Question 1

When Mr. Earlgray sits on a needle, he instinctively screams and then accidentally knocks over his cup of tea. He then claims that he will never drink tea again, because he finds the act too painful. In this situation, which provides the best example of an unconditioned stimulus?

Accepted Answer

The needle is the unconditioned stimulus as it naturally and automatically causes a physical pain response in Mr. Earlgray. His scream and the knocking over of the cup are both responses to the pain caused by the needle, and his decision to not drink tea again is a learned response that has developed from the association between the pain of sitting on the needle and drinking tea.

Question 2

Elizabeth tells her daughter Taylor, "I will stop this nagging, which you find unpleasant, as soon as you clean your room today and continue to clean it in the future." This description indicates that Elizabeth is trying to use

Accepted Answer

Elizabeth is trying to remove or avoid the unpleasant nagging by using negative reinforcement. She is offering the removal of the nagging as a motivator for Taylor to clean her room and continue to keep it clean in the future.

Question 3

Hank is upset with his son for keeping his room so messy. His neighbor, Boomhauer, suggests that Hank give his son a dollar for cleaning his room on Saturday mornings, because he believes that doing so will increase the probability of his son cleaning his room in the future. Hank's approach is most similar to research conducted by which of the following theorists?

Accepted Answer

Hank's behavior can be described as using positive reinforcement, which is a behavior modification technique proposed by B.F. Skinner. Positive reinforcement involves providing a reward, such as a dollar, after a desirable behavior (in this case, cleaning the room) in order to encourage the behavior to be repeated in the future.

Question 4

In Watson and Raynor's study on Little Albert, a white rat served as the

Accepted Answer

In Watson and Raynor's study on Little Albert, the white rat was initially a neutral stimulus that did not elicit a response from Albert. Through the process of classical conditioning, the white rat became a conditioned stimulus that elicited a fear response from Albert.

Question 5

Polly is attending her first birthday party, where she sees her first balloon. While playing with the balloon, she accidentally pops it with a pin. When the balloon pops, she screams, drops her drink, and starts to cry when she sees it stain the carpet. In this situation, the noise produced by the popping balloon would represent a(n)

Accepted Answer

The noise produced by the popping balloon is an unconditioned stimulus because it naturally elicits a fear response in Polly without any prior conditioning.

Question 6

_____ is best associated with operant conditioning theory.

Accepted Answer

Skinner is known for his work in operant conditioning theory, which focuses on the relationship between behavior and its consequences. This theory proposes that behavior can be modified through reinforcement and punishment. Piaget is known for his work in cognitive development theory, Vygotsky is known for his work in sociocultural theory, and Bronfenbrenner is known for his work in ecological systems theory.

Question 7

After Brainiac brings home a report card with all As, his parents (who want to make sure this behavior continues in the future) give him a new car (something that he really wanted). It appears that Brainiac's parents are attempting to use _____ to keep Brainiac's grades up.

Accepted Answer

Positive reinforcement involves adding a desirable stimulus (in this case, a new car) to increase the likelihood of a behavior (getting good grades) being repeated in the future.

Question 8

The basic premise of operant conditioning is that

Accepted Answer

Operant conditioning is based on the idea that behavior is shaped by the consequences that follow it. Reinforcement (positive or negative) increases the likelihood of a behavior being repeated, while punishment (positive or negative) decreases the likelihood of a behavior being repeated. This idea is central to the principles of operant conditioning.

Question 9

In operant conditioning terms, a positive consequence is to a negative consequence as

Accepted Answer

In operant conditioning, a positive consequence involves adding something (like a reward), whereas a negative consequence involves removing something (like taking away a privilege). This is distinct from the concepts of good vs. bad or reinforcement vs. punishment.

Question 10

In Watson and Raynor's classical conditioning study with Albert, a steel bar banged with a hammer served as the

Accepted Answer

The steel bar banged with a hammer was the unconditioned stimulus, as it naturally elicited a fear response in Albert without prior conditioning.

Question 11

In a study on digestion in dogs, Pavlov used the bell as a(n)

Accepted Answer

At the beginning of the study, the bell was a neutral stimulus since it did not cause any response from the dogs. It became a conditioned stimulus later when it started triggering a conditioned response, which was salivation in this case. Since the question is asking about the bell in the beginning of the study, the best answer is B, neutral stimulus.

Question 12

When describing her theory of development, Candice says, "The basic idea is that I take a stimulus that at first has no effect on an individual. Then I pair that stimulus with a second stimulus that does elicit some response. After the two have been paired together a few times, I test to see if the initial stimulus now elicits a response similar to the one elicited by the second stimulus." Given this description, Candice would be best classified as a(n) _____ conditioning theorist.

Accepted Answer

Candice's theory is describing the process of classical conditioning, which involves pairing a neutral stimulus with a meaningful, significant stimulus in order to create a conditioned response. Operant conditioning (A) involves reinforcing or punishing behaviors, instrumental conditioning (B) is another name for operant conditioning, and social learning theory (C) focuses on the idea that people learn through observing and imitating others.

Question 13

Joy comes home from work exhausted and is surprised to find that her daughter, Michelle, has set the table and started dinner. Joy is thrilled. She praises Michelle and spends an extra half-hour reading with her before bed (something that Michelle likes). The same thing happens the next day, and soon this has become a daily event. This is an example of

Accepted Answer

This is an example of operant conditioning because Joy is reinforcing (praising and spending extra time with) Michelle's behavior of setting the table and starting dinner. As a result, Michelle continues to exhibit this behavior daily.

Question 14

An unconditioned stimulus is best described as a(n)

Accepted Answer

An unconditioned stimulus (UCS) is an event that automatically leads to a response, without any prior learning or conditioning. It is a stimulus that is naturally capable of evoking a specific response, such as a sudden loud noise causing a startle reflex.

Question 15

In operant conditioning terms, _____ occurs when something unpleasant is removed and the result is an increased response rate.

Accepted Answer

Negative reinforcement is defined as the removal of an unpleasant stimulus after a desired behavior, resulting in an increased likelihood of that behavior occurring in the future. This is different from positive reinforcement, which involves the addition of a pleasant stimulus after a desired behavior. Positive punishment involves the addition of an unpleasant stimulus to decrease the likelihood of a behavior, while negative punishment involves the removal of a pleasant stimulus to do the same.

Question 16

A major issue with Watson and Raynor's experiment is that

Accepted Answer

Today, the experiment would be considered unethical because it involved intentionally creating fear in a child without offering any way to alleviate that fear.

Question 17

Reinforcement

Accepted Answer

Reinforcement strengthens the likelihood that a behavioral response will occur in the future. This means that the behavior is more likely to be repeated in the future due to the reinforcement given in the present.

Question 18

Marge wants her daughter Lisa to improve her study skills. How could Marge use positive reinforcement to achieve this goal?

Accepted Answer

Positive reinforcement involves adding something desirable to the situation to increase the likelihood of a behavior being repeated. Giving Lisa candy every time she studies would be a form of positive reinforcement since Lisa likes candy and it would motivate her to study more. Choices B, C, and D involve punishment or negative reinforcement, which are not effective strategies for promoting long-term behavior change.

Question 19

Watson and Raynor's experiment is important because it demonstrated that

Accepted Answer

Watson and Raynor's experiment, commonly known as the Little Albert experiment, involved the classical conditioning of an 11-month-old boy to fear a white rat by pairing it with a loud, scary noise. This demonstrated that fear, and therefore emotional responses, can be learned through classical conditioning, which was a groundbreaking discovery in psychology.  Options A, B, and D are incorrect because they contradict the findings of the experiment.

Question 20

Which statement concerning effective positive reinforcement is true?

Accepted Answer

When first learning a behavior, a continuous schedule of reinforcement is best because it helps to establish the association between the behavior and the reward. However, when attempting to maintain a behavior, a partial schedule is most effective because it provides intermittent reinforcement, which increases the durability of the behavior over time.

Quiz 2: Theories of Human Development