Deck 11: Learning by Observation

Question 1

If a parent has a child who is showing repeated aggressive behaviors toward other children,it would probably be most effective to

A)spank the child every time such aggression occurs
B)spank the child after first giving the child a warning
C)use response cost or time-out
D)ignore the aggressive behavior

Answer 1

C

Question 2

A cat observes another cat escape from a puzzle box by pulling a string.When the observer cat is placed in the puzzle box for the first time,this cat quickly pulls the string and escapes.If the observer cat never had experience with string before,this behavior should be classified as an instance of

A)social facilitation
B)stimulus enhancement
C)true imitation
D)either a or b

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Research suggests that a child will be more likely to develop a strong achievement motivation if

A)the child's parents use reinforcement and punishment to encourage the child to develop high standards
B)the child observes models who have high standards for their own behavior
C)both a and b
D)neither a nor b

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Various research findings suggest that parents who use physical punishment produce children who are more aggressive.Probably the best explanation of these findings is that

A)physical punishment does not work
B)aggressive behaviors are a special case,for which punishment is not effective
C)parents who use physical punishment serve as models for their children
D)aggressiveness is an inherited personality characteristic

Question 5

Evidence for observational learning in the conservation task has been found

A)in people but not animals
B)in animals but not people
C)in both people and animals
D)in neither people nor animals

Question 6

Evidence for observational learning of phobias has been found

A)in people but not animals
B)in animals but not people
C)in both people and animals
D)in neither people nor animals

Question 7

The main problem with studies that show a correlation between TV violence and aggressive behavior in children is that

A)there are few such studies
B)nothing can be done to change what children watch on TV
C)it is difficult to say whether watching TV violence leads to aggressive behavior,or whether aggressive children choose to watch more TV violence
D)violent characters on TV are often punished

Question 8

One problem for the theory that observational learning is simply a special case of operant conditioning is the finding that

A)young children will imitate a model if reinforced for doing so
B)young children will do the opposite of what the model does if reinforced for doing so
C)both a and b
D)neither a nor b

Question 9

Which of the following is not necessary for imitation to occur,according to Bandura's theory-

A)attention to the appropriate features of the model's behavior
B)retention of the information gained through observation
C)practice of the observed behaviors
D)all of the above are necessary,according to Bandura.

Question 10

"A person will imitate another when he expects to be rewarded for doing so." This statement is most consistent with

A)the theory that imitation is an innate tendency
B)the theory that imitation is simple operant conditioning
C)the concept of stimulus enhancement
D)Bandura's theory of imitation

Question 11

In the debate about the relation between watching TV violence and aggressive behavior,

A)there is no correlation between aggressive behavior and watching violent TV
B)there is evidence that boys who watch violent TV are more aggressive many years later
C)any aggressive tendencies disappear a few hours after watching TV violence
D)no one has ever conducted an experiment in which children are actually required to watch either violent or nonviolent TV

Question 12

Some studies have found that human infants can imitate facial expressions before the age of

A)3 weeks
B)3 months
C)6 months
D)1 year

Question 13

Mirror neurons are specialized nerve cells that respond

A)both when you perform a behavior and when you see someone else perform that behavior
B)when you recognize a picture you have seen before
C)when you see an object on your left and an identical object on your right
D)when you first see an object and later see its mirror image

Question 14

In his research on the achievement motivation of different countries,McClelland found a positive correlation between

A)achievement motives in children's stories and current economic growth
B)achievement motives in children's stories and economic growth over the next 25 years
C)achievement motives in children's stories and economic growth over the past 25 years
D)none of the above

Question 15

Bandura's research on children's imitation of the aggressive behaviors of a filmed model showed that

A)what a child learns from a model depends on whether the model's behavior is reinforced or punished
B)how much a child imitates a model depends on whether the model's behavior is reinforced or punished
C)both a and b
D)neither a nor b

Question 16

According to Bandura's theory,all of the following are needed for imitation to occur except

A)attention
B)generalization
C)motor abilities
D)incentive

Question 17

If after observing a model,a cat starts performing a behavior it had performed in the past,this could be classified as an instance of

A)social facilitation
B)stimulus enhancement
C)true imitation
D)either a or b

Question 18

If after observing a model,a cat performs a behavior it would have never learned on its own,this could be classified as an instance of

A)social facilitation
B)stimulus enhancement
C)true imitation
D)either a or b

Question 19

Recording children's television viewing habits early in life and comparing them to their aggressive tendencies later in life is an example of

A)anecdotal evidence
B)a field experiment
C)a longitudinal study
D)a confounding variable

Question 20

The theory that imitation is simply a generalized operant response states that

A)a child will imitate a model only if the model reinforces imitation
B)a child will imitate a model only if the child been reinforced for performing the same behaviors in the past
C)a child will imitate a model only if the child has been reinforced for imitation in similar situations in the past
D)all of the above

Question 21

In video self-modeling,the patient sees a video of himself or herself

A)performing a behavior correctly
B)performing a behavior incorrectly
C)both a and b
D)neither a nor b

Question 22

In attempts to use modeling as treatment for socially withdrawn children,it has been found that

A)graduated exposure to models engaging in more and more energetic social interactions is effective
B)long treatment sessions are necessary
C)the effects of this treatment decline over time
D)all of the above

Question 23

Research on observational learning has shown an increase in actual suicides after suicides are seen

A)in television soap operas
B)in television news stories
C)in movies on television
D)all of the above

Question 24

When Meichenbaum and Goodman used modeling in the treatment of hyperactive or impulsive children,their goal was to teach the children

A)not to speak in the classroom unless called upon
B)not to get out of their seats without permission
C)to give themselves verbal instructions while performing a task
D)to give themselves reinforcers after completing a task

Question 25

Bandura and his colleagues have examined the effects of different factors in the treatment of children's fear of dogs.Which of the following factors was most important for the success of the therapy-

A)the presence of a model who interacted with a dog
B)a pleasant context (as opposed to a neutral context)
C)mere exposure to a live dog
D)a and b were of about equal importance

Question 26

A child's performance on the conservation-of-volume task

A)improves with age,but cannot be improved by observational learning
B)can only be improved through observational learning if the child is at an age where he or she is just about to improve anyway
C)can only be improved through observational learning if the adult model gives a verbal explanation of her behavior to the child
D)none of the above