when he sees a large dog. Tony's behavior in response to the small dog indicates that he is showing _____, and his behavior in response to the large dog indicates that he is showing _____.

generalization; discrimination

Michael is busy with a project. His son wants him to put a movie in the DVD player. Michael tells him to wait 10 minutes. However, his son whines and complains so much that Michael decides to put the movie in right away. In operant conditioning terms, what has Michael just done? Please choose the correct answer from the following choices, and then select the submit answer button.

increased the likelihood his son will whine in the future

Zeno tried to train his potbellied pig to pick up the newspaper on the doorstep and bring it into the house. However, the pig pushed the paper with his snout into the garden, even though this behavior would NOT be rewarded. It appears that Zeno's attempt to operantly condition his pig has been subject to:

instinctive drift

Ramona learned to drive a car with a stick shift 20 years ago but had not driven one until she rented a car in Italy. She found that she recovered this skill within a few minutes. This is an example of:

latent learning

When Samir received his driver's license, he was apprehensive about how to navigate to his destinations because he had always been a passenger, not the driver. But when he did begin to drive independently, he realized he that remembered how to navigate his way to various destinations. Tolman would say that Samir's ability to navigate demonstrates:

latent learning

As part of an experiment Lamarr is doing in behavioral psychology class, he is instructed to allow rats to explore a maze for a number of trials with no food or other type of reinforcement. When he then introduces food into the goal boxes, he finds that the rats are quickly able to find the food with few, if any, errors. Lamarr has just demonstrated proof of the phenomenon known as: Please choose the correct answer from the following choices, and then select the submit answer button.

latent learning.

If a person learns a statistical technique but does not use it for two semesters, and then successfully uses it, that person may have demonstrated:

latent learning.

If an action is negatively reinforced, it is _____ to be repeated. If an action is positively reinforced, it is _____ to be repeated.

more likely; more likely

Some forms of chemotherapy make patients sick. A patient who has eaten vegetarian pizza just before the therapy (and is then sick) later feels ill when she sees or smells pizza. In this example of taste aversion learning, the conditioned response is the:

nausea felt at the sight or smell of pizza.

At dinner one night, Amanda created a disturbance by using her spoon as a drumstick on her plate. Her mother told her that she would get no dessert if she persisted with her unruly behavior. Amanda soon stopped the banging. This example illustrates:

negative punishment.

At recess time each day, the first-graders have been making a habit of digging holes in the playground. The teacher has warned the children that they will have recess taken away the next day if they continue to dig holes. The children stop digging the holes. This example illustrates:

negative punishment.

Jake can make his sister Joy give him her toys or candy by whining. She hates the sound so much, Joy will give Jake whatever he wants to make him stop. When Jake stops whining, it serves as _____ for Joy.

negative reinforcement

Many professions include _____ as a training mechanism so that people can learn by watching the actions of others. Please choose the correct answer from the following choices, and then select the submit answer button.

observational learning

Michaela decided to adopt a healthier set of eating habits and to start exercising as soon as she got married. Her decision was based on her knowledge that _____ will influence her spouse's habits as well.

observational learning

Two times a week Don's mother lets him watch a video on trucks. Don develops an ability to name every type of truck with ease. Don's ability is the result of: Please choose the correct answer from the following choices, and then select the submit answer button.

observational learning.

Every time three-year-old Franklin hits his younger brother, Franklin's mother picks up Franklin and firmly says, "No," giving him the attention that he wants. What Franklin's mother doesn't realize is that she is conforming to a fundamental behavioral principle of _____ by reinforcing her son's behavior when he hits his brother. Please choose the correct answer from the following choices, and then select the submit answer button.

operant conditioning

The manager of a large shopping mall was upset about the groups of rowdy teenagers who were hanging out by the mall entrance and scaring off his adult customers. He discovered that if he played classical music over the loudspeakers by the door, the teenagers no longer gathered at the entrance. The mall manager's use of classical music is an example of the use of _____ to modify the teenagers' behavior.

positive punishment

James receives a grade of "A," and his teacher verbally praises him for his performance on this assignment. James begins to increase the time he studies math. This example illustrates:

positive reinforcement.

Four-year-old Cameron notices that every time his baby brother cries, his mother picks the baby up and holds him. Cameron quickly learns that if he also cries he will get his mother to pay attention to him. Cameron's behavior resembles the choices made in the Bobo doll experiments, in that his brother's behavior is _____, and therefore Cameron is more likely to _____ it. Please choose the correct answer from the following choices, and then select the submit answer button.

reinforced; imitate

By _____ a behavior, it increases the chances that it will occur again.

reinforcing

As a result of the research conducted by Rescorla and his colleagues, the modern understanding of how learning occurs in classical conditioning differs from that of Pavlov and Watson in its emphasis on the role of _____ that precede the unconditioned stimulus.

reliable signals

Money is an example of a:

secondary reinforcer.

Long after her conditioned fear of dogs had been extinguished, Darcy experienced an unexpected surge of nervousness when she first met her cousin's new cocker spaniel. Her unexpected nervousness illustrates:

spontaneous recovery

Nathan had leukemia as a child and had to undergo numerous bouts of chemotherapy. After the chemotherapy, he associated the waiting room with nausea. Now 35 years old, he has to take his mother to the same hospital for breast cancer treatment, and he becomes nauseated while in the waiting room with her. Nathan's nausea BEST illustrates: Please choose the correct answer from the following choices, and then select the submit answer button.

spontaneous recovery.

In Pavlov's classic experiment the sound of a ticking metronome was the _____ that produced a(n) _____ of salivating in dogs, even in the absence of food.

stimulus; response

Angie's always-angry boss wears a particular type of cologne. One day, Angie was at a store when she smelled the same cologne. The smell produced a momentary feeling of uneasiness. In this example, the unconditioned stimulus is:

the boss.

Zane had leukemia as a child and had to undergo numerous bouts of chemotherapy. The chemotherapy always made him nauseated. During the year of treatment, the waiting room started to make him feel nauseated. The waiting room became:

the conditioned stimulus.

Zane had leukemia as a child and had to undergo numerous bouts of chemotherapy. The chemotherapy always made him nauseated. During the year of treatment, the waiting room started to make him feel nauseated. The waiting room became: Please choose the correct answer from the following choices, and then select the submit answer button.

the conditioned stimulus.

Neta is training her dog, Panda, to bark when there is a knock on the door. She already knows that squeaking a mouse toy will make Panda bark. So, she decides to squeak the mouse and knock on the door at the same time to condition Panda to bark. What is the conditioned stimulus in this case? Please choose the correct answer from the following choices, and then select the submit answer button.

the knock on the door

"Responses followed by a satisfying effect are strengthened and likely to occur again in a particular situation, but responses followed by a dissatisfying effect are weakened and less likely to occur again in a particular situation." What law of learning does this statement describe?

the law of effect

Delvin does things that make him feel good and avoids things that make him feel bad. His behaviors are consistent with:

the law of effect.

Rachel is training her dog, Duke, to bark when there is a knock on the door. She already knows that squeaking a mouse toy will make Duke bark automatically. So, she decides to squeak the mouse and knock on the door at the same time to condition Duke to bark. What is the unconditioned stimulus?

the squeaking mouse

For professional baseball players, swinging at a pitched ball is reinforced with a home run on a _____ schedule. Please choose the correct answer from the following choices, and then select the submit answer button.

variable-ratio

A variable-ratio schedule reinforces behavior after a:

varying number of responses.

Erv developed a fear of attics after his wife accidentally locked him in his own attic. Erv's present fear of the attic is a(n): Please choose the correct answer from the following choices, and then select the submit answer button.

conditioned emotional response.

Habitual coffee drinkers, such as Don and Sandy, often acquire a classically conditioned response (CR) to the smell, sight, or taste of coffee. Even after drinking a cup or two of decaffeinated coffee, which is missing the active ingredient caffeine, they experience increased arousal and alertness. In this example the smell, taste, and sight of the decaffeinated coffee is the _____ and the response to the decaffeinated coffee is called _____.

conditioned stimulus; a placebo response

Agnes has been unable to drive a motorcycle since being involved in a serious motorcycle accident. Every time she sees a motorcycle, her heart races and she begins to sweat. A person with knowledge of classical conditioning would be correct in saying that, for Agnes, the motorcycle is now a(n) _____, and the heart racing and sweating is the _____.

conditioned stimulus; conditioned response

Each time Reza gets his paycheck, he uses a portion of the money to buy a nice dinner for his family. The money is a _____ reinforcer, and the dinner is a _____ reinforcer.

conditioned; primary

Research shows that infants can become fearful of furry objects that are associated with frightening noises. Further, when infants begin to crawl, they learn from their falls and near-falls. This process of fear acquisition is known as: Please choose the correct answer from the following choices, and then select the submit answer button.

conditioning

Grace is learning to walk around the furniture, and every time she stands up and grabs the couch, her mother applauds and says, "Go Grace!" Grace's mother is using a(n) _____ schedule of reinforcement. Please choose the correct answer from the following choices, and then select the submit answer button.

continuous

Thorndike's law of effect states that behaviors leading to pleasant situations will be _____, and behaviors that result in unpleasant situations will be _____.

repeated; avoided

Thorndike's groundbreaking experiments with cats in the puzzle box primarily revealed that:

responses followed by a satisfying effect are strengthened and likely to be repeated.

Janet is trying to teach her three-year-old how to dress himself. First she has him put on his pants by himself, and she gives him some M&Ms. The next day she has him put on his pants and his shirt, and she gives him some M&Ms. By the end of the week her son is dressing himself completely. Janet is making use of the principle of: Please choose the correct answer from the following choices, and then select the submit answer button.

shaping

Nora always drives down Sheridan Avenue to get to the college campus. One morning, she discovers that Madison Avenue is closed at 10th Street because of flooding. Nora immediately takes a different route to the campus. How would psychologist Edward Tolman explain Nora's behavior?

She has formed a cognitive map of the area.

Nichole's parents are often inconsistent in terms of their behaviors and what they say. For example, they often tell Nichole how important it is to be polite, but are not very polite themselves when it comes to letting other people off airplanes or giving up seats in public buses. How would you expect this contradiction to impact Nichole's behavior? Please choose the correct answer from the following choices, and then select the submit answer button.

She would act rude but talk about how important it is to be polite.

Each time Casey's dog begs at the family dinner table, Casey sneaks her a piece of food. Whenever his father sees him do this he yells, "No Casey! If you occasionally feed her, she will come back more often." If B.F. Skinner overheard this conversation, he would _____ with Casey's father, based on the partial reinforcement effect, which states that partially reinforced behavior is _____ likely to persist.

agree; more

Every time Maggie's dog begs at the family dinner table, Maggie sneaks her a piece of food. Whenever her mother sees her do this, she yells, "No Maggie! If you occasionally feed her, she will come back more often." If B.F. Skinner were sitting at the table, he would _____ with Maggie's mother, based on the partial reinforcement effect, which states that partially reinforced behavior is _____ likely to persist. Please choose the correct answer from the following choices, and then select the submit answer button.

agree; more

Cats love to chase the light produced by laser pointers. Some people may believe that this behavior shows how dumb cats are but, in reality, it supports the idea of cats':

biological predisposition to chase moving objects.

When standing at a crosswalk, people frequently start crossing the street in response to stimuli that reliably precede the walk sign. (In this case, cars stopping.) This is very similar to what process of learning? Please choose the correct answer from the following choices, and then select the submit answer button.

classical conditioning

Keith claims to feel more awake and "ready to go," within 2 minutes of his first sip of coffee in the morning. Given that it takes at least 20 minutes for caffeine to reach significant levels in one's bloodstream, it is likely that Keith is experiencing a(n) _____ response to the sight, smell, and taste of coffee.

classically conditioned

Helmut is employed by his university as a telephone solicitor for a fund-raising drive. He is paid a set amount of money for every 10 calls he makes regardless of whether he is successful in raising funds. Helmut's telephoning is reinforced on a _____ schedule of reinforcement. Please choose the correct answer from the following choices, and then select the submit answer button.

fixed-ratio (FR)

A teacher wanted to increase class participation, so she positively reinforced students who asked questions by giving them nickels when they participated in class discussions. After a few days, students had stacks of nickels on their desks and were asking far too many questions. To reduce the number of questions, the teacher could remove a nickel whenever students asked a question, a process known as _____. Or, she could simply stop giving students nickels when they asked questions, a process known as _____.

negative punishment; extinction

Anne drinks coffee because it reduces her sleepiness. Anne's drinking coffee is being maintained by:

negative reinforcement.

Becca studies very hard to avoid getting bad grades because she finds a bad grade a devastating experience. Becca's increased studying behavior is maintained by:

negative reinforcement.

The last time Samantha went camping, she found a snake in her tent. She is deathly afraid of snakes. Now she becomes nervous every time she thinks about camping or watches a movie or television show that involves camping. The conditioned response in this case is/are:

nervousness

To keep her young daughter from touching a hot stove, Rhonda loudly claps her hands every time her daughter Claire gets near the stove, frightening the child. Now, every time Claire gets too close to the stove, she feels afraid and moves away from it. According to the classical conditioning paradigm, the neutral stimulus in this scenario is _____, the unconditioned stimulus is _____, and the unconditioned response is _____.

the stove; the loud hand clap; fear

Jack finds it extremely difficult to pull himself away from the blackjack table. He keeps thinking that the next hand will be his winning one. This is a _____ schedule. Please choose the correct answer from the following choices, and then select the submit answer button.

variable-ratio