1) With the textbooks discussion of competence and self-determination in mind, choose
the teacher below who is most likely to promote intrinsic motivation in his or her
students.
a.Ms. Andre gives her students concrete suggestions about how to improve their
expository writing.
b.Mr. Brooks reminds his students that the deadline for their research paper is a week
from Friday.
c.Mr. Chambers praises his students for continuing to work quietly when he was called
away from the classroom.
d.Ms. Dacono reminds her students, You should know your multiplication tables by
now.
2) In Marcias first tennis lesson, her instructor Keith is trying to teach her the correct
way to swing a tennis racket. Keith praises Marcia every time she hits the tennis ball
over the net and onto the opponents side of the court using the correct body position.
Marcia shows little improvement during the one-hour lesson. From a behaviorist
perspective, what mistake is Keith probably making in teaching Marcia to play tennis?
a.He fails to realize that Marcia has little to gain by changing her behavior.
b.He is using intermittent rather than continuous reinforcement.
c.He should shape the behavior rather than expect immediate mastery.
d.Praise is rarely an effective reinforcer.
3) Attribution theorists tell us that, in general, when people dont know why they have
been successful or unsuccessful at a task, they are apt to:
a.Assume that ability (or lack of it) was the overriding factor
b.Assume that effort (or lack of it) was the overriding factor
c.Seek out possible explanations for their success or failure
d.Forget about their successes and failures very quickly
4) Many cognitive psychologists believe that learning and understanding are often
constructive in nature. Three of the following scenarios illustrate such construction.
Which scenario does not necessarily involve construction in learning?
a.Although no one has ever told her so, Peggy thinks that the night sky is a large black
blanket covering the earth and that the blanket has tiny holes through which the stars
shine.
b.Mr. McFarland asks his third graders to practice their multiplication tables every day.
After a month of such practice, Misty can retrieve all the basic multiplication facts
quickly and easily.
c.When George reads about the Vietnam War in his history book, he comes to the
conclusion that the United States should never have gotten involved in Southeast Asia.
d.Because the word photosynthesis begins with photo, Jeremy erroneously guesses that
it must have something to do with creating photographs.
5) Matthew knows his teacher will give him credit for each assignment he completes on
time, without regard for the accuracy of what he does. As a result, Matthew often
completes his work quickly, sloppily, and sometimes incorrectly. This situation
illustrates which one of the following concerns regarding the use of behaviorist
techniques in the classroom?
a.Reinforcement is a form of bribery.
b.Reinforcement of some behaviors may impede optimal learning.
c.Even very mild punishment adversely affects his self-esteem.
d.Applied behavior analysis ignores the cognitive factors that affect learning.
6) Three of the following alternatives depict situations in which a teacher is facilitating
the retention component of modeling. Which one does not depict such a situation?
a.As he writes a capital J on the board, Mr. Anson tells his kindergartners, To write a
capital J, you make a fishhook with a line across the top.
b.Mr. Byers suggests, Lets play some background music while I show you how to use
the dipstick to measure your oil level.
c.Mr. Caruso says, There are several critical steps involved in throwing a pot on the
potters wheel. Repeat these steps to yourself as you work so that you dont forget them.
d.As he demonstrates how to throw a baseball correctly, Mr. Duffy says, Now repeat
these words as you throw the ball: back, up, thrust, release.
7) As a first-grade teacher reads a book about penguins in Antarctica, she points to
Antarctica on a globe. Six-year-old John seems really puzzled. How come they dont fall
off the earth? he asks. From Piagets perspective, John can best be described as:
a.Experiencing disequilibrium
b.Having difficulty with conservation
c.Having difficulty with class inclusion
d.Accommodating when he should be assimilating
8) Three of the following are benefits of peer interaction in the classroom. Which one is
not a typical benefit of peer interaction?
a.Students can model effective ways of thinking for one another.
b.Peer-group discussions encourage students to organize their thoughts about a topic.
c.Peer-group discussions promote more rapid learning of classroom subject matter.
d.Students can develop more effective ways of defending conclusions they have
reached.
9) Ms. Webster tells students, The author of our history textbook knows what hes
talking about. Hes a well-respected scholar whose specialty is the period were reading
about this month: colonial America. Although such a statement might certainly be
beneficial in some respects, it has which one of the following drawbacks?
a.It will promote negative rather than positive transfer of the subject matter.
b.It will increase the probability that students have functional fixedness.
c.It is unlikely to foster an inclination to critically evaluate textbook content.
d.It will predispose students to use algorithms rather than heuristics while studying.
10) Ms. Killian and her fourth graders have been growing sunflowers under various
conditionsthey have grown sunflowers in different kinds of soil, with different amounts
of water, and in varying degrees of sunlight. Below are four statements that Ms. Killian
makes related to the sunflowers. Which one is most consistent with the idea of a
cognitive apprenticeship?
a.Who can tell me what photosynthesis is?
b.How many of you have grown sunflowers at home? How many of you have moms or
dads who are gardeners?
c.This sunflower is taller than that sunflower over there. Lets consider what the growing
conditions for the two flowers have been and try to figure out what might have led to
the difference we see.
d.Elaine, please give each plant the same amount of water today that you gave it
yesterday. Also, be sure that you keep each plant in the same location, so that the
amount of sunlight it gets stays the same.
11) Which one of the following is the best example of paired associate learning?
a.Learning how to fly a kite
b.Learning the months of the year in order
c.Learning French grammar
d.Learning the capitals of European countries
12) In Vygotskys view, opportunities to engage in pretend play (e.g., playing house or
doctor) have which one of the following effects?
a.They are highly enjoyable but have little impact on cognitive development.
b.They can help children shed their preoperational egocentrism.
c.They foster traditional gender stereotypes.
d.They allow children to practice adult behaviors.