Question 1

A decrease in responding to a stimulus is referred to as:
A) sensitization
B) priming
C) habituation
D) none of the above

Accepted Answer

Habituation is defined as a decrease in responsiveness to a stimulus after repeated presentations. Sensitization is the opposite, where there is an increase in responsiveness after repeated presentations. Priming refers to the process where exposure to a stimulus affects the way an individual processes subsequent, related stimuli.

Question 2

An increase in responding to a stimulus is referred to as:
A) sensitization
B) priming
C) habituation
D) none of the above

Accepted Answer

Sensitization is the process of increasing responsiveness to a stimulus after repeated exposure, resulting in an increased magnitude of the response.

Question 3

Which of the following is best illustrating of priming?
A) failing to notice a sign on a commonly-travelled highway
B) paying more attention in class when a teacher announces that "this material will be on your exam."
C) being able to drive a car and eat a sandwich at the same time
D) buying a specific box of cereal as a result of seeing a commercial for the product several days earlier

Accepted Answer

Priming occurs when exposure to a stimulus influences a response to a later stimulus. In this case, seeing a commercial (the first stimulus) influences the decision to buy a specific box of cereal later on (the response to a later stimulus).

Question 4

An orienting response can be said to be similar to:
A) sensitization and habituation
B) priming and sensitization
C) habituation and priming
D) habituation alone

Accepted Answer

The answer of An orienting response can be said to...

Question 5

Orienting responses:
A) depend upon stimulus intensity
B) can occur to familiar stimuli
C) can occur to novel stimuli
D) all of the above

Accepted Answer

Orienting responses can occur in response to both familiar and novel stimuli, and the intensity of the stimuli can also elicit an orienting response. Therefore, all of the choices (A, B, and C) are correct.

Question 6

Habituation can be taken as evidence of learning when:
A) a subject responds more to a stimulus as trials increase
B) a subject responds less to a stimulus as trials increase
C) a subject fails to respond at all during an entire training episode
D) none of the above

Accepted Answer

Habituation refers to a decrease in responsiveness to a stimulus after repeated exposure. Therefore, option B is the correct choice as it indicates a decrease in responsiveness over time, which demonstrates learning through habituation. Option A indicates sensitization rather than habituation, and option C indicates a lack of response rather than a decrease in response. Option D is incorrect because there is a correct choice for this question.

Question 7

Habituation can be measured by:
A) observing whole-body startle reactions to loud tones
B) measuring the amount of blood flowing into one's brain
C) measuring changes in the electrical conductivity of the skin
D) all of the above

Accepted Answer

Observing whole-body startle reactions to loud tones, measuring the amount of blood flowing into one's brain, and measuring changes in the electrical conductivity of the skin are all ways to measure habituation. Therefore, choice D is the correct answer.

Question 8

The novelty recognition task is particularly useful for testing the degree of_______ that develops in an organism during the course of exposure to a stimulus.
A)imaginal flooding
B) perceptual learning
C) orienting
D) learned safety

Accepted Answer

The answer of The novelty recognition task is particularly useful...

Question 9

Williams is attempting to study habituation by varying the number of repetitions required to obtain habituation to a visual stimulus. This procedure is most directly studying which parametric feature of habituation?
A) spontaneous recovery
B) generalization
C) frequency
D) spacing

Accepted Answer

Varying the number of repetitions required to obtain habituation is manipulating the frequency of the stimulus presentation. Therefore, this procedure is studying the parametric feature of frequency in habituation.

Question 10

James has been studying habituation in lab rats for the past six months. As part of his design, each week of habituation training is followed by a week where no training occurs. Over time, James has been finding that his rats habituate to the experimental stimuli faster than the previous week of habituation training. This result is evidence of which parametric feature of habituation?
A) savings
B) dishabituation
C) frequency
D) spacing

Accepted Answer

Savings refers to the phenomenon where previously habituated responses reappear more quickly after a rest period, which aligns with James's observation that rats habituate faster to stimuli after each week of training followed by a week of no training.

Question 11

Which of the following is most likely to result in suppressed responding during a habituation experiment?
A) spaced presentations
B) massed presentations
C) savings
D) generalization

Accepted Answer

Massed presentations (repeatedly presenting the same stimulus without breaks) are likely to result in suppressed responding during a habituation experiment because the animal becomes over-exposed to the stimulus and stops responding as strongly. Spaced presentations (presenting the stimulus with breaks in between) can help prevent habituation and maintain responding. Savings refers to the ability to re-learn a previously habituated response faster than learning it for the first time, and generalization refers to responding to stimuli that are similar to the original stimulus presented. Neither of these options would necessarily result in suppressed responding during a habituation experiment.

Question 12

Which of the following is most likely to result in durable habituation?
A) spaced presentations
B) massed presentations
C) savings
D) dishabituation

Accepted Answer

Spaced presentations, or presenting the stimulus repeatedly but with some time in between each presentation, is more likely to result in durable habituation than massed presentations. This is because spaced presentations allow for some forgetting to occur, which helps to strengthen the habituation response. Savings and dishabituation are related concepts, but they do not directly relate to the durability of habituation.

Question 13

After habituating his animals to a visual stimulus, Dr. Stillman presents a novel tone to his subjects. Following the presentation of the tone, the animals are again shown the initial visual stimulus, but they no longer habituate to this event. What has occurred?
A) generalization
B) sensory adaptation
C) savings
D) dishabituation

Accepted Answer

Dishabituation is the restoration of a response to a habituated stimulus that occurs when a novel stimulus is presented. In this scenario, the animals were habituated to a visual stimulus, then presented with a novel tone, and finally shown the initial visual stimulus again. The fact that the animals did not habituate to the visual stimulus after the novel tone indicates that they experienced dishabituation.

Question 14

After habituating his animals to a dark-blue circle, Dr. Stillman presents a light-blue circle to his subjects and finds that they continue to habituate to this novel item. What has occurred?
A) generalization
B) sensory adaptation
C) savings
D) dishabituation

Accepted Answer

Generalization has occurred because the animals have responded to a new stimulus (the light-blue circle) in the same way they did to the original stimulus (the dark-blue circle), indicating they perceive the new stimulus as similar to the original one.

Question 15

Effector fatigue occurs when:
A) sensory receptors lose their ability to detect changes in the environment
B) one's response system is depleted
C) a subject exhibits an orienting response to a stimulus
D) none of the above

Accepted Answer

Effector fatigue occurs when one's response system becomes depleted, meaning that the body's ability to respond to a stimulus is reduced. This is different from sensory adaptation, which occurs when sensory receptors become less sensitive to a constant stimulus. The orienting response is a reflexive reaction to a novel stimulus and is not directly related to effector fatigue.

Question 16

Neurons directly involved in the reflex arc have been labeled:
A) Type S
B) Type R
C) Type H
D) Type A

Accepted Answer

The answer of Neurons directly involved in the reflex arc...

Question 17

Neurons directly involved in the reflex arc have been labeled_________, and are closely related to the process of _________.
A) Type S; sensitization
B)Type S; habituation
C) Type H; sensitization
D) Type H; habituation

Accepted Answer

Type H neurons are associated with habituation, which is a decrease in response to a repeated stimulus.

Question 18

Neurons that play a major role in the general level of arousal of the nervous system have been labeled:
A) Type S
B) Type R
C) Type H
D) Type A

Accepted Answer

Type S neurons are responsible for the general level of arousal of the nervous system.

Question 19

"Habituation can occur as a result of visual receptors losing their sensitivity to detect changes in one's visual environment." This idea is consistent with which explanation of habituation?
A) effector fatigue
B) sensitization
C) sensory adaptation
D) none of the above

Accepted Answer

Sensory adaptation involves the sensory receptors losing sensitivity to constant or unchanging stimuli, leading to habituation.

Question 20

Woods is conducting basic research on the different types of sensory neurons that carry input to spinal neurons. Her research on these neurons will most likely lead to an increased understanding of the biological nature of:
A) habituation
B) sensitization
C) orienting responses
D) response generalization

Accepted Answer

Sensory neurons are involved in the process of habituation, which is a decrease in response to a repeated stimulus. Understanding these neurons can help explain how habituation occurs at a biological level.

Quiz 2: Habituation and Other Forms of Simple Stimulus Learning

A decrease in responding to a stimulus is referred to as:

An increase in responding to a stimulus is referred to as:

Which of the following is best illustrating of priming?

An orienting response can be said to be similar to:

Orienting responses:

Habituation can be taken as evidence of learning when:

Habituation can be measured by:

The novelty recognition task is particularly useful for testing the degree of_______ that develops in an organism during the course of exposure to a stimulus.

Williams is attempting to study habituation by varying the number of repetitions required to obtain habituation to a visual stimulus. This procedure is most directly studying which parametric feature of habituation?

Which of the following is most likely to result in suppressed responding during a habituation experiment?

Which of the following is most likely to result in durable habituation?

After habituating his animals to a visual stimulus, Dr. Stillman presents a novel tone to his subjects. Following the presentation of the tone, the animals are again shown the initial visual stimulus, but they no longer habituate to this event. What has occurred?

After habituating his animals to a dark-blue circle, Dr. Stillman presents a light-blue circle to his subjects and finds that they continue to habituate to this novel item. What has occurred?

Effector fatigue occurs when:

Neurons directly involved in the reflex arc have been labeled:

Neurons directly involved in the reflex arc have been labeled_, and are closely related to the process of _.

Neurons that play a major role in the general level of arousal of the nervous system have been labeled:

"Habituation can occur as a result of visual receptors losing their sensitivity to detect changes in one's visual environment." This idea is consistent with which explanation of habituation?

Woods is conducting basic research on the different types of sensory neurons that carry input to spinal neurons. Her research on these neurons will most likely lead to an increased understanding of the biological nature of: