Question 1

What is typical about the recovered response when a conditioned response shows spontaneous recovery?

Accepted Answer

Spontaneous recovery occurs when a previously extinguished conditioned response shows up again after some time. However, this response is usually weaker than the previously conditioned response.

Question 2

Anthony classically conditioned his cat to purr whenever the phone rang. One day, the phone rang for nearly two hours straight when Anthony wasn't home, and the cat's conditioned purring response underwent extinction. Today, the response has spontaneously recovered, but what should Anthony expect if the conditioned purring response were to undergo extinction again?

Accepted Answer

Extinction usually occurs more quickly after a response has undergone spontaneous recovery. This is because the response has already been weakened and is therefore more susceptible to further extinguishing.

Question 3

Mariah developed a fear of the water when she fell off a river raft last summer. This year she took swimming lessons and thought she had finally overcome her fear of water. She was eagerly anticipating an upcoming rafting trip; however, as soon as she stepped onto the raft she was instantly terrified again. What process does this illustrate?

Accepted Answer

Spontaneous recovery refers to the sudden reappearance of a previously extinguished conditioned response after a period of no exposure to the conditioned stimulus. Mariah's fear of water reappeared when she stepped onto the raft, illustrating this process.

Question 4

Ken used to drool at the smell of peanut butter cookies as they baked, and he couldn't wait to sink his teeth into that first cookie. However, Ken's new roommate makes terrible peanut butter cookies, and the smell of them baking is no longer associated with a wonderful taste experience. Consequently, Ken finds that the smell of the cookies no longer makes him drool in anticipation. Which classical conditioning process does this illustrate?

Accepted Answer

This scenario illustrates classical conditioning and extinction. Ken had learned to associate the smell of peanut butter cookies with the positive experience of eating delicious cookies. However, the bad taste experience with his roommate's cookies has led to the extinction of this association. As a result, the smell of cookies no longer elicits the same response of drooling in anticipation.

Question 5

Cody developed a severe fear of flying when he was piloting a small plane through some severe turbulence. He has been seeing a therapist, and it appears that his fear response has been successfully extinguished. The therapist used a flight simulator to help Cody practise his piloting skills in a safe setting. However, the first time Cody stepped back into a real plane, his fear returned. What phenomenon does this illustrate?

Accepted Answer

The renewal effect occurs when a conditioned response that has been extinguished in a different context reappears when the individual is returned to the original context where the conditioning occurred. Cody's fear returning when he stepped back into a real plane illustrates this effect.

Question 6

On Tuesday morning, Chloe prepared her typical breakfast of cereal with milk, fruit, and black coffee. However, instead of having grapefruit with her breakfast as she normally does, she tried eating guava for the first time. Later she became extremely ill. If her illness causes her to develop a conditioned response to one of her breakfast items, which food will elicit the conditioned response?

Accepted Answer

Since Chloe tried eating guava for the first time and later became extremely ill, guava is the novel stimulus in this situation and is most likely to elicit the conditioned response.

Question 7

After training one of his dogs to salivate in response to a tone, Pavlov continued to present the tone periodically without the food. What did the dog do?

Accepted Answer

This phenomenon is known as extinction. When the conditioned stimulus (tone) is presented repeatedly without the unconditioned stimulus (food), the conditioned response (salivation) gradually weakens and eventually stops altogether, which is why D is the correct answer.

Question 8

What should you present in order to weaken or eliminate a conditioned response?

Accepted Answer

Presenting the conditioned stimulus alone several times without the unconditioned stimulus leads to extinction, weakening or eliminating the conditioned response.

Question 9

The continued presentation of the conditioned stimulus without the unconditioned stimulus will result in the gradual disappearance of the conditioned response. What is this phenomenon called?

Accepted Answer

Extinction is the gradual disappearance of a conditioned response when the conditioned stimulus is presented repeatedly without the unconditioned stimulus. Option A is incorrect as there is no such term as conditioned forgetting. Option C is incorrect as suppression is a temporary decrease in the conditioned response due to the presentation of a dominant stimulus. Option D is incorrect as inhibition refers to the interference of one response with another.

Question 10

You have conditioned a dog to salivate in response to a flashing green light. What would you expect to happen if you continue to pair the green light with food, but periodically present a white light that is NOT followed by food?

Accepted Answer

The dog would learn to differentiate between the green light (which signals food) and the white light (which does not), demonstrating stimulus discrimination. This is because the dog is being trained to respond only to the specific stimulus (green light) that is paired with food, while the white light, not being paired with food, does not elicit the same response.

Question 11

What do the renewal effect and spontaneous recovery both suggest about extinction?

Accepted Answer

The renewal effect and spontaneous recovery both suggest that extinction suppresses but does not completely erase the learned association between the conditioned and unconditioned stimuli. The renewal effect occurs when the conditioned response reappears in a setting different from the extinction setting, suggesting that the original association is still stored in memory. Spontaneous recovery occurs when the conditioned response reappears after a period of time has passed, suggesting that the original association was suppressed but not erased by extinction. Therefore, option B is the best choice.

Question 12

When Diana was three years old, she became terrified when the neighbour's budgie bird kept flying near her head. Today she is afraid of all birds, including robins, pigeons, and blue jays. What process does this illustrate?

Accepted Answer

This illustrates stimulus generalization, which is the tendency to respond to stimuli that are similar to the original conditioned stimulus. In this case, Diana's fear has generalized from the budgie bird to all birds.

Question 13

When Luis was a child, he really liked the smell of the rose-scented perfume his mother always wore. He came to associate that scent with snuggles and hugs from his mom. As an adult, Luis likes any floral scent, including the smell of lilacs and wildflowers. What process does this illustrate?

Accepted Answer

This illustrates stimulus generalization, as Luis has generalized his positive association of the rose-scented perfume to other floral scents.

Question 14

Which of the following is an example of stimulus generalization?

Accepted Answer

Stimulus generalization occurs when an organism responds to new stimuli that are similar to the original conditioned stimulus. This can result in a broader range of stimuli that elicit a response similar to the original conditioned response. Therefore, choice B is the best answer. The other choices do not accurately describe stimulus generalization.

Question 15

Carly used to be afraid of visits to her family doctor because she associated the sight of his waiting room with the pain of having a blood sample drawn. Recently, Carly's doctor retired and a new doctor took over his office. Carly's new doctor uses a technique that is virtually painless and the sight of the waiting room is no longer associated with pain. Consequently, Carly finds her fear of visits to her family doctor has disappeared. Which classical conditioning process does this illustrate?

Accepted Answer

This illustrates the process of extinction, where the conditioned response (fear of doctor's office) diminishes or disappears when the conditioned stimulus (sight of waiting room) is no longer associated with the unconditioned stimulus (pain of blood sample).

Question 16

Kaleb developed a fear of snowstorms two winters ago when his car spun off the road and hit a tree during a blizzard. As the winter progressed, and he had no further accidents, Kaleb thought his fear of snowstorms had pretty well disappeared. To his surprise, this winter when the first heavy snow started to fall as he was driving, he found his heart was pounding and he was trembling. What does this illustrate?

Accepted Answer

This illustrates spontaneous recovery, which is the reappearance of a previously extinguished conditioned response after a period of no exposure to the conditioned stimulus. Kaleb's fear response returned after being dormant, indicating spontaneous recovery.

Question 17

What does the phenomenon of spontaneous recovery suggest?

Accepted Answer

Spontaneous recovery occurs when a conditioned response that has been previously extinguished suddenly reappears. This suggests that even if a person is able to extinguish a conditioned response, there is a good chance that it may reappear later.

Question 18

Imagine that a conditioned response is extinguished in a different setting than the one in which it was originally acquired. What should you expect to see when the animal is returned to the environment where the acquisition originally took place?

Accepted Answer

When a conditioned response is extinguished in a different setting than the one in which it was originally acquired, response renewal is likely to occur when the animal is returned to the environment where the acquisition originally took place. This means that the conditioned response will reappear even though it had been previously extinguished.

Question 19

When would you expect the greatest degree of stimulus generalization in classical conditioning?

Accepted Answer

Stimulus generalization is the tendency of a new stimulus similar to the original conditioned stimulus to elicit the same response as the original stimulus. Therefore, when stimuli are very similar to the original conditioned stimulus, the likelihood of generalization is higher.

Question 20

What do we call the reappearance of a conditioned response after extinction and a period of rest?

Accepted Answer

Spontaneous recovery is the reappearance of a conditioned response after extinction and a period of rest. It can occur without any additional learning or conditioning trials.

Quiz 6: A: Learning