Chapter 5: Learning (Critical Thinking Activity = 15 points)

Use the crossword puzzle to fill in the blanks on the next page(s). (You do NOT
need to actually write your answers in the boxes here).

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 Chapter 5: Learning (Critical Thinking Activity = 15 points)

Part 1—Knowing Key Terms (3 points):

Fill in the blanks from the crossword puzzle above using key terms from the
textbook and/or lecture notes.

Across
4. learning that remains hidden until its application becomes useful.- Latent
learning
6. classical conditioning of a reflex response or emotion by watching the reaction of
another person.- Vicarious conditioning
9. any event or object that, when following a response, increases the likelihood of that
response occurring again.- Reinforcer
10. the use of feedback about biological conditions to bring involuntary responses such
as blood pressure and relaxation under voluntary control.- Biofeedback
11. the reinforcement of a response by the addition or experiencing of a pleasure
stimulus.- Positive reinforcement
13. the strengthening of a response that occurs when that response is followed by a
pleasurable consequence.- Reinforcement
14. any behavior that is voluntary.- Operant
15. any event or object that, when following a response, makes that response less likely
to happen again.- Punishment
16. the disappearance or weakening of a learned response.- Extinction
17. stimulus that has no effect on the desired response.- Neutral stimulus
18. type of behavior modification in which desired behavior is rewarded with tokens.-
Token economy

Down
1. the tendency to fail to act to escape from a situation because of a history of repeated
failures in the past.- Learned helplessness
2. learning to make a reflex response to a stimulus other than the original, natural
stimulus that normally produces the reflex.- Classical conditioning
3. the use of operant conditioning techniques to bring about desired changes in
behavior.- Behavior modification
5. the reinforcement of simple steps in behavior that lead to a desired, more complex
behavior.- Shaping
7. learned reflex response to a conditioned stimulus.- Conditioned response
8. the sudden perception of relationships among various parts of a problem, allowing
the solution to the problem to come quickly.- Insight
12. the reinforcement of each and every correct response.- Continuous
reinforcement

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 Chapter 5: Learning (Critical Thinking Activity = 15 points)

Part 2—Comprehending, Analyzing, and Applying Concepts (3 points):

Understanding Classical Conditioning: For each example given, identify the
unconditioned stimulus (US), unconditioned response (UR), conditioned stimulus
(CS) and conditioned response (CR):

1. When Trudy was four, Trudy did not have any particular reaction to, or interest in,
yardsticks. From the time she was five, until she was eight, Trudy’s parents beat
her with a yardstick. Trudy was very upset every time she was beaten. Now
Trudy becomes very upset every time she sees a yardstick.

US: Getting beaten with a yardstick CS: the yardstick

UR: She gets upset CR: She gets upset

2. Joanne was deeply in love with her boyfriend. Even though they were only
together for three days, she desperately wanted to marry him. Feeling
suffocated by the relationship, her boyfriend broke up with her by leaving a
voicemail on her cell phone, while playing the song “Over You”, by Chris
Daughtry, in the background. Joanne listened to the message over and over
again and cried every time she heard it. Now, every time she hears any song by
Chris Daughtry, Joanne feels sad and cries.

US = broking up CS = over you

UR = Sad and cries CR = sand and cries

The fact that Joanne cries whenever she hears any song by Chris Daughtry (not
just “Over You”) is an example of:
classical conditioning

3. As part of a fraternity hazing ritual, every time one of the fraternity brothers said
the word “love”, Alex was punched in the shoulder. In order to brace himself for
the impact, Alex flinched every time he was punched. Last night, Alex’s girlfriend
told him that she loved him and Alex flinched. She told him she loved him a few
more times that evening (without punching him in the shoulder) and Alex
eventually stopped flinching.

US = was punched CS = say love

UR = flinched CR = flinched

The fact that Alex no longer flinched when with his girlfriend is an example of:
classical conditionting

4. The first time Jackie went to the dentist, she had several cavities that needed to
be drilled and filled. Every time the dentist drilled a tooth, Jackie cringed.
Because the experience was so unpleasant, now Jackie cringes every time she
hears the sound of the drill.

Cringing in response to the sound of the drill = CR Drilling the

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 Chapter 5: Learning (Critical Thinking Activity = 15 points)

tooth = US
Cringing in response to the drilling of the tooth = UR Sound of the drill =
CS

Part 3—Comprehending, Analyzing, and Applying Concepts (3 points):

Reinforcement vs. Punishment: For each example presented below, identify

whether positive reinforcement (PR), negative reinforcement (NR), or punishment
(PUN) is illustrated by placing the appropriate abbreviation in the blank next to
the item.

PR 1. Police pulling drivers over and giving prizes for buckling up

PUN 2. Suspending a basketball player for committing a flagrant foul

PUN 3. A soccer player rolls her eyes at a teammate who delivered a bad pass

NR 4. A child snaps her fingers until her teacher calls on her

PR 5. A hospital patient is allowed extra visiting time after eating a complete meal

PR 6. Receiving a city utility discount for participating in a recycling program

NR 7. Grounding a teenager until his or her homework is finished

PUN 8. Scolding a child for playing in the street

PUN 9. A prisoner loses TV privileges for one week for a rule violation

NR 10. A parent nagging a child to clean up her room

NR 11. A rat presses a lever to terminate a shock or a loud tone

PR 12. A professor gives extra credit to students with perfect attendance

PUN 13. A dog is banished to his doghouse after soiling the living room carpet

NR 14. A defendant is harassed and tortured until he confesses

PR 15. A young child receives $5 for earning good grades in school

PR 16. A mother smiles when her child utters "Mama"

PUN 17. A child is put into "time out" for misbehaving

PR 18. Employee of the month gets a reserved parking space

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 Chapter 5: Learning (Critical Thinking Activity = 15 points)

PUN 19. At a party, a husband becomes sullen when his wife flirts with a
colleague

PR 20. A woman watching a football game offers her child candy to play quietly

Part 4—Comprehending, Analyzing, and Applying Concepts (3 points):

Learning Self Test: For each situation below, indicate whether it is an example of:
Classical Conditioning; Operant Conditioning; Insight; or Observational Learning

1. Susie is a four-year-old child. One day she watches her mother vacuum the
living room. Her mother comments to Susie, “Doesn’t the living room look nice
now that I’ve cleaned it?” The next day, her mother finds Susie “vacuuming” the
living room with her toy vacuum.
observatioal learning

2. You are thinking of asking the teacher for an extension on your paper. Just as
you are about to go up to the teacher, another student approaches the teacher
with the same request. The teacher appears angry, and very loudly and rudely
turns down the student’s request for an extension. You decide not to ask for an
extension.
observational learning

3. Until she was eight, Barbara liked cats. When she was eight, she was bitten
through the hand by a cat as she tried to get it out from under a bed. This was
an upsetting experience. Since that time, Barbara experiences anxiety whenever
she is near a cat.
classical conditioning

4. Alison, age four, needs to learn to speak up louder in class. Her parents and
teacher agree that whenever Alison speaks up loudly in class, she will get a star
on her chart. Whenever she accumulates 25 stars, she will get to go to Baskin-
Robbins for ice cream. Alison starts speaking up in class more frequently.
operant conditions

5. Scott, age six, has difficulty in reaching clothes hanging from the clothes bar in
his closet because the clothes bar is too high. He figures out that if hangers
simply had longer necks, he would be able to manage with the clothes bar at the
current height. Working with his father, he creates a set of long-necked hangers
and enters them in the “Invent America” contest at his school.
insight

6. Tom is hammering nails into planks to build a fence. He experiments with

holding the nail a different way and immediately hits his thumb with the hammer.
OUCH! He continues his work, but he never holds the nail that way again.

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operant conditioning

7. It is summer time. Sarah and Jeremy are in love. They enjoy being together and
are thoroughly relaxed and content in each other’s presence. The hit song that
summer is “Buckets of Love” and they hear that song a lot when they are
together. At the end of the summer, they have to return to their separate
colleges, which are quite far apart. That fall, every time Sarah hears the tune
“Buckets of Love,” she experiences the same feelings of relaxation and
contentment that she felt when she was with Jeremy.
classical conditioning

Part 5—Synthesizing and Evaluating Concepts (3 points):

Using your knowledge from the textbook and/or lecture notes, answer each
question by typing your response in the space provided below. For each question,
your answer should be one or more healthy paragraphs (Your total answer
should be at least 50 words or more).

1. Compare and contrast classical and operant conditioning. How are they similar?
How are they different? Make sure to describe relevant terms from each type of
learning.

Classical conditions include associating involuntary responses with stimuli,

while operator conditions are associating voluntary behaviors and
consequences. In the adjustment of operational conditions, learners will
also be rewarded. For example, when trainers train animals, they will give
food if they do well. The classical conditions do not include this inducement.

2. Define learning. Given this definition, what types of behaviors would not be
considered learning? How does the concept of instinctive drift relate to these
examples? What types of behaviors would be included?

The definition of learning is the acquisition of knowledge or skills through

experience, study, or by being taught. Things that do not require experience
and practice cannot be called learning. For example, smelling an unpleasant
smell will make you sick. Instinctive drift is an animal's tendency towards
unconscious and automatic behaviors, which can interfere with behaviors
learned from operational adjustments. You can't stop others from vomiting
when they smell nausea.

3. Explain what learned helplessness is and describe how it develops. Also discuss
the effects it has on people and animals once it is established.

When animals are repeatedly subjected to unavoidable aversion stimuli,

they will feel helpless in learning. When people feel unable to control their
situation, they may begin to behave helplessly. This inaction can cause
people to ignore relief or opportunities for change. Eventually, people will

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stop struggling and show a situation similar to depression, which may

eventually lead to irreparable extreme situations.

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