Chapter 4 Theories And Research On Classical Conditioning
1. The results of Kamin's blocking experiment were surprising because they seemed to
contradict the well-established principle of
a. frequency
b. contrast
c. recency
d. similarity
Answer: a
Rationale:
The correct answer is (a) frequency. Kamin's blocking experiment revealed that the presence
of a previously conditioned stimulus (CS1) blocked the acquisition of conditioning to a new
stimulus (CS2) when both CS1 and CS2 were paired with the unconditioned stimulus (US).
This contradicted the principle of frequency, which suggests that conditioning should occur
to a novel stimulus regardless of the presence of other stimuli.
2. Suppose that in a conditioned suppression procedure with rats, a series of light shock trials
are followed by pairings of a compound stimulus, light and tone, with shock. A later test with
the tone alone would probably find
a. little or no lever pressing during the tone
b. faster than normal lever pressing during the tone
c. the same rate of lever pressing during the tone as before the tone began
d. the same rate of lever pressing during the tone as during the light
Answer: c
Rationale:
The correct answer is (c) the same rate of lever pressing during the tone as before the tone
began. In this scenario, the tone has been paired with the shock as part of a compound
stimulus. During the test with the tone alone, the rat would likely exhibit the same rate of
lever pressing as it did before the compound stimulus began, as the conditioning would
primarily be associated with the light component of the compound stimulus.
3. In Kamin's blocking experiment, it might be said that the added or "blocked" stimulus is
a. uninformative
b. not conditioned
c. redundant
d. all of the above
Answer: d
Rationale:
The correct answer is (d) all of the above. In Kamin's blocking experiment, the added or
"blocked" stimulus is indeed uninformative, not conditioned, and redundant because its
presence does not lead to additional conditioning due to the prior conditioning to the primary
stimulus.
4. According to the Rescorla Wagner model, inhibitory conditioning will occur when the
actual size of the US is
a. greater than what was expected
b. less than what was expected
c. equal to what was expected
d. less than that of the CS
Answer: b
Rationale:
The correct answer is (b) less than what was expected. Inhibitory conditioning according to
the Rescorla Wagner model occurs when the actual size of the unconditioned stimulus (US) is
less than what was expected. This leads to a decrease in the associative strength of the
conditioned stimulus (CS), resulting in inhibition.
5. The Rescorla Wagner model predicts that in a series of trials with a single, novel CS, the
increase in associative strength per trial
a. will be the same on every trial
b. will be greatest on the first few trials
c. will be greatest on the last few trials
d. will be greatest in the middle of training
Answer: b
Rationale:
The correct answer is (b) will be greatest on the first few trials. According to the Rescorla
Wagner model, the increase in associative strength per trial diminishes over time. Initially,
when the CS is novel, the increase in associative strength is greatest, but it decreases as
learning progresses.
6. According to the Rescorla Wagner model, compared to a less salient CS, a more salient CS
will receive
a. stronger conditioning
b. weaker conditioning
c. the same amount of conditioning
d. inhibitory conditioning
Answer: a
Rationale:
The correct answer is (a) stronger conditioning. The Rescorla Wagner model predicts that
more salient conditioned stimuli (CS) will receive stronger conditioning compared to less
salient CS, reflecting the importance of stimulus salience in associative learning.
7. In the phenomenon of overshadowing, a CS fails to acquire much excitatory strength
because
a. it has previously undergone habituation
b. it is paired with a very strong US
c. it is presented in compound with a very strong CS
d. it is simply too weak a stimulus to be conditioned
Answer: c
Rationale:
The correct answer is (c) it is presented in compound with a very strong CS. Overshadowing
occurs when a less salient conditioned stimulus (CS) fails to acquire much excitatory strength
because it is presented in compound with a more salient CS, leading to reduced attention and
conditioning to the overshadowed CS.
8. Unlike the Rescorla Wagner model, Mackintosh's theory of attention states that
a. subjects can learn to pay increased attention to informative CSs
b. subjects can learn to pay less attention to uninformative CSs
c. both a and b
d. neither a nor b
Answer: c
Rationale:
The correct answer is (c) both a and b. Unlike the Rescorla Wagner model, Mackintosh's
theory of attention posits that subjects can learn to allocate attention based on the
informativeness of conditioned stimuli (CSs). They can learn to pay increased attention to
informative CSs and less attention to uninformative CSs.
9. A limitation of the Rescorla Wagner model is that it cannot predict
a. the overexpectation effect
b. the CS preexposure effect
c. inhibitory conditioning
d. overshadowing
Answer: b
Rationale:
The correct answer is (b) the CS preexposure effect. While the Rescorla Wagner model can
account for many phenomena in associative learning, it fails to predict the CS preexposure
effect, where prior exposure to the conditioned stimulus (CS) without the unconditioned
stimulus (US) attenuates subsequent conditioning.
10. In classical conditioning, the rate of acquisition to a single CS may be slow if
a. the CS is familiar
b. the CS is novel
c. the US is novel
d. none of the above
Answer: a
Rationale:
The correct answer is (a) the CS is familiar. If the conditioned stimulus (CS) is already
familiar to the subject, the rate of acquisition in classical conditioning may be slow because
the CS lacks novelty, which is often a facilitator of conditioning.
11. Comparator theories of classical conditioning state that animals compare
a. the intensities of different CSs
b. the intensities of different USs
c. the probability of a US in the presence and absence of a CS
d. none of the above
Answer: c
Rationale:
Comparator theories propose that animals assess the probability of a US occurring in the
presence and absence of a CS. This comparison helps in determining the strength of the
association between the CS and the US, which is crucial in classical conditioning.
12. Research on second-order conditioning has found evidence for
a. S-S associations between the two CSs
b. S-R associations between the second-order CS and the response
c. both a and b
d. neither a nor b
Answer: c
Rationale:
Second-order conditioning involves the association between a neutral stimulus (CS2) and a
conditioned stimulus (CS1). Research has shown evidence for both S-S associations between
the two CSs and S-R associations between the second-order CS and the response, indicating
that both mechanisms may play a role in second-order conditioning.
13. If a stimulus is an occasion setter, its presence or absence controls whether or not the
subject will respond
a. when a different stimulus, the CS, is presented
b. when the US is presented
c. when the US is terminated
d. when the occasion setter itself is presented
Answer: d
Rationale:
Occasion setters are stimuli that indicate when a CS is likely to be followed by a US. Their
presence or absence influences the likelihood of a response in the presence of the CS, making
option d correct.
14. Animals have developed taste aversions with delays between ingestion and illness as long
as
a. 15 minutes
b. 8 hours
c. 24 hours
d. 72 hours
Answer: c
Rationale:
Taste aversion learning can occur with delays between ingestion and illness of up to 24 hours.
This phenomenon illustrates the adaptive nature of taste aversion, where animals learn to
associate the taste of a substance with subsequent illness even with a considerable delay.
15. Experiments with rats have found that they are most likely to associate
a. tastes with illness
b. tastes with shock
c. shock with illness
d. audio-visual stimuli with illness
Answer: a
Rationale:
Research with rats indicates that they are more likely to associate tastes with illness, as taste
aversion learning is a survival mechanism that helps animals avoid ingesting harmful
substances.
16. Research on the effectiveness of different types of stimuli has shown that
a. taste stimuli are always easier to condition than visual stimuli
b. taste stimuli are always easier to condition than visual stimuli when the US is illness
c. taste stimuli are always easier to condition than visual stimuli when the US is shock
d. none of the above
Answer: d
Rationale:
Research does not universally support the notion that taste stimuli are always easier to
condition than visual stimuli. The effectiveness of stimuli in conditioning depends on various
factors, including the nature of the US and the context of the conditioning paradigm.
17. The equipotentiality premise states that
a. any two stimuli should be conditioned equally rapidly
b. any two stimuli of equal intensity should be conditioned equally rapidly
c. if one of two stimuli is conditioned more rapidly in one context, it should be conditioned
more rapidly in all other contexts
d. none of the above
Answer: c
Rationale:
The equipotentiality premise suggests that if one stimulus is conditioned more rapidly in one
context, it should also be conditioned more rapidly in other contexts. This premise challenges
the notion of stimulus specificity in classical conditioning.
18. One feature of taste aversion learning that is not found in any other type of learning is
a. learning with delays of several hours
b. very slow extinction
c. both a and b
d. neither a nor b
Answer: d
Rationale:
Taste aversion learning shares many features with other types of learning, but the
phenomenon of learning with delays of several hours is not unique to taste aversion.
Additionally, the speed of extinction varies across different types of learning, so very slow
extinction cannot be exclusively attributed to taste aversion.
19. One phenomenon that taste aversion learning shares with other types of learning is
a. generalization gradients
b. conditioned inhibition
c. both a and b
d. neither a nor b
Answer: c
Rationale:
Taste aversion learning shares both generalization gradients and conditioned inhibition with
other types of learning. Generalization gradients involve the extent to which stimuli similar to
the conditioned stimulus evoke a conditioned response, while conditioned inhibition occurs
when a stimulus predicts the absence of the unconditioned stimulus.
20. The research on human phobias of spiders and snakes may be evidence for
a. equipotentiality
b. prepared associations
c. contraprepared associations
d. unprepared associations
Answer: b
Rationale:
The research on human phobias of spiders and snakes supports the concept of prepared
associations, suggesting that humans are predisposed to quickly associate certain stimuli
(such as spiders and snakes) with fear due to their evolutionary significance. This
phenomenon aligns with the idea that some associations are easier to form than others due to
evolutionary history.
21. According to Siegel's theory, drug tolerance is
a. due to the automatic strengthening of the b process with repeated drug administrations
b. due to a change in metabolism
c. due to the development of a conditioned response
d. due to a weakening of the unconditioned response to the drug
Answer: c
Rationale:
According to Siegel's theory, drug tolerance occurs due to the development of a conditioned
response. This means that the body begins to anticipate the effects of the drug and prepares
for them through physiological and behavioral adjustments. Over time, these conditioned
responses lead to a diminished effect of the drug, requiring higher doses to achieve the same
effect.
22. For regular coffee drinkers, the smell and taste of coffee can serve as a CS that
a. mimics the effects of caffeine
b. counteracts the effects of caffeine
c. leads to caffeine-like effects even with decaffeinated coffee
d. increases arousal
Answer: b
Rationale:
The smell and taste of coffee serve as conditioned stimuli (CS) that have been associated with
the experience of drinking caffeinated coffee. For regular coffee drinkers, these cues may
lead to an expectation of caffeine intake, which can trigger physiological responses that
counteract the effects of caffeine withdrawal, such as increased alertness and arousal.
23. According to Wagner's sometimes opponent process theory, the CR will be a
compensatory response rather than a mimicking response when
a. the UR is monophasic
b. the UR is biphasic
c. the UR has been habituated
d. the UR is aversive
Answer: b
Rationale:
In Wagner's sometimes opponent process theory, the conditioned response (CR) acts to
counteract or compensate for the effects of the unconditioned response (UR). This occurs
particularly when the UR is biphasic, involving both an initial response and a subsequent
opposing response. The CR, in this case, is more likely to be a compensatory response rather
than a mimicking response.
24. In their studies of Aplysia, Kandel and his associates have found that classical
conditioning of the gill withdrawal response
a. does not support the contiguity principle
b. is due to an increased responsiveness of the gill motor neuron to the transmitter released by
the sensory neuron
c. is due to the increased transmitter released by the sensory neuron that is stimulated by the
CS
d. is due to a combination of b and c
Answer: c
Rationale:
Kandel and his associates found that classical conditioning of the gill withdrawal response in
Aplysia is primarily due to the increased transmitter released by the sensory neuron in
response to the conditioned stimulus (CS). This increased release of neurotransmitter leads to
enhanced synaptic transmission and ultimately the learned response.
25. Physiological studies of eyeblink conditioning in rabbits have found that
a. responses to the CS and the US are controlled by exactly the same neural pathways
b. responses to the CS and the US are controlled by two fairly different pathways
c. any lesion that abolishes the CS also abolishes the US
d. conditioning is controlled by the spinal cord, not the brain
Answer: b
Rationale:
Physiological studies have shown that responses to the conditioned stimulus (CS) and the
unconditioned stimulus (US) in eyeblink conditioning are controlled by two fairly different
neural pathways. While there may be some overlap or interaction between these pathways,
they are distinct in terms of their neural circuitry and processing.
26. Physiological studies of classical conditioning in mammals have found that
a. the same parts of the brain are involved in different phenomena such as conditioned
inhibition and blocking
b. the same parts of the brain are involved in different CRs such as eyeblinks and heart rate
changes
c. the brain structures involved are the same as those in Aplysia
d. many different brain structures are involved in simple classical conditioning
Answer: d
Rationale:
Physiological studies have revealed that many different brain structures are involved in
simple classical conditioning in mammals. While certain brain regions may play key roles in
specific aspects of conditioning, the overall process involves a distributed network of brain
structures working together to form associations between stimuli and responses.
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