Question 1

Andrew sees his mother waking up early in the morning and exercising. Looking at her, he also starts exercising in the morning. According to Albert Bandura's social learning theory, this scenario exemplifies ________.

Accepted Answer

This scenario exemplifies "modeling," a concept in Albert Bandura's social learning theory where individuals learn behaviors by observing and imitating others. Andrew learns to exercise by observing his mother's behavior.

Question 2

Which of the following situations is most likely to occur according to the law of effect?

Accepted Answer

The law of effect, proposed by Edward Thorndike, suggests that behaviors followed by pleasant outcomes are more likely to be repeated, while those followed by unpleasant outcomes are less likely to be repeated. In option C, receiving a desired message is a pleasant outcome, making it more likely for the person to check emails more often, aligning with the law of effect.

Question 3

Mike, a ten-year-old, sees his father smoking a cigarette while talking on the phone. Later that day, Mike takes out a cigarette from his father's bag and pretends to smoke it while talking on the phone. Mike's behavior is an example of ________.

Accepted Answer

Mike's behavior is an example of mimicry, as he is imitating the actions of his father by pretending to smoke a cigarette while talking on the phone.

Question 4

Nathan, a teenager, learns how to change the tires of his bike by watching his father do it. This is an example of ________.

Accepted Answer

Observational learning occurs when an individual learns a new behavior by watching someone else perform that behavior, as Nathan did by watching his father change bike tires.

Question 5

Darren had eaten a cheeseburger right before he felt extremely nauseous from the flu. Now, every time Darren smells a cheeseburger he feels nauseous. In this scenario, what is Darren experiencing?

Accepted Answer

Darren is experiencing conditioned taste aversion, where he associates the smell of cheeseburgers with feeling nauseous due to a previous experience of eating one before getting sick. This is a form of classical conditioning where an organism learns to associate a particular food with an adverse event.

Question 6

________ is defined as the rapid and innate learning of the characteristics of a caregiver within a very short period of time after birth.

Accepted Answer

Imprinting is the process through which some animals, including humans to a certain extent, rapidly learn to recognize the characteristics of a caregiver shortly after birth. This process is crucial for survival in many species, as it helps the young animal to stay close to their protector and provider.

Question 7

Which of the following statements is true about imitation?

Accepted Answer

Imitation is fundamental to the way in which nonhuman primates learn.

Question 8

In Pavlov's classical conditioning experiment, he called the kind of learning he observed the ________.

Accepted Answer

Pavlov referred to the learning observed in his experiments as the "conditioning of reflexes," where a neutral stimulus (e.g., a bell) becomes associated with an unconditioned stimulus (e.g., food) to elicit a conditioned response (e.g., salivation).

Question 9

By pairing a flashing light with a loud noise, a researcher has taught a rat to exhibit a fear response to the light, when the light is flashed amidst darkness. What is the conditioned stimulus in this study?

Accepted Answer

The conditioned stimulus is the flashing light because it is the neutral stimulus that has been paired with the unconditioned stimulus (loud noise) to elicit a conditioned response (fear) after conditioning.

Question 10

Mary, a seven-year-old, watches her mother cooking in the kitchen and copies her actions. Later that day, she spends time pretending to cook in the kitchen. Mary's behavior is an example of ________.

Accepted Answer

Mary's behavior is an example of mimicry, as she observes her mother's actions and then imitates them later in her play. This is a form of learning through observation.

Question 11

Revoking a child's TV-watching privileges for repeatedly hitting a sibling is a form of ________ if it stops the hitting.

Accepted Answer

Negative punishment involves removing a desirable stimulus after a behavior to decrease the likelihood of that behavior occurring again. In this case, taking away TV-watching privileges (a desirable stimulus) to reduce the behavior of hitting fits the definition of negative punishment.

Question 12

Five-year old Hannah learns how to operate the TV remote by watching her mother use it. This is an example of ________.

Accepted Answer

This is an example of observational learning, where Hannah learns a new behavior by watching someone else perform it. Observational learning is a type of social learning where individuals learn by watching the actions of others and the outcomes of those actions.

Question 13

________ decrease the frequency of behavior.

Accepted Answer

Punishers decrease the frequency of behavior by introducing a consequence that is unpleasant following the behavior, making it less likely to occur in the future. Reinforcers, in contrast, increase the frequency of behavior by providing a positive outcome or removing a negative one. Converters and stimulators are not standard terms used in behavior modification contexts.

Question 14

Dominique had a car accident while driving over a bridge and thereafter developed an intense phobia of driving over bridges. In an effort to cure Dominique's phobia, a psychologist gradually motivated him to drive over bridges. After many sessions of having nonthreatening experiences while driving over bridges, Dominique's phobia was cured. This is an example of ________.

Accepted Answer

This is an example of extinction, where the conditioned response (phobia of driving over bridges) is reduced or eliminated through repeated exposure to the conditioned stimulus (driving over bridges) without any negative consequences.

Question 15

Janet, a nine-year-old, hears her father swearing at someone over the telephone. The next day, she imitates her father and swears at another child in the school. According to Albert Bandura's social learning theory, this is an example of ________.

Accepted Answer

This is an example of modeling, according to Albert Bandura's social learning theory, where individuals learn behaviors by observing and imitating others. In this case, Janet imitates her father's behavior of swearing after observing him do so.

Question 16

Teenagers might view "being seen as cool"-a form of peer acceptance-as desirable, and so being seen as cool becomes a(n) ________ for their smoking behavior.

Accepted Answer

Being seen as cool acts as a reinforcer because it increases the likelihood of the behavior (smoking) being repeated due to the positive outcome or social approval associated with it.

Question 17

Which of these statements is most likely to be made by psychologist B. F. Skinner?

Accepted Answer

Skinner is best known for his work on operant conditioning, a method of learning that occurs through rewards and punishments for behavior. He believed that behaviors followed by positive reinforcements (rewards) are more likely to be repeated.

Question 18

Which of the following is true with respect to Albert Bandura's social learning theory?

Accepted Answer

Bandura's social learning theory emphasizes the importance of observation, imitation, and modeling in learning. It suggests that people can learn new behaviors by watching others, without necessarily having to experience any external rewards or punishments themselves. Choices A, C, and D describe aspects of other learning theories or concepts, such as preparedness, classical conditioning, and operant conditioning, but not specifically Bandura's social learning theory.

Question 19

Workers who are paid for the number of units they produce are reinforced on a ________.

Accepted Answer

Workers paid per unit are reinforced on a fixed-ratio schedule, as they receive a specific reward (payment) after producing a set number of units.

Question 20

Hank was bitten by his friend's Rottweiler once. Since then, he prefers not to go near any dog. This scenario exemplifies ________.

Accepted Answer

This scenario exemplifies stimulus generalization because Hank has generalized his fear from one specific dog (the Rottweiler that bit him) to all dogs, reacting similarly to any dog he encounters.

Quiz 8: Learning