INQUIZITIVE PS 101 QUIZ 4

Classical conditioning is a type of learning where an initially neutral stimulus comes to elicit a response after pairing with a stimulus that already produces the response. Match the classical conditioning terms with their definitions.

A learned response to a conditioned stimulus. ►Conditioned response (CR) A response that is automatically produced by a stimulus, and does not have to be learned. ►Unconditioned response (UR) A stimulus that elicits a response after learning has taken place. ►Conditioned stimulus (CS) A stimulus that automatically elicits a response without any prior learning. ►Unconditioned stimulus (US) A stimulus that produces no response when presented. ►Neutral stimulus

Which of the following statements about the influence of adaptation and cognition on classical or operant conditioning are accurate?

Correct Answer ►Animals seem to be biologically prepared to fear specific objects that signal potential dangers. ►The strength of an association between the CS and the US is determined by how well the CS predicts the US. ►Certain pairings of stimuli, such as taste and illness, are more likely to become associated because they are evolutionarily adaptive. Incorrect Answer ►Any object can be made into a CS when associated with any US, as long as the stimuli are intense enough.

In Pavlov's original experiment, he initially presented the metronome alone, before pairing it with the food. Which of the following statements are good explanations for why he did this?

Correct Answer ►It was necessary to first demonstrate that the dog did not already salivate to the metronome. ►Any difference in response to the metronome after pairing with food could then be shown to have been caused by the pairing. Incorrect Answer ►Sound stimuli should always be presented first. ►The dog needed to be desensitized to the metronome before learning to associate it with food.

Identify the statements that correctly describe widely held beliefs by modern psychologists about learning.

Correct Answer ►Learning is a change in behavior that comes about through an individual's experience. ►Learning is crucial for all animals. ►There are different types of learning. Incorrect Answer ►Learning results from unconscious mental processes that must be studied by introspective methods.

Gustavo watched a cooking show on television demonstrating how to make chicken Parmesan. Even though he had never made chicken Parmesan, he could then explain to a friend how to make it. Gustavo's knowledge of cooking chicken Parmesan is best explained by which of the following types of learning?

Correct Answer ►Observational learning Incorrect Answer ►Vicarious conditioning ►Modeling ►Insight learning

Imagine that after John Watson's experiments on Little Albert, another researcher had to develop a plan to extinguish Little Albert's conditioned response to the rat. Which of the following techniques could have achieved that goal?

Correct Answer ►Repeatedly showing Little Albert the rat without making a loud sound Incorrect Answer ►Repeatedly making a loud sound when objects similar to the rat, such as a ball of wool, were presented ►Making a loud sound every time a different unrelated object was presented

Fill in the blanks to complete the passage about early experimental work on conditioning.

In 1920, John Watson and ROSALIE RAYNER reported using FRIGHTENING NOISES to instill in an 11-month old boy named ALBERT a phobia of white rats and other white things. Watson had planned to use EXTINCTION to reverse the effect, but the boy's mother removed him from the study. Some years later, however, MARY COVER JONES continued this research with another, older boy who feared rabbits, this time using his favorite food as a stimulus to eliminate his phobia through COUNTERCONDITIONING.

Fill in the blanks to complete the sentences about the essential difference between classical conditioning and operant conditioning.

In classical conditioning, an association is made between events that the human or animal learner CANNOT control. In operant conditioning, an association is made between events that the human or animal learner CAN control.

Fill in the blanks to complete the passage about recent developments in the theory of classical conditioning.

In contrast to behaviorism, more recent learning theory emphasizes the role of cognition. Rescorla and Wagner showed that when the unconditioned stimulus is surprising and the conditioned stimulus comes BEFORE it, the animal makes the connection between the stimuli especially EASILY: the conditioned stimulus helps an animal PREDICT the unconditioned one.

Watch this video of a student undergoing classical conditioning during a classroom demonstration. Apply your understanding of classical conditioning to complete the sentences describing the video clip.

In phase two (the conditioning phase) of the video clip, the student's reaction to being sprayed is the UNCONDITIONED RESPONSE (UR). In phase three (the post-conditioning phase) of the video, the word can is the CONDITIONED STIMULUS (CS).

Fill in the blanks to complete the passage about gradual conditioning.

In the form of conditioning called SHAPING, a behavior is taught by reinforcing behaviors that INCREASINGLY RESEMBLE the desired behavior. B. F. Skinner invented what he called AN OPERANT CHAMBER to implement this kind of conditioning, and he coined the term REINFORCEMENT for the result that encourages the behavior to be repeated.

Fill in the blanks to complete the passage about one of the earliest scientific studies of behavioral learning.

In the late 1800s, Edward Thorndike observed cats placed in a specially designed box. When a cat pressed a lever BY ACCIDENT, the cat could leave through a door that opened—a "SATISFYING state of affairs" for the cat, as Thorndike termed it. Over time, the cats learned to press the lever DELIBERATELY. Learning a behavior by observing the consequences is called OPERANT conditioning. Thorndike called the tendency of behavior with desirable results to be repeated the LAW OF EFFECT.

Fill in the blanks to complete the passage about the most famous experiment in conditioning.

Ivan Pavlov, a Russian physiologist, repeatedly exposed dogs to the sight of food and, at the same time, the sound of A NEUTRAL STIMULUS. At first, the dogs salivated because of the food; this reaction is known as AN UNCONDITIONED RESPONSE . But after a while, the dogs began to salivate when they heard the sound, even if no food was present. This learned reaction is known as A CONDITIONED response, and the sound is called A CONDITIONED STIMULUS.

John has learned that money can buy candy, and that candy produces happiness. Thus, money is a conditioned stimulus for the conditioned response of happiness.Now suppose John's long-lost uncle moves to town and begins slipping John a five-dollar bill every time they meet. John can now use that money to purchase more candy!Given this information, fill in the blanks to complete the passage.

John's uncle will quickly become a new CONDITIONED stimulus for the conditioned response of HAPPINESS. This process reflects a phenomenon known as SECOND-ORDER conditioning.

Match the classical conditioning processes with their definitions.

Learning that occurs when stimuli that are similar but not identical to the CS produce the CR ►Stimulus generalization A process in which the CR is weakened when the CS is repeated without being followed by the US ►Extinction A differentiation between two similar stimuli when only one of them is consistently associated with the US ►Stimulus discrimination A process in which a previously extinguished response reemerges after re-exposure to the CS ►Spontaneous recovery A process in which an association between the CS and US is gradually formed ►Acquisition

Match the terms with the corresponding scenarios. (Terms can be used more than once.)

Lexi was outside when a loud clap of thunder occurred very close by. When her friend called her name immediately afterward, she was quite startled. ►Sensitization Meena got a mild sunburn, but a couple of hours later she didn't notice the pain anymore. ►Habituation Owen got glasses a year ago. He wears them daily but has stopped noticing them. ►Habituation Wes liked very scary movies. After an especially scary scene, he felt a tap on his shoulder and nearly jumped out of his seat. ►Sensitization

We learn many behaviors not by doing them but by watching others do them. Fill in the blanks to complete the sentences about the ways we learn by watching others.

OBSERVATIONAL LEARNING is when an individual acquires or changes a behavior after being exposed to another person performing that behavior. Learning the consequences of an action by watching others being rewarded or punished for performing the action is known as VICARIOUS CONDITIONING. The imitation of an observed behavior is a learning process called MODELING.

Fill in the missing information in the table relating to reinforcement and punishment in operant conditioning.

SEE SCREEN SHOT

Continuous reinforcement is when behavior is reinforced every time it occurs. But in the real world, partial reinforcement—the occasional reinforcement of behavior—is more common. Fill in the blanks with the correct reinforcement schedules for the given situations.

Steve's Intro Psych instructor collects homework assignments after every class. There are periods when she awards extra credit after every assignment; at other times, five assignments will go by without extra credit. To increase his chances of getting the extra points, Steve consistently turns in the homework. Steve is reinforced on a VARIABLE RATIO schedule. Radio station WPYS gives prizes to listeners who call in as a promotion. WPYS makes a rule that the same person can win only once a month. This is an example of a FIXED INTERVAL schedule.

The figure illustrates stimuli and responses before (top) and after (bottom) classical conditioning has occurred. Drag the labels to the correct locations in the figure.

► SEE SCREEN SHOT