Question 1

As a child, Jordan would jump excitedly when the Sponge Bob Square Pants theme song started playing on the television, receiving laughter and attention from adults for the excited jumping. Now that Jordan is a teenager, adults no longer direct laughter and attention at the excited jumping, and Jordan no longer reacts to the familiar theme song. This scenario illustrates the process of
A) latent inhibition.
B) discrimination.
C) extinction.
D) generalization.

Accepted Answer

The scenario describes how the behavior of jumping excitedly in response to the Sponge Bob Square Pants theme song no longer occurs in Jordan, indicating that the behavior has been extinguished or no longer elicited by the stimulus.

Question 2

The recognition that two different stimuli call for two different responses is known as
A) generalization.
B) differentiation.
C) desensitization.
D) discrimination.

Accepted Answer

Discrimination in learning and behavior psychology refers to the ability to distinguish between different stimuli and respond appropriately to each.

Question 3

The reappearance of conditioned responses after periods of rest between sessions of extinction training is called
A) dominant presentation.
B) reacquisition.
C) spontaneous recovery.
D) higher order conditioning.

Accepted Answer

Spontaneous recovery refers to the reappearance of conditioned responses after a period of rest following extinction training. Dominant presentation, reacquisition, and higher order conditioning do not refer to this specific phenomenon.

Question 4

In which of the following scenarios is Roxie, the dog, most likely to rapidly learn to associate a conditioned stimulus with food?
A) When Roxie's owner gets home from work, sometimes she gives Roxie a food treat right away; other times, they go for a short walk before Roxie is given the treat.
B) During the week, Roxie gets treats for not scratching the furniture; during the weekend, she gets treats for performing complex tricks.
C) Roxie's owner has two sons: The older son teaches Roxie tricks and sometimes rewards her with a treat, and the younger son likes to play fetch with Roxie.
D) Each morning, Roxie's owner opens the squeaky kitchen cupboard, pours dog food into a bowl, and immediately puts the bowl of food on the floor for Roxie to eat.

Accepted Answer

The scenario where Roxie is most likely to rapidly learn to associate a conditioned stimulus with food is when a specific, consistent action (opening the squeaky kitchen cupboard) is immediately followed by her getting food. This consistency and immediacy are key principles of classical conditioning, making it easier for Roxie to make the association.

Question 5

Eli is afraid of bees and has been ever since he was nearly stung by one a few months ago. Lately, his father has been very distressed to see that Eli is now afraid of any flying insect, even tiny ones like gnats. The fact that Eli gets terribly afraid and runs to another room whenever he sees a flying "bug" demonstrates
A) generalization.
B) inhibition.
C) acquisition.
D) discrimination.

Accepted Answer

Eli's fear has generalized to all flying insects, not only bees.

Question 6

Which of the following would decrease the likelihood of acquisition?
A) The unconditioned stimulus is presented long after the conditioned stimulus.
B) The unconditioned stimulus is presented shortly after the conditioned stimulus.
C) The conditioned stimulus evokes an emotional response in the participant.
D) The unconditioned stimulus evokes a negative response in the participant.

Accepted Answer

Delaying the presentation of the unconditioned stimulus after the conditioned stimulus reduces the likelihood of acquisition because the two stimuli are not closely associated in time, which weakens the conditioning effect.

Question 7

Greg, who mainly drank coffee when out with friends, recently quit drinking coffee. However, each time he visits a bar or restaurant with his friends, he has the strong urge to drink a cup of coffee. This is an example of
A) latent inhibition.
B) spontaneous recovery.
C) habituation.
D) observational learning.

Accepted Answer

Spontaneous recovery refers to the reappearance of a previously extinguished behavior. In this case, Greg had quit drinking coffee but the strong urge to drink it reappeared when he visited a familiar setting with friends where he previously consumed coffee.

Question 8

What type of stimulus elicits a response without prior experience-that is, without learning having taken place?
A) Classical
B) Unconditioned
C) Conditioned
D) Habitual

Accepted Answer

The term "unconditioned" refers to a stimulus that elicits a natural or automatic response without any prior conditioning or learning. It is often referred to as an "unlearned" response. Examples include reflexes like blinking, sneezing, or salivating at the smell of food.

Question 9

Tim would like to stop drinking alcohol, but he is finding it difficult to resist the urge to drink when he meets up with friends. Tim's therapist reassures him that if he can resist the urge to drink during these social events, his cravings for alcohol will diminish even further, eventually fading away. What process is Tim's therapist describing?
A) Avoidance
B) Systematic desensitization
C) Spontaneous dissipation
D) Extinction

Accepted Answer

The therapist is describing the process of extinction, where the cravings for alcohol are expected to gradually diminish and eventually disappear as Tim resists the urge to drink in situations where he previously would have consumed alcohol. This process involves the weakening of a conditioned response (in this case, the urge to drink alcohol in social situations) over time when it is not reinforced.

Question 10

Peter's mother normally arrives home from work in a terrible mood, causing Peter extreme anxiety. However, when Peter sees that his mother is wearing sweat pants, Peter feels at ease, knowing that she has been home from work for a while. Peter's recognition that the sweatpants indicate no reason to feel anxious illustrates
A) extinction.
B) latent inhibition.
C) higher order conditioning.
D) inhibition.

Accepted Answer

Peter's recognition of the sweatpants as an indication that his mother has been home for a while suggests that he has learned to inhibit his anxiety response in this situation, even though his mother's arrival typically elicits anxiety. This is an example of inhibition, which occurs when a conditioned stimulus (in this case, the sight of his mother arriving home) no longer elicits a conditioned response (anxiety) due to the presence of a stimulus that is inhibitory (the sweatpants).

Question 11

When he was 9 years old, Mike tried shrimp for the first time but fell very ill shortly thereafter. Within a few hours he was vomiting and was sick for the rest of the night. Now, years later, Mike cannot bring himself to eat shrimp. This is an example of
A) nonassociative learning.
B) classical conditioning.
C) operant conditioning.
D) observational learning.

Accepted Answer

This is an example of classical conditioning. The shrimp was paired with the negative experience of becoming sick, which led to a conditioned aversion to shrimp.

Question 12

A reaction to a given stimulus that is learned or acquired over time is referred to as a(n)
A) unconditioned response.
B) conditioned response.
C) characteristic response.
D) uncharacteristic response.

Accepted Answer

A reaction that is learned or acquired over time is referred to as a conditioned response. Choice A, unconditioned response, refers to a natural, automatic response to a stimulus without any prior learning. Choices C and D are not relevant to the definition given.

Question 13

Dr. Graham exposes rats to a vanilla scent prior to receiving a food pellet in the left corner of their cage, but provides no food after exposure to a lemon scent. After several trials, upon smelling a vanilla scent, the rats wait at the far-left corner of the cage regardless of whether a food pellet is present. However, they do not wait in the far-left corner when exposed to the lemon scent. What is the unconditioned stimulus in the experiment?
A) Vanilla scent
B) Food pellet
C) Left corner of cage
D) Lemon scent

Accepted Answer

The unconditioned stimulus in this experiment is the food pellet, as it is the naturally occurring stimulus that leads to a specific response (the rats' natural response to food is to seek it out). The vanilla scent and left corner of the cage become conditioned stimuli that trigger the conditioned response of the rats seeking food. The lemon scent, on the other hand, does not lead to any food and therefore does not become a conditioned stimulus for the rats to seek out food.

Question 14

Jenna, who is recovering from drug addiction, attends counseling sessions so that she will no longer associate the sight of a needle and syringe with an expected drug effect. During the counseling sessions, Jenna handles a syringe without receiving any drugs as her counselor pairs a new signal with the sight of the syringe: a favorite song of Jenna's. The method used here illustrates the use of
A) extinction.
B) an inhibitory conditioned stimulus.
C) an excitatory unconditioned stimulus.
D) cognitive mapping.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Jenna, who is recovering from drug addiction,...

Question 15

As Ronnie hears a song on the radio, she feels stressed: her heart races, her hands become clammy, and her breathing becomes rapid. The song is familiar because it was popular at a time when her parents were going through a divorce that caused Ronnie intense anxiety. In this scenario, identify, in order: the conditioned stimulus, the unconditioned stimulus, the conditioned response, and the unconditioned response.
A) Parents fighting; song; anxiety toward parents fighting; anxiety toward song
B) Parents fighting; anxiety toward parents fighting; song; anxiety toward song
C) Song; parents fighting; anxiety toward song; anxiety toward parents fighting
D) Song; anxiety toward song; parents fighting; anxiety toward parents fighting

Accepted Answer

The song acts as the conditioned stimulus because it was neutral until it became associated with the stressful event of her parents fighting. The unconditioned stimulus is the parents fighting, as it naturally elicits a response. The conditioned response is the anxiety toward the song, which occurs after the association is made. The unconditioned response is the anxiety toward her parents fighting, which occurs naturally without conditioning.

Question 16

A reaction to a given stimulus that requires no previous experience is referred to as a(n)
A) unconditioned response.
B) conditioned response.
C) characteristic response.
D) uncharacteristic response.

Accepted Answer

An unconditioned response is a natural, instinctual reaction to a stimulus that does not require any previous experience or conditioning. It is an automatic, innate response.

Question 17

The tendency to respond to stimuli that are similar to an original conditioned stimulus is called
A) generalization.
B) sensitization.
C) aggregation.
D) habituation.

Accepted Answer

Generalization is the tendency to respond in a similar way to stimuli similar to the original conditioned stimulus.

Question 18

When a conditioned stimulus can predict the nonoccurrence of an unconditioned stimulus, it is referred to as
A) extinction.
B) inhibition.
C) latent inhibition.
D) discrimination.

Accepted Answer

Inhibition occurs when a conditioned stimulus predicts the nonoccurrence of an unconditioned stimulus, indicating that the conditioned stimulus signals the absence of the unconditioned stimulus, thus inhibiting the conditioned response.

Question 19

The development of a conditioned response is called
A) generalization.
B) higher order conditioning.
C) habituation.
D) acquisition.

Accepted Answer

The development of a conditioned response is called acquisition, which is the process of learning the association between a conditioned stimulus and an unconditioned stimulus. Generalization refers to the tendency to respond not only to the original conditioned stimulus but also to stimuli that are similar to it. Higher order conditioning refers to the process of using a previously conditioned stimulus to condition a new stimulus. Habituation refers to a decrease in responsiveness to a stimulus after repeated presentations.

Question 20

What mechanism is responsible for the process of extinction?
A) New learning overrides old learning.
B) The previously formed association is forgotten.
C) An aversion is formed in response to the association.
D) Spontaneous recovery replaces the association.

Accepted Answer

Extinction in psychology refers to the process where a conditioned response decreases or disappears after the conditioned stimulus is repeatedly presented without the unconditioned stimulus. This is understood as a form of new learning where the organism learns that the conditioned stimulus no longer predicts the unconditioned stimulus, rather than the old association being forgotten or replaced.

Quiz 8: The Adaptive Mind Learning

The recognition that two different stimuli call for two different responses is known as

The reappearance of conditioned responses after periods of rest between sessions of extinction training is called

In which of the following scenarios is Roxie, the dog, most likely to rapidly learn to associate a conditioned stimulus with food?

Which of the following would decrease the likelihood of acquisition?

Greg, who mainly drank coffee when out with friends, recently quit drinking coffee. However, each time he visits a bar or restaurant with his friends, he has the strong urge to drink a cup of coffee. This is an example of

What type of stimulus elicits a response without prior experience-that is, without learning having taken place?

When he was 9 years old, Mike tried shrimp for the first time but fell very ill shortly thereafter. Within a few hours he was vomiting and was sick for the rest of the night. Now, years later, Mike cannot bring himself to eat shrimp. This is an example of

A reaction to a given stimulus that is learned or acquired over time is referred to as a(n)

A reaction to a given stimulus that requires no previous experience is referred to as a(n)

The tendency to respond to stimuli that are similar to an original conditioned stimulus is called

When a conditioned stimulus can predict the nonoccurrence of an unconditioned stimulus, it is referred to as

The development of a conditioned response is called

What mechanism is responsible for the process of extinction?