Module 9—Classical Conditioning
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. Presenting the examples of an aftershave causing anxiety, fear of needles, and the smell of
dish soap causing nausea illustrates:
a. how irrational our thinking can be at times
b. that many of our behaviors are the result of learning
c. the diversity of human behavior
d. the concept of insight
Answer: B
2. What percentage of the general population experiences fear of needles and injections?
a. 1%
b. 10–20%
c. 30–40%
d. 60–70%
Answer: B
3. The sight of a needle can trigger fear in some people. What type of learning can explain
this association?
a. classical conditioning
b. instrumental conditioning
c. cognitive learning
d. imprinting
Answer: A
4. The example of Michelle becoming nauseous when she smelled dish-washing soap can be
best explained by a type of learning called:
a. classical conditioning
b. instrumental conditioning
c. cognitive learning
d. imprinting
Answer: A
5. “A relatively enduring change in behavior or knowledge that results from previous
experience with certain stimuli and responses” is the definition of:
a. learning
b. imprinting
c. extinction
d. generalization
Answer: A
6. Simone is listening to her professor’s lecture. Class is about to end when the professor
previews the topic for the next meeting. “Next time,” he says, “we will examine learning.”
Since Simone has done the assigned reading, she correctly thinks to herself:
a. “Let’s see—that’s when there is a temporary change in behavior that results from
genetically programed development.”
b. “Oh, that’s when there is permanent change in behavior that is due to maturation.”
c. “Learning—that’s when there is a relatively permanent change in behavior or knowledge
that results from previous experience with certain stimuli and responses.”
d. “Learning is the change in behavior that results from biological changes, fatigue, or
injury.”
Answer: C
7. Learning can be best defined as:
a. a change in behavior related to mental events
b. a relatively permanent change in behavior or knowledge resulting from experience
c. an improvement in abilities resulting from formal instruction
d. the acquisition of information through research
Answer: B
8. Of the following, which would a psychologist consider the best example of learning?
a. a young man’s beard beginning to grow at age 15
b. a woman experiencing labor pains
c. salmon swimming upstream during the mating season
d. a child acquiring the ability to ride a bicycle
Answer: D
9. What do classical conditioning, operant conditioning, and cognitive learning all have in
common?
a. Each is based upon the law of effect.
b. These forms of learning were once thought to be valid explanations of how we learn, but
now are considered by psychologists as inadequate.
c. These forms of learning are common in animals, but rare in humans.
d. These are all forms of learning.
Answer: D
10. Classical conditioning was discovered by:
a. B. F. Skinner
b. Ivan Pavlov
c. Edward Thorndike
d. Albert Bandura
Answer: B
11. In Pavlov’s study of digestion, he noticed that the dogs were salivating at the sight of
food. What was Pavlov’s initial reaction to this?
a. The salivation was considered to be a bothersome problem.
b. He was very excited, since he wanted the dogs to salivate at the sight of food.
c. He expected it, so it did not affect his study of digestion.
d. He considered it an irrelevant point and initially ignored it.
Answer: A
12. If you wanted to use classical conditioning to get your friends to blink their eyes in
response to the word “apple” what would you do?
a. Pair the word “apple” with a puff of air to the eyes.
b. Reinforce eye blinking with a slice of an apple.
c. Reinforce eye blinking to the word “apple” with a dollar.
d. Use punishment by application whenever your friend did not blink when hearing the word
“apple.”
Answer: A
13. Ivan Pavlov was studying ____ before he stumbled on to ____.
a. operant conditioning; classical conditioning
b. problem solving in cats; law of effect
c. digestion in dogs; classical conditioning
d. problem solving in dogs; the law of effect
Answer: C
14. Classical conditioning would be best suited to answer which of the following questions?
a. Why do we repeat behaviors when they are followed by something good?
b. Why do children know a lot about driving a car before their first time behind the wheel?
c. Why do some people associate certain foods with nausea?
d. Why are some animals difficult to train to perform certain kinds of behavior?
Answer: C
15. After eating a hot dog at Chez Dave’s restaurant, Elmer gets sick and never wants to eat a
hot dog again. This experience is a form of what learning process?
a. imprinting
b. operant conditioning
c. spontaneous learning
d. classical conditioning
Answer: D
16. Humans are naturally frightened by loud noises. Suppose Mr. Bates was taking a shower
when an explosion occurred in the building next door. The next time he took a shower, Mr.
Bates felt scared and his heart pounded. What form of learning has he experienced?
a. classical conditioning
b. operant conditioning
c. cognitive learning
d. latent learning
Answer: A
17. What form of learning involves a neutral stimulus acquiring the ability to produce a
response that was originally produced by a different stimulus?
a. classical conditioning
b. operant conditioning
c. cognitive learning
d. latent learning
Answer: A
18. The Law of Effect states that random actions are strengthened and will be more likely to
occur in the future if the actions are:
a. reflexive
b. followed by a reward or pleasurable consequence
c. negatively reinforced
d. put into memory
Answer: B
19. Uncle Joe is a very wise old man. One day you asked him for advice and he said, “You
are likely to do tomorrow what today led to a pleasurable consequence.” You are impressed
because he was defining:
a. stimulus substitution
b. the cognitive perspective of classical conditioning
c. a conditioned stimulus
d. the Law of Effect
Answer: D
20. The Law of Effect is important in:
a. classical conditioning
b. operant conditioning
c. cognitive learning
d. latent learning
Answer: B
21. Operant conditioning focuses on how:
a. people learn from the examples of others
b. repetition results in reflexive habits
c. behavior is influenced by its consequences
d. stimuli are paired to elicit a response
Answer: C
22. In which type of learning do the consequences of a behavior influence whether an
organism will perform the same behavior in the future?
a. classical conditioning
b. target learning
c. operant conditioning
d. latent learning
Answer: C
23. Of the following words, which is central to the form of learning called operant
conditioning?
a. cognitive
b. consequence
c. conditioned
d. mental
Answer: B
24. What is the best example of operant conditioning?
a. Two boys imitate a professional wrestler they saw on television.
b. A young child becomes fearful whenever seeing the babysitter.
c. A group of pigs come running when they hear the farmer opening the feed box.
d. A student is given a sticker for getting 100% on her math test and consequently studies
harder for the next exam.
Answer: D
25. Learning that involves mental processes, such as attention and memory, is called:
a. classical conditioning
b. cognitive learning
c. operant conditioning
d. Law of Effect learning
Answer: B
26. According to cognitive learning, learning can take place in an individual:
a. who has not received any external rewards
b. only if the learning is reflexive in nature
c. who shows a change in behavior
d. only when the behavior is followed by an effect
Answer: A
27. Pavlov is to Bandura as ____ is to ____.
a. cognitive learning; classical conditioning
b. cognitive learning; operant conditioning
c. classical conditioning; cognitive learning
d. observational learning; operant conditioning
Answer: C
28. An individual most closely associated with cognitive learning is:
a. B. F. Skinner
b. Albert Bandura
c. Sigmund Freud
d. Ivan Pavlov
Answer: B
29. You are reading a book entitled “Learning Through Imitation.” Who is the most likely
author of the book?
a. Albert Bandura
b. Ivan Pavlov
c. B. F. Skinner
d. E. L. Thorndike
Answer: A
30. Unconditioned is to conditioned as ____ is to ____.
a. food; salivation
b. reflex; learned
c. response; stimulus
d. learned; reflex
Answer: B
31. Which of the following is not a step in classical conditioning?
a. selecting stimulus and response
b. establishing the conditioned response
c. determining schedule of reinforcement
d. testing for conditioning
Answer: C
32. Before learning, a neutral stimulus:
a. is paired with the unconditioned response
b. is a reflexive action
c. does not produce the reflex being tested
d. only works with humans, not with animals
Answer: C
33. In Pavlov’s laboratory experiments with dogs, the tone first served as a(n) ____, and later
as a(n) ____.
a. unconditioned stimulus; conditioned stimulus
b. neutral stimulus; conditioned stimulus
c. neutral response; unconditioned stimulus
d. conditioned stimulus; neutral response
Answer: B
34. Dr. Bell sounds a chime during a laboratory experiment. A dog named Cleo does not
react. Based on this information, you conclude the chime is a(n) ____ stimulus.
a. unconditioned
b. conditioned
c. neutral
d. generalized
Answer: C
35. In Pavlov’s study, the neutral stimulus was:
a. food
b. a tone (bell)
c. salivation
d. fear
Answer: B
36. An unconditioned stimulus:
a. automatically triggers a physiological reflex
b. requires conscious effort
c. is paired with a conditioned response
d. is acquired through practice
Answer: A
37. You missed class the day classical conditioning was discussed, so you borrow your
friend’s notes. As you are reading the notes you see that the neutral stimulus was the bell, the
UCS was food, and the UCR was salivation. As you look further in the notes, you cannot read
what is written about the CS, since your friend was running out of ink as she took notes.
Given what you can read, you reason that the CS is:
a. salivation—since that is the normal response to food
b. salivation—since the UCR becomes the CS
c. bell—since the neutral stimulus becomes the CS
d. food—since the UCS becomes the CS
Answer: C
38. That which automatically causes a reflex response is called a(n):
a. unconditioned stimulus
b. unconditioned response
c. conditioned stimulus
d. conditioned response
Answer: A
39. In Pavlov’s study, the unconditioned stimulus was:
a. food
b. a tone (bell)
c. salivation
d. fear
Answer: A
40. A response that is inborn and automatically elicited by an unconditioned stimulus is called
a(n) ____ response.
a. learned
b. imprinted
c. unconditioned
d. neutral
Answer: C
41. The first time Mindy placed a piece of meat in her pet poodle’s mouth, the poodle
salivated. The poodle’s salivation is a(n):
a. conditioned response
b. conditioned stimulus
c. unconditioned response
d. unconditioned stimulus
Answer: C
42. The best example of an unconditioned response is:
a. an eye blink caused by a particle of dust
b. salivating while watching a food advertisement on TV
c. a knee jerk following the sound of a bell
d. feeling nervous while in the presence of an attractive member of the opposite sex
Answer: A
43. In Pavlov’s study, the unconditioned response was:
a. food
b. a tone (bell)
c. salivation
d. fear
Answer: C
44. Roy’s knee jerks the first time a psychologist taps it with a small hammer during an
experiment. The knee jerk is a(n):
a. unconditioned stimulus
b. conditioned response
c. unconditioned response
d. habit
Answer: C
45. Which of the following is an example of a reflex?
a. neutral stimulus
b. CS
CS
CR
c. UCR
UCS
d. UCS
UCR
Answer: D
46. In classical conditioning, the presentation of both neutral stimulus and UCS is called a:
a. trial
b. placebo
c. step
d. link
Answer: A
47. A farmer always uses the same squeaky wheelbarrow to carry feed out to his sheep. When
he does this, the sheep head for the feed trough in anticipation. In this example, noise of the
wheelbarrow would be a(n):
a. unconditioned stimulus
b. unconditioned response
c. conditioned stimulus
d. conditioned response
Answer: C
48. Eric takes part in an experiment where the sound of a bell immediately precedes a puff of
air to the eye that causes him to blink. After a few trials, Eric blinks as soon as he hears the
bell. The sound of the bell is a(n):
a. conditioned stimulus
b. unconditioned stimulus
c. conditioned response
d. unconditioned response
Answer: A
49. Jacob has a drinking problem and is given a drug that makes him feel nauseated when he
ingests alcohol. After becoming sick several times when having a beer at a bar after work,
Jacob becomes nauseated while driving past a bar. In this example, the bar can be considered
the:
a. unconditioned stimulus
b. unconditioned response
c. conditioned stimulus
d. conditioned response
Answer: C
50. Paul’s mother buys him a sailor’s cap before they go on a family fishing trip. On the boat,
Paul gets nauseated and throws up. The next day he gets nauseated when he sees his sailor’s
cap. The cap has become a(n):
a. conditioned stimulus
b. conditioned response
c. unconditioned stimulus
d. unconditioned response
Answer: A
51. If conditioning has taken place, the neutral stimulus becomes the:
a. unconditioned response
b. conditioned response
c. conditioned stimulus
d. operant
Answer: C
52. In Pavlov’s study, the conditioned stimulus was:
a. food
b. a tone (bell)
c. salivation
d. fear
Answer: B
53. Compared to the unconditioned response, the conditioned response is usually:
a. different in appearance
b. more intense
c. elicited by the unconditioned stimulus
d. smaller in magnitude
Answer: D
54. Debbie is in a traffic accident. As a result of the accident, she has become fearful of being
inside a car. Debbie’s fear is a(n):
a. conditioned response
b. conditioned stimulus
c. example of generalization
d. example of spontaneous recovery
Answer: A
55. In Pavlov’s study, the conditioned response was:
a. food
b. a tone (bell)
c. salivation
d. fear
Answer: C
56. The conditioned response is not as strong as the unconditioned response. What does that
mean in the context of Pavlov’s experiment?
a. The CR elicits a smaller amount of food.
b. The CS elicits a smaller amount of saliva.
c. The UCR elicits a smaller amount of saliva.
d. The UCS elicits a smaller amount of saliva.
Answer: B
57. What does the subject learn in classical conditioning?
a. CR predicts the UCS.
b. The neutral stimulus predicts the CR.
c. The UCS predicts the UCR.
d. The neutral stimulus predicts the UCS.
Answer: D
58. If you’ve been classically conditioned to salivate to a bell, you’ve learned that the:
a. food predicts the bell
b. reinforcement predicts salivating
c. the bell predicts food
d. food predicts salivating
Answer: C
59. Stimuli similar to, but not identical with, a conditioned stimulus elicit conditioned
responses through a process known as:
a. discrimination
b. generalization
c. recovery
d. extinction
Answer: B
60. After being classically conditioned to feel anxiety to aftershave, Carla finds that her
deodorant, which smells similar to the aftershave, can elicit similar feelings. This best
illustrates:
a. extinction
b. discrimination
c. recovery
d. generalization
Answer: D
61. Baby Alice is playing with a white bunny rabbit when a loud noise suddenly startles her,
and she begins to cry. Alice is later given a white cat to play with and begins crying again.
Her reaction to the white cat illustrates:
a. generalization
b. discrimination
c. spontaneous recovery
d. extinction
Answer: A
62. Your neighbor’s beagle chases Manny the mailman. The next day, Manny becomes scared
when he sees your cocker spaniel. Manny’s response to your spaniel is an example of:
a. imprinting
b. generalization
c. discrimination
d. unconditioned response
Answer: B
63. After her bad experience in the dentist’s office and smelling his aftershave, Carla also
became anxious when smelling hair shampoo that is similar to the aftershave. This is an
example of:
a. generalization
b. extinction
c. discrimination
d. spontaneous recovery
Answer: A
64. Pavlov’s dogs were conditioned to salivate to the sound of a bell. The dogs may have also
salivated to the telephone ringing. This is an example of:
a. discrimination
b. extinction
c. generalization
d. operant conditioning
Answer: C
65. According to Pavlov, generalization has:
a. little impact on conditioned response
b. little effect on emotional responses
c. adaptive value
d. been discarded as a reliable phenomenon
Answer: C
66. In classical conditioning, when an organism responds to some stimuli, but not to others,
the organism is demonstrating:
a. discrimination
b. generalization
c. spontaneous recovery
d. cognitive learning
Answer: A
67. The best example of stimulus discrimination in classical conditioning is:
a. a child learning to avoid rats but not hamsters
b. recognizing that a police siren sounding in San Diego, California, has a similar meaning to
one sounding in Erie, Pennsylvania
c. blinking when words similar to “chime” are spoken
d. refusing to eat Chinese food after associating it with feelings of nausea
Answer: A
68. Marsha feeds her dog Bubbles if Bubbles barks when the light is turned on, but not if the
light is turned off. Soon Bubbles barks only when the light is turned on. Bubbles is
exhibiting:
a. spontaneous recovery
b. extinction
c. generalization
d. discrimination
Answer: D
69. For some reason, Carla becomes anxious when she smells the aftershave “Old Spice” but
not other brands of aftershave. What is the reason for this difference?
a. generalization
b. spontaneous recovery
c. discrimination
d. extinction
Answer: C
70. If Pavlov’s dogs only salivated to a middle-pitch bell, but not to a high-pitch bell, then
this suggests ____ has taken place.
a. discrimination
b. extinction
c. generalization
d. spontaneous recovery
Answer: A
71. Discrimination is to ____ as generalization is to ____.
a. learned; unlearned
b. restrict; liberate
c. narrow; broad
d. reappear; disappear
Answer: C
72. Extinction, in classical conditioning terminology, refers to:
a. the generalization of a CR to many different stimuli, resulting in a constant UCR
b. the unlearning of a CR via counterconditioning
c. the disappearance of a CR when the CS is no longer paired with the UCS
d. the forgetting of a UCR after a long time has elapsed
Answer: C
73. A child falls off her bike and becomes afraid to ride. What is likely to occur if she tries to
take short, safe rides that do not result in her falling?
a. conditioned learning
b. extinction
c. discrimination
d. generalization
Answer: B
74. In an experiment in which tones are generally followed by a puff of air directed at the
subject’s eyes, repeated presentation of a tone without being followed by a puff of air on the
eye would probably result in:
a. classical conditioning
b. extinction
c. discrimination
d. generalization
Answer: B
75. Morty is involved in a car wreck on Interstate 15. The next day, he becomes anxious and
fretful when passing the spot of the accident. After several weeks of passing the spot every
day on the way to work, Morty’s negative reaction subsides. His anxiety has undergone:
a. discrimination
b. generalization
c. spontaneous recovery
d. extinction
Answer: D
76. You have classically conditioned your 3-year-old niece to shut her eyes in anticipation of
a puff of air. However, she has since learned that the CS no longer predicts the UCS and has
experienced extinction. What has happened?
a. She no longer shuts her eyes in response to the CS.
b. She no longer shuts her eyes in response to the UCS.
c. She shuts her eyes more rapidly now in response to the CS.
d. She no longer shuts her eyes in response to the UCR.
Answer: A
77. Spontaneous recovery is defined as the:
a. resultant product of cognitive learning
b. reappearance of an extinguished conditioned response
c. discrimination of certain stimuli from other similar stimuli
d. generalization of a response to other similar stimuli
Answer: B
78. At the beginning of his last vacation, Mike fell off a horse. He got right back in the
saddle, though, and overcame his apprehension. If Mike experiences spontaneous recovery
during his next vacation, he will:
a. experience some fear of horses
b. find that his riding skills have not left him
c. like horseback riding more than ever
d. demand that he ride the same horse again
Answer: A
79. “I thought I was over that feeling of nausea following my conditioning to pizza a couple
of months ago, but I guess not.” This best illustrates:
a. spontaneous recovery
b. partial extinction
c. extinction
d. cognitive learning
Answer: A
80. What concept refers to the usefulness of certain abilities that tend to increase an animal’s
chance of survival?
a. evolved utility
b. adaptive value
c. survival predisposition
d. unconditioned preparedness
Answer: B
81. The idea of bait shyness in some rats best relates to:
a. taste-aversion learning
b. instrumental conditioning
c. systematic desensitization
d. contiguity theory
Answer: A
82. Taste-aversion learning occurs when particular stimuli like the taste or smell of food are
associated with a(n):
a. conditioned stimulus
b. conditioned response
c. unpleasant response
d. relaxation response
Answer: C
83. “In elementary school, whenever anyone vomited, the janitor would sprinkle this pink
powder on it. Now whenever I smell that odor of the powder, I feel nauseated. I don’t like
smelling that pink powder.” This illustrates:
a. continuity theory
b. taste-aversion learning
c. bait shyness
d. phobic disorder
Answer: B
84. Last year, Bill came down with the flu the night after eating clam chowder soup. For
several weeks, he couldn’t think about clam chowder soup without feeling nauseated. Bill
experienced:
a. taste-aversion learning
b. trial learning
c. systematic desensitization
d. discrimination
Answer: A
85. Marie bakes a special muffin for Jack’s birthday. Jack eats it and gets sick. A year later,
Jack still will not eat Marie’s muffins. Jack’s behavior is an example of a(n):
a. unconditioned aversion
b. learned taste aversion
c. unconditioned response
d. imprinted response
Answer: B
86. When rats eat only enough poison to get sick and then learn to avoid that poison, ____ is
said to have occurred.
a. taste-aversion learning
b. aversive conditioning
c. poison-generalization effect
d. imprinting
Answer: A
87. On the positive side, taste-aversion learning may help us:
a. develop our taste for exotic foods
b. survive by avoiding plants or poisons that are harmful or lethal
c. discern foods that have poor nutritional value
d. remember what foods we do not prefer
Answer: B
88. Taste-aversion learning is not consistent with a long-standing belief regarding classical
conditioning. The belief was:
a. UCSs must be followed by UCRs
b. neutral stimulus could not elicit the CR
c. conditioning is only permanent if the CR is stronger than the UCR
d. conditioning could only take place after many trials and when the neutral stimulus was
closely followed by the UCR
Answer: D
89. Taste-aversion learning may occur:
a. without a NS being present
b. when the NS does not predict the UCS
c. when there is a delay between the NS and the UCR
d. when reinforcement is delayed
Answer: C
90. For some animals, certain combinations of conditioned and unconditioned stimuli that are
more easily associated are called:
a. species-specificity
b. preparedness
c. discrimination
d. classical conditioning
Answer: B
91. Rats are more likely to acquire taste aversion more easily to stimuli that involve:
a. movement
b. a variety of colors
c. smell and taste cues
d. visual cues
Answer: C
92. A “jackalope” has a very sophisticated sense of taste. If we wish to condition taste
aversion, we would expect greater success by using:
a. taste cues as stimuli
b. visual cues as stimuli
c. the process known as imprinting
d. gustatory behavior as responses
Answer: A
93. If coyotes acquire a taste aversion to sheep flesh, there will be a(n) ____ reduction in
sheep killing, according to research cited in the textbook.
a. 1–5%
b. 15–20%
c. 30–60%
d. 80–90%
Answer: C
94. For the blue jay, what example signals that a particular food is to be avoided:
a. the distinctive color pattern of monarch butterflies
b. the wing shape of monarch butterflies
c. a clicking sound made by a ground beetle
d. the sounds of a monarch butterfly flapping its wings
Answer: A
95. Blue jays develop ____ that keep them from eating monarch butterflies.
a. species-specificity
b. preparedness
c. discrimination
d. taste-aversion learning
Answer: D
96. School was not a very pleasant experience for Jose. He would often fail his assignments,
only to be put down by the teacher. Each time he sees a classroom, he feels fearful and
anxious. Jose is experiencing a(n):
a. spontaneous recovery
b. conditioned emotional response
c. flashback
d. UCR
Answer: B
97. Positive or negative feelings can be experienced when a stimulus is encountered that
initially accompanied a pleasant or painful event. This feeling is called a:
a. learned affect
b. mood-enhanced response
c. conditioned emotional response
d. phobia
Answer: C
98. Thelma has a classically conditioned fear of needles. If her brain was scanned, we would
find increased activation in the:
a. amygdala
b. thalamus
c. cerebellum
d. hippocampus
Answer: A
99. “Whenever I smell that perfume, I think of my grandmother and all of the wonderful
times we had together.” This best illustrates:
a. systematic desensitization
b. mood-enhanced response
c. conditioned emotional response
d. preparedness
Answer: C
100. While on the first date, Shelly tells Garrison that her father is a dentist. Suddenly
Garrison starts feeling bad. He looks pale and feels like he is going to pass out. What Shelly
does not know is that Garrison had a horrible experience with his last dentist involving a
botched root canal and a whole lot of pain. What accounts for Garrison’s unusual reaction?
a. conditioned emotional response
b. contiguity theory
c. stimulus replacement
d. spontaneous recovery
Answer: A
101. According to Module Nine, classical conditioning of the eye blink requires:
a. the cerebrum
b. the hippocampus
c. the cerebellum
d. the amygdala
Answer: C
102. For a conditioned emotional response to be acquired, particularly one involving fear, a
person would need:
a. a cerebellum
b. to first learn to relax, followed by creating an anxiety hierarchy
c. to experience stimulus substitution
d. an amygdala
Answer: D
103. Pavlov’s explanation of classical conditioning is called:
a. stimulus substitution
b. cognitive perspective
c. prediction theory
d. generalization theory
Answer: A
104. We could say that classical conditioning occurs because two stimuli are paired close
together in time. This theory is called the:
a. stimulus-substitution theory
b. cognitive perspective
c. prediction theory
d. contiguity theory
Answer: D
105. Professor Marsh argues that classical conditioning occurs because two stimuli are paired
closely together in time. Professor Marsh supports the ____ of classical conditioning.
a. stimulus-substitution theory
b. cognitive perspective
c. prediction theory
d. contiguity theory
Answer: D
106. Of the following words, which one is most descriptive of the contiguity theory of
classical conditioning?
a. substitute
b. time
c. predict
d. subtract
Answer: B
107. An organism learns a relationship between two stimuli, such that the occurrence of one
stimulus predicts the occurrence of another. This explanation is characteristic of:
a. stimulus-substitution theory
b. cognitive perspective
c. prediction theory
d. generalization theory
Answer: B
108. Of the following words, which one is most descriptive of the cognitive perspective of
classical conditioning?
a. substitute
b. time
c. predict
d. subtract
Answer: C
109. Psychologists now believe that classical conditioning is explained by:
a. two events occurring at the same time
b. one event predicting the occurrence of another
c. events being linked via cognitive processes that identify similarities between the events
d. the constant repetition of events, which fuses them together
Answer: B
110. Chipper, the family cocker spaniel, wags his tail when he hears Father’s car come up the
driveway. Psychologists believe that Chipper does this because:
a. Father must arrive home at the same time every day and Chipper’s internal clock triggers
his response
b. dogs will be aroused by any sounds originating from outside the house
c. he has a cognitive representation of his master and this thought causes him to wag his tail
d. the sound of the car predicts the entrance of his beloved master
Answer: D
111. A researcher presents an unconditioned stimulus first, which is followed by the neutral
stimulus. The researcher is practicing:
a. backward conditioning
b. classical conditioning
c. operant conditioning
d. stimulus generalization
Answer: A
112. The fact that backward conditioning does not usually result in classical conditioning
supports:
a. emotional-conditioned response
b. the contiguity theory
c. the cognitive perspective
d. stimulus generalization
Answer: C
113. Who was responsible for the classical conditioning of Little Albert?
a. John Watson and Rosalie Rayner
b. B. F. Skinner and John Watson
c. Albert Bandura and John Garcia
d. Robert Kramer and Robert Rescorla
Answer: A
114. The case of Little Albert provides dramatic insight into ____ through ____.
a. intelligence; systematic desensitization
b. memory development; classical conditioning
c. the development of emotional response; classical conditioning
d. the dangers of poor attachment; the law of stimulus-response
Answer: C
115. Using the example of Little Albert, which of the following is incorrect?
a. neutral stimulus—white rat
b. UCS—loud noise
c. UCR—crying
d. CR—white rat
Answer: D
116. In the case of Little Albert, the ____ was the neutral stimulus and a loud noise was the
____.
a. startle/cry; UCR
b. food; CS
c. white rat; UCS
d. salivation; UCS
Answer: C
117. The significance of the Watson and Rayner study with Little Albert is that it:
a. led to stringent ethical guidelines regarding the use of children in research
b. demonstrated that emotional responses could be classically conditioned
c. assisted in the decline of behaviorism in American psychology
d. helped identify common problems in language development among infants
Answer: B
118. Little Albert showed fear of anything resembling a white rat. This is an example of ____.
a. generalization
b. systematic desensitization
c. extinction
d. stimulus-response
Answer: A
119. _____ is an unfair, biased, or intolerant attitude toward another group of people.
a. A stereotype
b. Discrimination
c. Conformity
d. Prejudice
Answer: D
120. When children, both black and white, were exposed to black dolls and white dolls, both
sets of kids described the black dolls using which of the following words?
a. ugly
b. dishonest
c. stringy
d. stupid
Answer: A
121. According to your authors, the conditioning of racial prejudice can take place through all
but which of the following mechanisms?
a. direct experiences
b. innate experiences
c. observational experiences
d. verbal experiences
Answer: B
122. Anticipatory nausea:
a. immediately follows a chemotherapy treatment
b. happens during chemotherapy treatment
c. is easy to treat and control with medication
d. often occurs before chemotherapy treatment
Answer: D
123. By the fourth injection, ____ of patients who receive chemotherapy experience
anticipatory nausea.
a. 25–35%
b. 60–70%
c. 75%
d. 95%
Answer: A
124. In the case of anticipatory nausea, the neutral stimulus is ____ and the UCR could be
____.
a. the nurse’s voice; chemotherapy
b. nausea; chemotherapy
c. chemotherapy; aftershave
d. the smell of the treatment room; nausea
Answer: D
125. In the case of anticipatory nausea, the UCS is ____ and the CS could be ____.
a. the nurse’s voice; chemotherapy
b. nausea; chemotherapy
c. chemotherapy; the smell of the treatment room
d. the waiting room; nausea
Answer: C
126. The procedure that pairs a relaxation response with stimuli that elicit unpleasant feelings
is called:
a. spontaneous recovery
b. systematic desensitization
c. operant conditioning
d. stimulus discrimination
Answer: B
127. Of the following words, which one best describes systematic desensitization?
a. learn
b. stimulus
c. uncondition
d. acquire
Answer: C
128. Which is not a step in the systematic desensitization procedure?
a. observing a model who is coping with the feared stimulus
b. learning to relax
c. developing an anxiety hierarchy
d. imagining fearful stimuli and remaining relaxed
Answer: A
129. Systematic desensitization is effective because it:
a. leads to spontaneous recovery
b. causes the UCS to be extinguished
c. uses operant conditioning to modify behavior
d. replaces fear with relaxation
Answer: D
130. Systematic desensitization is based upon the principles of:
a. classical conditioning
b. operant conditioning
c. stimulus substitution
d. cognitive learning
Answer: A
131. Of the following situations, which one would be best treated with systematic
desensitization?
a. Kevin has a habit of biting his fingernails.
b. Patrick has a fear of speaking in public.
c. Tommy misbehaves in class when the teacher is giving instructions.
d. Karol has great difficulty managing her time.
Answer: B
132. In a study that examined preference for Coke or Pepsi, what happened in the subjects’
brain as the colas were presented anonymously?
a. the areas that process visual stimuli become active
b. there was an increase in activity across the corpus callosum
c. areas that process language were activated
d. pleasure centers were activated
Answer: D
133. Module 9 describes a study that examined brain activity among subjects participating in
a taste test of Coke and Pepsi. Of those subjects with an expressed preference for Coke, what
occurred when they knowingly drank Coke?
a. areas of the brain involved in memory were activated
b. subjects changed their preference to Pepsi
c. their preference for Coke became stronger
d. areas of the brain involved in memory became less active
Answer: A
134. Based on research described in Module 9, why might warning labels on cigarette packs
be ineffective in deterring smoking?
a. the labels are not read
b. they can stimulate pleasure areas of the brain that trigger craving
c. the print is too small
d. labels are not strategically placed on the packs
Answer: B
TRUE/FALSE
1. Learning is defined as a relatively permanent change in behavior that results from
maturation.
Answer: False
2. In classical conditioning, the neutral stimulus triggers the conditioned response.
Answer: False
3. In classical conditioning, the UCS triggers the UCR.
Answer: True
4. In classical conditioning, the NS is paired with the UCS.
Answer: True
5. In classical conditioning, the UCS and CS are usually similar.
Answer: False
6. Following classical conditioning, the CS elicits the UCR.
Answer: False
7. If a dog that was classically conditioned to salivate to a bell, salivates to a buzzer, then
generalization is said to have occurred.
Answer: True
8. When the CS no longer elicits the CR, spontaneous recovery has taken place.
Answer: False
9. Extinction occurs when the CS no longer elicits the CR.
Answer: True
10. When a CR reappears after extinction has taken place, spontaneous recovery occurs.
Answer: True
11. The CR following spontaneous recovery is usually the same magnitude as the original CR
was before extinction.
Answer: False
12. Rats acquire taste-aversion easily when visual stimuli are used.
Answer: False
13. Animals are more likely to associate some stimuli more easily than others; this is called
preparedness.
Answer: True
14. All stimuli have an equal chance of becoming conditioned stimuli.
Answer: False
15. If you start getting anxious when thinking about a flu shot, you are experiencing a
conditioned emotional response.
Answer: True
16. According to stimulus substitution, the NS predicts the UCS.
Answer: False
17. The contiguity theory focuses on the close pairing of the NS and UCS.
Answer: True
18. According to the cognitive perspective, Pavlov’s dogs learn that the NS predicts the UCS.
Answer: True
19. In Little Albert’s case, the rat was the NS.
Answer: True
20. Anticipatory nausea occurs because the individual associates the smells, sounds, and
sights related to treatment with nausea induced by chemotherapy.
Answer: True
21. In systematic desensitization, the individual’s fear is conditioned.
Answer: False
22. The last step in systematic desensitization is to imagine a stressful situation while
remaining relaxed.
Answer: True
23. When Pepsi and Coke are presented anonymously to subjects, most subjects prefer Pepsi.
Answer: False
24. If you prefer Coke over Pepsi, you’re likely to prefer a labeled drink of Coke versus an
unlabeled drink of Coke.
Answer: True
Test Bank for Introduction to Psychology
Rod Plotnik, Haig Kouyoumdjian
9781133939535, 9781305008113, 9781285061306
