Exam 4: Learning in Context

Margot is a second grader who seems to have little or no motivation to learn in the classroom; as her teacher,you have noticed that she doesn't put much effort into her assignments. Instead,she talks incessantly to the students around her during independent seatwork time. Using each of the concepts listed below,describe four different strategies you might use to help Margot improve her academic performance. For each strategy,be specific and concrete about what you would do. • Intrinsic reinforcement • Shaping • Secondary reinforcement • Vicarious reinforcement

Only one of the following could be a primary reinforcer. Which one?

At the beginning of the school year,Mr. Webber is concerned that Frances rarely does her independent seatwork. He begins praising Frances for each seatwork assignment she completes,and by January she is completing her assignments regularly. To make sure that the behavior continues in the years to come,what would operant conditioning theorists tell Mr. Webber to do now?

Loretta has been painting graffiti on the school walls after school hours. The school principal and school counselor discuss this problem and finally agree that they will try to eliminate Loretta's graffiti-painting by asking her to chair a Clean-Up-The-School (CUTS)committee,then giving her school-wide recognition for her efforts. Although the counselor does not know for sure how Loretta's committee membership will affect her graffiti-painting behavior,we know for certain that the counselor is suggesting:

In Mr. Medeiros's classroom,students are given play money each time they turn in an assignment; they receive additional amounts of money if the assignment is turned in on time and if it is done correctly. At the end of each week,students can use their "money" to purchase special privileges (free time,special privileges,etc.). Mr. Medeiros's approach can best be characterized as:

Which one of the following statements best reflects the concept of reciprocal causation?

Considering what we know about the kinds of models people are likely to imitate,we can guess that,on average,adolescent girls will be least likely to imitate:

An incentive is likely to be an effective motivator for students only when:

Which one of the following is the best example of punishment as psychologists define it?

The basic idea underlying operant conditioning is that:

Which one of the following teacher statements most clearly reflects a cultural lens as the textbook uses the term?

It is essential that teachers follow through with the reinforcement they have promised for certain student behaviors. Why is such follow-through important?

Three of the following are typical benefits of group discussions in the classroom. Which one is not a typical benefit when learners discuss classroom material?

A teacher wants to encourage her students to work cooperatively with one another as they study classroom subject matter. Which one of the following strategies reflects the principle that some antecedent stimuli tend to elicit certain kinds of responses?

When Mr. Thompson yells at his students,they stop being so noisy. Mr. Thompson is receiving ________ for his yelling behavior.

Caleb continually blurts out the answers to Mr. Karowski's questions-so much so that other students rarely have a chance to respond. Mr. Karowski decides to ignore Caleb's behavior,hoping that it will decrease if he doesn't pay attention to it. Mr. Karowski is applying the concept of _________ in his treatment of Caleb.

Which of the following is an example of vicarious punishment?

Two boys are fighting on school grounds during recess. Fighting is against school rules,and the boys know this. Even so,a teacher who sees them lets them continue to fight rather than punishing them for doing so. Judging from what psychologists say regarding what happens when expected punishments don't occur,we can predict that these boys will be:

As a high school music teacher plays a recording of Ferde Grofé's symphony Grand Canyon Suite for his class,he asks his students to visualize scenes that Grofé tried to capture with music: a sunrise over the Grand Canyon,a burro ride down a winding trail,a thunderstorm,and so on. This lesson could best be described as:

Which one of the following is the best example of a cognitive tool in mainstream Western culture?