Deck 7: Achievement

Question 1

Proponents of the behavioral view of achievement (for example, Vaughn Crandall) believe that

A) achievement is best viewed as a class of instrumental responses rather than an internal drive for competence
B) the pride stemming from one's noteworthy accomplishments is what reinforces achievement behavior
C) people strive to match exacting standards in order to win others' approval or to avoid others' disapproval
D) achievement is best viewed as a class of instrumental responses rather than an internal drive for competence and the pride stemming from one's noteworthy accomplishments is what reinforces achievement behavior
E) achievement is best viewed as a class of instrumental responses rather than an internal drive for competence and people strive to match exacting standards in order to win others' approval or to avoid others' disapproval

Answer 1

achievement is best viewed as a class of instrumental responses rather than an internal drive for competence and people strive to match exacting standards in order to win others' approval or to avoid others' disapproval

Question 2

In contrast to views on achievement motivation in individualistic societies, people in collectivist societies view achievement motivation as a willingness to strive to succeed _____ .

A) at personal objectives for the satisfaction of accomplishing these goals
B) at personal objectives to win approval or to avoid disapproval
C) at objectives that promote social harmony or maximize social welfare
D) at objectives that bring extrinsic incentives such as money or good grades

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Deborah Stipek and her associates suggest that preschool children pass through three phases in learning to evaluate their achievement performances. During the "Joy in Mastery" phase, children

A) seek recognition when they master problems
B) are not bothered by failures
C) are clearly pleased to master challenges
D) seek recognition when they master problems and are not bothered by failures
E) are not bothered by failure and are clearly pleased to master challenges

Answer 3

E

Question 4

Recent research implies that teachers might be more successful at using homework to achieve curricular objectives if they

A) require students to turn in homework assignments to earn good grades
B) frame homework as a means of achieving intrinsic goals
C) frame homework as a means of achieving extrinsic goals
D) require students to turn in homework assignments to earn good grades and frame homework as a means of achieving extrinsic goals
E) none of these; homework undermines children's interest in school activities

Question 5

Proponents of the motivational view of achievement (for example McClelland) believe that

A) achievement motivation is a learned motive
B) the pride stemming from one's noteworthy accomplishments is what reinforces achievement behavior
C) people strive to achieve in order to win others' approval or to avoid others' disapproval
D) achievement motivation is a learned motive and the pride stemming from one's noteworthy accomplishments is what reinforces achievement behavior
E) achievement motivation is a learned motive and people strive to achieve in order to win others' approval or to avoid others' disapproval

Question 6

John works alone at a puzzle for a half-hour and fails to complete it. He then frowns, says "I'm no good at this" and feels bad. We might conclude that John is at the _____ phase of learning to evaluate accomplishments.

A) joy in mastery
B) approval seeking
C) use of standards
D) extrinsic orientation

Question 7

Mastery motivation

A) appears to be inborn
B) does not appear until the infant can recognize his(her) mirror image
C) is an acquired attribute
D) emerges in a competitive environment

Question 8

One reason that intrinsic motives to "master" the environment fall far short of being an adequate explanation for children's achievement behavior is that

A) many infants show no motivation to understand and to exert control over their environments
B) some children try much harder than others to master the challenges they face
C) both of these
D) none of these

Question 9

If a child immediately seeks recognition when she succeeds if expecting criticism when she fails, we would place her at the _____ phase of learning to evaluate her accomplishments

A) joy in mastery
B) approval seeking
C) use of standards
D) learned helplessness

Question 10

Two 2-year-olds are performing the same task in a "competition" arranged by the experimenter. John finishes before Harry who, nonetheless, completes his task. Which of the following reactions are we likely to observe?

A) each child expressing pleasure at mastering his task
B) John feeling special pleasure in beating Harry at the competition
C) Harry feeling disappointed at having lost the competition
D) John seeking recognition for his accomplishment whereas Harry does not

Question 11

Compared to those who are intrinsically motivated to achieve, children with an extrinsic orientation

A) see themselves as more competent at academic tasks
B) strive to win recognition or tangible incentives for their accomplishments
C) prefer more challenging academic tasks rather than easier ones
D) get better grades at school

Question 12

Doris, a 2 ½ year old, is trying to complete a puzzle as an experimenter looks on. Which of the following reactions is Doris likely to display?

A) joy if she completes the puzzle
B) calling the experimenter's attention to her success
C) a tendency to look away or turn away from the experimenter should she fail to complete the puzzle
D) all of these are possible

Question 13

Achievement motivation (n Ach) is typically measured

A) by analyzing the content of stories subjects write in response to pictures designed to elicit achievement themes
B) by analyzing subject's dreams
C) by means of paper-and-pencil personality tests
D) by observing and noting the accomplishments of individual subjects

Question 14

A child with an extrinsic orientation toward achievement might say _____ .

A) I work hard at school to please my parents
B) I am so happy when I get an A
C) It feels good to get the highest grade in my class
D) none of these

Question 15

Developmentalists use the term _____ to describe children's intrinsic motivation to respond to challenges and "adapt to" their environments.

A) accommodation
B) competence motivation
C) mastery motivation
D) achievement motivation

Question 16

A child with an intrinsic orientation toward achievement might cite _____ as the reason she works very hard at her arithmetic homework.

A) a preference for challenging tasks
B) a desire to earn high marks
C) a desire to avoid her teacher's disapproval
D) a desire to please her father

Question 17

According to Stipek and her associates, young children begin to show their pride (rather than pleasure) in mastering a challenge and true shame (rather than disappointment) when they fail to achieve once they

A) can recognize themselves in a mirror
B) have adopted performance standards that define success and nonsuccess
C) interpret losing a competition as a clear failure
D) know that successes typically elicit approval from others, whereas nonsuccess may elicit disapproval

Question 18

20-month-old Ramon is trying to build a tower of blocks bigger than any he has ever built. Which of the following reactions is Ramon likely to display?

A) joy when he accomplishes his goal
B) seeking praise from his mother when he succeeds
C) feeling down or depressed after several failures to build a taller tower
D) all of these are possible

Question 19

John hopes to find ways to make readings on Black history more interesting and involving to his inner-city, predominantly African American preadolescent 6^th-graders. He is apt to be more successful if he stresses how these readings

A) will help them to understand who they are and where they come from
B) will make them more likable to peers of other ethnic groups
C) will improve their history grades
D) will impress parents about how much they are learning at school

Question 20

Billy makes good grades at school because he desires the praise and recognition from others that he usually receives when he does well. This reflects Billy's

A) high need for achievement
B) intrinsic orientation to achievement
C) extrinsic orientation to achievement
D) strong mastery motivation

Question 21

According to Weiner's attribution theory, which of the following is an unstable, internal cause of achievement outcomes?

A) ability
B) task difficulty
C) effort
D) luck

Question 22

According to Weiner's attribution theory, which of the following is said to be a stable cause for an achievement outcome?

A) amount of effort expended
B) luck
C) both of these
D) none of these

Question 23

One's achievement behavior in specific achievement situations depends on

A) her level of achievement motivation
B) the value placed on that particular goal
C) the person's expectancy of succeeding or failing
D) all of these

Question 24

Which of the following statements best characterizes the "competitive" orientation of a 4-5-year-old?

A) to win is divine
B) to lose is to fail
C) both of these
D) none of these

Question 25

According to Weiner's cognitive theory of achievement, a person's future achievement behavior in a particular domain depends very heavily on his/her

A) general intelligence
B) achievement motivation
C) motivation to avoid failure
D) causal attributions for past performance in that domain

Question 26

Which of the following represents an internal, unstable attribution for a grade?

A) "If I wasn't so dumb I would do better."
B) "If the test had been more fair I'd have done better."
C) "If I had studied more I'd have done better."
D) "I'd do much better if the teacher liked me."

Question 27

Raynor's (1970) classic study of the grades students make in introductory psychology revealed that the relationship between achievement motivation (M_s) and achievement behavior (grades earned) was more likely to be positive when

A) the student's motive to avoid failure is high
B) the student's motive to avoid failure is weaker than his(her) motive to attain success
C) the student perceives the course in question as important or valuable
D) the student's motive to avoid failure is high and the student perceives the course in question as important or valuable
E) the student's motive to avoid failure is weaker than his(her) motive to attain success and the student perceives the course in question as important or valuable

Question 28

Linda has failed an important geography exam and attributes her failure to a lack of ability in geography. In terms of Weiner's attribution theory, Linda has made a(n) _____ causal attribution.

A) internal, stable
B) internal, unstable
C) external, unstable
D) external, stable

Question 29

McClelland's cross-cultural research (reported in his book The Achieving Society) led him to conclude that

A) a preoccupation with achievement arises from a country's prior economic growth
B) the average level of achievement motivation among a country's populace is an accurate predictor of the country's future economic growth
C) a country's future economic growth is directly dependent on the religious ideology of those in power
D) none of these

Question 30

After failing on important math test, Fred seeks a causal attribution for his performance. To what might he attribute this failure and have the best chance of feeling that he will do well on subsequent exams?

A) I failed because I'm not too bright.
B) What luck! This test tapped the material that I only studied briefly.
C) I failed because I didn't study enough.
D) I failed because many of the questions were ambiguous.

Question 31

According to Atkinson's revision of McClelland's "need achievement" theory, a person who willingly accepts new challenges and who accomplishes a lot is someone for whom

A) M_S > M_af
B) M_S = M_af
C) M_af > M_S
D) M_S > n Ach

Question 32

Early work on the relationship between achievement motivation and achievement behavior revealed that

A) people high in achievement motivation select higher status occupations than do low need-achievers
B) people high in achievement motivation tend to make better grades in school than do low need-achievers
C) a country's prior economic growth is a good predictor of the average level of achievement motivation of the country's current generation of children
D) people high in achievement motivation select higher status occupations than do low need-achievers and people high in achievement motivation tend to make better grades in school than do low need-achievers
E) all of these

Question 33

According to Weiner's attribution theory, which of the following achievement attributions will lead to the highest expectancy of repeating a success we've accomplished?

A) "I did well because I'm good at this task."
B) "I did well because I studied hard."
C) "I did well because I studied the right material."
D) "I did well because this test was not ambiguous."

Question 34

A person who dreads being evaluated and is highly concerned about the prospect of failing is _____.

A) low in the need for achievement
B) high in the motive to avoid failure
C) high in the motive to avoid success
D) all of these

Question 35

A child who believes that her grades at school depend on luck, fate, or whether her teachers "like her"

A) is likely to be a high achiever and get good grades
B) could be described as an internalizer
C) could be described as an externalizer
D) is likely to be a high achiever and get good grades and could be described as an internalizer
E) is likely to be a high achiever and get good grades and could be described as an externalizer

Question 36

According to Weiner's attribution theory, the stability of an achievement attribution determines one's _____ in a given achievement domain.

A) effort
B) expectancy of success or failure
C) degree of luck
D) valuing of achievement

Question 37

Weiner believes that the perceived stability of an achievement outcome determines _____ , whereas the perceived locus of control for that outcome determines _____ .

A) one's achievement expectancies; the value of the outcome
B) the value of that outcome; one's achievement expectancies
C) achievement motivation; motive to avoid failure
D) mastery orientation; learned helplessness

Question 38

In a review of over 100 studies, Findley and Cooper found that students who attribute their successes to internal causes such as ability rather than external causes such as luck tend to

A) do well academically
B) do poorly academically
C) show little difference in performance from students who make external attributions for successes
D) become anxious and give up

Question 39

Atkinson's theory of achievement implies that a person who shys away from challenges and who accomplishes very little is apt to be someone

A) who is high in the motive to avoid success
B) who is low in the motive to avoid failure
C) whose motive to avoid failure is stronger than his (her) motive to attain success
D) whose motive to avoid failure is weaker than his(her) motive to attain success

Question 40

Whereas McClelland attributed individual differences in achievement behavior to differences in _____, Atkinson suggested that achievement behavior also depends on the person's _____.

A) achievement motivation; mastery orientation
B) achievement motivation; achievement expectancies and the value of the objective
C) motive to avoid failure; achievement expectancies and the value of the objective
D) motive to avoid failure; motive to attain success

Question 41

Ms) Herlocker is a first-grade teacher who sets mastery goals in the classroom and who praises children more for their effort than for the actual quality of the work they complete. Ms. Herlocker's teaching style is likely to promote a(n) _____ in her students.

A) learned helplessness orientation
B) incremental view of ability
C) joy in mastery orientation
D) entity view of ability

Question 42

An incremental view of ability is reflected in

A) the belief that one's ability can be improved through increased effort and practice
B) the tendency to give up or stop trying after failing a number of times
C) the tendency to make internal-stable attributions for successes and failures
D) the belief that ability is not influenced much by effort or practice

Question 43

Which of the following teacher comments does Dweck's research indicate would be most likely to encourage a child who fails to try harder rather than to give up?

A) "You're not very good at this, are you?"
B) "I bet you just need to give more time to these assignments and you would perform better."
C) "Luck was sure on your side this time."
D) "Maybe you'll have better luck next time."
E) "You are having trouble with these assignments."

Question 44

According to Dweck, children who show a mastery orientation in the classroom tend to attribute successes to _____ and failures to _____ .

A) high ability; bad luck
B) high effort; low ability
C) high effort; task difficulty
D) high ability; low effort

Question 45

Miss Bazzini gave her kindergartners a puzzle to solve and let them work until each child had completed it. Whom will they say is the smartest student?

A) Sean, who completed the puzzle in 5 minutes
B) Larry, who worked on the puzzle all afternoon
C) Ed, who worked on the puzzle for 20 minutes
D) Juan, who said the puzzle was too easy and chose to color instead

Question 46

Which of the following types of adult commentary is most likely to foster a mastery orientation?

A) one that points out a child's errors
B) one that suggests that errors indicate the need for a change in tactics
C) one that emphasizes avoiding errors
D) one that involves comparison to others and fosters competition with other children

Question 47

Children younger than 6 years old expect to _____ at novel achievement tasks because they _____.

A) fail; overestimate the difficulty of the task
B) fail; view themselves as incompetent
C) succeed; underestimate the difficulty of the task
D) succeed; view themselves as competent

Question 48

One reason why young (4-7-year old) children often have very high achievement expectancies is that

A) they confuse their desire to do well with their ability to do well and conclude that they can always succeed if they really want to
B) they assume that high ability rather than high effort is the primary cause of their successes
C) both of these
D) none of these

Question 49

Weiner's theory predicts that it is adaptive for children to attribute their successes to _____ causes and their failures to _____ causes

A) internal, stable; internal, stable
B) external, stable; internal, stable
C) internal, stable, internal unstable
D) internal unstable, internal, stable

Question 50

According to Weiner's attribution theory, which of the following achievement attributions will make us value a success we have accomplished?

A) "I did well because the teacher likes me."
B) "I did well because I worked hard."
C) "I did well because the test was easy."
D) "I lucked out and studied the right material."

Question 51

Mr) Goldman is a sixth-grade teacher who grades students on the quality of work they perform rather than the amount of effort they expend. He regularly encourages academic competition in his class. His methods are likely to promote_____ in his students.

A) an approval-seeking orientation
B) an entity view of ability
C) an incremental view of ability
D) a learned helplessness orientation

Question 52

As children progress through grade school, they begin to make clear distinctions between ability and effort as causes of achievement outcomes. Factors that contribute to these distinctions include

A) cognitive development
B) teacher's use of grades and other ability appraisals
C) children's increasing reliance on social comparison information
D) teacher's use of grades and other ability appraisals and children's increasing reliance on social comparison information
E) all of these

Question 53

The behavior of children who display learned helplessness on an academic task largely reflects their very strong and noteworthy

A) lack of intelligence
B) incremental view of ability
C) entity view of ability
D) tendency to externalize the blame for their failures

Question 54

If two people accomplish the same feats while expending different amounts of effort, a 5-year-old is likely to say _____ is "smarter," whereas a 12- to 13-year-old will feel that _____ has the greater ability.

A) neither individual; the person expending the most effort
B) the person expending the most effort; the person expending less effort
C) the person expending less effort; the person expending the most effort
D) neither individual; the person expending the least effort

Question 55

Children who display the learned helplessness syndrome

A) tend to attribute their failures to a lack of ability
B) show marked deterioration of performance after experiencing a failure
C) often have previous academic attainments that equal or exceed those of their mastery-oriented classmates
D) tend to attribute their failures to a lack of ability and show marked deterioration of performance after experiencing a failure
E) all of these

Question 56

Weiner's attribution theory posits that low achievers generally attribute their failures to _____ factors and their successes to _____ factors.

A) unstable; unstable
B) unstable, internal; stable, external
C) stable, internal; unstable
D) stable, external; stable, internal

Question 57

Kindergarten children are apt to believe that they are smart and can do well at any task because

A) their teachers praise them more for their efforts than for the quality of their work
B) they have an "entity view" of ability
C) they have an "incremental view" of ability
D) their teachers praise them more for their efforts than for the quality of their work and they have an "entity view" of ability
E) their teachers praise them more for their efforts than for the quality of their work and they have an "incremental view" of ability

Question 58

An entity view of ability is reflected in

A) the belief that one's ability can be improved through increased effort and practice
B) the tendency to persist at challenging tasks after previously failing those asks
C) the tendency to make external-unstable attributions for successes and failures
D) the belief that ability is not influenced much by effort or practice

Question 59

Dweck and her colleagues believe that teachers may unwittingly foster a sense of learned helplessness in children by attributing

A) the child's successes to high effort and failures to bad luck
B) the child's successes to high effort and failures to lack of ability
C) the child's successes to high ability and failures to a lack of effort
D) none of these

Question 60

According to Weiner, a person who attributes a good grade on an exam to the fact that the test was easy may have exactly the same achievement expectancy but should view his outcome as less important (or less valuable) than a second student making the same grade who attributes his success to

A) high effort
B) good luck
C) indiscriminate grading
D) high ability

Question 61

Recent research indicates that _____ is an important contributor to ethnic differences in academic achievement.

A) subtle ethnic differences in parenting practices
B) endorsement of academic goals by ethnic peers
C) both of these
D) none of these

Question 62

People in collectivist societies tend to view achievement as

A) individual or cooperative accomplishments that promote social harmony and group goals
B) individual accomplishments that meet or exceed high standards
C) competitive accomplishments that involve outperforming others
D) none of these

Question 63

According to Dweck and her associates, children who are simply told that you are "smart," "intelligent," etc. when they succeed may generally adopt _____ in achievement contexts, seeking to demonstrate how "smart," "intelligent," etc. they really are. A subsequent failure could then cause these youngsters to _____.

A) learning goals; give up and act helpless
B) learning goals; try all the harder to succeed
C) performance goals; give up and act helpless
D) performance goals; try all the harder to succeed

Question 64

Tamika applying to college because she hasn't earned the grades she hoped to though her peer group is studious she will choke on standardized tests. Based on the achievement literature, which of the following factors is a plausible contributor to Tamika's dreading future academic challenges

A) her parents probably do not value education as much as White and Asian American parents do
B) her parents may have emphasized her shortcomings in achievement contexts to a greater extent than they have acknowledged her successes
C) Tamika may be experiencing stereotype threat
D) her parents probably do not value education as much as White and Asian American parents do and her parents may have emphasized her shortcomings in achievement contexts to a greater extent than they have acknowledged her successes
E) her parents may have emphasized her shortcomings in achievement contexts to a greater extent than they have acknowledged her successes and Tamika may be experiencing stereotype threat

Question 65

One relatively simple method of preventing learned helplessness and declining academic performance among preadolescents is an intervention in which lessons focus on the premise that

A) improving your study skills will result in better grades
B) you should concentrate on subjects that suit your abilities
C) you can grow your intelligence
D) you can improve your memory

Question 66

Stereotype threat often creates a disruptive anxiety that can undermine student performance

A) in situations where performances are evaluated
B) in nonevaluative exercises
C) both of these
D) none of these

Question 67

Which of the following comments would be most effective in praising a success if our ultimate objective was to convince a youngster to be persistent at future tasks that he or she has failed to master.

A) "You did really good; that deserves a trip to the movies!"
B) "That's great, Sammy; you worked hard and found a good way to do it!"
C) "Wonderful, Ann; you are such a smart little girl!"
D) "Good job; you certainly didn't look stupid on this task!"

Question 68

High-achieving African-American students and students from immigrant families tend to

A) have parents who strongly encourage academic achievement
B) associate with peers who value and support academic achievement
C) both of these
D) none of these

Question 69

Compared to American mothers, Chinese and Japanese mothers are more likely to

A) believe that the amount of effort children expend determines their achievement outcomes
B) adopt an incremental view of ability
C) adopt an entity view of ability
D) believe that the amount of effort children expend determines their achievement outcomes and adopt an incremental view of ability
E) believe that the amount of effort children expend determines their achievement outcomes and adopt an entity view of ability

Question 70

Pablo, a highly motivated 12^th grade Hispanic American student performs well in the classroom but consistently makes low scores on standardized achievement tests. His explanation: "I simply choke on the standardized tests." One plausible explanation for Pablo's performance is

A) Pablo's lack of preparation for the test
B) that stereotype threat undermines Pablo's performance
C) Pablo does not want to do so well as to be accused by ethnic peers of "acting White"
D) learned helplessness

Question 71

Asian American women who are asked to indicate their _______ on a math test are likely to perform _______ than they otherwise would if aspects of their identity had not been requested.

A) Asian American identity; worse
B) Asian American identity; better
C) sex; better
D) none of these; Asian Americans are less susceptible to stereotype threat than members of other groups

Question 72

Ethnic variations in achievement are primarily attributable to

A) ethnic differences in intelligence
B) differences across ethnic groups in the value parents place on education
C) both of these
D) none of these

Question 73

Dweck's research implies that children who regularly receive _____ after succeeding are likely to adopt performance goals in achievement contexts which makes them inclined to try to _____.

A) person praise; demonstrate their competencies
B) process praise; demonstrate their competencies
C) person praise; improve their competencies
D) process praise; improve their competencies

Question 74

Which of the following factors figure prominently in explaining why minority youth are often academic underachievers?

A) minority children are less intelligent than other children are
B) their ethnic peers devalue academics
C) minority parents devalue academics
D) minority children are less intelligent than other children are and minority parents devalue academics
E) all of these

Question 75

A technique that appears effective at helping children to overcome the learned helplessness syndrome is one in which

A) children are given problems that they will fail and encouraged to attribute these failures to a lack of effort
B) children are given problems that they will fail and encouraged to attribute their failures to a lack of ability
C) children are given problems that they will pass and are thus convinced that they have the ability to succeed
D) children are rewarded for their successes and encouraged to attribute their failures to a fussy evaluator

Question 76

Cross-cultural research on achievement suggests that

A) members of collectivist societies train their children to be independent, assertive, and venturesome
B) members of individualistic societies train their children to be obedient, responsible, and cooperative
C) people from different societies conceptualize achievement in very different ways
D) members of collectivist societies train their children to be independent, assertive, and venturesome and members of individualistic societies train their children to be obedient, responsible, and cooperative
E) all of these

Question 77

Kamins and Dweck (1999) praised kindergartners for several successes before exposing them to tasks in which they were told mistakes were made. When the kindergartners were given an opportunity to work further at the tasks,_____.

A) children who received process praise favored the tasks they had mastered previously
B) children who received person praise favored tasks that had not been mastered
C) both of these
D) none of these

Question 78

Dweck's research implies that children who regularly receive _____ after succeeding are likely to adopt learning goals in achievement contexts which makes them inclined to try to _____.

A) person praise; demonstrate their competencies
B) process praise; demonstrate their competencies
C) person praise; improve their competencies
D) process praise; improve their competencies

Question 79

Successful strategies for preventing learned helplessness include

A) providing process praise to acknowledge children's successes
B) providing person praise to acknowledge children's successes
C) stressing that learning new material makes one smarter
D) providing process praise to acknowledge children's successes and stressing that learning new material makes one smarter
E) providing person praise to acknowledge children's successes and stressing that learning new material makes one smarter

Question 80

Dweck believes that children who receive feedback praising their efforts at formulating effective solutions after their successes will generally adopt _____ in achievement contexts. A subsequent failure should cause these youngsters to _____.

A) learning goals; give up and act helpless
B) learning goals; try all the harder to succeed
C) performance goals; give up and act helpless
D) performance goals; try all the harder to succeed