Question 1

Which of the following behaviors is a reflex, meaning that it is governed by the nervous system and occurs automatically?
A)studying hard to get good grades
B)throwing a ball on command
C)shivering in response to cold
D)watching TV because it is fun and relaxing

Accepted Answer

Shivering in response to cold is a reflex action and occurs automatically without conscious control. A reflex is a fast, involuntary response that occurs in response to a stimulus. Even though other behaviors listed may involve the nervous system, they are not reflexes.

Question 2

Six-year-old Blair liked going to school right up until her first-grade teacher, Ms. Hanemayer, took maternity leave. The substitute teacher, Mrs. Snarly, was strict and scolded Blair on several occasions, making her cry. On one Saturday morning as Blair was helping her father with grocery shopping, she suddenly came face to face with Mrs. Snarly. Blair instantly burst into tears. Blair's crying at just the sight of Mrs. Snarly is an example of:
A)instinctive drift.
B)an unconditioned response.
C)an unconditioned stimulus.
D)a conditioned response.

Accepted Answer

Blair's crying at just the sight of Mrs. Snarly indicates that she has developed a conditioned response, which is a learned response to a previously neutral stimulus (Mrs. Snarly) that has become associated with an unconditioned stimulus (being scolded by Mrs. Snarly) that elicits an unconditioned response (crying).

Question 3

Initially, an infant has no response to a nurse's white uniform. But after a couple of painful experiences of getting a vaccination shot from a nurse in a white uniform, the infant will react with fear in response to a nurse in a white uniform who simply walks into the examining room. In this example, the sight of a nurse in a white uniform has become a(n) _____ to the infant.
A)unconditioned response (UCR)
B)conditioned response (CR)
C)conditioned stimulus (CS)
D)unconditioned stimulus (UCS)

Accepted Answer

The sight of a nurse in a white uniform initially did not elicit a response from the infant (not a UCR). However, after being paired with the painful experience of receiving a vaccination shot (UCS), the white uniform now elicits a fear response (CR) in the infant. Therefore, the white uniform has become a conditioned stimulus (CS).

Question 4

In his original studies of digestion, Pavlov placed food on a dog's tongue to make the dog salivate. In this situation, the dog's salivating was a(n):
A)conditioned stimulus (CS).
B)unconditioned response (UCR).
C)conditioned response (CR).
D)operant response (OR).

Accepted Answer

The dog's salivating in response to the food on its tongue is an unconditioned response (UCR) because it is an automatic, natural response that does not need to be learned or conditioned.

Question 5

When Rani was having problems at school, she often talked things over with her grandfather. Her grandfather, who always smoked a pipe, was warm, reassuring, and always supportive. Years later, Rani still finds the smell of pipe tobacco soothing. In classical conditioning terms, Rani's fondness for the smell of pipe tobacco may be described as a(n):
A)conditioned response.
B)unconditioned response.
C)example of latent learning.
D)example of higher order conditioning.

Accepted Answer

Rani's fondness for the smell of pipe tobacco is a learned response to a previously neutral stimulus (the smell of tobacco) that has been paired with a positive experience (talking things over with her supportive grandfather). This fits the definition of a conditioned response in classical conditioning.

Question 6

The term "elicit" is used in:
A)operant conditioning and means that the response is emitted in order to obtain a reward or avoid punishment.
B)classical conditioning and means that the stimulus ''draws out'' or causes an existing behavior to occur.
C)observational learning to refer to obtaining an imitative response, such as using a jump rope or swinging a baseball bat.
D)operant conditioning to refer to creating a new response to inescapable punishment, such as passivity or unresponsiveness.

Accepted Answer

The term "elicit" is commonly used in classical conditioning, where a neutral stimulus becomes associated with an unconditioned stimulus to produce a conditioned response. In this process, the neutral stimulus is said to elicit the response that was previously only elicited by the unconditioned stimulus.

Question 7

If you touch something hot, you will reflexively withdraw your hand. Using Pavlov's terminology, reflexively withdrawing your hand would be termed a(n):
A)unconditioned stimulus (UCS).
B)unconditioned response (UCR).
C)conditioned stimulus (CS).
D)conditioned response (CR).

Accepted Answer

The act of withdrawing your hand when it touches something hot is an innate, automatic response that is not learned, so it is considered an unconditioned response (UCR) according to Pavlov's terminology.

Question 8

What was Pavlov investigating when he began his studies on the phenomenon that eventually became known as classical conditioning?
A)the development of learned helplessness in dogs given inescapable shock
B)the use of food rewards in training dogs
C)reflexive responses to sound, such as ringing bells
D)the role of saliva in digestion

Accepted Answer

Pavlov initially was investigating the role of saliva in digestion in dogs. His observations of dogs salivating not only when they saw food but also when they saw the lab assistant who fed them led to the discovery of what he termed "psychic secretions," eventually leading to the development of the theory of classical conditioning.

Question 9

There are two basic types of conditioning: _____ and _____ conditioning.
A)primary; secondary
B)learned; observed
C)classical; operant
D)automatic; independent

Accepted Answer

Classical conditioning involves learning to associate two different stimuli, whereas operant conditioning involves learning to associate a behavior with a consequence. These are the two basic types of conditioning in psychology. A) is incorrect because "primary" and "secondary" are not commonly used terms to describe conditioning. B) is incorrect because "observed" conditioning is not a recognized term in psychology. D) is incorrect because "automatic" and "independent" are not commonly used terms to describe conditioning.

Question 10

Who discovered the basic process of classical conditioning?
A)Robert Rescorla
B)B. F. Skinner
C)John B. Watson
D)Ivan Pavlov

Accepted Answer

Ivan Pavlov is credited with discovering the basic process of classical conditioning. He famously conducted experiments with dogs, ringing a bell before feeding them until they began to salivate at the sound of the bell alone.

Question 11

To produce a learned response in classical conditioning, a(n) _____ are repeatedly paired.
A)neutral stimulus and a stimulus that naturally elicits a response
B)stimulus and a response
C)behavioral response and a natural environmental consequence
D)unconditioned stimulus and a voluntarily emitted behavioral response

Accepted Answer

In classical conditioning, a neutral stimulus (such as a bell) is repeatedly paired with a stimulus that naturally elicits a response (such as food), until the neutral stimulus alone can produce a learned response (the dog drooling at the sound of the bell).

Question 12

The process of learning associations between environmental events and behavioral responses is called:
A)stimulus discrimination.
B)stimulus generalization.
C)conditioning.
D)extinction.

Accepted Answer

The process of learning associations between environmental events and behavioral responses is called conditioning. Stimulus discrimination refers to the ability to differentiate between different stimuli and respond differently to them, while stimulus generalization is the tendency to respond in the same way to stimuli that are similar to the conditioned stimulus. Extinction refers to the weakening and eventual disappearance of a conditioned response.

Question 13

Six-year-old Blair liked the first grade right up until her teacher, Ms. Havemayer, took maternity leave. The substitute teacher, Mrs. Snarly, was strict and scolded Blair on several occasions, making her cry. On one Saturday morning as Blair was helping her father with grocery shopping, she suddenly came face to face with Mrs. Snarly. Blair instantly burst into tears. For Blair, Mrs. Snarly in the grocery store is an example of a(n):
A)conditioned stimulus.
B)unconditioned response.
C)unconditioned stimulus.
D)conditioned response.

Accepted Answer

Mrs. Snarly has become a conditioned stimulus for Blair, as her presence is associated with the negative experiences Blair had in class, leading to an emotional response.

Question 14

Steven Spielberg's classic movie Jaws was a thriller about a great white shark that terrorized tourists at a local beach. Just before the shark's appearance, eerie music began playing. As the unseen shark came closer, the tempo of the music picked up. After the audience had experienced this a few times, the sound of the music triggered the emotional reaction of fear in the audience even though the shark still had not appeared. At that point, the sound of the eerie music was a(n):
A)unconditioned response (UCR).
B)conditioned response (CR).
C)conditioned stimulus (CS).
D)unconditioned stimulus (UCS).

Accepted Answer

The eerie music became a conditioned stimulus (CS) as it became associated with the imminent danger of the shark's arrival, thus triggering the conditioned response (fear) in the audience.

Question 15

In response to a cold temperature, your body will shiver reflexively. Using Pavlov's terminology, the cold temperature would be termed a(n):
A)unconditioned stimulus (UCS).
B)unconditioned response (UCR).
C)conditioned stimulus (CS).
D)conditioned response (CR).

Accepted Answer

An unconditioned stimulus (UCS) is a stimulus that naturally elicits a specific response without prior learning or conditioning. In this scenario, the cold temperature is the UCS because it automatically triggers the reflexive shivering response without any prior conditioning.

Question 16

If you shine a bright light directly into a person's eye, the pupil of the eye will reflexively constrict. Using Pavlov's terminology, the bright light would be termed the _____, and the pupil constricting would be termed the _____.
A)CS; UCS
B)CR; UCR
C)UCS; UCR
D)CS; CR

Accepted Answer

The bright light acts as the Unconditioned Stimulus (UCS) because it naturally elicits a response without prior learning, and the pupil constricting is the Unconditioned Response (UCR) because it is an automatic, natural reaction to the stimulus.

Question 17

In response to cutting up an onion, airborne irritants released by the onion will cause your eyes to automatically water or produce tears. Using Pavlov's terminology, the tears would be termed a(n):
A)unconditioned stimulus (UCS).
B)unconditioned response (UCR).
C)conditioned stimulus (CS).
D)conditioned response (CR).

Accepted Answer

According to Pavlov's theory, an unconditioned stimulus (UCS) is a stimulus that naturally triggers an unconditioned response (UCR) without any prior learning. In this scenario, the airborne irritants from the onion are the UCS, and the automatic response of eye-watering or tearing up is the UCR. Therefore, the correct answer is B) unconditioned response (UCR).

Question 18

Prior to conditioning, a dog does not salivate to the sound of a ringing bell. At this point, the ringing bell is a(n):
A)unconditioned stimulus.
B)unconditioned response.
C)neutral stimulus.
D)conditioned response.

Accepted Answer

The ringing bell does not elicit a specific response from the dog prior to conditioning, therefore it is considered a neutral stimulus.

Question 19

Prior to conditioning, a dog will salivate in response to food placed in its mouth. Using classical conditioning terms, the food would be labeled the _____, while the dog salivating would be labeled the _____.
A)conditioned stimulus; unconditioned stimulus
B)conditioned stimulus; conditioned response
C)unconditioned response; unconditioned stimulus
D)unconditioned stimulus; unconditioned response

Accepted Answer

In this scenario, the dog's natural response of salivating when food is placed in its mouth is the unconditioned response (UR), while the food itself is the unconditioned stimulus (US). After conditioning, if a neutral stimulus such as a bell is repeatedly associated with the food, the dog will start to salivate in response to the bell alone, which is now the conditioned stimulus (CS). Therefore, option D is the correct answer as it correctly identifies the food as the US and the dog salivating as the UR.

Question 20

Essentially, classical conditioning is a process of learning:
A)that consequences follow a voluntarily emitted behavior.
B)new responses by observing others' behaviors.
C)the relationship between a behavior and a reinforcer.
D)an association between two stimuli.

Accepted Answer

Classical conditioning is a type of learning in which an association is formed between two stimuli. Specifically, a neutral stimulus (such as a tone) is repeatedly paired with an unconditioned stimulus (such as food), until the neutral stimulus itself elicits a response (such as salivation). This learned association between the two stimuli is the basis of classical conditioning.

Quiz 5: Section 2: Learning

Which of the following behaviors is a reflex, meaning that it is governed by the nervous system and occurs automatically?

In his original studies of digestion, Pavlov placed food on a dog's tongue to make the dog salivate. In this situation, the dog's salivating was a(n) :

The term "elicit" is used in:

If you touch something hot, you will reflexively withdraw your hand. Using Pavlov's terminology, reflexively withdrawing your hand would be termed a(n) :

What was Pavlov investigating when he began his studies on the phenomenon that eventually became known as classical conditioning?

There are two basic types of conditioning: _ and _ conditioning.

Who discovered the basic process of classical conditioning?

To produce a learned response in classical conditioning, a(n) _____ are repeatedly paired.

The process of learning associations between environmental events and behavioral responses is called:

In response to a cold temperature, your body will shiver reflexively. Using Pavlov's terminology, the cold temperature would be termed a(n) :

If you shine a bright light directly into a person's eye, the pupil of the eye will reflexively constrict. Using Pavlov's terminology, the bright light would be termed the _, and the pupil constricting would be termed the _.

In response to cutting up an onion, airborne irritants released by the onion will cause your eyes to automatically water or produce tears. Using Pavlov's terminology, the tears would be termed a(n) :

Prior to conditioning, a dog does not salivate to the sound of a ringing bell. At this point, the ringing bell is a(n) :

Prior to conditioning, a dog will salivate in response to food placed in its mouth. Using classical conditioning terms, the food would be labeled the _, while the dog salivating would be labeled the _.

Essentially, classical conditioning is a process of learning: