Deck 8: Experimental Analysis of Behavior John Dollard and Neal Miller B.F.Skinner

Question 1

Alexia was torn between two perfect prom dresses.Both fit well,cost the same,and were exactly in the style she wanted.Dollard and Miller would say that she had what type of conflict?

A) An approach-approach conflict
B) An approach-avoidance conflict
C) An avoidance-avoidance conflict
D) A double approach-avoidance conflict

Answer 1

 A

Question 2

A new toy store with a bright yellow sign recently opened near five-year-old Jeffrey's home.The first few times he was driven past it,he had no reaction to it.Then his parents took him to the store several times.Now,when Jeffrey is driven past the bright yellow sign,Jeffrey gets excited.According to Pavlov's theory of classical conditioning,the bright yellow sign is the

A) unconditioned response.
B) conditioned response.
C) unconditioned stimulus.
D) conditioned stimulus.

Answer 2

 D

Question 3

Pavlov's demonstration of classical conditioning showed that learning could occur by pairing

A) a reflex response with a conditioned response.
B) food with salivation.
C) an unconditioned stimulus with an unconditioned response.
D) an unconditioned stimulus with a neutral stimulus.

Answer 3

 D

Question 4

Which one of the following would be an example of a secondary drive?

A) Feeling hunger pangs
B) Shivering because you are cold when you step out of the shower
C) Working to buy food
D) Drinking from a water fountain when you are thirsty

Question 5

John Dollard,Neal Miller,and B.F.Skinner created theories that emphasize ___________ as the primary forces that shape human behavior.

A) experience and learning
B) unconscious defense mechanisms
C) biological predispositions
D) self-actualization tendencies

Question 6

Joseph Wolpe's psychotherapy treatment is based on the principle of

A) reciprocal inhibition.
B) suppression.
C) free association.
D) transference.

Question 7

Watson,the founder of behaviorism,suggested that psychologists concentrate on studying

A) unseen mental processes.
B) overt behavior.
C) unconscious forces.
D) covert responses.

Question 8

Margaret was motivated by a primary drive when she

A) prepared for the SATs to get a higher score.
B) saw a plastic surgeon about changing the shape of her nose.
C) went to bed early because she was tired.
D) worked overtime so she could afford to buy a new car.

Question 9

Which of the following situations exemplifies an approach-avoidance conflict?

A) You are considering a restaurant with great food and terrible service.
B) You are considering a restaurant with terrible food and terrible service.
C) You are considering two restaurants, both with great food and great service.
D) You are considering two restaurants, both with terrible food and terrible service.

Question 10

Dollard and Miller's view of repression differs from Freud's because they believed repression to be a(n)

A) covert function that has no place in a learning theory.
B) unconscious force that does not affect behavior.
C) learned response that reduces an unpleasant experience.
D) inevitable aspect of the human condition.

Question 11

Dollard and Miller view the structure of personality as consisting of

A) an id, ego, and superego.
B) traits.
C) conflicts.
D) habits.

Question 12

The greatest difference between Freud's theory and Dollard and Miller's is that

A) unlike Freud, Dollard and Miller view anxiety as a core ingredient in neurosis.
B) unlike Freud, Dollard and Miller emphasized the importance of conflict.
C) unlike Freud, Dollard and Miller stressed learned motives.
D) unlike Dollard and Miller, Freud believed that unconscious factors underlie human behavior.

Question 13

Dollard and Miller state that a situation in which you are "damned if you do and damned if you don't" is best described as a(n)

A) approach-approach conflict.
B) approach-avoidance conflict.
C) avoidance-avoidance conflict.
D) double approach-avoidance conflict.

Question 14

Clark Hull developed a systematic theory of learning based on the concept of

A) classical conditioning.
B) drive reduction.
C) the law of effect.
D) overt behavior.

Question 15

Whitney was bored while she was waiting for her roommate to get ready to go out.She looked around and saw a radio on the table.She turned it on and was delighted to hear her favorite song.The radio corresponds to which part of the learning process?

A) Cue
B) Drive
C) Reinforcement
D) Response

Question 16

Empiricism is the philosophical point of view positing that

A) all knowledge is subjective.
B) all knowledge derives from experience.
C) reason or intellect is the true source of knowledge.
D) some knowledge is innate and some is acquired through interaction with the environment.

Question 17

What is the correct order of Dollard and Miller's four steps of the learning process?

A) Reinforcement, response, drive, and cue
B) Drive, cue, response, and reinforcement
C) Drive, response, cue, and reinforcement
D) Cue, drive, response, and reinforcement

Question 18

Thorndike's law of effect states that

A) frustration leads to increased efforts to perform.
B) learning occurs as a result of the reduction of some need or drive.
C) behavior that brings satisfaction tends to occur more frequently.
D) behavior and feelings of satisfaction are unrelated.

Question 19

The parents of twelve-year-old Sharon praise her for earning good grades.Behaviorists would describe the praise as

A) modeling.
B) punishment.
C) primary reinforcement.
D) secondary reinforcement.

Question 20

Every time Luis gives his dog a treat,he shakes the box of treats first.His dog now reacts excitedly to the sound of the box of treats being shaken,even before Luis takes out a treat.In this situation,the treat is the

A) unconditioned response.
B) conditioned response.
C) unconditioned stimulus.
D) conditioned stimulus.

Question 21

A casino slot machine is set to reward gamblers on a schedule that is calculated to keep them at the machine for the maximum amount of time.How would the machine be set to give out money?

A) Every set number of minutes
B) Every set number of quarters
C) The time would vary: sometimes after a half-hour, sometimes after ten minutes, sometimes after an hour, and so forth.
D) The number of quarters would vary: sometimes after five quarters, sometimes after three quarters, sometimes after fifty-two quarters, and so forth.

Question 22

Negative reinforcement

A) decreases the likelihood of a behavior recurring.
B) takes place when a behavior is followed by no consequences at all.
C) is synonymous with punishment.
D) takes place when a behavior is followed by the termination of an unpleasant situation.

Question 23

Which of the following is true regarding Skinner's response to Watson's behaviorist theory?

A) Skinner supplemented Watson's behaviorist theory with increased attention to unconscious processes.
B) Skinner disagreed entirely with Watson's behaviorist theory.
C) Skinner's primary contribution was to enhance Watson's behaviorist theory by increasing attention to cultural variables.
D) Skinner took Watson's behaviorist theory to its logical extreme.

Question 24

Because of its strong appeal to validating evidence,Dollard and Miller's theory is best identified as

A) psychoanalytic.
B) philosophical.
C) scientific.
D) aesthetic.

Question 25

Which of the following does not occur in both classical conditioning and operant conditioning?

A) Extinction
B) Generalization
C) Reinforcement
D) Shaping

Question 26

What did Skinner say about many of the constructs used to describe personality,such as the id,ego,and superego?

A) They are readily observed in everyday behavior.
B) They are unnecessary fictions.
C) They are helpful for describing internal states.
D) They correspond directly to biological structures in the brain.

Question 27

Which schedule of reinforcement is the most effective for initially developing and strengthening a behavior?

A) Continuous
B) Fixed ratio
C) Variable ratio
D) Variable interval

Question 28

Which of the following is an example of conditioned operant behavior?

A) A moth flies toward a light source.
B) A rat presses a bar in a Skinner box.
C) A newborn infant cries immediately after he is born.
D) Pavlov's dog salivates when the bell rings.

Question 29

Maya's parents decided to use operant conditioning to get their daughter to keep her room neat.According to Skinner's theories,they should

A) first give her a reward; a happy child will want to please.
B) catch her in the act of putting something away, and then reward her.
C) straighten up the room for her; she will learn by example.
D) threaten to take away her TV privileges if she does not clean up.

Question 30

In operant conditioning,a reinforcement is anything that

A) follows a behavior.
B) increases the likelihood of a response.
C) is intended to increase the likelihood of a response.
D) prohibits a response.

Question 31

In operant conditioning,the reinforcement ________ the behavior.

A) eliminates
B) follows
C) precedes
D) weakens

Question 32

One difference between Skinner's behavior modification and Freudian psychoanalysis is that

A) behavior modification uses a single approach with all clients; psychoanalysis uses different, custom-tailored techniques.
B) behavior modification takes longer.
C) psychoanalysis is concerned with internal changes; behavior modification is concerned with external changes.
D) the psychoanalytic therapist takes a more active, directive role in the therapy.

Question 33

Juan wants to teach his dog to bark when someone comes into the yard.At first,he rewards the dog whenever it barks.Then he rewards the dog only if it barks when a person walks by the house.Next,the dog is rewarded for barking only if a person stops by the house,then only if the person touches the gate.Finally,the dog is rewarded only for barking when a person actually opens the gate and enters the yard.Juan is using a step-by-step learning technique called

A) discrimination.
B) generalization.
C) negative reinforcement.
D) shaping.

Question 34

Which of the following best illustrates a fixed ratio reinforcement schedule?

A) A slot machine
B) Weekly paychecks
C) The arrival of email
D) A soda machine

Question 35

Which of the following individuals is receiving positive reinforcement?

A) Beth, who gets rid of a skin rash by applying medication to it
B) Diego, who places money in a broken soda machine and receives no soda
C) Lara, who earns money for babysitting
D) Simon, who is fined for littering

Question 36

Which client would be better suited for behavior modification than for psychoanalysis?

A) A wealthy, retired person who is searching for inner understanding
B) An autistic child who rarely speaks
C) A woman who wants to rid herself of guilt related to her relations with her parents when she was a child
D) A neurotic person looking for insights on the causes for his behavior

Question 37

Elena is a psychotherapy client who has a phobia of dogs.Her therapist is teaching her a relaxation response that she will be able to substitute for the fear response when she is near a dog.This technique is characteristic of

A) Jung's approach to therapy.
B) systematic desensitization.
C) psychoanalysis.
D) humanistic psychotherapy.

Question 38

To encourage their students to read more books,the fifth-grade teachers in an elementary school give a wooden bead to each student who finishes a book and submits a report about it.Every Friday,the class with the most beads exchanges their beads for a pizza party.Which Skinnerian method are the teachers using?

A) Aversive conditioning
B) Shaping
C) Satiation
D) Token economy

Question 39

Which of the following best illustrates a variable interval reinforcement schedule?

A) A slot machine
B) Weekly paychecks
C) The arrival of email
D) A soda machine

Question 40

In comparison to Freud's therapy,Dollard and Miller's method of therapy

A) is more directive and action-oriented.
B) emphasizes the past and historical recollection.
C) is less pragmatic.
D) places more emphasis on the unconscious.

Question 41

Compare and contrast operant conditioning with classical conditioning.

Question 42

Distinguish among different schedules and types of reinforcement,and indicate their effectiveness.

Question 43

Explain why Skinner emphasized overt behavior and avoided developing a theory of personality.

Question 44

Describe Dollard and Miller's two-phase practice of psychotherapy.

Question 45

Schlinger (2009) suggested that Skinner developed an early construct of ________,the ability to infer people's thoughts or feelings and make predictions about behavior.

A) "theory of mind"
B) "covert behavior"
C) "extrasensory perception"
D) "psychological behaviorism"

Question 46

Skinner wrote a book entitled _________ to illustrate his view of an ideal society.

A) Beyond Behavior
B) Toward Operant Conditioning
C) Walden II
D) Utopia: A Token Economy

Question 47

Show how Skinner's position included philosophical assumptions as well as scientific statements.

Question 48

Evaluate Dollard and Miller's theory in terms of its function as philosophy,science,and art.

Question 49

Although both Skinner and Freud believed that humans are not in control of their behavior,Skinner was more optimistic because he suggested that

A) compared to animals, humans do have some control.
B) humans are content knowing that they lack control.
C) humans could be controlled more effectively through technology.
D) humans might gain a measure of control through self-understanding.

Question 50

Describe the four main conceptual parts of the learning process according to Dollard and Miller.

Question 51

Discuss Skinner's concept of behavior modification and explain how it has been successfully employed.

Question 52

Discuss findings from research about the learning process.

Question 53

Define and give examples of habits,drives,and reinforcers as defined by Dollard and Miller.

Question 54

In his utopian speculations,Skinner argued that

A) we need more, not less, control in society.
B) we should cultivate greater individual responsibility.
C) survival is a poor value by which to judge a culture.
D) a person should be free to choose his or her own destiny.

Question 55

The practice of using time-outs,or removal of a person from a situation in which an undesired behavior occurs,was developed by

A) Abraham Maslow.
B) Harry Stack Sullivan.
C) Arthur Staats.
D) Anna Freud.

Question 56

Explain how Dollard and Miller have integrated learning theory and psychoanalysis.

Question 57

Describe how behavior and learning theorists study personality experimentally.

Question 58

In his later writings,Skinner envisioned a utopian society based on

A) the acceptance of freedom and dignity.
B) behavioral engineering via positive reinforcement.
C) humanism.
D) punishment of undesirable behaviors via aversive consequences.

Question 59

Describe Skinner's concept of a utopian society.

Question 60

Explain how the early contributions of Pavlov,Watson,Thorndike,and Hull contributed to the experimental analysis of behavior.

Question 61

Skinner believed that the term personality was superfluous because all behavior can be explained by observable,environmental factors rather than internal,unobservable characteristics.To what extent do you agree with Skinner's belief?

Question 62

Evaluate Skinner's theory in terms of its function as philosophy,science,and art.

Question 63

In Walden II,Skinner illustrated that the way to achieve an ideal society is to use positive reinforcement to shape desired behaviors of the members of society.To what extent do you agree with Skinner's belief? What would you change about his approach?

Question 64

In what situations would each of the following reinforcement schedules be most effective: fixed ratio,variable ratio,fixed interval,and variable interval?

Question 65

Discuss the relative effectiveness of positive reinforcement and negative reinforcement in everyday life.Which one exerts a more powerful influence on behavior?

Question 66

How might behavioral engineering deal with problems such as overpopulation,war,and pollution? What new problems might the solutions themselves create?