Learning and Behavior Theory

Question 1

Question ID #619: You are using overcorrection to modify a child's misbehavior. If the child refuses to comply with your requests during the procedure, you would most likely use which of the following?
Select one:
A. participant modeling  
B. withdrawal of attention
C. verbal reprimands
D. physical guidance

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Question ID #596: Which of the following represents a good reason to use interval recording in the process of behavioral observation?
Select one:
A. the behavior being measured has no clear beginning or end
B. the behavior has a sudden and discrete onset
C. the behavior does not occur very often
D. the behavior is poorly defined and it is therefore difficult to obtain agreement as to whether or not it is occurring

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Question ID #579: The best example of an intrinsic reward system is:
Select one:
A. a person working hard 8 hours a day in order to obtain respect and recognition from his superiors.
B. a hyperactive child placed on a token-reward system of reinforcement.
C. studying hard to pass the psychology licensing exam.
D. a boy collecting stamps.

Answer 3

D

Question 4

uestion ID #641: When a person is given time to remember a list of unrelated words and is then immediately asked to recall the words in any order, he will recall words at the beginning and the end of the list to about the same degree and better than words in the middle of the list. If there is a brief delay (10 or 30 seconds) and they are asked to engage in a distractor task between studying the words and recalling them, the person will
Select one:
A. recall words at the end of the list best.
B. recall words at the beginning of the list best.
C. recall words in the middle of the list best.
D. recall words in the beginning, middle, and end of the list to about the same degree.

Answer 4

B

Question 5

Question ID #593: Of the following, which is the best way to facilitate memory of something you have recently learned?
Select one:
A. sleep
B. study related material  
C. study unrelated material
D. engage in strenuous physical activity

Answer 5

A

Question 6

Question ID #567: If you are going to be tested on the definitions of unrelated words at 8:00 in the morning two weeks from today, you should keep in mind when deciding when to study that:
Select one:
A. retroactive interference is more of a concern if you study the night before the exam rather than the week before.
B. retroactive interference is more of a concern if you study the week before the exam rather than the night before.
C. proactive interference is more of a concern if you study the week before the exam rather than the night before.
D. retroactive and proactive interference are not a problem with this kind of learning.

Answer 6

B

Question 7

Question ID #622: A parent finds that she has to nag her son more and more to get him to stop teasing his sister. The last time it happened, the boy finally stopped his teasing after his mother's 16th angry request. The boy's compliance is best described as the result of
Select one:
A. escape conditioning.
B. avoidance conditioning.
C. stimulus discrimination.
D. stimulus generalization.

Answer 7

A

Question 8

Question ID #582: From the perspective of Bandura's social learning theory, "functional value" refers to:
Select one:
A. external reinforcements.  
B. anticipated consequences.
C. self-efficacy beliefs.
D. relationship to previous learning.

Answer 8

B

Question 9

Question ID #630: Which of the following is an example of an implicit memory?
Select one:
A. recalling the first time you drove a car
B. knowing how to dress yourself
C. knowing the definition of implicit memory
D. recalling a time when someone implied that you had done something that you hadn’t

Answer 9

B

Question 10

Question ID #632: Declarative memory is also known as:
Select one:
A. implicit memory
B. explicit memory
C. working memory
D. semantic memory

Answer 10

B

Question 11

Question ID #637: Bandura’s research looking at the impact of punishing a model for acting aggressively on male and female observers showed that
Select one:
A. when the model is punished, male and female children are more likely to act aggressively than when the model is rewarded.
B. when the model is punished, performance (but not learning) of aggressive behaviors is reduced.
C. when the model is punished, learning and performance of aggressive behaviors are both reduced.
D. when the model is punished, male and female children are less likely to agree that aggressiveness is acceptable.

Answer 11

B

Question 12

Question ID #615: In an operant conditioning experiment, researchers flash a light to signal the subject that she will receive a dollar bill for finding the ace of spades in a deck of cards. This signal is called:
Select one:
A. a reinforcement.
B. a stimulus.  
C. fading.
D. a discriminative stimulus.

Answer 12

D

Question 13

Question ID #649: The tension-reduction hypothesis proposes that alcohol abuse is due to the effects of:
Select one:
A. tolerance  
B. withdrawal
C. habituation
D. conditioning

Answer 13

D

Question 14

Question ID #562: From the perspective of operant conditioning, depression is the result of:
Select one:
A. a prolonged extinction schedule.
B. repeated exposure to noncontingent punishment.
C. response generalization.
D. a lack of stimulus discrimination.

Answer 14

A

Question 15

Question ID #643: A babysitter is watching her neighbor's 4-year old. The child wants some candy, but the babysitter was told by his mother not to give him any. After listening to the boy's whining for ten minutes, the babysitter gives in. She gives the boy some candy and he stops whining. In this situation, the babysitter's behavior (giving the child candy) is the result of
Select one:
A. positive punishment.  
B. negative punishment.
C. positive reinforcement.
D. negative reinforcement.

Answer 15

D

Question 16

Question ID #639: When undertaking token economies with seriously disturbed individuals in mental institutions, one of the major problems with the program's efficacy has to do with
Select one:
A. generalization of behaviors.
B. choice of reinforcers.
C. exchange ratio.
D. reinforcement value.

Answer 16

A

Question 17

Question ID #601: Which of the following is NOT true regarding sensory memory?
Select one:
A. It has virtually an unlimited capacity.
B. It does not retain information for more than 2 seconds.
C. It stores altered forms of the original stimulus.
D. It stores iconic, echoic, and haptic memories.

Answer 17

C

Question 18

Question ID #611: Negative reinforcement is essential to:
Select one:
A. escape conditioning.
B. punishment.
C. aversion conditioning.  
D. phobias.

Answer 18

A

Question 19

Question ID #613: The best treatment for someone who has difficulty making friends, is shy, and can't maintain steady employment is:
Select one:
A. individual social skills training.  
B. paradoxical intention.
C. token economy.
D. group social skills training.

Answer 19

D

Question 20

Question ID #557: In a study, subjects are asked to memorize a list of 10 unrelated words. The subjects are then asked to count backwards by 3’s from 99. At 5, 15, and 30 second intervals they are asked to recall the list of words. The reason the subjects are asked to count backwards is to:
Select one:
A. stimulate proactive interference
B. stimulate retrograde amnesia
C. enhance concentration
D. prevent subjects from rehearsing the list of words

Answer 20

D

Question 21

Question ID #647: Which of the following statements regarding the relationship between anxiety and achievement on academic tasks is true?
Select one:
A. The higher the anxiety, the better the performance.
B. The optimal level of anxiety is lower than it would be for simpler tasks.
C. The optimal level of anxiety is higher than it would be for simpler tasks.
D. There are no available findings indicating which level of anxiety is optimal.

Answer 21

B

Question 22

Question ID #558: Although considered to be an effective treatment for severe and treatment-resistant depression, ECT often produces adverse side effects including:
Select one:
A. temporary retrograde amnesia
B. permanent retrograde amnesia
C. patchy anterograde amnesia
D. patchy anterograde amnesia and temporary retrograde amnesia

Answer 22

D

Question 23

Question ID #629: Which of the following is true regarding sensory memory?
Select one:
A. It has a very limited capacity.
B. It can hold information for up to 30 seconds.
C. It is also referred to as primary memory.
D. It is a representation of external stimuli.

Answer 23

D

Question 24

Question ID #634: In order to get an infant's attention, a photographer shakes a rattle, which results in the infant turning toward the rattle and smiling. After numerous uses of this technique, the infant stops responding. This is most likely due to:
Select one:
A. adaptation
B. extinction  
C. habituation
D. satiation

Answer 24

C

Question 25

Question ID #646: The behavioral technique known as flooding is based on the theoretical principle of
Select one:
A. reciprocal inhibition.
B. covert desensitization.
C. classical extinction.
D. negative reinforcement.

Answer 25

C

Question 26

Question ID #655: Kohler's classic studies of the role of cognition in learning examined the behaviors of:
Select one:
A. apes
B. dolphins
C. ducklings
D. rats

Answer 26

A

Question 27

Question ID #626: In treating a client suffering from an Anxiety Disorder, a behavior therapist instructs the client to deliberately engage in the anxiety-arousing behavior as often as possible. The therapist’s goal in this situation is most likely to
Select one:
A. neutralize the anticipatory anxiety that is the real source of the client’s problem.
B. eliminate the client’s usual avoidance behavior by evoking his resistance.
C. extinguish the anxiety-arousing behavior by removing the reinforcement that is maintaining it.
D. diminish the client’s anxiety through interoceptive conditioning.

Answer 27

A

Question 28

Question ID #554: In a study of memory, a researcher displays the letter "V" on a screen for a brief period of time. After removing the letter subjects are asked to recall what they saw. The researcher found that several of the subjects reported seeing the wrong letter. The most common incorrect letter reported was?
Select one:
A. A
B. B
C. W  
D. X

Answer 28

B

Question 29

Question ID #650: According to the hopelessness theory of depression, hopelessness is a:
Select one:
A. proximal necessary cause of depression
B. proximal sufficient cause of depression
C. distal necessary cause of depression
D. distal sufficient cause of depression

Answer 29

B

Question 30

Question ID #565: The concept of "identical elements" is most applicable to:
Select one:
A. personnel selection
B. employee training
C. job analysis  
D. Equity Theory

Answer 30

B

Question 31

Question ID #586: A primary reinforcer is the same as:
Select one:
A. A conditioned reinforcer  
B. The first reinforcer used
C. Pseudoconditioning
D. An unconditioned reinforcer

Answer 31

D

Question 32

Question ID #552: A candidate for the psychology licensing exam wants to maximize his long-term memory of all of the study materials. The most effective learning strategy would be to use:
Select one:
A. spaced practice  
B. massed practice
C. elaborative rehearsal
D. maintenance rehearsal

Answer 32

C

Question 33

Question ID #624: In a study, subjects are asked to memorize a list of 12 unrelated words. After a brief period of time, they are asked to count backwards from 100 and are then tested on the word list. These subjects are
Select one:
A. the experimental subjects in a study on retroactive interference.
B. the control subjects in a study on retroactive interference.
C. the experimental subjects in a study on proactive interference.
D. the control subjects in a study on proactive interference.

Answer 33

B

Question 34

Question ID #559: A child is put in "time-out" because he was making other children laugh in class. After 15 minutes in time-out he apologized to the teacher and promised not to do that again. The teacher then allowed him to return to his regular seat. The following day the boy again disrupted the class - making other children laugh. The teacher directed him to go to time-out again. This time, after 5 minutes, the boy apologized and promised not to misbehave again. His remorse is apparently due to:
Select one:
A. Positive reinforcement
B. Negative punishment  
C. Avoidance conditioning
D. Escape conditioning

Answer 34

D

Question 35

Question ID #625: To study perception in infants, you present an infant with a sight or sound until he/she stops looking at or turning toward it. The phenomenon you are using to study infant perception is called
Select one:
A. satiation.
B. habituation.
C. equilibration.
D. adaptation.

Answer 35

B

Question 36

Question ID #580: A behavior therapist would likely view anxiety as the result of:
Select one:
A. classical conditioning, in which an aversive stimulus or negative life event served as an unconditioned stimulus.
B. classical conditioning, in which an aversive stimulus or negative life event served as a conditioned stimulus.
C. operant conditioning, in which a negative life event served as a punisher.
D. operant conditioning, in which the person is negatively reinforced for avoiding an anxiety-evoking stimulus.

Answer 36

A

Question 37

Question ID #628: According to behavioral theory, depression is generally considered to result from:
Select one:
A. negative punishment
B. noncontingent punishment
C. prolonged extinction
D. having to make finer and finer stimulus discriminations

Answer 37

C

Question 38

Question ID #603: In an experiment, a psychologist establishes a conditioned startle response to a flashing red light by pairing presentation of the light with a loud noise that naturally elicits a startle reaction. Subsequently, the red light is simultaneously presented with a strong odor just before the loud noise. After many of these conditioning trials, which of the following is likely to occur when the strong odor is presented alone?
Select one:
A. The strong odor will produce a startle response that is even stronger than the response produced by the red light due to sensitization of the subject.
B. The strong odor will produce a very weak or no startle response due to habituation.
C. The strong odor will not produce a startle response because blocking will have occurred.
D. The strong odor may or may not produce a startle response depending on the original strength of the subject’s response to the loud noise.

Answer 38

C

Question 39

Question ID #584: To reduce a client's fear of cats, a behavioral psychologist has the client imagine approaching a cat and then, when anxiety occurs, pair that image with deep muscle relaxation. This technique is known as:
Select one:
A. covert sensitization.  
B. guided imagery.
C. implosive therapy.
D. reciprocal inhibition.

Answer 39

D

Question 40

Question ID #591: Alloy, Abramson, and Metalsky have revised the learned helplessness model of depression and de-emphasized the role of
Select one:
A. punishment.
B. reinforcement.  
C. helplessness.
D. attributions.

Answer 40

D

Question 41

Question ID #581: In implosive therapy:
Select one:
A. the client is gradually exposed, through the imagination, to a feared stimulus, one step at a time.
B. a client is immediately exposed, through the imagination, to a feared stimulus at its maximum intensity.
C. the client is gradually exposed, in-vivo, to a feared stimulus, one step at a time.
D. a client is immediately exposed, in-vivo, to a feared stimulus at its maximum intensity.

Answer 41

B

Question 42

Question ID #590: The levels-of-processing model of memory includes three levels–acoustic, phonetic, and semantic. All three of these levels have been compared to self-referencing, and the findings indicate
Select one:
A. semantic is more easily recalled than the others.
B. self-referencing is more easily recalled than the others.
C. phonetic is most easily recalled.
D. semantic is the most difficult to recall.

Answer 42

B

Question 43

Question ID #658: Cognitive dissonance theory suggests that which of the following clients would be most likely to report benefitting from psychotherapy?
Select one:
A. a wealthy client who pays a very high fee
B. a poor client who pays a very high fee
C. a wealthy client who pays a very low fee
D. a poor client who pays a very low fee

Answer 43

B

Question 44

Question ID #602: After reading a best-selling book on parenting, a mother decides to stop using all forms of punishment on her child. By following her self-imposed rule, when her child misbehaves the mother could only continue to:
Select one:
A. send the child to time-out, which previously resulted in an improvement in the child’s behavior
B. spank the child, which previously led to additional misbehavior
C. yell “STOP!,” which caused the child to discontinue misbehaving for a short period of time
D. gently explain to the child why his behaviors are inappropriate, which previously resulted in an improvement in the child’s behavior

Answer 44

B

Question 45

Question ID #598: Which of the following would most likely be remembered?
Select one:
A. a political advertisement expressing views consistent with the viewer’s beliefs
B. a political advertisement expressing views opposite to the viewer’s beliefs
C. an emotionally-charged event
D. an emotionally-charged event which was expressively suppressed

Answer 45

C

Question 46

Question ID #614: Avoidance behavior is difficult to treat because:
Select one:
A. classical conditioning models don’t apply.
B. treatments require unacceptable levels of pain or other aversive applications.
C. the feared stimulus is never presented.
D. conditioning was done originally on an intermittent schedule.

Answer 46

C

Question 47

Question ID #607: Meta-cognition has been defined as “knowing about knowing.” A more precise definition might be:
Select one:
A. philosophical knowledge about the nature of knowledge, such as about limits of knowledge and the validity of our observations.
B. scientific knowledge about human knowledge, such as the parts of the brain involved in long-term memory storage and the stages of cognitive development.
C. an individual’s knowledge about his or her own cognitive processing, such as strategies that enhance the efficiency of memorization.
D. knowledge about what somebody else knows.

Answer 47

C

Question 48

Question ID #604: Feature integration theory predicts that the perception of an object as an entity rather than as a cluster of unrelated features depends on:
Select one:
A. focused attention.
B. integrated attention.  
C. selective attention.
D. divided attention.

Answer 48

A

Question 49

Question ID #621: The discrimination hypothesis, frustration theory, and sequential theory are alternative explanations for the reason why
Select one:
A. organisms exhibit experimental neurosis when presented with difficult discriminations during classical conditioning trials.
B. organisms do not respond to punishment when it is initially presented at low intensity and then gradually increased in intensity.
C. organisms respond for a longer period of time during extinction trials when they were previously reinforced on an intermittent schedule than when they were reinforced on a continuous schedule.
D. organisms often exhibit a temporary increase in one reinforced behavior when reinforcement for another previously-reinforced behavior is withdrawn.

Answer 49

C

Question 50

Question ID #595: Memory for the rules of logic and inference is part of
Select one:
A. procedural memory.  
B. semantic memory.
C. episodic memory.
D. read-only memory

Answer 50

B

Question 51

Question ID #585: When using the method of loci, you:
Select one:
A. sort objects you want to remember into meaningful categories.
B. retrieve information by remembering where you were at the time you learned it.
C. pair images of objects you want to remember with places you are familiar with.
D. make sure that the recall environment is similar to the learning environment.

Answer 51

C