Question 1

Why did Thorndike conclude that his cats learned by strengthening certain response tendencies, rather than by gaining an understanding or insight?

Accepted Answer

A)   The cats were only able to solve the puzzle boxes with assistance.
B)   The cats escaped the box equally rapidly, regardless of whether or not they were given positive reinforcements.
C)   The cats took a long time to escape from the puzzle box the first time but were quick on all later trials.
D)   The cats increased their speed of escaping from one trial to the next gradually, not suddenly.E) None of the above
F) A) and B)

Question 2

In what way do people sometimes make use of an operant-conditioning principle when they try to persuade someone to do something?

Accepted Answer

A)   They set up a fixed-interval schedule of punishment.
B)   They demonstrate the desired behavior and hope that the other person will imitate it.
C)   They reinforce a small amount of cooperation and work up from there.
D)   They set up one stimulus and then follow it immediately with another stimulus.E) A) and B)
F) A) and C)

Question 3

A nursing mother puts her baby to the breast as soon as she hears it cry. After a few days, her milk begins to flow as soon as the baby cries. In terms of classical conditioning, what is the conditioned response?

Accepted Answer

A)   the baby's cry
B)   the baby sucking at the breast
C)   the mother
D)   the flow of milkE) None of the above
F) B) and C)

Question 4

B. F. Skinner was known for his objection to

Accepted Answer

A)   the use of animals in research.
B)   the use of mental terms in describing behavior.
C)   the idea that all behavior is caused or determined in some way.
D)   Darwin's theory of evolution.E) All of the above
F) A) and B)

Question 5

The terms "positive" and "negative" in positive and negative reinforcement refer to whether

Accepted Answer

A)   the behavior is productive or destructive.
B)   the behavior increases or decreases.
C)   something is presented or removed.
D)   reinforcement is larger than or smaller than expected.E) A) and B)
F) A) and C)

Question 6

The ability of a stimulus to encourage some responses and discourage others is known as

Accepted Answer

A)   spontaneous recovery.
B)   stimulus generalization.
C)   stimulus discrimination.
D)   stimulus control.E) None of the above
F) A) and B)

Question 7

As a rule, behaviorists assume that

Accepted Answer

A)   unconscious thought processes govern different behaviors from the ones that conscious thought processes influence.
B)   every behavior is caused or determined through processes that can be scientifically studied.
C)   people understand the reasons behind their own behaviors and can describe them accurately.
D)   the primary motivation of people is the striving for self-actualization.E) B) and C)
F) A) and B)

Question 8

What is the difference between extinction and forgetting?

Accepted Answer

A)   Extinction takes place more slowly.
B)   Extinction takes place in classical conditioning: forgetting takes place in operant conditioning.
C)   Extinction depends on specific experiences; forgetting depends on the passage of time.
D)   Extinction is more lasting.E) All of the above
F) A) and B)

Question 9

An individual receives a reinforcement for the first response after a 1-minute interval, but not again until the next 1-minute interval has passed. This is an example of which type of schedule of reinforcement?

Accepted Answer

A)   fixed ratio
B)   variable ratio
C)   fixed interval
D)   variable intervalE) All of the above
F) A) and B)

Question 10

An experimenter rings a bell, and then an animal sits up and salivates; then the experimenter delivers food. This could be an example of either classical or operant conditioning. To decide which it is, we need to know

Accepted Answer

A)   whether the animal eats the food.
B)   whether the experimenter delivers food after every bell, or only after the animal sits up.
C)   whether the animal sits up immediately after the bell, or whether there is a delay.
D)   whether the animal would be given a shock if it failed to sit up.E) B) and D)
F) C) and D)

Question 11

Suppose your alarm made a slight clicking sound just before the alarm goes off. Even though you didn't wake up to the clicking sound initially, now you do, due to classical conditioning. In this example, the loud alarm is a/an

Accepted Answer

A)   unconditioned stimulus.
B)   unconditioned response.
C)   conditioned stimulus.
D)   conditioned response.E) None of the above
F) B) and C)

Question 12

Of the following, a behaviorist is most likely to study

Accepted Answer

A)   unconscious thought processes.
B)   animal learning.
C)   repressed memories.
D)   higher motives, including self-actualization.E) A) and D)
F) All of the above

Question 13

In order to reduce risky behavior of children on a playground, a safety officer offered small rewards to the entire class if everyone played more safely. This procedure is an example of

Accepted Answer

A)   social-learning theory.
B)   applied behavior analysis.
C)   vicarious reinforcement.
D)   belongingness.E) A) and B)
F) None of the above

Question 14

An operant conditioner such as B. F. Skinner might provide you with a reinforcer after you make a sound, then after a louder sound, then after a more pleasant sound, and so forth until you are singing. This procedure would be an example of

Accepted Answer

A)   shaping.
B)   extinction.
C)   generalization.
D)   the Premack principle.E) C) and D)
F) B) and D)

Question 15

What is an unconditioned reflex?

Accepted Answer

A)   a process of pairing a conditioned stimulus and an unconditioned stimulus
B)   a process of following a conditioned response with an unconditioned response
C)   an inborn, automatic connection between a stimulus and a response
D)   a learned connection between a stimulus and a responseE) A) and B)
F) B) and C)

Question 16

The cats in Thorndike's experiments improved their ability to escape his puzzle boxes gradually, not suddenly. What conclusion did he draw from this observation?

Accepted Answer

A)   Learning is based on strengthening responses, not on insights.
B)   Some animal species are more intelligent than others.
C)   Behaviorist assumptions do not apply to operant conditioning.
D)   Learning depends on a combination of classical conditioning and operant conditioning.E) All of the above
F) B) and D)

Question 17

In classical conditioning, which of the following involves learning?

Accepted Answer

A)   acquisition, but not extinction
B)   extinction, but not acquisition
C)   both acquisition and extinction
D)   neither acquisition nor extinctionE) B) and C)
F) A) and D)

Question 18

Thondike described "reinforcer" as

Accepted Answer

A)   a process that strengthens the consolidation of short term memory.
B)   an enjoyable mental process.
C)   an event that "stamps in" a response and makes it more likely.
D)   the person who supervises an experiment.E) None of the above
F) All of the above

Question 19

An early approach to behaviorism that attempted to explain behavior in terms of how each stimulus triggers a response was known as

Accepted Answer

A)   stimulus-response psychology.
B)   reflexology.
C)   structuralism.
D)   physiology.E) B) and C)
F) A) and B)

Question 20

Conditioned taste aversion is

Accepted Answer

A)   a clear example of classical conditioning.
B)   a clear example of operant conditioning.
C)   difficult to classify because it occurs after just one trial.
D)   no longer considered an example of learning.E) B) and C)
F) B) and D)

Exam 6: Learning

B. F. Skinner was known for his objection to

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As a rule, behaviorists assume that

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An experimenter rings a bell, and then an animal sits up and salivates; then the experimenter delivers food. This could be an example of either classical or operant conditioning. To decide which it is, we need to know

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

An early approach to behaviorism that attempted to explain behavior in terms of how each stimulus triggers a response was known as

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The terms "positive" and "negative" in positive and negative reinforcement refer to whether

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

An operant conditioner such as B. F. Skinner might provide you with a reinforcer after you make a sound, then after a louder sound, then after a more pleasant sound, and so forth until you are singing. This procedure would be an example of

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The ability of a stimulus to encourage some responses and discourage others is known as

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

What is an unconditioned reflex?

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What is the difference between extinction and forgetting?

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A nursing mother puts her baby to the breast as soon as she hears it cry. After a few days, her milk begins to flow as soon as the baby cries. In terms of classical conditioning, what is the conditioned response?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

An individual receives a reinforcement for the first response after a 1-minute interval, but not again until the next 1-minute interval has passed. This is an example of which type of schedule of reinforcement?

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In classical conditioning, which of the following involves learning?

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In what way do people sometimes make use of an operant-conditioning principle when they try to persuade someone to do something?

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The cats in Thorndike's experiments improved their ability to escape his puzzle boxes gradually, not suddenly. What conclusion did he draw from this observation?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Why did Thorndike conclude that his cats learned by strengthening certain response tendencies, rather than by gaining an understanding or insight?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Of the following, a behaviorist is most likely to study

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Suppose your alarm made a slight clicking sound just before the alarm goes off. Even though you didn't wake up to the clicking sound initially, now you do, due to classical conditioning. In this example, the loud alarm is a/an

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Conditioned taste aversion is

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Thondike described "reinforcer" as

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

In order to reduce risky behavior of children on a playground, a safety officer offered small rewards to the entire class if everyone played more safely. This procedure is an example of

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

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