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Quizzes > Health & Medicine > Psychology & Mental Health

Test Your Psychology Skills: Conditioning & Learning Quiz

Ready for a Latent Inhibition Quiz? Test Associative Learning Skills!

Difficulty: Moderate
2-5mins
Learning OutcomesCheat Sheet
Paper art illustration for a Conditioning and Learning Quiz on a sky blue background

Ready to explore behaviorism? Our free conditioning and learning quiz combines latent inhibition quiz questions with engaging associative learning test challenges. Whether you're a psychology enthusiast or a student, you'll deepen your understanding through our learning and conditioning practice quiz and explore key scenarios in our operant and classical conditioning quiz . This psychology learning quiz is your gateway to mastering behavioral conditioning quiz essentials. Don't wait - challenge yourself now and think like a true behaviorist!

Who is credited with founding classical conditioning through experiments with dogs?
Ivan Pavlov
Robert Rescorla
B.F. Skinner
John Watson
Ivan Pavlov discovered classical conditioning by pairing a neutral stimulus (like a bell) with an unconditioned stimulus (food) and observing salivation in dogs. His work laid the foundation for behaviorism and associative learning in psychology. Pavlov's experiments showed how behaviors could be classically conditioned in animals. Learn more about Pavlov's experiments.
In classical conditioning, a neutral stimulus that comes to elicit a response after pairing with an unconditioned stimulus is called what?
Unconditioned stimulus
Neutral response
Conditioned stimulus
Unconditioned response
After repeated pairings with an unconditioned stimulus, a previously neutral stimulus becomes the conditioned stimulus (CS) and elicits a conditioned response. This change defines the core of classical conditioning. The CS signals that the unconditioned stimulus is about to occur. More on conditioned stimuli.
Which term describes a stimulus that automatically elicits a response without prior learning?
Unconditioned stimulus
Conditioned response
Neutral stimulus
Conditioned stimulus
An unconditioned stimulus (US) naturally and automatically triggers an unconditioned response (UR) without any prior conditioning. For example, food automatically causes salivation in dogs. It's innate and does not require learning. Understanding the unconditioned stimulus.
In operant conditioning, what term describes the process of adding a desirable stimulus to increase a behavior?
Positive punishment
Positive reinforcement
Negative reinforcement
Negative punishment
Positive reinforcement involves presenting a rewarding stimulus immediately after a behavior, which increases the likelihood of that behavior occurring again. B.F. Skinner's research demonstrated how reinforcement shapes behavior. For instance, giving a treat for a desired action is positive reinforcement. Learn more about positive reinforcement.
What is latent inhibition in classical conditioning?
Rapid conditioning of a new stimulus after prior training
Accelerated extinction of a conditioned response
Enhanced learning of a pre-exposed stimulus
Impaired conditioning of a familiar stimulus after repeated nonreinforced exposures
Latent inhibition occurs when prior exposure to a neutral stimulus without the unconditioned stimulus retards subsequent conditioning to that stimulus. The learner learns that it's irrelevant and pays less attention, hence conditioning is slower. It demonstrates the role of attention in associative learning. Explore latent inhibition.
The conditioned response (CR) in classical conditioning typically resembles which of the following?
The unconditioned response
The neutral stimulus before conditioning
The extinction process
The reinforcement schedule
The conditioned response often mirrors the unconditioned response in form and function because it is the learned version of that reflexive reaction. For example, a dog's salivation to a bell (CR) resembles salivation to food (UR). This similarity underscores how conditioning transfers natural responses. Classical conditioning details.
Which of the following is an example of a secondary (conditioned) reinforcer?
Money
Water
Food pellet
Shock
A secondary or conditioned reinforcer gains its reinforcing properties through association with primary reinforcers. Money itself does not satisfy biological needs but can be exchanged for primary rewards. Thus, it becomes a powerful motivator in operant conditioning. About secondary reinforcers.
A variable ratio schedule of reinforcement is characterized by which feature?
Reinforcer delivered after a fixed time period
Reinforcer delivered after a variable time period
Reinforcer delivered after a variable number of responses
Reinforcer delivered after a fixed number of responses
On a variable ratio schedule, the number of responses required for reinforcement varies around an average. This unpredictability produces high and steady rates of responding, as seen in gambling. It's one of the most resistant schedules to extinction. Schedules of reinforcement.
The Rescorla-Wagner model primarily explains conditioning through the concept of what?
Observational learning
Latent learning
Stimulus generalization
Prediction error
The Rescorla-Wagner model posits that the strength of conditioning is determined by the discrepancy between expected and actual unconditioned stimuli, known as prediction error. Learning occurs when this error signal is non-zero. When outcomes match expectations, little new learning happens. More on the Rescorla-Wagner model.
In classical conditioning, stimulus generalization refers to which phenomenon?
Extinction of the conditioned response
Responding only to the original conditioned stimulus
Inhibition caused by nonreinforced exposures
Responding similarly to stimuli that resemble the conditioned stimulus
Stimulus generalization occurs when stimuli similar to the conditioned stimulus elicit the conditioned response. For example, a dog conditioned to salivate to a 500 Hz tone may also salivate to a 600 Hz tone. This shows how conditioning can transfer across similar cues. Details on stimulus generalization.
What phenomenon describes one stimulus dominating learning over another when both are presented together?
Latent inhibition
Blocking
Overshadowing
Spontaneous recovery
Overshadowing occurs when two stimuli are presented in compound and the more salient stimulus elicits learning at the expense of the less salient one. For instance, a loud tone paired with a light will overshadow the light, and learning about the tone dominates. This highlights stimulus salience in learning. Learn about overshadowing.
Blocking in classical conditioning illustrates which effect?
Prior conditioning to one stimulus prevents learning about a new stimulus when presented together
Stimulus generalization across similar cues
Rapid extinction after nonreinforced exposures
Resurgence of the conditioned response after a rest period
Blocking occurs when a previously conditioned stimulus is paired with a new stimulus, and only the original cue elicits the conditioned response later, preventing the new cue from being learned. Kamin's experiments demonstrated this effect, highlighting how expectation blocks new associations. Explore blocking effect.
Which process best explains the mechanism underlying latent inhibition?
Rapid extinction of the conditioned stimulus
Fatigue of neural circuits preventing conditioning
Decreased attention to a familiar stimulus leading to slower learning
Enhanced memory consolidation for familiar stimuli
Latent inhibition is thought to reflect a reduction in attention or associative salience for stimuli that have been experienced without consequence, making subsequent conditioning slower. The pre-exposed stimulus becomes less novel and thus less associable. This attentional account is supported by neurobiological studies. Review on latent inhibition mechanisms.
Spontaneous recovery in classical conditioning demonstrates that:
The conditioned response can reappear after a rest period following extinction
Blocking prevents recovery of the response
The conditioned response is permanently eliminated after extinction
A new conditioned stimulus forms without reinforcement
Spontaneous recovery occurs when an extinguished conditioned response reemerges after a period without exposure to the conditioned stimulus. This suggests that extinction suppresses but does not erase the original learning. Recovery demonstrates the persistence of associative memory over time. Learn about spontaneous recovery.
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Study Outcomes

  1. Understand Key Conditioning Concepts -

    Grasp the fundamental differences between classical and operant conditioning, including core principles and processes.

  2. Explain Latent Inhibition -

    Describe how prior exposure to a neutral stimulus can delay conditioning responses in learning experiments.

  3. Identify Associative Learning Examples -

    Recognize real-world scenarios where associative learning principles apply, such as stimulus pairing and response reinforcement.

  4. Apply Conditioning Principles -

    Use classical and operant conditioning rules to predict outcomes in hypothetical learning situations.

  5. Differentiate Conditioning Processes -

    Distinguish between extinction, generalization, and discrimination in behavioral conditioning contexts.

  6. Analyze Quiz Feedback -

    Assess your quiz results to pinpoint knowledge gaps and reinforce understanding of key behavioral conditioning topics.

Cheat Sheet

  1. Classical Conditioning Fundamentals -

    In classical conditioning, a neutral stimulus (NS) becomes a conditioned stimulus (CS) by pairing with an unconditioned stimulus (US) to elicit a conditioned response (CR), as famously demonstrated by Pavlov's dogs. When taking a conditioning and learning quiz, remember the sequence US + NS → CS → CR (e.g., food + bell → bell → salivation). A mnemonic: "Bell Rings, Dog Sings" helps cement the US→CS transformation.

  2. Operant Conditioning & Reinforcement Schedules -

    Operant conditioning involves learning via consequences, where behaviors increase with reinforcement and decrease with punishment (Skinner, 1938). In a psychology learning quiz or behavioral conditioning quiz, recall that fixed vs. variable and ratio vs. interval schedules shape behavior differently - e.g., a variable-ratio schedule (like slot machines) produces high, steady response rates. Remember "VR Rocks" to remember variable ratio schedules yield robust responding.

  3. Latent Inhibition -

    Latent inhibition describes how pre-exposing a neutral stimulus without reinforcement slows later conditioning in an associative learning test or latent inhibition quiz (Lubow & Moore, 1959). For instance, if a tone plays repeatedly without consequence, pairing it later with food takes longer to produce a salivation response. Think "Know first, learn slow" as a memory aid.

  4. Rescorla-Wagner Model of Associative Learning -

    The Rescorla-Wagner model quantifies associative strength (V) change with the formula ΔV = αβ(λ − ΣV), where λ is the maximum conditioning, and ΣV is the combined associative strength (Rescorla & Wagner, 1972). It's a staple of associative learning tests for predicting phenomena like blocking, where a pre-conditioned CS prevents learning about a new CS when presented together. Use the phrase "Prediction Error Drives Strength" to remember λ − ΣV guides learning.

  5. Stimulus Generalization vs. Discrimination -

    Stimulus generalization occurs when stimuli similar to the CS evoke the CR (e.g., dogs salivating to bells of different tones), whereas discrimination trains subjects to respond only to the original CS by reinforcing differences. The generalization gradient visually plots response strength vs. stimulus similarity, forming a bell-shaped curve. Remember "Generalize Broadly, Discriminate Sharply" to contrast these processes.

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