Question 1

When the S+ and S- differ only in terms of one stimulus feature, the training procedure is called
A)intradimensional discrimination.
B)interdimensional discrimination.
C)extradimensional discrimination.
D)hypodimensional discrimination.

Accepted Answer

Intradimensional discrimination involves a training procedure where the positive stimulus (S+) and the negative stimulus (S-) differ only in terms of one stimulus feature, making it a process of distinguishing between stimuli within the same dimension.

Question 2

If a researcher is interested in determining with rat subjects whether the effects of alcohol are similar to the effect of opiates, she could use a procedure employing
A)discrimination training using interoceptive cues.
B)discrimination training using transfer cues.
C)salience training using drug cues.
D)salience training using non-drug cues.

Accepted Answer

Discrimination training using interoceptive cues is appropriate for this research because it involves training rats to discriminate between internal states produced by different substances, such as alcohol and opiates. This method allows the researcher to assess whether the rats can differentiate between the effects of the two drugs based on their internal, subjective experiences.

Question 3

In the peak-shift phenomenon, the peak performance shifts
A)to the training S+.
B)to the training S-.
C)from the training S+ away from the training S-.
D)from the training S+ towards the training S-.

Accepted Answer

The peak-shift phenomenon occurs when an animal's peak response shifts away from the stimulus it was trained to respond to (S+) and moves away from the stimulus it was trained to avoid (S-). This happens because the animal learns to discriminate not just between the stimuli but also to preferentially respond to stimuli that are even more distinct from the S-.

Question 4

A cat is trained to hit a suspended ball in the presence of a red light. Presentations of other lights were not followed by any reinforcers if the cat hit the ball. According to Spence, the cat learned
A)to respond only when the S+ is present.
B)to suppress responding only when the S- is present.
C)to respond only when the S+ is present and to suppress responding only when the S- is present.
D)to suppress inhibition when the S- is present.

Accepted Answer

According to Spence's theory, the cat learned to respond in the presence of the S+ (stimulus signaling reinforcement, in this case, the red light) and to suppress responding in the presence of the S- (stimulus signaling nonreinforcement, in this case, other lights). This means the cat discriminates between stimuli, responding to the one that predicts a positive outcome and not responding to those that do not.

Question 5

In a stimulus discrimination procedure, subjects are
A)repeatedly exposed to a single stimulus as a cue for the availability of a reinforcer.
B)exposed once to a single stimulus as a cue for the availability of a reinforcer.
C)exposed to at least two stimuli, only one of which is a cue for the availability of a reinforcer.
D)exposed to at least two stimuli, all of which signal the availability of a reinforcer.

Accepted Answer

In a stimulus discrimination procedure, subjects are exposed to at least two stimuli, only one of which is a cue for the availability of a reinforcer. The goal is for the subject to learn to respond only to the specific stimulus that signals the availability of the reinforcer.

Question 6

A loud buzzer is paired with a dim light as a signal for a dog to press a lever to gain access to food. The dog quickly learns to respond to the buzzer alone, but does not learn to respond vigorously to the light alone. According to the configural-cue approach, this is because of
A)the type of reinforcer being delivered.
B)the type of response required of the dog.
C)a generalization decrement from training to test trials.
D)the evolutionary configuration of appetitive responding.

Accepted Answer

The configural-cue approach suggests that animals learn relationships between cues in the environment rather than just responding to individual cues. In this scenario, the dog has learned the relationship between the buzzer and the lever-pressing behavior, but not the relationship between the light and lever-pressing behavior. This inability to generalize the response to the light alone is likely due to a generalization decrement from training to test trials, where the dog has learned to respond specifically to the buzzer and lever-pressing behavior in that context.

Question 7

A pigeon is trained to peck in the presence of a 500 nm wavelength light and is not reinforced for pecking in the presence of a 510 nm wavelength light. After training, most performance will be demonstrated in response to a
A)400 nm light.
B)490 nm light.
C)500 nm light.
D)505 nm light.

Accepted Answer

The answer of A pigeon is trained to peck in...

Question 8

For one group of pigeons, a black vertical bar on a white key light served as the S+ and the blank key light the S-. For another, the bar served as the S- and the blank key light the S+. When the bar was rotated toward the horizontal, the first group decreased pecking, and the second increased pecking. This demonstrates that
A)the response required influences discrimination training.
B)excitatory and inhibitory conditioning can occur in discrimination training.
C)discrimination training results in either excitatory or inhibitory conditioning, but not both.
D)overshadowing can influence discrimination training.

Accepted Answer

This experiment shows that pigeons can be trained to discriminate between stimuli, and their responses can be either excitatory or inhibitory depending on the signal value of each stimulus. In the first group, the pigeons learned that the bar was associated with food (S+) and the blank key light was associated with no food (S-), so when the bar was rotated, they decreased their pecking as the S+ signal became less salient. In the second group, the pigeons learned that the bar was associated with no food (S-) and the blank key light was associated with food (S+), so when the bar was rotated, they increased their pecking as the S- signal became less salient. This suggests that excitatory and inhibitory conditioning co-occur during discrimination training, depending on the nature of the stimuli and their consequences.

Question 9

In a positive patterning procedure of discrimination training
A)cue A is reinforced, cue B is not reinforced.
B)cue AB is reinforced, cue A is not reinforced, cue B is reinforced.
C)cue AB is reinforced, cue A is not reinforced, cue B is not reinforced.
D)cue B is reinforced, cue A is not reinforced.

Accepted Answer

In a positive patterning procedure of discrimination training, the combination of cues (AB) is reinforced, while the individual cues (A and B) are not reinforced. This teaches the subject to respond only to the specific combination of cues, not to the cues individually.

Question 10

Other students take advantage of the professor's absence to look on each others' papers. When the professor periodically returns, this behavior stops, only to start again when the professor leaves. This is an example of
A)overshadowing.
B)a multiple schedule of reinforcement.
C)stimulus generalization.
D)the peak-shift effect.

Accepted Answer

The behavior of looking at each other's papers is being reinforced on a multiple schedule - specifically, an interval schedule where the reinforcement (being able to cheat without consequences) is available in the absence of the professor. When the professor returns, the behavior stops because the reinforcement is temporarily removed, but it starts again when the reinforcement becomes available again. This is an example of a multiple schedule of reinforcement.

Question 11

According to Spence, discrimination training results in
A)only excitatory conditioning.
B)only inhibitory conditioning.
C)either excitatory or inhibitory conditioning.
D)both excitatory and inhibitory conditioning.

Accepted Answer

Discrimination training involves learning to respond differently to different stimuli. It can result in both excitatory conditioning (learning to respond to a stimulus with a particular behavior) and inhibitory conditioning (learning not to respond to a stimulus with that behavior). Therefore, the best choice is D - both excitatory and inhibitory conditioning.

Question 12

Which of the following conditioning procedures will result in the flattest stimulus generalization gradient?
A)no training prior to testing with various frequency tones
B)S+ = 500 Hz tone; S- = no tone
C)S+ = 1000 Hz tone; S- = 900 Hz tone
D)S+ = 600 Hz tone: S- = 500 Hz tone

Accepted Answer

A stimulus generalization gradient shows how the response to a conditioned stimulus (CS) changes with stimuli that are similar but not identical to the CS. A flat gradient indicates little change in response strength across a range of stimuli. No training prior to testing (A) would result in a flat gradient because without conditioning, the subject has not learned to differentiate between frequencies, leading to uniform responses across various tones.

Question 13

Suppose you want your goldfish to swim to the top of the tank only when you shine a red light, and no other color, into the water. Assuming the fish can see most colors, to condition the fish you should
A)train it only with the red light.
B)use red, blue, and yellow lights, and only reward the fish for swimming to the surface when the red light is used.
C)use red, orange, and purple lights, and only reward the fish for swimming to the surface when the red light is used.
D)withhold training until the testing phase.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Suppose you want your goldfish to swim...

Question 14

According to Spence's theory of discrimination learning, discrimination training results in
A)only the development of an excitatory generalization gradient around the S+.
B)the development of an excitatory generalization gradient around the S+, but an inhibitory generalization gradient around the S-.
C)the development of an excitatory generalization gradient around both the S+ and S-.
D)only the development of an excitatory generalization gradient around the S-.

Accepted Answer

According to Spence's theory of discrimination learning, discrimination training results in the development of an excitatory generalization gradient around the S+, but an inhibitory generalization gradient around the S-. Therefore, choice B is the correct answer.

Question 15

Which of the following stimuli could be used in an intradimensional discrimination procedure?
A)S+ = bright red light: S- = no light
B)S+ = bright red light: S- = bright yellow light
C)S+ = bright red light: S- = tone
D)S+ = bright red light: S- = white key light with black bar

Accepted Answer

In an intradimensional discrimination procedure, the stimuli for the positive and negative response options should vary along only one dimension (in this case, color) while all other dimensions should remain constant. Option B provides two stimuli that vary only in color (red vs. yellow), while keeping all other characteristics (brightness, type of light) consistent. Option A only provides a single stimulus and does not allow for discrimination based on color, while options C and D introduce additional dimensions (sound and shape, respectively) which could confuse the subject and make discrimination more difficult.

Question 16

The configural-cue approach asserts that the overshadowing effect is due to
A)the type of instrumental response required.
B)the ease with which one of the stimuli can be conditioned.
C)the type of reinforcer delivered.
D)the generalization decrement from training to test trials.

Accepted Answer

The configural-cue approach suggests that the overshadowing effect occurs because of a generalization decrement from training to test trials. This approach posits that animals learn about configurations of cues, and overshadowing happens when a less salient cue is not as effective when presented alone because it was part of a configuration during training, leading to a decrease in response when the configuration changes during testing.

Question 17

A hamster is trained to push a lever to earn a food pellet each time it hears a bell. When a buzzer sounds, pushing the lever does not result in food delivery. The hamster quickly learns to respond to the bell and does not respond to the buzzer. We can conclude
A)the hamster has learned to respond only when the S+ is present.
B)the hamster has learned to suppress responding only when the S- is present.
C)the hamster has learned to respond only when the S+ is present and to suppress responding only when the S- is present.
D)that more information is needed to determine what the hamster has learned.

Accepted Answer

The answer of A hamster is trained to push a...

Question 18

Which of the following conditioning procedures will result in the steepest stimulus generalization gradient?
A)S+ = 1000 Hz tone; S- = no tone
B)S+ = 500 Hz tone; S- = 850 Hz tone
C)S+ = 600 Hz tone; S- = 450 Hz tone
D)S+ = 950 Hz tone; S- = 900 Hz tone

Accepted Answer

The steepest stimulus generalization gradient occurs when the S+ (conditioned stimulus signaling reinforcement) and S- (conditioned stimulus signaling no reinforcement) are very similar to each other, making discrimination between them more difficult. In option D, the S+ and S- tones are only 50 Hz apart, which is the smallest difference among the options, thus requiring the most precise discrimination and leading to the steepest generalization gradient.

Question 19

Which of the following most resembles a positive patterning procedure of discrimination training?
A)Responding to a tone and a light together is reinforced; responding is not reinforced to either the tone or light alone.
B)Responding to a tone alone or light alone is reinforced, but not when they occur together.
C)Responding when a tone, or tone-light pair is reinforced, but not to the light alone.
D)Responding to only a tone alone or light alone is reinforced, but not both.

Accepted Answer

In positive patterning, two stimuli that are presented together serve as a cue for reinforcement, while the individual stimuli do not. This is seen in choice A, where the tone and light together are reinforced, but neither is reinforced alone.

Question 20

In driving school, you are reinforced for driving into an intersection when the light is green, but not reinforced when the light is red. This is an example of
A)a stimulus discrimination procedure.
B)a stimulus generalization procedure.
C)the peak-shift phenomenon.
D)the configural-cue approach.

Accepted Answer

This is an example of a stimulus discrimination procedure, as the student driver is learning to respond to one specific stimulus (the green light) and not to another (the red light).

Quiz 8: Stimulus Control of Behavior

When the S+ and S- differ only in terms of one stimulus feature, the training procedure is called

If a researcher is interested in determining with rat subjects whether the effects of alcohol are similar to the effect of opiates, she could use a procedure employing

In the peak-shift phenomenon, the peak performance shifts

A cat is trained to hit a suspended ball in the presence of a red light. Presentations of other lights were not followed by any reinforcers if the cat hit the ball. According to Spence, the cat learned

In a stimulus discrimination procedure, subjects are

A loud buzzer is paired with a dim light as a signal for a dog to press a lever to gain access to food. The dog quickly learns to respond to the buzzer alone, but does not learn to respond vigorously to the light alone. According to the configural-cue approach, this is because of

A pigeon is trained to peck in the presence of a 500 nm wavelength light and is not reinforced for pecking in the presence of a 510 nm wavelength light. After training, most performance will be demonstrated in response to a

In a positive patterning procedure of discrimination training

Other students take advantage of the professor's absence to look on each others' papers. When the professor periodically returns, this behavior stops, only to start again when the professor leaves. This is an example of

According to Spence, discrimination training results in

Which of the following conditioning procedures will result in the flattest stimulus generalization gradient?

Suppose you want your goldfish to swim to the top of the tank only when you shine a red light, and no other color, into the water. Assuming the fish can see most colors, to condition the fish you should

According to Spence's theory of discrimination learning, discrimination training results in

Which of the following stimuli could be used in an intradimensional discrimination procedure?

The configural-cue approach asserts that the overshadowing effect is due to

A hamster is trained to push a lever to earn a food pellet each time it hears a bell. When a buzzer sounds, pushing the lever does not result in food delivery. The hamster quickly learns to respond to the bell and does not respond to the buzzer. We can conclude

Which of the following conditioning procedures will result in the steepest stimulus generalization gradient?

Which of the following most resembles a positive patterning procedure of discrimination training?

In driving school, you are reinforced for driving into an intersection when the light is green, but not reinforced when the light is red. This is an example of