Question 1

_____ is the notion that an organism is innately predisposed to form associations between certain stimuli and responses.
A)Biological preparedness
B)Latent learning
C)Instinctive
D)Survival of the fittest

Accepted Answer

Biological preparedness refers to the idea that certain associations between stimuli and responses are biologically predisposed, or innate, in certain organisms. This means that some species are more likely to form certain associations because of their genetics and evolutionary history.

Question 2

F. Skinner:
A)believed that human behavior is determined by environmental consequences, not by individual choice or free will.
B)believed that "the scientific analysis of behavior" would lead to a totalitarian society based on punishment.
C)advocated greater use of punishment to control behavior.
D)strongly advocated the study of mental processes to understand behavior.

Accepted Answer

Skinner was a behaviorist who rejected the notion of free will and believed that behavior is determined by environmental factors, specifically the consequences of that behavior. He believed that through the use of conditioning and reinforcement, behavior could be shaped and controlled.

Question 3

In Watson and Rayner's "Little Albert" study, _____ was the unconditioned stimulus (UCS).
A)the loud clanging sound
B)the sight of the white rat
C)fear in response to the loud clanging sound
D)fear in response to the sight of the rat

Accepted Answer

In Watson and Rayner's "Little Albert" study, the unconditioned stimulus (UCS) was the loud clanging sound. This was paired with the sight of the white rat to eventually condition a fear response in Little Albert to the previously neutral stimulus of the rat.

Question 4

In psychology, the formal definition of "learning" is:
A)knowledge that can be measured by an intelligence or achievement test.
B)any knowledge or skill that has been acquired in a school or in a formal training program.
C)behavior that is the result of genetic programming.
D)a process which produces a relatively enduring change in behavior or knowledge as a result of past experience.

Accepted Answer

The definition of learning in psychology is a process that leads to a relatively permanent change in behavior or knowledge as a result of past experience. This definition emphasizes that learning results in a change that endures over time, rather than simply reflecting a temporary shift in behavior, and is based on past experiences, rather than innate or genetic factors. Option A focuses exclusively on knowledge, while option B is limited to learning that takes place in formal settings. Option C is incorrect since it refers to genetic programming rather than learned behavior.

Question 5

Pavlov taught a dog to salivate at the sound of a musical tone by repeatedly pairing food with a musical tone. In this example, the food is the _____ and the dog salivating to the food is the _____.
A)unconditioned stimulus; conditioned response
B)unconditioned stimulus; unconditioned response
C)conditioned response; unconditioned response
D)conditioned stimulus; conditioned response

Accepted Answer

The food is the unconditioned stimulus because it naturally elicits a response (salivation) without any prior learning. The dog salivating to the food is the unconditioned response because it is a natural reaction to the unconditioned stimulus (food).

Question 6

Pavlov taught a dog to salivate at the sound of a musical tone by repeatedly pairing the tone with food. In this example, the musical tone is the _____ before conditioning and the _____ after conditioning.
A)conditioned stimulus; neutral stimulus
B)unconditioned stimulus; conditioned stimulus
C)neutral stimulus; conditioned stimulus
D)unconditioned stimulus; conditioned response

Accepted Answer

Before conditioning, the musical tone is a neutral stimulus as it does not elicit a response. After conditioning, the musical tone becomes a conditioned stimulus as it now elicits a conditioned response (salivation).

Question 7

_____ formulated the "law of effect."
A)B. F. Skinner
B)John B. Watson
C)Albert Bandura
D)Ivan Pavlov

Accepted Answer

The answer of _____ formulated the "law of effect."
A)B. F....

Question 8

_____ was the theorist who discovered the basic process of classical conditioning.
A)Albert Bandura
B)B. F. Skinner
C)John B. Watson
D)Ivan Pavlov

Accepted Answer

Ivan Pavlov was the theorist who discovered the basic process of classical conditioning, famously known for his experiments with dogs and the conditioned response to a ringing bell. Albert Bandura, B.F. Skinner, and John B. Watson contributed to other areas of psychology but not specifically to classical conditioning.

Question 9

A television commercial for a new camera features a handsome man taking photographs of beautiful women in bikinis on a California beach. This commercial uses _____ conditioning techniques, following an approach to advertising that was pioneered by _____.
A)operant; B. F. Skinner
B)classical; John B. Watson
C)operant; Edward L. Thorndike
D)classical; Ivan Pavlov

Accepted Answer

The commercial uses classical conditioning techniques by associating the product (the camera) with positive stimuli (attractive people and a desirable location). This approach to advertising was pioneered by John B. Watson, who applied principles of classical conditioning to marketing.

Question 10

According to psychologist _____ and the _____ perspective, classical conditioning involves learning the relationship between events rather than simply associating two events.
A)Edward C. Tolman; cognitive
B)Martin Seligman; cognitive
C)Robert Rescorla; cognitive
D)John Garcia; evolutionary

Accepted Answer

Robert Rescorla and the cognitive perspective emphasize that classical conditioning involves understanding the relationship between events, specifically the degree of predictability of one event based on the presence of another. This is referred to as the contingency or the predictive relationship. Tolman, Seligman, and Garcia are associated with other concepts in psychology, such as cognitive maps, learned helplessness, and taste aversions, respectively.

Question 11

The manager of a large shopping mall was upset about the groups of rowdy teenagers who were hanging out by the mall entrance and scaring off his adult customers. He discovered that, if he played classical music over the loudspeakers by the door, the teenagers no longer gathered at the entrance. The mall manager's use of classical music to modify the teenagers' behavior is an example of:
A)the operant conditioning extinction procedure.
B)punishment by application.
C)punishment by removal.
D)negative reinforcement.

Accepted Answer

Punishment by application involves adding an unpleasant stimulus to decrease a behavior. In this case, playing classical music (an unpleasant stimulus for the teenagers) was added to reduce the behavior of hanging out by the mall entrance.

Question 12

When Anna was three years old, her aunt's pet parakeet landed on her head and pecked at her scalp, hurting her. Following this incident, Anna was afraid of the parakeet. But over time, Anna has become afraid of anything that flies, including butterflies, large flying insects, and wild birds. This example illustrates the phenomenon of _____ in _____ conditioning.
A)instinctive drift; operant
B)stimulus discrimination; classical
C)biological preparedness; operant
D)stimulus generalization; classical

Accepted Answer

This scenario illustrates the phenomenon of stimulus generalization in classical conditioning. Anna's fear of the parakeet has generalized to other flying things, causing her to be afraid of anything that resembles the original conditioned stimulus (the parakeet).

Question 13

A rat has been trained in an operant-conditioning chamber to press a lever to get a food pellet. Following the acquisition trials, the researcher then withheld reinforcement for lever pressing and eventually the rat stopped responding. This example illustrates:
A)the effect of negative reinforcement.
B)the effect of punishment by application.
C)learned helplessness.
D)extinction.

Accepted Answer

This scenario describes the process of extinction, which occurs when a previously-reinforced behavior (lever pressing in this case) is no longer followed by the reinforcing consequence (food pellet). In other words, the behavior gradually decreases and eventually stops altogether. The absence of reinforcement in this scenario is not an example of negative reinforcement or punishment by application, as no aversive stimulus is being presented or removed. Additionally, there is no evidence of learned helplessness, which would describe a scenario where the rat had previously experienced uncontrollable aversive events that led to a lack of response to subsequent opportunities to control the environment.

Question 14

Which theorist stated, "Give me a dozen healthy infants, well-formed, and my own specified world to bring them up in and I'll guarantee to take any one at random and train him to become any type of specialist I might select"?
A)John B. Watson
B)B. F. Skinner
C)Edward L. Thorndike
D)Ivan Pavlov

Accepted Answer

This statement is known as the "Behaviorist Manifesto" and was made by John B. Watson in 1924, reflecting the behaviorist perspective that all behavior is learned through conditioning and environment, rather than being innate or based on genetics.

Question 15

After two weeks of being screamed at by his drill sergeant at boot camp and shuddering with fear in response, a Marine recruit named Joe now shudders every time he hears the footsteps of his drill sergeant coming down the hall. When the drill sergeant enters the room, Joe snaps to attention and salutes. In this example, shuddering to the sound of the footsteps is a(n) _____ and saluting is a(n) _____.
A)operant response in the presence of a discriminative stimulus; conditioned response
B)unconditioned response; example of latent learning
C)conditioned response; operant response in the presence of a discriminative stimulus
D)unconditioned response; example of learned helplessness

Accepted Answer

Shuddering to the sound of the footsteps is a conditioned response because it was learned through association with the drill sergeant's presence and the fear-inducing experience of boot camp. Saluting is an operant response in the presence of a discriminative stimulus (the drill sergeant entering the room) because it is a behavior that has been reinforced through training and serves to gain approval or avoid punishment.

Question 16

If B.F. Skinner were presented with the following terms, which one would he MOST likely reject?
A)operant
B)objective
C)voluntary
D)involuntary

Accepted Answer

Skinner, a behaviorist, focused on observable behaviors and the conditions that affect those behaviors. He emphasized operant conditioning, which involves learning from the consequences of behavior, whether it's reinforced or punished. Skinner would likely reject "voluntary" because it implies a level of internal decision-making or cognition, which goes beyond the scope of his behaviorist perspective that prioritizes observable, measurable behaviors over internal states or processes.

Question 17

Daniel's young twins often get into arguments about toys and what to watch on television. To reduce the number of arguments, Daniel started setting time limits during play and TV viewing. If the boys refrained from arguing during the set time, they were immediately rewarded with verbal encouragement and stars for their sticker charts. According to the box In Focus: Changing the Behavior of Others, Daniel is using the strategy of:
A)punishment by removal.
B)time-out from positive reinforcement.
C)reinforcing the non-occurrence of the problem behavior.
D)punishment by application.

Accepted Answer

Daniel is using positive reinforcement to reinforce the non-occurrence of the problem behavior (argument) by giving verbal encouragement and stars for their sticker charts when the boys refrain from arguing during the set time. This is a form of reinforcing desired behavior rather than punishing unwanted behavior.

Question 18

A voluntary action is also called a(n):
A)observation.
B)operant.
C)reflexive behavior.
D)mental image.

Accepted Answer

A voluntary action is an action that is under the control of the individual, meaning they choose to perform it. Operant conditioning refers to learning that occurs through consequences, such as rewards or punishments, and this type of learning is often involved in the formation of voluntary actions. Option A (observation) refers to the act of watching or noticing something, and is not specifically related to voluntary actions. Option C (reflexive behavior) refers to automatic responses to stimuli, which are not voluntary. Option D (mental image) refers to a representation of an object or thought in the mind, which is also not directly related to voluntary actions.

Question 19

According to the _____ model developed by _____, behavior is shaped and maintained by its environmental consequences.
A)classical conditioning; John B. Watson
B)cognitive; Edward Tolman
C)evolutionary; John Garcia.
D)operant conditioning; B. F. Skinner

Accepted Answer

The model described in this question describes the principles of operant conditioning, which was developed by B. F. Skinner. This theory asserts that behavior is shaped by the consequences that follow it, whether those consequences are positive or negative.

Question 20

Violet is participating in a new drug trial. For the past month, she has been taking an anti-anxiety medication and reporting on her moods, stress, and levels of anxiety. According to Violet, she feels better than she has for years. Most of her anxiety is gone, and she is able to handle stress better. What Violet doesn't know is that she is actually taking a sugar pill. That is, she is not actually taking a medication for anxiety. Violet's response to this medication is called:
A)placebo tolerance.
B)an unconditioned response (UCR).
C)an operant response.
D)a placebo response or placebo effect.

Accepted Answer

Violet's response is known as the placebo response or placebo effect, which refers to the phenomenon where a person experiences an improvement in their symptoms after receiving a treatment that does not have any active ingredients. This improvement is not due to the effects of the treatment itself, but rather due to the person's belief in the treatment and their expectation that it will help them. The placebo effect is a well-known and well-documented phenomenon in medicine and clinical trials.

Quiz 5: Section 4: Learning

_____ is the notion that an organism is innately predisposed to form associations between certain stimuli and responses.

F. Skinner:

In Watson and Rayner's "Little Albert" study, _____ was the unconditioned stimulus (UCS) .

In psychology, the formal definition of "learning" is:

Pavlov taught a dog to salivate at the sound of a musical tone by repeatedly pairing food with a musical tone. In this example, the food is the _ and the dog salivating to the food is the _.

Pavlov taught a dog to salivate at the sound of a musical tone by repeatedly pairing the tone with food. In this example, the musical tone is the _ before conditioning and the _ after conditioning.

_____ formulated the "law of effect."

_____ was the theorist who discovered the basic process of classical conditioning.

A television commercial for a new camera features a handsome man taking photographs of beautiful women in bikinis on a California beach. This commercial uses _ conditioning techniques, following an approach to advertising that was pioneered by _.

According to psychologist _ and the _ perspective, classical conditioning involves learning the relationship between events rather than simply associating two events.

A rat has been trained in an operant-conditioning chamber to press a lever to get a food pellet. Following the acquisition trials, the researcher then withheld reinforcement for lever pressing and eventually the rat stopped responding. This example illustrates:

Which theorist stated, "Give me a dozen healthy infants, well-formed, and my own specified world to bring them up in and I'll guarantee to take any one at random and train him to become any type of specialist I might select"?

If B.F. Skinner were presented with the following terms, which one would he MOST likely reject?

A voluntary action is also called a(n) :

According to the _ model developed by _, behavior is shaped and maintained by its environmental consequences.