Question 1

After studying his history, Giles is excused from having to wash the dishes, a task he detests. What are Giles's parents attempting to use to increase Giles's studying?

Accepted Answer

Negative reinforcement involves the removal of an unpleasant stimulus (in this case, washing dishes) to increase a desired behavior (studying).

Question 2

Albert believes he can successfully ski down a steep mountain. Which of the following would Bandura most likely say about Albert?

Accepted Answer

Bandura's theory of self-efficacy suggests that individuals with high self-efficacy beliefs have confidence in their abilities to succeed in specific situations. In this case, Albert's belief that he can successfully ski down a steep mountain demonstrates high self-efficacy.

Question 3

Michelle finds that whenever she talks to her daughter about her obnoxious behaviour, the obnoxious behaviour increases in frequency. What do Michelle's talks appear to be doing to her daughter's obnoxious behaviour?

Accepted Answer

Michelle's talks seem to be reinforcing her daughter's obnoxious behaviour, as the behaviour increases in frequency after the talks.

Question 4

What is the correct order of Piaget's stages of development?

Accepted Answer

Piaget's stages of development are sensorimotor (birth-2 years), preoperational (2-7 years), concrete operational (7-12 years), and formal operational (12+ years). Option C lists them in the correct chronological order.

Question 5

Who would most likely explain a child's maladaptive behaviour by saying, "He probably saw some TV character do that"?

Accepted Answer

A social learning theorist would be most likely to explain maladaptive behaviour as being learned from watching others, such as TV characters. Behaviorists, like Gail, might explain it more in terms of reinforcement and punishment. Freudian theorists, like Tony, would focus on unconscious motivations and conflicts. Piagetian theorists, like Mary Ann, would focus on cognitive development and how that might impact behaviour.

Question 6

Lynne always wants to go visit her grandparents because when she visits, they give her a new toy. What are Lynne's grandparents doing to Lynne's visiting behaviour?

Accepted Answer

Lynne's grandparents are positively reinforcing her visiting behavior by giving her a new toy each time she visits. Positive reinforcement increases the likelihood of a behavior occurring again in the future.

Question 7

Which of the following occurs with an effective punishment?

Accepted Answer

An effective punishment reduces the likelihood of negative behavior occurring again. It works by providing a consequence that the individual wants to avoid in the future, thus decreasing the frequency of the behavior. A punishment that causes physical pain may not necessarily be effective, as it could lead to negative side effects such as fear or aggression towards the punisher. Similarly, a punishment that follows a reinforcer may not be effective if it does not provide an adequate consequence. Lastly, while punishment can become less effective over time if it is overused or inconsistent, this is not a guaranteed outcome.

Question 8

Ken is attempting to alter the behaviour of his son by controlling the consequences of his son's actions. What is Ken practising?

Accepted Answer

Ken is practicing operant conditioning, which involves altering behaviour by controlling the consequences of actions. This can include positive reinforcement (rewarding desired behaviour) or negative reinforcement (removing an aversive stimulus to encourage desired behaviour). Social learning theory (A) involves learning by observing others, while ecological theory (D) looks at how an individual's environment and social context affect their development.

Question 9

Kaylee is a popular cheerleader in high school. She wears the latest designer clothes and recently dyed her hair purple for a school football game. Two other cheerleaders saw Kaylee's hair and the attention that she'd received from the football players, and they decided to colour their hair as well. What type of learning theory did the other two cheerleaders follow?

Accepted Answer

The other two cheerleaders followed the learning theory of imitation, as they observed Kaylee's behavior and chose to copy it in order to receive the same attention and recognition.

Question 10

Who developed social cognitive theory?

Accepted Answer

Social cognitive theory was developed by Albert Bandura.

Question 11

Dr. John tells his students that "It is best to conceptualize infants as being born with minds like empty blackboards, and that whatever experiences infants have will be written on the board and will influence their actions." What does Dr. John appear to be?

Accepted Answer

Dr. John's statement aligns with the behaviorist perspective, which emphasizes the role of experience in shaping behavior.

Question 12

Melissa is doing a study where volleyball players are self-reporting whether or not they believe they are capable of playing well in Saturday's game. What does Melissa's study appear to be assessing?

Accepted Answer

Melissa's study is assessing the self-efficacy of the volleyball players, which refers to their beliefs about their ability to successfully perform a specific task, in this case, playing well in Saturday's game. It is not assessing life-cycle forces, exosystems, or internal maturational plans of the players.

Question 13

Even though Brenda was never reinforced directly for doing so, she increased the frequency of her swearing after she saw her friend Elizabeth get a lot of attention after she swore. What does this situation illustrate?

Accepted Answer

This situation illustrates observational learning, as Brenda increased her swearing behavior after observing her friend Elizabeth getting attention for doing so.

Question 14

Joan has decided to retire early and to take a reduced pension so that she can volunteer for an international child development agency. At which stage of Erikson's psychosocial development theory is Joan?

Accepted Answer

Joan is at the stage of generativity vs. stagnation according to Erikson's theory. This stage typically occurs during middle adulthood when individuals reflect on their life accomplishments and may feel a desire to make a positive impact on future generations. Joan's decision to retire early and volunteer for a child development agency demonstrates her desire to contribute to the well-being of others and suggests a sense of generativity. The reduced pension may be a sign of stagnation, as Joan may be sacrificing financial stability for her desire to volunteer.

Question 15

Who would be most likely to make the statement: "Life is about consequences!"?

Accepted Answer

The idea of "consequences" is a key concept in behaviorism, which emphasizes the importance of rewards and punishments in shaping behavior. Therefore, it is most likely that a behaviorist like Judy would make the statement "Life is about consequences!"

Question 16

Which of the following terms is associated with social cognitive theory?

Accepted Answer

Imitation is a key concept in social cognitive theory, which emphasizes the importance of observing and modeling the behavior of others in the learning process. A) self-control is associated with self-regulation theory, C) life-span perspective is associated with developmental psychology, and D) discontinuity is associated with stage theories of development.

Question 17

Lionel is able to think in an abstract manner, and he can speculate about what his future will hold. At what stage of Piaget's cognitive development has Lionel arrived?

Accepted Answer

Formal operational thought is the final stage of Piaget's cognitive development theory, typically reached by the age of 12. At this stage, individuals are able to think abstractly, reason deductively, and consider hypothetical situations. Therefore, Lionel's ability to think in an abstract manner and speculate about his future indicate that he has arrived at the formal operational stage.

Question 18

Brandon's developmental psychology teacher believes human development is best conceptualized as progressing discontinuously through several qualitatively different stages of thinking. What is his instructor most likely to be?

Accepted Answer

The idea that development progresses through stages of thinking is a central tenet of Piaget's theory of cognitive development.

Question 19

Dr. Sefky says:	"Sure, reinforcement and punishment are important, but how people understand that reinforcement and punishment is at least as important." Given this statement, which of the following theories is Dr. Sefky most likely to agree with?

Accepted Answer

Dr. Sefky's statement suggests a focus on how people perceive and interpret reinforcement and punishment, which aligns with the central tenets of social cognitive theory. Social cognitive theory emphasizes the importance of mental processes in shaping human behavior, including factors such as personal beliefs, self-efficacy, and social context.

Question 20

Mr. Link tries to help his students learn how to be assertive by having them watch how other students can be successful by acting assertively. What theory's principles is Mr. Link using to help his students?

Accepted Answer

Mr. Link is using the principles of social learning theory by having students observe and learn from the successful behaviors of their peers. Social learning theory posits that individuals can learn new behaviors through observation and modeling of others.

Quiz 1: The Study of Human Development