Question 1

According to Thorndike's Law of Effect, which of the following best describes how behavior is influenced by its consequences?

Accepted Answer

Behaviors followed by a satisfying consequence are more likely to occur, while those followed by an annoying consequence are less likely to occur.

Question 2

In classical conditioning, which of the following is TRUE about the relationship between the unconditioned stimulus (UCS) and the conditioned stimulus (CS)?

Accepted Answer

The UCS and CS are presented independently of the subject's behavior.

Question 3

A child is afraid of dogs after being bitten by one. According to exposure therapy based on classical conditioning, how might the child's phobia be extinguished?

Accepted Answer

By repeatedly presenting the dog (conditioned stimulus) without any negative consequence (unconditioned stimulus), the fear response will gradually diminish.

Question 4

Which of the following best illustrates negative reinforcement?

Accepted Answer

A person puts on headphones to block out loud noises.

Question 5

In operant conditioning, what is the main difference between positive and negative reinforcement?

Accepted Answer

Positive reinforcement adds a stimulus to increase behavior, while negative reinforcement removes a stimulus to increase behavior.

Question 6

A slot machine pays out after a random number of plays. Which schedule of reinforcement does this represent?

Accepted Answer

Variable Ratio

Question 7

Which of the following is an example of positive punishment?

Accepted Answer

A child is given extra chores after fighting with a sibling.

Question 8

Skinner's experiment with pigeons receiving food every 15 seconds regardless of their behavior demonstrated which psychological phenomenon?

Accepted Answer

Superstition

Question 9

Which of the following best describes 'shaping' in operant conditioning?

Accepted Answer

Gradually reinforcing successive approximations of a desired behavior until the target behavior is achieved.

Question 10

A company pays its employees every two weeks, regardless of how much work they do. This is an example of which reinforcement schedule?

Accepted Answer

Fixed Interval

Question 11

Which of the following scenarios best illustrates learned helplessness?

Accepted Answer

A dog stops trying to escape a shock after repeated failed attempts, even when escape becomes possible.

Question 12

Which of the following is a key distinction between classical and operant conditioning?

Accepted Answer

In classical conditioning, the stimulus precedes the response, while in operant conditioning, the response precedes the stimulus (consequence).

Question 13

Which of the following best describes a secondary reinforcer?

Accepted Answer

A stimulus that acquires its reinforcing power through association with a primary reinforcer.

Question 14

A student receives a gold star for every five books they read. This is an example of which reinforcement schedule?

Accepted Answer

Fixed Ratio

Question 15

Which of the following is an example of negative punishment?

Accepted Answer

A teenager loses their video game privileges for breaking curfew.

Question 16

In avoidance learning, what role does the discriminative stimulus play?

Accepted Answer

It signals that a particular response will prevent an aversive event.

Question 17

Which of the following best explains why superstitious behaviors develop, according to Skinner's research with pigeons?

Accepted Answer

Behaviors that are accidentally followed by reinforcement are more likely to be repeated, even if there is no causal relationship.

Question 18

Which of the following statements about behaviorism is most accurate?

Accepted Answer

Behaviorism emphasizes the study of observable behaviors and their relationship to environmental stimuli.

Question 19

A person receives a paycheck every two weeks, but the amount varies depending on their sales. Which reinforcement schedule is this?

Accepted Answer

Fixed Ratio

Question 20

Which of the following best describes the main criticism of radical behaviorism?

Accepted Answer

It ignores internal mental processes and focuses solely on observable stimulus-response relationships.

4. Learning: Classical and Operant Conditioning in Psychological Science

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