Behavioural Views Of Learning Test Questions & Answers Ch.7

Woolfolk et al., Educational Psychology, 7^th Canadian edition

Chapter 7: Behavioural Views of Learning

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Behavioural theories of learning emphasize

A) development.

B) nature over nurture.

C) observable behaviours.

D) thinking.

Page Ref: 234

Skill: Knowledge

1. The principle of contiguity involves an association between

A) a negative and a positive stimulus.

B) emotion and behaviour.

C) two events through pairing.

D) two events through reinforcement.

Page Ref: 236

Skill: Knowledge

1. Ms. Cardot wants her students to enjoy math. In order to help students associate math with pleasant thoughts, she introduces new manipulatives at the math centre each week for students to use in solving math problems. Often the manipulatives involve edible snacks. Ms. Cardot’s approach is an example of

A) operant conditioning.

B) classical conditioning.

C) unconditioned response.

D) neutral response.

Page Ref: 236

Skill: Understanding

1. In classical conditioning, the conditioned stimulus and the unconditioned stimulus must be

A) dependent upon reward.

B) equivalent stimuli.

C) in a contiguous relationship.

D) in a noncontiguous relationship.

Page Ref: 236

Skill: Knowledge

1. Bryson was three when his neighbour’s house burned down. He heard the loud sirens and saw the fire and trembled with fear. Now he’s starting preschool. He hears the loud bell ring and associates it with the fire and fire trucks and begins to tremble. In this setting, the sound of the bell is

A) a neutral response.

B) a neutral stimulus.

C) an unconditioned response.

D) a conditioned stimulus.

Page Ref: 236

Skill: Knowledge

1. Lily does not like conflict. When her parents argue and raise their voices, Lily feels frightened. At school, Mr. Nash raises his voice and Lily begins to tremble. Lily’s trembling is

A) a neutral response.

B) an unconditioned response.

C) a conditioned response.

D) a conditioned stimulus.

Page Ref: 236

Skill: Knowledge

1. In an experiment, an electric can opener is used to open a can, and no salivation by the subject is detected. After a number of pairings between the can opener's operation and food, any time the can opener is used, the subject salivates. The conditioned response in this study is the

A) can opener.

B) food.

C) salivation to the can opener.

D) salivation to the food.

Page Ref: 236

Skill: Understanding

1. B. F. Skinner is to ________, as Ivan Pavlov is to ________.

A) classical conditioning; cognitive learning

B) classical conditioning; operant conditioning

C) cognitive learning; classical conditioning

D) operant conditioning; classical conditioning

Page Ref: 236, 238

Skill: Understanding

1. Operant conditioning differs from classical conditioning by

A) dealing primarily with reflexive types of responses.

B) focusing on animal behaviour to a much greater extent than on human behaviour.

C) focusing on the consequences of voluntary behaviour.

D) treating learners as passive rather then active agents.

Page Ref: 237-238

Skill: Knowledge

1. A consequence is defined by Skinner as a reinforcer or a punisher depending on whether it

A) increases or decreases the frequency of the behaviour that it follows.

B) is designed to promote desirable behaviour or suppress undesirable behaviour.

C) is pleasurable or uncomfortable for the subject receiving the consequence.

D) occurs antecedent to or as a consequence of the behaviour.

Page Ref: 238-239

Skill: Understanding

1. Mr. Lynch always uses his "mean" face to stop undesirable behaviour in his first-period class. However, even though he looks at Tommy with his mean face each time Tommy talks out of turn, Tommy is talking out of turn more and more frequently. For Tommy, the mean face is apparently a

A) cue.

B) model.

C) negative reinforcer.

D) positive reinforcer.

Page Ref: 238-239

Skill: Understanding

1. Removing an aversive stimulus to increase the frequency of a behaviour exemplifies

A) negative reinforcement.

B) positive reinforcement.

C) presentation punishment.

D) removal punishment.

Page Ref: 239

Skill: Knowledge

1. Ms. Castello has tried several configurations for students to practice the Spanish conversations they memorize in the book. Students seem to enjoy the task most when they work in pairs around the classroom, and they dread the task when they are required to perform in front of the class. How might Ms. Castello use this information to provide negative reinforcement

A) Reward students by allowing them to work in pairs if they complete written assignments in a timely manner.

B) Punish students when they fail to participate in the whole class activity by taking away the privilege of working in pairs.

C) Remove the requirement to perform in front of the class if students focus and perform well in pairs.

D) Assure students that they will be allowed to work in pairs after they perform in front of the class.

Page Ref: 239

Skill: Understanding

1. The essential difference between negative reinforcement and punishment is that

A) negative reinforcement decreases misbehaviour rather quickly.

B) punishment decreases the behaviour while negative reinforcement increases it.

C) punishment is more effective in bringing about a positive change in behaviour.

D) punishment is presented after, and reinforcement before, the behaviour has occurred.

Page Ref: 239

Skill: Knowledge

1. 17-year-old Kelly receives a ticket for speeding. Her parents take away the privilege of using the car. Her parents are using

A) negative reinforcement.

B) positive reinforcement.

C) presentation punishment.

D) removal punishment.

Page Ref: 239

Skill: Understanding

1. Yancey turns on the water faucet to get a drink. What schedule of reinforcement typically prevails?

A) Continuous

B) Fixed-interval

C) Variable-interval

D) Variable-ratio

Page Ref: 240

Skill: Understanding

1. Slot machines that pay off after an indeterminate number of uses illustrate what schedule of reinforcement?

A) Fixed-interval

B) Fixed-ratio

C) Variable-interval

D) Variable-ratio

Page Ref: 241

Skill: Understanding

1. What schedule of reinforcement is most likely to be involved when teachers give "pop" quizzes?

A) Fixed-interval

B) Fixed-ratio

C) Variable-interval

D) Variable-ratio

Page Ref: 241

Skill: Understanding

1. Mr. Saunders hates sending in his income tax forms each year and constantly worries that his return will be the "one" selected for auditing. Therefore, he completes the forms carefully and honestly in order to avoid a possible penalty, but he continues to worry about being audited. What reinforcement schedule is most likely to be involved?

A) Fixed-interval

B) Fixed-ratio

C) Variable-interval

D) Variable-ratio

Page Ref: 241

Skill: Understanding

1. The schedule of reinforcement that is the most appropriate to use in the classroom because it encourages persistence and high rates of response is what type of schedule?

A) Fixed-interval

B) Fixed-ratio

C) Variable-interval

D) Variable-ratio

Page Ref: 241

Skill: Knowledge

1. Persistence in responding is increased by what type of reinforcement schedule?

A) Fixed

B) Interval

C) Ratio

D) Variable

Page Ref: 241

Skill: Knowledge

1. Bart uses an old cigarette lighter that has become unreliable. It usually takes from one to 10 flicks to make it work. When the lighter is out of fluid, it will not work at all. By the time that Bart figures out the problem, he has tried flicking it 15 to 20 times. This situation illustrates the principle that

A) fixed-reinforcement schedules will produce the fastest performance.

B) intermittent-reinforcement schedules will aid prior learning.

C) interval-reinforcement schedules will produce the fastest performance.

D) variable-reinforcement schedules will produce the greatest persistence.

Page Ref: 241

Skill: Understanding

1. Kathy frequently makes faces at her classmates. Instead of punishing her for making faces, the teacher has the students totally ignore Kathy. This example illustrates the teacher's attempt at

A) cueing.

B) extinction.

C) modelling.

D) shaping.

Page Ref: 242

Skill: Understanding

1. Which one of the following statements is an example of cueing?

A) "Please remember to put your name on each page."

B) "Today's lesson was much too noisy."

C) "Why didn't you remember to do your homework?"

D) "Why didn't you clean up before you left?"

Page Ref: 242

Skill: Knowledge

1. Praise is more effective if used appropriately. Based on guidelines for giving praise, which teacher seems to understand and use praise appropriately?

A) “You are a good boy. You did a much better job in class today, Felipe.”

B) “I see that you did better than the others in your group today. Good work, Amanda.”

C) “I am glad you used the correct heading and turned in a very neat paper today, Carson.”

D) “Everyone should be watching LeVonne and doing exactly what she is doing when the bell rings.”

Page Ref: 244

Skill: Understanding

1. The Premack Principle states that

A) a less-preferred activity is postponed until after a preferred activity.

B) a preferred activity is withheld until rewards are earned.

C) a preferred activity is a reinforcer for a less-preferred activity.

D) less-preferred activities can be very effective as punishment activities.

Page Ref: 245

Skill: Knowledge

1. Ms. Johnson's sixth graders complained about diagramming sentences, and they were able convince her to show a movie first. Ms. Johnson made the common error of

A) bribing the students in order to gain their cooperation.

B) promising a reward for an unflavoured activity.

C) providing an incompatible alternative to the lesson.

D) using a reinforcer before a low-frequency behaviour.

Page Ref: 245

Skill: Understanding

1. Which of the following is recommended as the best way to choose the most appropriate and effective reinforcers for a classroom?

A) Ask the experienced teachers for their suggestions.

B) Establish a student committee and have them vote.

C) Observe what students choose to do in their free time.

D) Set up activities to see if students enjoy them.

Page Ref: 246

Skill: Knowledge

1. During math lessons, Ms. Olson continually observed Jim reading stories from his English anthology. She has probably found

A) a short attention span to be a problem for Jim.

B) an effective reinforcer for Jim.

C) that her lessons are too hard for Jim.

D) that Jim dislikes authority figures.

Page Ref: 246

Skill: Understanding

1. Shaping is an appropriate method for developing new behaviour when

A) no appropriate reinforcers can be found.

B) performance is otherwise too poor to gain reinforcement.

C) students are capable of the behaviour but seldom perform it.

D) there is no one available to model the appropriate behaviour.

Page Ref: 246

Skill: Knowledge

1. Which one of the following is a major advantage of task analysis?

A) Allows for creativity in student responses.

B) Describes the sequence of skills leading to a goal.

C) Reduces the need for expository presentations.

D) Requires only minimal time to use.

Page Ref: 246

Skill: Knowledge

1. An example of the use of positive practice is having students

A) develop sentences using commonly misused words.

B) ignore mistakes and practice the items they know.

C) study a list of commonly misspelled words.

D) write "I will not chew gum" 100 times.

Page Ref: 247

Skill: Understanding

1. In a contingency contract program, teachers set up

A) a group performance contract with each class.

B) individual performance contracts with each student.

C) "reward contracts" as models for misbehaving students.

D) punishment contracts with students who misbehave.

Page Ref: 248

Skill: Knowledge

1. Mr. Bennett's student teacher suggested using a token reinforcement strategy with his disruptive sixth-grade class. The token system was received well by students and soon the class was following the classroom rules. Now that this strategy is working well, the tokens should be distributed

A) by the students rather than the teacher.

B) on a continuous schedule.

C) on an intermittent schedule.

D) so that they gradually increase in value.

Page Ref: 249

Skill: Understanding

1. The position taken by Woolfolk on token reinforcement systems is that they should be used primarily

A) as an incentive program to reward classes that have met unit objectives.

B) by science or math teachers, due to the objective nature of their subjects.

C) in situations where students are not making progress with conventional methods.

D) with gifted classes or older students who are self-motivated.

Page Ref: 249

Skill: Knowledge

1. The Good Behaviour Game is based on the application of

A) contingency contracts.

B) group consequences.

C) peer tutoring.

D) primary reinforcers.

Page Ref: 250

Skill: Knowledge

1. Woolfolk suggests that programs for promoting group responsibility may be particularly hard on

A) popular students who must perform well for everyone.

B) students who try to sabotage the system.

C) teachers who must monitor the entire class.

D) unpopular students who are unable to perform well.

Page Ref: 250

Skill: Knowledge

1. Which one of the following statements is TRUE regarding the use of peer pressure in applying group consequences? Peer pressure

A) can be effectively monitored by the teacher.

B) has little effect on most misbehaviour.

C) may be both a positive and a negative influence.

D) should be eliminated as much as possible.

Page Ref: 250

Skill: Knowledge

1. Mrs. Lever allows Nathaniel to be the first to leave the uncomfortable bus because he has behaved so well on the trip. The technique being used is

A) cueing.

B) negative reinforcement.

C) positive practice.

D) shaping.

Page Ref: 240, 251

Skill: Understanding

1. The most effective reprimands are those that are

A) sharp and private.

B) sharp and public.

C) soft and private.

D) soft and public.

Page Ref: 251

Skill: Knowledge

1. Each time Robert fails to do his homework, five points are deducted from his total course points. The procedure being used by the teacher is

A) negative reinforcement.

B) presentation punishment.

C) response cost.

D) satiation.

Page Ref: 252

Skill: Understanding

1. In her fifth-grade classroom, Ms. Latimer has several students who don’t cooperate when she tells the class to get into group formation. These students are vocal about disliking group work. Ms. Latimer told them today that they may shorten their group task time by getting into groups quickly and completing cooperative tasks according to the ten-minute schedule she has planned. Ms. Latimer is using which of the following methods to get her students to cooperate?

A) Negative reinforcement

B) Social isolation

C) Response cost

D) Premack principle

Page Ref: 251

Skill: Understanding

1. Punishment is often ineffective. Based on studies about the use of punishment, why is it typically ineffective?

A) It fails to apply classical conditioning.

B) It fails to use reinforcement as a means of discouraging the behaviour.

C) It fails to teach children what they did wrong and what they should stop doing.

D) It fails to teach children what to do in place of the behaviour being.

Page Ref: 252

Skill: Knowledge

1. Mr. LeDoux is gathering information about the perpetual misbehaviour of Reid in French class. He recorded the antecedent of the behaviour in several instances and the consequences following the behaviour. He is trying to understand why Reid repeats the negative behaviour. What process is Mr. LeDoux using?

A) Positive behaviour supports
B) Self-management

C) Functional behavioural assessment

D) Task analysis

Page Ref: 255

Skill: Understanding

1. Jailyn has dyslexia and withdraws from her group when the task involves oral reading. When her teacher realizes the function of this behaviour, she tells Jailyn to ask one of the other students to read in her place. This intervention allows Jailyn to skip the oral reading without withdrawing from her group. This type of intervention is called

A) positive behaviour supports.

B) positive reinforcement.

C) positive practice.

D) functional behavioural assessment.

Page Ref: 256

Skill: Understanding

1. Skye got into a habit of watching TV and using social media to keep up with all of her friends before starting homework. She was embarrassed when she turned in an incomplete history paper and fell asleep during science class last week. She set a goal of doing her homework as soon as she gets home from school every day. What system is most likely to help her change her behaviour?

A) Behaviour modification

B) Negative reinforcement

C) Positive behaviour supports

D) Self-management

Page Ref: 255

Skill: Understanding

1. The concluding step of the self-management process is

A) evaluating progress.

B) goal-setting.

C) recording progress.

D) self-reinforcement.

Page Ref: 258-259

Skill: Knowledge

1. A first grader was able to arrange names of group members alphabetically by watching the strategy used by her teacher and imitating the teacher’s actions. This example supports which of the following theories about learning?

A) Enactive learning

B) Observational learning

C) Classical conditioning

D) Operant condition

Page Ref: 260

Skill: Understanding

1. Why are behavioural methods criticized?

A) Students readily repeat behaviours that are ignored.

B) Teachers usually use reinforcement to recognize appropriate behaviour.

C) Reinforcement and punishment are often used irresponsibly.

D) Teachers typically try to teach students to be more self-managing.

Page Ref: 261

Skill: Understanding

True/False Questions

1. Learning is defined as a deliberate action that produces a positive result.

Page Ref: 234

1. In Pavlov's experiment the conditioned stimulus was the tuning fork tone.

Page Ref: 236

1. “Reward” and “Reinforcer” may be used synonymously in psychology.

Page Ref: 238

1. An antecedent is an event that follows an action.

Page Ref: 238

1. Negative reinforcement introduces an aversive stimulus to decrease the frequency of a behaviour.

Page Ref: 239

1. Removing something aversive as soon as the desired behaviour occurs is an example of punishment.

Page Ref: 239-240

1. Extinction in classical conditioning occurs when the conditioned stimulus is presented repeatedly without the unconditioned stimulus.

Page Ref: 242

1. In using the Premack Principle, it is important that the higher frequency behaviour happens first.

Page Ref: 245

1. Positive practice involves having students give correct responses several times immediately following errors.

Page Ref: 247

1. A contingency contract is an example of a system for rewarding positive group consequences.

Page Ref: 248

1. Losing time at recess for bad behaviour is best described by the behavioural method of social isolation.

Page Ref: 252

1. Ms. Tolleson is using social isolation effectively when she removes Mark, who is being disruptive, for a period of 60 minutes.

Page Ref: 252

1. Mr. Matin interviews a student about her disruptive behaviour to learn about her reasons for the behaviour. This approach is an example of doing functional behavioural assessment.

Page Ref: 255

1. Researchers agree goal-setting is most beneficial for self-management when students keep their goals private.

Page Ref: 258

1. Over time, student-set goals tend to become higher with regard to performance standards.

Page Ref: 258

1. Behavioural approaches should be employed exclusively to alter in-class behaviour such as the rules for speaking in the classroom.

Page Ref: 263

Completion Questions

1. A relatively permanent change in a person's knowledge or behaviour that results from experiences is called ________.

Page Ref: 234

1. The influences of external events or behaviour are the focus of ________ learning theories.

Page Ref: 234

1. In classical conditioning, the response made to the unconditioned stimulus before conditioning occurs is the ________ response.

Page Ref: 236

1. Any consequence that strengthens the behaviour it follows is a(n) ________.

Page Ref: 238

1. When an aversive stimulus is removed following a behaviour and the reinforcement behaviour increases, the type of consequence that occurs is ________.

Page Ref: 239

1. When teachers take away privileges for students' inappropriate behaviour, they are applying ________ punishment.

Page Ref: 239-240

1. The schedule of reinforcement that produces the highest response rate is the ________ schedule.

Page Ref: 241

1. In operant conditioning, the complete removal of the usual reinforcer will eventually lead to ________.

Page Ref: 242

1. The act of providing an antecedent stimulus just before a particular behaviour is to take place is ________.

Page Ref: 242

1. The application of learning principles to change behaviour is called applied behavioural analysis or ________.

Page Ref: 243

1. Reinforcing completion of a less-preferred activity by allowing participation in a desired activity illustrates the use of the ________.

Page Ref: 245

1. The behavioural strategy of successive approximations is called ________.

Page Ref: 246

1. Breaking complex performances into sub-skills and sub-processes is part of a systematic procedure called ________.

Page Ref: 246

1. Crediting all students to earn a reward for both academic work and positive classroom behaviour that can be redeemed for a desired reward is called a ________ system.

Page Ref: 249

1. Mr. Crutch divides his class into groups and each group has points taken away if students do not behave. He is employing the ________ game.

Page Ref: 250

1. The form of punishment in which people lose a reinforcer (e.g., privileges, time, money etc.) is called ________.

Page Ref: 252

1. Setting their own goals, self-evaluation, and self-reinforcement are the three elements of ____________in which students accept responsibility for their own actions.

Page Ref: 258-259

1. In order for students to gain control of their own learning, they must be able to set their own goals, participate in self-evaluation, and achieve self-________, although there is some disagreement about whether this last step is really necessary.

Page Ref: 259

1. In Bandura's social cognitive theory, "learning by doing" is referred to as ________ learning.

Page Ref: 260

Short Answer Questions

1. Define "learning" and discuss how it differs from other forms of behaviour.

Page Ref: 233-234

1. Describe Pavlov's experiment in classical conditioning, identifying and defining all the major components of the conditioning model.

Page Ref: 236

1. Contrast reinforcement and punishment and describe the various categories of each. How can we tell if something is a reinforcer or a punisher?

Page Ref: 238-240

1. List the basic types of reinforcement schedules and describe the performances that they are likely to produce. Include performance patterns, rates, and effects of persistence.

Page Ref: 240-241

1. Describe what is meant by the "praise-and-ignore" approach to classroom management. What are the strengths and limitations of this approach? Give several examples of the types of incidents to which it might be applied appropriately.

Page Ref: 244

1. Compare and contrast the strategies of cueing and shaping as methods for developing desirable behaviours.

Page Ref: 242, 246-247

1. What is functional behavioural assessment (FBA) and how would a teacher use FBA?

Page Ref: 255

1. Ryan is on a baseball team with other 8-year-olds in a community league. On the first day of practice, Ryan’s buddy hit the ball and threw his bat aside as he ran to first base. The coach reprimanded the player for throwing the bat and told him to sit on the bench for the rest of the practice. Ryan saw what happened to his buddy and determined that he would always drop the bat at his feet when he got a hit. How might Bandura describe Ryan’s learning in this situation, and what label might he apply to Ryan’s learning?

Case Studies

Treena is a bright and personable girl in your sixth-grade class. A large part of your classroom activities involve class participation through questioning and recitation. Treena, however, never raises her hand and, when called on, "freezes" and often says nothing. You notice that she is social with friends. Her shyness seems restricted to speaking before a group. Discussion with her fifth-grade teacher indicates that the same behaviour took place last year. To help Treena become less inhibited about answering in class, you consider possible strategies or principles suggested by behavioural theories. Describe how each of the following approaches might be used in a behavioural plan designed to help her.

1. Classical conditioning

Page Ref: 236

1. Positive reinforcement/negative reinforcement

Page Ref: 238-239

1. Extinction

Page Ref: 242

1. Token reinforcement

Page Ref: 249

1. Contingency contract

Page Ref: 248-249

1. Using the above strategies together with other principles, briefly describe the overall approach you personally would favour for working with Treena.

Page Ref: 258-259

Kelly is a ninth grader with above-average abilities. He earns "Bs" in all of his subjects, except for biology, which he barely manages to pass. As his biology teacher, you have tried to help him many times, but you have observed no real progress. Kelly tells you that he has difficulty doing his homework because of anxieties and basic "resistance" to the subject. He simply doesn't know how to get started and stares at the question until he gives up and puts the homework assignment away.

1. Design a self-management program that Kelly could adopt to improve his academic performance.

Page Ref: 258-259

1. Explain why (or why not) such strategies as token reinforcement and contingency contracting might help Kelly's situation.

Page Ref: 248-249