Question 1

As stimuli become less like the original conditioned stimulus (CS),an organism's responding will
A)decrease.
B)increase.
C)remain exactly the same.
D)be unpredictable.

Accepted Answer

As stimuli become less like the original conditioned stimulus (CS), the organism's ability to make the association between the CS and the unconditioned stimulus (UCS) weakens, which results in a decrease in responding. This phenomenon is known as stimulus generalization.

Question 2

While "playing" with a lighted candle,a child burned her finger.The candle flame,thus,becomes a conditioned fear stimulus with the child also developing a healthy fear of other flames,such as those from matches,lighters,fireplaces,and stoves.This fear of other flames developed because of
A)stimulus generalization.
B)a spontaneous recovery.
C)higher-order discrimination.
D)vicarious conditioning.

Accepted Answer

The child's fear of other flames is an example of stimulus generalization, where the fear response is generalized to other similar stimuli.

Question 3

Micah is extremely afraid of rats,but not of hamsters or gerbils.Micah's behavior illustrates
A)a spontaneous recovery.
B)stimulus discrimination.
C)stimulus generalization.
D)latent learning.

Accepted Answer

Micah's fear response is specific to rats and not generalizable to other similar animals like hamsters or gerbils, which suggests stimulus discrimination.

Question 4

As a child,you associated pain with a dentist's office.In later visits,your heart began to pound and your palms began to sweat before the dentist began any procedure.You are exhibiting a
A)rational fear based upon realistic dangers.
B)conditioned emotional response.
C)fear that was shaped by operant conditioning in childhood.
D)conscious attempt to act frightened in order to gain attention.

Accepted Answer

The description given in the scenario suggests that the individual's fear of the dentist is a conditioned emotional response, which has been learned through past experiences. The bodily responses (heart pounding, sweating palms) are automatic reactions triggered by the previous association of pain with the dentist's office.

Question 5

Lanita blushes when she is embarrassed or ashamed.This behavior was most likely formed in childhood and would be classified by behaviorists as a
A)conditioned stimulus.
B)CAI.
C)discriminative stimulus.
D)CER.

Accepted Answer

The behavior of blushing in response to embarrassment or shame is likely a conditioned emotional response (CER) that was developed through learning in childhood. The behavior is elicited by the emotional stimuli of embarrassment or shame, making it a conditioned response (CR) to the conditioned stimulus (CS) of those emotional experiences. Therefore, the best choice is D, as it specifically refers to the CER explanation.

Question 6

We are more adaptable because learning is extended to related situations through
A)stimulus generalization.
B)spontaneous recoveries.
C)extinction.
D)acquisitional conditioning.

Accepted Answer

Stimulus generalization allows us to apply previously learned knowledge or skills to new situations that are similar to the original stimulus. This enhances our adaptability and ability to handle different situations. Spontaneous recoveries, extinction, and acquisitional conditioning do not necessarily lead to improved adaptability.

Question 7

In its simplest form,classical conditioning depends on
A)instrumental learning.
B)learned fears.
C)unconditioned reflex responses.
D)the consequences of responding.

Accepted Answer

Classical conditioning is based on unconditioned reflex responses, which are natural, automatic responses such as salivating in response to food. Through repeated pairing with a neutral stimulus, such as a bell, the neutral stimulus becomes associated with the unconditioned response and can then elicit a conditioned response. The other choices do not accurately describe classical conditioning.

Question 8

Which of the following is a dependable,inborn stimulus-and-response connection?
A)reflex
B)operant
C)expectancy
D)cognitive map

Accepted Answer

A reflex is a dependable, inborn stimulus-and-response connection. It is an automatic response to a certain stimulus, without conscious thought or decision-making. Examples include the knee-jerk reflex and blinking when something suddenly comes towards the face. The other choices, operant conditioning, expectancy, and cognitive maps, involve learning and decision-making processes.

Question 9

A baby cries when it hears a stranger's voice but not when it hears its mother's voice.This illustrates
A)stimulus discrimination.
B)stimulus generalization.
C)spontaneous recovery.
D)response chaining.

Accepted Answer

The baby is discriminating between two different voices and responding differently to each. It recognizes its mother's voice and feels comfortable, but cries in response to a stranger's voice. This is a clear example of stimulus discrimination.

Question 10

You condition a person to blink each time you play a particular mid-level note on a piano by delivering a puff of air to the person's eye.If you then play a very high note or a very low note on the piano and do not deliver the puff of air,the person's blinking will
A)increase.
B)decrease.
C)remain exactly the same.
D)be unpredictable.

Accepted Answer

The person has been conditioned to associate the mid-level note with the puff of air and therefore blinks in anticipation of it. When a high or low note is played without the puff of air, the person's blinking response may decrease or even stop altogether because the conditioned stimulus (the mid-level note) is not present. This is known as extinction.

Question 11

Most children quickly learn to tell the difference between the voice tones of adults that are associated with punishment from those associated with praise or affection.This learned ability is called
A)a spontaneous recovery.
B)stimulus discrimination.
C)stimulus generalization.
D)place learning.

Accepted Answer

This learned ability of distinguishing between voice tones of adults associated with punishment or praise/affection is known as stimulus discrimination.

Question 12

Classical conditioning tends to involve
A)reflexive-type behaviors.
B)learning by immediate consequences.
C)rewards more than punishments.
D)punishments more than rewards.

Accepted Answer

Classical conditioning is a type of learning that involves making associations between two stimuli. It often results in reflexive or automatic behaviors, such as salivating in response to the sound of a bell.

Question 13

Many stores carry imitations of nationally-known products in the hopes that the positive attitudes already conditioned to the real products will also occur with these cheaper knockoffs.If these positive attitudes also occur with the cheaper knockoffs,then which of the following has occurred?
A)stimulus discrimination
B)stimulus generalization
C)extinction
D)spontaneous recovery

Accepted Answer

Stimulus generalization occurs when a learned response to a specific stimulus occurs in response to a similar stimulus. In this case, the positive attitudes conditioned to the genuine products are being generalized to the cheaper knockoffs.

Question 14

The learned ability to respond differently to various stimuli is known as
A)stimulus degeneralization.
B)stimulus discrimination.
C)positive transfer of responding.
D)negative transfer of responding.

Accepted Answer

Stimulus discrimination is the learned ability to respond differently to various stimuli. It is the opposite of stimulus generalization, which is the tendency to respond in the same way to different but similar stimuli. Positive and negative transfer of responding refer to the influence of prior learning on the acquisition of new behaviors or responses.

Question 15

Your hand draws back from pain,bright light causes the pupil of your eye to narrow,and a puff of air directed at your eye will make you blink.All of these are examples of
A)reflexes.
B)operants.
C)neurological expectancies.
D)cognitive maps.

Accepted Answer

These are all quick, automatic responses to certain stimuli that are controlled by the nervous system, which is known as a reflex. They are not learned responses (operants) or cognitive processes (cognitive maps), and while they do involve the nervous system, they are not based on expectancies (neurological or otherwise).

Question 16

Because three­year­old Susie was scratched by her neighbor's furry black cat,she developed a phobia for the cat as well as becoming fearful of any black,furry object,including her mother's black fake fur hat.Susie's fear of her mother's hat and any other furry black object demonstrates
A)spontaneous recovery.
B)negative transfer.
C)stimulus generalization.
D)operant conditioning.

Accepted Answer

Susie's fear of any black, furry object, including her mother's black fake fur hat, demonstrates stimulus generalization. This means that the fear response has generalized to similar stimuli, not just the original cat that scratched her.

Question 17

A child shows fear when sitting in a dentist's chair,but does not become frightened when he is placed in the similar­looking barber's chair.Regarding the two chairs,this child is exhibiting
A)stimulus generalization.
B)a spontaneous recovery.
C)stimulus discrimination.
D)vicarious conditioning.

Accepted Answer

The child is exhibiting stimulus discrimination because he is able to perceive the differences between the two chairs and respond differently to them. He shows fear in the dentist's chair, but not in the barber's chair which looks similar. This indicates that he is able to discriminate differences between similar stimuli.

Question 18

Jeffery's first love was Mia,who had long blonde hair and big blue eyes.Alas,Mia's family moved far away from Jeffery's little town.The next semester,there was a new girl in Jeffery's ninth grade class.Jeffery was immediately smitten with Lauren and her long blonde hair and beautiful blue eyes.Jeffery's immediate attraction to Lauren illustrates
A)response chaining.
B)stimulus discrimination.
C)extinction.
D)stimulus generalization.

Accepted Answer

Jeffery has generalized his attraction to Mia's physical features to Lauren, suggesting that he has developed a general preference for blonde hair and blue eyes. This is an example of stimulus generalization.

Question 19

A child has learned to avoid a furry,black cat of her neighbor's.However,she still plays with her grandmother's short-haired gray tabby cat.Her response demonstrates
A)negative transfer.
B)extinction.
C)stimulus discrimination.
D)successive approximation.

Accepted Answer

The child's ability to differentiate between the two cats based on their appearance and behavior indicates stimulus discrimination. Negative transfer would occur if the child's fear of the black cat transferred to other cats, including her grandmother's gray tabby. Extinction refers to the gradual disappearance of a previously reinforced behavior, which isn't applicable here. Successive approximation is a type of operant conditioning where behaviors are reinforced in small steps towards a desired behavior, which also doesn't apply to this scenario.

Question 20

An emotional response that has been linked to a previously nonemotional stimulus by classical conditioning is called a(n)
A)conditioned emotional response (CER).
B)emitted stimulus behavior (ESB).
C)unconditioned cognitive emotion (UCE).
D)artifically-elicited emotion (AEE).

Accepted Answer

A conditioned emotional response (CER) is a learned emotional response to a previously neutral stimulus that has been repeatedly paired with an emotion-evoking stimulus. Classical conditioning is the process by which a neutral stimulus becomes associated with an emotion-evoking stimulus through repeated exposure, resulting in the development of a CER.

Quiz 29: Conditioning and Learning: Classical Conditioning

As stimuli become less like the original conditioned stimulus (CS) ,an organism's responding will

While "playing" with a lighted candle,a child burned her finger.The candle flame,thus,becomes a conditioned fear stimulus with the child also developing a healthy fear of other flames,such as those from matches,lighters,fireplaces,and stoves.This fear of other flames developed because of

Micah is extremely afraid of rats,but not of hamsters or gerbils.Micah's behavior illustrates

As a child,you associated pain with a dentist's office.In later visits,your heart began to pound and your palms began to sweat before the dentist began any procedure.You are exhibiting a

Lanita blushes when she is embarrassed or ashamed.This behavior was most likely formed in childhood and would be classified by behaviorists as a

We are more adaptable because learning is extended to related situations through

In its simplest form,classical conditioning depends on

Which of the following is a dependable,inborn stimulus-and-response connection?

A baby cries when it hears a stranger's voice but not when it hears its mother's voice.This illustrates

You condition a person to blink each time you play a particular mid-level note on a piano by delivering a puff of air to the person's eye.If you then play a very high note or a very low note on the piano and do not deliver the puff of air,the person's blinking will

Most children quickly learn to tell the difference between the voice tones of adults that are associated with punishment from those associated with praise or affection.This learned ability is called

Classical conditioning tends to involve

Many stores carry imitations of nationally-known products in the hopes that the positive attitudes already conditioned to the real products will also occur with these cheaper knockoffs.If these positive attitudes also occur with the cheaper knockoffs,then which of the following has occurred?

The learned ability to respond differently to various stimuli is known as

Your hand draws back from pain,bright light causes the pupil of your eye to narrow,and a puff of air directed at your eye will make you blink.All of these are examples of

Because threeyearold Susie was scratched by her neighbor's furry black cat,she developed a phobia for the cat as well as becoming fearful of any black,furry object,including her mother's black fake fur hat.Susie's fear of her mother's hat and any other furry black object demonstrates

A child shows fear when sitting in a dentist's chair,but does not become frightened when he is placed in the similarlooking barber's chair.Regarding the two chairs,this child is exhibiting

A child has learned to avoid a furry,black cat of her neighbor's.However,she still plays with her grandmother's short-haired gray tabby cat.Her response demonstrates

An emotional response that has been linked to a previously nonemotional stimulus by classical conditioning is called a(n)