7A Learning Curve

Classical and operant conditioning involve learning through _____, whereas observational learning involves learning through _____.

association; imitation

Jonah works in a packaging plant. For every 100 packages he completes, he is given an additional 10-percent increase in his hourly pay. This is a _____ reinforcement schedule.

fixed-ratio

Justina wishes to make a 10-minute meditation session part of her morning routine. Based on research described in the textbook, Justina should meditate every day for just over _____ days to ensure that meditation becomes a habit.

60

Victor drinks two to three cups of coffee every morning. Often, Victor experiences an almost immediate sense of alertness when he sips a fresh cup of coffee, even though it takes about 20 minutes for the caffeine in the coffee to reach significant levels in the bloodstream. What is the BEST explanation for this phenomenon?

After being repeatedly paired with the drug caffeine, the smell and taste of coffee have become a conditioned stimulus that elicits the conditioned response of alertness.

Lightning is associated with thunder and regularly precedes it. Thus, when people see lightning, they often anticipate that they will hear thunder soon afterward. This is an example of _____ conditioning.

classical

When Miguel was a child, he was attacked by a swarm of hornets in his backyard. Now, every time he hears the sound of hornets, he immediately becomes frightened. This is an example of _____ conditioning.

classical

Which choice correctly pairs a type of learning or conditioning with a closely related concept?

cognitive learning - observational learning

Dr. Jones is known for her difficult pop quizzes. Immediately before she springs a pop quiz on her students, she typically goes to the classroom door and closes it, and her students begin to feel anxious and tense. Students soon learn to anticipate a pop quiz and feel anxious whenever Dr. Jones closes the classroom door. Closing the door has become a(n) _____ stimulus.

conditioned

Alan feels fine at a picnic until a spider very similar to the one that bit him last year and made him sick starts to walk onto his picnic blanket. He begins to become anxious and fearful. This reaction is MOST likely a(n)

conditioned response

In a study of classical conditioning, A. J. repeatedly hears a tone just before having a puff of air directed into his eye. Blinking in response to a tone presented without a puff of air is a(n):

conditioned response

Linda had leukemia as a child and had to undergo numerous bouts of chemotherapy. The chemotherapy always made her nauseous. As she underwent a year of treatment, the waiting room started to make her nauseous. The nausea from the waiting room is the:

conditioned response

Dayton's Narcotics Anonymous sponsor advises him to avoid the people, places, and things associated with his drug use. These people, places, and things are BEST viewed as _____ within the framework of _____ conditioning.

conditioned stimuli; classical

Marina feels a rush of love and nostalgia at the scent of honeysuckle; the fragrant scent is similar to that of the perfume her mother wore when Marina was little. The perfume's fragrance is a(n):

conditioned stimulus

Rebecca had leukemia as a child and had to undergo numerous bouts of chemotherapy. The chemotherapy always made her nauseous. As she underwent a year of treatment, the waiting room started to make her nauseous. The waiting room became the:

conditioned stimulus.

Pavlov's dog stopped salivating to the tone when the food was no longer paired with the tone. This is an example of:

extinction.

Joan received a great money-saving credit card offer in the mail complete with a frequent flyer reward program. She reads further on to find that the one mile for every dollar spent may not be such a great offer after all since getting a $500 airline ticket only happens after one acquires 25,000 miles or spends $25,000. This is a _____ schedule.

fixed-ratio

_____ is the tendency to respond to stimuli that are similar to the conditioned stimulus (CS). By contrast, _____ is the ability to differentiate between the CS and other stimuli that have NOT been associated with the unconditioned stimulus.

generalization; discrimination

In Laurie's psychology laboratory, Laurie and her lab partner conditioned a rat to press a lever for food when a red light was on, but discovered that the rat would also press the lever when a white light was on. Laurie and her partner reported that the rat had exhibited _____ through _____ conditioning.

generalization; operant

Conditioning is the process of:

learning associations

Daniel's daughter repeatedly hit her playmates during their game of tag. Daniel denied her dessert as a consequence. This is an example of _____ punishment.

negative

Jason is busy with a work project that he brought home. His son wants him to put a movie in the DVD player. Jason tells him to wait 10 minutes; however, his son whines and complains so much that Jason decides to put the movie in right away. If Jason's son stops complaining, Jason's behavior of starting the movie immediately may be maintained by _____ reinforcement.

negative

Pauline is learning how to play badminton. For her first lesson, her instructor models serving the birdie while Pauline patiently watches. Pauline then tries to imitate the sequence of swings and motions made by her instructor. This is an example of _____ learning.

observational

_____ conditioning is a type of learning in which behavior is strengthened if followed by a reinforcer or diminished if followed by a punisher.

operant

At work, there is a vending machine that gives extra candy bars when Don selects either the A or B choices. Don continues to frequent this machine regularly. This BEST illustrates:

operant conditioning

Whenever Tamika tries to talk on the telephone, her 10-year-old son Jamal repeatedly interrupts her. If Tamika wants to use operant conditioning principles to successfully alleviate the behavior, the MOST efficient response would be to

reward Jamal for not interrupting her during a phone call.

Marcus owns a landscaping company and employs several college students in the summer. He would like to improve the productivity of his employees. According to research on improving job performance through operant conditioning, Marcus should:

reward specific, achievable behaviors, not vaguely defined merit.

Conditioned reinforcers are also called _____ reinforcers.

secondary

In classical conditioning, humans learn _____, whereas in operant conditioning, humans learn _____.

to associate two stimuli and thus to anticipate events; to associate a response and its consequence

Before the tone ever sounded, Pavlov's dog salivated each time food was presented, exemplifying a(n) _____ response.

unconditioned

Although it is unknown if one must buy 1, 10, or 100 scratch-off lottery tickets to get a winning ticket, it is probable that if one keeps buying, eventually one will get a winner. In fact, maybe the very next ticket will be a winner. Therefore, buying scratch-off lottery tickets is reinforced according to a _____ schedule.

variable-ratio

For professional baseball players, swinging at a pitched ball is reinforced with a home run on a _____ schedule.

variable-ratio

Tyler has just been released from a drug rehabilitation center where he was treated for heroin addiction. His therapist recommended that he stay away from old drug-related associates and places where he once used the drug. Studies show that this is a(n) _____ recommendation because _____.

wise; he will experience the craving for drugs when in these situations due to classical conditioning

Which statement BEST illustrates classical conditioning, rather than operant conditioning?

Because his older brother once locked him in the closet, Dustin gets anxious in small, enclosed rooms.

Jeff's psychology assignment is to observe and list any behaviors of his relatives that indicate learning. Which example should be included on his list?

Jeff's little brother whines whenever he wants something.

According to B. F. Skinner, which example illustrates the BEST use of an alternative to punishment in the attempt to reduce an undesirable behavior?

Mark is reinforced for working quietly in class instead of being punished for disrupting class.

Select the option that correctly completes this sentence: _____ is a type of _____.

Operant conditioning; associative learning

Which statement is NOT a possible consequence of using physical punishment to change children's behavior?

Punished behavior changes behavior in all situations, and the change is long lasting.

Ruben is reading the descriptions of some of the psychology courses in his college's course catalog. The description of one course reads in part, "An introduction to the processes whereby new and enduring behavior and information is acquired through experience." This course is MOST likely titled

The Psychology of Learning

Irene is having trouble convincing her husband that spanking is not necessarily the best way to control their child's behavior. Which argument should she use to support her position?

When spanked, children do not forget the punished behavior. They simply suppress it, and are not taught what behavior to exhibit in its place.

In the 1990s, singer-songwriter Alanis Morissette titled a song, "You Learn." Presumably, Morissette meant that people:

acquire new behaviors through experience.

In classical conditioning, acquisition of a new behavior involves _____, whereas in operant conditioning, acquisition of a new behavior involves _____.

associating events; associating a response with a consequence

Every time Martin opens the cabinet door where he stores his dog's treats, his dog begins to bark in anticipation of getting a treat. This is an example of:

associative learning

Through direct experience with animals, people come to anticipate that dogs will bark and that birds will chirp. This BEST illustrates:

associative learning

When Juan was a child, he was attacked by a swarm of hornets in his backyard. Now, every time he hears the sound of hornets, he immediately becomes frightened. This is an example of:

classical conditioning.

Six-year-old Davey developed a fear of going down steps after falling down the steps in his house several times. When he was at his grandmother's house he demonstrated no fear of climbing the steps to her front door. Unlike Little Albert's fear of white rats and other furry objects, Davey was demonstrating:

discrimination

Walter was bitten by a dog when he was 5 years old. To this day, he is fearful of dogs; however, he is not frightened of cats. This reaction BEST illustrates:

discrimination

Janine, who completed several tours of duty in Afghanistan, suffers from posttraumatic stress disorder. Now, back home in Texas, she is frightened by firecrackers and cars backfiring. The fact that these sounds scare her reflects:

generalization

John just started his vacation from work and scheduled a tee time with friends to play golf Monday morning. On Monday morning, he started driving his car to work instead of the golf course. Driving his car to work instead of the golf course is an example of:

habitual behavior

Linda had a severe toothache for many days before she went to the dentist. After treatment, she was much relieved. The next time she experienced pain in her teeth, she went to the dentist right away. This is an example of _____ reinforcement.

negative

Nannette's daughter refused to brush her teeth and threw her toys across the room. Nannette gave her daughter a 20-minute time out. This is an example of a:

negative punishment.

If children get attention for doing cartwheels, they will repeat the trick if they find this attention to be enjoyable. This BEST illustrates:

operant conditioning.

Stan has been working nights and weekends to get a project completed at work. He is successful, and a couple of weeks later he comes into work and his boss presents him with a bonus check. This BEST illustrates the value of _____ reinforcement.

positive

To reduce the disruptive behavior of some children, a teacher might slap the desk with a ruler to startle them. The sound of the slap is a(n) _____ punishment.

positive

To reduce the self-destructive behavior of some children, a therapist might squirt water in the children's faces whenever they bite themselves. The squirt of water is a:

positive punishment.

Jane had leukemia as a child and had to undergo numerous bouts of chemotherapy. She had grown to associate the waiting room with nausea. Now 35 years old, she had to take her mother to the same hospital for breast cancer treatment. She became nauseous while in the waiting room with her mother. Her nausea BEST illustrates:

spontaneous recovery.

Carla had leukemia as a child and had to undergo numerous bouts of chemotherapy. The chemotherapy always made her nauseous. As she underwent a year of treatment, the waiting room started to make her nauseous. The nausea from the chemotherapy is the:

unconditioned response.

Sonya had leukemia as a child and had to undergo numerous bouts of chemotherapy. The chemotherapy always made her nauseous. As she underwent a year of treatment, the waiting room started to make her nauseous. The chemotherapy is the:

unconditioned stimulus