Module 29 REVIEW

• 29-1 How do biological constraints affect classical and operant conditioning?

• An animal’s capacity for conditioning is limited by biological constraints, so that learning some associations is easier than learning others.
• Learning is adaptive: Each species learns behaviors that aid its survival—a phenomenon called preparedness. Those who readily learned taste aversions were unlikely to eat the same toxic food again and were more likely to survive and leave descendants.
• Nature constrains each species’ capacity for both classical conditioning and operant conditioning. Our preparedness to associate a CS with a US that follows predictably and immediately is often (but not always) adaptive. During operant training, animals may display instinctive drift by reverting to biologically predisposed patterns.

• 29-2 How do cognitive processes affect classical and operant conditioning?

• In classical conditioning, animals may learn when to expect a US and may be aware of the link between stimuli and responses.
• In operant conditioning, cognitive mapping and latent learning research demonstrate the importance of cognitive processes in learning.
• Other research shows that some learning can occur after little or no systematic interaction with our environment (insight learning), and that excessive rewards (driving extrinsic motivation) can undermine intrinsic motivation.

• 29-3 In what two ways do people learn to cope with personal problems?

• We use direct, problem-focused coping when we feel a sense of control over a situation and believe we can change the stressor or the way we interact with it.
• When we believe we cannot avoid a stressor and cannot change the situation, we use emotion-focused coping— tending to our emotional needs related to the stress reaction.

• 29-4 How does a perceived lack of control affect people’s behavior and health?

• We may feel helpless, hopeless, and depressed when experiencing bad events beyond our personal control. Being unable to avoid repeated aversive events can lead to learned helplessness.
• People who perceive an internal locus of control achieve more, enjoy better health, and are happier than those who perceive an external locus of control. A perceived lack of control provokes an outpouring of hormones that put people’s health at risk.

• 29-5 Why is self-control important, and can our self-control be depleted?

• Self-control requires attention and energy, but it predicts good health, higher income, and better school performance. Studies have shown self-control to be a better predictor of future academic and life success than intelligence test score.
• Self-control varies over time, and while researchers disagree about the factors influencing it, strengthening self-control can lead to a healthier, happier, and more successful life.

Multiple-Choice Questions

1. When parents offer good-grade rewards to children who already enjoy studying, they may find that the children no longer enjoy studying and only enjoy the rewards. Which of the following have the parents accidentally removed from their children?
   1. Latent learning
   2. Extrinsic motivation
   3. Intrinsic motivation
   4. Insight learning
   5. Emotion-focused coping
2. Which ability is likely to predict good adjustment, better grades, and social success?
   1. Self-control
   2. An external locus of control
   3. Problem-focused coping
   4. Learned helplessness
   5. Emotion-focused coping
3. Elephants appear to have excellent _____ because they can remember large sections of their territory.
   1. latent learning
   2. insight
   3. cognitive maps
   4. extrinsic motivation
   5. mirror neurons
4. The perception that we control our own fate is also called what?
   1. Self-control
   2. Learned helplessness
   3. Internal locus of control
   4. External locus of control
   5. Emotion-focused coping
5. A woman had been pondering a problem for days and was about to give up when, suddenly, the solution came to her. Her experience can be best described as what?
   1. Cognitive mapping
   2. Insight
   3. Operant conditioning
   4. Classical conditioning
   5. Unconscious associative learning

Practice FRQs

1. Missy studied for several hours before taking her history test, motivated by the goal of achieving a good grade that would get her a scholarship. She failed the test and now refuses to study for other tests. Explain how the following terms relate to this scenario.
   • Extrinsic motivation
   • Learned helplessness

Answer

1 point: Missy was extrinsically motivated to study for her test. She wanted the good grade in order to get a scholarship. Page 305

1 point: After failing to get the good grade, Missy demonstrates learned helplessness: She now believes there is no use studying and that studying won’t help her succeed. Page 307

2. Describe how each of the following can show the impact of cognition on operant conditioning.
   • Latent learning
   • Insight learning
   • Intrinsic motivation

(3 points)