SKINNER MC

Question 1

Which term best describes B. F. Skinner?

a. determinist
b. psychotherapist
c. cognitive psychologist
d. sociologist

Answer 1

a

Question 2

While in college, Skinner aspired to become a

a. professional baseball player.
b. writer.
c. psychologist.
d. lawyer.

Answer 2

b

Question 3

Thorndike’s law of effect states that responses to stimuli that are followed by a satisfier tend to be

a. ignored.
b. stamped in.
c. stamped out.
d. extinguished.

Answer 3

b

Question 4

John Watson argued that the goal of psychology is

a. to determine the drives that motivate behavior.
b. to study sensation, perception, and imagery.
c. to study behavior subjectively; that is, through introspection.
d. to study behavior objectively.

Answer 4

d

Question 5

According to Skinner, internal mental states such as thinking, foresight, and reasoning

a. do not exist.
b. exist, but should not be used to explain behavior.
c. exist and should be used to explain behavior.
d. do not exist, but nevertheless can be used to explain human behavior.
e. are solely responsible for human behavior.

Answer 5

b

Question 6

After Skinner’s younger brother died, his parents

a. blamed Skinner for the child’s death.
b. separated and later divorced.
c. did not want to let Skinner go.
d. insisted that Skinner return to Harvard and work toward a PhD.

Answer 6

c

Question 7

Skinner believed the most crucial aspect of science is

a. measurement.
b. hypothesis testing.
c. explanations of natural phenomena.
d. valuing empirical observation.

Answer 7

d

Question 8

Shaping complex behavior through operant conditioning usually includes this procedure.

a. classical conditioning
b. punishment
c. cognitive mediation
d. successive approximation

Answer 8

d

Question 9

Shaping complex behavior through operant conditioning usually includes this procedure.

a. classical conditioning
b. punishment
c. cognitive mediation
d. successive approximation

Answer 9

d

Question 10

Any aversive condition that when removed from a situation increases the probability that a given behavior will occur is a

a. negative reinforcer.
b. positive reinforcer.
c. reward.
d. negative punishment.
e. positive punishment.

Answer 10

a

Question 11

Skinner favored reward over punishment largely because

a. reward is more humane than punishment.
b. punishment is more expensive.
c. the effects of punishment are less predictable.
d. the effects of reward are less predictable.

Answer 11

c

Question 12

Allyson rubs her knee to reduce pain. This behavior is most likely an example of

a. classical conditioning.
b. social control of behavior.
c. punishment.
d. positive reinforcement.
e. negative reinforcement.

Answer 12

e

Question 13

A bricklayer is paid a given amount of money for every brick laid. This procedure most closely approximates which schedule of reinforcement?

a. fixed-ratio
b. variable-ratio
c. fixed-interval
d. variable-interval

Answer 13

a

Question 14

Extinction of a response will occur earliest when learning occurs under this schedule of reinforcement.

a. continuous
b. variable-ratio
c. fixed-interval
d. variable-interval

Answer 14

a

Question 15

Which of these would be the best example of a conditioned reinforcer?’

a. sleep
b. relief from a headache
c. praise
d. oxygen

Answer 15

c

Question 16

A slot machine pays off on this schedule.

a. continuous
b. fixed-ratio
c. fixed-interval
d. variable-interval
e. none of these

Answer 16

e

Question 17

According to Skinner, human personality is partially shaped by

a. natural selection.
b. unconscious motivation.
c. our expectation of future goals.
d. basic needs such as hunger, safety, and sex.

Answer 17

a

Question 18

A unified repertoire of responses is Skinner’s definition of

a. operant conditioning.
b. classical conditioning.
c. human personality.
d. the perceived self.

Answer 18

c

Question 19

Which of these concepts would Skinner see as an explanatory fiction?

a. drive
b. ego
c. self-realization
d. all of the above

Answer 19

d

Question 20

Skinner saw creative behavior as resulting from

a. mutations.
b. genetic intelligence.
c. sublimations.
d. uniquely human qualities of perseverance.

Answer 20

a

Question 21

According to Skinner, the act of blocking out unpleasant thoughts is an example of

a. repression.
b. suppression.
c. negative reinforcement.
d. extinction.

Answer 21

c

Question 22

According to Skinner, unhealthy behavior

a. can be traced to congenital deficiencies.
b. does not exist.
c. is a means of coping with excessive social control.
d. is the result of permissive training during childhood.

Answer 22

c

Question 23

In his philosophy of science, Skinner

a. opposed hypothetical-deductive methods.
b. favored a Taoistic approach.
c. opposed scientific research.
d. favored the use of large groups of subjects.
e. advocated longitudinal studies.

Answer 23

a

Question 24

Which of these would be an example of social control through describing contingencies? 
A) deprivation 
B) advertising 
C) imprisonment 
D) receiving a paycheck

Answer 24

b