Learning and Conditioning

Question 1

Explain the five major learning theories in psychology [5]

Answer 1

Cognitive: Your expectations and emotions from what you already know determine your learning behaviour.

Biological: Your biology (e.g. brain, genetics, hormones) determines your thoughts, moods and action.

Psychodynamics: Early conscious and subconscious childhood experiences determine your learning behaviour.

Humanistic: Individual’s desire to discover knowledge and understanding

Behavioural: Environmental stimuli influence your learning behaviour.

Question 2

Describe observational learning [1]

Answer 2

Process of learning through watching others, retain the information, and then replicate the observed behaviours.

Question 3

In an experiment to condition a dog to salivate, pre-conditioning what term is used to describe the bell ringing? [1]

Answer 3

Neutral stimulus

Question 4

Pavlovs dogs is an example of what type of conditioning? [1]

Observational learning
Classical conditioning
Operant conditioning
Emotional conditioning

Answer 4

Classical conditioning

Question 5

You got scared when a dog barked angrily at you entering his owners house. What term is used to describe the dog barking?

Conditional response
Conditional stimulus
Natural reflex
Unconditional stimulus
Unconditional response

Answer 5

Unconditional stimulus (expect to be scared)

Question 6

You got scared when a dog barked angrily at you entering his owners house. What term is used to describe the dog barking? [1]

Question 7

Define emotional conditioning

Answer 7

A form of classical conditioning in which a subject associates a perceptual information
(e.g. see, hear) to an emotional response (e.g. happiness, anxiety, sadness, pain).

Question 8

Stage fright is an example of

Observational learning
Classical conditioning
Operant conditioning
Emotional conditioning

Answer 8

Stage fright is an example of

Observational learning
Classical conditioning
Operant conditioning
Emotional conditioning

Question 9

Can phobias (irrational fear) be learned by human emotion (emotional conditioning?)

Answer 9

Little Albert experiment:

Exposed child to animals and showed no fear

Then did same but with loud bang - made him cry :(

Re-exposed to animals: scared

Question 10

What is the term given for learning phobias?

Answer 10

Conditioning

Question 11

What term is given for the fur coat after Albert was conditioned?

Conditional response
Conditional stimulus
Natural reflex
Unconditional stimulus
Unconditional response

Answer 11

What term is given for the fur coat after Albert was conditioned?

Conditional response
Conditional stimulus
Natural reflex
Unconditional stimulus
Unconditional response

Question 12

Define operant conditioning [1]

Define operant

Answer 12

If a behaviour is followed
by a positive/negative response, then that behaviour will be repeated/discontinued.

Operant: ‘any active behaviour that operates upon the environment to generate consequences’.

Question 13

Skinners box demonstrates that animals have

Observational learning
Classical conditioning
Operant conditioning
Emotional conditioning

Answer 13

Skinners box demonstrates that animals have

Observational learning
Classical conditioning
Operant conditioning
Emotional conditioning

Question 14

Operant conditioning

Define:

Generalization & Discrimination

Extinction

Spontaneous recovery

Answer 14

Generalization & Discrimination: Provide a similar response when responding to a ‘similar’ stimuli. (e.g. Little Albert scared of a fur coat)

Extinction: Disappearance of learned response due to removal of reinforcement (e.g. rat stop pressing when no food is served)

Spontaneous recovery: Reappearance of a certain conditioned response following a break period after extinction. (e.g. rat will press lever after a 3 months break)

Question 15

Name two examples of chemical aversion therapy

Answer 15

Chemical Aversion (emetic) therapy for alcohol use disorder

Unpleasant tasting substance on fingernails to stop nail-biting

Question 16

What is the term give for the horrible tasting substance used to avoid onychiphagia?

Conditional response
Conditional stimulus
Natural reflex
Unconditional stimulus
Unconditional response

Answer 16

What is the term give for the horrible tasting substance used to avoid onychiphagia?

Conditional response
Conditional stimulus
Natural reflex
Unconditional stimulus
Unconditional response (know it causes nasty taste)

Question 17

Describe flooding therapy [1]

Answer 17

Actual exposure to the stimulus or its image of fear (e.g. arachnophobic patient locked in a room full of spiders for 2 hours).

Question 18

Describe implosion therapy [1]

Answer 18

Implosion therapy: No direct contact to the stimulus of fear (e.g. imagine a spider). Then the imagined scene is exaggerated by the therapist (e.g. imagine spiders crawling out of your mouth).

Question 19

Describe Systematic desensitization (Relaxation)

Answer 19

Behaviourist’s learning theory is abnormal behaviour has been learned, so concentrate on unlearning
this negative behaviour by replacing one response (e.g. anxiety) with another response (e.g. relaxation).

Question 20

Explain the three stages of systematic desenitisation

Answer 20

Stage 1 (Relaxation): Patient taught deep muscle relaxation/meditation.

Stage 2 (fear hierarchy): Patient create a ranked list of fear hierarchy (i.e. least fear to the most fear).

Stage 3 (Exposure): Over a period of time, patient are exposed to the fear with the least fear first. Relaxation/meditation are used to overcome the fear. Once surpassed fear, patient moves to the next fear level. If patient is too upset, then return back to the earlier step.

Question 21

Describe target economy

Answer 21

Targeted behaviours using tokens (secondary reinforcer) and later exchanged for reward
(primary reinforcer).

Question 22

Describe contingency management [2]

Answer 22

Utilizes a formal written contract between patient and therapist.

Outlines an agreement in the behavioural change goals, reinforcements, rewards that will be given, and penalties for failing.

Question 23

Describe extinction

Answer 23

Produce behaviour change by stopping the reinforcing behaviour in order to remove the response.