Lesson 4: Learning

Every Saturday morning, Arnold quickly washes the family's breakfast dishes so that his father will allow him to wash his car. In this instance, washing the car is a(n): a. unconditioned response. b. conditioned response. c. negative reinforcer. d. positive reinforcer.

d

In response to cutting up an onion, airborne irritants released by the onion will cause your eyes to automatically water or produce tears. Using Pavlov's terminology, the tears would be termed a(n): a. conditioned stimulus (CS). b. conditioned response (CR). c. unconditioned stimulus (UCS). d. unconditioned response (UCR).

d

Miss Cantrell began using stickers to reward her first-graders who stayed in their seats and completed their arithmetic worksheets on time. Using operant conditioning terms, Miss Cantrell is using a ________ to reward desired behavior. a. primary reinforcer b. punishment by removal c. negative reinforcer d. conditioned (secondary) reinforcer

d

Bandura's "Bobo doll" experiments were intended to demonstrate: a. observational learning. b. latent learning. c. insight. d. shaping.

a

A real estate agent showed Gavin several pictures of lakeshore property while they were eating a delicious, mouth-watering meal. Later, when Gavin toured the property, he drooled with delight. For Gavin, the lakeshore property was a: a. CS. b. UR. c. US. d. CR.

a

Dan and Joel, both 4-year-olds, have been watching reruns of "Superman" on television. Joel's mother recently found the boys standing on the garage roof, ready to try flying. What best accounts for the boys' behavior? a. observational learning b. immediate reinforcement c. classical conditioning d. delayed reinforcement

a

Ever since she foolishly drank too much beer at a rock concert and vomited all over her boyfriend, Sharon becomes nauseous at the smell or taste of beer. In this example, the conditioned stimulus is ________ and the conditioned response is ________. a. the smell or taste of beer; nausea b. nausea; the smell or taste of beer c. her boyfriend; nausea d. nausea; loud music

a

Every Friday, Dr. Cruz would give a quiz in his psychology class. Students quickly learned to be nervous on Friday mornings, just before each quiz. Halfway through the semester, Dr. Cruz stopped giving quizzes on Fridays and the students' anxiety began to diminish with each passing week in which there was no quiz. The decrease in the students' anxiety may be attributed to the process of: a. extinction. b. latent learning. c. spontaneous recovery. d. stimulus generalization.

a

Grace whistles while tickling Khaleel with a feather. Eventually, Khaleel starts to squirm and giggle every time Grace whistles, even when he is not being tickled. In this example, squirming and giggling is a(n) ________. a. conditioned response b. conditioned stimulus c. unconditioned response d. unconditioned stimulus

a

Helen always drives down Sheridan Avenue to go to the college campus. One morning Helen discovers that Sheridan Avenue is closed at 23rd Street because of flooding. Helen immediately takes a different route to the campus. How would psychologist Edward Tolman explain Helen's behavior? a. she has formed a cognitive map of the area b. the standing water was a reliable predictor of danger c. Helen was observing the actions of others in the situation d. she is classically conditioned to fear water

a

If you shine a bright light directly into a person's eye, the pupil of the eye will reflexively constrict. Using Pavlov's terminology, the bright light would be termed the ________, and the pupil constricting would be termed the ________. a. unconditioned stimulus; unconditioned response b. conditioned response; unconditioned response c. conditioned stimulus; unconditioned stimulus d. conditioned stimulus; conditioned response

a

Last year, Dr. Moritano cleaned Natacha's skin with rubbing alcohol before each of a series of painful rabies shots. Which of the following processes explains why Natacha now is afraid every time she smells rubbing alcohol? a. classical conditioning b. negative reinforcement c. operant conditioning d. latent learning

a

Positive reinforcement ________ the likelihood of a behavior's being repeated. Negative reinforcement ________ the likelihood of a behavior's being repeated. a. increases; increases b. decreases; increases c. decreases; decreases d. increases; decreases

a

Positive reinforcement is to negative reinforcement as: a. addition of a reinforcing stimulus is to removal of an aversive stimulus. b. primary reinforcer is to conditioned reinforcer. c. addition of a reinforcing stimulus is to removal of a reinforcing stimulus. d. increase in behavior is to decrease in behavior.

a

To avoid losing any data on his computer, Tom consistently backs up his computer data to a second hard drive. Using operant conditioning terms, Tom's behavior of backing up his data to a second hard drive is an example of: a. negative reinforcement by avoidance. b. negative reinforcement by escape. c. positive reinforcement. d. punishment.

a

Whenever she sees a bolt of lightning streak across the sky, Maria quickly unplugs her computer equipment to keep it from being damaged by an electrical surge. Using operant conditioning terms, Maria's behavior is being maintained by: a. negative reinforcement by avoidance. b. positive reinforcement. c. negative reinforcement by escape. d. punishment.

a

Your heart may race when you are confronted by a lion but not when you are approached by a kitten. This best illustrates the adaptive value of: a. discrimination. b. spontaneous recovery. c. extrinsic motivation. d. shaping.

a

After establishing a classically conditioned response to a tone, the experimenter then set up a second trial using a new conditioned stimulus, a red light. He repeatedly paired the new conditioned stimulus (the red light) with the conditioned stimulus from the first trial (the tone). This procedure resulted in the conditioned response being elicited by the red light alone, even though it had never been paired with the unconditioned stimulus. The experimenter has demonstrated: a. learned helplessness. b. higher order conditioning (second-order conditioning). c. extinction. d. the partial reinforcement effect.

b

After she realized that the mosquito had bitten her and her hand was starting to itch, Akai rubbed some cortisone cream on the swollen spot, and the itching stopped. The next time a mosquito bit her, she applied cortisone cream immediately to relieve the itching. Using operant conditioning terms, this is an example of: a. negative punishment. b. negative reinforcement by escape. c. positive reinforcement. d. negative reinforcement by avoidance.

b

Birds migrating, cats chasing prey, sea turtles moving toward the ocean immediately after birth, and joeys moving to the mother's pouch immediately after birth are all examples of ________. a. conditioning b. instincts c. learning d. reflexes

b

Cal works in a factory and is paid based upon his productivity. For every 100 widgets that Cal assembles, he receives $10. The owners of the factory are using a ________ schedule of reinforcement to pay Cal. a. variable-interval b. fixed-ratio c. fixed-interval d. variable-ratio

b

Dave's boss told him that he doesn't have to attend the company picnic (which everybody dislikes) if Dave meets his sales quota this month. Dave's boss is using ________. a. negative punishment b. negative reinforcement c. positive punishment d. positive reinforcement

b

If a slamming door is a conditioned stimulus, then being able to distinguish between the sound of a slamming door and the sound of a heavy item being dropped would represent ________. a. conditioned response b. stimulus discrimination c. stimulus generalization d. unconditioned response

b

In an advertisement that uses classical conditioning to persuade, the product or service being promoted is usually a(n): a. negative reinforcer. b. conditioned stimulus. c. positive reinforcer. d. unconditioned stimulus.

b

In response to a cold temperature, your body will shiver reflexively. Using Pavlov's terminology, the cold temperature would be termed a(n): a. unconditioned response (UCR). b. unconditioned stimulus (UCS). c. conditioned response (CR). d. conditioned stimulus (CS).

b

Martina is an animal trainer at Sea World. To teach a new dolphin to jump through a hoop high above the water, Martina first reinforces the dolphin for approaching the hoop while it is under the water. Then, she reinforces the dolphin for swimming through the hoop under water. Gradually raising the hoop, Martina progressively reinforces each small step toward the goal behavior. Martina is using the process of ________ to train the dolphin. a. punishment by application b. shaping c. partial reinforcement d. observational learning

b

Mindy is in nursing school and is learning how to measure a patient's blood pressure. Her instructor first shows the class a video that demonstrates the proper procedures for measuring blood pressure and then demonstrates these same procedures using Mindy as a "patient." Mindy and her class are learning how to measure blood pressure in patients through the use of: a. latent learning. b. observational learning. c. operant conditioning. d. classical conditioning.

b

Negative reinforcement: a. decreases the likelihood that a behavior will be performed. b. leads to an increase in the probability of a behavior. c. is the same thing as punishment. d. is the same thing as secondary reinforcement.

b

A rat in a Skinner box receives a food pellet every ten times the bar is pressed. The rat is on a ________ schedule of reinforcement. a. variable-ratio b. variable-interval c. fixed-ratio d. fixed-interval

c

A young child has learned to associate the sight of a nurse's white uniform with the fear and pain of getting an injection. If the young child begins reacting with fear to the sight of any white jacket, what has occurred? a. higher order conditioning b. stimulus discrimination c. stimulus generalization d. spontaneous recovery

c

A young child has learned to associate the sight of a nurse's white uniform with the fear and pain of getting an injection. Using Pavlov's terminology, when the white uniform elicits a fear response, it would be termed a(n): a. unconditioned response (UCR). b. conditioned response (CR). c. conditioned stimulus (CS). d. unconditioned stimulus (UCS).

c

After a dog had been conditioned to salivate at the sight of meat powder, the meat powder was presented to the dog every three minutes and held just out of the dog's reach. Over the course of several trials, the amount of saliva secreted by the dog decreased to zero, indicating that ________ had occurred. a. negative reinforcement b. biological preparedness c. extinction d. spontaneous recovery

c

After buying an electric grass trimmer, Richard changed into his shorts and went out in his bare feet to trim the grass. When he moved the trimmer too close to his leg, the rotating line gashed and cut his ankle. Richard no longer wears shorts or goes barefoot when he uses the grass trimmer. Richard's behavior of dressing inappropriately for gardening has been changed as a result of: a. negative reinforcement. b. punishment by removal (negative punishment). c. punishment by application (positive punishment). d. learned helplessness.

c

After getting cactus needles stuck in her hand, 2-year-old Rachel no longer touches cactus plants. Using operant conditioning terms, this is an example of: a. punishment by removal (negative punishment). b. higher order conditioning. c. punishment by application (positive punishment). d. negative reinforcement.

c

Bill always starts his day with a cup of strong coffee. Bill stayed overnight at his mother's home and she made him a cup of coffee when he got up. Later, he was surprised to discover that his mother's coffee was decaffeinated, because he had felt more alert after drinking the coffee. In this example, what is the CS and CR? a. the CS is the drug caffeine, and the CR is alertness b. the CS is the smell and taste of coffee, and the CR is the drug caffeine c. the CS is the smell and taste of coffee, and the CR is alertness d. the CS is alertness, and the CR is the smell and taste of coffee

c

In Watson and Rayner's famous "Little Albert" study, what was the unconditioned stimulus (UCS)? a. fear in response to the loud clanging sound b. the sight of the white rat c. the loud clanging sound d. fear in response to the sight of the rat

c

In your philosophy class, you have found that your professor never calls on you when you raise your hand. As a result you no longer raise your hand to ask or answer questions. In learning theory, no longer raising your hand would be the result of: a. stimulus discrimination. b. partial reinforcement. c. extinction. d. negative reinforcement.

c

Rats are allowed to wander through a maze for several days with no food reward at the end of it. On the tenth day, a food reward is placed at the end of the maze. Which of the following results would provide evidence for latent learning? a. Every day, the rats take longer and longer to get to the end of the maze. b. The rats take just as long to get to the end of the maze on day 11 as they did on day 1. c. The rats improve very little in how quickly they reach the end of the maze for the first ten days, but dramatically improve their performance on day 11. d. The rats show a gradual improvement in how quickly they reach the end of the maze from day 1 to day 11.

c

The famous "Little Albert" study conducted by John Watson and Rosalie Rayner demonstrated: a. that even a baby can be conditioned to salivate to the sound of a bell. b. that all emotional reactions are inborn, naturally occurring reflexes. c. that it was possible to classically condition an emotional reaction to a previously neutral stimulus. d. that it was possible to operantly condition voluntary behavior in infants if the right reinforcer was presented immediately following the target behavior.

c

To keep from getting mosquito bites when he mows the lawn, Kevin always sprays himself with insect repellent before he starts mowing. Using operant conditioning terms, this is an example of: a. negative reinforcement by escape. b. extinction. c. negative reinforcement by avoidance. d. positive reinforcement.

c

Which of the following is an example of operant conditioning? a. when a cat and a dog share the same water bowl b. when a cat learns to drool at the sound of a can opener c. when a dog plays dead she gets a treat in order to encourage her to repeat the behavior d. when a dog refuses to play dead

c

After repeatedly pairing the sound of a bell with food being placed in a dog's mouth, the sound of the bell alone will make the dog salivate. The dog's salivation to the sound of the bell is called the: a. conditioned stimulus (CS). b. unconditioned response (UCR). c. unconditioned stimulus (UCS). d. conditioned response (CR).

d

As compared to behaviors reinforced on continuous schedules, behaviors reinforced intermittently are ________ resistant to extinction. a. slightly less b. equally c. much less d. more

d

At the beginning of the semester, the humanities instructor explains that there will be ten surprise quizzes over the semester, so students are strongly encouraged to keep up with their reading and attend every class. The humanities instructor is using a ________ schedule of reinforcement to encourage studying and class attendance. a. variable-ratio b. fixed-interval c. fixed-ratio d. variable-interval

d

Blan's thumb sucking has become a habit because it reduces her anxiety. This best illustrates the process of: a. generalization. b. classical conditioning. c. latent learning. d. operant conditioning.

d

Colin was spanked on several occasions for spilling his milk at a restaurant. These experiences made him fearful of the restaurant. In this case, spanking was a(n) ________ for Colin's fear. a. negative reinforcer b. secondary reinforcer c. conditioned stimulus d. unconditioned stimulus

d

On the first trial, the rat had to press the bar three times to get a pellet of food. On the second trial, seven bar presses were needed. Although it continued to vary from trial to trial, on the average the rat was reinforced for every five bar presses. The rat is on a ________ schedule of reinforcement. a. fixed-ratio b. fixed-interval c. variable-interval d. variable-ratio

d

Whenever Kim and Russ make love, they always play Ravel's classic instrumental work "Boléro" in the background. One day, as Kim is walking past a music appreciation class, she realizes that the class is listening to Ravel's "Boléro." As she continues to walk down the hall, she smiles to herself as erotic thoughts of Russ cross her mind. Which of the following best represents the unconditioned stimulus in this example? a. sexual arousal in response to the classical work "Boléro" b. the sound of Ravel's "Boléro" c. the sight of the musical appreciation classroom d. intimate physical contact with her partner

d

Whenever Stephanie changes the engine air filter in her car, she unscrews the two bolts that hold the filter cover on, then places the two bolts by the car's front tire to avoid dropping (and losing) them in the car's engine. Using operant conditioning terminology, placing the bolts by the tire is: a. an operant (behavior) that is being reinforced on a fixed-interval schedule. b. an unconditioned response that is being positively reinforced. c. the operant (behavior) that is being positively reinforced. d. the operant (behavior) that is being negatively reinforced.

d