Question 1

You get a paper back and briefly feel angry at the low grade you received, but this feeling is upsetting because you like the professor so much. You quickly turn your attention to other matters. Later that day you pick a fight with your roommate because of the unfair manner in which the week's chores were divided. This fight could be an example of a defense mechanism called

Accepted Answer

Displacement is the defense mechanism where a person redirects their negative emotions or impulses from one person or situation to another that is less threatening. In this scenario, the anger that was initially directed towards the professor due to the low grade was displaced onto the roommate during a fight about chores.

Question 2

The textbook suggests that Freud's ideas were

Accepted Answer

The textbook states that many of Freud's ideas were metaphors used to explain complex psychological concepts rather than scientifically valid theories.

Question 3

When we are around someone we dislike intensely we often "bend over backward" to be nice to this individual. Which defense mechanism is illustrated here?

Accepted Answer

This scenario illustrates the defense mechanism of reaction formation, where someone may express an exaggerated version of an attitude or behavior that is opposite of their true feelings towards someone else.

Question 4

Watson made the very important assumption that all behavior is

Accepted Answer

Watson's behaviorism was based on the premise that all behavior is learned through conditioning, specifically through the pairing of a stimulus and a response. He rejected the idea of inborn or innate behaviors, and instead argued that behaviors are the result of environmental factors. Therefore, choice D is the best answer.

Question 5

Humanistic psychologists objected to the biological, psychoanalytic, and behavioral theories of abnormal behavior because these other approaches assume that

Accepted Answer

Humanistic psychologists objected to the deterministic view of abnormal behavior that is implied by biological, psychoanalytic, and behavioral theories. These approaches assume that behavior is predictably determined, and that individuals have little control over their actions. Humanistic psychologists, on the other hand, believe that individuals have free will and are capable of making choices that shape their behavior.

Question 6

According to Sigmund Freud, how does a boy resolve forbidden sexual desire for his mother?

Accepted Answer

According to Freud's psychoanalytic theory, the Oedipus complex occurs during the phallic stage (ages 3-6) and describes a boy's sexual desire for his mother and jealousy and hostility towards his father. In order to resolve this conflict, the boy identifies with his father and internalizes his masculine characteristics and values, leading to the integration of the superego. This is known as the resolution of the Oedipus complex. Therefore, the correct answer is B - by identifying with his father.

Question 7

Your neighbors are playing loud music late at night and it annoys you. You ask them to turn down the music and they do. The next time they play loud music, you call them even sooner. B. F. Skinner would say this happens because

Accepted Answer

The decreased noise is a negative reinforcement because it removes an unpleasant stimulus (loud music), thereby increasing the likelihood of you being assertive again in the future.

Question 8

What is the primary concept in operant conditioning?

Accepted Answer

The primary concept in operant conditioning is that behavior is determined by its consequences. This means that if a behavior is followed by a reward (positive reinforcement), it is more likely to be repeated in the future. Conversely, if a behavior is followed by a punishment or a negative consequence, it is less likely to be repeated. This can be seen in everyday life, such as when a child is praised for completing their homework and receiving good grades, or when a student is scolded for arriving late to class.

Question 9

According to the principles of operant conditioning, what happens when negative reinforcement is applied?

Accepted Answer

According to the principles of operant conditioning, negative reinforcement involves removing an aversive stimulus to increase the frequency of a behavior. Therefore, the correct answer is A - behavior increases.

Question 10

John B. Watson was best known for

Accepted Answer

John B. Watson was a psychologist who promoted the theory of behaviorism, emphasizing the study of observable behaviors rather than internal mental processes. He believed that all behavior is learned through conditioning and that the environment plays a key role in shaping behavior. Watson is considered one of the founding fathers of behaviorism.

Question 11

Which paradigm views human nature as basically good, attributes abnormal behavior to frustrations of society, and uses nondirective therapy to treat abnormal behavior?

Accepted Answer

The humanistic paradigm views human nature as basically good, and abnormal behavior is attributed to frustrations of society. Nondirective therapy, such as person-centered therapy, is often used to treat abnormal behavior in the humanistic paradigm. The biomedical paradigm focuses more on the biological causes of abnormal behavior, psychoanalytic on unconscious conflicts, and cognitive-behavioral on learned patterns of thinking and behavior.

Question 12

Mary and Jim took their two-year-old to the supermarket this past week. For more than an hour all Little Jimmy did was yell and scream because in the past this would have obtained him an ice cream cone. Jim managed to ignore him. Finally, Little Jimmy stopped yelling and screaming. What operant conditioning concept is illustrated by this story?

Accepted Answer

The behavior of Little Jimmy was previously reinforced with an ice cream cone, but since Jim stopped giving it to him, the behavior stopped. This is an example of extinction, which is the process of reducing the frequency of a behavior by no longer reinforcing it.

Question 13

Though easily confused, negative reinforcement and punishment are quite different; with negative reinforcement, behavior __________ when the aversive stimulus is ____________, and with punishment, behavior __________ when the aversive stimulus is ____________.

Accepted Answer

Negative reinforcement involves increasing behavior by removing an aversive stimulus, while punishment involves decreasing behavior by introducing an aversive stimulus.

Question 14

According to Ivan Pavlov's ideas on classical conditioning, extinction occurs when a conditioned stimulus is no longer presented along with

Accepted Answer

Extinction in classical conditioning happens when the conditioned stimulus is repeatedly presented without the unconditioned stimulus, leading to a decrease in the conditioned response.

Question 15

The cognitive-behavioral paradigm views all of the following as the product of learning except

Accepted Answer

The cognitive-behavioral paradigm emphasizes that all behavior, including abnormal behavior and mental disorders, is the product of learning. However, it does not focus on unconscious processes as a primary determinant of behavior. Rather, it emphasizes conscious thought processes and learning experiences that shape behavior.

Question 16

Who is credited with beginning the modern science of psychology at the University of Leipzig?

Accepted Answer

Wilhelm Wundt is credited with beginning the modern science of psychology at the University of Leipzig by establishing the first psychology laboratory in 1879.

Question 17

What is the purpose of the enigma written by Lord Byron that was included in the text?

Accepted Answer

The enigma written by Lord Byron was included in the text to reveal how paradigms can either help or hinder our search for answers. It shows how the narrator's preconceived notions about evil and the supernatural lead them to interpret the enigma in a certain way, which limits their ability to see a more rational explanation.

Question 18

Beth received a painful shock while turning on her television. Now she reacts with fear whenever she sees a television. What is the television in this example?

Accepted Answer

The television in this example acts as a conditioned stimulus as it is causing the fear response due to its association with the painful shock, which was the unconditioned stimulus. Initially, the television may have been a neutral stimulus, but after the association is formed, it becomes a conditioned stimulus. It is not a reinforced stimulus, as there is no indication that the fear response is being reinforced by any kind of reward, and it is not an unconditioned stimulus because it was not inherently associated with fear prior to the conditioning process.

Question 19

Who is the historian and philosopher who has written about the nature of paradigms?

Accepted Answer

Thomas Kuhn is the historian and philosopher who has written about the nature of paradigms, particularly in his book "The Structure of Scientific Revolutions".

Question 20

Ivan Pavlov rang a bell every time he fed meat powder to dogs. After repeated trials, the dogs began to salivate when they heard the bell, even if there was no food in sight. According to Pavlov, the dogs' salivation in the absence of food, following the ringing of the bell, is called the

Accepted Answer

The dogs' salivation in response to the sound of the bell is a learned response and is therefore a conditioned response (CR). The bell is the conditioned stimulus (CS) that has been associated with the unconditioned stimulus (US) of the meat powder, which initially produced the unconditioned response (UR) of salivation.

Quiz 2: Causes of Abnormal Behavior