EPPP Practice Questions: Learning and Memory Flashcards
Variable A is paired with Variable B so that, eventually, the response automatically
produced by Variable A is also produced by Variable B. Then, Variable B is paired with
Variable C so that it too produces the same response. When Variable B is paired with
Variable C, Variable B is being treated as a(n):
a. conditioned stimulus.
b. unconditioned stimulus.
c. secondary reinforcer.
d. primary reinforcer.
b. unconditioned stimulus
The technique described in the question is known as higher-order conditioning. When the
original CS (Variable B) is paired with a second CS (Variable C), the original CS is acting as a
US.
Research using the dismantling strategy suggests that the benefits of systematic desensitization are due to: a. counterconditioning. b. extinction. c. fading. d. trace conditioning.
b. extinction
Although systematic desensitization is based on counterconditioning, research using a
dismantling strategy suggests that its effects are actually due to exposure to the CS without
the US (i.e., classical extinction).
Use of Wolpe’s “reciprocal inhibition” involves:
a. pairing anxiety-inducing stimuli with relaxation.
b. pairing an undesirable behavior with an aversive stimulus.
c. replacing external attributions with internal attributions.
d. narrowing the cues that trigger the target response.
a. pairing anxiety-inducing stimuli with relaxation
Reciprocal inhibition is used to reduce fear and anxiety responses and involves pairing
stimuli that evoke fear with stimuli that produce relaxation or another incompatible
response.
When using in vivo aversion therapy to eliminate a client’s shoe fetish, an electric shock
or other unpleasant stimulus acts as a(n):
a. negative punisher.
b. positive punisher.
c. conditioned stimulus.
d. unconditioned stimulus.
d. unconditioned stimulus.
In this situation, the shoe is the conditioned stimulus (CS) and will be paired with electric
shock or other stimulus that naturally produces an unpleasant reaction so that, eventually,
the shoe also produces the unpleasant reaction. The electric shock or other stimulus that
naturally produces an unpleasant reaction is the unconditioned stimulus (US).
In the context of operant conditioning, “fading” refers to which of the following?
a. the gradual reduction of reinforcement
b. the gradual removal of prompts
c. a reduced response to punishment
d. the elimination of stimulus generalization
b. the gradual removal of prompts
When teaching a new response, nonverbal and verbal prompts may be used to help elicit that
response. Because the ultimate goal is for the response to occur independently, prompts are
gradually removed once the response is well-established. This procedure is referred to as
fading. For the exam, you want to be sure not to confuse fading with thinning, which refers to
a reduction in reinforcement.
Which of the following is an example of negative reinforcement?
a. A truck driver stops speeding after receiving her third ticket for driving over the speed
limit.
b. A child keeps whining because of the negative attention he receives whenever he does
so.
c. A college student cleans his dorm room in order to keep his roommate from nagging
him about how sloppy he is.
d. A boy stops fighting with his sister because, whenever he fights with her, his parents
subtract 50 cents from his weekly allowance.
c. a college student cleans his dorm room to keep his roommate from nagging him about
how sloppy he is
Negative reinforcement is occurring when a behavior is performed (increases) to escape or
avoid a stimulus. In this case, the student cleans his room to avoid his roommate’s nagging.
Negative reinforcement, like positive reinforcement, results in an increase in a behavior. In
responses “a” and “d”, a behavior is not being performed (i.e., is decreasing) because of the
consequences. Both of these situations are examples of punishment. Response “b” is an
example of positive reinforcement: The boy’s whining is increasing because of the stimulus
that is applied following the whining.
Skinner attributed the “superstitious” behaviors of his experimental animals to which of the following? a. successive approximation conditioning b. higher-order conditioning c. accidental reinforcement d. overcorrection
c. accidental reinforcement
Skinner found that the odd behaviors exhibited by pigeons in his study were the result of
accidental pairing of reinforcers with those behaviors. For example, if a pigeon was
accidentally reinforced with food while it was pecking at the floor, it would continue pecking
at the floor even though it had never been deliberately reinforced for doing so. Skinner
concluded that the superstitious behaviors of humans can be attributed to accidental
reinforcement.
The parents of a 7-month-old complain that he whines constantly and that he will only
stop whining when they pick him up. The psychologist tells them to stop picking the boy up
when he whines. When the parents do so, which of the following is most likely to occur?
a. The child’s whining will gradually decrease.
b. The child’s whining will first increase, then decrease.
c. The child’s whining will continue to increase.
d. The child’s whining will be replaced by another undesirable behavior.
b. The child’s whining will first increase, then decrease.
Use of extinction to eliminate a previously reinforced response often results in a temporary
extinction (response) burst.
You reward a child whenever he does not exhibit the target behavior but, instead,
engages in other activities during a prespecified period of time. This is called:
a. response cost.
b. overcorrection.
c. time out.
d. differential reinforcement.
d. differential reinforcement
Differential reinforcement for other behaviors (D.R.O.) involves reinforcing a person when
he/she exhibits other, alternative behaviors to the target behavior during a prespecified period
of time (e.g., every 10 minutes).
Mrs. Ichthys teaches her son to feed his pet goldfish by first showing him how to put the
fish food into the aquarium. Once the boy has mastered that task, she teaches him to open
the container of fish food and then put it into the aquarium. Finally, she teaches her son to
open the cupboard, take out the container of fish food, open it, and put the food into the
aquarium. The procedure that Mrs. Ichthys has used is best described as:
a. backward chaining.
b. forward chaining.
c. stimulus control training.
d. sequential training.
a. backward chaining
Mrs. Ichthys’s son has been taught a complex behavior by teaching him the individual
responses in the “behavior chain.” Since Mrs. Ichthys has started with the last behavior and
“worked backward” from there, this is best described as an example of backward chaining.
In their revision of the learned helplessness model of depression, Abramson, Metalsky, and Alloy (1989) emphasize the role of: a. punishment. b. internal attributions. c. feelings of hopelessness. d. genetic predisposition.
c. feelings of hopelessness
In their version of the learned helplessness hypothesis, Abramson et al. de-emphasize the role
of attributions (emphasized in the previous version) and emphasize the role of hopelessness
in the development of depression.
When relying on the therapeutic approach of Beck, a cognitive therapist would emphasize use of which of the following? a. circular questioning b. Socratic questioning c. deflection d. positioning
b. Socratic questioning
An essential technique in Beck’s cognitive therapy is guided discovery, which makes use of
Socratic questioning that is designed to help the individual identify the impact of cognitions
on emotions and behavior.
As described by Beck, automatic thoughts involve:
a. interpreting experiences in patterned, reflexive ways.
b. enduring schemas that have been repeatedly reinforced.
c. “shoulds,” “musts,” or “oughts.”
d. seeing causal connections between unrelated events.
a. interpreting experiences in patterned, reflexive ways
As the name implies, automatic thoughts are automatic or reflexive. They also have an
interpretive (evaluative) component – e.g., “this is awful.”
The three overlapping stages of Meichenbaum’s stress inoculation training are:
a. formulation, problem focus, and termination.
b. self-monitoring, self-evaluation, and self-reinforcement.
c. cognitive modeling, overt instruction, and covert instruction.
d. education, skills acquisition, and application.
d. education, skills acquisition, and application.
Unfortunately, the names given to the three stages of stress inoculation vary somewhat in the
literature. The first stage is referred to as the education, conceptualization, or cognitive
phase; the second stage as the skills application or training phase or the skills acquisition
and rehearsal phase; and the third phase as the application or application and follow-through
phase.
Thermal biofeedback would be most effective as a treatment for:
a. hyperventilation.
b. Raynaud’s disease.
c. stuttering.
d. Gerstmann’s syndrome.
b. Raynaud’s disease
Raynaud’s disease is a disorder of the blood vessels that limits circulation to certain areas of
the body (usually the fingers and toes). Thermal (temperature) biofeedback has been found to
be an effective treatment for this disorder.
