Sometimes Behaviour Can't Be Controlled by Conditioning Alone, Because Instinctive

question 105

Multiple Choice

Sometimes behaviour can't be controlled by conditioning alone, because instinctive behaviours get in the way. For example, researchers have taught raccoons to put coins in a piggybank, but eventually the raccoons don't want to give up the coins after they get them. This biological constraint on learning is called

• A)instinctive drift.
• B)conditioned aversion.
• C)diminishing returns.
• D)signal relations.
• E)escape conditioning.

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Definitions:

Sensorimotor

The stage in Piaget's theory of cognitive development (birth to about 2 years) where infants learn about the world primarily through their senses and actions.

Centration

A cognitive limitation in young children's thinking, marked by focusing on one aspect of a situation while neglecting others, characteristic of the preoperational stage.

Conservation Skills

Cognitive abilities that enable a child to understand that quantity or amount does not change when its form or appearance is altered, a concept developed by Jean Piaget.

Preoperational Thought

A stage in Piaget's theory of cognitive development where children (ages 2-7) begin to engage in symbolic play and struggle with logic and understanding others' perspectives.