Dog Training FREE Dog Training Applied Learning Theory Questions and Answers 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A dog stops jumping on guests after the behavior consistently fails to produce attention. Which principle best explains this change?
- Extinction (Correct answer)
- Negative punishment
- Habituation
- Learned helplessness
Correct answer: Extinction
Extinction occurs when a previously reinforced behavior no longer produces the reinforcing consequence, causing the behavior to decrease over time.
Question 2: During training, a handler delivers a treat 0.5 seconds after the dog sits. What learning concept makes this timing critical?
- Temporal contiguity (Correct answer)
- Stimulus generalization
- Blocking
- Overshadowing
Correct answer: Temporal contiguity
Temporal contiguity refers to the closeness in time between a behavior and its consequence, which strengthens the association between the two.
Question 3: A dog that was trained to sit in the living room fails to sit when asked at the park. What does this demonstrate?
- Lack of stimulus generalization (Correct answer)
- Extinction
- Response substitution
- Spontaneous recovery
Correct answer: Lack of stimulus generalization
The dog has not generalized the behavior to new environments, meaning the cue has only been associated with the original training context.
Question 4: Which schedule of reinforcement produces the highest and most consistent response rate once established?
- Variable ratio (Correct answer)
- Fixed interval
- Continuous
- Fixed ratio
Correct answer: Variable ratio
Variable ratio schedules reinforce after an unpredictable number of responses, producing high, steady response rates that are highly resistant to extinction.
Question 5: A trainer pairs a clicker sound with food delivery multiple times before using the clicker in training. What is being established?
- A conditioned reinforcer (Correct answer)
- An unconditioned stimulus
- A discriminative stimulus
- A motivating operation
Correct answer: A conditioned reinforcer
By repeatedly pairing the clicker with food, the previously neutral sound becomes a conditioned reinforcer that can strengthen behavior on its own.
Question 6: A dog begins barking more intensely for several days after its owner stops giving attention for barking. What phenomenon is occurring?
- Extinction burst (Correct answer)
- Spontaneous recovery
- Negative reinforcement
- Counterconditioning
Correct answer: Extinction burst
An extinction burst is a temporary increase in the frequency or intensity of a behavior when reinforcement is first withheld.
Dog Training FREE Dog Training Applied Learning Theory Questions and Answers 2
A dog stops jumping on guests after the behavior consistently fails to produce attention.
Which principle best explains this change?