Question 1

Anthony wears his lucky socks every time he has a baseball game because the socks were accidentally paired with a good RBI.Anthony's behavior is an example of
A)an unconditioned response.
B)a superstitious behavior.
C)a primary reinforcer.
D)successive approximations.

Accepted Answer

Anthony's behavior of wearing lucky socks is a superstitious behavior as it is not based on any logical reasoning or evidence, but rather on a chance coincidence of the socks being paired with a good RBI.

Question 2

Human superstitious behaviors can be partially explained by
A)their apparent connection to the reinforcement within a response chain.
B)the effects of latent learning on this sequence of events.
C)the tendency of a reward to reinforce only the response which immediately precedes it.
D)all of these.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Human superstitious behaviors can be partially explained...

Question 3

If you wanted to train a dog to play the piano or a cat to turn on the living room lights,you would most likely use
A)successive approximations.
B)classical conditioning.
C)vicarious conditioning.
D)positive transfer.

Accepted Answer

Successive approximations involve breaking down a complex behavior into smaller, more manageable steps and then reinforcing each step until the desired behavior is achieved. This method is often used in shaping behaviors that are not naturally occurring in an animal's repertoire, such as playing the piano or turning on a light switch. Classical conditioning involves associating a neutral stimulus (such as a bell) with a meaningful stimulus (such as food) in order to elicit a response (salivation). Vicarious conditioning involves learning from the consequences of others' actions, while positive transfer involves the application of skills or knowledge from one context to another. While these other methods may have some relevance to training animals, successive approximations is likely the most effective for training complex, novel behaviors.

Question 4

Each time he steps up to the plate,a baseball player touches the bill of his cap three times,just as he did before hitting a home run in a previous game.Which principle accounts for his actions?
A)modeling
B)reminiscence
C)positive transfer
D)superstitious behavior

Accepted Answer

The baseball player's actions are a superstitious behavior, as he believes that touching the bill of his cap three times will bring him luck or increase his chances of hitting a home run. There is no evidence to suggest that he is intentionally modeling the behavior of another player or that his actions are influenced by reminiscence or positive transfer.

Question 5

You are a very good skater,but you did not start out that way.Your mother reinforced you for each small improvement you made over several months.This process is known as
A)shaping.
B)latent learning.
C)vicarious classical conditioning.
D)intermittent conditioning.

Accepted Answer

Shaping is the process of reinforcing successive approximations towards a desired behavior. In this scenario, the mother is reinforcing the small improvements the skater makes towards becoming a better skater. This fits the definition of shaping. Latent learning refers to learning that is not immediately expressed and vicarious classical conditioning involves learning through observation of others. Intermittent conditioning involves reinforcing the behavior only occasionally, whereas in this scenario the behavior is being reinforced consistently. Therefore, A) shaping is the best choice.

Question 6

There is an old story about a young boy who was left to guard the village sheep.He was instructed to cry "wolf" if he thought the sheep were in danger.Even though there was no danger,the boy enjoyed crying "wolf" over and over,just to see the villagers come running.Then,when a wolf did appear,the disbelieving villagers ignored the boy's cry.The failure of the villagers to respond illustrates the operant conditioning concept called
A)acquisition.
B)stimulus generalization.
C)partial reinforcement.
D)operant extinction.

Accepted Answer

The failure of the villagers to respond to the boy's cry of "wolf" despite previous conditioning to do so represents operant extinction. This occurs when a behavior that was previously reinforced no longer produces the expected consequence, therefore the behavior decreases in frequency. In this case, the villagers had been previously reinforced by the boy's cry of "wolf" in non-threatening situations, so they had learned to respond to the behavior. However, when the boy cried "wolf" during an actual threat and the villagers did not see a wolf, they did not receive the expected reinforcement (i.e. the presence of a wolf). As a result, the behavior of responding to the boy's cry of "wolf" decreased and eventually extinguished.

Question 7

Gordon wears the same blue shirt to class each time he has a major test because he believes that wearing that shirt will assure him an "A" just like he got on the first test when he was wearing this blue shirt.This illustrates
A)an unconditioned response.
B)a primary reinforcer.
C)a superstitious behavior.
D)successive approximations.

Accepted Answer

Gordon's behavior of wearing the same blue shirt every time he has a major test, believing that it will assure him an "A," is an example of superstition. This is because there is no logical or causal relationship between wearing a particular shirt and getting a good grade on a test. It is a superstitious belief that has been reinforced by the coincidental success Gordon had on the first test he wore the shirt to.

Question 8

Extinction in operant conditioning involves
A)withholding reinforcement.
B)punishment.
C)test trials.
D)shaping.

Accepted Answer

Extinction in operant conditioning involves withholding reinforcement, meaning that the behavior is no longer reinforced and therefore decreases in frequency. Punishment involves applying an adverse consequence, which is different from simply withholding reinforcement. Test trials and shaping are both techniques used to establish new behaviors, not to extinguish existing behaviors.

Question 9

Rituals to bring rain,ward off illness,or produce abundant crops very likely earn the faith of participants because they occasionally appear to succeed.This illustrates
A)the method of successive approximations.
B)superstitious behavior.
C)shaping.
D)response chaining.

Accepted Answer

This demonstrates superstitious behavior, as the success of the ritual is attributed to a belief in a supernatural power, rather than any actual causal relationship between the ritual and the outcome.

Question 10

You decide that you want to study more,so you set a series of gradual,daily goals and reinforce yourself for meeting each goal in the series.You are using a technique known as
A)latent learning.
B)shaping.
C)vicarious classical conditioning.
D)intermittent conditioning.

Accepted Answer

The scenario describes setting gradual, daily goals and reinforcing oneself for meeting each goal, which is an example of shaping. Shaping involves reinforcing behaviors that are closer and closer to the desired behavior. The other choices do not fit the scenario as well. Latent learning involves learning that is not immediately expressed in behavior. Vicarious classical conditioning involves learning through observation of others experiencing classical conditioning. Intermittent conditioning involves reinforcing a behavior only sometimes, which is not described in the scenario.

Question 11

The process through which a response is taught by rewarding successive approximations to the final desired response is called
A)extinction.
B)fading.
C)shaping.
D)secondary transfer.

Accepted Answer

The process of rewarding successive approximations to the final desired response is called shaping. This involves reinforcing behaviors that are increasingly closer to the desired response until the final behavior is achieved. Extinction, fading, and secondary transfer are other concepts in behavior modification but are not directly related to this process.

Question 12

To teach a child to eat spaghetti neatly,you would reinforce initial responses,such as holding the fork,and then reinforce increasingly closer approximations to the final response,a procedure known as
A)counter conditioning.
B)secondary conditioning.
C)desensitization.
D)shaping.

Accepted Answer

Shaping is a process of reinforcing small steps or approximations towards a desired behavior. In this example, reinforcing the initial response of holding the fork and gradually shaping the behavior towards eating spaghetti neatly would be an effective strategy. Counter conditioning is a technique to change an emotional response to a stimulus by pairing it with a new positive or negative response. Secondary conditioning refers to a type of classical conditioning where a neutral stimulus becomes associated with a previously conditioned stimulus. Desensitization is a process of gradually exposing a person to a feared or anxiety-provoking stimulus while pairing it with a relaxation response.None of these techniques would be as relevant or effective for teaching a child to eat spaghetti neatly as shaping.

Question 13

Skinner once placed some pigeons in Skinner boxes and reinforced them with food randomly no matter what they were doing.Despite the fact that there was no real connection between their behavior and its consequences,each pigeon acted as if there were with one bird flapping its left wing,another hopping on one foot,and a third turning in complete circles.Skinner used which of the following terms to describe such behaviors that are repeated because they appear to produce reinforcement when really the behaviors are unnecessary?
A)modeling
B)latent learning
C)positive transfer
D)superstitious behavior

Accepted Answer

Skinner used the term "superstitious behavior" to describe behaviors that are repeated because they appear to produce reinforcement when really the behaviors are unnecessary. This is demonstrated by the pigeons in Skinner's experiment who displayed repetitive and seemingly purposeless behaviors in response to random reinforcement.

Question 14

The gradual molding of responses to a desired pattern is known as
A)latent learning.
B)fading.
C)shaping.
D)secondary reinforcement.

Accepted Answer

Shaping involves reinforcing successive approximations towards a desired behavior. This means that the responses are gradually molded to conform to the desired pattern, until the final behavior is achieved. Latent learning refers to learning that occurs without reinforcement, fading involves gradually reducing prompts to encourage independent responding, and secondary reinforcement refers to reinforcement that is paired with a primary reinforcer to increase its effectiveness.

Question 15

Learned responses that are not reinforced will gradually weaken or disappear through a process known as
A)spontaneous recovery.
B)intermittent fading.
C)counterconditioning.
D)operant extinction.

Accepted Answer

The process described in the question (learned responses that are not reinforced weakening or disappearing) is known as operant extinction. Spontaneous recovery refers to the reappearance of an extinguished response, intermittent fading is not a recognized term in psychology, and counterconditioning involves replacing an unwanted response with a more desirable one through conditioning.

Question 16

By changing the rules about what makes a successful response,we can gradually,through successive approximations,train an animal or a person to make a chain of responses or to improve a skill.This process is called
A)shaping.
B)respondent conditioning.
C)latent learning.
D)vicarious classical conditioning.

Accepted Answer

The process described is shaping, which involves modifying behavior through reinforcement of successive approximations. Respondent conditioning involves the pairing of a neutral stimulus with a reflexive response, while latent learning involves learning that occurs without reinforcement or punishment. Vicarious classical conditioning involves learning by observing the experiences of others.

Question 17

Bernice is "potty training" 18­month­old Kenny.First,she allows him to become familiar with the potty chair,next she reinforces Kenny for just sitting on the potty,and finally she reinforces Kenny for actually "using" the potty. Bernice is using a procedure called
A)latent learning.
B)vicarious classical conditioning.
C)shaping.
D)intermittent conditioning.

Accepted Answer

Bernice is using shaping, which involves reinforcing successive approximations to the desired behavior until the behavior is eventually fully achieved. In this case, she is reinforcing Kenny first for simply becoming familiar with the potty chair, then for sitting on the potty, and finally for actually using it. This is a process of shaping his behavior towards the ultimate goal of using the potty consistently.

Question 18

If you walk under a ladder and then break a leg,you may avoid ladders in the future.Each time you avoid a ladder and nothing happens,this avoidance action is reinforced.This illustrates
A)the method of successive approximations.
B)superstitious behavior.
C)shaping.
D)response chaining.

Accepted Answer

This situation demonstrates superstitious behavior, where a person associates an unrelated behavior (avoiding ladders) with a desired outcome (not getting injured) based on a coincidental event (breaking a leg after walking under a ladder). The avoidance behavior is reinforced through lack of negative consequences, but it is not actually a logical or effective way to prevent injury. The other options do not apply to this scenario.

Question 19

A series of responses that gradually approach a desired pattern of behavior are called
A)adaptations.
B)gradients.
C)successive approximations.
D)conditioning trials.

Accepted Answer

Successive approximations refer to a behavior modification technique in which a series of responses are reinforced, gradually getting closer to the desired behavior. This technique is commonly used in operant conditioning to teach complex behaviors, such as shaping a dog's behavior to perform a new trick or teaching a child to tie their shoes.

Question 20

You are training a rat to press a bar.Instead of waiting for the rat's first accidental bar press,you reinforce the rat with a food pellet for facing the bar and then turning toward the bar.Next,you reinforce the rat every time he takes a step toward the bar,until he touches the bar.Lastly,you reinforce the rat for pressing the bar.You are
A)using latent learning to train the rat.
B)fading the rat's behavior.
C)shaping the rat's behavior.
D)using secondary reinforcement with the rat.

Accepted Answer

The method described is that of shaping the rat's behavior, as a specific behavior (pressing the bar) is encouraged through reinforcing successive approximations of that behavior.

Quiz 30: Conditioning and Learning: Operant Conditioning

Anthony wears his lucky socks every time he has a baseball game because the socks were accidentally paired with a good RBI.Anthony's behavior is an example of

Human superstitious behaviors can be partially explained by

If you wanted to train a dog to play the piano or a cat to turn on the living room lights,you would most likely use

Each time he steps up to the plate,a baseball player touches the bill of his cap three times,just as he did before hitting a home run in a previous game.Which principle accounts for his actions?

You are a very good skater,but you did not start out that way.Your mother reinforced you for each small improvement you made over several months.This process is known as

Gordon wears the same blue shirt to class each time he has a major test because he believes that wearing that shirt will assure him an "A" just like he got on the first test when he was wearing this blue shirt.This illustrates

Extinction in operant conditioning involves

Rituals to bring rain,ward off illness,or produce abundant crops very likely earn the faith of participants because they occasionally appear to succeed.This illustrates

You decide that you want to study more,so you set a series of gradual,daily goals and reinforce yourself for meeting each goal in the series.You are using a technique known as

The process through which a response is taught by rewarding successive approximations to the final desired response is called

To teach a child to eat spaghetti neatly,you would reinforce initial responses,such as holding the fork,and then reinforce increasingly closer approximations to the final response,a procedure known as

The gradual molding of responses to a desired pattern is known as

Learned responses that are not reinforced will gradually weaken or disappear through a process known as

By changing the rules about what makes a successful response,we can gradually,through successive approximations,train an animal or a person to make a chain of responses or to improve a skill.This process is called

Bernice is "potty training" 18monthold Kenny.First,she allows him to become familiar with the potty chair,next she reinforces Kenny for just sitting on the potty,and finally she reinforces Kenny for actually "using" the potty. Bernice is using a procedure called

If you walk under a ladder and then break a leg,you may avoid ladders in the future.Each time you avoid a ladder and nothing happens,this avoidance action is reinforced.This illustrates

A series of responses that gradually approach a desired pattern of behavior are called