Exam 1 test banks psychology of personality PDF

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Chapter 16 Skinner: Behavioral Analysis 1. Discuss the contributions of E. L. Thorndike and J. B. Watson to Skinner's learning theory. Answer: A. Thorndike's original law of effect held that responses to stimuli followed by a satisfier tend to be "stamped in", or learned. A second part of the law stated that responses to stimuli followed by an annoyer tend to be "stamped out", or eliminated. B. Thorndike later changed the law of effect to include only the first part, namely that reinforcement or reward increases the chances of a behavior being learned. This concept is at the core of Skinner's operant conditioning. C. Watson had an even greater effect on Skinner, especially his notions of science and psychology. Watson's insistence that human behavior must be studied scientifically impressed Skinner even before he began graduate school. D. Watson criticized traditional psychology for studying consciousness, introspection, instincts, sensations, perception, motivation, and mental states. He also insisted that the goal of psychology must be prediction and control of behavior. Throughout his career, Skinner adhered closely to Watson's position. Page: 463–464 Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation

2. Discuss Skinner's philosophy of science as it applies to the study of human behavior. Answer: A. Skinner insisted that the study of human behavior is essentially the same as the study of other natural phenomena. Physical and biological scientists do not attempt to attribute motivation, needs, or drives to the objects or biological processes they study. Skinner believed that psychologists who consider these inner states instigators of action are wasting their time. B. Skinner's scientific behaviorism allows for an interpretation of behavior but not an explanation of its causes. Interpretation permits the psychologist to generalize from one situation to another, but the explanation is no more than fabricated stories. C. Skinner believed that science has three main characteristics: (1) it is cumulative, (2) it is an attitude that values empirical observation, and (3) it is a search for lawful relationships. D. Science—in contrast to art, philosophy, and literature—advances in a cumulative manner. In other words, scientific knowledge continues to expand at ever-increasing speeds, while other areas of inquiry advance slowly, if at all. E. Science values empirical observation. It deals with facts rather than with what someone has said about the facts. It rejects authority—even its own authority. It also demands intellectual honesty and suspends judgment until clear trends emerge. F. Third, science searches for order and lawful relationships. Scientific observations are guided by theoretical assumptions and the results of tested hypotheses. Page: 464–455 Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation

3. Distinguish negative reinforcement from both positive reinforcement and punishment. Answer: A. Negative reinforcement, like positive reinforcement, strengthens the behavior it follows. B. Positive reinforcement takes place when a positively valued stimulus increases the probability that a given behavior will occur. In comparison, negative reinforcement takes place when a negatively valued stimulus or condition is removed from a situation. In both cases, the behavior immediately preceding the reinforcer tends to be learned or strengthened. C. Negative reinforcement must not be confused with punishment, which does not strengthen behavior. Punishment is the presentation of an aversive stimulus or the removal of a positive one. With either type of punishment, psychologists are not able to make accurate predictions of behavior. With negative reinforcement (and positive reinforcement), psychologists can both predict and control behavior to a much greater extent. Page: 470–472 Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation

4. The label that best fits Skinner's work is A. social learning theory. B. humanistic theory. C. radical behaviorism. D. interpersonal theory. Page: 459

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5. Which term is the least descriptive of B. F. Skinner? A. psychodynamic B. determinist C. environmentalist D. radical behaviorist Page: 459 Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation

6. For Skinner, observable behavior A. is beyond the realm of science. B. is limited to internal events. C. is motivated by hypothetical constructs. D. results from unconscious psychodynamic processes. E. None of the answers is correct. Page: 447–448 Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation

7. Skinner believed that the most useful data for predicting and controlling behavior are A. people's psychological components. B. people's constitutions. C. people's conscious perceptions. D. people's personal histories. Page: 460 Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation

8. As a young man, Skinner wanted to become a A. physician. B. lawyer. C. psychologist. D. writer. Page: 460 Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation

9. Which of the following was proposed by B. F. Skinner? A. Observable behaviors are limited to external events. B. Human behavior stems from an act of the will. C. Science advances in a cumulative manner. D. The means of becoming autonomous and loving must be left to chance. Page: 465 Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation

10. Skinner's scientific behaviorism assumes that A. the study of human behavior must be based on methods that are quite different from those of other natural sciences. B. the motives of the subjects being observed must be given special consideration. C. human behavior is subject to the laws of science. D. human behavior cannot be studied scientifically. Page: 452 Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation

11. Which of the following statements is true of Thorndike's law of effect? A. It was opposed by B. F. Skinner because it failed to include the impact of genetics in shaping human behavior. B. It proposes that punishing a behavior completely "stamps out" the behavior. C. It states that responses to stimuli that are followed immediately by a satisfier tend to be “stamped in.” D. It gives more importance to punishments than to rewards. Page: 464 Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation

12. John Watson argued that A. the goal of psychology should be the prediction and control of behavior. B. psychologists should be primarily concerned with why people act as they do. C. psychology should be limited to the study of consciousness. D. psychology is not and cannot be a science.

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13. Skinner's work was most influenced by A. Ivan Pavlov. B. John Watson. C. Harry Stack Sullivan. D. Albert Bandura. E. Sigmund Freud. Page: 464 Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation

14. Which of the following was proposed by John B. Watson? A. Consciousness and introspection play a huge role in the scientific study of human behavior. B. The concepts of sensation and perception are beyond the realms of scientific psychology. C. Behavior must be attributed to the subjective existence of emotions. D. Personality of an individual is shaped by genetic factors rather than by environmental factors. Page: 464 Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation

15. Ramesh believes that people drink water because they are thirsty. He believes that there is no connection between the internal drive to drink water and the factors affecting the availability of water. Which of the following statements is true about the scenario? A. Ramesh would most likely agree with B. F. Skinner's view of behaviorism. B. Ramesh's beliefs exemplify the concept of cosmology in understanding human behavior. C. Ramesh assumes that water is a conditioned reinforcer and not a primary reinforcer. D. Ramesh's beliefs are concurrent with the law of effect. Page: 465 Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation

16. What was Skinner's position on such internal mental states as thinking and feeling? A. They do not exist because they cannot be observed from the outside. B. They exist, but scientists should not attribute behavior to them. C. They are essential to understanding human behavior. D. None of these is correct. Page: 465 Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation

17. According to Skinner, the most critical characteristic of science is A. the testing and verification of hypotheses. B. an attitude that values empirical observation. C. the measurement of physiological responses. D. reliable formulation of hypothetical concepts. Page: 465 Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation

18. In his philosophy of science, Skinner A. began his analysis with complex organisms and then deduced specific principles. B. held that science must be able to explain the causes of natural phenomena. C. attempted to predict behavior, but neither to explain it nor to control it. D. wanted to know how behavior can be described, predicted, and controlled. E. held behavior to be neither lawful nor determined. Page: 466 Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation

19. A problem with scientific behaviorism is that it A. fails to provide explanation of the causes of behavior. B. does not allow a scientist to generalize from a simple learning condition to a more complex one. C. cannot interpret behavior. D. relies only on hypothetical internal mental factors to predict behavior. Page: 465 Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation

20. Operant conditioning is distinguished from classical conditioning primarily in that operant conditioning involves 16-3 Copyright © 2018 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.

A. the engagement of instincts. B. the immediate reinforcement of a response. C. the pairing of a conditioned stimulus with an unconditioned stimulus. D. elicited rather than emitted behavior. E. All of the answers are correct. Page: 468 Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation

21. The three conditions essential to operant conditioning are A. the situation, the behavior, and the conditioned stimulus. B. the unconditioned stimulus, the conditioned stimulus, and the organism. C. the antecedent, the behavior, and the consequence. D. the unconditioned stimulus, the "Skinner box," and the experimenter. Page: 468 Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation

22. For Skinner, an important distinction between classical conditioning and operant conditioning is that in classical conditioning, behavior is _____, whereas in operant conditioning, behavior is _____. A. generalized; discriminated B. emitted; elicited C. extinguished; generalized D. recovered; discriminated E. elicited; emitted Page: 467 Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation

23. When operant conditioning is used to shape complex behavior such as playing a piano, reinforcement is applied A. through successive approximations. B. by the process of punishment. C. through an intermediary agent. D. by waiting for the target behavior to appear, then rewarding it. Page: 468 Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation

24. Identify an accurate statement about operant conditioning. A. An organism elicits rather than emits a behavior in operant conditioning. B. A neutral stimulus is paired with an unconditioned stimulus in operant conditioning. C. The probability of occurrence of a previously reinforced response increases in operant conditioning. D. The occurrence of a particular behavior is independent of reinforcement in operant conditioning. Page: 468 Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation

25. Which of the following is an example of an antecedent in operant conditioning? A. the behavioral changes in an individual due to continuous reinforceme nt B. the environment in which an individual receives reinforcement C. the frequency of a response emitted by an individual D. the type of reinforcement given to an individual to elicit a particular behavior Page: 468 Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation

26. Skinner called any stimulus within the environment that strengthens behavior a A. reward. B. punishment. C. reinforcer. D. respondent. Page: 470 Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation

27. A response to a similar environment in the absence of previous reinforcement was Skinner's definition of A. stimulus generalization. B. stimulus control. C. stimulus discrimination. D. shaping. Page: 469

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28. Natalie's performance improves whenever she is given a new pen to write her exams. This is an example of A. spontaneous recovery. B. positive reinforcement. C. operant extinction. D. successive approximation. Page: 470 Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation

29. According to B. F. Skinner, negative reinforcement occurs when A. an aversive stimulus is removed from a situation and it increases the probability that a given behavior will occur. B. an aversive stimulus is added to a situation and it increases the probability that a given behavior will occur. C. an aversive stimulus is removed from a situation and it decreases the probability that particular behavior will occur. D. an aversive stimulus is added to a situation and it decreases the probability that a given behavior will occur. Page: 470 Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation

30. Karen's teacher maintains a book that records every instance of misconduct by her students. Every time a student misbehaves, she adds a point against his or her name in the book. Karen's students now stop misbehaving in class because they fear that the teacher will add points against their names. This is an example of A. positive reinforcement. B. punishment C. negative reinforcement. D. reinstatement. Page: 471 Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation

31. Skinner believed that the effects of punishment are A. the same as the effects of reward. B. the exact opposite to those of reward. C. more predictable than those of reward. D. less predictable than those of reward. Page: 471 Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation

32. Negative and positive reinforcements are alike in that they A. strengthen the behavior they follow. B. involve the presentation of a beneficial stimulus. C. involve the removal of an aversive stimulus. D. suppress the behavior they follow. E. are not affected by the schedules of reinforcement. Page: 470–471 Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation

33. Negative reinforcement and punishment are similar in that they both A. strengthen a response. B. weaken a response. C. involve aversive stimuli. D. have unpredictable effects on behavior. Page: 471 Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation

34. Veronica's mother learns that whenever she turns down the volume of her television, Veronica finishes her homework quickly. This is an example of A. positive reinforcement. B. negative reinforcement. C. extinction. D. successive approximation. E. punishment. Page: 470 Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation

35. Negative reinforcement differs from punishment in that in negative reinforcement, A. a particular behavior is suppressed. 16-5 Copyright © 2018 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.

B. a stimulus is added to a situation. C. a response is strengthened. D. a negative feeling is conditioned with a strong aversive stimuli. Page: 471 Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation

36. According to Skinner, a clear example of a conditioned reinforcer would be A. sex. B. physical comfort. C. food. D. money. Page: 472 Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation

37. Which of these would not be considered by Skinner to be a generalized reinforcer? A. affection B. approval C. money D. attention E. food Page: 472 Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation

38. In the context of operant discrimination, B. F. Skinner believed that discrimination is A. a consequences of one's reinforcement history. B. an ability that one possesses. C. directly related to one's cognitive function. D. determined by one's genetics. Page: 469 Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation

39. Payment by piece rate (for example, paying a bricklayer a set amount for each brick laid) most closely approximates which schedule of reinforcement? A. a fixed-interval schedule of reinforcement B. a variable-interval schedule of reinforcement C. a fixed-ratio schedule of reinforcement D. a variable-ratio schedule of reinforcement Page: 473 Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation

40. Which of the following statements is true about a continuous schedule of reinforcement? A. It produces responses that are resistant to extinction. B. It is mostly used in industries to determine the pay scales of workers. C. It is an inefficient way of using a reinforcer. D. It consists of fixed-interval and variable-interval schedules of reinforcement. E. It decreases the frequency of a response. Page: 473 Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation

41. For humans, playing slot machines best illustrates the influence of a _____ schedule of reinforcement. A. continuous B. fixed-ratio C. variable-ratio D. fixed-interval Page: 474 Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation

42. In a _____ schedule of reinforcement, an organism is reinforced for the first response following a designated period of time. A. continuous B. fixed-ratio C. variable-ratio D. fixed-interval E. variable-interval 16-6 Copyright © 2018 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.

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43. Payment by salary or wage most closely approximates which schedule of reinforcement? A. a continuous schedule of reinforcement B. a fixed-ratio schedule of reinforcement C. a variable-ratio schedule of reinforcement D. a fixed-interval schedule of reinforcement Page: 474 Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation

44. The least common schedule of reinforcement is the _____ schedule of reinforcement. A. variable-ratio B. fixed-ratio C. fixed-interval D. variable-interval Page: 474 Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation

45. Behavior reinforced on an intermittent schedule is A. learned very rapidly. B. suppressed very rapidly. C. resistant to extinction. D. suppressed rapidly through punishment. Page: 475 Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation

46. _____ takes place when an experimenter systematically withholds reinforcement of a previously learned response until the probability of that response diminishes to zero. A. Spontaneous recovery B. Reinstatement C. Operant extinction D. Successive approximation E. Negative reinforcement Page: 475 Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation

47. According to Skinner, the rate of operant extinction depends largely upon the A. use of aversive stimuli. B. inhibition of respondent extinction. C. schedule of reinforcement. D. use of continuous punishment. Page: 475 Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation

48. Young Tyler learned that his mother always hides the cookies on the top shelf of the hall closet. After Tyler's mother noticed cookies missing, she decided to hide the cookie jar in a new place. After several unrewarding trips to the top shelf of the hall closet, Tyler stops looking there. Skinner would say that the disappearance of this response is due to A. forgetting. B. repression. C. respondent extinction. D. operant extinction. Page: 475 Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation

49. Skinner believed that human behavior is shaped by all these factors except A. the individual's personal history of reinforcement. B. natural selection. C. cultural practices. D. the individual's personal drive state. Page: 475 Accessibili...