Question 1

Making Connections in Learning: According to the Feist and Rosenberg text, the best explanation for why people begin their habits of smoking cigarettes is __________.

Accepted Answer

Social learning theory suggests that people begin smoking cigarettes largely due to the influence of observing and imitating the behaviors of others, especially those they consider role models or are in close social circles with. This includes seeing family members, friends, or celebrities smoking, which can lead to the adoption of similar behaviors.

Question 2

Making Connections in Learning: According to the Feist and Rosenberg text, the best explanation for why people continue their habit of smoking cigarettes is __________.

Accepted Answer

Positive reinforcement is the most likely explanation for why people continue to smoke cigarettes. Positive reinforcement is the process of increasing the likelihood of a behavior by providing a positive consequence. In the case of smoking, the positive consequence is the pleasure that the smoker experiences from the nicotine in the cigarette.

Question 3

Making Connections in Learning: Some people continue cigarette smoking because it reduces stress, social isolation, and appetite. From a learning perspective, smoking would likely continue because these reductions can be considered __________.

Accepted Answer

Negative reinforcers involve the removal of an unpleasant stimulus, which in this case are stress, social isolation, and appetite. The reduction of these unpleasant states encourages the continuation of smoking.

Question 4

Making Connections in Learning: Studies of the effects of attempts to quit smoking revealed that _________.

Accepted Answer

Studies have shown that girls reported more symptoms of nicotine withdrawal than did boys, indicating gender differences in the experience of nicotine withdrawal.

Question 5

Making Connections in Learning: A new public service campaign targeted at getting people to stop smoking shows images of cigarettes and coffins. This campaign is using the principles of __________.

Accepted Answer

The campaign is using classical conditioning by associating cigarettes (a neutral stimulus) with negative imagery like coffins (an unconditioned stimulus that elicits an unconditioned response of fear or concern), aiming to create a conditioned response of negative feelings towards cigarettes.

Question 6

Making Connections in Learning: Thelma is trying to quit smoking, and her therapist tells Thelma to reward herself with one dollar for clothes shopping every time she successfully fights off the craving for a cigarette. The therapist is using __________.

Accepted Answer

The therapist is using behavior modification, a technique based on operant conditioning principles, where behaviors are changed through rewards or punishments. In this case, rewarding Thelma with a dollar for clothes shopping every time she resists a craving is a form of positive reinforcement, aiming to increase the desired behavior (not smoking).

Question 7

Which of the following is an important method of human learning?

Accepted Answer

All of these methods (classical conditioning, operant conditioning, and observational learning) are important in human learning. Classical conditioning involves learning through association, operant conditioning involves learning through consequences (rewards or punishments), and observational learning involves learning by observing others.

Quiz 8: Learning