Deck 6: C: Conditioning and Learning

Question 1

The drawbacks of using punishment become more of a problem as the punishment

A) is varied in the types used.
B) increases in severity.
C) is used intermittently.
D) becomes contingent on the target response.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Learning to make a response in order to end an aversive stimulus is known as

A) avoidance learning.
B) escape learning.
C) latent learning.
D) respondent conditioning.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Children who are punished often by parents or teachers

A) learn to dislike parents and teachers.
B) develop an internalized moral sense of right and wrong.
C) learn to suppress aggressive behaviors.
D) learn to respect the person punishing them.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

One thing that reinforcement and punishment have in common is that both

A) produce positive transfer.
B) act as generalized rewards for learning.
C) are less effective if they are delayed.
D) are necessary for biofeedback training to be effective.

Question 5

Jai touched a light socket and received a shock.Jai will probably not touch a light socket again because he received

A) mild punishment.
B) severe punishment.
C) negative reinforcement.
D) response cost.

Question 6

Regarding mild punishment,which of the following statements is TRUE?

A) Mild punishment will usually eliminate unwanted responses.
B) Mild punishment tends to suppress unwanted responses temporarily.
C) Mild punishment is better than reinforcement for response acquisition.
D) Mild punishment is the same as negative reinforcement.

Question 7

Regarding the effect of mild punishment,which of the following statements is TRUE?

A) Mild punishment slows the rate of responding, but does not eliminate it.
B) Mild punishment stops the rate of responding completely.
C) Mild punishment will dramatically increase the rate of responding.
D) Mild punishment will change the rate of responding even temporarily.

Question 8

Jimmy's mother slaps his hand when he reaches for his third before-dinner cookie.Later,Jimmy's behavior will probably

A) increase dramatically.
B) disappear completely.
C) reappear.
D) become displaced.

Question 9

A dog is placed in a two-compartment cage and is shocked while in one of the compartments.The dog quickly learns to jump to the other compartment.This reflects __________learning.

A) escape
B) place
C) latent
D) respondent

Question 10

Because punishment is aversive,people and situations associated with punishment tend to become feared,resented,or disliked through

A) operant conditioning.
B) classical conditioning.
C) cognitive learning.
D) the law of effect.

Question 11

Which of the following behaviors is the LEAST likely to reoccur?

A) Jordan grabs a fragile dish and is scolded by his aunt.
B) Sara grabs a branch of a rose bush and hurts her hand.
C) Patti climbs on top of the table; and her mother put her in time out.
D) Cara grabs her brother's toy; and her father slaps her hand.

Question 12

Regarding punishment,which of the following statements is FALSE?

A) Punishment is a poor choice to use when teaching children to eat politely or during toilet training.
B) People and situations associated with punishment often become feared or disliked.
C) The use of punishment tends to significantly decrease aggressiveness in children.
D) Intense punishment may permanently suppress responding, even for actions as basic as eating.

Question 13

Regarding the effects of severe,intense punishment,which of the following statements is TRUE?

A) Severe punishment slows the rate of responding, but does not eliminate it.
B) Severe punishment can permanently suppress responding, even for actions as basic as eating.
C) Severe punishment will dramatically increase the rate of responding.
D) Severe punishment will not change the rate of responding even temporarily.

Question 14

Which of the following behaviors is the LEAST likely to reoccur?

A) Mike visited a cattle farm and touched an electric fence.
B) Sam reached across the table to get the salt and had his hand slapped by his mother.
C) Philip was being the class clown and was spanked by the teacher for disrupting class.
D) Peter was fighting with his brother, so his mother took away his video game.

Question 15

Which of the following is NOT a common side effect of punishment?

A) escape learning
B) avoidance learning
C) aggression
D) accelerated extinction

Question 16

Two groups of well-trained rats were placed on extinction.One group was punished with a slap on the paw for each bar press,while the other group was not.The experimenters found that bar pressing

A) reached extinction quicker for the rats whose paws were slapped.
B) reached extinction quicker for the rats whose paws were not slapped.
C) temporarily slowed for the rats whose paws were slapped with no difference in extinction time.
D) remained high for both groups with extinction never being reached for either group of rats.

Question 17

Which of the following would be the most effective in stopping a behavior?

A) negatively reinforcing the response
B) weak punishment
C) moderate punishment
D) severe punishment

Question 18

Escape learning reflects the operation of

A) positive reinforcement.
B) negative reinforcement.
C) classical conditioning.
D) respondent conditioning.

Question 19

Drawbacks to punishment include all of the following EXCEPT that

A) punishment may encourage aggression.
B) people and situations associated with punishment may become feared or disliked.
C) punishment may encourage escape and avoidance learning.
D) punishment has not been shown to be effective in suppressing behaviors.

Question 20

You are on a picnic with friends when it starts raining.You and your friends run to your car carrying the food.Your running to the car is an example of __________learning.

A) escape
B) place
C) latent
D) respondent

Question 21

If parents change to less punitive parenting,their children's levels of aggression will

A) decline, at least for younger children.
B) decline no matter the age of the child or adolescent.
C) increase since the parents will be unable to suppress the misbehaviors and the aggression with milder punishment.
D) remain the same since aggressiveness depends more on a child's temperament than the discipline style.

Question 22

Avoidance learning appears to involve both

A) classical and operant conditioning.
B) place and latent learning.
C) shaping and response chaining.
D) fixed and variable ratio schedules.

Question 23

Regarding escape and avoidance learning,which of the following statements is FALSE?

A) Avoidance learning involves both classical and operant conditioning.
B) Once avoidance is learned it is very persistent.
C) Once the individual avoids the event, he or she gets no information to change his or her expectancy.
D) Escape learning reflects the operation of response cost.

Question 24

A problem with the use of punishment is that

A) it causes fear, frustration, anxiety, and encourages aggression.
B) it has little or no power to actually suppress an undesirable response.
C) negative reinforcement is superior to punishment for suppressing a response.
D) once begun it cannot be withdrawn.

Question 25

Regarding escape and avoidance learning,which of the following statements is FALSE?

A) Avoidance learning involves making a response in order to postpone or prevent discomfort.
B) Each time a situation is avoided, the person is reinforced by a sense of relief.
C) Frequent punishment discourages the occurrence of escape and avoidance learning.
D) Escape learning is based on negative reinforcement.

Question 26

Regarding pain,frustration,and punishment,which of the following statements is FALSE?

A) Animals, even pets, often react to pain by attacking whomever or whatever else is around.
B) Humans who are in pain are more likely to withdraw from others than to lash out at them.
C) One of the most common responses to frustration is aggression.
D) Since punishment is painful, frustrating, or both, punishment sets up a powerful environment for learning aggression.

Question 27

Cynthia is an elementary classroom teacher who often yells and humiliates her students when they misbehave.A fellow teacher suggests that she use praise,approval,and rewards to change the students' behaviors.According to research,what would you tell Cynthia?

A) Her yelling and humiliation strategies will eventually work if she is consistent and intensifies this approach.
B) Using physical punishment to correct her students' misbehaviors would be the most effective method for her to use.
C) The use of praise, approval, and reward are largely ineffective in controlling students' misbehaviors.
D) None of these statements are correct.

Question 28

Kyle,a 12-year-old child,who is frequently punished by his father,often lies to his father about where he has been and often stays at a friend's house rather than going home.Kyle is demonstrating

A) latent learning.
B) stimulus generalization.
C) negative transfer.
D) avoidance learning.

Question 29

In a classic study of angry adolescent boys who were severely punished at home,it was found that

A) they continued to be aggressive at home and at school.
B) they continued to be aggressive at home, but not at school.
C) their misbehavior was suppressed at home, but they were aggressive at school.
D) their misbehavior and aggression were suppressed both at home and at school.

Question 30

You work with a loud and obnoxious person and try to end your conversation with him as soon as possible,which illustrates __________learning.

A) respondent
B) place
C) escape
D) latent

Question 31

Punishment is often a bad idea in modifying behavior because it

A) has no effect on most people.
B) takes too long to take effect.
C) can increase aggression.
D) is ineffective in suppressing undesirable behaviors.

Question 32

In a shuttle box,a dog first learns,through classical conditioning to fear the buzzer because the buzzer is associated with shock.Each time the buzzer sounds,the dog becomes fearful of the upcoming shock.By jumping to the "safe" compartment,the dog can end the unpleasant fear it feels.This "jumping" to reduce the fear and shock occurs due to

A) positive punishment.
B) negative reinforcement.
C) response cost.
D) insight learning.

Question 33

After he is spanked,Terrence feels angry,frustrated,and hostile,and goes immediately outside and picks a fight with his younger brother.What is most likely to occur in the future?

A) Picking a fight with his brother will be an isolated event in the future, although he will still misbehave and receive spankings.
B) Because Terrence releases some of his anger on his younger brother, his aggression will be rewarded and will tend to occur again in other frustrating situations.
C) Because Terrence releases his anger on his younger brother, he will be less likely to be aggressive toward any other children in the future due to the cathartic effect.
D) Terrence's overall aggression will decline, and he will become a model child at home, in the neighborhood, and at school.

Question 34

In a shuttle box,a dog hears a buzzer and then receives an electric shock through the floor of the box.The dog will learn to fear the buzzer because the buzzer is associated with shock.Thus,this fear of the buzzer developed through

A) classical conditioning.
B) operant conditioning.
C) negative reinforcement.
D) response cost.

Question 35

Learning to make a response in order to postpone or prevent discomfort is known as

A) avoidance learning.
B) escape learning.
C) latent learning.
D) respondent conditioning.

Question 36

Brian's parents use frequent punishment for his misbehavior at home.Which of the following is most likely to be true?

A) Brian is a quiet, model child at school.
B) Brian often gets into trouble for fighting at school.
C) Brian is a compliant child but makes poor grades.
D) The amount of physical punishment at home will have no effect on Brian's behavior at school.

Question 37

A teen who is punished at home a lot will be gone as much as possible.This is an example of

A) classical conditioning.
B) modeling.
C) negative transfer.
D) avoidance learning.

Question 38

A parent who relies heavily on the use of physical punishment for aggressive behavior in the home should be aware that this child-rearing practice is more likely to produce

A) children who engage in aggressive, impulsive, and antisocial behavior.
B) complete extinction of the aggressive behavior.
C) a prolonged period of submissive learned helplessness.
D) a variety of learning disabilities.

Question 39

Mac is five years old,and his parents were using spanking as their only means of disciplining Mac.After each spanking,Mac grew increasingly angry and usually took it out on the dog or his two-year-old brother.A counselor suggested other punishment alternatives,such as time-out,as well as encouraging the parents to use praise and rewards more often when Mac was behaving appropriately.According to research,since Mac's parents have changed to less punitive parenting,Mac's level of aggression will most likely

A) decline.
B) remain at the current level since aggressiveness is a part of Mac's innate temperament.
C) remain at the current level because Mac is too old to benefit from a change in parenting styles.
D) increase because Mac's parents will not be able to suppress his misbehavior and aggression using time-out.

Question 40

You work with a loud and obnoxious person and have learned to "go in the opposite direction" whenever you see him coming down the hall so you will not have to get into a conversation with him.Your behavior illustrates

A) avoidance learning.
B) stimulus generalization.
C) latent learning.
D) response chaining.

Question 41

If you want a child to behave,

A) punish disruptive behavior.
B) praise appropriate behavior.
C) ignore undesirable behavior.
D) use all of these in combination.

Question 42

Regarding the basic tools a person has available to control simple learning,which of the following statements is FALSE?

A) Reinforcement strengthens responses.
B) Non-reinforcement causes responses to extinguish.
C) Punishment suppresses responses.
D) The three basic tools work best when used independently of each other.

Question 43

Responses are usually suppressed by

A) stimulus generalizations.
B) intermittent reinforcement.
C) negative reinforcement.
D) punishment.

Question 44

The use of harsh or excessive punishment with children has been shown to lead to

A) long-term mental health problems.
B) increased aggressiveness by the children toward others.
C) avoidance and escape behaviors.
D) all of these.

Question 45

With older children and adults,you can bridge the delay between the misbehavior and the punishment by

A) making the punishment more severe.
B) waiting until the next instance of misbehavior.
C) clearly stating what act you are punishing.
D) showing intense anger as you begin the punishment.

Question 46

Responses can be extinguished by

A) stimulus generalizations.
B) nonreinforcement.
C) negative reinforcement.
D) intermittent reinforcement.

Question 47

It is much more effective to

A) punish unwanted behaviors than it is to reinforce desirable behaviors.
B) reinforce desirable behaviors than it is to punish unwanted behaviors.
C) use punishment for unwanted behaviors than to use nonreinforcement by ignoring them.
D) use a combination of punishment and extinction than to use reinforcement.

Question 48

Punishment may be necessary to manage the behavior of a child.Therefore,

A) use the minimum punishment necessary to suppress misbehavior.
B) use spanking since it will prevent "spoiling" the child.
C) delay the application of punishment as long as possible after the misbehavior.
D) do all of these.

Question 49

Regarding spanking,which of the following statements is FALSE?

A) Most children show no signs of long-term damage from spanking if it is backed up by supportive parenting.
B) Emotional damage does occur if spankings are severe, frequent, or coupled with harsh parenting.
C) Frequent spankings tend to decrease aggression and reduce problem behaviors.
D) Anti-spanking laws have been passed in a number of countries around the world.

Question 50

When using the three tools to control behavior,it is usually best to begin

A) by making liberal use of positive reinforcement.
B) with mild punishment for problem behaviors.
C) with severe punishment to eliminate problem behaviors.
D) by suppressing problem behaviors with negative reinforcement.

Question 51

Responses are strengthened by

A) reinforcement.
B) nonreinforcement.
C) punishment.
D) all of these.

Question 52

Regarding the use of punishment with children,which of the following statements is FALSE?

A) If punishment is used at all, it should always be mild.
B) Punishment works best when it produces actions incompatible with the response.
C) Response cost is usually best for older children and adults.
D) Punishment is effective in teaching new behaviors and in indicating what the "right" response is.

Question 53

According to your textbook,the three basic tools one has available to control simple learning include all of the following EXCEPT

A) reinforcement.
B) non-reinforcement.
C) punishment.
D) cognitions.

Question 54

For punishment to be effective with children,

A) they must be punished on an intermittent schedule.
B) one parent must be the punisher and the other the reinforcer.
C) parents should be very clear about what they regard as misbehavior.
D) it is important that the punishment not be too predictable, that is, if you gave three warnings last time, give only one warning this time.

Question 55

The basic tools a person has available to control simple learning include

A) reward conditioning.
B) acquisition.
C) generalization.
D) punishment.

Question 56

The basic tools available to control simple learning work best when used

A) independently.
B) in combination.
C) randomly across situations.
D) in succession until one finally works.

Question 57

If you cannot punish an animal or young child immediately,

A) wait for the next instance of misbehavior by the animal or young child.
B) take the animal or child back to the place of the misbehavior and then punish them.
C) delay the punishment but increase the intensity.
D) clearly state or point at the damage while punishing the animal or young child later.

Question 58

When using the three tools to control behavior,it is usually best to begin by

A) using mild punishment to eliminate any problem behaviors.
B) ignoring a problem behavior, or shifting attention to a desirable activity and then reinforcing the resulting desirable behavior with praise.
C) using severe punishment to eliminate any problem behaviors.
D) suppressing problem behaviors with negative reinforcement.

Question 59

One of the basic tools available to control simple learning is

A) reinforcement.
B) cognitive modeling.
C) generalization.
D) acquisition.

Question 60

Peter is 12 years old and is about to be punished by his parents.According to the guidelines for punishment in the textbook,the parents should use

A) frequent punishment, since this strategy will be the most effective.
B) response cost, since this strategy is usually best for older children.
C) a delayed punishment in order to give Peter more time to think about his transgression.
D) all of these techniques.

Question 61

The most common error in the use of punishment for training or discipline is that it is

A) seldom severe enough to be effective.
B) often accompanied by no explanation.
C) relied on to the exclusion of other methods.
D) administered unfairly.

Question 62

Annie is being noisy and disrespectful,and her mother gives her a "swat" on her rear end.Annie immediately gets quiet.The next time Annie is being noisy and disrespectful,her mother is most likely to use punishment again.According to research,which of the following is a FALSE statement regarding the use of punishment?

A) Annie's mother will "swat" her again because this punishment worked well the last time.
B) Annie's resulting silence was negatively reinforcing for her mother
C) "Sparing the rod" on Annie would have resulted in her becoming a "spoiled" child.
D) The overall emotional adjustment of a child disciplined by reward will usually be superior to one disciplined by punishment.

Question 63

Barry is making a decision concerning which job he will accept.He remembers how it was in similar jobs in the past and anticipates potential rewards and problems on each of these jobs.In choosing which job to take,Barry is using

A) operant conditioning.
B) vicarious classical conditioning.
C) cognitive learning.
D) instrumental learning.

Question 64

Regarding punishment,which of the following statements is/are TRUE?

A) Punishment tells a person or animal that a response was "wrong."
B) Punishment teaches new behaviors.
C) Punishment tells a person or animal what the "right" response is.
D) All of these statements are true.

Question 65

Although punishment has several drawbacks,it is most effective when

A) it occurs several days after the behavior.
B) the punisher uses reinforcement in addition to punishment.
C) the punisher exhibits visible anger while punishing.
D) the behavior is intermittently punished.

Question 66

Which of the following is NOT one of the ways recommended in the textbook to apply punishment?

A) Both parents should be consistent in what they regard as misbehavior and punish this behavior every time it occurs and in the same way.
B) If a parent punishes a child and then finds that the child was innocent, the parent should not say anything to the child in order to put the incident behind them.
C) When parents use punishment, they should also reward an alternate, desired response for that situation.
D) If you cannot punish an animal or young child immediately, wait for the next instance of misbehavior.

Question 67

Regarding the use of punishment for training or discipline,which of the following statements is FALSE?

A) Two-thirds of child abuse cases start out as attempts at physical punishment.
B) It is important not to punish a person in front of others.
C) It is best to show your anger when you punish a person or animal, so they will know you are serious about the misbehavior ending.
D) Expect anger from the person being punished; and briefly acknowledge this anger, but do not reinforce it.

Question 68

Which of the following is NOT one of the ways recommended in the textbook to apply punishment?

A) Be willing to admit your mistake if you wrongfully punished someone or if you punished too severely.
B) Use counter conditioning, in which you reward the child for displaying any desirable behavior that is opposite to the unacceptable behavior.
C) Punish in public to cause embarrassment and increase the effectiveness of the punishment.
D) Take away privileges or other positive reinforcers when punishing older children and adolescents or use a verbal rebuke or scolding.

Question 69

As you enter the grocery store,your little daughter Marta spots a toy at the front of the store and begins to beg for it.According to the textbook,your best course of action would be to

A) spank her immediately in front of people so the punishment will have the most effect.
B) immediately go and buy her a toy and then continue your shopping.
C) get very angry with her and stay angry with her as long as you are in the store.
D) ignore the whine and try to engage her in helping you shop.

Question 70

Using punishment can be "habit forming" because putting a stop to someone else's irritating behavior can

A) positively reinforce the person who applied the punishment.
B) negatively reinforce the person who applied the punishment.
C) encourage the person to use punishment less often in the future.
D) lead to the liberal use of positive reinforcers.

Question 71

Which of the following is important for the effective use of punishment?

A) Be consistent in punishing children for the same things and in the same way.
B) Ignore the anger and hurt feelings of the person being punished.
C) Use response cost for younger children, not for older ones.
D) Use harsh punishment to guarantee obedience.

Question 72

To be most effective,punishment should be

A) delayed for a period of time in order for the child to have time to think about his or her misbehavior and why it is wrong.
B) expressed with anger to get the child's full attention.
C) done in public to add the punishing effect of embarrassment.
D) combined with the reinforcement of alternate, desirable behaviors.

Question 73

Memory,thinking,problem-solving,and the use of concepts and language are all involved in

A) operant learning.
B) instrumental conditioning.
C) response-dependent learning.
D) cognitive learning.

Question 74

Regarding learning,which of the following statements is FALSE?

A) Classical and operant conditioning involve reflex or skilled learning and do not involve any "mental" elements.
B) As humans, we are greatly affected by information, expectations, perceptions, and mental images.
C) Cognitive learning involves memory, thinking, problem solving, and language.
D) As a human, you can anticipate future reward or punishment and react accordingly.

Question 75

Which of the following is an effective recommendation for the use of punishment?

A) Use response cost with younger children, but not with older ones.
B) Punish children in front of others to provide an example.
C) Parents should try to punish the same way for the same things.
D) If you punish your child and then find that he or she was innocent, ignore the punishment to put the incident behind you.

Question 76

Regarding punishment,which of the following statements is FALSE?

A) Punishment tells a person or animal that a response was "wrong."
B) Punishment does not teach new behaviors.
C) Punishment tells a person or animal what the "right" response is.
D) Punishment becomes less effective when reinforcement is missing.

Question 77

Understanding,knowing,anticipating,or otherwise making use of higher mental processes is known as

A) operant learning.
B) instrumental learning.
C) cognitive learning.
D) Pavlovian cognition.

Question 78

Regarding the use of punishment for training or discipline,which of the following statements is FALSE?

A) The overall emotional adjustment of a child or pet disciplined mainly by punishment is usually superior to one disciplined mainly by reward.
B) Using punishment can become "habit forming."
C) Mild punishment tends to be ineffective if reinforcers for that misbehavior are still available in the situation.
D) One should avoid punishing when angry because it is easy to get carried away and become abusive.

Question 79

Marcy has a habit of taking toys from her sister.Which of the following would be the best way for Marcy's parents to correct this bad habit?

A) Ignore this habit since all children go through a phase of intense "sibling rivalry."
B) Reprimand her for taking her sister's toys, but reward her for cooperative play and sharing toys with her sister.
C) Give her a spanking to immediately eliminate this selfish behavior and then a 30-minute time out to think about her transgression.
D) Use a severe response cost that would include giving several of her own toys to her younger sister or to charity.

Question 80

When Mark took some of his little brother's toys,his parents reprimanded him and then rewarded him for playing cooperatively with his brother and for sharing his toys with his brother.Mark's parents are using

A) negative reinforcement.
B) avoidance learning.
C) counter conditioning.
D) latent learning.