Extinction & Relapse
When a CR reappears after time has passed, this is called:
A) Renewal
B) Spontaneous recovery
C) Reinstatement
D) Habituation
B-Spontaneous recovery
→ The CR returns after time has passed without any new learning.
A stimulus that signals when another CS predicts reinforcement is called a:
A) Reinforcer
B) US
C) CS+
D) Occasion setter
D – Occasion setter
→ It signals when another cue will predict reinforcement.
In feature negative learning, cue B signals:
A) More reward
B) Stronger reward
C) Delayed reward
D) No reward
D– No reward
→ In feature negative, cue B signals no US.
Learning to avoid a flavor after illness is called:
A) Operant conditioning
B) Habituation
C) Taste aversion
D) Sensitization
C – Taste aversion
→ Learning to avoid food after illness.
Learning by watching another is called:
A) Operant learning
B) Feature learning
C) Social learning
D) Trial & error
C– Social learning
→ Learning from watching other
Fear returns only when a person leaves the therapy setting. This is:
A) Reinstatement
B) Renewal
C) Generalization
D) Habituation
B – Renewal
→ Fear returns when the context changes, showing extinction was context-specific.
Why does context influence extinction success?
A) Context erases memory
B) Context acts as a conditioned stimulus
C) Context acts as an occasion setter
D) Context weakens the US
C – Context acts as an occasion setter
→ Context tells the organism when learning applies
Which task is harder to learn?
A) Feature positive
B) Feature negative
C) Fixed ratio
D) Continuous reinforcement
B – Feature negative
→ It’s harder because animals must learn when NOT to respond.
Why does taste aversion support biological preparedness?
A) It takes many trials
B) Certain CS-US pairings are easier to learn
C) It requires punishment
D) It ignores extinction
B – Certain CS-US pairings are easier
→ Evolution prepared animals for certain associations
Which best describes imitation?
A) Copying outcome only
B) Passive learning
C) Trial-and-error
D) Copying the exact action
D – Copying the exact action
→ Imitation focuses on copying behavior itself
Why does extinction not destroy the original association?
A)Because it builds a new inhibitory memory
B)Because CRs are reflexes
C) Because the US weakens
D) Because of habituation
A – Because it builds a new inhibitory memory
→ Extinction doesn’t erase the old memory, it adds a new one that suppresses it.
A child only behaves well at school, not home. The best explanation is:
A)Occasion setting by context
B) Different parents
C) Different reinforces
D) Extinction
A – Occasion setting by context
→ The school environment signals that certain behaviors will be reinforced.
Bell → food
Bell + light → no food
This is:
A) Feature positive
B) Latent inhibition
C) Feature negative
D) Blocking
C – Feature negative
→ Bell alone = food, Bell + light = no food.
Latent inhibition occurs when:
A) CS is introduced after US
B) CS is pre-exposed without consequence
C) US is very weak
D) CR becomes extinct
B – CS is pre-exposed without consequence
→ Leads to weaker conditioning later
Rats prefer food smelled on another rat’s breath due to:
A) Extinction
B) Social transmission
C) Taste conditioning
D) Habituation
B – Social transmission
→ Rats learn food preferences socially.
Which therapy method best reduces renewal?
A) Extinction in one location only
B) Extinction without breaks
C) Extinction across multiple contexts
D) Higher intensity US
C – Extinction across multiple contexts
→ This weakens context dependency and reduces renewal
Why is extinction more effective in multiple environments?
A) It increases fear
B) It reduces context specificity
C) It strengthens the US
D) It speeds acquisition
B – It reduces context specificity
→ Learning spreads across environments.
Why must the feature cue appear before the main cue?
A) To increase salience
B) To serve as a predictor
C) To strengthen motor response
D) To weaken memory
B – To serve as a predictor
→ The feature cue must come first to control how the next cue is interpreted.
Rats learn which pairing best?
A) Taste + illness
B) Light + illness
C) Sound + illness
D) Taste + shock
A – Taste + illness
→ This is the biologically prepared association
Which method best tests imitation?
A) Two-action method
B) Serial reversal
C) Feature negative
D) Matching law
A– Two-action method
→ Tests if observers copy actions or just goals.
Explain why extinction effects are often temporary in real-world settings.
Extinction is context-dependent, so when someone leaves the therapy environment, the inhibitory learning doesn’t transfer well, allowing the original fear to return.
Give a real-life example of context acting as an occasion setter.
Example: A child only uses polite language at school because school signals that politeness will be rewarded. At home, that signal is absent.
Why does the Rescorla-Wagner model struggle to explain occasion setting?
The Rescorla-Wagner model can’t explain hierarchical cue control because it treats all stimuli as equal predictors, not modulators.
Explain why Garcia’s findings challenged classical learning theory.
Garcia showed that not all stimuli are equally conditionable; taste easily pairs with illness while light doesn’t.
Why is social learning more efficient than individual trial-and-error learning?
It saves time and reduces risk compared to trial-and-error learning