Question 1

What is the positive outcome of Erikson's stage of "autonomy versus shame and doubt"?
A) feelings of trust
B) development of a sense of competence
C) development of a sense of initiative
D) self-sufficiency

Accepted Answer

The positive outcome of Erikson's stage of "autonomy versus shame and doubt" is self-sufficiency. This means that a child has developed a sense of independence and confidence in their abilities, which leads to a positive self-image and a strong sense of self-esteem. This is an important foundation for future social and emotional development, as well as educational and career success. While feelings of trust, development of a sense of competence, and development of a sense of initiative are also important outcomes of other stages of Erikson's theory, they are not specifically associated with "autonomy versus shame and doubt."

Question 2

Which researcher believed that human behavior could be best understood in terms of how rewards and punishments exert an influence on people's actions?
A) Charles Darwin
B) Mary Ainsworth
C) Lev Vygotsky
D) B. F. Skinner

Accepted Answer

As noted in the textbook, B. F. Skinner is the psychologist most closely identified with the phenomenon operant conditioning, which refers to a type of learning that occurs when an organism is rewarded or punished.

Question 3

William recalls a time when he was a child when he nearly drowned in a public swimming pool. It was a very frightening experience. Since that time, the smell of chlorine leaves him with feelings of dread. William's situation can be most easily explained by which of the following?
A) classical conditioning
B) guided participation
C) superego
D) social learning theory

Accepted Answer

In classical conditioning, a naturally occurring reflex becomes associated with an environmental cue. In this case, the fright that naturally accompanies the experience of having nearly drowned has become associated with the smell of chlorine that was part of the environment at the time that William almost drowned. The smell of chlorine, then, is the environmental cue.

Question 4

Suppose that Peggy once became ill after eating pizza. Now anytime that she smells pizza she starts to feel queasy. Peggy's situation has most likely developed as the result of:
A) adaptation
B) assimilation
C) classical conditioning
D) operant conditioning

Accepted Answer

In classical conditioning, a naturally occurring reflex becomes associated with an environmental cue. In this case, the feelings of nausea that accompany illness have become associated with the smell of pizza. The smell of pizza is the environmental cue.

Question 5

Erik Erikson proposed that a person who was focused on resolving the conflict between developing trust versus mistrust would likely be about how old?
A) birth to age 1 year
B) age 6-12 years
C) age 3-6 years
D) age 12-18 years

Accepted Answer

Trust vs. mistrust is Erikson's first stage of psychosocial development. In this stage, infants up to 1 year of age learn about the basic trustworthiness of their environment from their caregivers.

Question 6

A child who is just beginning first grade most likely would be entering which of Erik Erikson's stages of psychosocial development?
A) ego identity vs. ego diffusion
B) initiative vs. guilt
C) intimacy vs. isolation
D) industry vs. inferiority

Accepted Answer

According to Erikson, children are in the industry versus inferiority stage of psychosocial development between the ages 6 years to 12 years.

Question 7

According the B. F. Skinner, if you would like to get your child to keep his or her room tidy, which of the following is most likely to work?
A) having a chat with the child about his or her feelings about cleanliness
B) showing the child how to clean and then the child will learn from observing you
C) consistently rewarding the child when the child carries out any cleaning
D) create a learned association between dirtiness and feeling physically ill

Accepted Answer

B. F. Skinner is the psychologist most closely identified with the phenomenon operant conditioning, which refers to a type of learning that occurs when an organism is rewarded or punished.

Question 8

Which of the following theorists is most closely associated with behavioral theory?
A) Sigmund Freud
B) Jean Piaget
C) B. F. Skinner
D) Lev Vygotsky

Accepted Answer

Operant conditioning, a phenomenon with which B. F. Skinner is the psychologist most closely identified, is one of the three general trends within the behaviorist tradition.

Question 9

A child attempts to carry out a stunt involving a skateboard and a ramp that he has seen on television. The child's knowledge about how to do this stunt was most likely acquired through which of the following processes?
A) accommodation
B) social learning
C) assimilation
D) apprenticeship

Accepted Answer

Social learning theory is a view that emphasizes the influence of the social behavior of others on learning. In this case, the child was influenced by his observation of others' social behavior (skateboarding) on television.

Question 10

Jimmy notices that the time is twelve o'clock noon. After looking at his watch, he begins to feel hungry. His hunger response is best thought of as an example of:
A) shaping
B) classical conditioning
C) operant conditioning
D) counter conditioning

Accepted Answer

In classical conditioning, a naturally occurring reflex becomes associated with an environmental cue. In this case, the feeling of hunger that accompanies not having eaten for several hours has become associated with the time twelve o'clock noon. The time is the environmental cue.

Question 11

According to Erik Erikson, it is typical for individuals to consider their lives and to judge themselves. If they are satisfied with their lives, they have a sense of integrity. If they are not satisfied with their lives, they may have a sense of despair. At what age are adults most likely to experience this developmental conflict?
A) in their 20s
B) in their 40s
C) in their 50s
D) in their 60s or later

Accepted Answer

This item describes Erikson's psychosocial stage called integrity versus despair, which, according to the text, applies to individuals 65 years and older.

Question 12

The text describes a study by Albert Bandura in which children watched an adult "beat up" a Bobo doll. The conclusions from this theory are best considered as supporting which of the following theoretical perspectives?
A) classical conditioning
B) operant conditioning
C) social learning
D) psychosexual processing

Accepted Answer

Social learning theory is a view that emphasizes the influence of the social behavior of others on learning. In this case, children were influenced by their exposure to adults' aggressive behavior toward the Bobo doll.

Question 13

Three-year-old Kayla has been seeing her pediatrician for checkups every six months and fears the shots she receives each time. Now, even though he does not administer the shots, Kayla cries when the pediatrician enters the room because she associates him with receiving shots. Her behavior is a result of:
A) habituation
B) social learning
C) operant conditioning
D) classical conditioning

Accepted Answer

In classical conditioning, a naturally occurring reflex becomes associated with an environmental cue. In this case, the fear that accompanies an impending shot has become associated with the pediatrician who has administered these shots in the past. The pediatrician is the environmental cue.

Question 14

Four-year-old Sasha watches carefully how her older brother unlocks the chest where her mother hides special toys. After her brother locks the chest and leaves, Sasha is able to remember the steps he used and she now unlocks the chest. Sasha's method of learning is best thought of as an example of:
A) operant conditioning
B) classical conditioning
C) social learning
D) fixation

Accepted Answer

Social learning theory emphasizes the influence of the social behavior of others on our learning. Because this example emphasizes that Sasha learned to unlock the chest by watching her brother, it is best considered an example of social learning. Operant conditioning emphasizes reward and punishment. Classical conditioning rests on learning associations between environmental stimuli that come to predict responses. Fixation is a Freudian term that describes how anxiety can cause a person to revert back to behavior characteristic of previous stages of development.

Question 15

Which of the following terms would be most closely associated with the field of operant conditioning?
A) fixation
B) assimilation
C) systems
D) reward

Accepted Answer

Operant conditioning describes how rewards (also called reinforcements) and punishments influence the behavior they follow. Fixation is a Freudian term; assimilation describes cognitive development as it was described by Piaget; and systems is a term used most frequently in the context of Bronfenbrenner's bioecological model.

Question 16

According to Erik Erikson, there are ____ stages of human development.
A) 2
B) 3
C) 6
D) 8

Accepted Answer

Erik Erikson proposed that there are 8 stages of human development, each with a particular psychosocial challenge or crisis that must be resolved in order to successfully move onto the next stage of development. These stages are: (1) Trust vs. Mistrust; (2) Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt; (3) Initiative vs. Guilt; (4) Industry vs. Inferiority; (5) Identity vs. Role Confusion; (6) Intimacy vs. Isolation; (7) Generativity vs. Stagnation; and (8) Integrity vs. Despair.

Question 17

This researcher proposed that children between the ages of 3 and 6 years might develop feelings of guilt if they are severely criticized or punished for their own actions.
A) Sigmund Freud
B) Jean Piaget
C) Erik Erikson
D) Urie Bronfenbrenner

Accepted Answer

The proposal described refers to Erikson's third psychosocial stage, initiative versus guilt, which applies to children ages 3 years to 6 years.

Question 18

Erik Erikson believed that human development proceeds through a series of planned, biologically programmed stages. He referred to this idea as:
A) maturational selection
B) evolution
C) the epigenetic principle
D) natural selection

Accepted Answer

As noted in the text, the epigenetic principle is a biological concept that there is a "plan" built into all living organisms that determines or at least sets the stage for development throughout the organism's lifespan. The concepts of evolution and natural selection are related to evolutionary theory and usually traced to Charles Darwin.

Question 19

Erik Erikson's psychosocial stages of development focus on:
A) pleasurable erogenous zones
B) a hierarchy of needs
C) predictable conflicts throughout the lifespan
D) the interactions of the id, ego, and superego

Accepted Answer

Erikson's theory proposes that there are predictable conflicts or crises that individuals face at different stages of development, and that these conflicts affect their overall psychological and social well-being. Erikson's theory also emphasizes the importance of social and cultural factors in shaping development, whereas options A, B, and D are associated with other theories of development (such as Freud's psychosexual stages, Maslow's hierarchy of needs, and Freud's structural model of the mind).

Question 20

David states that the appropriate subject matter for students of human development to study is how people act. He argues that scientists have no business studying how people think or feel, because thoughts and feelings cannot be directly observed. David's ideas are most similar to those advocated by:
A) B. F. Skinner and Ivan Pavlov
B) Sigmund Freud and Erik Erikson
C) Lev Vygotsky
D) Jean Piaget

Accepted Answer

The behaviorists, including Skinner and Pavlov, argued that the appropriate focus of psychology should be on observable behavior. Freud was the founder of the psychoanalytic (psychodynamic) perspective; Vygotsky focused on the importance of social contexts in the development of thinking, and hence would be considered a cognitive (or social-cognitive theorist, and Piaget is a cognitive theorist since his work centered on understanding the development of thinking.

Quiz 1: Understanding Human Development

What is the positive outcome of Erikson's stage of "autonomy versus shame and doubt"?

Which researcher believed that human behavior could be best understood in terms of how rewards and punishments exert an influence on people's actions?

William recalls a time when he was a child when he nearly drowned in a public swimming pool. It was a very frightening experience. Since that time, the smell of chlorine leaves him with feelings of dread. William's situation can be most easily explained by which of the following?

Suppose that Peggy once became ill after eating pizza. Now anytime that she smells pizza she starts to feel queasy. Peggy's situation has most likely developed as the result of:

Erik Erikson proposed that a person who was focused on resolving the conflict between developing trust versus mistrust would likely be about how old?

A child who is just beginning first grade most likely would be entering which of Erik Erikson's stages of psychosocial development?

According the B. F. Skinner, if you would like to get your child to keep his or her room tidy, which of the following is most likely to work?

Which of the following theorists is most closely associated with behavioral theory?

A child attempts to carry out a stunt involving a skateboard and a ramp that he has seen on television. The child's knowledge about how to do this stunt was most likely acquired through which of the following processes?

Jimmy notices that the time is twelve o'clock noon. After looking at his watch, he begins to feel hungry. His hunger response is best thought of as an example of:

The text describes a study by Albert Bandura in which children watched an adult "beat up" a Bobo doll. The conclusions from this theory are best considered as supporting which of the following theoretical perspectives?

Four-year-old Sasha watches carefully how her older brother unlocks the chest where her mother hides special toys. After her brother locks the chest and leaves, Sasha is able to remember the steps he used and she now unlocks the chest. Sasha's method of learning is best thought of as an example of:

Which of the following terms would be most closely associated with the field of operant conditioning?

According to Erik Erikson, there are ____ stages of human development.

This researcher proposed that children between the ages of 3 and 6 years might develop feelings of guilt if they are severely criticized or punished for their own actions.

Erik Erikson believed that human development proceeds through a series of planned, biologically programmed stages. He referred to this idea as:

Erik Erikson's psychosocial stages of development focus on: