Question 1

Sandy's favorite activity is to go to Las Vegas and play the slot machines. Her gambling behavior is being reinforced on a ________ schedule.
A) fixed-interval
B) fixed-ratio
C) variable-ratio
D) variable-interval

Accepted Answer

In a variable-ratio schedule, the reinforcement is based on an unpredictable number of responses. This is the most effective type of reinforcement schedule for maintaining persistent behavior, which is evidenced by Sandy's love of gambling despite the fact that she does not always win.

Question 2

A fourth-grade teacher realized that one of his students was misbehaving in order to receive attention. The teacher decided to ignore all instances of the misbehavior. The teacher is using ________.
A) extinction
B) negative reinforcement
C) the Premack principle
D) avoidance training

Accepted Answer

The teacher is using extinction, which involves ignoring a behavior that is being reinforced by attention in order to decrease its occurrence.

Question 3

A pet dog loves to go for rides in the family car. Every time it sees someone take out a set of keys, it goes to the garage door and waits expectantly. When grandma, who is afraid of dogs, comes to visit for two weeks in the summer, the family decides not to let the dog ride in the car during her stay. By the end of grandma's visit, the dog has stopped going over to the garage door when someone takes out a set of keys. The best explanation for this change in behavior is that ________.
A) counterconditioning has occurred
B) grandma has produced external inhibition in the dog
C) the original conditioned stimulus is no longer present
D) the original conditioned response has been extinguished

Accepted Answer

The best explanation for the dog's change in behavior is that the original conditioned response (going to the garage door when someone takes out a set of keys) has been extinguished due to the lack of reinforcement (being taken for a car ride) during grandma's visit.

Question 4

________ occur(s) in classical conditioning.
A) Neither extinction nor spontaneous recovery
B) Spontaneous recovery, but not extinction,
C) Both extinction and spontaneous recovery
D) Extinction, but not spontaneous recovery,

Accepted Answer

In classical conditioning, both extinction and spontaneous recovery occur. Extinction is the gradual weakening of a conditioned response when the conditioned stimulus is repeatedly presented without the unconditioned stimulus. Spontaneous recovery is the sudden reappearance of a previously extinguished conditioned response after a rest period without any further conditioning.

Question 5

An unruly child has become conditioned to fear the sight of the principal's door. Over the past month, however, he had no contacts with the principal. Now the child will probably ________.
A) begin to fear all other doors in the school building
B) have an even greater fear of the principal's door
C) gradually stop fearing the sight of the principal's door
D) maintain his former level of fear of the principal's door

Accepted Answer

The child's fear of the principal's door was a result of conditioning, meaning that he learned to associate the door with negative experiences. However, since he has had no recent contact with the principal, there is no reinforcement of the fear response. Therefore, the child is likely to gradually stop fearing the sight of the principal's door over time.

Question 6

The process in which a learned response that has been extinguished suddenly reappears on its own with no retraining is called ________.
A) spontaneous recovery
B) generalization
C) discrimination
D) a reaction formation (

Accepted Answer

Spontaneous recovery refers to the reappearance of a previously extinguished conditioned response without any new learning trials. This can occur after a period of rest or following exposure to the conditioned stimulus again.

Question 7

Abigail is trying to figure out how she can best use employee pay to elicit a high rate of employee productivity over a long period of time. If employees' responses to pay schedules are similar to people's general responses to reinforcement schedules, she should use a ________ schedule.
A) ratio-interval
B) variable-ratio
C) variable-interval
D) fixed-interval

Accepted Answer

According to research on operant conditioning, variable-ratio schedules produce the highest and most consistent rates of responding. This means that Abigail should use a variable-ratio pay schedule to elicit a high rate of employee productivity over a long period of time.

Question 8

Which of the following statements is true for operant conditioning?
A) Avoidance training is especially difficult to extinguish.
B) The stronger the original learning, the easier it is to extinguish.
C) Complex behavior is easier to extinguish than simple behavior.
D) The greater the variety of settings in which learning takes place, the easier the behavior is to extinguish.

Accepted Answer

Avoidance training involves learning to avoid or escape from a negative consequence, such as a shock or a loud noise. This type of learning is difficult to extinguish because the behavior is reinforced by the absence of the negative consequence. In other words, the animal learns that by performing a certain behavior, it can avoid or escape from something unpleasant. This makes it less likely that the behavior will be extinguished.

Question 9

Gambling behavior is very hard to extinguish because it is reinforced according to a ________ schedule of reinforcement.
A) variable interval
B) fixed ratio
C) variable ratio
D) fixed interval

Accepted Answer

Variable ratio schedule of reinforcement is the most effective in reinforcing behavior and increasing the frequency of the behavior. In gambling, the reward (winning money) is given on a variable ratio schedule so that the gambler does not know when the next reward will come, causing them to continue gambling in the hopes of winning again. This schedule provides the most motivation to continue the behavior.

Question 10

In classical conditioning, extinction occurs because the ________ is no longer paired with the ________.
A) CS; UR
B) US; UR
C) CS; US
D) CR; UR

Accepted Answer

Extinction in classical conditioning occurs when the conditioned stimulus (CS) is repeatedly presented without the unconditioned stimulus (US), leading to a decrease in the conditioned response over time.

Question 11

A dog, taught to salivate to the sound of a whistle, is now going through many trials in which the whistle sound is not followed by food. The dog will probably ________.
A) salivate to the sound at a steady but lower level than initially achieved
B) gradually stop salivating to the presentation of food
C) begin to salivate to other sounds it hears in the environment
D) gradually stop salivating to the sound of the whistle

Accepted Answer

This scenario describes the process of extinction in classical conditioning, where the conditioned response (salivation to the whistle) gradually diminishes if the conditioned stimulus (the whistle sound) is consistently presented without the unconditioned stimulus (food). Therefore, the most likely outcome is that the dog will gradually stop salivating to the sound of the whistle.

Question 12

When the US is no longer paired with the CS or when reinforcement is no longer presented following a learned response, a process called ________ occurs.
A) generalization
B) counterconditioning
C) disinhibition
D) extinction

Accepted Answer

Extinction occurs when a learned response is no longer reinforced or when the US is no longer paired with the CS. Generalization is when a learned response is elicited by similar stimuli to the original CS. Counterconditioning is a process of replacing an undesirable response with a desirable one. Disinhibition is when a previously inhibited response is strengthened by the suppression of an inhibitory response.

Question 13

The process of presenting the conditioned stimulus alone so often that the learner no longer associates it with the unconditioned stimulus and stops making the conditioned response is called ________.
A) extinction
B) generalization
C) shaping
D) spontaneous recovery

Accepted Answer

Extinction is the process of presenting the conditioned stimulus alone so often that the learner no longer associates it with the unconditioned stimulus and stops making the conditioned response.

Question 14

In classical conditioning, during extinction the ________ is consistently omitted and the ________ gradually disappears.
A) CS; UR
B) UR; CR
C) US; CS
D) US; CR

Accepted Answer

The answer of In classical conditioning, during extinction the ________...

Question 15

A dog, taught to salivate to the sound of a buzzer, learned that the buzzer was no longer followed by food and stopped salivating to the buzzer. If the the buzzer was again paired with food after a few weeks, the dog would probably ________.
A) not salivate
B) salivate
C) require only one trial pairing of the buzzer and the food to reestablish the association and begin salivating to the buzzer again
D) salivate only if the buzzer was dissimilar to the one on which it was conditioned

Accepted Answer

The dog would likely salivate again to the sound of the buzzer, as it had previously learned to associate the sound with food. This is known as classical conditioning or Pavlovian conditioning. It is possible that it may take some time for the association to be re-established, but it is likely that the dog would eventually begin salivating to the buzzer again. Choice C is incorrect because it is unlikely that only one trial would be needed to re-establish the association after several weeks of unpairing the buzzer with food. Choice D is incorrect because there is no reason to believe that the dog would only respond to a different buzzer tone.

Question 16

Extinction and spontaneous recovery occur in ________ conditioning.
A) both classical and operant
B) operant, but not classical,
C) classical, but not operant,
D) neither operant nor classical

Accepted Answer

Both classical and operant conditioning involve the processes of extinction and spontaneous recovery. In classical conditioning, extinction occurs when the conditioned stimulus (CS) is presented repeatedly without the unconditioned stimulus (UCS), leading to a decrease in the conditioned response (CR). Spontaneous recovery can also occur in classical conditioning, where the CR may reappear after a period of time without exposure to the CS. In operant conditioning, extinction occurs when the reinforcement for a behavior is no longer given, leading to a decrease in the behavior. Spontaneous recovery can also occur in operant conditioning, where the behavior may reappear after a period of time without reinforcement.

Question 17

Which of the following statements is not true?
A) It is harder to extinguish a response learned on a partial reinforcement schedule than one learned on a continuous reinforcement schedule.
B) Behaviors learned through punishment are relatively easy to extinguish.
C) The stronger the original learning, the more difficult extinction will be.
D) Simple behavior is easier to extinguish than complex behavior.

Accepted Answer

Behaviors learned through punishment are not necessarily easier to extinguish. In fact, they may be more resistant to extinction if the punishment is unpredictable or inconsistent, leading to a behavior known as "punishment-induced persistence."

Question 18

Your dog Hans loves to ride in the car. Whenever anyone picks up a set of keys he races for the door. When your grandmother, who is afraid of dogs, arrives for a visit, Hans is not allowed to ride in the car. By the end of her two-week visit, he has ceased going to the door when the keys come out. However, after a brief vacation away from home, he's back at the door again as soon as he hears the keys. Why?
A) Generalization has occurred.
B) Grandma produced external inhibition in the dog.
C) Spontaneous recovery has occurred.
D) Counterconditioning occurred during the vacation.

Accepted Answer

Spontaneous recovery has occurred, which means that the previously extinguished behavior (not going to the door when keys are picked up) can re-emerge after a period of time without reinforcement.

Question 19

________ occur(s) in operant conditioning.
A) Spontaneous recovery, but not extinction,
B) Neither extinction nor spontaneous recovery
C) Extinction, but not spontaneous recovery,
D) Both extinction and spontaneous recovery

Accepted Answer

Both extinction and spontaneous recovery can occur in operant conditioning. Extinction is the gradual reduction and eventual elimination of a behavior when the reinforcement for that behavior is withheld. Spontaneous recovery is the reappearance of an extinguished behavior after a period of time has passed without reinforcement.

Question 20

In operant conditioning, extinction occurs as a result of withholding ________.
A) reinforcement
B) the conditioned stimulus
C) the unconditioned stimulus
D) punishment

Accepted Answer

Extinction in operant conditioning occurs when the reinforcement that previously followed a behavior is withheld or no longer provided. This lack of reinforcement decreases the likelihood of the behavior being repeated in the future. Withholding the conditioned or unconditioned stimulus or punishment does not necessarily lead to extinction in operant conditioning.

Quiz 5: Learning

Sandy's favorite activity is to go to Las Vegas and play the slot machines. Her gambling behavior is being reinforced on a ________ schedule.

A fourth-grade teacher realized that one of his students was misbehaving in order to receive attention. The teacher decided to ignore all instances of the misbehavior. The teacher is using ________.

________ occur(s) in classical conditioning.

An unruly child has become conditioned to fear the sight of the principal's door. Over the past month, however, he had no contacts with the principal. Now the child will probably ________.

The process in which a learned response that has been extinguished suddenly reappears on its own with no retraining is called ________.

Abigail is trying to figure out how she can best use employee pay to elicit a high rate of employee productivity over a long period of time. If employees' responses to pay schedules are similar to people's general responses to reinforcement schedules, she should use a ________ schedule.

Which of the following statements is true for operant conditioning?

Gambling behavior is very hard to extinguish because it is reinforced according to a ________ schedule of reinforcement.

In classical conditioning, extinction occurs because the is no longer paired with the .

A dog, taught to salivate to the sound of a whistle, is now going through many trials in which the whistle sound is not followed by food. The dog will probably ________.

When the US is no longer paired with the CS or when reinforcement is no longer presented following a learned response, a process called ________ occurs.

The process of presenting the conditioned stimulus alone so often that the learner no longer associates it with the unconditioned stimulus and stops making the conditioned response is called ________.

In classical conditioning, during extinction the is consistently omitted and the gradually disappears.

A dog, taught to salivate to the sound of a buzzer, learned that the buzzer was no longer followed by food and stopped salivating to the buzzer. If the the buzzer was again paired with food after a few weeks, the dog would probably ________.

Extinction and spontaneous recovery occur in ________ conditioning.

Which of the following statements is not true?

________ occur(s) in operant conditioning.

In operant conditioning, extinction occurs as a result of withholding ________.