Question 1

A balloon popped and made Bobby cry. It happened again when he was at a friend's birthday party. Now when Bobby sees a balloon he starts to cry. Bobby cries in response to the balloon because of _____.

Accepted Answer

The scenario described is an example of classical conditioning, in which the balloon popping serves as the unconditioned stimulus that causes an unconditioned response of crying. Over time, the sight of a balloon becomes associated with the experience of it popping and elicits a conditioned response of crying.

Question 2

Each stage of Freud's psychosexual theory of development is characterized by a conflict associated with different parts of the body. According to Freud, how people experience and resolve each conflict influences personality _____.

Accepted Answer

According to Freud, each stage in psychosexual development has a significant impact on personality development. The experiences and conflicts that individuals face during childhood provide the foundation for adult behavior, making Option A the correct choice. Although some conflicts may be more influential than others, Freud believed that unresolved conflicts would have lasting effects on a person's behavior and personality throughout their life.

Question 3

Which psychoanalytic theorist identified unique stages of development from birth through late adulthood?

Accepted Answer

Erik Erikson identified eight unique stages of development from birth through late adulthood, each characterized by a psychological crisis that must be resolved for healthy development to occur.

Question 4

The teacher praised the students for their good work on the spelling test. The teacher hopes that the praise will encourage the students to study hard for the next spelling test. In this example, praise is operating as a _____.

Accepted Answer

Praise is operating as a positive reinforcement, which means it increases the likelihood of the behavior (studying for the spelling test) being repeated.

Question 5

Psychoanalytic theory originated with _____.

Accepted Answer

Psychoanalytic theory originated with Sigmund Freud.

Question 6

Behaviorists believe that psychologists should focus on _____.

Accepted Answer

Behaviorists believe that observable behaviors are the only appropriate focus of psychological study, as they can be objectively measured and studied. Inner drives, motives, ideas, beliefs and sexual conflict are all considered to be outside the scope of behaviorist inquiry, as they cannot be directly observed.

Question 7

Within Erikson's theory of psychosocial development, each of the developmental stages is characterized by a particular challenge or _____.

Accepted Answer

Erikson's theory of psychosocial development emphasizes a series of eight personality developmental stages in which an individual confronts and must work through a core conflict or developmental crisis. Thus, the stages are characterized by a particular challenge or crisis.

Question 8

When a person or animal learns to associate a neutral stimulus with a meaningful stimulus, gradually responding to the neutral stimulus in the same way as to the meaningful one, they are exhibiting _____.

Accepted Answer

This is the definition of classical conditioning, which involves learning to associate a neutral stimulus (such as a bell sound) with a meaningful stimulus (such as food) in order to produce a certain response (such as salivating at the sound of the bell).

Question 9

Unlike Freud, Erikson _____.

Accepted Answer

Erikson's theory of psychosocial development emphasizes the influence of culture and family on individual development. Unlike Freud, he also extended his stages beyond childhood and into adulthood.

Question 10

_____ are the foundation of psychoanalytic theory.

Accepted Answer

According to psychoanalytic theory, behavior is driven by unconscious and often repressed motives, such as desires and conflicts, stemming from early childhood experiences. These inner drives and motives serve as the foundation of psychoanalytic theory. A, C, and D are not considered the foundation of psychoanalytic theory.

Question 11

Operant conditioning is also referred to as _____.

Accepted Answer

Operant conditioning is synonymous with instrumental conditioning because it involves learning the association between a behavior and its consequence (reward or punishment) through trial and error. Classical conditioning involves learning the association between two stimuli through repeated pairing. Observational conditioning involves learning through observation of others' behavior, while reinforcement conditioning is not a commonly used term.

Question 12

Skinner believed that psychology should focus on the study of behavior. The type of conditioning that Skinner identified was _____.

Accepted Answer

Skinner's work focused on operant conditioning, which is the learning process by which behavior is modified through the consequences of responding.

Question 13

Behaviorism has also been referred to as _____.

Accepted Answer

Behaviorism is a learning theory that focuses on observable behaviors and disregards emotions or thoughts. It emphasizes the role of environmental stimuli in shaping and reinforcing behaviors. Choice A, conditioning theory, is a term often used to describe behaviorism due to the emphasis it places on the role of conditioning in shaping behavior. Choice C, modeling theory, refers to a specific type of learning that involves observing and imitating the behavior of others, which is a key concept within behaviorism. Choice D, operant theory, is a component of behaviorism that specifically focuses on the consequences of behavior and how they impact the likelihood of that behavior being repeated. However, while operant theory is a part of behaviorism, it is not synonymous with it.

Question 14

Which is the correct order of the stages of Freud's psychosexual theory, beginning with infancy and ending with the preschool years?

Accepted Answer

The correct order of the stages of Freud's psychosexual theory, beginning with infancy and ending with the preschool years, is oral, anal, phallic. Option A is incorrect as genital comes last in the theory after the latency period. Option B has the order of anal and oral reversed. Option D has the order of stages incorrect as phallic comes after the oral stage.

Question 15

The process by which a response becomes linked to particular stimulus is called _____.

Accepted Answer

The process of linking a response with a particular stimulus is known as conditioning. This term is closely associated with the work of Ivan Pavlov, who famously studied how dogs learned to associate the sound of a bell with the arrival of food.

Question 16

A _____ is a systematic statement of principles and generalizations that provides a framework for understanding how and why people change over time.

Accepted Answer

A developmental theory is a systematic statement of principles and generalizations that provides a framework for understanding how and why people change over time. A hypothesis is a testable prediction about the relationship between two or more variables. A conclusion is a final decision or judgement reached after reasoning or consideration. A stage refers to a period or phase in development characterized by certain milestones or behaviors.

Question 17

Johnny is 12 years old and has been aggressive toward his siblings and peers, hitting, kicking, and calling them names. Johnny's parents are worried about these new aggressive behaviors and consult with a psychologist. After some meetings, they suggest that this behavior could be a result of watching too many violent movies and playing too many violent video games. This explanation for the aggression is consistent with _____.

Accepted Answer

The suggestion that watching violent movies and playing violent video games may be leading to Johnny's aggressive behavior is consistent with behaviorism, which focuses on observable behaviors and how they are influenced by external factors such as rewards and punishments. It is not consistent with the other theories listed.

Question 18

Johnny is 12 years old and has been aggressive toward his siblings and peers, hitting, kicking, and calling them names. Johnny's parents are worried about these new aggressive behaviors and consult with a psychologist. After some meetings, they suggest that this behavior could be the result of unconscious drives originating from conflicts during early development. This explanation for the aggression is consistent with _____.

Accepted Answer

The explanation provided by the psychologist suggests that Johnny's aggression could be the result of unconscious conflicts from early development, which is a central tenet of psychoanalytic theory.

Question 19

Pavlov's experiments with dogs that salivated when they heard a specific noise without the presence of food provide an example of _____.

Accepted Answer

Pavlov's experiments with dogs and their salivation in response to a specific noise without the presence of food is an example of classical conditioning, where a neutral stimulus (the noise) becomes associated with an unconditioned stimulus (the food) to elicit a conditioned response (the salivation).

Question 20

Freud's _____ stage centers on sucking and feeding.

Accepted Answer

According to Freud's psychosexual development theory, the oral stage occurs from birth to 18 months. During this stage, the infant's primary source of pleasure comes from oral stimulation, such as sucking and feeding.

Quiz 1: The Beginning: the Science of Human Development