Question 1

A consequence that decreases the future likelihood of the behaviour that it follows is called
A)positive reinforcement.
B)negative reinforcement.
C)self-efficacy.
D)punishment.

Accepted Answer

Punishment is a consequence that is intended to decrease the likelihood of the behavior that precedes it. The other options listed either increase the likelihood of the behavior (positive reinforcement) or serve to encourage a behavior through removing a negative stimulus (negative reinforcement). Self-efficacy refers to an individual's belief in their ability to perform a certain behavior, and is not directly related to consequences.

Question 2

One difference between Skinner's operant conditioning and Bandura's social cognitive theory is that
A)Bandura believes children play an active role in their own development while Skinner sees them as being passively shaped by the environment.
B)Skinner views reinforcement and punishment as being important while Bandura does not.
C)Skinner believes that self-efficacy influences behaviour while Bandura does not.
D)Bandura emphasizes rewards and punishment while Skinner does not.

Accepted Answer

Skinner believed in the principle of operant conditioning, where behavior is shaped through reinforcement and punishment in response to stimuli from the environment, without much emphasis on internal mental processes. On the other hand, Bandura's social cognitive theory emphasizes the role of both environmental and personal factors, including children's active participation in their own development, their self-efficacy beliefs, and their observation and imitation of others' behaviors. Therefore, choice A is the best answer as it correctly differentiates the two theories based on their views on the child's role in development.

Question 3

A reward that consists of taking away something unpleasant is called
A)positive reinforcement.
B)negative reinforcement.
C)extinction.
D)punishment.

Accepted Answer

Negative reinforcement involves removing an unpleasant stimulus in order to increase the likelihood of a behavior being repeated in the future. In this case, the reward is the removal of something unpleasant.

Question 4

Piaget believed that children
A)are passively shaped by their experiences.
B)actively try to make sense of their world.
C)learn through a series of reinforcements and punishments.
D)face a series of conflicts or challenges as they develop.

Accepted Answer

Piaget's theory of cognitive development emphasizes that children actively construct knowledge as they try to make sense of their experiences. This process involves self-regulation, adaptation, and schema building, rather than passive reception of information.

Question 5

Whenever Krysia hung up her coat and put away her backpack after school, she was excused from setting the table, a chore she detests. Krysia's parents were using ________ to modify her behaviour.
A)self-efficacy
B)punishment
C)negative reinforcement
D)positive reinforcement

Accepted Answer

Krysia's parents are using negative reinforcement, which involves removing an unpleasant stimulus (setting the table) to increase the likelihood of a desired behavior (coming home from school). This is different from punishment, which would involve adding an unpleasant stimulus to decrease undesired behavior. Positive reinforcement involves adding a pleasant stimulus to increase desired behavior, and self-efficacy refers to a person's belief in their own abilities to achieve a goal.

Question 6

When eight-year-old Chris brought home a report card with all As, his parents gave him one dollar for each A. Chris's parents were attempting to use ________ to shape Chris's future behaviour.
A)negative reinforcement
B)positive reinforcement
C)punishment
D)self-efficacy

Accepted Answer

Positive reinforcement involves providing a desirable consequence to increase the likelihood of a behavior being repeated in the future. In this case, Chris's parents provided him with a reward (one dollar for each A) to encourage him to continue getting good grades in the future.

Question 7

Your neighbor tells you about his little boy who is always manipulating objects "just like a scientist trying to test his theory about the world." Having just read the first chapter of your child development textbook, you reply, "You sound just like
A)B.F. Skinner!"
B)Sigmund Freud!"
C)Urie Bronfenbrenner!"
D)Jean Piaget!"

Accepted Answer

Piaget is known for his theory of cognitive development in children, which emphasizes that children construct their understanding of the world through active engagement with their environment. One of the ways they do so is through manipulating objects and exploring cause-and-effect relationships, much like a scientist testing their theories. Therefore, the neighbor's description of his child's behavior aligns with Piaget's view of cognitive development.

Question 8

Carol begged her father for some candy when they were in the grocery store. Eventually, Carol's father gave in and bought Carol some candy. According to theories of operant conditioning, what is likely to happen the next time Carol and her father go to the grocery store?
A)Carol will not beg for candy because her father punished her begging the last time that they were in the store.
B)Carol will not beg for candy because her father reinforced her begging the last time that they were in the store.
C)Carol will beg for candy because her father reinforced her begging the last time they were in the store.
D)Carol will beg for candy because her father punished her begging the last time they were in the store.

Accepted Answer

According to theories of operant conditioning, reinforcement increases the likelihood of a behavior occurring again in the future. In this case, Carol's begging behavior was reinforced by her father buying her the candy. Therefore, it is likely that she will beg for candy again in the future when they go to the grocery store.

Question 9

Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive development focused on
A)the resolution of psychological crises.
B)improvements in mental hardware and software.
C)children's creation of "theories" that help them understand their worlds.
D)adaptive behaviours that are learned during critical periods.

Accepted Answer

Piaget believed that children actively construct their understanding of the world by creating mental structures or "theories" that they use to organize and interpret information.

Answer: B
 Piaget also emphasized the role of both hardware (the brain's physical development) and software (mental processes and abilities) in cognitive development.

Therefore, the best choices are C and B.

Question 10

Which shows the correct sequence of Piaget's stages of cognitive development?
A)preoperational, concrete operational, formal operational, sensorimotor
B)sensorimotor, concrete operational, preoperational, formal operational
C)sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, formal operational
D)concrete operational, formal operational, sensorimotor, preoperational

Accepted Answer

Piaget's stages of cognitive development follow the sequence of sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, and formal operational. Option C correctly shows this sequence.

Question 11

B.F. Skinner is most closely associated with which of the following concepts?
A)imprinting
B)self-efficacy
C)operant conditioning
D)observational learning

Accepted Answer

B.F. Skinner is most closely associated with the concept of operant conditioning, which is the use of consequences to modify behavior. Skinner's work focused on shaping behavior through reinforcement and punishment.

Question 12

The cognitive-developmental perspective is mainly concerned with
A)experience.
B)personality.
C)thinking.
D)context.

Accepted Answer

The cognitive-developmental perspective is mainly concerned with how children acquire and develop thinking and reasoning abilities, including the ability to understand cause-and-effect relationships, think logically about abstract concepts, and solve problems. This perspective emphasizes the importance of cognitive processes in shaping development, rather than social, emotional, or environmental factors.

Question 13

Social cognitive theory extended operant conditioning theory by adding the concept of
A)imitation.
B)punishment.
C)reinforcement.
D)genetic influences.

Accepted Answer

Social cognitive theory extended operant conditioning theory by adding the concept of imitation, or observational learning. This refers to learning that occurs by observing other people's behavior and the outcomes of that behavior, and then replicating it. This addition expanded the range of variables that could influence human behavior, beyond just direct reinforcement or punishment. Therefore, option A is the correct choice.

Option B (punishment) and Option C (reinforcement) are both primary concepts within operant conditioning theory itself, and are not exclusive to social cognitive theory. Option D (genetic influences) is not directly related to either theory, and is more relevant to biological or evolutionary psychology.

Question 14

Jean Piaget is associated with ________ theory.
A)ecological
B)psychodynamic
C)learning
D)cognitive-developmental

Accepted Answer

Jean Piaget is most closely associated with cognitive-developmental theory, which focuses on how children think and process information as they develop.

Question 15

Nate watched another boy pull a girl's hair. Nate is most likely to imitate the boy's behaviour if
A)the boy is not very popular.
B)a teacher sends Nate to time-out.
C)the girl smiled at the boy after he pulled her hair.
D)the boy is not very smart.

Accepted Answer

The observation of the girl's positive reaction may make Nate think that pulling someone's hair is a socially acceptable behaviour and he may imitate it. The other choices do not affect Nate's likelihood to imitate the behaviour.

Question 16

Seth failed to put away his bicycle at night as he was supposed to do. His father told him that he would not be allowed to ride his bicycle for one week. Seth's father tried to change Seth's behaviour by using
A)punishment.
B)extinction.
C)positive reinforcement.
D)negative reinforcement.

Accepted Answer

Seth's father used punishment by taking away Seth's privilege of riding his bicycle for one week as a consequence for failing to put it away as instructed. Punishment is a consequence that decreases the likelihood of the behavior it follows.

Question 17

Piaget stated that children's theories about the world
A)remain the same until adulthood.
B)undergo three major changes during development.
C)are never tested by the children.
D)are based on what adults tell them.

Accepted Answer

Piaget proposed that children's theories about the world go through three major changes during development, which he called stages: the sensorimotor stage (birth to 2 years), the preoperational stage (2 to 7 years), the concrete operational stage (7 to 12 years), and the formal operational stage (12 years and up). Piaget also believed that children actively construct their own understanding of the world through their experiences and interactions with their environment, rather than simply absorbing knowledge from adults.

Question 18

Amanda noticed that whenever other children asked a question in class, their teacher seemed to get mad at them. Amanda decided not to ask her teacher for help, even though she needed it and her teacher had never seemed to be angry with her. Amanda's behaviour was shaped by
A)positive reinforcement.
B)negative reinforcement.
C)observational learning.
D)self-efficacy.

Accepted Answer

Amanda's behaviour was shaped by observational learning. She observed the consequences of other children's behaviour (asking questions) and learned that it resulted in the teacher getting mad. This influenced her to modify her own behaviour (not asking questions) based on the observation of the consequences for others.

Question 19

Frank was watching a Saturday morning cartoon in which the main character kicked someone and took away a toy. Frank then walked across the room and kicked his brother Joe and took away Joe's toy just as a cartoon character had done on the TV show. According to social cognitive theory, Frank has just demonstrated
A)observational learning or imitation.
B)punishment for aggressive behaviour.
C)reinforcement for sharing toys.
D)imprinting.

Accepted Answer

Frank has just demonstrated observational learning or imitation by imitating the behavior of the cartoon character he saw on TV. Social cognitive theory suggests that individuals can learn new behaviors and responses by observing others, particularly those who are seen as models or authority figures. In this case, the cartoon character is serving as a model for Frank's behavior towards his brother.

Question 20

Six-year-old Sarah had been watching her older brother and sister in swim meets for several years. Sarah believed she was a good swimmer too, and eagerly entered her first swim meet shortly after she turned six. Bandura would say that ________ played a role in Sarah's desire to imitate her siblings.
A)genetic factors
B)self-efficacy
C)punishment
D)negative reinforcement

Accepted Answer

Bandura's theory of social learning emphasizes the importance of self-efficacy, or the belief in one's ability to successfully perform a task, in motivating behavior. Sarah's observation of her siblings' successful swimming performances likely increased her belief in her own ability to swim well, leading to her desire to imitate them and compete in a swim meet. Genetic factors, punishment, and negative reinforcement are unlikely to have played significant roles in this scenario.

Quiz 1: Child Development: Theories and Themes

A consequence that decreases the future likelihood of the behaviour that it follows is called

One difference between Skinner's operant conditioning and Bandura's social cognitive theory is that

A reward that consists of taking away something unpleasant is called

Piaget believed that children

Whenever Krysia hung up her coat and put away her backpack after school, she was excused from setting the table, a chore she detests. Krysia's parents were using ________ to modify her behaviour.

When eight-year-old Chris brought home a report card with all As, his parents gave him one dollar for each A. Chris's parents were attempting to use ________ to shape Chris's future behaviour.

Your neighbor tells you about his little boy who is always manipulating objects "just like a scientist trying to test his theory about the world." Having just read the first chapter of your child development textbook, you reply, "You sound just like

Carol begged her father for some candy when they were in the grocery store. Eventually, Carol's father gave in and bought Carol some candy. According to theories of operant conditioning, what is likely to happen the next time Carol and her father go to the grocery store?

Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive development focused on

Which shows the correct sequence of Piaget's stages of cognitive development?

B.F. Skinner is most closely associated with which of the following concepts?

The cognitive-developmental perspective is mainly concerned with

Social cognitive theory extended operant conditioning theory by adding the concept of

Jean Piaget is associated with ________ theory.

Nate watched another boy pull a girl's hair. Nate is most likely to imitate the boy's behaviour if

Seth failed to put away his bicycle at night as he was supposed to do. His father told him that he would not be allowed to ride his bicycle for one week. Seth's father tried to change Seth's behaviour by using

Piaget stated that children's theories about the world

Amanda noticed that whenever other children asked a question in class, their teacher seemed to get mad at them. Amanda decided not to ask her teacher for help, even though she needed it and her teacher had never seemed to be angry with her. Amanda's behaviour was shaped by