Question 1

Spontaneous recovery describes
A) the initial stages of learning a conditioned response.
B) the gradual weakening and disappearance of a conditioned response.
C) the reappearance of an extinguished response after a period of nonexposure to the conditioned stimulus.
D) a situation in which a conditioned stimulus functions as if it were an unconditioned stimulus.

Accepted Answer

Spontaneous recovery refers to the reappearance of an extinguished conditioned response after a period of time without exposure to the conditioned stimulus. This suggests that extinction does not erase the conditioned response completely, but rather suppresses it.

Question 2

Stimulus generalization occurs when
A) there is a temporal association between two stimuli.
B) an organism fails to respond to stimuli that are similar to the original stimulus used in conditioning.
C) an unconditioned stimulus fails to elicit the unconditioned response.
D) an organism responds to new stimuli that are similar to the original conditioned stimulus.

Accepted Answer

Stimulus generalization occurs when an organism responds to new stimuli that are similar to the original conditioned stimulus. This is because the organism has learned to associate the original stimulus with a certain response, and when similar stimuli are presented, they also elicit that response.

Question 3

Continuing to pair a specific CS and US, but periodically presenting stimuli similar to the CS and not pairing them with the US, should result in
A) stimulus discrimination.
B) stimulus generalization.
C) extinction.
D) response attenuation.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Continuing to pair a specific CS and...

Question 4

Last year Becky went to a psychologist and was cured of her dog phobia. Today, however, while jogging in the park she was overcome with anxiety when she saw a young man jogging toward her with his golden retriever on a leash. Apparently, Becky's dog phobia
A) showed spontaneous recovery.
B) had not been extinguished after all.
C) showed higher-order conditioning.
D) showed stimulus generalization.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Last year Becky went to a psychologist...

Question 5

In the Little Albert experiment on conditioned emotional responses, the unconditioned stimulus was
A) the rabbit.
B) the rat.
C) the loud noise.
D) the fear reaction.

Accepted Answer

The unconditioned stimulus in the Little Albert experiment was the loud noise, which elicited an unconditioned fear response in the participant. The rat was initially neutral and did not elicit fear until it was paired with the loud noise and became a conditioned stimulus. The rabbit and fear reaction were not directly controlled or manipulated in this experiment.

Question 6

When Lisa was a child, she was bitten by a German Shepard dog. She came to associate German Shepard's with pain. As an adult, Lisa is now afraid of all dogs. This example illustrates the classical conditioning process of
A) stimulus generalization.
B) stimulus discrimination.
C) preparedness.
D) spontaneous recovery.

Accepted Answer

This illustrates stimulus generalization because Lisa has generalized her fear of German Shepard's to all dogs.

Question 7

When shown a Santa Claus beard, Little Albert showed a fear response, which was evidence of
A) stimulus discrimination.
B) superstitious behavior.
C) stimulus generalization.
D) extinction.

Accepted Answer

Stimulus generalization occurs when a response is produced to a stimulus that is similar to the original conditioned stimulus. In this case, Little Albert's fear of the Santa Claus beard suggests that he generalized his fear response to other stimuli that resembled the original conditioned stimulus (such as white fur or long white beards).

Question 8

When Antonio was sick as a child, his mother would always make him vanilla pudding; to Antonio it seemed like the vanilla pudding made him feel better. Even now, he still gets a good feeling when he starts to prepare some vanilla pudding, but not when he starts to make any other type of pudding. This example illustrates the classical conditioning process of
A) stimulus generalization.
B) preparedness.
C) stimulus discrimination.
D) negative avoidance.

Accepted Answer

This example illustrates stimulus discrimination because Antonio has learned to respond to a specific stimulus (vanilla pudding) but not to other similar stimuli (other types of pudding). He only associates the good feeling with vanilla pudding and not with any other type of pudding.

Question 9

In classical conditioning, a subject can learn to respond to one CS but not to another similar CS. This is the phenomenon of
A) extinction.
B) stimulus generalization.
C) conditioned forgetting.
D) stimulus discrimination.

Accepted Answer

Stimulus discrimination refers to the ability of a subject to differentiate between similar stimuli and respond only to the specific conditioned stimulus. This is important in real-life situations where a person must respond to specific cues to avoid danger or obtain rewards.

Question 10

Extinction of a conditioned response in classical conditioning occurs when the
A) CS is occasionally presented without the US.
B) CS is repeatedly presented without the US.
C) US is repeatedly presented without the UR.
D) US is occasionally presented without the UR.

Accepted Answer

Extinction of a conditioned response in classical conditioning occurs when the CS is repeatedly presented without the US. This eventually leads to the CS losing its ability to elicit the CR. The other options do not accurately describe the process of extinction in classical conditioning.

Question 11

In the Little Albert experiment on conditioned emotional responses, stimulus generalization was shown when Albert showed the fear response to
A) the rabbit.
B) the rat.
C) the loud noise.
D) his mother.

Accepted Answer

In the Little Albert experiment, stimulus generalization was shown when Albert exhibited the fear response to objects that were similar to the white rat, such as a rabbit, a fur coat, and a Santa Claus mask. Therefore, the best choice is B - the rat.

Question 12

In the Little Albert experiment on conditioned emotional responses, the conditioned stimulus was
A) the rabbit.
B) the rat.
C) the loud noise.
D) the fear reaction.

Accepted Answer

The conditioned stimulus in the Little Albert experiment was the rat. This means that the rat was initially a neutral stimulus that did not elicit a fear response from Albert. However, when it was repeatedly paired with a loud noise (the unconditioned stimulus), Albert began to develop a fear response to the rat alone, demonstrating that the rat had become a conditioned stimulus.

Question 13

When Lisa was a child, she was bitten by a German Shepard dog in her backyard. Which of the following stimuli is she most likely to demonstrate stimulus generalization to?
A) horses
B) a white picket fence
C) any dog
D) the grass

Accepted Answer

Lisa is most likely to demonstrate stimulus generalization to any dog because she was bitten by a German Shepard dog in her backyard, which is a specific type of dog. Any dog may trigger a fear response due to the similarity with the previous experience.

Question 14

When Lindsay was nine years old, the neighbor's chihuahua bit her on the ankle. Today Lindsay is still terrified of chihuahuas, but she likes almost all other types of dogs. Lindsay's fear illustrates the classical conditioning process of
A) preparedness.
B) stimulus discrimination.
C) stimulus generalization.
D) negative avoidance.

Accepted Answer

The answer of When Lindsay was nine years old, the...

Question 15

If a dog salivates to a blue light and not to a yellow light, the dog is showing evidence of
A) spontaneous recovery.
B) conditioned emotional reactions.
C) stimulus generalization.
D) stimulus discrimination.

Accepted Answer

The dog's ability to distinguish between the blue and yellow lights and only salivate to the blue light indicates stimulus discrimination, as it is responding differently to different stimuli.

Question 16

The general principle governing stimulus generalization in classical conditioning is that generalization is greater when
A) stimuli are very similar to the original conditioned stimulus.
B) stimuli are very different from the original conditioned stimulus.
C) tactile stimulation is used rather than auditory stimulation.
D) auditory stimulation is used rather than visual stimulation.

Accepted Answer

The principle of stimulus generalization in classical conditioning states that the greater the similarity between the original conditioned stimulus and a new stimulus, the greater the likelihood of generalization. Therefore, if stimuli are very similar to the original conditioned stimulus, generalization is greater.

Question 17

When an organism that has learned a conditioned response also responds with the same response to a new stimulus that is similar to the conditioned stimulus, it is referred to as
A) extinction.
B) spontaneous recovery.
C) stimulus generalization.
D) stimulus discrimination.

Accepted Answer

Stimulus generalization occurs when an organism responds with the same conditioned response to a new stimulus that is similar to the conditioned stimulus. This is different from stimulus discrimination, which is the ability to differentiate between a conditioned stimulus and other stimuli that are not associated with the conditioned response. Extinction refers to the gradual disappearance of a conditioned response when the conditioned stimulus is no longer paired with the unconditioned stimulus, while spontaneous recovery refers to the reappearance of a conditioned response after a period of time has passed without any reinforcement.

Question 18

When Luis was a child, he really liked the smell of the rose-scented perfume his mother always used to wear. He came to associate that scent with snuggles and hugs from his mom. As an adult, Luis likes any floral scent, including the smell of lilacs and wildflowers. This example illustrates the classical conditioning process of
A) stimulus generalization.
B) stimulus discrimination.
C) preparedness.
D) spontaneous recovery.

Accepted Answer

The example shows stimulus generalization, which is the process of responding to stimuli that are similar to the original conditioned stimulus. Luis's association with the scent of rose-scented perfume has generalized to other floral scents, leading to a similar positive response.

Question 19

If a dog that has been classically conditioned to salivate when shown a square also salivates when shown a rectangle, the dog's behavior illustrates
A) stimulus discrimination.
B) response discrimination.
C) stimulus generalization.
D) response generalization.

Accepted Answer

The dog's behavior of salivating when shown a rectangle even though it was only conditioned to salivate to a square demonstrates stimulus generalization, where the dog responds to stimuli that are similar to the conditioned stimulus. This is different from stimulus discrimination, where the animal learns to respond only to certain stimuli and not to others. Response discrimination and response generalization are not relevant to this scenario.

Question 20

When Diana was three years old, she became terrified when the neighbor's budgie bird kept flying near her head. Today she is afraid of all birds, including robins, pigeons, and blue jays. Diana's fear illustrates the classical conditioning process of
A) preparedness.
B) stimulus generalization.
C) stimulus discrimination.
D) negative avoidance.

Accepted Answer

Diana's fear of all birds, including those that are different from the budgie bird, illustrates stimulus generalization. This is a classical conditioning process in which a conditioned response is elicited by stimuli that are similar but not identical to the original conditioned stimulus. In this case, the fear of the budgie bird has generalized to other types of birds. Preparedness refers to the idea that certain phobias are easier to learn than others because they are biologically prepared to be fearful of certain stimuli. Stimulus discrimination refers to the ability to differentiate between similar stimuli and respond only to the specific conditioned stimulus. Negative avoidance is not a term typically used in classical conditioning.

Quiz 11: Learning Part 1

Spontaneous recovery describes

Stimulus generalization occurs when

Continuing to pair a specific CS and US, but periodically presenting stimuli similar to the CS and not pairing them with the US, should result in

Last year Becky went to a psychologist and was cured of her dog phobia. Today, however, while jogging in the park she was overcome with anxiety when she saw a young man jogging toward her with his golden retriever on a leash. Apparently, Becky's dog phobia

In the Little Albert experiment on conditioned emotional responses, the unconditioned stimulus was

When Lisa was a child, she was bitten by a German Shepard dog. She came to associate German Shepard's with pain. As an adult, Lisa is now afraid of all dogs. This example illustrates the classical conditioning process of

When shown a Santa Claus beard, Little Albert showed a fear response, which was evidence of

In classical conditioning, a subject can learn to respond to one CS but not to another similar CS. This is the phenomenon of

Extinction of a conditioned response in classical conditioning occurs when the

In the Little Albert experiment on conditioned emotional responses, stimulus generalization was shown when Albert showed the fear response to

In the Little Albert experiment on conditioned emotional responses, the conditioned stimulus was

When Lisa was a child, she was bitten by a German Shepard dog in her backyard. Which of the following stimuli is she most likely to demonstrate stimulus generalization to?

When Lindsay was nine years old, the neighbor's chihuahua bit her on the ankle. Today Lindsay is still terrified of chihuahuas, but she likes almost all other types of dogs. Lindsay's fear illustrates the classical conditioning process of

If a dog salivates to a blue light and not to a yellow light, the dog is showing evidence of

The general principle governing stimulus generalization in classical conditioning is that generalization is greater when

When an organism that has learned a conditioned response also responds with the same response to a new stimulus that is similar to the conditioned stimulus, it is referred to as

If a dog that has been classically conditioned to salivate when shown a square also salivates when shown a rectangle, the dog's behavior illustrates

When Diana was three years old, she became terrified when the neighbor's budgie bird kept flying near her head. Today she is afraid of all birds, including robins, pigeons, and blue jays. Diana's fear illustrates the classical conditioning process of