Learning - Psychology 53.1
Dr. Delamater
Sample Multiple Choice Questions - Exam  #1

1.  Descartes...
    a.  offered a mechanistic explanation for mind.
    b.  discussed mind in terms of the same principles used to discuss the body.
    c.  discussed mind in terms of a non-physical substance (soul) and body in terms of the deterministic laws of the physical world.
    d.  discussed mind in terms of the deterministic laws of the physical world and body in terms of a non-physical substance.

2.  When shock has been used to increase the rats startle response to a tone on the very first trial, we say that the shock has _________  the rats response to tone.
    a.  extinguished
    b.  sensitized
    c.  dishabituated
    d.  conditioned

3.  Suppose that an animal experienced tone-shock pairings, and that the tone later decreased food-reinforced lever pressing.  This result could imply that Pavlovian conditioning results in the attachment of some emotional state to the tone, such as fear.  It might also indicate that Pavlovian conditioning merely results in the attachment of some competing response tendency to the tone, such as freezing.  The first interpretation is strengthened by the observation that...
    a.  the tone also decreases the rate of shock avoidance responding.
    b.  the tone also increases the rate of shock avoidance responding.
    c.  the tone has no affect on shock avoidance responding.
    d.  lever pressing can be trained both to avoid shock and to obtain food.

4.  In the CER paradigm, which of the following suppression ratios indicates the most amount of learning?
    a.  0.50
    b. 0.25
    c. 0.75
    d. 0.05

5.  The Pavlovian conditioned inhibition procedure entails intermixing...
    a.  tone -> food with tone+light -> no food trials.
    b.  tone -> no food with tone+light -> food trials.
    c.  tone -> no food with tone+light -> no food trials.
    d.  tone -> food with tone+light -> food trials.

6.  Backward conditioning is whenÖ
     a.  The CS is presented after the US.
     b.  The CS and US occur at the same time.
     c.  The US occurs at the end of the CS.
     d.  The US occurs after a brief interval following the offset of the CS.

7.  Your friend is afraid of dogs because he was bitten as a child.  One day while he was playing catch in a park, a pack of dogs wandered into his view (but they did not bite or attack him).  Now he avoids parks, but not other public places.  His change in behavior is likely due to
    a.  habituation.
    b.  sensitization.
    c.  second-order conditioning.
    d.  dishabituation.