AP Psychology Unit 6 AP Topic/ MC Questions / AP Classroom
In high school, it did not seem to make a difference how much Clive studied Spanish; he always earned poor grades. Now that Clive is in college, he is required to take Spanish again. According to the concept of learned helplessness, which of the following statements can be most expected from Clive as he starts the new Spanish class?
"Why study? There isn't anything I can do to improve my Spanish skills."
Suzie screamed at her little brother, and her mother yelled, "We do not yell in this house!" Suzie continues to yell at her brother despite her mother reprimanding her. Suzie's behavior is best explained by
observational learning
Which of the following provides an effective explanation for the data above?
observational learning
Madeline wants her son to be well-behaved when they go to church. For every five minutes he sits still, she gives him a piece of candy. What type of learning is Madeline employing?
operant conditioning
After each bar press, a laboratory rat receives electric stimulation to its brain. The rate of bar pressing increases. This is an example of
positive reinforcement
Barney is a somewhat distractible second-grade student who finds schoolwork a bit boring. After a couple of minutes of working silently, Barney often starts to misbehave until his teacher, Ms. Skinner, calls his name and scolds him. However, he enjoys this attention from her and continues to misbehave. With respect to Barney's misbehavior, Ms. Skinner's attention serves as
positive reinforcement
Meredith's mother found out that she lied about a party she attended a week after the party happened. Her mother then grounded her from going out on the weekends for six weeks. Research on punishment, however, has shown that it is most effective in eliminating undesired behavior under which of the following conditions?
punishment is delivered soon after the behavior
Dog's # at Kennel Average Number of Correct Behaviors During Training Session (out of 10) Dog #1 3 Dog #2 9 Dog #3 2 Dog #4 4 Based on the data presented in the table, which consequence was used by the training staff for dog #2?
reinforcement
Jeff always tells his children not to use bad language when something does not go the way they want. Unfortunately, Jeff uses bad language occasionally and his children have observed him do so. Now Jeff's children use bad language. This can be explained by
social learning theory
The terms "modeling" and "imitation" are most closely associated with which of the following?
social learning theory
Which of the following is NOT a product of learning?
squinting in a bright light
Researchers paired rats' drinking of saccharin-sweetened water with injections of a drug that weakened the immune system. After repeated pairings, sweetened water triggered the rats' immune systems to break down. What was the conditioned stimulus in the study?
sweetened water
Firefighters are often required to walk through local buildings and drive trucks around the areas they serve as part of their training. The most likely purpose of this type of training is to develop
a cognitive map
A person eats a hamburger at a restaurant and develops a very bad stomachache after finishing eating. As a result of the sudden illness, the person cannot eat hamburgers anymore. Just thinking about them makes the person feel sick to the stomach. In this scenario, the thought of a hamburger is
a conditioned stimulus
When a child behaves well for an entire day, the child earns a star. After acquiring fifteen stars, the child is allowed to pick a prize from a toy chest. The star is best described as
a secondary reinforcer
The principles of operant conditioning are best illustrated by
a token economy to reinforce adaptive behaviors
Although people can acquire phobias to almost any object or situation, certain phobias (e.g., those to snakes, spiders, heights) are much more common than others. This finding can best be explained by which of the following concepts?
biological preparedness
Deandra creates a detailed mental image of the spatial layout of the biology lab where she will take her final exams. The mental image of the spatial layout is called which of the following?
cognitive map
Behavioral psychologists argue that responses that lead to satisfying outcomes are more likely to be repeated, and that responses followed by unpleasant outcomes are less likely to be repeated. This became known as the law of which of the following?
effect
The "Little Albert" study demonstrated that
fear can be conditioned in humans
Dylan has difficulty solving a physics problem in class. The next day, he suddenly thinks of a solution to the problem as he is watching a friend play the guitar. The thought process that Dylan experienced is an example of
insight learning
Kelly, a first-year student at a local university, is surprised at how easily she can locate the building and classroom for each of her classes on the first day of school. Kelly attributes her success to the campus tour she took the previous spring. Which of the following concepts best supports Kelly's belief?
latent learning
The operant conditioning concept of negative reinforcement is illustrated in which of the following scenarios? (A) Ervin always buckles his seat belt to stop the beeping sound his car makes when the seat belt is unbuckled. (B) Whenever Gizele masters a piano piece, her teacher puts a sticker on the page of music. (C) When Grizilla's dog tries to steal her food, she taps him on the nose and says "NO!" sharply. (D) After Ben stays out after curfew, his parents tell him he is not allowed to spend time with his friends for one month.
(A) Ervin always buckles his seat belt to stop the beeping sound his car makes when the seat belt is unbuckled.
Participants anonymously consented to an experiment where they would be classically conditioned to have a positive emotional response to advertisements for various products. In reality, the experimenter was attempting to see if subliminal messages in an advertisement influenced participant views on the product being advertised. Which of the following ethical guidelines might be of concern to an institutional review board (IRB) concerning this Research? (A) There might be more deception than is deemed appropriate. (B) This would cause too much stress for the participants involved. (C) The identities of the participants could be leaked to the public. (D) Participants would not be allowed to leave the study if they wanted to drop out.
(A) There might be more deception than is deemed appropriate.
Which of the following aspects of classical conditioning is demonstrated by Quadrant 1 in the figure? (A) Conditioned response to a conditioned stimulus. (B) Unconditioned response to an unconditioned stimulus. (C) Extinction of a conditioned response. (D) Spontaneous recovery of a conditioned response.
(B) Unconditioned response to an unconditioned stimulus.
Which of the following operant conditioning concepts is an example of positive punishment? (A) As a reward for LaKeisha getting good grades, her parents take her out to dinner at her favorite restaurant. (B) While driving through the state of Mississippi, Lance was stopped for speeding and had to pay an expensive speeding ticket. As a result, he no longer goes over the speed limit when driving in Mississippi. (C) Caroline was caught stealing money from her brother's room. As punishment, her parents said she could not use social media for three weeks. (D) A rat was taught to dunk a ball into a miniature basketball hoop in order to receive a treat. After the rat stopped receiving treats, it eventually stopped playing basketball. A week later, however, the rat randomly started playing basketball again.
(B) While driving through the state of Mississippi, Lance was stopped for speeding and had to pay an expensive
Xander can no longer stomach the taste of sushi after he vomited from eating a spoiled serving of it. However, the appearance of sushi does not make him sick. Which of the following best accounts for why Xander becomes sick upon tasting sushi but not seeing sushi? (A) Latent learning, because sushi acts as a reinforcer. (B) Insight learning, because sushi acts as a reinforcer. (C) Biological predisposition, because this example illustrates taste aversion. (D) Negative punishment, because this example illustrates taste aversion.
(C) Biological predisposition, because this example illustrates taste aversion.
In an effort to demonstrate that phobias were the result of environmental conditioning rather than mental processes, a researcher conditioned an 8-month-old child named Albert to have an intense fear of a white fluffy rat. While the result supported the researcher's behaviorist viewpoint, which of the following reasons explains why this research would not be allowed today? (A) The use of confederates in the research created too much deception. (B) There was no operational definition of the variables being tested. (C) It created too much stress for the participant, which violates the code of ethics for psychological research. (D) Researchers are not allowed to work with children under the age of 18.
(C) It created too much stress for the participant, which violates the code of ethics for psychological research.
Dalton developed a phobia of dogs after watching his older cousin act fearfully when he interacted with dogs in their neighborhood. Which of the following best explains why Dalton developed his phobia of dogs? (A) Classical conditioning, because dogs are associated with classical conditioning studies. (B) Operant conditioning, because Dalton is being reinforced for his behavior. (C) Social learning theory, because Dalton learned from observing his cousin's behavior toward dogs. (D) Overactive amygdala, because the amygdala is associated with fear.
(C) Social learning theory, because Dalton learned from observing his cousin's behavior toward dogs.
Sebastian wants to earn an "A" in his biology course but finds it difficult to stay motivated to study every night. His teacher recommends that he surround himself with peers who study regularly to increase his studying behavior. Sebastian's teacher made her recommendation based on the learning concept of (A) acquisition (B) classical conditioning (C) modeling (D) generalization
(C) modeling
Which of the following is the best example of shaping?
A teacher rewards a student for sitting quietly for ten minutes on Monday, fifteen minutes on Tuesday, twenty minutes on Wednesday, and thirty minutes on Thursday.
Which of the following illustrates generalization? A. A rabbit that has been conditioned to blink to a tone also blinks when a similar tone is sounded. B. A dog salivates to a tone but not to a buzzer. C. A light is turned on repeatedly until a rat stops flexing its paw when it's turned on. D. A pigeon whose disk pecking response has been extinguished is placed in a Skinner box three hours later and begins pecking the disk again.
A. A rabbit that has been conditioned to blink to a tone also blinks when a similar tone is sounded.
A college professor was once robbed at gunpoint at dusk. For a long time thereafter, the professor experienced moments of dread in the late afternoons as he walked around campus. The unconditioned stimulus (US) in this scenario is: A. being robbed at gunpoint B. lengthening shadows of the day C. the emotion: fear D. the professor
A. being robbed at gunpoint
Which of the following illustrates discrimination? A. A rabbit that has been conditioned to blink to a tone also blinks when a similar tone is sounded. B. A dog salivates to a tone but not to a buzzer. C. A light is turned on repeatedly until a rat stops flexing its paw when it's turned on. D.A pigeon whose disk pecking response has been extinguished is placed in a Skinner box three hours later and begins pecking the disk again.
B. A dog salivates to a tone but not to a buzzer.
Jane is addicted to heroin. The room in which she usually takes heroin will likely become what for her drug cravings? A. US B. CS C. NS D. CR
B. CS
A family uses the microwave to prepare their cat's food. The cat comes running into the room when the microwave timer sounds, but not when it hears the oven timer. The cat is demonstrating the concept of A. Generalization B. Discrimination C. Spontaneous recovery D. Extinction
B. Discrimination
A college professor was once robbed at gunpoint at dusk. For a long time thereafter, the professor experienced moments of dread in the late afternoons as he walked around campus. The neutral stimulus (NS) in this scenario is: A. being robbed at gunpoint B. lengthening shadows of the day C. the emotion: fear D. the professor
B. lengthening shadows of the day
Classical conditioning is the type of learning in which a person links two or more stimuli and A. Lays them out in sequence B. Shuts down C. Anticipates events D. Receives a reward
C. Anticipates events
A college professor was once robbed at gunpoint at dusk. For a long time thereafter, the professor experienced moments of dread in the late afternoons as he walked around campus. The unconditioned response (UR) in this scenario is: A. being robbed at gunpoint B. lengthening shadows of the day C. the emotion: fear D. the professor
C. the emotion: fear
Which of the following statements best describes the role of biological processes in classical conditioning?
Certain species are biologically predisposed to learn particular associations that enhance their survival.
Which dog is demonstrating stimulus discrimination in the following scenarios?
Cookie cowers when she hears the pop of fireworks, but not when she hears the pop of lightning.
Jane has been classically conditioned to fear a red light because it has been paired with a loud noise. If the light is repeatedly presented without the loud noise, she will eventually stop being afraid of the light. In this instance, what has occurred? A. Generalization B. Discrimination C. Spontaneous recovery D. Extinction E. Acquisition
D. Extinction
Asking someone out on a date is rewarded (getting a "yes" response) by what type of reinforcement schedule? A. Fixed Interval B. Variable Interval C. Fixed Ratio D. Variable Ratio
D. Variable Ratio
To produce the acquisition of a conditioned response, one should A. repeatedly present an unconditioned response. B. administer the conditioned stimulus without the unconditioned stimulus. C. make sure that the conditioned stimulus comes at least one minute before the unconditioned stimulus. D. pair a neutral stimulus with an unconditioned stimulus several times. E. present the conditioned stimulus until it starts to produce an unconditioned response.
D. pair a neutral stimulus with an unconditioned stimulus several times.
Emiko's cat often meows for food. Emiko decides to eliminate the behavior by feeding the cat only when it does not meow. Over the next few weeks, she sometimes ignores the cat when it meows. Other times, she feeds the cat when it meows. Which of the following is the most reasonable prediction to make about the cat's meowing for food?
It will increase due to a variable schedule of reinforcement.
For extinction to occur, which of the following must be true of the conditioned response (CR), the conditioned stimulus (CS), and the unconditioned stimulus (UCS) ?
The CS is repeatedly presented in the absence of the UCS, and the CR loses strength.
After several trials during which a dog is given a certain kind of food at the same time that a specific tone is sounded, there is evidence of conditioning if the dog salivates when
the tone is only presented
People who play slot machines in gambling casinos usually exhibit steady, rapid rates of responding. This is because most games of chance use what schedule of reinforcement?
variable ratio
Which of the following is a partial reinforcement schedule that is most resistant to extinction?
variable ratio
