Ch 5
The famous Bobo doll research was conducted by _____ and showed the power of _____.
Albert Bandura; observational learning
Behaviorism was an early "school" or approach to psychology that was founded by:
John B. Watson.
Which of the following is TRUE regarding current research on learning preferences?
There is no good evidence supporting the hypothesis that students will learn more if they are taught only in a way that matches their preferences.
To produce a learned response in classical conditioning, what two elements are repeatedly paired?
a neutral stimulus and a stimulus that naturally elicits a response
The famous Bobo doll study demonstrated that:
children are less likely to imitate the actions of someone who has been punished for his or her actions than the actions of someone who has been rewarded.
According to B.F. Skinner:
environmental factors determine a person's behavior.
Which of the following psychologists has conducted extensive research on observational learning?
Albert Bandura
Which of the following is TRUE regarding violent video games?
Although two meta-analyses concluded that violent video games increase aggressive thoughts and behavior, other researchers disagree with these findings.
Which of the following statements best captures the basic idea of operant conditioning?
Behavior is shaped and maintained by its consequences
In 1971, B.F. Skinner published a book called Beyond Freedom and Dignity, which became a bestseller. How did the American public respond to the message of his book?
Critics were outraged by Skinner's assertions, which clashed with traditional American values, such as individual freedom, self-determination, and self-reliance.
Which learning researcher believed that operant conditioning involved an organism learning "what leads to what," or the cognitive expectation that a particular consequence would follow a particular behavior?
Edward C. Tolman
Which statement is TRUE regarding reinforcement in operant conditioning?
It is defined by the effect that it produces—increasing or strengthening behavior.
Why do variable-ratio schedules produce steady rates of responding?
It is not possible to predict which response will lead to the delivery of a reinforcer.
Your friend Mahalia became very ill a few hours after eating lasagna in the school cafeteria. Now, Mahalia feels nauseous whenever she smells lasagna. Which statement accurately explains why this occurs?
Mahalia has experienced a learned taste aversion, which can occur after only one pairing of food and illness
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:
Marian and Keller Breland.
_____ is credited with saying "It became my mission in life to help create a positive psychology whose mission would be the understanding and building of positive emotion, of strength and virtue, and of positive institutions."
Martin Seligman
How can you explain the finding that quail could be easily conditioned to associate an illness with blue-colored water, but rats could not?
Quail are biologically prepared to associate visual stimuli with illness, while rats are not.
Which of the following statements best captures the essence of Thorndike's law of effect?
Rewarded behaviors are more likely to be repeated, while unrewarded behaviors are less likely to be repeated.
Which psychologist proposed a cognitive explanation of classical conditioning?
Robert Rescorla
Which of the following statements about B.F. Skinner is TRUE?
Skinner believed that human behavior is determined by environmental consequences, not by individual choice or free will.
After a dog had been conditioned to salivate to the sight of a triangle, the triangle alone was presented to the dog every three minutes. Over the course of several trials, the amount of saliva secreted by the dog in response to the triangle decreased to zero. At that point, the dog was put back in his cage for the night. What happened the next morning when the triangle was presented to the dog again?
Spontaneous recovery likely occurred, and the dog salivated in response to the triangle.
Which of the following statements best describes the phenomenon of instinctive drift?
The biological predisposition to perform natural behaviors can interfere with learning operant behaviors.
Howard's cat meows incessantly, and Howard frequently, but not always, gives in and feeds her. Howard decides to stop reinforcing this problem behavior, so he ignores his cat whenever the cat starts meowing. When Howard initiates this extinction procedure, what is likely to happen?
The cat's meowing will temporarily increase, but then it will decrease.
In a series of studies, Thorndike put hungry cats into specially constructed cages called "puzzle boxes." There was a plate of food just outside the cage where the cats could see and smell it. At the end of his studies, what did Thorndike conclude about the cats?
The cats used trial and error to escape from the puzzle box.
According to the Psych for Your Life section, "Using Learning Principles to Improve Self-Control," why should you try to study in the same location?
The particular location can become a discriminative stimulus that sets the occasion for studying.
What is the most valid conclusion to be drawn about the different models of conditioning and learning?
The principles of operant and classical conditioning are generally valid, but cannot account for all aspects of behavior.
Many endangered quolls have died because they eat cane toads, whose bodies contain a deadly poison. Ecologist Stephanie O'Donnell created a conditioned taste aversion to teach quolls to avoid eating cane toads. When released into the wild, what was the difference in survival rates of quolls with taste aversions versus those in the control group?
The quolls with taste aversions survived up to five times longer in the wild as control group quolls.
Rats are allowed to wander through a maze for several days with no food reward at the end of it. On the 10th day, a food reward is placed at the end of the maze. Which of the following results would provide evidence for latent learning?
The rats improve very little in how quickly they reach the end of the maze for the first 10 days, but dramatically improve their performance on day 11.
Blake is determined to graduate from college with honors. As he was studying for his final exam the next day, a friend called and invited him to a party. Blake really wanted to go to the party and decided that he would get up early and study for his final exam the next morning before class. Based on what you read in the Psych for Your Life section, why did Blake decide to go to the party?
The value of the short-term reinforcer (going to the party) momentarily outweighed the value of the long-term reinforcer (graduating with honors).
Rats can most easily be classically conditioned to learn an association between which two stimuli?
a taste and physical discomfort, such as nausea or illness
Josiah, a graduate student in psychology, wishes to use classical conditioning to condition a learned taste aversion in pigeons. Which of the following would be the easiest stimulus to use as his conditioned stimulus?
a visual stimulus, such as colored water
An operant could be defined as:
a voluntary action
Which of the following brain structures is involved in both approach and avoidance behavior?
amygdala
Classical conditioning involves _____, while operant conditioning involves _____.
behavior elicited by a stimulus; behavior emitted by an organism
In applying conditioning principles in the workplace, a large retailer allowed employees to choose their own reinforcers. A casual dress code and flexible work hours proved to be effective in increasing productivity. The employer has used _____ to improve employee performance.
behavior modification
The application of learning principles to help people develop more effective or adaptive behaviors is called:
behavior modification.
The notion that an organism is innately predisposed to form associations between certain stimuli and responses is termed:
biological preparedness.
Leonardo's friend Winifred told him that she was considering dropping out of college because no matter how hard she studied, she couldn't seem to get her grades above a C average. Leonardo realized that Winifred was experiencing feelings of learned helplessness. Leonardo should advise Winifred to:
break tasks down into smaller, manageable goals and seek information about exactly what was needed to succeed in each class.
Based on a review of decades of research, the American Psychological Association and other public health organizations stated that viewing media violence:
can contribute to an increase in aggressive attitudes, values, and behaviors
There are two basic types of conditioning: _____ and _____ conditioning.
classical; operant
Jamal loves strong coffee and cheerfully admits that he depends on coffee to wake him up each morning. One morning, his partner substituted decaffeinated coffee without telling him. Nevertheless, he still felt more alert after drinking the decaffeinated coffee. Jamal's alertness after drinking decaffeinated coffee is a(n):
classically conditioned response to the taste and smell of coffee, and other stimuli associated with it.
Awards, frequent flyer points, and college degrees are examples of:
conditioned reinforcers.
After repeatedly pairing the sound of a ticking metronome with food being placed in a dog's mouth, the sound of the ticking metronome alone will make the dog salivate. At this point, the sound of the ticking metronome is a(n):
conditioned stimulus (CS).
A _____ reinforcer is one that has acquired reinforcing value by being associated with a _____ reinforcer.
conditioned; primary
The process of learning associations between environmental events and behavioral responses is called:
conditioning
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
doing nothing.
In operant conditioning, "discriminative stimulus" is defined as a(n):
environmental stimulus or cue in the presence of which a particular response is more likely to be reinforced
Every Friday, Dr. Velasquez would give a quiz in his theology class. Students quickly learned to be nervous on Friday mornings, just before each quiz. Halfway through the semester, Dr. Velasquez 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:
extinction
Hiroto used the vending machine near his dorm quite frequently, but the last few times he tried to get a drink the vending machine malfunctioned and he lost his money. Now he no longer uses this vending machine. Which of the following has occurred in this situation?
extinction of an operant behavior
Rhitu is making some extra money as a phone solicitor for her university's fund-raising drive. She is paid $25 for every 20 calls she makes, regardless of whether the person donates. Rhitu is on a _____ schedule of reinforcement.
fixed-ratio
Anthony is studying for his final exam the next day, but a friend calls and invites him to a party. Anthony really wants to go to the party, but he also needs a good grade on his final in order to maintain his standing on the Dean's Honor Roll and increase his chances of getting into medical school. Instead of thinking about how much fun the party will be, Anthony instead visualizes himself as a doctor, treating patients and performing surgery. What self-control strategy is Anthony using
focusing on the delayed reinforcer
College students who experience feelings of learned helplessness may respond to academic setbacks, such as failing a test, in which of the following ways?
giving up prematurely on subsequent academic tasks or procrastinating instead of persisting
A conditioned stimulus from one learning trial is used in place of an unconditioned stimulus in a new conditioning trial, where it is paired with a second stimulus. The second stimulus then comes to elicit the conditioned response, even though it has never been directly paired with the unconditioned stimulus. This is a description of a procedure called:
higher order conditioning or second-order conditioning.
Which of the following factors was NOT identified as a factor that contributes to the effectiveness of entertainment-education programs?
identifying a specific villain who is to blame for unhealthy behaviors
Positive reinforcement _____ the likelihood of a behavior's being repeated. Negative reinforcement _____ the likelihood of a behavior's being repeated.
increases; increases
In the year during which a dramatic series that promoted literacy among adults was broadcast on television in Mexico, enrollment in literacy instruction groups:
jumped from 90,000 to more than 800,000 people.
The idea that people differ with regard to what mode of instruction is most effective for them is called:
learning styles
Because he was flirting with another woman, Doug got dumped by his girlfriend. Now, Doug no longer flirts with other women when he has a girlfriend. This is an example of:
negative punishment
You take two aspirin to relieve a headache. Thirty minutes later, the headache is gone. You are now more likely to take aspirin to deal with bodily aches and pain in the future. In other words, _____ has occurred. punishment
negative reinforcement by escape
Which brain region is known to be involved in reward?
nucleus accumbens
Macaque monkeys are capable of learning a cognitive rule for ordering lists of photographs simply from watching another macaque successfully complete the task. This is an example of:
observational learning.
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:
observational learning.
The television program Makutano Junction was developed in Kenya to encourage healthy behaviors, such as the prevention of malaria and living with HIV or AIDS, as well as information on modern farming practices, government corruption, and family life and relationships. These entertainment-education programs use the principles of:
observational learning.
According to B.F. Skinner, superstitious behaviors are the result of:
operant conditioning.
An organism enhances its odds of survival by being responsive to the consequences of its actions, as in:
operant conditioning.
Behavior that is conditioned with _____ reinforcement is _____ resistant to extinction.
partial; more
Skinner strongly believed that the field of psychology should restrict itself to the study of:
phenomena that could be objectively measured and verified.
After buying an electric grass trimmer, Raul 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 his ankle. Raul no longer wears shorts or goes barefoot when he uses the grass trimmer. Raul's behavior of dressing inappropriately for gardening has been changed as a result of:
positive punishment
Neuroscientist Kay Tye and her colleagues identified two distinct populations of neurons in the amygdala. One group encoded _____ associations, while the other group encoded _____ associations.
positive; negative
You want to make sure that you aren't late for work, so you call a co-worker who is always punctual and ask her to meet you for coffee before work the next morning. You know you'll be more likely to be on time if someone is waiting to meet you. What strategy are you using?
precommitment
Psychologists formally define "learning" as a process that:
produces a relatively permanent change in behavior or knowledge as a result of experience.
A behavior that is governed by the nervous system and occurs automatically is a:
reflex
John Watson believed that human emotions were:
reflexive responses that involved the muscles and glands.
Classical conditioning is to operant conditioning as _____ are to _____.
reflexive, involuntary responses; nonreflexive, voluntary responses
Psychologist Edward C. Tolman's studies with rats in mazes led him to conclude that:
reinforcement is not necessary for learning to occur.
"Okay, that was good! Now this time, don't close your eyes. Keep your eye on the ball, so you know when to close your hands," Mark said in the process of teaching his five-year-old to play catch. In operant conditioning terms, Mark is using _____ to teach his daughter how to catch a ball.
shaping
Reinforcing successively closer approximations of a behavior until the desired behavior is displayed is an operant conditioning procedure called:
shaping
Partial reinforcement is to _____ as continuous reinforcement is to _____.
sometimes; always
Joshua's dog, Lola, loves to eat scraps of food from the table. Specifically, Lola loves french fries from Joshua's favorite fast-food restaurant. When Joshua brings home a paper bag from his favorite fast-food restaurant, Lola gets very excited and begins to salivate. However, when Joshua brings home food from other fast-food restaurants, Lola seems disinterested. This is an example of:
stimulus discrimination.
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?
stimulus generalization
Pavlov found that once he conditioned a dog to salivate in response to a tone, a tone that was slightly higher or lower in pitch would also make the dog salivate. This phenomenon is called:
stimulus generalization.
Conditioned taste aversions demonstrate:
that certain stimuli are easier to associate than others.
In an ever-changing environment, which of the following is critical to an organism's adaptation and survival?
the capacity to learn
Psychologist John Garcia conditioned rats to have a taste aversion to sweet-tasting water by injecting them with a drug that made them ill. Using classical conditioning terminology, what was the unconditioned stimulus (UCS) in this experimental situation?
the drug
Researchers found that people easily acquire a conditioned fear response to pictures of snakes and spiders when the slides were paired with a mild electric shock. However, people did NOT easily acquire a conditioned fear response to pictures of flowers and mushrooms when these images were paired with a mild electric shock. Which perspective provides the best explanation of this finding?
the evolutionary perspective
Pavlov found that a conditioned response would be stronger if:
the interval between the CS and the UCS was no more than a few seconds.
Over the years at Cosmos Widget Factory, Mr. Cosmos has noticed that each employee tends to be most productive in the weeks just before his or her biannual performance review. Had Mr. Cosmos read Chapter 5 on learning, he would know that his employees' behavior was:
the result of being conditioned on a fixed-interval schedule of reinforcement.
What was Pavlov studying when he began his studies on the phenomenon that eventually became known as classical conditioning?
the role of saliva in digestion
In the context of learning and classical conditioning, the cognitive perspective emphasizes:
the role played by mental processes in learning.
If you touch something hot, you will reflexively withdraw your hand. Using Pavlov's terminology, reflexively withdrawing your hand would be termed a(n):
unconditioned response (UCR).
In his original studies of digestion, Pavlov placed food on a dog's tongue to make the dog salivate. In this situation, the dog's salivating was a(n)
unconditioned response (UCR).
In his original studies of digestion, Pavlov placed food on a dog's tongue to make the dog salivate. In this situation, the dog's salivating was a(n):
unconditioned response (UCR).
The unlearned, reflexive response that is elicited by an unconditioned stimulus is termed a(n):
unconditioned response (UCR).
When psychologists have tried to produce conditioned fears in young children to such objects as curtains, wooden ducks, or wooden blocks, they were:
unsuccessful.
At the beginning of the semester, the humanities instructor explains that there will be 10 surprise quizzes over the semester, so students are strongly encouraged to keep up with their reading and to attend every class. The humanities instructor is using a _____ schedule of reinforcement to encourage studying and class attendance.
variable-interval
On the first trial, a rat in a Skinner box is reinforced for the first bar press it makes after 50 seconds have elapsed. On the second trial, the first bar press after 70 seconds is reinforced. Although it varies from trial to trial, the average works out to one reinforcer every 60 seconds. The rat is on a _____ schedule of reinforcement.
variable-interval
