Question 1

A _____ reinforcer requires learning to have a reinforcing effect.

Accepted Answer

A secondary reinforcer, unlike a primary reinforcer, does not inherently satisfy a basic biological need. It requires learning and association with primary reinforcers to have a reinforcing effect. Examples include money, grades, and praise.

Question 2

Which is NOT true about observational learning and violence?

Accepted Answer

Correlation studies can indicate that there is a relationship between video game violence and aggression, but they cannot prove causation. The statement that video game violence causes aggression implies a causation that correlation studies alone cannot establish.

Question 3

Which statement is NOT true about the results of Albert Bandura's Bobo studies?

Accepted Answer

Bandura's studies showed that observing a model being punished for aggressive behavior towards the Bobo doll did reduce the likelihood of the children imitating this aggressive behavior, but it did not completely deter aggression if the children themselves were later rewarded for it. The presence of a reward could still encourage them to act aggressively, contradicting option D.

Question 4

As Ivan Pavlov's physiological study of saliva production progressed, he unexpectedly discovered that dogs _____ the presentation of food.

Accepted Answer

Pavlov discovered that dogs began to produce saliva before the presentation of food, as they learned to associate other stimuli (such as the lab assistant's footsteps or the sound of the containers used to feed them) with the imminent arrival of food. This phenomenon is known as classical conditioning.

Question 5

_____ is the moment when the association between the unconditioned and the neutral stimulus is learned.

Accepted Answer

Acquisition is the phase in classical conditioning when the neutral stimulus is consistently paired with the unconditioned stimulus until the neutral stimulus alone is sufficient to elicit the response, indicating that learning has occurred.

Question 6

To learn something through _____, you have to personally execute a behavior, but through _____, you learn by seeing other people's behavior and its consequences.

Accepted Answer

Operant conditioning involves learning through the consequences of behavioral responses, whereas observational learning involves learning by watching the actions of others and the outcomes of those actions.

Question 7

Acquisition can be said to have occurred when a(n) _____ stimulus produces a(n) _____ response.

Accepted Answer

Acquisition occurs when a conditioned stimulus (CS) produces a conditioned response (CR), indicating that learning has taken place.

Question 8

_____ is the absence of any attempt to get away from a bad situation because that situation was, in the past, inescapable.

Accepted Answer

Learned helplessness is a condition in which a person suffers from a sense of powerlessness, arising from a traumatic event or persistent failure to succeed. It is the result of the individual's experience that no matter what they do, they cannot change or escape their situation.

Question 9

Three-year-old Hannah is scared of small dogs ever since one bit her. At the park, she avoids small dogs, but shows interest in petting large dogs. Hannah shows _____ between the small and large dogs.

Accepted Answer

Hannah's behavior demonstrates discrimination because she is able to differentiate between small dogs, which she avoids due to a past negative experience, and large dogs, which she does not fear and is interested in petting. This indicates she has learned to respond differently to two types of stimuli based on their characteristics.

Question 10

A _____ schedule of reinforcement promotes the fastest acquisition of operant behavior, and a _____ schedule of reinforcement results in operant behavior that is the most resistant to extinction.

Accepted Answer

A continuous reinforcement schedule, where a behavior is reinforced every time it occurs, promotes the fastest acquisition of a new behavior. A partial (or intermittent) reinforcement schedule, where a behavior is only sometimes reinforced, results in behavior that is more resistant to extinction.

Question 11

Extinction occurs when the _____ stimulus no longer produces a(n) _____ response.

Accepted Answer

Extinction in conditioning occurs when the conditioned stimulus is no longer paired with the unconditioned stimulus, leading to the disappearance of the conditioned response.

Question 12

Sam gives his cat a good bit of affection when it jumps up on his desk. Even if Sam is busy working at his desk and there are papers covering the desktop, Sam's cat continues to jump up on the desk to get petted. The cat's behavior is MOST likely due to the learning process of:

Accepted Answer

The cat's behavior is most likely due to reinforcement. Sam gives his cat affection (a positive reinforcement) whenever it jumps up on the desk, which increases the likelihood that the cat will repeat this behavior in the future to receive more affection.

Question 13

In anticipation of going outside, Tara's dog started to wag his tail at the sound of the leash being picked up. Now Tara's dog has also started to wag his tail at the sound of the closet door being opened, where the leash is stored. The dog wagging his tail in response to the closet door being opened BEST exemplifies:

Accepted Answer

The dog has learned to associate the sound of the closet door, where the leash is stored, with the act of going outside. This is an example of higher-order conditioning, where a stimulus that was originally neutral (the sound of the closet door) becomes a conditioned stimulus through its association with another conditioned stimulus (the sound of the leash).

Question 14

Which statement about the ethical implications of the "Little Albert study" is FALSE?

Accepted Answer

The "Little Albert study" is widely criticized for its ethical implications, particularly because the potential harm to the subject (causing long-term psychological distress) is not justified by the results. Modern standards prioritize the well-being of participants, and causing harm without a clear, significant benefit is considered unethical.

Question 15

When Salvatore got all As on his report card, his father took him out for ice cream. Salvatore is now very motivated to get all As on his next report card. This is BEST described as an example of:

Accepted Answer

This is an example of positive reinforcement because Salvatore's father is adding a desirable stimulus (ice cream) following Salvatore's behavior (getting all As), which increases the likelihood that Salvatore will repeat the behavior in the future.

Question 16

If you get sick after eating a new food, you will MOST likely develop a(n) _____, which is an example of a(n) ______.

Accepted Answer

Taste aversion is a learned avoidance of a particular food, and it occurs as an example of biological preparedness, where organisms are innately predisposed to form associations between certain stimuli and responses.

Question 17

Marcus wants to teach his dog to sit, and he wants his dog to learn the behavior in the fastest manner possible. Based on what you know about schedules of reinforcement, you tell him it would be BEST to use a(n) _____ schedule of reinforcement.

Accepted Answer

Continuous reinforcement is the most effective schedule for teaching a new behavior because it provides a reward every time the desired action is performed, leading to faster learning.

Question 18

In the famous case of "Little Albert," the crying that Albert showed in response to the loud noise is considered the:

Accepted Answer

The crying that Albert showed in response to the loud noise is considered the unconditioned response because it is a natural, unlearned reaction to an unconditioned stimulus (the loud noise).

Question 19

Compared to Ensha, who grew up in China, Kelley, who grew up in the United States, is _____ likely to find an award for individual achievement as reinforcing.

Accepted Answer

Cultural differences between China and the United States suggest that individuals from the United States, which tends to value individualism more highly, are more likely to find an award for individual achievement reinforcing compared to individuals from China, where collectivism is more emphasized.

Question 20

At the start of Pavlov's studies, the dogs showed no response to a bell and did not salivate until the food was in their mouths. At this point, the salivation was a(n):

Accepted Answer

At the start of Pavlov's studies, the dogs' salivation in response to food was an unconditioned response because it was a natural, unlearned reaction to an unconditioned stimulus (the food).

Quiz 6: Learning

A _____ reinforcer requires learning to have a reinforcing effect.

Which is NOT true about observational learning and violence?

Which statement is NOT true about the results of Albert Bandura's Bobo studies?

As Ivan Pavlov's physiological study of saliva production progressed, he unexpectedly discovered that dogs _____ the presentation of food.

_____ is the moment when the association between the unconditioned and the neutral stimulus is learned.

To learn something through _, you have to personally execute a behavior, but through _, you learn by seeing other people's behavior and its consequences.

Acquisition can be said to have occurred when a(n) _ stimulus produces a(n) _ response.

_____ is the absence of any attempt to get away from a bad situation because that situation was, in the past, inescapable.

Three-year-old Hannah is scared of small dogs ever since one bit her. At the park, she avoids small dogs, but shows interest in petting large dogs. Hannah shows _____ between the small and large dogs.

A _ schedule of reinforcement promotes the fastest acquisition of operant behavior, and a _ schedule of reinforcement results in operant behavior that is the most resistant to extinction.

Extinction occurs when the _ stimulus no longer produces a(n) _ response.