Question 1

Louis is a 3-year-old who is deathly afraid of sitting in cars ever since he was in a mild car accident. He enjoys ice pops and chocolates, and responds gleefully to his favourite nursery rhyme "Hickory Dickory Dock." Describe the classical conditioning procedure that can help reduce his fear.

Accepted Answer

A good answer will include the following key points.
- The act of sitting in a car is a conditioned stimulus causing a conditioned response of fear.
- His favourite music and snacks can be paired with the conditioned stimulus, sitting in a car.
- His favourite rhyme and snacks produce a pleasant feeling that is incompatible with the conditioned response of fear.
- This process is known as counterconditioning.

Question 2

What is the distinction between primary and secondary reinforcers?

Accepted Answer

A good answer will include the following key points.
- A primary reinforcer is an object or event that is inherently reinforcing because it satisfies a biological need.
- A secondary reinforcer is an object or event that is reinforcing as a result of learning.

Question 3

Ivan Pavlov studied the reflexive flow of saliva in dogs. He used meat powder or other food to trigger the salivation. In this instance, the meat powder was the ________.
A) conditioned stimulus
B) unconditioned stimulus
C) conditioned response
D) unconditioned response

Accepted Answer

The meat powder is an unconditioned stimulus because it naturally and automatically triggers the salivation response without any prior learning.

Question 4

Because of classical conditioning, medical treatment can create unexpected misery or relief from symptoms for reasons that are entirely unrelated to the treatment itself. Give an example that illustrates this statement.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Because of classical conditioning, medical treatment can...

Question 5

Describe two important differences between classical and operant conditioning.

Accepted Answer

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Question 6

Which of the following statements reflects the difference between classical and operant conditioning?
A) In classical conditioning, the response is reflexive, but in operant conditioning it is typically more complex.
B) In classical conditioning, spontaneous recovery can occur, but in operant conditioning it doesn't.
C) In classical conditioning, the consequence of a response is important, but in operant conditioning it isn't.
D) In classical conditioning, both stimulus generalization and discrimination can occur, but in operant conditioning only stimulus discrimination occurs.

Accepted Answer

Classical conditioning is based on pairing a neutral stimulus with a reflexive response, while operant conditioning is based on reinforcing or punishing a voluntary behavior. Therefore, in classical conditioning, the response is often a simple involuntary reflex, such as salivation or blinking, whereas in operant conditioning, the response is typically more complex and involves some kind of voluntary action, such as pressing a lever or choosing a particular behavior.

Question 7

Phil wants to train his parrot to kick a ball into a soccer net. Which of the following should he do?
A) He should wait until the parrot kicks the ball into the net on its own and then give it a food treat.
B) He should use negative punishment until the parrot kicks the ball into the net.
C) He should begin by reinforcing when the parrot goes near the ball.
D) He should use positive punishment until the parrot kicks the ball into the net.

Accepted Answer

The best choice would be to begin by reinforcing when the parrot goes near the ball. This is an example of shaping, where the desired behavior is broken down into smaller steps and each step is reinforced until the final behavior is achieved. Waiting for the parrot to kick the ball into the net on its own (A) may take a long time or never happen, and using punishment (B, D) can be stressful for the parrot and may not promote learning.

Question 8

In Watson and Rayner's "Little Albert" study, each time the rat was presented to the boy it was accompanied by a loud noise. In this experiment, Albert's reaction of fear upon hearing the loud noise was the ________.
A) unconditioned response
B) conditioned response
C) latent response
D) counterconditioned response

Accepted Answer

The unconditioned response in this experiment was Albert's natural reaction of fear to the loud noise, which was not conditioned or learned. The conditioned response would be if Albert began to fear the rat even in the absence of the loud noise because he had learned to associate the two stimuli. However, the question is asking specifically about Albert's initial reaction to the loud noise.

Question 9

Which of the following is a secondary reinforcer?
A) food
B) pain
C) criticism
D) applause

Accepted Answer

Applause is a secondary reinforcer because it only holds value because it has been associated with a primary reinforcer, such as the feeling of accomplishment or recognition.

Question 10

Explain why extrinsic rewards can undermine the pleasure of doing something for its own sake.

Accepted Answer

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Question 11

Tim yells at his daughter Allison for soiling her pants. He also threatens to spank her if she ever does it again. Next week, she soils her pants again. According to studies on punishment, why did Tim's approach fail?
A) The threat was a reinforcer.
B) The punishment did not tell her how to change her behaviour.
C) Allison wasn't punished immediately.
D) Yelling is not a form of punishment.

Accepted Answer

Tim's approach failed because he only threatened punishment without providing any guidance on how to change Allison's behavior. Punishment is only effective when it is immediate and accompanied by clear instructions on how to improve behavior. Yelling is not a form of punishment, and threats can sometimes act as reinforcers by drawing attention to the behavior.

Question 12

In classical conditioning, ________ occurs when a stimulus that resembles the conditioned stimulus elicits the conditioned response.
A) stimulus discrimination
B) stimulus generalization
C) acquisition
D) extinction

Accepted Answer

Stimulus generalization is the occurrence where stimuli similar to the conditioned stimulus elicit the conditioned response. This happens because the individual has learned to respond to a particular stimulus and is likely to extend the same response to a similar stimulus.

Question 13

Highlight the differences between positive and negative reinforcement.

Accepted Answer

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Question 14

For classical conditioning to be most effective, the stimulus to be conditioned should:
A) precede the unconditioned stimulus.
B) occur simultaneously with the unconditioned stimulus.
C) follow the unconditioned stimulus.
D) be of greater intensity than the unconditioned stimulus.

Accepted Answer

For classical conditioning to occur, the conditioned stimulus should be presented before the unconditioned stimulus. This allows the association between the two stimuli to be more easily established. If the conditioned stimulus is presented simultaneously with or after the unconditioned stimulus, the association may not be as strong or may not occur at all. The intensity of the stimuli is not as important as the timing of their presentation.

Question 15

Harry and Sally want their cat to jump through a hoop 3 feet off the ground. Because the cat would never spontaneously jump through the hoop on its own, what operant conditioning procedure will Harry and Sally need to use? Briefly explain how they might proceed.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Harry and Sally want their cat to...

Question 16

In Skinner's analysis, an operant behaviour can lead to two types of consequences. Describe these two consequences.

Accepted Answer

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Question 17

Which of the following is true about the use of extrinsic versus intrinsic rewards?
A) Extrinsic rewards should never be used.
B) Extrinsic rewards should be used carefully and not overdone.
C) Intrinsic rewards should never be used.
D) Intrinsic rewards should be used carefully and not overdone.

Accepted Answer

Extrinsic rewards can be effective in motivating individuals, but if overdone, they can lead to a decrease in intrinsic motivation. Therefore, it is important to use them carefully and in moderation. Similarly, intrinsic rewards can be powerful motivators, but they too can be overdone and lead to decreased motivation. Therefore, they should also be used carefully and appropriately. Option A and C are incorrect as extrinsic and intrinsic rewards, respectively, can be useful when used appropriately.

Question 18

Evolutionary psychologists note that humans are primed to be susceptible to certain kinds of acquired fears. Explain why this would be adaptive.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Evolutionary psychologists note that humans are primed...

Question 19

A variation of the counterconditioning procedure developed by Watson and Jones has been used to treat adult phobias. This variation is called:
A) positive reinforcement.
B) intermittent reinforcement.
C) systematic desensitization.
D) shaping.

Accepted Answer

The variation of the counterconditioning procedure developed by Watson and Jones that is used to treat adult phobias is called systematic desensitization. Positive reinforcement is a behavior modification technique that involves increasing the likelihood of a desired behavior by rewarding it. Intermittent reinforcement is a technique of reinforcing a behavior only some of the time, rather than all the time. Shaping is a technique in which an individual is rewarded for closer and closer approximations of a desired behavior.

Question 20

Ivan Pavlov studied the reflexive flow of saliva in dogs. He used meat powder or other food to trigger the salivation. It was later observed that the salivation in the dog was triggered when the dog saw its dog dish, even before the food was placed in it. In this instance, the dog dish is the ________.
A) conditioned stimulus
B) unconditioned stimulus
C) conditioned response
D) unconditioned response

Accepted Answer

The dog dish is the conditioned stimulus because it is a previously neutral stimulus that becomes associated with the unconditioned stimulus (food) and elicits a conditioned response (salivation).

Quiz 7: Learning and Conditioning

Louis is a 3-year-old who is deathly afraid of sitting in cars ever since he was in a mild car accident. He enjoys ice pops and chocolates, and responds gleefully to his favourite nursery rhyme "Hickory Dickory Dock." Describe the classical conditioning procedure that can help reduce his fear.

What is the distinction between primary and secondary reinforcers?

Ivan Pavlov studied the reflexive flow of saliva in dogs. He used meat powder or other food to trigger the salivation. In this instance, the meat powder was the ________.

Because of classical conditioning, medical treatment can create unexpected misery or relief from symptoms for reasons that are entirely unrelated to the treatment itself. Give an example that illustrates this statement.

Describe two important differences between classical and operant conditioning.

Which of the following statements reflects the difference between classical and operant conditioning?

Phil wants to train his parrot to kick a ball into a soccer net. Which of the following should he do?

In Watson and Rayner's "Little Albert" study, each time the rat was presented to the boy it was accompanied by a loud noise. In this experiment, Albert's reaction of fear upon hearing the loud noise was the ________.

Which of the following is a secondary reinforcer?

Explain why extrinsic rewards can undermine the pleasure of doing something for its own sake.

Tim yells at his daughter Allison for soiling her pants. He also threatens to spank her if she ever does it again. Next week, she soils her pants again. According to studies on punishment, why did Tim's approach fail?

In classical conditioning, ________ occurs when a stimulus that resembles the conditioned stimulus elicits the conditioned response.

Highlight the differences between positive and negative reinforcement.

For classical conditioning to be most effective, the stimulus to be conditioned should:

Harry and Sally want their cat to jump through a hoop 3 feet off the ground. Because the cat would never spontaneously jump through the hoop on its own, what operant conditioning procedure will Harry and Sally need to use? Briefly explain how they might proceed.

In Skinner's analysis, an operant behaviour can lead to two types of consequences. Describe these two consequences.

Which of the following is true about the use of extrinsic versus intrinsic rewards?

Evolutionary psychologists note that humans are primed to be susceptible to certain kinds of acquired fears. Explain why this would be adaptive.

A variation of the counterconditioning procedure developed by Watson and Jones has been used to treat adult phobias. This variation is called: