Question 1

Suppose a rat has been conditioned by presenting a loud buzzing sound followed by shock. According to the Rescorla-Wagner model, if one then presents several trials of the buzzing sound alone, without any shock, the association between the buzzing sound and the shock will:

Accepted Answer

According to the Rescorla-Wagner model, if a conditioned stimulus (in this case, the buzzing sound) is presented without the unconditioned stimulus (the shock) for several trials, the association between the two will decrease. This process is known as extinction.

Question 2

If a US occurs just as often without the tone as it does in the presence of the tone, then little or no conditioning will accrue to the tone. This would suggest that animals are sensitive to _____ of the potential CS and the US.

Accepted Answer

This statement suggests that animals are sensitive to the contingency of the potential conditioned stimulus (CS) and the unconditioned stimulus (US), meaning they recognize the predictive relationship or dependence between the two, rather than just their frequency or co-occurrence.

Question 3

In a latent-inhibition paradigm, the animals in the experimental group:

Accepted Answer

In a latent-inhibition paradigm, the experimental group animals are pre-exposed to the conditioned stimulus (CS) without the unconditioned stimulus (US), which later affects their learning or conditioning to the CS when it is paired with the US.

Question 4

The simultaneous conditioning of two cues, usually presented at the same time, is referred to as _____ conditioning.

Accepted Answer

Compound conditioning involves the simultaneous conditioning of two cues, typically presented together, to elicit a response. This contrasts with classical conditioning, where a single stimulus is conditioned to elicit a response.

Question 5

In the Rescorla-Wagner model, if a novel CS is followed by an unexpected US, the prediction error is:

Accepted Answer

The prediction error is positive because the unexpected US is a surprise, leading to a stronger association between the CS and the US than initially predicted.

Question 6

In Bower and Trabasso's study of blocking in humans, students were trained to categorize geometric figures based on shape. Blocking was demonstrated when the students could:

Accepted Answer

Blocking occurs when a previously learned cue prevents the acquisition of a new cue. In this study, students who could not use a redundant (new) cue to classify a figure demonstrated blocking, as their learning was inhibited by the cue they had already learned.

Question 7

The phenomenon of blocking demonstrates that:

Accepted Answer

Blocking occurs when a new CS is introduced alongside an established CS, and the new CS fails to elicit a response because it does not provide any new, nonredundant information about the US.

Question 8

When Gluck and Bower applied their neural network model of learning to study how humans learn to form categories, they treated:

Accepted Answer

In Gluck and Bower's neural network model of learning, the input nodes represent conditioned stimuli (CSs), and the output nodes represent unconditioned stimuli (USs). This setup is used to simulate how associations between CSs and USs are formed in the brain, a fundamental aspect of classical conditioning.

Question 9

In the Rescorla-Wagner model, the expectation of the US is described by the:

Accepted Answer

The Rescorla-Wagner model posits that the expectation of the unconditioned stimulus (US) is determined by the sum of the association weights of all the cues (conditioned stimuli, CS) present in a given trial. This reflects the cumulative predictive value of all cues regarding the occurrence of the US.

Question 10

The difference between whether an animal expects the US and whether the US actually occurs is known as:

Accepted Answer

A prediction error in psychology and neuroscience refers to the difference between expected and actual outcomes. It is crucial in learning and updating expectations about stimuli or events, such as in classical conditioning where the discrepancy between the expected unconditioned stimulus (US) and the actual US occurrence can lead to changes in the conditioned response.

Question 11

A reduction in learning about a CS to which there has been prior exposure without any US is called:

Accepted Answer

Latent inhibition refers to the phenomenon where prior exposure to a conditioned stimulus (CS) without any unconditioned stimulus (US) leads to a reduction in learning about that CS when it is later paired with a US. This occurs because the pre-exposure to the CS without the US makes it less novel and therefore less salient, resulting in slower association learning when conditioning finally occurs.

Question 12

Which statement is TRUE about the Rescorla-Wagner model?

Accepted Answer

The Rescorla-Wagner model is highly regarded in the field of psychology for its influential approach to understanding associative learning. It provides a formal mathematical framework for predicting how the strength of associations between stimuli and responses changes as a result of conditioning. This model has been foundational in the study of learning, influencing numerous studies and theoretical developments.

Question 13

Suppose one conditions a rabbit to give an eyeblink response to a tone. If one then presents both a tone and a light together followed by a puff of air to the eyes, the rabbit will not blink in response to the light. This demonstrates:

Accepted Answer

This is an example of the blocking effect, where the rabbit does not learn to associate the light with the puff of air because the tone, which already predicts the puff of air, "blocks" the association between the light and the puff of air.

Question 14

According to the Rescorla-Wagner model, blocking occurs because:

Accepted Answer

Blocking occurs because the conditioned stimulus (CS) added in the second phase of training does not provide any new or predictive information about the occurrence of the unconditioned stimulus (US), since the US is already predicted by the CS introduced in the first phase.

Question 15

Suppose one conditions a dog to salivate in response to a tone (by pairing the tone with food). Then, the person presents both the tone and a light together, followed by the food. The dog will:

Accepted Answer

The answer of Suppose one conditions a dog to salivate...

Question 16

If one pairs a tone with a shock, a rat can learn that the tone predicts the shock. If one then pairs a tone and light with a shock, the person finds that the rat gives a:

Accepted Answer

This phenomenon is explained by classical conditioning, where the rat has already learned to associate the tone with the shock (conditioned stimulus with unconditioned stimulus). When a new stimulus (light) is paired with the tone, the rat continues to respond to the tone because it has a stronger association with the shock, demonstrating what is known as blocking. The rat does not form a new association with the light because the tone already predicts the shock.

Question 17

Which statement is considered to be TRUE about a successful model?

Accepted Answer

A successful model's predictions need to be testable and capable of generating new data, which is essential for validating the model's accuracy and applicability to real-world scenarios. Options B and C are not universally true for a successful model, as no model can be applicable to every possible situation, and a model's value often lies in its ability to predict or explain phenomena that have not been previously observed.

Question 18

Which statement is suggested by the Rescorla-Wagner model?

Accepted Answer

The Rescorla-Wagner model suggests that learning occurs when there is a prediction error. If the expected US does not occur, the association between the CS and US is decreased.

Question 19

When a more salient cue within a compound acquires more of the share of the attention and learning than the less salient cue, it is known as:

Accepted Answer

Overshadowing occurs when, in the presence of two cues, the more salient cue acquires more of the attention and learning, thereby diminishing the association formed with the less salient cue. This phenomenon is observed in classical conditioning experiments.

Question 20

For humans performing a category-learning task, Gluck and Bower's neural network model can:

Accepted Answer

The answer of For humans performing a category-learning task, Gluck...

Quiz 4: Classical Conditioning: Learning to Predict Significant Events