AP Psychology Practice Test: Learning

The correct answer is (A). Associative learning is the process by which an association between two stimuli or a behavior and a stimulus is learned. In this case, the noise an animal makes is associated with the animal.

The correct answer is (C). An unconditioned response is an automatic biologically based unlearned reaction to a specific stimulus. In this case, blinking would be an automatic reaction to the air puff and would occur without a prior association. Unconditioned responses are not learned, they occur universally in every member of the species in response to a stimulus.

The correct answer is (B). In negative punishment, a desirable object is removed in response to undesirable behavior with the goal of reducing, preventing or ending the undesirable behavior. In this case, the desired object is the car, the undesired action is the speeding ticket, and the desired outcome is no future speeding tickets.

The correct answer is (B). Primary reinforcers consist of consequences that satisfy biological drives — food and reduction of an aversive stimulus being the primary examples. Secondary reinforcers are those that are learned and not innate satisfiers.

The correct answer is (E). Shaping is when specific positive behaviors in line with more correct behaviors are progressively reinforced to elicit a desired long-term behavior.

The correct answer is (A). A fixed-interval schedule is a schedule of reinforcement where the first response is reinforced after a specified amount of time has elapsed. In this case, the reward is getting the mail which occurs at a regular, or fixed, interval at 3 PM.

The correct answer is (A). Avoidance conditioning entails the learning of a behavior in response to a stimulus in order to prevent an aversive event. It differs from escape conditioning in that avoidance conditioning occurs prior to the experience of the aversive event.

The correct answer is (C). The rats that do not receive initial reinforcement have been learning the maze. This shown by their ability to run the maze competently when they are reinforced for doing so the improvement in their performance supports this claim and shows the effect of latent learning.

The correct answer is (B). Estimating time is most critical in a fixed-interval reinforcement schedule because the organism can learn to optimize its response pattern when the fixed interval can be accurately estimated.

The correct answer is (E). The more immediate this consequence is the more effectively it will reduce the behavior.

The correct answer is (A). The Law of Effect points to the central role of reinforcement in learning — actions rewarded are typically going to occur again. Additionally, in the absence of positive reinforcement, practice will not be as effective as if there is a positive reinforcement schedule in place.

The correct answer is (A). The presentation of additional learning trials, after extinction and a rest period is called reconditioning, which is typically faster than initial learning due to the initial formation of a conditioned response. This is why extinction is not considered a form of forgetting.

The correct answer is (A). A false alarm is detecting a stimulus when none is present. On the other hand, a miss is not detecting a stimulus when one is present.

The correct answer is (E). The conditioned stimulus is associated with the unconditioned stimulus in a classical conditioning situation. Prior to the conditioned response, the conditioned stimulus is a neutral stimulus that does not elicit a particular response. After becoming paired with the unconditioned stimulus, the conditioned stimulus then elicits a conditioned response.

The correct answer is (E). With gambling the number of responses needed for a reward varies, which describes a variable ratio schedule. This type of schedule is unpredictable and yields high and steady response rates, with little if any pause after reinforcement.

The correct answer is (C). Learned helplessness is the result of an inability to control the environment in such a way as to avoid punishment. It has the effect of making future response contingencies more difficult to learn.

The correct answer is (C). Latent learning refers to learning that takes place without any measured change in behavior during the learning period. Because Zach never had the chance to prove that he was learning the route but then showed that he had learned the route home, this is an example of latent learning.