Grand Canyon University PSY 101 Exam 2 (pdf) | 2026/2027 | Intro to
Psych Q&A | Psychology
1. Which of the following best defines learning?
A) A change in behavior due to physical maturation
B) A relatively permanent change in behavior or knowledge due to
experience
C) The acquisition of knowledge through reasoning and logic
D) An innate, unlearned response to a stimulus
Correct Answer: A relatively permanent change in behavior or knowledge due
to experience
Rationale: Learning is defined as a relatively permanent change in behavior,
knowledge, or skill that results from experience. It is not simply due to
maturation, fatigue, or temporary states. This definition distinguishes
learning from other types of behavioral changes that are not experience-
based.
2. A researcher places a rat in a box where pressing a lever releases food.
The rat initially presses the lever accidentally, but over time presses it more
frequently. This is an example of:
A) Classical conditioning
B) Observational learning
C) Operant conditioning
D) Insight learning
Correct Answer: Operant conditioning
Rationale: In operant conditioning, behaviors are modified by their
consequences. The rat's behavior (pressing the lever) is reinforced by the
,delivery of food, increasing the likelihood that the behavior will be repeated.
This process is also known as instrumental conditioning.
3. In Pavlov's classic experiment, the dog's salivation when food was placed
in its mouth is the:
A) Conditioned stimulus
B) Unconditioned stimulus
C) Conditioned response
D) Unconditioned response
Correct Answer: Unconditioned response
Rationale: The unconditioned response (UCR) is a natural, automatic,
unlearned reaction to a stimulus. In Pavlov's experiment, salivation in
response to food is innate and unlearned, making it the UCR. The food itself
is the unconditioned stimulus (UCS).
4. In Pavlov's experiment, the bell, after being paired with food, becomes
the:
A) Unconditioned stimulus
B) Conditioned stimulus
C) Conditioned response
D) Unconditioned response
Correct Answer: Conditioned stimulus
Rationale: The conditioned stimulus (CS) is a previously neutral stimulus
that, after repeated pairing with an unconditioned stimulus, comes to elicit a
conditioned response. In Pavlov's experiment, the bell is the CS because it is
initially neutral but, after being paired with food, it triggers salivation.
,5. A child who learns to fear a specific dog after being bitten is
demonstrating:
A) Operant conditioning
B) Observational learning
C) Classical conditioning
D) Habituation
Correct Answer: Classical conditioning
Rationale: The child has associated the dog (a neutral stimulus) with the pain
and fear of being bitten (an unconditioned stimulus). This pairing causes the
dog to become a conditioned stimulus that now elicits fear, which is a classic
example of classical conditioning.
6. The process of learning by watching others is called:
A) Classical conditioning
B) Operant conditioning
C) Observational learning
D) Insight learning
Correct Answer: Observational learning
Rationale: Observational learning, also known as social learning or modeling,
is the process of learning by watching the behavior of others and the
consequences of those behaviors. It does not require direct reinforcement to
occur.
7. Albert Bandura's Bobo doll experiment demonstrated the importance of:
, A) Classical conditioning
B) Operant conditioning
C) Observational learning
D) Biological preparedness
Correct Answer: Observational learning
Rationale: In Bandura's experiment, children who observed an adult
behaving aggressively toward a Bobo doll were more likely to imitate that
aggressive behavior themselves. This provided strong evidence that learning
can occur through observation without direct reinforcement.
8. The three steps of memory, in order, are:
A) Storage, encoding, retrieval
B) Encoding, storage, retrieval
C) Retrieval, encoding, storage
D) Encoding, retrieval, storage
Correct Answer: Encoding, storage, retrieval
Rationale: The three fundamental processes of memory are encoding
(transforming information into a form that can be stored), storage
(maintaining that information over time), and retrieval (accessing the stored
information when needed). This is a core model of how memory functions.
9. A student taking a multiple-choice test is using which type of memory
retrieval?
A) Recall
B) Relearning
Psych Q&A | Psychology
1. Which of the following best defines learning?
A) A change in behavior due to physical maturation
B) A relatively permanent change in behavior or knowledge due to
experience
C) The acquisition of knowledge through reasoning and logic
D) An innate, unlearned response to a stimulus
Correct Answer: A relatively permanent change in behavior or knowledge due
to experience
Rationale: Learning is defined as a relatively permanent change in behavior,
knowledge, or skill that results from experience. It is not simply due to
maturation, fatigue, or temporary states. This definition distinguishes
learning from other types of behavioral changes that are not experience-
based.
2. A researcher places a rat in a box where pressing a lever releases food.
The rat initially presses the lever accidentally, but over time presses it more
frequently. This is an example of:
A) Classical conditioning
B) Observational learning
C) Operant conditioning
D) Insight learning
Correct Answer: Operant conditioning
Rationale: In operant conditioning, behaviors are modified by their
consequences. The rat's behavior (pressing the lever) is reinforced by the
,delivery of food, increasing the likelihood that the behavior will be repeated.
This process is also known as instrumental conditioning.
3. In Pavlov's classic experiment, the dog's salivation when food was placed
in its mouth is the:
A) Conditioned stimulus
B) Unconditioned stimulus
C) Conditioned response
D) Unconditioned response
Correct Answer: Unconditioned response
Rationale: The unconditioned response (UCR) is a natural, automatic,
unlearned reaction to a stimulus. In Pavlov's experiment, salivation in
response to food is innate and unlearned, making it the UCR. The food itself
is the unconditioned stimulus (UCS).
4. In Pavlov's experiment, the bell, after being paired with food, becomes
the:
A) Unconditioned stimulus
B) Conditioned stimulus
C) Conditioned response
D) Unconditioned response
Correct Answer: Conditioned stimulus
Rationale: The conditioned stimulus (CS) is a previously neutral stimulus
that, after repeated pairing with an unconditioned stimulus, comes to elicit a
conditioned response. In Pavlov's experiment, the bell is the CS because it is
initially neutral but, after being paired with food, it triggers salivation.
,5. A child who learns to fear a specific dog after being bitten is
demonstrating:
A) Operant conditioning
B) Observational learning
C) Classical conditioning
D) Habituation
Correct Answer: Classical conditioning
Rationale: The child has associated the dog (a neutral stimulus) with the pain
and fear of being bitten (an unconditioned stimulus). This pairing causes the
dog to become a conditioned stimulus that now elicits fear, which is a classic
example of classical conditioning.
6. The process of learning by watching others is called:
A) Classical conditioning
B) Operant conditioning
C) Observational learning
D) Insight learning
Correct Answer: Observational learning
Rationale: Observational learning, also known as social learning or modeling,
is the process of learning by watching the behavior of others and the
consequences of those behaviors. It does not require direct reinforcement to
occur.
7. Albert Bandura's Bobo doll experiment demonstrated the importance of:
, A) Classical conditioning
B) Operant conditioning
C) Observational learning
D) Biological preparedness
Correct Answer: Observational learning
Rationale: In Bandura's experiment, children who observed an adult
behaving aggressively toward a Bobo doll were more likely to imitate that
aggressive behavior themselves. This provided strong evidence that learning
can occur through observation without direct reinforcement.
8. The three steps of memory, in order, are:
A) Storage, encoding, retrieval
B) Encoding, storage, retrieval
C) Retrieval, encoding, storage
D) Encoding, retrieval, storage
Correct Answer: Encoding, storage, retrieval
Rationale: The three fundamental processes of memory are encoding
(transforming information into a form that can be stored), storage
(maintaining that information over time), and retrieval (accessing the stored
information when needed). This is a core model of how memory functions.
9. A student taking a multiple-choice test is using which type of memory
retrieval?
A) Recall
B) Relearning
