Deck 3: Simple Forms of Learning and Memory

Question 1

Which of the following is not considered to be a form of learning?

A) adaptation
B) habituation
C) sensitization
D) fatigue

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Habituation is specific to the stimulus response but not the motor response.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

During habituation studies with babies, how do scientists know when habituation occurs?

A) The baby stares intently at a new object.
B) Rates of sucking increase.
C) The infant shows no interest in a stimulus.
D) Facial stimulation and attention is intent.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

When a motor neuron responsible for muscle contractions stops responding it is called __________.

A) adaptation
B) habituation
C) fatigue
D) sensitization

Question 5

Bobby was watching a video intently for about five minutes, but then he lost interest in it and started to play with his truck. What phenomenon has occurred?

A) sensitization
B) habituation
C) dishabituation
D) desensitization

Question 6

Habituation cannot be used reliably to investigate learning and memory.

Question 7

Invertebrates have smaller neurons that vertebrates, making them harder to study.

Question 8

Habituation of the defensive reflex in the Aplysia is an example of long-term memory.

Question 9

When Sally and her sister came out of the matinee they had a hard time seeing because the sun seemed brighter than before they went into the movie theater. It will take a couple of minutes for their eyes to _______ to the incoming light.

A) sensitize
B) habituate
C) adapt
D) respond

Question 10

Habituation and sensitization are the simplest forms of learning.

Question 11

Habituation is normally exhibited as a long-term phenomenon.

Question 12

In the Aplysia, habituation was the result of sensory adaptation.

Question 13

A ganglion is a cluster of cells.

Question 14

Debbie has just moved into a new neighborhood with a number of dogs that bark at night. At first this keeps her up at night, but over time she fails to notice the barking and sleeps soundly. This phenomenon can be explained by:

A) habituation.
B) sensitization.
C) fatigue.
D) responsiveness.

Question 15

One way of distinguishing muscle fatigue from habituation is to present ________.

A) a similar stimulus
B) the same stimulus but for a longer period of time
C) a different type of startling stimulus
D) two stimuli instead of one

Question 16

In a simple reflex circuit when a motor response is diminished because sensitivity in the sensory receptors are diminished, it is called:

A) reflexive action.
B) habituation.
C) adaptation.
D) fatigue.

Question 17

The neuronal changes seen in the research with the Aplysia coincides with the early theories of anatomist Ramón y Cajal.

Question 18

Habituation is a specific example of _____________ learning.

A) associative
B) nonassociative
C) stimulus
D) gradual

Question 19

Which of the following is true about habituation?

A) It is not stimulus specific.
B) It occurs when there are high levels of motor activity.
C) It can be used to test learning and memory in infants.
D) It is an example of associative learning.

Question 20

Dishabituation has been used with infants to test perceptual capabilities.

Question 21

Generally, in habituation studies, the response is _________ while in sensitization the response is _______.

A) heterosynaptic; homosynaptic
B) homosynaptic; heterosynaptic
C) easy to produce; hard to produce
D) hard to produce; easy to produce

Question 22

Johnston and Jernigan (1994) found that males:

A) preferred vaginal to flank secretions.
B) reacted differently to the vaginal and flank secretions of hamster A.
C) did not react differently to the vaginal and flank secretions of hamster A.
D) generally preferred the secretions of the female hamster to which he was habituated.

Question 23

How is sensitization used in the film industry?

A) It helps us to remember the plot of the movie.
B) Our fear subsides as we are exposed to scary things.
C) It allows us to become familiar with a character.
D) It heightens our attention and we get scared more easily.

Question 24

Studies have found that monkeys and rats spend _______ time looking at a novel stimulus as a familiar one.

A) the same amount
B) less
C) twice as much
D) five times as much

Question 25

Sensitization and habituation are similar in that they both ________.

A) require attention
B) change the magnitude of responsiveness
C) increase the magnitude of responsiveness
D) decrease the magnitude of responsiveness

Question 26

An example of a preferential viewing test might be _________.

A) showing 2 stimuli, one is novel and the other is a habituated stimulus
B) showing 2 stimuli, both are novel
C) showing a novel stimulus followed by another novel stimulus
D) showing several novel stimuli followed by a habituated stimulus

Question 27

It was discovered that during the habituation studies of the Aplysia that the sensory neurons:

A) did not produce action potentials.
B) still produced action potentials.
C) produced synaptic potential but no action potentials.
D) did not affect the motor neurons.

Question 28

Why do researchers study invertebrates when trying to discover the mechanics of habituation?

A) They have more primitive nervous systems.
B) They are easier to house and control.
C) They have complex nervous systems.
D) They are closest to human nervous systems.

Question 29

Sensitization and habituation are different from one another in that sensitization is a ________ response; while habituation is a more ________.

A) short-lasting; long-lasting
B) long-lasting; short-lasting
C) broad; specific
D) specific; broad

Question 30

After Johnston and Jernigan's study (1994) it was concluded that male hamsters _________.

A) recognized the differences between two female hamsters
B) dishabituated to a female's scent after they had habituated to it
C) could not tell the difference between two female hamsters
D) habituated to both female hamsters' scents after being exposed to only one of them

Question 31

Sensitization occurs when _______.

A) behavioral responses decrease over time
B) reflexive behaviors override controlled behaviors
C) there is an increase in the magnitude of behavioral responsiveness to stimuli
D) there is an increase in the magnitude of behavioral responsiveness to stimuli

Question 32

Robert Johnston (1993) tested whether or not an observer hamster could distinguish between two other hamsters, hamster A and hamster B. He used the __________ tests to measure this ability.

A) pheromone identification
B) preferential pheromone
C) habituation/dishabituation
D) pheromone discrimination

Question 33

Long-term habituation of the Aplysia's defensive reflex is accompanied by ________.

A) synaptic decreases between sensory and motor neurons
B) synaptic increases between sensory and motor neurons
C) increased efficiency of motor neurons
D) increased efficiency of sensory neurons

Question 34

Eric Kandel and his colleagues studied the habituation of the defensive _________ reflex in the Aplysia or sea snail.

A) abdominal extension
B) abdominal withdraw
C) gill withdraw
D) siphon withdraw

Question 35

Habituation that is more short-term is often followed by a(n) ___________ of the response.

A) spontaneous recovery
B) spontaneous withdrawal
C) exaggeration
D) withdrawal

Question 36

You notice that your psychology professor has been varying the intonation and loudness of her voice during her lecture. What could be one explanation for this behavior?

A) She is trying to scare you into learning the material.
B) She may be ill and has a hard time controlling her voice.
C) She is trying to keep your attention to the lecture.
D) There is no reasonable explanation for this odd behavior.

Question 37

The nerve cell circuit involved in the defensive reflex of the Aplysia involves both _________ and _________ interneurons.

A) internal; external
B) small; large
C) ganglion; clustered
D) excitatory; inhibitory

Question 38

Dishabituation occurs when:

A) infants can not tell a new stimulus from an old one.
B) infants do not show interest in a stimulus.
C) the sucking rates decrease to a new stimulus.
D) infants can tell a new stimulus from an old one.

Question 39

David works for an advertising firm and he is in charge of the company's numerous billboards along a busy highway. How could he apply disinhibition to promote his company?

A) He could develop one or two large billboards and place them everywhere along the highway.
B) He could change the billboards frequently.
C) He could design one key theme on a billboard and put a large number of them along the highway.
D) He could space the billboards closer together.

Question 40

Habituation of the defensive reflex in the Aplysia was found to be ______ and ______.

A) slow; short-lasting
B) slow; long-lasting
C) rapid; short-lasting
D) rapid; long-lasting

Question 41

__________ receptors are found in dendrites.

A) Interneuron
B) Interconnector
C) Ionotropic
D) Metabotropic

Question 42

Describe how habituation and sensitization are similar and different from one another.

Question 43

Indicate why a sea snail is a good animal in which to study sensitization and habituation.

Question 44

___________ receptors do not directly open up channels for ion movement, they influence transmitter release indirectly.

A) Interneuron
B) Interconnector
C) Ionotropic
D) Metabotropic

Question 45

Aplysia has NOT been used to study ________.

A) reflex arcs
B) mating preferences
C) habituation
D) sensitization

Question 46

Distinguish between ionotropic and metabotropic sensory receptors.

Question 47

Distinguish between the three different types of diminished responses.

Question 48

If you could not remember the advertisement that is on the bus you ride to work every morning, this might suggest you experienced _________.

A) habituation
B) sensitization
C) memory fatigue
D) spontaneous recover

Question 49

How are associative and nonassociative learning different from one another? Give examples to support your answer.

Question 50

Studies of the Aplysia show that unlike habituation, sensitization does not directly change the siphon's sensory neuron, but connects to the motor neuron via a __________.

A) modular interneuron
B) modulatory interneuron
C) modulation synapse
D) modular interconnector