Question 1

You are attempting to train your dog to sit.Every time you say the word sit and raise your hand, a friend pushes the dog into a sitting position.After a week of training, your dog sits when you speak the command, but still does nothing when you raise your hand.There may be a problem with in this training.
A)generalization
B)overshadowing
C)discrimination
D)context

Accepted Answer

The problem in this training is overshadowing, where the friend's pushing the dog into a sitting position has overshadowed the hand-raising cue, leading the dog to only associate the command with the physical push and not the hand-raising cue.

Question 2

Which of the following best states the distribution of stimulus control over the instrumental behavior of pigeons?
A)Responding in both appetitive and aversive situations is likely to be controlled by visual rather than auditory stimuli.
B)Responding in both appetitive and aversive situations is likely to be controlled by auditory rather than visual stimuli.
C)Responding in appetitive situations is more likely to be controlled by auditory cues; responding in aversive situations by visual cues.
D)Responding in appetitive situations is more likely to be controlled by visual cues; responding in aversive situations by auditory cues.

Accepted Answer

According to the passage, pigeons are more likely to respond to visual cues in appetitive situations and to auditory cues in aversive situations. Therefore, the best choice is D, which states that responding in appetitive situations is more likely to be controlled by visual cues and responding in aversive situations is more likely to be controlled by auditory cues.

Question 3

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

According to the configural-cue approach, individuals respond to a compound stimulus in terms of the unique blend of the compound elements. This means that the compound stimulus is not simply a sum of its individual elements, but rather a unique combination that influences behavior.

Question 4

A training stimulus of a red square inside of a yellow circle was used in a keypeck experiment with pigeons.In a follow-up experiment, one trained pigeon was found to respond more to a red square than a yellow circle.Another trained pigeon responded more to the yellow circle.This demonstrates that
A)stimulus control did not develop in the initial training.
B)stimulus control developed only in the subject responding more to the red square.
C)stimulus control developed only in the subject responding more to the yellow circle.
D)stimulus control can vary from subject to subject.

Accepted Answer

The fact that one pigeon responded more to the red square and another responded more to the yellow circle indicates that stimulus control can vary from subject to subject. This suggests that both pigeons developed stimulus control during the initial training, but that the specific stimuli that controlled their behavior were different.

Question 5

Assume you would like your therapeutic treatments to generalize to outside settings.Which of the following would you not do?
A)Conduct sessions in your office so the client comes to associate the cues of the office with preparing for treatment.
B)Use numerous exemplars during training.
C)Make the treatment procedure indiscriminable or incidental to other activities.
D)Make the treatment situation as similar as possible to the natural environment of the client.

Accepted Answer

Conducting sessions solely in your office may not allow the client to generalize the skills learned to other settings. Instead, it is more effective to expose the client to a variety of settings and situations that resemble their natural environment. Options B, C, and D all promote generalization by providing ample examples, incorporating treatment into everyday activities, and creating environments that mirror real-life situations.

Question 6

The extent to which an organism learns about a stimulus depends on how easily other stimuli in the environment can become conditioned.This phenomenon is called
A)stimulus generalization.
B)discrimination.
C)sensitization.
D)overshadowing.

Accepted Answer

Overshadowing occurs when a more salient stimulus in the environment distracts from the learning of a less salient stimulus. This can limit the extent to which an organism learns about a particular stimulus.

Question 7

A colorblind dog is trained to press a lever in the presence of a 590 nm wavelength colored light.The stimulus generalization gradient when the dog is tested in the presence of other colors will
A)be flat.
B)rise steeply just before the 590 nm mark, then drop shortly after.
C)gradually rise and fall, with a peak at 590 nm.
D)rise to a high at 590 nm and remain there.

Accepted Answer

The answer of A colorblind dog is trained to press...

Question 8

Stimulus control of instrumental behavior is demonstrated by which of the following?
A)similar responding in the presence of similar stimuli
B)similar responding in the presence of different stimuli
C)differential responding in the presence of different stimuli
D)differential responding in the presence of similar stimuli

Accepted Answer

Stimulus control of instrumental behavior means that the behavior is under the control of the stimuli present in the environment. Differential responding in the presence of different stimuli is the best example of stimulus control, as the behavior is different depending on the specific stimulus present. Responding that is similar in the presence of similar or different stimuli would suggest that the behavior is not actually under stimulus control.

Question 9

After eating a foot-long spicy chili dog at the homecoming game, your friend becomes violently ill.Now he cannot stand to eat chili, but still loves hot dogs.His ability to eat hot dogs was likely spared because of
A)discrimination training.
B)stimulus generalization.
C)overshadowing.
D)contextual conditioning.

Accepted Answer

Overshadowing occurs when a more salient stimulus in a compound is given more attention by the organism and thus has a greater effect on conditioning. In this case, the spiciness of the chili may have been the more salient stimulus compared to the hot dog, leading to a stronger association with illness. As a result, the friend's aversion to chili may have overshadowed any conditioning towards hot dogs.

Question 10

Which of the following is a true statement about stimulus control?
A)Stimulus control frequently occurs without stimulus discrimination.
B)Stimulus control cannot occur without stimulus discrimination.
C)Stimulus control of behavior is constant across a species.
D)None of the above

Accepted Answer

Stimulus control occurs when a particular behavior is more likely to occur in the presence of a specific stimulus. This can only happen if the individual can discriminate between that stimulus and other stimuli in the environment. Therefore, stimulus discrimination is a necessary prerequisite for stimulus control.

Question 11

Your roommate gets excited every time he receives mail.Even junk mailings bring him joy.His behavior towards the mail demonstrates
A)stimulus control.
B)stimulus discrimination.
C)stimulus generalization.
D)stimulus learning.

Accepted Answer

Stimulus generalization refers to the tendency for a response that has been learned in the presence of a specific stimulus to occur in the presence of other similar stimuli. In this case, the roommate's excitement towards all mail, including junk mail, shows that he has generalized his excitement towards any type of mail.

Question 12

When pigeons are trained to earn access to food in the presence of a combined light/tone stimulus, the  is most likely to control the instrumental behavior.
A)light
B)tone
C)combined light/tone stimulus
D)Stimulus control is likely to vary widely across individuals.

Accepted Answer

The answer of When pigeons are trained to earn access...

Question 13

A steep stimulus generalization gradient indicates that
A)the stimulus being varied has little stimulus control.
B)the subjects are demonstrating stimulus generalization.
C)the instrumental behavior is under the control of the stimulus feature being varied.
D)further testing is needed to determine if stimulus differentiation has occurred.

Accepted Answer

The answer of A steep stimulus generalization gradient indicates that
A)the...

Question 14

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 the behavior elicited by a compound stimulus is determined by the combination of individual stimulus elements that make it up, rather than the compound as a whole.

Question 15

A flat stimulus generalization gradient indicates that subjects are
A)not responding to conditioning.
B)responding similarly to several stimuli.
C)responding mostly but not exclusively to the test stimulus.
D)responding only to the test stimulus.

Accepted Answer

A flat stimulus generalization gradient means that the subject is responding similarly to several stimuli, indicating that there is some degree of generalization. The other options suggest a lack of response or specificity to the test stimulus, which is not indicated by a flat gradient.

Question 16

When pigeons are trained to respond to avoid shock in the presence of a combined light/tone stimulus, the  is most likely to control the instrumental behavior.
A)light
B)tone
C)context of the test chamber
D)Stimulus control is likely to vary widely across individuals.

Accepted Answer

The answer of When pigeons are trained to respond to...

Question 17

An animal demonstrates stimulus generalization when it
A)responds in a similar fashion to repeated presentations of the same stimulus.
B)responds in a different fashion to repeated presentations of the same stimulus.
C)responds in a similar fashion to two or more stimuli.
D)responds in a different fashion to two or more stimuli.

Accepted Answer

Stimulus generalization occurs when an animal responds in a similar fashion to two or more stimuli. This means that the animal has generalized the original learned response to other similar stimuli. The other options do not accurately describe stimulus generalization. Option A describes habituation, where the animal becomes accustomed to a repeated stimulus and responds less over time. Option B describes a failure to generalize, where the animal responds differently to repeated stimuli. Option D describes discrimination, where the animal learns to differentiate between two or more stimuli and responds differently to each one.

Question 18

Your professor tells you that your dog is demonstrating stimulus discrimination.This means that
A)your dog is responding differently to two or more stimuli.
B)your dog is responding differently to repeated presentations of the same stimulus.
C)your dog is responding similarly to two or more stimuli.
D)it is time to find a new dog.

Accepted Answer

Stimulus discrimination refers to when an organism responds differently to two or more stimuli. Therefore, choice A is the correct answer. Choices B and C do not accurately reflect stimulus discrimination, and choice D is not a valid solution to the problem.

Question 19

Your friend has enrolled in a course in music training.The first part of the course involves learning to recognize different tones.Every time the students hear a middle C, they are to raise their right hands.Early in training you expect the stimulus generalization gradient to
A)be flat.
B)rise steeply just before the middle C mark, then drop immediately after.
C)rise to a high at middle C and remain there.
D)gradually rise and fall, with a peak at middle C.

Accepted Answer

Stimulus generalization is the tendency for stimuli that are similar to the conditioned stimulus to elicit the conditioned response. In this case, the students are trained to raise their right hands every time they hear a middle C. As they continue to hear different notes that are close in pitch to middle C, their response may gradually increase and then decrease again as the notes become more dissimilar to middle C. This would result in a stimulus generalization gradient that gradually rises and falls, with a peak at middle C. Therefore, the best choice is D.

Question 20

In the presence of a tone/light cue, pigeons were trained to press a foot treadle to gain access to food or to avoid footshock.Subsequent investigations determined that responding in appetitive situations is more likely to be controlled by visual cues; responding in aversive situations by auditory cues.This demonstrates that
A)the type of instrumental response required is a determinant of stimulus control.
B)the sensory capacity of an organism is a determinant of stimulus control.
C)the type of reinforcement is a determinant of stimulus control.
D)the determinants of stimulus control are idiosyncratic.

Accepted Answer

The answer of In the presence of a tone/light cue,...

Quiz 8: Stimulus Control of Behavior

Which of the following best states the distribution of stimulus control over the instrumental behavior of pigeons?

According to the configural-cue approach,

A training stimulus of a red square inside of a yellow circle was used in a keypeck experiment with pigeons.In a follow-up experiment, one trained pigeon was found to respond more to a red square than a yellow circle.Another trained pigeon responded more to the yellow circle.This demonstrates that

Assume you would like your therapeutic treatments to generalize to outside settings.Which of the following would you not do?

The extent to which an organism learns about a stimulus depends on how easily other stimuli in the environment can become conditioned.This phenomenon is called

A colorblind dog is trained to press a lever in the presence of a 590 nm wavelength colored light.The stimulus generalization gradient when the dog is tested in the presence of other colors will

Stimulus control of instrumental behavior is demonstrated by which of the following?

After eating a foot-long spicy chili dog at the homecoming game, your friend becomes violently ill.Now he cannot stand to eat chili, but still loves hot dogs.His ability to eat hot dogs was likely spared because of

Which of the following is a true statement about stimulus control?

Your roommate gets excited every time he receives mail.Even junk mailings bring him joy.His behavior towards the mail demonstrates

When pigeons are trained to earn access to food in the presence of a combined light/tone stimulus, the is most likely to control the instrumental behavior.

A steep stimulus generalization gradient indicates that

The stimulus-element approach assumes that

A flat stimulus generalization gradient indicates that subjects are

When pigeons are trained to respond to avoid shock in the presence of a combined light/tone stimulus, the is most likely to control the instrumental behavior.

An animal demonstrates stimulus generalization when it

Your professor tells you that your dog is demonstrating stimulus discrimination.This means that

Your friend has enrolled in a course in music training.The first part of the course involves learning to recognize different tones.Every time the students hear a middle C, they are to raise their right hands.Early in training you expect the stimulus generalization gradient to