Question 1

Twelve-month-old Ahmed pointed to an airplane flying overhead and said "Bird!" This is an example of the Piagetian process of

Accepted Answer

This is an example of assimilation, where Ahmed is applying his existing knowledge of birds to the new object, an airplane. He may not yet have a clear distinction between birds and airplanes, and thus uses his existing schema for birds to make sense of the new object.

Question 2

Eleven-year-old Madison is expected to keep her room clean and to empty all trash and garbage in the house. When Madison is too busy to complete her household chores, she is grounded. Her parents tell her that until her room is clean and the trash is emptied she is to remain at home, have no visitors, and may not use her iPod. In this situation, grounding serves as a ________ for Madison.

Accepted Answer

negative reinforcement

Question 3

A teacher succeeds in eliminating a student's undesirable behaviour by ignoring it. This is referred to as

Accepted Answer

Extinction refers to the gradual disappearance of a behavior when it is no longer reinforced. By ignoring the undesirable behavior, the teacher is not providing any reinforcement (positive or negative) for that behavior, which results in the behavior eventually going extinct. Negative reinforcement involves removing an aversive stimulus to increase the likelihood of a behavior, shaping involves gradually guiding behavior towards a desired outcome, and partial reinforcement refers to rewarding behavior only sometimes rather than every time.

Question 4

According to the principles of Piaget's theory of cognitive development, if you know how to act at a party, you are using a ________ to guide and direct your behaviour.

Accepted Answer

According to Piaget's theory, a scheme is a mental structure that guides and directs behavior. Knowing how to act at a party would involve using a social scheme to guide appropriate behavior. Reinforcement is a factor that affects behavior, but it doesn't guide or direct behavior. Defence mechanisms are unconscious psychological strategies used to protect against anxiety, not related to social behavior. Memory is a cognitive process of storing and retrieving information, but it doesn't guide or direct behavior.

Question 5

Which of the following is an example of behaviour influenced by the principles of social cognitive theory?

Accepted Answer

This scenario demonstrates observational learning, a key principle of social cognitive theory. Judy observes the consequences of Sally's behaviour and adjusts her own behaviour accordingly.

Question 6

The Piagetian process of accommodation involves

Accepted Answer

Accommodation involves changing an existing scheme as a result of new information or experiences. Option A refers to assimilation, option C refers to sensorimotor stage, and option D refers to symbolic representation, which are not related to accommodation.

Question 7

A child who efficiently sucks a breast or a bottle is presented with a drinking straw, which requires a different sucking strategy. What is likely to happen?

Accepted Answer

According to Piaget's theory of cognitive development, the child will accommodate the straw by changing the existing scheme for sucking and adding a new strategy to deal with the straw. This means that the child will modify their existing sucking strategy to adjust to the new object (straw) and develop a new strategy to deal with it. Therefore, option C is the correct answer. Option A is unlikely as learning a new strategy can take time and practice. Option B is incorrect as there is no evidence to suggest that children who learn to drink from bottles are unsuccessful at learning to drink from straws. Option D is unlikely as it is unlikely that the child will completely abandon previous schemes and create a completely new one for sucking from a straw.

Question 8

When one-year-old Owen points to every man he sees and says "Daddy," he has employed which Piagetian process?

Accepted Answer

Owen is assimilating every man he sees into the category of "Daddy" based on his existing schema of what a father figure looks like.

Question 9

Last year, five-year-old Emily began a bedtime ritual that frustrated her parents. Shortly after being put to bed for the evening, Emily would begin a series of requests: "I need a drink of water." "Please read me another story." "I think something is under my bed. Come look!" Emily's parents finally resolved that they would not respond to Emily and warned her that once she went to bed, she was expected to go quietly to sleep. Through a long and difficult week, Emily's parents held firm and ignored her pleas and tears. Now, Emily drifts peacefully and quickly to sleep when she is put to bed. Emily's parents practiced the learning principle of

Accepted Answer

Emily's parents practiced the principle of extinction by ignoring her requests and eventually causing the behavior to extinguish or stop occurring. Punishment involves applying a negative consequence to decrease a behavior, positive reinforcement involves applying a positive consequence to increase a behavior, and modeling involves learning by observing others.

Question 10

________ is to Skinner as ________ is to Bandura.

Accepted Answer

Skinner is known for his theory of reinforcement, while Bandura is known for his theory of observational learning. Therefore, the correct answer is D) Reinforcement; observational learning.

Question 11

The belief in one's own capacity to cause an intended event to occur or to perform a task is known as

Accepted Answer

The belief in one's own capacity to cause an intended event to occur or to perform a task is known as self-efficacy, which is a concept introduced by Albert Bandura. Reciprocal determinism refers to the mutual influence between an individual and their environment, modelling refers to the process of observing and imitating others, and reinforcement refers to the use of positive or negative consequences to increase or decrease the likelihood of a behavior.

Question 12

Piaget believed that in the process of ________, children use both assimilation and accommodation to create schemes that fit the reality of their environments.

Accepted Answer

Piaget believed that children go through a process of equilibration, where they use both assimilation (fitting new information into existing schemes) and accommodation (modifying existing schemes to fit new information) to create schemes that fit the reality of their environments. This helps them achieve a state of balance or equilibrium between their existing knowledge and their new experiences.

Question 13

The work of ________ attempts to answer the question "How does thinking develop?"

Accepted Answer

Jean Piaget's work focuses on cognitive development in children, specifically how their thinking and understanding of the world progresses over time. He is known for his theory of cognitive development which suggests that children progress through four stages of cognitive development, each marked by a different way of understanding the world.

Question 14

If you play slot machines or buy lottery tickets, your behaviour is based upon a pattern of

Accepted Answer

Slot machines and lotteries are designed to use partial reinforcement schedules, where rewards are given at unpredictable intervals. This creates a pattern of behaviour that is difficult to extinguish because the occasional payout reinforces the behaviour of playing. Intrinsic motivation (B) refers to doing something for the inherent satisfaction or enjoyment, which is not typically the case with these types of gambling. Positive reinforcement (C) is the presentation of a reward or pleasant consequence to increase the probability of a behaviour, which is true for partial reinforcement, but the intermittent nature of the reinforcement makes it a specific type of schedule. Extinction (D) refers to the gradual disappearance of a behaviour when reinforcement is no longer present, but this does not apply to the behaviour of playing slot machines, which is reinforced intermittently.

Question 15

Marvin is pestering his mother for an advance on his allowance, whining for 10 minutes saying things like, "Please, Mom, can't I have my allowance early? Please? Oh, come on, Mom, I need it now. Mom!" His mother ignores Marvin's pleas for 10 minutes, but finally gives in and says, "Oh, all right. Here it is. Anything to stop your whining." If in the future the boy engages in more whining to get what he wants, and the mother gives in even more easily, then according to the principles of the learning theory, Marvin has been ________ and the mother has been ________.

Accepted Answer

positively reinforced;negatively reinforced

Question 16

Three-year-old Ali used to call all flying objects, such as airplanes and slowly falling leaves, "birds." Now he correctly labels airplanes, butterflies, birds, and bees. What Piagetian process has Ali accomplished?

Accepted Answer

Ali has accomplished accommodation, which is the process of adjusting one's existing schemas to incorporate new information or experiences. In this case, Ali has adjusted his schema for "birds" to include more specific categories of flying objects such as airplanes, butterflies, birds, and bees.

Question 17

Piaget's idea of equilibration is the process of balancing assimilation and accommodation to create _________ that fit the environment.

Accepted Answer

Equilibration is the process of creating mental structures or schemes that fit the environment. These schemes are created through a balance of assimilation (fitting new information into existing schemes) and accommodation (modifying existing schemes to fit new information). Therefore, the best choice is B) schemes.

Question 18

Roberta has been studying very hard and finds out that she has received an A+ on her English test. Her parents praise her and take her out to buy a new summer outfit. She is so happy that her parents are proud of her that she studies even harder for the next English test. This is an example of

Accepted Answer

This scenario describes positive reinforcement, as the positive outcome of receiving an A+ and the praise/reward from her parents increases the likelihood of her studying even harder in the future to receive similar praise/rewards.

Question 19

Albert Bandura's observation that we may learn by watching another person behave in a certain way is the foundation for what theory?

Accepted Answer

Albert Bandura is known for his social cognitive theory, which emphasizes the role of observation and modeling in learning. This theory suggests that individuals learn not only through direct experience (operant and classical conditioning), but also through observing and imitating the behavior of others.

Question 20

Which of the following is an aspect of operant conditioning that would make a behaviour more likely to occur again?

Accepted Answer

Negative reinforcement is the removal of an unpleasant stimulus to increase the likelihood of a behavior being repeated. For example, if a child is told they can stop doing chores if they finish their homework, the removal of chores acts as negative reinforcement for completing homework and increases the likelihood they will do it again in the future.

Quiz 2: Theories of Development