Question 1

If you repeatedly fail in your attempts to control your environment, you are likely to make no further attempts to escape or even make your environment better.This is called _____.
A)passive aggressiveness
B)learned helplessness
C)submissive behavior
D)underachievement

Accepted Answer

Learned helplessness is a psychological condition where an individual feels powerless to change their situation due to repeated failures, leading them to stop trying to improve or escape their circumstances.

Question 2

You clap with delight when your young son picks up a spoon.You laugh and applaud when he later brings the spoon toward his mouth.When he places the spoon in his mouth you hug and kiss him all over.It is MOST likely that you _____.
A)are using a fixed interval schedule
B)are using a fixed ratio schedule
C)are using classical conditioning
D)are using shaping to teach your son to eat with spoon

Accepted Answer

Shaping involves reinforcing successive approximations of a desired behavior. In this scenario, the parent reinforces each step towards the final goal of eating with a spoon, which is a classic example of shaping behavior.

Question 3

When someone reinforces a series of successive approximations of a desired response, they are engaged in _____ a behavior.
A)the continuous reinforcement of
B)generalizing
C)discriminating
D)shaping

Accepted Answer

Shaping is the process of reinforcing successive approximations to a desired behavior, gradually guiding the behavior towards the target outcome.

Question 4

A schedule of reinforcement that presents a reinforcer if the behavior occurs in an unpredictable timeframe (e.g., the time before reinforcement varies)is called a _____ schedule, and is best for producing slow and steady responses.
A)Mixed interval
B)Variable interval
C)Rotating interval
D)Variable ratio

Accepted Answer

Variable interval schedules deliver reinforcement after a variable amount of time has passed, which produces a slow and steady response rate because the individual cannot predict exactly when the next reinforcement will be available.

Question 5

Five-year-old Nicholas just learned the rhyme, "Step on a crack, break your mother's back." Tonight his mother won't let him eat the candy bar his grandmother just gave him until after dinner.Nicholas waves goodbye to grandma, and then smiles while stepping on all of the cracks in his driveway.This may be an example of _____.
A)delayed aggression
B)learned helplessness
C)passive aggressiveness
D)an Oedipal response

Accepted Answer

Nicholas is expressing his frustration or aggression towards his mother's decision in a passive manner by stepping on cracks, indirectly acting out the rhyme as a form of rebellion without confronting the situation directly.

Question 6

Dan and Jenny spank Nolan when he pulls the dog's tail.They are using _____ to teach Nolan not to pull the dog's tail.
A)negative punishment
B)negative reinforcement
C)positive punishment
D)positive reinforcement

Accepted Answer

Dan and Jenny are using positive punishment by adding an unpleasant consequence (spanking) after Nolan's behavior (pulling the dog's tail) to decrease the likelihood of the behavior occurring again.

Question 7

George gets paid on Fridays for a week's work; Mai-ling gets paid for every five wedding veils she completes.George is on a _____ schedule of reinforcement, while Mai-ling is on a _____ schedule.
A)fixed ratio; average interval
B)average ratio; variable ratio
C)average interval; variable interval
D)fixed interval; fixed ratio

Accepted Answer

George is on a fixed interval schedule because he gets paid after a set amount of time (every Friday), regardless of how much work he does. Mai-ling is on a fixed ratio schedule because she gets paid after a set number of products are completed (every five wedding veils), regardless of how much time it takes.

Question 8

When you add a stimulus that decreases the likelihood of a response recurring, you are engaged in _____.If you subtract a stimulus with the same result, you are engaged in _____.
A)negative reinforcement; negative punishment
B)positive reinforcement; negative punishment
C)positive punishment; negative punishment
D)positive punishment; negative reinforcement

Accepted Answer

Adding a stimulus to decrease a behavior is positive punishment, while subtracting a stimulus to decrease a behavior is negative punishment.

Question 9

B.F.Skinner conducted an experiment that suggested that a behavior that is repeated because it is thought to cause a desired effect, even when there is no connection between the behavior and the effect, is called _____.
A)redundant
B)ineffectual
C)supercilious
D)superstitious

Accepted Answer

Skinner's experiment with pigeons demonstrated that behaviors could be conditioned even when they had no effect on whether a reward was received, leading to what he called "superstitious" behavior. This is because the pigeons acted as if their behavior influenced the outcome, similar to human superstitions.

Question 10

Feedback should _____ to increase the effectiveness of reinforcement.
A)be given by an appropriate role model
B)be immediate, consistent, and clear
C)be classically administered
D)always follow a partial schedule of reinforcement

Accepted Answer

Feedback should be immediate, consistent, and clear to increase the effectiveness of reinforcement.

Question 11

A Skinner box is the name for the _____.
A)laboratory used by B.F.Skinner
B)burial caskets for laboratory animals who died during research protocols
C)prison cell reserved for students who fail this exam
D)apparatus used to study the effects of reinforcement and punishment on animal behavior

Accepted Answer

The Skinner box, named after B.F. Skinner, is an apparatus used in the experimental analysis of behavior to study the effects of reinforcement and punishment on animal behavior.

Question 12

You always sit in the same chair in your psychology class on test-taking days because you believe that something about this seat or location helped you get an "A" on your first test.You are engaged in a _____ behavior.
A)self-defeating
B)superstitious
C)self-fulfilling
D)repetitious

Accepted Answer

This behavior is considered superstitious because it involves believing that a specific action or routine (sitting in the same chair), which is not logically related to the outcome (getting an "A"), can influence that outcome.

Question 13

Two-year-old Rumiko started whining at the grocery store.The best way for her parents to extinguish this behavior is to praise her _____ when she is NOT whining at the store and _____.
A)consistently; leave the store every time she whines
B)most of the time; leave the store every other time she whines
C)some of the time; leave the store when they are done shopping
D)none of these options; they should stop taking her to the store

Accepted Answer

Praising Rumiko consistently when she is not whining reinforces positive behavior, and leaving the store every time she whines teaches her that whining results in a negative consequence (leaving the store), thus helping to extinguish the whining behavior.

Question 14

Slot machines use a variable ratio because _____.
A)the gambler won't be able to tell when the next payoff is going to occur
B)it decreases the gambler's resistance to quitting
C)the gambler will receive a reward after every spin
D)the likelihood of hitting a "big jackpot" is quite low

Accepted Answer

Variable ratio schedules provide reinforcement after an unpredictable number of responses, making it difficult for gamblers to predict when the next payoff will occur, thus maintaining their engagement.

Question 15

_____ increases the likelihood that a behavior will occur, whereas _____ decreases that likelihood.
A)Operant conditioning; classical conditioning
B)Higher order conditioning; operant conditioning
C)Positive reinforcement; negative reinforcement
D)Reinforcement; punishment

Accepted Answer

Reinforcement is used to increase the likelihood of a behavior occurring by adding a positive stimulus or removing a negative one, while punishment decreases the likelihood of a behavior by adding a negative stimulus or removing a positive one.

Question 16

Professor Miller gives a quiz once a week but he never tells students on what day the quiz will be given.This is a _____ schedule.
A)fixed ratio
B)variable ratio
C)fixed interval
D)variable interval

Accepted Answer

This is a variable interval schedule because the quizzes are given at unpredictable time intervals, meaning students don't know exactly when to expect the next quiz.

Question 17

When a teacher uses a fixed interval schedule for quizzes (e.g., every Friday), this usually encourages students to _____.
A)study frequently
B)avoid class on Friday
C)cheat
D)study the night before the test only

Accepted Answer

A fixed interval schedule, like having quizzes every Friday, often leads to students procrastinating and then cramming their study into the night before the quiz, as they know exactly when the quizzes will occur and can delay preparation.

Question 18

One reason that domestic violence seem to escalate is that aggression is used as a punishment that is often _____.
A)ignored by the abused
B)reinforcing to the abuser
C)the most effective way to keep the relationship from breaking up
D)reported by the abused

Accepted Answer

Aggression can be reinforcing to the abuser because it may temporarily give them a sense of control or power over the situation or their partner, encouraging them to repeat the behavior.

Question 19

The BEST motto for the timing of reinforcement or punishment is _____.
A)Spare the rod and spoil the child
B)Haste makes waste.
C)The sooner (or immediate)the better.
D)A stitch in time saves nine.

Accepted Answer

The most effective timing for reinforcement or punishment to influence behavior is immediate or as soon as possible. This ensures a clear association between the behavior and its consequence, enhancing learning.

Question 20

Your textbook discusses several potential problems associated with the use of punishment.They include all but which of the following?
A)passive aggressive behaviors
B)lying and avoidance behaviors
C)inappropriate modeling of the punishment actions
D)the appearance of stimulus generalization in the individual who is punished

Accepted Answer

Stimulus generalization is not typically considered a problem associated with the use of punishment. Instead, it refers to the process by which a conditioned response is triggered by stimuli that are similar but not identical to the original conditioned stimulus. The problems associated with punishment usually involve negative behavioral responses or the learning of inappropriate behaviors, not the broadening of responses to similar stimuli.

Quiz 6: Learning

If you repeatedly fail in your attempts to control your environment, you are likely to make no further attempts to escape or even make your environment better.This is called _____.

You clap with delight when your young son picks up a spoon.You laugh and applaud when he later brings the spoon toward his mouth.When he places the spoon in his mouth you hug and kiss him all over.It is MOST likely that you _____.

When someone reinforces a series of successive approximations of a desired response, they are engaged in _____ a behavior.

A schedule of reinforcement that presents a reinforcer if the behavior occurs in an unpredictable timeframe (e.g., the time before reinforcement varies) is called a _____ schedule, and is best for producing slow and steady responses.

Dan and Jenny spank Nolan when he pulls the dog's tail.They are using _____ to teach Nolan not to pull the dog's tail.

George gets paid on Fridays for a week's work; Mai-ling gets paid for every five wedding veils she completes.George is on a _ schedule of reinforcement, while Mai-ling is on a _ schedule.

When you add a stimulus that decreases the likelihood of a response recurring, you are engaged in _.If you subtract a stimulus with the same result, you are engaged in _.

B.F.Skinner conducted an experiment that suggested that a behavior that is repeated because it is thought to cause a desired effect, even when there is no connection between the behavior and the effect, is called _____.

Feedback should _____ to increase the effectiveness of reinforcement.

A Skinner box is the name for the _____.

You always sit in the same chair in your psychology class on test-taking days because you believe that something about this seat or location helped you get an "A" on your first test.You are engaged in a _____ behavior.

Two-year-old Rumiko started whining at the grocery store.The best way for her parents to extinguish this behavior is to praise her _ when she is NOT whining at the store and _.

Slot machines use a variable ratio because _____.

_ increases the likelihood that a behavior will occur, whereas _ decreases that likelihood.

Professor Miller gives a quiz once a week but he never tells students on what day the quiz will be given.This is a _____ schedule.

When a teacher uses a fixed interval schedule for quizzes (e.g., every Friday) , this usually encourages students to _____.

One reason that domestic violence seem to escalate is that aggression is used as a punishment that is often _____.

The BEST motto for the timing of reinforcement or punishment is _____.

Your textbook discusses several potential problems associated with the use of punishment.They include all but which of the following?