Learning & Conditioning MCQ Quiz | Behavioral Sciences

1. In Pavlov’s classic experiment, the bell, after being repeatedly paired with food, became a(n):

2. A resident receives praise from a senior doctor for a well-prepared case presentation, which increases the likelihood of the resident preparing well in the future. This is an example of:

3. A patient on a morphine PCA (Patient-Controlled Analgesia) pump can press a button to receive a dose, but only after a 10-minute lockout period has passed. This is which reinforcement schedule?

4. A child who previously received attention for throwing tantrums is now ignored by parents when a tantrum occurs. The tantrums gradually decrease. This process is known as:

5. A medical student learns how to perform a lumbar puncture by carefully watching a senior resident perform the procedure. This form of learning is best described as:

6. Taking an anxiolytic medication to alleviate the symptoms of a panic attack is an example of:

7. A therapeutic technique for treating phobias that involves pairing relaxation with a hierarchy of anxiety-provoking stimuli is called:

8. A patient develops a phobia of needles after a painful injection. They later start to fear other sharp objects like pens and knives. This is an example of:

9. A medical intern is reprimanded by an attending physician for being late to rounds, which decreases the intern’s lateness in the future. This is an example of:

10. Gambling on a slot machine is highly addictive primarily because it operates on a:

11. A patient with chronic pain who feels that no treatment can alleviate their suffering may stop trying to find relief. This state is best described by the concept of:

12. A clinician prescribes disulfiram to a patient with alcohol use disorder, which causes severe nausea when alcohol is consumed. This therapeutic approach is a form of:

13. A student attends all anatomy lectures but does not actively study. Just before the exam, they realize they know the location of most major arteries. This learning is called:

14. A technique where a patient is given real-time information about physiological processes (like heart rate) to learn to control them voluntarily is known as:

15. A therapist helps a post-stroke patient regain speech by first rewarding any vocalization, then word-like sounds, and finally complete words. This process is called:

16. A patient’s fear of elevators, which had been extinguished through therapy, suddenly reappears for a short time a month later. This phenomenon is called:

17. A teenager’s driving privileges are taken away for a week because they broke their curfew. This is an example of:

18. A medical student observes a classmate being criticized for not knowing a patient’s lab values and consequently makes sure to be extra prepared the next day. This is an example of:

19. In classical conditioning, a stimulus that naturally and automatically triggers a response without any prior learning is a(n):

20. In a psychiatric ward, patients earn points for good hygiene, which they can exchange for privileges. This system is an example of:

21. After struggling with a complex diagnostic problem, a doctor suddenly has a moment of realization. This “Aha!” moment is characteristic of:

22. A dog learns to salivate to a specific high-pitched bell but not to a low-pitched horn. The dog is demonstrating:

23. A therapy for phobias that involves intense, prolonged exposure to the feared object or situation until the anxiety subsides is known as:

24. A person with social anxiety leaves a crowded party to reduce their discomfort. This is an example of ______ learning.

25. The principle that behaviors followed by favorable consequences become more likely, and behaviors followed by unfavorable consequences become less likely, is known as: