Deck 10: Educational and Learning Theories

Question 1

Which scenario best exemplifies the principles of classical conditioning?

A) Andrew is a toddler and is in the middle of toilet training. When Andrew uses the toilet, his mom gives him a sticker as a reward. Andrew really likes stickers and begins using the toilet on a regular basis so that he can get more of them.
B) Suzanne is a young professional and is a smoker. During her breaks, she goes outside to smoke with several of her coworkers. After several weeks of doing so, Suzanne finds that the smell of their secondhand smoke makes her feel ill and, as a result, has no desire to smoke anymore.
C) Tyrone is a teenager and has been saving his money to buy a car. His school class at school is planning a three-day trip to Florida, and Tyrone would really like to go. However, his dad told him that in order to go he would have to pay his own way. Tyrone decides to forego the trip so he does not deplete his car fund.
D) Gretchen is child and is friends with the neighbor girl. Gretchen has a beautiful dollhouse that the neighbor enjoys playing with. Gretchen knows the neighbor's family cannot afford to buy such a dollhouse, so she lets the neighbor play with the dollhouse whenever she wants.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Carlos is afraid of snakes. To help Carlos overcome his fear, his therapist first shows him pictures of snakes and then gives him a toy snake to handle. Eventually, she and Carlos visit the reptile house at the zoo where Carlos can observe snakes at a distance in their glass enclosures. Finally, the therapist asks a friend who keeps pet snakes to bring some of the smaller, nonpoisonous snakes in so Carlos can pet them. The method Carlos' therapist is using to help him overcome his fear is an example of:

A) rechaining events.
B) fatiguing the response.
C) systematic desensitization.
D) interfering with S-R associations.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Your beagle, Nolan, has recently acquired the habit of howling anytime the ice maker in your freezer comes on. You suspect Nolan does not like the noise it makes and would like to correct his behavior through nonreinforcement. Which approach best describes a method of nonreinforcement that might help you break Nolan of his howling?

A) Ignore Nolan when he begins to howl at the ice maker and assume he will eventually adapt to the noise.
B) Spank Nolan on the backside and tell him he is a bad dog anytime he howls at the ice maker.
C) Give Nolan a dog treat anytime the ice maker comes on and he does not howl at it.
D) Shut off the ice maker so it no longer turns on and makes the noise that upsets Nolan.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Which statement would a Gestalt theorist most likely make when describing his or her theory to someone who was unfamiliar with it?

A) "People strive to make sense of confusing realities by structuring events in their own personal, idiosyncratic ways."
B) "Learning occurs by incorporating information into existing frameworks or changing existing frameworks as a result of new information."
C) "Most learning occurs through observation of the behavior of other people and vicarious reinforcement of their successes."
D) "Conditioned responses to stimuli by passive learners eventually leads to behavioral patterns that produce learning."

Question 5

Which concept is an important component of cognitive learning theory?

A) Learning is a passive activity.
B) Thinking develops in stages over the lifespan.
C) Repetition and practice strengthen learning.
D) People are motivated to learn by external rewards.

Question 6

Which idea is common to both cognitive learning theory and social constructivism?

A) Individual approaches to learning are reflective of past experience.
B) Social contexts mold a shared reality for a group of learners.
C) Education is a social experience impacted by interaction with others.
D) Learning is controlled by the ways people make sense of their social world.

Question 7

According to psychodynamic learning theory, which student is most likely motivated by Id impulses?

A) A student who argues with an instructor over a low grade
B) A student obsessed with getting good grades
C) A student who works well independently
D) A student who procrastinates and cheats off of others

Question 8

Which classroom activity would a human learning theorist be least likely to object to completing?

A) A free-writing assignment in which students are encouraged to share their feelings about healthcare policy today.
B) A quiz that requires students to have memorized the bones of the human arm and hand.
C) A formal lecture about wellness promotion delivered by a subject matter expert.
D) A worksheet about nursing philosophies that requires students to fill-in-the-blanks with a particular word or phrase.

Question 9

Which theory is not supported by neuropsychological research?

A) Behaviorist theory's emphasis on stimulus and response.
B) Piaget's theory of assimilation and accommodation.
C) Humanist theory's emphasis on the importance of emotions.
D) Freud's theory of conscious and unconscious forces.

Question 10

Which generality about learning is not common to the majority of learning theories?

A) Learning is intertwined with emotion.
B) Learning is influenced by environment.
C) Learning is a passive process.
D) Learning is impacted by self-concept.