1) Eight-year-old Amy always seems to be in overdriveshe has trouble sitting still for
any length of time. Her teacher occasionally gives her short breaks in which she can get
up and move around a bit as a way of releasing pent-up energy. Such breaks occur
unpredictably, without regard for whether Amy is behaving appropriately or
inappropriately at the time. Research indicates that such noncontingent reinforcement:
a.May improve Amys behavior somewhat
b.Is likely to make Amys behavior worse
c.Will probably lead to behavioral contrast
d.Will confuse Amy and significantly increase her anxiety about classroom tasks
2) Mr. Richardson does not expect much of his students from a poor, inner-city
neighborhood. Given what we know about the effects of teacher expectations, which
outcome is most likely?
a.His students are likely to learn information in a rote rather than meaningful manner.
b.His students are likely to develop more positive self-concepts than they would
otherwise.
c.His students are more likely to develop a realistic understanding of their own
strengths and weaknesses than they would otherwise.
d.His students are likely to achieve at a lower level than they would otherwise.
3) Salience of features affects the ease with which people are likely to learn a concept.
Which one of the following best illustrates a salient defining feature?
a.Photosynthesis is a feature of the concept plant.
b.Round is a feature of the concept circle.
c.Getting oxygen from water is a feature of the concept fish.
d.A backbone is a feature of the concept vertebrate.
4) Cordell is trying to remember the various rocks he has been studying in his earth
science class (granite, sandstone, limestone, obsidian, marble, etc.). He finally decides
it would be easiest if he studied them as three groups: sedimentary, igneous, and
metamorphic. Considering research regarding this strategy, Cordell should:
a.Have an easier time remembering them because hes organizing them
b.Have a more difficult time remembering them because he must remember the three
groupings as well as the rocks themselves
c.Have an easier time remembering them only if he also looks at pictures of each kind
of rock
d.Have a more difficult time remembering them because hes using only rehearsal to
learn them
5) Which one of the following alternatives best describes instrumental conditioning?
a.Learning to use man-made tools in order to accomplish difficult tasks more easily
b.Learning to behave in ways that either bring pleasure or reduce the likelihood of
aversive events
c.Learning that certain stimuli in ones environment often bring either physical or
psychological pain
d.Learning complex sequences of psychomotor behaviors (e.g., dribbling and then
shooting a basketball)
6) Social cognitive theory can best be characterized as being concerned with learning
a.communication skills
b.socially appropriate behaviors
c.through observations of others
d.subject matter in the social sciences (e.g., geography, psychology)
7) Which one of the following would be the best thing to do if a teacher wanted to help
students internalize values that would help them achieve success over the long run?
a.Give frequent pop quizzes as a way of encouraging them to study every night.
b.Conduct history trivia competitions using a television game-show format.
c.Assign reading materials that have been written for professionals in such disciplines
as biology and archaeology.
d.Help them understand why certain skills are important in the adult world.
8) Which one of the following situations illustrates extinction of a classically
conditioned response?
a.Andrew thinks school is a waste of time because he doesnt learn anything he can
really use.
b.Brian experiences more and more anxiety about mathematics as his math problems
become increasingly difficult.
c.Carla becomes less afraid of tests over time when she finds that she can succeed at
them.
d.Deirdre doesnt like keeping her desk tidy because she has too much stuff to arrange it
all neatly inside.
9) Which one of the following statements most accurately describes Vygotskys theory
of cognitive development?
a.Childrens cognitive growth should be judged on the basis of their actual
developmental level, not on the basis of their level of potential development.
b.Cognitive development progresses through four distinct stages; each stage is
characterized by increasingly more complex thought and language.
c.Children progress, in part, by working on difficult tasks with the assistance of more
competent individuals.
d.Language and thought, although closely intertwined in the first few years of life,
become increasingly distinct entities.
10) When Daneesha encounters the problem If apples are 35 each, how much will 7
apples cost? she thinks, Many items at the same price . . . hmm, this kind of situation
usually calls for multiplication. Daneeshas reasoning reflects the use of:
a.incubation
b.inert knowledge
c.a problem schema
d.meansends analysis