Question 1

In a classic study of angry adolescent boys who were severely punished at home, it was found that
A)they continued to be aggressive at home and at school.
B)they continued to be aggressive at home, but not at school.
C)their misbehavior was suppressed at home, but they were aggressive at school.
D)their misbehavior and aggression were suppressed both at home and at school.

Accepted Answer

The study found that severe punishment at home suppressed misbehavior there, but the aggression manifested in other environments like school.

Question 2

Kyle, a 12-year-old child, who is frequently punished by his father, often lies to his father about where he has been and often stays at a friend's house rather than going home. Kyle is demonstrating
A)latent learning.
B)stimulus generalization.
C)negative transfer.
D)avoidance learning.

Accepted Answer

Kyle is demonstrating avoidance learning by engaging in behaviors (lying and staying at a friend's house) to avoid an unpleasant situation (being punished by his father).

Question 3

In the classroom, which of the following is much more likely to quell classroom disruptions, defiance, and inattention?
A)physical punishment
B)scolding and yelling
C)humiliation and shaming
D)praise, approval, and reward

Accepted Answer

Praise, approval, and reward are positive reinforcement strategies that encourage good behavior by recognizing and rewarding it, which is more effective in promoting a positive classroom environment and reducing disruptions compared to negative approaches like physical punishment, scolding, or humiliation.

Question 4

Mahmoud's parents use frequent and severe physical punishment for his misbehaviors at home. Which of the following is most likely to be true?
A)Mahmoud is a quiet, model child at school.
B)Mahmoud often gets into trouble for fighting at school.
C)Mahmoud is a compliant child but makes poor grades.
D)The amount of physical punishment at home will have no effect on Mahmoud's behavior at school.

Accepted Answer

Research has shown that children who experience frequent and severe physical punishment are more likely to exhibit aggressive behavior, such as fighting, in other settings like school. This is because they may learn to view aggression as an acceptable way to solve problems or express emotions.

Question 5

A parent who relies heavily on the use of physical punishment for aggressive behavior in the home should be aware that this child-rearing practice is more likely to produce
A)children who engage in aggressive, impulsive, and antisocial behavior.
B)complete extinction of the aggressive behavior.
C)a prolonged period of submissive learned helplessness.
D)a variety of learning disabilities.

Accepted Answer

Physical punishment has been linked to an increase in aggressive, impulsive, and antisocial behavior in children, as it models aggression as a method of conflict resolution.

Question 6

The basic tools a person has available to control simple learning include
A)reward conditioning.
B)acquisition.
C)generalization.
D)punishment.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The basic tools a person has available...

Question 7

You work with a loud and obnoxious person and have learned to "go in the opposite direction" whenever you see him coming down the hall, so you will not have to get into a conversation with him. Your behavior illustrates
A)avoidance learning.
B)stimulus generalization.
C)latent learning.
D)response chaining.

Accepted Answer

Your behavior is an example of avoidance learning because you have learned to avoid the unpleasant situation (having to get into a conversation with the loud and obnoxious person) by going in the opposite direction whenever you see him coming. This is a form of negative reinforcement where the removal of an unpleasant stimulus (the conversation) reinforces your behavior (avoiding the person).

Question 8

Punishment is often a bad idea in modifying behavior because it
A)has no effect on most people.
B)takes too long to take effect.
C)can increase aggression.
D)is ineffective in suppressing undesirable behaviors.

Accepted Answer

Punishment can inadvertently increase aggression as a response, especially if the individual being punished perceives it as unjust or it triggers a defensive or retaliatory behavior.

Question 9

Regarding pain, frustration, and punishment, which of the following statements is FALSE?
A)Animals, even pets, often react to pain by attacking whomever or whatever else is around.
B)Humans who are in pain are more likely to withdraw from others than to lash out at them.
C)One of the most common responses to frustration is aggression.
D)Since punishment is painful, frustrating, or both, punishment sets up a powerful environment for learning aggression.

Accepted Answer

Humans, similar to animals, can also exhibit aggressive behaviors when in pain, not just withdrawal. The statement underestimates the complexity of human responses to pain, which can include a range of behaviors from withdrawal to aggression, depending on the individual and the context.

Question 10

Responses are usually suppressed by
A)stimulus generalizations.
B)intermittent reinforcement.
C)negative reinforcement.
D)punishment.

Accepted Answer

Responses are typically suppressed by punishment, as it involves adding or removing a stimulus following a behavior to decrease the likelihood of that behavior occurring again.

Question 11

One of the basic tools available to control simple learning is
A)reinforcement.
B)cognitive modeling.
C)generalization.
D)acquisition.

Accepted Answer

Reinforcement is a basic tool used in learning, particularly in behaviorism, where it is used to increase the likelihood of a behavior by applying a consequence (positive or negative) following that behavior.

Question 12

If you want a child to behave,
A)punish disruptive behavior.
B)praise appropriate behavior.
C)ignore undesirable behavior.
D)use all of these in combination.

Accepted Answer

Using a combination of strategies, including punishing disruptive behavior, praising appropriate behavior, and ignoring undesirable behavior when appropriate, can be effective in managing and guiding a child's behavior. Each strategy can be useful in different contexts and for different behaviors.

Question 13

After he is spanked, Terrence feels angry, frustrated, and hostile, and goes immediately outside and picks a fight with his younger brother. What is most likely to occur in the future?
A)Picking a fight with his brother will be an isolated event in the future, although he will still misbehave and receive spankings.
B)Because Terrence releases some of his anger on his younger brother, his aggression will be rewarded and will tend to occur again in other frustrating situations.
C)Because Terrence releases his anger on his younger brother, he will be less likely to be aggressive toward any other children in the future due to the cathartic effect.
D)Terrence's overall aggression will decline, and he will become a model child at home, in the neighborhood, and at school.

Accepted Answer

Terrence's behavior of picking a fight with his brother after being spanked is an example of displaced aggression. When this aggression leads to a sense of relief or satisfaction, it is positively reinforced, making it more likely that Terrence will exhibit similar aggressive behaviors in future frustrating situations.

Question 14

A teen who is punished at home a lot will be gone as much as possible. This is an example of
A)classical conditioning.
B)modeling.
C)negative transfer.
D)avoidance learning.

Accepted Answer

This is an example of avoidance learning, where the teen learns to stay away from home to avoid the negative consequences or punishment. In avoidance learning, the behavior (staying away from home) is reinforced by the negative reinforcement of avoiding the unpleasant stimulus (punishment).

Question 15

You work with a loud and obnoxious person and try to end your conversation with him as soon as possible, which illustrates __________learning.
A)respondent
B)place
C)escape
D)latent

Accepted Answer

This scenario illustrates escape learning, where an individual learns to perform a behavior to terminate an aversive stimulus. In this case, ending the conversation quickly to avoid further interaction with the loud and obnoxious person.

Question 16

Regarding escape and avoidance learning, which of the following statements is FALSE?
A)Avoidance learning involves making a response in order to postpone or prevent discomfort.
B)Each time a situation is avoided, the person is reinforced by a sense of relief.
C)Frequent punishment discourages the occurrence of escape and avoidance learning.
D)Escape learning is based on negative reinforcement.

Accepted Answer

Escape and avoidance learning are both facilitated by negative reinforcement, where the removal or avoidance of an aversive stimulus strengthens a behavior. Frequent punishment, rather than discouraging, can actually encourage the development of escape and avoidance behaviors as individuals learn to perform actions to avoid or escape the punishment.

Question 17

Mac is five years old, and his parents were using spanking as their only means of discipline. After each spanking, Mac grew increasingly angry and usually took it out on the dog or his two-year-old brother. A counselor suggested other punishment alternatives, such as time-out, as well as encouraging the parents to use praise and rewards more often when Mac was behaving appropriately. According to research, since Mac's parents have changed to less punitive parenting, Mac's level of aggression will most likely
A)decline.
B)remain at the current level since aggressiveness is a part of Mac's innate temperament.
C)remain at the current level because Mac is too old to benefit from a change in parenting styles.
D)increase because Mac's parents will not be able to suppress his misbehavior and aggression using time-out.

Accepted Answer

Research indicates that less punitive and more positive parenting strategies, such as using time-outs, praise, and rewards, can lead to a decrease in aggressive behaviors in children. This approach helps in teaching children appropriate behaviors and managing emotions in a healthier way.

Question 18

If parents change to less punitive parenting, their children's levels of aggression will likely
A)decline, at least for younger children.
B)decline no matter the age of the child or adolescent.
C)increase since the parents will be unable to suppress the misbehaviors and the aggression with milder punishment.
D)remain the same since aggressiveness depends more on a child's temperament than the discipline style.

Accepted Answer

Less punitive parenting can lead to a decline in aggression, especially in younger children, as they are more adaptable and responsive to changes in parenting style.

Question 19

Regarding the basic tools a person has available to control simple learning, which of the following statements is FALSE?
A)Reinforcement strengthens responses.
B)Nonreinforcement causes responses to extinguish.
C)Punishment suppresses responses.
D)The three basic tools work best when used independently of each other.

Accepted Answer

The three basic tools of learning—reinforcement, nonreinforcement, and punishment—are often most effective when used in combination rather than independently. Each tool can influence learning in different ways, and their combined use can provide a more nuanced approach to shaping behavior.

Question 20

A problem with the use of punishment is that
A)it causes fear, frustration, anxiety, and encourages aggression.
B)it has little or no power to actually suppress an undesirable response.
C)negative reinforcement is superior to punishment for suppressing a response.
D)once begun it cannot be withdrawn.

Accepted Answer

Punishment can lead to negative emotional responses such as fear, frustration, and anxiety, and can also encourage aggression, making it a problematic method for behavior modification.

Quiz 6: Conditioning and Learning

In a classic study of angry adolescent boys who were severely punished at home, it was found that

Kyle, a 12-year-old child, who is frequently punished by his father, often lies to his father about where he has been and often stays at a friend's house rather than going home. Kyle is demonstrating

In the classroom, which of the following is much more likely to quell classroom disruptions, defiance, and inattention?

Mahmoud's parents use frequent and severe physical punishment for his misbehaviors at home. Which of the following is most likely to be true?

A parent who relies heavily on the use of physical punishment for aggressive behavior in the home should be aware that this child-rearing practice is more likely to produce

The basic tools a person has available to control simple learning include

You work with a loud and obnoxious person and have learned to "go in the opposite direction" whenever you see him coming down the hall, so you will not have to get into a conversation with him. Your behavior illustrates

Punishment is often a bad idea in modifying behavior because it

Regarding pain, frustration, and punishment, which of the following statements is FALSE?

Responses are usually suppressed by

One of the basic tools available to control simple learning is

If you want a child to behave,

After he is spanked, Terrence feels angry, frustrated, and hostile, and goes immediately outside and picks a fight with his younger brother. What is most likely to occur in the future?

A teen who is punished at home a lot will be gone as much as possible. This is an example of

You work with a loud and obnoxious person and try to end your conversation with him as soon as possible, which illustrates __________learning.

Regarding escape and avoidance learning, which of the following statements is FALSE?

If parents change to less punitive parenting, their children's levels of aggression will likely

Regarding the basic tools a person has available to control simple learning, which of the following statements is FALSE?

A problem with the use of punishment is that