Chapter 7 Avoidance And Punishment
1. Removing a pleasant stimulus after a behavior occurs is called
a. positive reinforcement
b. negative reinforcement
c. punishment
d. negative punishment
Answer: d
Rationale:
Negative punishment involves the removal of a pleasant stimulus after a behavior occurs,
which decreases the likelihood of that behavior happening again in the future. This is
different from negative reinforcement, which involves the removal of an aversive stimulus to
increase the likelihood of a behavior occurring again.
2. Taking an aspirin every day to reduce one’s chances of a heart attack is an example of a
behavior controlled by
a. positive reinforcement
b. negative reinforcement
c. punishment
d. omission
Answer: b
Rationale:
Negative reinforcement involves the removal of an aversive stimulus to increase the
likelihood of a behavior occurring again. In this scenario, taking aspirin removes the aversive
possibility of having a heart attack, thereby reinforcing the behavior of taking aspirin.
3. According to two-factor theory, in a shuttle box shock avoidance procedure, an avoidance
response is reinforced by
a. the termination of the shock
b. the omission of the shock
c. the termination of the CS
d. the omission of the CS
Answer: c
Rationale:
According to two-factor theory, avoidance responses are reinforced by the termination of the
conditioned stimulus (CS), not the termination of the shock itself. The termination of the CS
signals the successful avoidance of the impending aversive event (shock), reinforcing the
avoidance behavior.
4. Suppose an animal first receives tone shock pairings in one chamber, and then learns to
jump over a barrier to escape a shock in a shuttle box. If the tone is now presented in the
shuttle box, the likely result is
a. an increase in the rate at which the dog jumps over the barrier
b. a decrease in the rate at which the dog jumps over the barrier
c. no change in the rate of jumping
d. conditioned suppression
Answer: a
Rationale:
The presentation of the tone, which was previously paired with shock in the first chamber,
serves as a conditioned stimulus (CS) eliciting the avoidance response. Therefore, presenting
the tone in the shuttle box is likely to increase the rate at which the dog jumps over the barrier
to escape the shock.
5. As animals become experienced in an avoidance task,
a. visible signs of fear increase
b. visible signs of fear decrease
c. there are visible signs of fear before the avoidance response is made, but not after
d. there are visible signs of fear after the avoidance response is made, but not before
Answer: b
Rationale:
As animals become more experienced in an avoidance task, visible signs of fear typically
decrease. This decrease is attributed to the animals' learning of effective avoidance responses,
which reduce their fear of the aversive stimulus.
6. According to the one-factor theory of avoidance,
a. fear is essential for avoidance learning
b. an external CS that predicts the arrival of an aversive event is essential for avoidance
learning
c. avoidance of an aversive event can itself serve as a reinforcer
d. avoidance responding should never extinguish
Answer: c
Rationale:
The one-factor theory of avoidance states that avoidance of an aversive event can itself serve
as a reinforcer. This theory suggests that the act of successfully avoiding the aversive
stimulus reinforces the avoidance behavior, regardless of the presence of a conditioned
stimulus (CS) predicting the aversive event.
7. Various experiments have shown that avoidance responding
a. will not be acquired unless there is an external CS
b. will be acquired without an external CS if the passage of time is a reliable signal for shock
c. will not be acquired if the only effect of a response is to reduce the rate of shocks
d. none of the above
Answer: b
Rationale:
Various experiments have demonstrated that avoidance responding can be acquired without
an external conditioned stimulus (CS) if the passage of time reliably signals the occurrence of
the aversive event (shock). This indicates that the presence of an external CS is not always
necessary for the acquisition of avoidance behavior.
8. According to the cognitive theory of avoidance, a subject learns to expect
a. that no shock will occur if a response is made
b. that shock will occur if no response is made
c. both a and b
d. neither a nor b
Answer: c
Rationale:
According to the cognitive theory of avoidance, a subject learns to expect both that no shock
will occur if a response is made (safety signal) and that shock will occur if no response is
made (danger signal). This dual expectation forms the basis of the cognitive processes
underlying avoidance learning.
9. After training an avoidance response, response blocking can
a. lead to aggression
b. help to produce extinction of the avoidance response
c. produce an increase in avoidance responses
d. lead to increased fear of the CS
Answer: c
Rationale:
After training an avoidance response, response blocking can lead to an increase in avoidance
responses. This occurs because when the previously successful avoidance response is
blocked, the subject may increase their efforts to perform the avoidance behavior, resulting in
heightened avoidance responding.
10. According to two-factor theory, the procedure of response blocking or flooding
a. works because the subject's expectations about the consequences of failing to respond are
changed
b. works because the fear-eliciting properties of the CS are extinguished
c. works because flooding produces a drastic stimulus change
d. should not work
Answer: b
Rationale:
According to two-factor theory, the procedure of response blocking or flooding works
because the fear-eliciting properties of the conditioned stimulus (CS) are extinguished. By
exposing the subject to the CS without the aversive event (flooding), the fear response
becomes extinguished over time.
11. When flooding is used as behavior therapy, it is important to
a. make sure that a session continues until the patient's fear decreases
b. keep each session short
c. keep the patient relaxed throughout the treatment
d. keep the patient uninformed about what will occur during treatment
Answer: a
Rationale:
In flooding, the patient is exposed to the feared stimulus in an intense and prolonged manner
until the fear response diminishes due to exhaustion or habituation. It's crucial to continue the
session until fear decreases to ensure effectiveness.
12. According to Bolles's theory of species-specific defense reactions, shock avoidance
learning in a rat would probably be slowest if the required response were
a. jumping out of the chamber
b. pressing a lever
c. running in a wheel
d. standing still
Answer: b
Rationale:
Bolles's theory suggests that species-specific defense reactions are related to innate
behaviors. Pressing a lever (which is not a natural response to threat) would likely be slower
to learn compared to jumping out of the chamber (a more instinctive response).
13. According to Bolles, typical laboratory experiments on avoidance are not representative
of avoidance in the natural environment because
a. shock is not usually encountered in the natural environment
b. avoidance in the natural environment does not require many learning trials
c. there are many more discriminative stimuli to examine in the natural environment
d. all of the above
Answer: b
Rationale:
Bolles proposed that avoidance behaviors are more natural and require fewer learning trials in
natural settings compared to laboratory experiments, where the conditions are artificial and
may necessitate more learning trials.
14. Learned helplessness is likely to develop if
a. controllable shocks are preceded by uncontrollable shocks
b. uncontrollable shocks are preceded by controllable shocks
c. either a or b
d. neither a nor b
Answer: a
Rationale:
Learned helplessness occurs when an individual perceives a lack of control over aversive
stimuli. If uncontrollable shocks precede controllable shocks, the individual may generalize
the sense of lack of control, leading to learned helplessness.
15. Learned helplessness has been observed in
a. dogs
b. cockroaches
c. the spinal cord
d. all of the above
Answer: d
Rationale:
Learned helplessness has been demonstrated in various organisms, including dogs,
cockroaches, and even in the spinal cord of animals, indicating its wide applicability across
species.
16. The effects of punishment are
a. temporary
b. no greater than those of response independent shocks
c. dependent on the immediacy of the punishment
d. greatest when the subject has no alternative behaviors available
Answer: c
Rationale:
The effectiveness of punishment is influenced by its immediacy; the more immediate the
punishment following the behavior, the stronger its suppressive effect tends to be.
17. To obtain the maximum reduction in a behavior, the most effective schedule of
punishment is
a. continuous punishment
b. fixed-ratio punishment
c. variable-ratio punishment
d. fixed-interval punishment
Answer: a
Rationale:
Continuous punishment involves punishing every instance of the behavior, which tends to be
most effective in suppressing the behavior quickly and consistently.
18. It may be difficult to reduce a behavior with punishment if
a. the punishment is delayed
b. the behavior is highly motivated
c. the intensity of the punishment is gradually increased
d. all of the above
Answer: d
Rationale:
Delayed punishment, highly motivated behaviors, and gradually increased punishment
intensity can all diminish the effectiveness of punishment in reducing the targeted behavior.
19. A disadvantage of using punishment is that
a. one must continually monitor the subject's behavior
b. a return of the punished behavior is inevitable once the punishment contingency is
removed
c. both a and b
d. neither a nor b
Answer: a
Rationale:
Continual monitoring of the subject's behavior is required to apply punishment consistently,
which can be resource-intensive and impractical in some situations.
20. A disadvantage of using punishment is that
a. the subject may exhibit aggressive behavior in response to the punishment
b. the subject may try to escape from the situation
c. both a and b
d. neither a nor b
Answer: c
Rationale:
Punishment can lead to aggressive behavior or attempts to escape the punishing situation,
potentially resulting in unintended consequences and interfering with the effectiveness of the
intervention.
21. To treat a woman in a psychiatric hospital who hoarded towels, the nurses gave the
woman a large number of towels. This is an example of
a. extinction
b. stimulus satiation
c. overcorrection
d. response prevention
Answer: b
Rationale:
Stimulus satiation involves presenting a reinforcing stimulus in such abundance that it loses
its effectiveness. In this case, giving the woman a large number of towels overwhelms her
desire to hoard them, thereby reducing the behavior.
22. Reinforcing normal speech while ignoring psychotic speech is an example of
a. differential reinforcement of alternative behavior
b. differential reinforcement of low rates
c. noncontingent reinforcement
d. response cost
Answer: a
Rationale:
Differential reinforcement of alternative behavior involves reinforcing a desirable behavior
while withholding reinforcement for an undesirable behavior. In this case, normal speech is
reinforced while psychotic speech is ignored, encouraging the individual to engage in normal
speech more frequently.
23. A young boy disobeys his parents by coming home late. An example of the use of
negative punishment would be to
a. pay no attention to the transgression
b. require the child to dry the dishes
c. give the child no allowance for that week
d. none of the above
Answer: c
Rationale:
Negative punishment involves removing a desirable stimulus to decrease the likelihood of a
behavior occurring again. In this scenario, withholding the child's allowance serves as a
consequence for coming home late, thereby decreasing the likelihood of future disobedience.
24. In a token system, if a person loses points for using bad language, this is an example of
a. differential reinforcement of alternative behavior
b. overcorrection
c. response cost
d. a technique that does not work
Answer: c
Rationale:
Response cost involves the removal of a reinforcer following an undesirable behavior,
thereby decreasing the likelihood of that behavior occurring again. In this case, losing points
for using bad language acts as a punishment, reducing the likelihood of further inappropriate
language.
25. If an inappropriate behavior appears to occur because it is reinforced by attention from
others, the best behavior decelerator to use is probably
a. extinction
b. flooding
c. stimulus satiation
d. negative reinforcement
Answer: a
Rationale:
Extinction involves withholding reinforcement for a behavior that has been previously
reinforced. If attention serves as a reinforcer for the inappropriate behavior, withdrawing that
attention (extinction) is likely to decrease the occurrence of the behavior over time.
26. If a teacher believes that a child is constantly being disruptive in a classroom because it
allows him to avoid doing his assignment, the best behavior decelerator to use is probably
a. time-out
b. escape extinction
c. stimulus satiation
d. response blocking
Answer: b
Rationale:
Escape extinction involves preventing the individual from escaping or avoiding a situation
that they find aversive. In this scenario, the disruptive behavior is maintained by allowing the
child to avoid the assignment. By implementing escape extinction, the teacher ensures that
the disruptive behavior is no longer effective in allowing the child to avoid the assignment,
thus reducing its occurrence.
Test Bank for Learning and Behavior
James E. Mazur
9780205864812, 9780205246441
