Question 1

Learned non-use occurs when a stroke patient stops using a body part because:
A) that body part being physically restrained.
B) of damage to the hippocampus.
C) of damage to the motor areas controlling that body part.
D) of lack of sensory input from that body part.

Accepted Answer

Damage to the sensory areas of the brain can lead to learned non-use, as the patient may not be able to feel the affected body part and therefore may stop using it.

Question 2

Which statement is an example of habituation?
A) As one goes to bed, one hears the bathroom faucet dripping. The sound becomes more annoying as the night goes on.
B) A person's car spins out on the ice in the winter. Afterwards, the person is much more nervous while driving.
C) An experienced shepherd can quickly distinguish his sheep from one another.
D) On entering a room, one notices the soft hum of a fan, but after being there for a while, one no longer notices the sound.

Accepted Answer

Habituation is a decrease in response to a stimulus after repeated presentations. In choice D, the individual initially notices the hum of a fan but stops noticing it after a while, which is a classic example of habituation.

Question 3

A decrease in the strength or occurrence of a behavior after repeated exposure to the stimulus that produces the behavior is called:
A) sensitization.
B) habituation.
C) perceptual learning.
D) priming.

Accepted Answer

Habituation is the process by which there is a decrease in response to a stimulus after being repeatedly exposed to it. This process helps organisms to ignore stimuli that are irrelevant or non-threatening, allowing them to focus on more significant environmental changes.

Question 4

Which statement is TRUE regarding the use of constraint-induced movement therapy to treat learned non-use?
A) It exploits mechanisms of cortical plasticity.
B) It is less effective than encouraging people to use their affected limb.
C) It helps muscles to recover but has little effect on brain activity.
D) It is used when motor control is lost but sensation is retained.

Accepted Answer

Constraint-induced movement therapy exploits mechanisms of cortical plasticity to treat learned non-use by encouraging the use of the affected limb, thereby promoting changes in the brain that can improve limb function.

Question 5

Under which condition would there be a skin-conductance response to reveal sensitization?
A) playing a quiet noise right before a neutral musical tone
B) playing a loud noise right before a neutral musical tone
C) playing a neutral musical tone repeatedly
D) playing a loud noise repeatedly

Accepted Answer

Sensitization is a process where repeated administration of a stimulus results in the progressive amplification of a response. Playing a loud noise right before a neutral musical tone can cause an increase in skin conductance as a response to the loud noise, indicating sensitization to the stimulus.

Question 6

People are generally better at distinguishing individuals belonging to racial groups that they frequently encounter than individuals belonging to racial groups with whom they don't interact. This is an example of:
A) habituation.
B) priming.
C) mere exposure learning.
D) discrimination training.

Accepted Answer

Mere exposure learning refers to the phenomenon where people develop a preference or better recognition for things they are more frequently exposed to, including individuals from racial groups they encounter often.

Question 7

Sarah woke up from a frightening dream. Lying awake in bed, she is overly frightened by the normal noises in her house. This is an example of:
A) habituation.
B) sensitization.
C) priming.
D) dishabituation.

Accepted Answer

Sensitization is the process where a response to a stimulus becomes more pronounced over time, especially after a particularly stimulating or traumatic event. In this case, Sarah's heightened fear response to normal noises after waking up from a frightening dream is an example of sensitization, as her nervous system is in a heightened state of alertness due to the dream, making her more sensitive to stimuli that she would normally ignore.

Question 8

Suppose a person never buys eggs because he doesn't like them. One weekend, he has guests who love eggs, and so he decides to buy some at the store. Even though he has never bought eggs at this store, he knows exactly where they are in the store from all the times he has shopped there before. The fact that he has learned where the eggs are during those past trips is an example of:
A) sensitization.
B) habituation.
C) latent learning.
D) perceptual learning.

Accepted Answer

Latent learning occurs when an individual learns something without a direct reinforcement or immediate use for that knowledge, which is then demonstrated at a later time when it becomes relevant. In this case, the person learned the location of the eggs without initially needing that information, and it became useful when he decided to buy eggs for his guests.

Question 9

An example of a sensory prosthesis is a:
A) cochlear implant.
B) place cell.
C) place field.
D) receptive field.

Accepted Answer

A cochlear implant is a sensory prosthesis designed to provide hearing to individuals with severe to profound sensorineural hearing loss by directly stimulating the auditory nerve.

Question 10

In Aplysia, sensitization results from a(n):
A) decrease in glutamate released from the sensory neurons.
B) increase in glutamate released from the sensory neurons.
C) decrease in the number of sensory neurons.
D) increase in the number of motor neurons.

Accepted Answer

Sensitization in Aplysia involves an increase in glutamate release from the sensory neurons, which enhances the synaptic connection with motor neurons, leading to a heightened response to stimuli.

Question 11

In Aplysia touching the siphon causes the gill to withdraw. If the siphon is touched repeatedly, eventually the gill will not withdraw anymore. This is an example of:
A) habituation.
B) sensitization.
C) mere exposure learning.
D) learned non-use.

Accepted Answer

Habituation is a decrease in response to a stimulus after repeated presentations. In this case, the gill's withdrawal response diminishes with repeated touches to the siphon, which is a classic example of habituation.

Question 12

Regarding spatial learning, it has been found that:
A) conscious effort is required for people to learn spatial layout.
B) rats can learn spatial layout even if they are not rewarded during learning.
C) wasps rely on an internal sense of direction, rather than environmental cues, to navigate to and from their nests.
D) rats learn to navigate mazes primarily by learning a sequence of movements.

Accepted Answer

Rats have been shown to learn spatial layouts through exploration, without the need for rewards. This learning is part of what is known as spatial or cognitive mapping, where animals, including rats, form a mental representation of their environment to navigate through it effectively.

Question 13

Which statement is TRUE regarding place cells?
A) They are hardwired at birth.
B) There are sufficient numbers of neurons to assign a place cell to every place one will ever encounter.
C) They respond to an internal sense of location in space but not to external location cues.
D) They each have a preferred location called a place field.

Accepted Answer

Place cells, located in the hippocampus, have a specific preferred location in the environment where their activity is highest, known as a place field. This activity is influenced by external cues and the animal's location in space, contributing to spatial navigation and memory.

Question 14

Jeffrey Dahmer learned to pick out suitable victims by repeated experiences. This is an example of:
A) sensitization.
B) habituation.
C) perceptual learning.
D) priming.

Accepted Answer

Jeffrey Dahmer learning to pick out suitable victims through repeated experiences is an example of perceptual learning, which involves becoming better at perceiving or recognizing sensory stimuli through experience.

Question 15

Over the first several weeks of teaching a class, the teacher becomes better at telling her students apart. This is an example of:
A) habituation.
B) sensitization.
C) perceptual learning.
D) priming.

Accepted Answer

This is an example of perceptual learning, which involves becoming better at perceiving or distinguishing between stimuli through experience. In this case, the teacher is improving at recognizing and differentiating between her students.

Question 16

Suppose a person never buys eggs because he doesn't like them. One weekend, he has guests who love eggs, and so he decides to buy some at the store. Even though he has never bought eggs at this store, he knows exactly where they are in the store from all the times he has shopped there before. The fact that he has learned where the eggs are during those past trips is an example of:
A) sensitization.
B) habituation.
C) perceptual learning.
D) latent learning.

Accepted Answer

Latent learning occurs when an individual learns something without it being immediately apparent or without a clear reinforcement at the time of learning. In this case, the person learned the location of the eggs without actively trying to remember it or having an immediate need for that information, which became useful later when he needed to buy eggs for his guests.

Question 17

According to the dual process theory of learning:
A) there are two mechanisms, only one of which is activated at any given time.
B) there are two mechanisms, both of which are activated to some degree.
C) the habituation mechanism is only activated by intense stimuli.
D) there is just one mechanism that accounts for learning.

Accepted Answer

The dual process theory of learning posits that there are two mechanisms of learning that are both activated to some degree, rather than just one or the other being exclusively active. This suggests a more nuanced and dynamic process of learning.

Question 18

When Brenda and Don first got married, she was bothered by his snoring, but after 15 years of marriage she barely notices it anymore. This is an example of:
A) habituation.
B) sensitization.
C) priming.
D) dishabituation.

Accepted Answer

Habituation occurs when an individual becomes accustomed to a stimulus after repeated exposure, leading to a decrease in response, as seen in Brenda's adaptation to Don's snoring over time.

Question 19

The Milwaukee police noticed a putrid smell in Jeffrey Dahmer's apartment. But because they had experienced many smelly apartments in the past, they did not investigate the source of the smell. This is an example of:
A) sensitization.
B) habituation.
C) perceptual learning.
D) priming.

Accepted Answer

This is an example of habituation, where repeated exposure to a stimulus (in this case, the smell) leads to a decrease in response to that stimulus over time. The police officers had become accustomed to encountering smelly apartments, so they did not react strongly or investigate further upon encountering another one.

Question 20

When visual input is absent from birth, it is often seen that other cortical areas take over the areas of the brain normally devoted to vision. This demonstrates:
A) habituation.
B) perceptual learning.
C) learned non-use.
D) cortical plasticity.

Accepted Answer

This phenomenon is an example of cortical plasticity, which refers to the brain's ability to adapt and reorganize itself by forming new neural connections throughout life, especially in response to learning or experience or following injury. In the case of absence of visual input from birth, the brain demonstrates its plasticity by repurposing the visual cortex for other functions.

Quiz 3: Habituation, Sensitization, and Familiarization: Learning About Repeated Events

Learned non-use occurs when a stroke patient stops using a body part because:

Which statement is an example of habituation?

A decrease in the strength or occurrence of a behavior after repeated exposure to the stimulus that produces the behavior is called:

Which statement is TRUE regarding the use of constraint-induced movement therapy to treat learned non-use?

Under which condition would there be a skin-conductance response to reveal sensitization?

People are generally better at distinguishing individuals belonging to racial groups that they frequently encounter than individuals belonging to racial groups with whom they don't interact. This is an example of:

Sarah woke up from a frightening dream. Lying awake in bed, she is overly frightened by the normal noises in her house. This is an example of:

An example of a sensory prosthesis is a:

In Aplysia, sensitization results from a(n) :

In Aplysia touching the siphon causes the gill to withdraw. If the siphon is touched repeatedly, eventually the gill will not withdraw anymore. This is an example of:

Regarding spatial learning, it has been found that:

Which statement is TRUE regarding place cells?

Jeffrey Dahmer learned to pick out suitable victims by repeated experiences. This is an example of:

Over the first several weeks of teaching a class, the teacher becomes better at telling her students apart. This is an example of:

According to the dual process theory of learning:

When Brenda and Don first got married, she was bothered by his snoring, but after 15 years of marriage she barely notices it anymore. This is an example of:

The Milwaukee police noticed a putrid smell in Jeffrey Dahmer's apartment. But because they had experienced many smelly apartments in the past, they did not investigate the source of the smell. This is an example of:

When visual input is absent from birth, it is often seen that other cortical areas take over the areas of the brain normally devoted to vision. This demonstrates: