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

Correct Answer: B. Learned behaviors are acquired through experience, while instincts and reflexes are innate and biologically determined

Explanation:

Learned behaviors develop through interaction with the environment, practice, reinforcement, or observation. They are not present at birth but acquired over time, such as playing a sport or learning a language. Instincts, like migration in birds, and reflexes, like the knee-jerk reaction, are automatic, innate, and do not require learning. This distinction highlights how experience shapes learned behaviors, while instincts and reflexes are built into the nervous system.Why Other Options Are Wrong:

A. Learned behaviors are automatic responses present at birth, while instincts develop only in adulthood

This reverses the definitions—learned behaviors are not present at birth, and instincts appear early in life.

C. Learned behaviors are simple, involuntary actions, while instincts and reflexes involve complex decision-making

Reflexes are simple and involuntary, not learned; instincts are automatic, not based on decision-making.

D. Learned behaviors are genetically programmed, while instincts and reflexes result from environmental conditioning

It is the opposite: instincts and reflexes are genetically programmed, while learned behaviors arise from experience.

Correct Answer:

B. Conditioned response (CR)

Explanation:

In classical conditioning, the conditioned response (CR) is the learned behavior triggered by the conditioned stimulus (CS) after repeated pairings with the unconditioned stimulus (UCS). For example, if a bell (CS) is repeatedly paired with food (UCS), a dog eventually salivates at the sound of the bell alone. This salivation to the bell is the CR, demonstrating learned association.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

A. Unconditioned response (UCR)

The UCR is a natural, unlearned reaction to the UCS, not the learned response to a CS.

C. Reflex action

A reflex is automatic and unlearned, while the CR is acquired through conditioning.

D. Operant behavior

Operant behavior is shaped by reinforcement or punishment, not stimulus–stimulus association.

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. Because it breaks behaviors into small steps and reinforces closer approximations until the final behavior is achieved

Explanation:

Shaping is essential for teaching complex behaviors that are unlikely to occur naturally. The process involves reinforcing small steps (successive approximations) that gradually resemble the target behavior. At first, any behavior resembling the goal is reinforced. Then reinforcement shifts to responses that come closer and closer until only the desired behavior is rewarded. This step-by-step method makes it possible to train animals and humans to perform complex actions, such as learning to play an instrument or teaching a dog to fetch.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

A. Because it punishes incorrect responses until the organism learns the exact desired behavior

Shaping uses reinforcement, not punishment, to guide learning.

B. Because it reinforces only the final target behavior, ignoring all earlier approximations

If only the final behavior were reinforced, the organism would not know the steps to get there.

D. Because it relies on observational learning rather than reinforcement to establish behavior

Shaping is a reinforcement-based technique, not an observational learning process.

Correct Answer:

A. UCS: Formula; CS: Blue canister; UCR: Excitement and salivation to formula; CR: Excitement and salivation to canister

Explanation:

The formula is the unconditioned stimulus (UCS) because it naturally produces excitement and salivation. The excitement and salivation to the formula is the unconditioned response (UCR). The blue canister starts out as neutral but, after repeated pairings with the formula, becomes the conditioned stimulus (CS). Finally, Angelina’s excitement and salivation at just seeing the canister is the conditioned response (CR). This is a clear case of classical conditioning in infants.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

B. UCS: Blue canister; CS: Formula; UCR: Excitement and salivation to canister; CR: Excitement and salivation to formula

This reverses the roles of the UCS and CS. The canister is not naturally exciting—it becomes associated only through learning.

C. UCS: Formula; CS: Elan; UCR: Crying when hungry; CR: Reaching for Elan

This incorrectly identifies Elan as the CS and introduces unrelated responses like crying and reaching, which are not part of the conditioning.

D. UCS: Excitement; CS: Hunger; UCR: Salivation; CR: Sleepiness

This does not reflect classical conditioning. Excitement is not a stimulus, and hunger and sleepiness are unrelated in this context.

Correct Answer:

B. Extinction

Explanation:

Extinction occurs when the conditioned stimulus (CS) is repeatedly presented without the unconditioned stimulus (UCS), leading to a gradual weakening and eventual disappearance of the conditioned response (CR). For example, if Pavlov’s bell (CS) is rung but food (UCS) is no longer presented, the dog will eventually stop salivating (CR) to the bell. Extinction does not erase learning; it simply suppresses the conditioned response.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

A. Acquisition

Acquisition is the initial learning stage where the CS and UCS are paired to form an association.

C. Generalization

Generalization occurs when stimuli similar to the conditioned stimulus also trigger the conditioned response.

D. Spontaneous recovery

Spontaneous recovery is when a previously extinguished conditioned response reappears after a pause, not the process of its decline.

Correct Answer:

D. Spontaneous recovery

Explanation:

Spontaneous recovery refers to the reappearance of a conditioned response (CR) after it had previously been extinguished. Following extinction, the conditioned stimulus (CS) may temporarily lose its ability to produce the conditioned response. However, after a period of rest with no further conditioning, the CR can suddenly re-emerge when the CS is presented again. This shows that extinction suppresses but does not fully erase the learned association.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

A. Acquisition

Acquisition is the initial learning phase when the CS and UCS are paired to produce a CR, not the reappearance after extinction.

B. Extinction

Extinction is the process in which the CR decreases when the CS is no longer paired with the UCS, not its return.

C. Generalization

Generalization occurs when stimuli similar to the conditioned stimulus also trigger the CR, not when a previously extinguished CR reappears.

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.

Correct Answer:

A. The law of effect

Explanation:

Edward Thorndike’s law of effect states that behaviors followed by satisfying consequences are more likely to be repeated, while those followed by unpleasant outcomes are less likely to occur again. This principle laid the groundwork for operant conditioning, later expanded by B.F. Skinner. It emphasizes the role of reinforcement and punishment in shaping behavior, showing that consequences directly influence the likelihood of a behavior being repeated.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

B. The law of readiness

Thorndike did propose a law of readiness, but it focuses on preparedness to act, not on consequences shaping learning.

C. The principle of classical conditioning

Classical conditioning was developed by Ivan Pavlov and involves stimulus–response associations, not consequences.

D. The theory of observational learning

This describes Albert Bandura’s work, where learning occurs by watching and imitating others, not through direct consequences.