Question 1

What is the goal of the information-processing approach to disciplinary punishment?

Accepted Answer

The goal of the information-processing approach to disciplinary punishment is to encourage the child to be motivated to behave properly. This approach seeks to help the child understand the consequences of their actions and make positive choices in the future rather than simply instilling fear or guilt. It aims to promote long-term behavior change through teaching problem-solving skills and encouraging reflection on one's actions.

Question 2

What is the term for any event or stimulus that increases the frequency of the behaviour that it follows?

Accepted Answer

A reinforcer is any event or stimulus that increases the frequency of a behavior that it follows. This can include positive reinforcements such as rewards or negative reinforcements such as the removal of an unpleasant stimulus. Choice A, conditioned stimulus, refers to a previously neutral stimulus that becomes associated with a particular response through conditioning. Choice B, punisher, refers to any event or stimulus that decreases the likelihood of a behavior. Choice D, unconditioned stimulus, refers to a stimulus that automatically triggers a specific response without any prior learning or conditioning.

Question 3

Meagan thinks that using punishment with children is wrong,so she asks you how she can use negative reinforcement to reduce the amount of time that her son spends talking on the telephone.What should you advise Meagan regarding the use of negative reinforcement as a disciplinary technique?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Meagan thinks that using punishment with children...

Question 4

Ned has been throwing food at lunch,so his preschool teacher makes Ned sit in the time-out chair for three minutes.The teacher's response exemplifies which principle of operant conditioning?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Ned has been throwing food at lunch,so...

Question 5

Terri has been abused constantly by her stepsisters,and she runs away from home to escape the abuse.Terri's running away exemplifies which principle of operant conditioning?

Accepted Answer

Terri's running away is an example of negative reinforcement because she is escaping the aversive stimulus of the abuse from her stepsisters. Negative reinforcement involves the removal of an aversive stimulus to increase the likelihood of a behavior being repeated in the future.

Question 6

Every time Erwin cried,his father would immediately pick him up and he would stop crying.Now Erwin is a real crybaby.In this case,what has his father's behaviour acted as with respect to Erwin's crying behaviour?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Every time Erwin cried,his father would immediately...

Question 7

In addition to her demonstration that 2- and 3-month-olds can learn to kick vigorously when it results in movement of a mobile,what else did Rovee-Collier demonstrate with respect the development of infant memory?

Accepted Answer

Rovee-Collier also demonstrated that infants can remember for a few days without a prompt and for at least 18 days with a prompt. This was shown in her research with a baby kicking a mobile and then being tested on their memory of the mobile's movement several days later. The infants showed the ability to recall and reproduce the kicking response when prompted, even after 18 days had passed.

Question 8

Vincent wanted his daughter to make her bed every morning before she left for school,so he gave her a quarter every time she did.Now his daughter makes her bed every morning as soon as she gets up.In this case,what did the quarters represent with respect to her bed-making behaviour?

Accepted Answer

The quarters acted as a positive reinforcer, as they were given to the daughter after she made her bed, which increased the likelihood of her making her bed every morning.

Question 9

What is the term for the process whereby the removal of a stimulus after a response increases the likelihood of the response occurring again?

Accepted Answer

The term for the process whereby the removal of a stimulus after a response increases the likelihood of the response occurring again is negative reinforcement. It involves the removal of an aversive stimulus in order to increase the probability of a behavior being repeated.

Question 10

Which of the following best illustrates negative reinforcement?

Accepted Answer

Negative reinforcement is when the removal of an aversive stimulus results in an increase in the likelihood of a behavior being repeated in the future. In this case, the aversive stimulus would be getting grounded or scolded, and by not receiving this punishment, the child is more likely to obey their curfew again in the future. Therefore, D is the best example of negative reinforcement. A, B, and C are all examples of either punishment or positive reinforcement.

Question 11

What is the term for any event or stimulus that decreases the frequency of the behaviour that it follows?

Accepted Answer

A punisher is any event or stimulus that decreases the frequency of the behavior that it follows.

Question 12

Suppose an infant has learned to wave his or her arm to activate a video display.A few weeks later the infant does not respond an arm wave when exposed to the display until the display is briefly illuminated.What would such an observation imply with respect to the infant's learning and memory processes?

Accepted Answer

The infant had learned the arm-wave response and stored it in memory but needed the display's brief illumination as a cue to retrieve the memory of how to activate the video, indicating a retrieval issue rather than a failure to learn or store the memory.

Question 13

Which statement best characterizes the effects of punishment on a child's behaviour?

Accepted Answer

While punishment can temporarily suppress the behavior that is being punished, it does not necessarily teach appropriate behavior and may not result in permanent behavior change. Additionally, the effectiveness of punishment can vary depending on factors such as the severity of the punishment and the consistency of its application.

Question 14

Why does an infant's responsiveness to operant conditioning improve his or her social relations with others?

Accepted Answer

When an infant is responsive to operant conditioning, such as positive reinforcement or shaping, it may lead to more positive interactions with caregivers and other social partners. For example, if a baby learns that smiling or babbling results in attention from a parent, they may be more likely to engage in those behaviors and receive positive feedback from others. This can improve social relationships and strengthen bonds between the infant and caregivers.

Question 15

Parents are often puzzled when a child fails to show appropriate behaviours despite scoldings and punishments for inappropriate behaviours.Why are operant conditioning experts not surprised?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Parents are often puzzled when a child...

Question 16

In general,how would most people feel if they received negative reinforcement and positive punishment for their actions?

Accepted Answer

Negative reinforcement involves the removal of an unpleasant stimulus to increase a behavior, which is generally liked because it leads to a relief from something unpleasant. Positive punishment involves adding an unpleasant stimulus to decrease a behavior, which is generally disliked because it introduces something unpleasant.

Question 17

Which statement best defines positive reinforcement?

Accepted Answer

Positive reinforcement is the presentation of a stimulus (such as reward or praise) following a response (such as a desired behavior) that increases the likelihood of that response occurring again in the future. Option A describes negative reinforcement, option C describes punishment, and option D describes negative punishment.

Question 18

Which statement is the best description of negative punishment?

Accepted Answer

Negative punishment involves removing a stimulus following a response in order to decrease the likelihood of the response occurring again. Option A describes negative reinforcement, where the removal of a stimulus increases the likelihood of a response occurring again. Option B describes positive reinforcement, where the presentation of a stimulus increases the likelihood of a response occurring again. Option D describes positive punishment, where the presentation of a stimulus decreases the likelihood of a response occurring again.

Question 19

Which statement best summarizes the results of Carolyn Rovee-Collier's research regarding infant memory?

Accepted Answer

Carolyn Rovee-Collier's research showed that infants have memories that endure longer than was previously suggested by researchers using habituation techniques. She found that infants could retain memories for weeks or even months, contrary to the previous belief that their memories lasted only a few days.

Question 20

How is recall affected when an infant's memory is tested at a different place than where he or she learned the task?

Accepted Answer

Research has shown that recall is reduced when an infant's memory is tested at a different place than where the task was learned. This is due to the fact that infants form a type of cognitive map or mental representation of the environment in which they learn the task. The absence of this familiar environment can interfere with the retrieval of the information stored in memory, leading to reduced recall.

Quiz 7: Early Cognitive Foundations