Question 1

Beck believed that challenging people's automatic negative thoughts could be therapeutic.This view formed the basis of his _____,which assumes that changing people's thinking can change their functioning.

Accepted Answer

Beck's view formed the basis of cognitive therapy, which assumes that changing people's thinking patterns can change their emotional and behavioral functioning. Biomedical therapy focuses on treating mental disorders through medication or other medical procedures, humanistic therapy emphasizes personal growth and self-actualization, and insight therapy aims to help individuals gain insight into their unconscious thoughts and motivations.

Question 2

Which of the following is the best description of behavior modification?

Accepted Answer

Behavior modification is a technique that uses principles of reinforcement and punishment to change behavior by manipulating the consequences of that behavior. This involves identifying target behaviors that need to be changed, determining what consequences (rewards or punishments) will be applied when those behaviors occur, and then systematically applying those consequences so that the target behaviors increase or decrease as intended.

Question 3

Cognitive therapies would be most likely to encourage depressed clients to

Accepted Answer

Cognitive therapies aim to challenge negative thoughts and beliefs that contribute to depression, and promote more realistic and positive thinking patterns. Encouraging depressed clients to stop blaming themselves for circumstances beyond their control is consistent with this approach. A and D are more relevant to anxiety disorders and B may not be helpful if the client already feels excessively responsible for their depression.

Question 4

Aaron Beck developed a ________ therapy for depression.

Accepted Answer

Aaron Beck is known for developing cognitive therapy (also called cognitive-behavioral therapy) for depression. This therapy helps individuals identify and change negative thought patterns and beliefs that contribute to their depression. It is not behavior therapy, client-centered therapy, or biomedical therapy.

Question 5

Praising socially withdrawn children when they make eye contact with others and ignoring them after a temper tantrum best illustrates an application of

Accepted Answer

The application of operant conditioning involves praising socially withdrawn children when they make eye contact and ignoring them after a temper tantrum. This is because praising reinforces the behavior of making eye contact, while ignoring a temper tantrum removes reinforcement for that behavior. Cognitive therapy focuses on changing negative thought patterns, psychodynamic therapy focuses on unresolved past conflicts, and unconditional positive regard is a concept within humanistic psychology that involves accepting and valuing a person without judgment or conditions.

Question 6

Training people to actively challenge their own self-defeating ideas best illustrates

Accepted Answer

Training people to actively challenge their own self-defeating ideas is the central focus of cognitive therapy, which emphasizes identifying and altering negative thought patterns that contribute to psychological distress. Psychoanalysis focuses on exploring unconscious conflicts and early experiences to gain insight into present-day functioning, behavior therapy focuses on modifying specific problem behaviors using learning principles, and client-centered therapy emphasizes providing a supportive and non-judgmental therapeutic environment to help clients access their own inner resources for growth and change.

Question 7

Systematic desensitization is to classical conditioning as ________ is to operant conditioning.

Accepted Answer

Systematic desensitization is a technique used in classical conditioning to help someone overcome a phobia or anxiety by gradually exposing them to the feared stimulus in a safe and controlled environment. Similarly, a token economy is a technique used in operant conditioning to reinforce desired behaviors with tokens that can be exchanged for rewards, such as privileges, treats, or items. This helps to shape and increase the frequency of desired behaviors over time. Aversive conditioning is the use of an unpleasant stimulus to decrease or eliminate undesirable behaviors, while free association and active listening are techniques used in psychotherapy or counseling to help individuals explore and process their thoughts and feelings.

Question 8

Which therapeutic approach emphasizes that people are often disturbed because of their negative interpretations of events?

Accepted Answer

Cognitive therapy emphasizes that people's negative thought patterns and interpretations of events can contribute to psychological distress. This approach aims to identify and challenge irrational or unhelpful thoughts and replace them with more realistic and positive ones.

Question 9

"The technique reduces people to puppets controlled by therapists! It doesn't respect human freedom." This criticism is most likely to be directed at

Accepted Answer

The criticism that the technique reduces people to puppets controlled by therapists and doesn't respect human freedom is most likely directed at a token economy, where desired behaviors are reinforced through rewards or tokens and punishments. This technique can be seen as limiting personal freedom as individuals are being controlled by external rewards and punishments rather than making their own choices based on their own values and beliefs.

Question 10

Mrs.Coleman is a withdrawn schizophrenia patient.To help her become more socially active,institutional staff members give her small plastic cards whenever she talks to someone.She is allowed to exchange these cards for candy and cigarettes.Staff members are making use of

Accepted Answer

The staff members are implementing a token economy, where desired behaviors (in this case, social interaction) are reinforced with tokens (plastic cards), which can be exchanged for rewards (candy and cigarettes). This is a behavioral therapy technique commonly used in institutional settings.

Question 11

Jason is a socially withdrawn 7-year-old with autism spectrum disorder.Which of the following could be used to teach him how to interact with other people?

Accepted Answer

Shaping is a behavior modification technique in which an individual is gradually guided towards a desired behavior through positive reinforcement. In Jason's case, shaping could be used to teach him social interaction skills by breaking down the behavior into smaller, manageable steps and reinforcing each step towards the desired behavior. A token economy could also be used in conjunction with shaping to reinforce positive social behavior. However, repression and insight are not appropriate techniques for teaching social skills to individuals with autism spectrum disorder.

Question 12

The approach that has helped children with autism spectrum disorder learn to interact successfully involves

Accepted Answer

Operant conditioning, specifically applied behavior analysis (ABA), has been shown to be an effective approach in helping children with autism spectrum disorder learn social and communication skills. ABA involves breaking down complex skills into smaller steps and reinforcing desired behaviors through positive reinforcement. This approach has been widely used in interventions for individuals with autism and has been shown to improve social communication, language, and daily living skills. Stress inoculation training, the double-blind procedure, and aversive conditioning have not been found to be effective approaches for children with autism spectrum disorder.

Question 13

Children with intellectual disabilities have been taught to care for themselves using

Accepted Answer

Operant conditioning uses rewards and punishments to reinforce desired behaviors or discourage undesired behaviors, which can be effective in teaching self-care skills to individuals with intellectual disabilities. This is often done through a technique called shaping, where small steps towards the desired behavior are rewarded until the individual is capable of performing the full behavior independently. Psychoanalysis and insight therapy are more focused on addressing underlying psychological issues, which may not be as directly applicable to teaching self-care skills. Classical conditioning, while useful in some contexts, involves associations between stimuli and responses rather than deliberate reinforcement of behaviors.

Question 14

Emma is trying to get her 3-year-old daughter to stop crying when it is time for bed.She wants to reinforce her for not crying.Which of the following would best serve as a successful reinforcer for Emma's daughter?

Accepted Answer

Money and promising a trip to Florida are not appropriate reinforcers for a 3-year-old as they may not fully understand the value of money or the concept of time. Letting her stay up later when she doesn't cry may actually reinforce crying, as it gives her the message that crying gets her what she wants. Reading a book of her choice while she is in bed is a positive and age-appropriate reinforcer, as it is a fun activity that she enjoys and can be done without disrupting bedtime routine.

Question 15

Dylan is a second-year undergraduate who feels so incompetent that he believes his life is worthless and hopeless.Dylan would profit the most from

Accepted Answer

Beck's cognitive therapy focuses on identifying and changing negative and unrealistic thoughts and beliefs that contribute to depression or other negative feelings. Dylan's belief that his life is worthless and hopeless is a common symptom of depression, and cognitive therapy can help him to challenge and change these negative thoughts. Jones' counterconditioning and Wolpe's systematic desensitization are more effective for treating phobias and anxiety disorders, while Freud's psychoanalysis is a more intensive and long-term therapy that is not typically used for treating depression.

Question 16

Several years after his wife's death,Mr.Stattler remains incapacitated by feelings of guilt and sadness.To reduce Mr.Stattler's depression,a therapist is actively encouraging him to stop blaming himself for not being able to prevent his wife's death.The therapist's approach is most representative of

Accepted Answer

The therapist is actively encouraging Mr. Stattler to change his negative thoughts and beliefs about his wife's death through cognitive therapy. This approach focuses on identifying and changing irrational or negative thought patterns that contribute to emotional disturbances such as depression. The therapist is helping Mr. Stattler to reframe his thoughts and recognize that he is not to blame for his wife's death.

Question 17

Critics of ________ have expressed a concern that appropriate patient behaviors will disappear following the discontinuation of a token economy.

Accepted Answer

Critics of behavior modification have expressed concern that appropriate patient behaviors will disappear following the discontinuation of a token economy. Token economies involve providing tokens or rewards for positive behaviors, which can lead to a reliance on external reinforcement rather than intrinsic motivation. Without the tokens, patients may no longer exhibit the same behaviors.

Question 18

The assumption that thoughts intervene between events and our emotional reactions is most clearly central to

Accepted Answer

The assumption that thoughts intervene between events and our emotional reactions is a key concept in cognitive therapies, which aim to identify and modify negative or distorted thought patterns that contribute to emotional distress. Progressive relaxation, behavior modification, and exposure therapies do not necessarily focus on this cognitive aspect of emotional reactions.

Question 19

A token economy represents an application of the principles of

Accepted Answer

A token economy is an application of operant conditioning principles. It involves the use of tokens, such as coins or points, as rewards for desired behaviors, which increases the likelihood of those behaviors being repeated in the future. This is consistent with the principles of operant conditioning, which involves using consequences, such as rewards or punishments, to shape behavior.

Question 20

Proponents of behavior modification have suggested that institutionalized patients can be weaned from ________ by shifting them to other rewards common to life outside an institution.

Accepted Answer

Proponents of behavior modification often use a token economy system to shape and reinforce desired behaviors in institutionalized patients. This system involves providing tokens or points that can be exchanged for rewards, such as extra recreation time or preferred food items. By shifting patients to other rewards common to life outside the institution, such as social interactions or hobbies, they can be weaned off the token economy system. Drug therapy (A) and a 12-step program (D) are not related to behavior modification or token economies. Unconditional positive regard (C) is a concept from humanistic psychology and not directly related to behavior modification or institutionalized patients.

Quiz 53: Evaluating Psychotherapies