Question 1

The stimulus-element approach assumes that
A) stimulus elements maintain their individuality in their control of behavior even when in a compound stimulus.
B) stimulus elements maintain their individuality in their control of behavior except when in a compound stimulus.
C) stimulus elements maintain their individuality in their control of behavior only when in a compound stimulus.
D) stimulus elements act as a configuration to control behavior when they are presented in a compound stimulus.

Accepted Answer

The stimulus-element approach assumes that stimulus elements maintain their individuality in their control of behavior even when in a compound stimulus. This means that each individual stimulus element retains its unique effect on behavior, even when presented in combination with other stimulus elements.

Question 2

Suppose you want your goldfish to swim to the top of the tank only when you shine a red light,and no other color,into the water.Assuming the fish can see most colors,to condition the fish you should
A) train it only with the red light.
B) use red, blue, and yellow lights, and only reward the fish for swimming to the surface when the red light is used.
C) use red, orange, and purple lights, and only reward the fish for swimming to the surface when the red light is used.
D) withhold training until the testing phase.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Suppose you want your goldfish to swim...

Question 3

A loud buzzer is paired with a dim light as a signal for a dog to press a lever to gain access to food.The dog quickly learns to respond to the buzzer alone,but does not learn to respond vigorously to the light alone.According to the configural-cue approach,this is because of
A) the type of reinforcer being delivered.
B) the type of response required of the dog.
C) a generalization decrement from training to test trials.
D) the evolutionary configuration of appetitive responding.

Accepted Answer

The configural-cue approach suggests that animals learn the overall pattern or configuration of stimuli present during training, rather than just the individual elements. In this case, the dog learned that the combination of the loud buzzer and dim light signaled the availability of food. When presented with the dim light alone during test trials, the dog did not respond as vigorously because there was a generalization decrement, or decrease in the strength of the response, due to the absence of the other cue. This suggests that the dog was relying on the overall configuration of the cues rather than just the buzzer or light alone.

Question 4

When the S+ and S- differ only in terms of one stimulus feature,the training procedure is called
A) intradimensional discrimination.
B) interdimensional discrimination.
C) extradimensional discrimination.
D) hypodimensional discrimination.

Accepted Answer

Intradimensional discrimination involves stimuli that differ only in one specific feature or dimension. This is in contrast to interdimensional discrimination, which involves stimuli that differ across multiple dimensions, and extradimensional discrimination, which involves switching from one dimension to another during the training process. Hypodimensional discrimination is not a recognized term in this context.

Question 5

In a stimulus discrimination procedure,subjects are
A) repeatedly exposed to a single stimulus as a cue for the availability of a reinforcer.
B) exposed once to a single stimulus as a cue for the availability of a reinforcer.
C) exposed to at least two stimuli, only one of which is a cue for the availability of a reinforcer.
D) exposed to at least two stimuli, all of which signal the availability of a reinforcer.

Accepted Answer

In a stimulus discrimination procedure, subjects are exposed to at least two stimuli, only one of which is a cue for the availability of a reinforcer. The subjects must learn to differentiate between the two stimuli in order to obtain the reinforcer. This process is called discrimination training. Therefore, choice C is the correct answer. Choices A and D are incorrect because they describe procedures where only one stimulus is used to signal the availability of a reinforcer. Choice B is incorrect because it describes a single exposure to a stimulus, which is not sufficient for learning to occur.

Question 6

Other students take advantage of the professor's absence to look on each others' papers.When the professor periodically returns,this behavior stops,only to start again when the professor leaves.This is an example of
A) overshadowing.
B) a multiple schedule of reinforcement.
C) stimulus generalization.
D) the peak-shift effect.

Accepted Answer

The behavior stopping and starting again based on the presence or absence of the professor suggests that it is being reinforced on a multiple schedule, with reinforcement being delivered (the opportunity to cheat) only when a certain stimulus (the professor's absence) is present.

Question 7

In driving school,you are reinforced for driving into an intersection when the light is green,but not reinforced when the light is red.This is an example of
A) a stimulus discrimination procedure.
B) a stimulus generalization procedure.
C) the peak-shift phenomenon.
D) the configural-cue approach.

Accepted Answer

This scenario is an example of stimulus discrimination procedure because the behavior (driving into the intersection) is reinforced only when a specific stimulus (green light) is present and not when another stimulus (red light) is present. The learner is able to discriminate between the two stimuli and respond accordingly to receive reinforcement.

Question 8

According to some learning theorists,in order to train a child to sleep through the night,a parent should do all of the following except
A) allow the child to sleep only in his or her own bed.
B) check on the child, if necessary, with a minimum of disturbance.
C) firmly but kindly scold the child when he or she wakes during the night.
D) develop a nonvarying bed-time routine.

Accepted Answer

Firmly scolding the child when he or she wakes during the night is not recommended by most learning theorists as it can cause the child to associate sleep with negative emotions and create anxiety around bedtime. The other options of allowing the child to sleep in their own bed, checking on them if necessary, and developing a consistent bedtime routine are all commonly recommended strategies for training a child to sleep through the night.

Question 9

A cat is trained to hit a suspended ball in the presence of a red light.Presentations of other lights were not followed by any reinforcers if the cat hit the ball.According to Spence,the cat learned
A) to respond only when the S+ is present.
B) to suppress responding only when the S- is present.
C) to respond only when the S+ is present and to suppress responding only when the S- is present.
D) to suppress inhibition when the S- is present.

Accepted Answer

The answer of A cat is trained to hit a...

Question 10

Which of the following conditioning procedures will result in the flattest stimulus generalization gradient?
A) no training prior to testing with various frequency tones
B) S+ = 500 Hz tone; S- = no tone
C) S+ = 1000 Hz tone; S- = 900 Hz tone
D) S+ = 600 Hz tone: S- = 500 Hz tone

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which of the following conditioning procedures will...

Question 11

Which of the following conditioning procedures will result in the steepest stimulus generalization gradient?
A) S+ = 1000 Hz tone; S- = no tone
B) S+ = 500 Hz tone; S- = 850 Hz tone
C) S+ = 600 Hz tone; S- = 450 Hz tone
D) S+ = 950 Hz tone; S- = 900 Hz tone

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which of the following conditioning procedures will...

Question 12

According to Spence,discrimination training results in
A) only excitatory conditioning.
B) only inhibitory conditioning.
C) either excitatory or inhibitory conditioning.
D) both excitatory and inhibitory conditioning.

Accepted Answer

Discrimination training results in both excitatory and inhibitory conditioning, as the organism learns not only to respond to a specific stimulus (excitatory conditioning), but also to inhibit its response to similar stimuli (inhibitory conditioning).

Question 13

Which of the following stimuli could be used in an intradimensional discrimination procedure?
A) S+ = bright red light: S- = no light
B) S+ = bright red light: S- = bright yellow light
C) S+ = bright red light: S- = tone
D) S+ = bright red light: S- = white key light with black bar

Accepted Answer

An intradimensional discrimination procedure involves discriminating between stimuli that are within the same dimension, such as color. In this case, the S+ (bright red light) and S- (bright yellow light) are both within the color dimension, making it a suitable choice for an intradimensional discrimination procedure. The other stimuli (no light, tone, white key light with black bar) are not within the same dimension and therefore would not be appropriate for this type of discrimination procedure.

Question 14

A pigeon is trained to peck in the presence of a 500 nm wavelength light and is not reinforced for pecking in the presence of a 510 nm wavelength light.After training,most performance will be demonstrated in response to a
A) 400 nm light.
B) 490 nm light.
C) 500 nm light.
D) 505 nm light.

Accepted Answer

The answer of A pigeon is trained to peck in...

Question 15

The configural-cue approach asserts that the overshadowing effect is due to
A) the type of instrumental response required.
B) the ease with which one of the stimuli can be conditioned.
C) the type of reinforcer delivered.
D) the generalization decrement from training to test trials.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The configural-cue approach asserts that the overshadowing...

Question 16

According to the configural-cue approach,
A) stimulus elements maintain their individuality in their control of behavior even when in a compound stimulus.
B) individuals respond to a compound stimulus in terms of the unique blend of the compound elements.
C) stimulus elements maintain their individuality in their control of behavior only when in a compound stimulus.
D) a less salient stimulus element can control behavior if the required response is carefully chosen.

Accepted Answer

The configural-cue approach suggests that individuals respond to a compound stimulus based on the unique blend of the compound elements, rather than responding to each individual element separately. This means that the behavior that is elicited by the compound stimulus is based on the relationship between the elements, rather than simply the presence of each element. Therefore, option B is the correct choice as it accurately reflects the configural-cue approach.

Question 17

The instrumental behavior of dogs trained on a go/no-go discrimination task was controlled by the stimulus cue's quality.Dogs trained to lift a right or left leg learned to respond to the location of the cue.This demonstrates that
A) the type of reinforcement plays a role in determining stimulus control.
B) the stimulus salience plays a role in determining stimulus control.
C) the type of response required plays a role in determining stimulus control.
D) overshadowing plays a role in determining stimulus control.

Accepted Answer

The type of response required (lifting a right or left leg) influenced how the dogs responded to the location of the cue, indicating that the response type affects stimulus control.

Question 18

For one group of pigeons,a black vertical bar on a white key light served as the S+ and the blank key light the S-.For another,the bar served as the S- and the blank key light the S+.When the bar was rotated toward the horizontal,the first group decreased pecking,and the second increased pecking.This demonstrates that
A) the response required influences discrimination training.
B) excitatory and inhibitory conditioning can occur in discrimination training.
C) discrimination training results in either excitatory or inhibitory conditioning, but not both.
D) overshadowing can influence discrimination training.

Accepted Answer

This scenario demonstrates that the pigeons were able to both learn to discriminate between the S+ and S- stimuli, and also to respond differently to those stimuli based on their learned associations. This suggests that both excitatory and inhibitory conditioning occurred during the discrimination training.

Question 19

According to Spence's theory of discrimination learning,discrimination training results in
A) only the development of an excitatory generalization gradient around the S+.
B) the development of an excitatory generalization gradient around the S+, but an inhibitory generalization gradient around the S-.
C) the development of an excitatory generalization gradient around both the S+ and S-.
D) only the development of an excitatory generalization gradient around the S-.

Accepted Answer

According to Spence's theory of discrimination learning, discrimination training results in the development of an excitatory generalization gradient around the S+, but also an inhibitory generalization gradient around the S-. This allows for discrimination between the two stimuli to occur.

Question 20

A hamster is trained to push a lever to earn a food pellet each time it hears a bell.When a buzzer sounds,pushing the lever does not result in food delivery.The hamster quickly learns to respond to the bell and does not respond to the buzzer.We can conclude
A) the hamster has learned to respond only when the S+ is present.
B) the hamster has learned to suppress responding only when the S- is present.
C) the hamster has learned to respond only when the S+ is present and to suppress responding only when the S- is present.
D) that more information is needed to determine what the hamster has learned.

Accepted Answer

The answer of A hamster is trained to push a...

Quiz 8: Stimulus Control of Behavior

The stimulus-element approach assumes that

Suppose you want your goldfish to swim to the top of the tank only when you shine a red light,and no other color,into the water.Assuming the fish can see most colors,to condition the fish you should

A loud buzzer is paired with a dim light as a signal for a dog to press a lever to gain access to food.The dog quickly learns to respond to the buzzer alone,but does not learn to respond vigorously to the light alone.According to the configural-cue approach,this is because of

When the S+ and S- differ only in terms of one stimulus feature,the training procedure is called

In a stimulus discrimination procedure,subjects are

Other students take advantage of the professor's absence to look on each others' papers.When the professor periodically returns,this behavior stops,only to start again when the professor leaves.This is an example of

In driving school,you are reinforced for driving into an intersection when the light is green,but not reinforced when the light is red.This is an example of

According to some learning theorists,in order to train a child to sleep through the night,a parent should do all of the following except

A cat is trained to hit a suspended ball in the presence of a red light.Presentations of other lights were not followed by any reinforcers if the cat hit the ball.According to Spence,the cat learned

Which of the following conditioning procedures will result in the flattest stimulus generalization gradient?

Which of the following conditioning procedures will result in the steepest stimulus generalization gradient?

According to Spence,discrimination training results in

Which of the following stimuli could be used in an intradimensional discrimination procedure?

A pigeon is trained to peck in the presence of a 500 nm wavelength light and is not reinforced for pecking in the presence of a 510 nm wavelength light.After training,most performance will be demonstrated in response to a

The configural-cue approach asserts that the overshadowing effect is due to

According to the configural-cue approach,

The instrumental behavior of dogs trained on a go/no-go discrimination task was controlled by the stimulus cue's quality.Dogs trained to lift a right or left leg learned to respond to the location of the cue.This demonstrates that

According to Spence's theory of discrimination learning,discrimination training results in

A hamster is trained to push a lever to earn a food pellet each time it hears a bell.When a buzzer sounds,pushing the lever does not result in food delivery.The hamster quickly learns to respond to the bell and does not respond to the buzzer.We can conclude