CDT Training Techniques & Methodologies 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: In classical conditioning, the previously neutral stimulus that comes to elicit a conditioned response is called the:
- Conditioned stimulus (Correct answer)
- Unconditioned stimulus
- Conditioned response
- Neutral response
Correct answer: Conditioned stimulus
After repeated pairing with an unconditioned stimulus, a neutral stimulus becomes a conditioned stimulus that elicits the conditioned response.
Question 2: A trainer who uses 'least intrusive, minimally aversive' (LIMA) practices would first try which intervention for a jumping dog?
- Reinforcing four-paw contact with the ground (Correct answer)
- Applying a knee to the dog's chest
- Using a spray bottle of water
- Fitting the dog with a prong collar
Correct answer: Reinforcing four-paw contact with the ground
LIMA requires exhausting the least aversive, most positive options before escalating to more intrusive interventions.
Question 3: What term describes the process of pairing a previously feared stimulus with something pleasant to change the dog's emotional response?
- Counter-conditioning (Correct answer)
- Desensitization
- Flooding
- Habituation
Correct answer: Counter-conditioning
Counter-conditioning changes the dog's conditioned emotional response (CER) by pairing the feared stimulus with a positive experience.
Question 4: A trainer gradually exposes a noise-sensitive dog to increasingly louder sounds without allowing fear to occur. This is:
- Systematic desensitization (Correct answer)
- Counter-conditioning
- Flooding
- Extinction
Correct answer: Systematic desensitization
Systematic desensitization involves graduated sub-threshold exposure to the fear stimulus while keeping the dog below its fear threshold.
Question 5: Which concept best explains why a dog trained with punishment may appear to obey but stops complying when the punisher is absent?
- Suppression without learning an alternative (Correct answer)
- Spontaneous recovery
- Generalization decrement
- Stimulus overshadowing
Correct answer: Suppression without learning an alternative
Punishment can suppress behavior without teaching the dog what to do instead, so the behavior returns when the aversive consequence is removed.
Question 6: A dog reliably downs on a verbal cue without hesitation. This is described as the behavior being under:
- Stimulus control (Correct answer)
- Extinction
- Spontaneous recovery
- Generalization
Correct answer: Stimulus control
Stimulus control means a behavior occurs reliably in the presence of its designated cue and not in its absence.
Question 7: A trainer withholds reinforcement for a previously reinforced behavior to reduce it. What is the expected initial result?
- Extinction burst (Correct answer)
- Rapid cessation
- Spontaneous recovery only
- Counter-conditioning
Correct answer: Extinction burst
When reinforcement is withdrawn, behavior typically increases in frequency or intensity before it declines—this is an extinction burst.
CDT Training Techniques & Methodologies 3
In classical conditioning, the previously neutral stimulus that comes to elicit a conditioned response is called the: