Chapter 4 - Basic Processes of Learning

Click on the correct answer



1 Which approach to learning seeks to characterize learning exclusively in terms of observable stimuli and responses, without referring to events inside the learner?
the cognitive perspective
the behavioral perspective
the ecological perspective
both a. and b.
2 A mother opens a jar of baby food to feed her infant. The lid, as always, makes a popping sound as it opens, and the hungry baby gets excited. In the classical conditioning model, the baby's response to the popping sound is a(n):
unconditioned response.
conditioned response.
chained response.
operant response.
3 A dog is classically conditioned to salivate to a tone of a particular pitch. It is later shown that the dog responds to higher and lower tones that have not been presented previously. This is an illustration of:
discrimination.
generalization.
habituation.
spontaneous recovery.
4 How did Edward Thorndike study instrumental responses in animals?
He used a procedure similar to Pavlov's.
He placed animals in boxes from which they learned to escape.
He placed animals in boxes equipped with a bar that, when pressed, delivered a reward.
He trained rats to swim through flooded mazes.
5 Behavior therapists can sometimes help people to overcome s
operant conditioning.
observational learning.
place learning.
habituation.
6 Many gambling systems (such as slot machines) are on:
fixed-interval schedules.
fixed-ratio schedules.
variable-interval schedules.
variable-ratio schedules.
7 A stimulus that has acquired its reinforcing value through previous learning is called a:
primary reinforcer.
econdary reinforcer.
positive reinforcer.
partial reinforcer.
8 A rat is placed in an uncomfortably warm Skinner box. Over many trials, it becomes conditioned to press a lever. It receives no food or water for each lever press; instead, the temperature of the box drops to a comfortable level. What type of reinforcement is this?
positive
negative
partial
variable
9 In the operant procedure referred to as negative punishment, a response that is followed by:
presentation of a stimulus decreases in rate.
removal of a stimulus decreases in rate.
presentation of a stimulus increases in rate.
removal of a stimulus increases in rate.
10 Cognitive theorists would be most likely to agree with which of the following?
It is unscientific to describe behavior in terms of unseen mental constructs that are inferred from observable behavior.
It is important for the experimenter to eliminate, as much as possible, the anticipation and interpretation of stmuli by individuals being conditioned.
Conditioning must be understood strictly in terms of S-R associations.
To understand the role of stimuli in conditioning one must consider their meaning to the individual being conditioned.