Question 1

Sara procrastinates when she needs to do her homework so her roommate decided to buy Sara dinner on Friday nights if she completed her homework before the weekend.This plan increased the incidence of Sara completing her homework before the weekend.In this example,which of the following is described?

Accepted Answer

The roommate's promise of buying Sara dinner is a positive reinforcement, as it is increasing the likelihood of Sara completing her homework before the weekend.

Question 2

Which of the following alternatives best expresses the influence of psychoanalytic theory in psychology?

Accepted Answer

Psychoanalytic theory, developed by Freud, has had a significant and continuing impact on psychology. Even though it has faced criticism from other perspectives, it still affects how many people think about human behavior and mental processes.

Question 3

Whenever Kia wants a cookie she screams until her parents give it to her.Getting the cookie is a form of ___ for Kia.

Accepted Answer

Getting the cookie is a reward for Kia's behavior of screaming, which increases the likelihood of her screaming again in the future. This is therefore an example of positive reinforcement.

Question 4

Which of the following psychologists would NOT be considered a behaviourist?

Accepted Answer

Maslow is not a behaviourist, but rather a humanistic psychologist who focused on the study of human motivation and self-actualization, unlike Skinner, Pavlov, and Watson who were all behaviourists.

Question 5

Penny is a recovering drug addict.Her treatment program emphasizes the influence of her environment- "people,places,and things"-on her use of her drug of choice.Her program reflects the ___ approach in psychology.

Accepted Answer

The behaviourist approach in psychology emphasizes the influence of environmental factors on behaviour. In Penny's case, her treatment program focusing on the influence of her environment on her drug use aligns with this approach. The other options - psychoanalytic, humanistic, and psychobiological - do not specifically address environmental factors as the primary focus of the approach.

Question 6

Which school of thought focused on learned behaviour and how it is influenced by events that come before and after the behaviour?

Accepted Answer

Behaviourism is the school of thought that focuses on learned behaviour and how it is influenced by events that come before and after the behaviour. It emphasizes the importance of environmental factors and conditioning in shaping behaviour.

Question 7

This researcher developed concepts around learning after he observed dogs salivating to a ringing bell.

Accepted Answer

Ivan Pavlov developed the concept of classical conditioning after he observed dogs salivating in response to a ringing bell.

Question 8

Once,when Jordan had a terrible headache his partner told him to sit in a dark room and to put ice on his head.The headache went away.Now whenever Jordan has a headache he sits in a dark room with ice.Jordan experienced

Accepted Answer

Negative reinforcement occurs when a behavior is strengthened because an unpleasant condition is removed or avoided. In Jordan's case, the headache (an unpleasant condition) went away (was removed) when he sat in a dark room with ice, which reinforces the behavior of sitting in a dark room with ice to alleviate headaches.

Question 9

Consider the following scenarios: (1)Marie takes an aspirin when she has a headache; (2)Jan slides a dollar bill into a vending machine when she's thirsty; (3)Tammy makes her curfew now because her parents confiscated her phone when she stayed out too late; and (4)Frankie no longer curses because his mom washed his mouth out with soap the last time he swore.Which of these individuals illustrates the effects of negative reinforcement? Which of these individuals illustrates the effects of punishment?

Accepted Answer

Negative reinforcement involves removing an unpleasant stimulus to increase a behavior, which applies to Marie taking aspirin to remove a headache. Punishment involves adding an unpleasant stimulus to decrease a behavior, which applies to Tammy and Frankie, as both experienced negative consequences (confiscation of phone and soap in mouth) to reduce undesirable behaviors.

Question 10

This researcher developed special boxes to measure stimulus-responses patterns in animals.

Accepted Answer

B.F. Skinner developed the Skinner box, a controlled environment for observing the behaviors of animals, particularly focusing on the concept of operant conditioning.

Question 11

In what way are psychoanalytic and behaviourist psychology the same?

Accepted Answer

Both psychoanalytic and behaviourist psychology agree that previous experiences can influence future behaviour. Psychoanalytic theory suggests that early childhood experiences form the foundation for later behaviours, while behaviourist psychology posits that environmental experiences shape behaviour through reinforcement and punishment.

Question 12

Although ___ is technically a behaviourist,he also argued that it is possible to learn something without receiving direct consequences.

Accepted Answer

Bandura is a behaviorist, but he also developed the concept of observational learning or social learning theory, which states that individuals can learn new behaviors simply by observing others, without receiving direct consequences for their actions. Skinner and Watson, on the other hand, emphasized the role of reinforcement and punishment in shaping behavior, and Thorndike's law of effect posits that behaviors that are followed by positive consequences are more likely to be repeated, while behaviors that are followed by negative consequences are less likely to be repeated.

Question 13

Which theorist pioneered the application of conditioning to young human children?

Accepted Answer

Watson pioneered the application of classical conditioning to young human children. He famously conditioned a child named "Little Albert" to fear white rats by pairing their presentation with a loud noise.

Question 14

Which behaviourist below is correctly matched with a description or contribution?

Accepted Answer

Skinner was the leading behaviourist after World War II and is known for his work on operant conditioning and the concept of reinforcement.

Answer: A
 Bandura is known for his work on observational learning and social cognitive theory. He demonstrated the conditioning of fear in children through his famous Bobo doll experiment.

Answer: C
 Watson is often credited with the discovery of classical conditioning, as he was one of the first to study and describe this phenomenon.

Answer: B
 This statement is incorrect. Pavlov is known for his work on classical conditioning, specifically in his experiments with dogs and the conditioning of saliva production. He did not demonstrate learning through social observation, as this is the focus of Bandura's work.

Question 15

Quincy is working in a lab in which he observes rats pressing levers in order to receive food reward.What school of thought would Quincy's research fall under?

Accepted Answer

Quincy's research on observing rats pressing levers to receive food reward falls under behaviourism, which focuses on studying observable behaviour and their environmental factors that influence them, without giving much importance to mental processes.

Question 16

Which of the following sequences reflects the order in which the behaviourists discussed in your text made their most important contributions to the field,from the earliest to the most recent?

Accepted Answer

The correct sequence reflecting the order in which these behaviorists made their most significant contributions, from earliest to most recent, is Pavlov, Watson, Skinner, and then Bandura. Ivan Pavlov's work on classical conditioning came first, followed by John B. Watson's further development of behaviorist principles. B.F. Skinner then expanded on these ideas with his work on operant conditioning. Finally, Albert Bandura introduced social learning theory, building upon the foundation laid by his predecessors.

Question 17

A psychological approach that combines conditioning and cognition to explain human behaviour is

Accepted Answer

Cognitive behaviour is a psychological approach that combines both classical and operant conditioning with cognitive processes like thinking, perceiving, and problem-solving to explain human behaviour. It focuses on how our thoughts and perceptions influence our behaviour and how we can change negative thought patterns to improve our mental health.

Question 18

Consider the influence of consequences on behaviour.Which alternative correctly describes the consequences that increase the frequency of behaviour,and decrease it on the other?

Accepted Answer

Both positive and negative reinforcement are consequences that increase the frequency of a behavior. Positive reinforcement involves adding a desirable stimulus (such as giving a treat to a dog for sitting) to increase the likelihood of a behavior being repeated, while negative reinforcement involves removing an aversive stimulus (such as turning off a loud alarm when you wake up) to increase the likelihood of a behavior being repeated.

On the other hand, punishment is a consequence that decreases the frequency of a behavior. Punishment involves adding an aversive stimulus (such as scolding or spanking a child for misbehaving) to decrease the likelihood of a behavior being repeated. Therefore, alternative A is the correct answer.

Question 19

What area of psychology focused on the potential of individuals and highlighted special human qualities such as free will?

Accepted Answer

Humanism is a psychological approach that emphasizes the uniqueness and potential of each individual, focusing on personal growth, free will, and the importance of subjective experience. It rejects deterministic views and emphasizes the role of personal agency in shaping behavior and development. Behaviorism, on the other hand, emphasizes the role of environmental factors in shaping behavior, while psychoanalysis focuses on the unconscious and early childhood experiences. Cognitive psychology emphasizes mental processes such as perception, attention, and memory.

Question 20

Negative reinforcement is sometimes confused with

Accepted Answer

Negative reinforcement is the removal or avoidance of an unpleasant consequence to increase the likelihood of a desired behavior. Punishment, on the other hand, involves adding an unpleasant consequence to decrease the likelihood of an undesired behavior. While both involve negative stimuli, they have opposite effects on behavior. Criticism and negative rewards are not related to negative reinforcement. Positive reinforcement involves the addition of a desirable consequence to increase the likelihood of a desired behavior.

Quiz 1: Psychology Yesterday and Today