PSYCH 111: Introduction to Psychology: Week 9: Chapter 6 Quizzes: Learning

Correct Answer:

A. Live, verbal, and symbolic models that show, explain, or represent behaviors

Explanation:

Albert Bandura identified three types of models in observational learning. A live model directly demonstrates behavior, such as standing on a surfboard. A verbal instructional model explains the behavior without performing it, such as a coach giving directions. A symbolic model represents behavior through media, including books, movies, or television. These forms of modeling show how people learn not just by doing but also by observing, listening, and interpreting symbolic representations.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

B. Primary, secondary, and tertiary models that depend on reinforcement schedules

This option incorrectly uses reinforcement terminology. Bandura’s models are not categorized this way.

C. Fixed, variable, and interval models that control reinforcement timing

These terms apply to reinforcement schedules in operant conditioning, not to modeling in observational learning.

D. Immediate, delayed, and continuous models that determine learning speed

This option incorrectly frames models in terms of timing. Bandura’s categories are based on how behavior is demonstrated, not the speed of learning.

Correct Answer:

C. Infant sucking on a nipple

Explanation:

A reflex is an automatic, unlearned response to a stimulus that occurs naturally in humans. Sucking is a primitive reflex present in newborns that ensures survival by allowing them to feed immediately after birth. It does not require prior experience or conscious effort. Reflexes such as sucking, rooting, and grasping appear during infancy and are critical for survival and early development, distinguishing them from learned behaviors like walking or riding a bike.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

A. Child riding a bike

This is a learned behavior, not a reflex. It requires practice, balance, and motor coordination.

B. Teen socializing

This is a complex social behavior shaped by learning, culture, and environment, not an innate reflex.

D. Toddler walking

Walking is a motor milestone that requires practice and muscle development. Although influenced by maturation, it is not a reflex because it does not occur automatically at birth.

Correct Answer:

B. Acquisition

Explanation:

Acquisition is the first stage of classical conditioning in which a neutral stimulus is repeatedly paired with an unconditioned stimulus. Through this process, the neutral stimulus begins to trigger the same response as the unconditioned stimulus. At this point, the neutral stimulus becomes a conditioned stimulus, and the learned reaction is called the conditioned response. For example, in Pavlov’s experiment, the bell became a conditioned stimulus after repeated pairings with food.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

A. Extinction

Extinction occurs when the conditioned stimulus is repeatedly presented without the unconditioned stimulus, causing the conditioned response to weaken or disappear.

C. Spontaneous recovery

This refers to the reappearance of a conditioned response after a period of extinction, not the initial learning phase.

D. Generalization

Generalization occurs when stimuli similar to the conditioned stimulus also produce the conditioned response, not during the initial learning stage.

Correct Answer:

B. Pavlov’s work showed reflexes could be conditioned in dogs, and Watson extended this idea to conditioning human emotions

Explanation:

Ivan Pavlov demonstrated classical conditioning through his experiments with dogs, showing that reflexive responses (like salivation) could be conditioned by pairing a neutral stimulus with food. John B. Watson applied these principles to humans, arguing that emotions such as fear could also be conditioned. His famous “Little Albert” experiment illustrated that fear of animals could be learned by pairing them with loud, frightening sounds. Watson’s extension of Pavlov’s work supported his view that human behavior is largely the result of conditioned responses.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

A. Pavlov conditioned human emotions, while Watson conditioned animal reflexes

This reverses the roles—Pavlov worked with dogs’ reflexes, not human emotions.

C. Pavlov rejected conditioning, while Watson used it exclusively to study behavior

Pavlov discovered classical conditioning, so he did not reject it.

D. Pavlov focused on operant conditioning, while Watson focused on classical conditioning

Pavlov studied classical conditioning, not operant conditioning, and Watson extended that to human behavior.

Correct Answer:

C. A strict form of behaviorism suggesting even complex functions like language are stimulus-outcome associations

Explanation:

Radical behaviorism, developed by B. F. Skinner, extended the principles of operant conditioning to explain even higher mental processes. Skinner argued that language and other complex behaviors are not unique cognitive abilities but learned stimulus-response patterns reinforced over time. He treated the mind as a “black box,” focusing solely on observable behaviors and their environmental determinants. This made his approach “radical” compared to other behaviorists.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

A. A theory that human language and thought processes are innate and independent of learning

This reflects Noam Chomsky’s nativist perspective, not Skinner’s radical behaviorism.

B. A perspective that emphasizes studying cognition and internal thought as the key to learning

This describes cognitive psychology, which opposes radical behaviorism by focusing on mental processes.

D. A theory that rejects reinforcement and focuses only on biological predispositions

This is incorrect because Skinner’s theory is built entirely on reinforcement principles, not biological determinism.

Correct Answer:

B. A process by which we learn to associate stimuli and anticipate events

Explanation:

Classical conditioning, first studied by Ivan Pavlov, is a form of associative learning in which a neutral stimulus becomes linked with an unconditioned stimulus to produce a conditioned response. Over time, the organism learns to anticipate events—for example, a dog salivating at the sound of a bell because it predicts food. This process demonstrates how associations between stimuli shape behavior and expectations.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

A. A process of learning through rewards and punishments that shape voluntary behavior

This describes operant conditioning, not classical conditioning.

C. A process of learning through watching and imitating the behaviors of others

This defines observational learning, not classical conditioning.

D. A process by which reflexive responses are weakened through repeated exposure

This is habituation, a type of non-associative learning, not stimulus-stimulus association.

Correct Answer:

D. Stimulus generalization

Explanation:

Stimulus generalization occurs when a conditioned response is triggered not only by the original conditioned stimulus but also by similar stimuli. In the Little Albert experiment, Albert was conditioned to fear a white rat but also showed fear toward other furry objects such as rabbits, dogs, and coats. This demonstrates that his fear response generalized from the original conditioned stimulus to similar ones.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

A. Higher order conditioning

This involves pairing a new neutral stimulus with an already conditioned stimulus to create another conditioned response. Little Albert’s reaction was not based on a new pairing but on similarity.

B. Acquisition

Acquisition is the initial stage of learning when the neutral stimulus becomes associated with the unconditioned stimulus. This describes the start of Albert’s conditioning, not the later generalization.

C. Stimulus discrimination

Stimulus discrimination is the opposite of generalization. It occurs when the subject learns to respond only to the specific conditioned stimulus and not to similar stimuli.

Correct Answer:

B. Acquire new behaviors by watching and imitating others without direct personal experience

Explanation:

Observational learning, as described by Albert Bandura, allows individuals to learn new behaviors by watching the actions of others and the consequences they face. This extends classical and operant conditioning because an individual does not need direct conditioning to learn; instead, they can vicariously experience reinforcement or punishment. For example, a child who sees a sibling rewarded for studying may also adopt that behavior, even without direct reinforcement.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

A. Learn only through trial-and-error experiences with direct reinforcement or punishment

This limits learning to operant conditioning, ignoring the role of observation.

C. Develop automatic, reflexive responses that are present from birth

This describes reflexes and instincts, not observational learning.

D. Reduce responsiveness to a repeated stimulus through habituation

This is non-associative learning, not the social process of observational learning.

Correct Answer:

B. Attention, retention, reproduction, motivation

Explanation:

Bandura identified four key steps necessary for observational learning to occur. First is attention, where the learner must focus on the model’s behavior. Next is retention, the ability to remember what was observed. The third step is reproduction, where the learner demonstrates the behavior. Finally, motivation determines whether the learner chooses to perform the behavior, often influenced by vicarious reinforcement or punishment. Together, these steps explain how modeling leads to lasting learning.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

A. Motivation, retention, attention, reproduction

This sequence is incorrect because attention must come first for learning to occur. Without focus, no other steps can follow.

C. Retention, motivation, attention, reproduction

This order is inaccurate. Motivation occurs last, after the learner has paid attention, retained the information, and can reproduce the behavior.

D. Attention, reproduction, motivation, retention

This skips the crucial step of retention before reproduction. One cannot reproduce a behavior without first remembering it.