Deck 9: Managing Groups and Teams

Question 1

Some people believe that a first language is acquired mainly without instruction and simply through_________to the language.

Answer 1

Babies start making random sounds and parents respond by smiling, touching, coddling and talking to the baby. Slowly, over a period of time the baby's random sounds are shaped by reinforcement carried out by parents and also by what others speak at home, into a coherent language. Therefore, the first language the child speaks is without formal and systematic instruction. The learning of the first language is based on what the child hears in the environment, in which the baby grows.
Therefore, the blank space in the statement can be filled with " exposure ".

Question 2

CIMT was first used to treat stroke patients, but it has also been used to treat patients with _________

Answer 2

Edward Taub found that after a temporary or brief paralysis in one of the limbs of monkeys, the monkeys compensated by using other unaffected limbs. The reluctance to use the once affected limb continued, despite there being no organic reasons why that limb cannot be used. Taub used operant learning concepts by putting the unaffected limbs in splints which restrained the movement of the unaffected limbs. The monkeys were forced to use the "affected limb". Once they started using the affected limb, the monkeys realized that the limb could function normally.
This procedure is called the constraint induced movement therapy (CIMT). This procedure can also be used in humans to treat stroke patients. This involves placing the unaffected limb in a splint so that the patient is forced to use the "affected limb" in a progressive sequence of steps, as per a stipulated schedule of reinforcements.
The same procedure can be applied to a variety of rehabilitation problems other than to treat stroke patients.
The blank space in the statement can be filled with " cerebral palsy", "speech impediments" , and " multiple sclerosis".

Question 3

Define the following terms in your own words:

Answer 3

Constraint Induced Movement Therapy (CIMT)
One of the key applications of operant learning procedures is the restoration of the functioning of paralyzed limbs. This procedure is called the constraint induced movement therapy (CIMT). This procedure involves placing the unaffected limb in a splint so that the patient is forced to use the affected limb in a progressive sequence of steps, as per a stipulated schedule of reinforcements.
Goldiamond's paradox
Operant procedures help in the treatment of some forms of delusions and bizarre behaviors. However, Israel Goldiamond observed that certain weird behavior continues even when there is no obvious reinforcement. This is termed as Goldiamond's paradox.

Question 4

How might a company improve the workplace environment of employees without significantly reducing their net profits?

Question 5

Using extinction alone to eliminate tantrums is problematic. A better approach is to use extinction in conjunction with a form of_________reinforcement.

Question 6

In animal training, secondary reinforcement may be provided with a sound, such as that made by a toy called a_________.

Question 7

There is evidence that neglect in poor-quality orphanages interferes with normal brain development (Chugani et al., 2001). Could this be due in part to the lack of operant learning opportunities?

Question 8

How could you use operant learning to improve the life of lions in a zoo?

Question 9

The person who developed the first teaching machines was _________

Question 10

How could you train a child to be a quitter?

Question 11

When teachers focus on reinforcing appropriate behavior rather than on punishing inappropriate behavior, disruptive behavior decreases and the rate of academic learning _________

Question 12

Research consistently shows that teachers typically reprimand students far more often than they praise them. Why do you suppose this is so?

Question 13

Ivar Lovaas was perhaps the first person to use punishment to suppress _________

Question 14

What do you think is the key feature of the Headsprout program that makes it so successful?

Question 15

Self-injurious behavior is often maintained by attention or by _________

Question 16

Some people strenuously object to using punishment with children with developmental disorders, even to suppress behavior that poses serious risks to the child or others. "He does that because he's sick," they argue, "so he shouldn't be punished for it!" Assuming other efforts to reduce the behavior have failed, how would you respond to this argument?

Question 17

The author of this text calls the tendency to engage in bizarre behavior even when no reinforcers are available for it _________

Question 18

Could delusions sometimes be a form of superstitious behavior (see Chapter 6)?

Question 19

To restore function in a limb damaged by a stroke, therapists use CIMT, which stands for _________

Question 20

Do the benefits derived from CIMT justify the research on monkeys that led to this treatment? How would you have answered before CIMT proved to be effective?