PSYC 001 Exam 3 Applied Questions

During a family road trip, 8-month-old Lily keeps dropping her pacifier and crying as if it no longer exists. Her 2-year-old brother immediately looks for it. What concept explains the difference?

Object permanence — the ability to understand that objects still exist when out of sight, which develops around 8 months

A researcher pours equal amounts of juice into two identical short glasses. A 5-year-old watches as one is poured into a tall narrow glass and says the tall glass has "more juice." What does this demonstrate?

Lack of conservation — a preoperational child does not yet understand that quantity stays the same when appearance changes

Maya (age 4) insists the family robot vacuum is "scared" of the couch because it keeps turning away from it. What preoperational concept does this reflect?

Animism — the belief that inanimate objects have will or spirit

14-year-old Jordan argues passionately about hypothetical government climate policies and thinks through long-term consequences. According to Piaget, what stage is Jordan in?

Formal operational stage — characterized by abstract and hypothetical thinking, begins around age 12

Six-year-old Carlos refuses to pass the salt to his grandmother because from his seat the food looks fine to him. Piaget would call this:

Egocentrism — the assumption that others see and experience the world the same way you do

Dr. Reyes lets her second-grade students use physical blocks to learn math instead of reading from a textbook. According to Piaget, which stage is this method best suited for?

Concrete operational stage — children ages 7-11 learn best through hands-on, tangible learning experiences

A pregnant woman has been taking a prescription acne medication containing retinoic acid. What is the general term for substances like this that can harm a developing fetus?

Teratogen — any chemical agent that can harm the zygote, embryo, or fetus

Baby Noah automatically wraps his fingers tightly around his father's finger the moment it touches his palm. This is an example of:

The grasping reflex — an automatic, involuntary newborn reflex that requires no learning

Children at a low-stimulation daycare mostly watch TV all day. Based on the "use it or lose it" principle, what outcome is predicted?

Retention of too few neural connections, potentially leading to intellectual delays — unstimulated synapses are pruned away

At 4 weeks gestation, the developing organism's CNS differentiates into forebrain, midbrain, hindbrain, and spinal cord. What is this organism called?

Embryo — the term used from gestational weeks 3 through 8

10-month-old Sofia cries when her mother leaves, smiles when she returns, and explores freely when mom is nearby. What attachment style does Sofia most likely have?

Secure attachment — child uses caregiver as a safe base, is distressed when they leave and happy when they return

2-year-old Logan insists on doing everything himself and throws tantrums when helped. According to Erikson, which conflict is Logan working through?

Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt (Stage 2, ages 1-3) — toddlers develop independence or begin to doubt their abilities

Priya had a warm, responsive mother as an infant. Now in her 30s she has stable friendships and a healthy relationship. Research on attachment would say this outcome is:

Expected — secure attachment in infancy tends to support healthy relationships throughout life

In Harlow's experiments, infant monkeys clung to the soft cloth mother even though the wire mother provided food. What did Harlow conclude?

Attachment is driven by an inborn need for contact comfort, not just feeding

8-year-old Destiny's parents set clear rules, explain their reasoning, follow through with consequences, and listen to Destiny's input. Which parenting style is this?

Authoritative parenting — high support combined with high behavioral regulation; associated with the best child outcomes

3-year-old Theo watches his babysitter struggle to open a jar. Later he tries the exact same technique when handed a jar. What concept explains how Theo learned this?

Observational learning (modeling) — learning by watching others, without direct reinforcement

14-month-old Emma barely notices when her mother leaves and completely ignores her when she returns. What attachment style does Emma most likely have?

Avoidant attachment — child shows little distress at separation and ignores the caregiver upon return

A 5-year-old understands that a magician was tricked into thinking a coin is under the red cup when it was moved to the blue cup. A 3-year-old does not grasp this. What milestone did the 5-year-old reach?

Theory of mind — understanding that others have beliefs, desires, and intentions different from your own; emerges around ages 3-4

16-year-old Marcus thinks everyone at school notices every outfit he wears. He also believes no one could understand his unique heartbreak. What two formal operational concepts are these?

Imaginary audience (belief others are always watching/evaluating you) and personal fable (belief that you are uniquely special and invincible)

A kindergartner who was once bitten by a dog now cries at the sight of all dogs, stuffed animals, and pictures of dogs. This is an example of:

Stimulus generalization — responding to stimuli that are similar to the original conditioned stimulus

What is object permanence?

The understanding that objects continue to exist even when they cannot be seen or heard.

What does a child's inability to understand conservation demonstrate?

That they are likely in the preoperational stage, where they fail to realize that quantity remains the same despite changes in shape or appearance.

What is animism in child development?

The belief that inanimate objects have feelings, intentions, or consciousness.

What characterizes the formal operational stage of cognitive development?

The ability to think abstractly, propose hypothetical policies, and consider long-term consequences.

What is egocentrism in the context of Piaget's stages?

The inability to perceive a situation from another person's perspective.

Why is hands-on learning effective for the concrete operational stage?

Children at this stage think most logically when they can manipulate physical objects to represent abstract concepts.

What are teratogens?

Substances, such as certain medications or chemicals, that can cause harm or birth defects to a developing embryo or fetus.

What is the grasping reflex?

An automatic, inborn response where an infant tightly curls their fingers around an object touching their palm.

What is the 'use it or lose it' principle in brain development?

The process where neural connections that are not stimulated or used are pruned, potentially leading to developmental delays.

What is the developmental stage of an organism at 4 weeks gestation?

Embryo.

What defines a secure attachment style?

A child who uses their caregiver as a secure base for exploration and seeks comfort from them upon their return.

According to Erikson, what is the psychosocial conflict of a 2-year-old?

Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt.

How does infant attachment affect adult relationships?

Secure attachment in infancy is associated with the ability to form healthy, stable relationships in adulthood.

What was the primary conclusion of Harry Harlow's monkey experiments?

Attachment is driven by the need for contact comfort rather than just the provision of food.

What are the characteristics of authoritative parenting?

Setting clear rules and expectations while remaining responsive to the child's feelings and providing explanations.

What is observational learning?

The process of acquiring new behaviors by watching and imitating the actions of others.

What characterizes avoidant attachment?

A child who shows little distress when a caregiver leaves and ignores or avoids them upon their return.

What is Theory of Mind?

The ability to understand that others have beliefs, desires, and intentions different from one's own.

What is the 'imaginary audience' in adolescence?

The belief that others are constantly observing and judging one's appearance and behavior.

What is the 'personal fable' in adolescence?

The belief that one's experiences and feelings are unique and cannot be understood by others.

What is stimulus generalization?

The tendency to respond to stimuli that are similar to the original conditioned stimulus, such as fearing all dogs after a bad experience with one.

What is the sensorimotor stage?

The first stage of Piaget's theory, where infants learn about the world through sensory experiences and motor actions.

What is the preoperational stage?

The second stage of Piaget's theory, characterized by the development of language and symbolic thought, but lacking logical reasoning.

What is the concrete operational stage?

The third stage of Piaget's theory, where children gain the ability to think logically about concrete events.

What is the formal operational stage?

The final stage of Piaget's theory, characterized by the ability to engage in abstract and hypothetical reasoning.

What is synaptic pruning?

The process of eliminating weak or unused neural connections to increase the efficiency of brain function.

Every time Maria goes to the dentist she hears the drill and her heart races and palms sweat — even before the dentist touches her. The drill sound has become a:

Conditioned stimulus (CS) — a previously neutral stimulus that triggers a response through learning

A dog trainer gives treats every single time the dog sits during week one. In week two she stops giving treats entirely and the dog quickly stops sitting. Why did the behavior drop off so fast?

Extinction occurs quickly after continuous reinforcement — behaviors reinforced every time are the fastest to extinguish when reinforcement stops

Employees receive paychecks every Friday. Work output dips on Monday/Tuesday but surges by Thursday/Friday. What schedule of reinforcement does this pattern reflect?

Fixed interval (FI) schedule — reinforcement occurs after a set time period, producing a scallop pattern of low then high responding

Jaylen keeps checking his phone repeatedly throughout the day hoping a message has come in, even when it hasn't buzzed. What schedule of reinforcement best explains this?

Variable interval (VI) schedule — reinforcement occurs after unpredictable time periods, producing slow steady responding

After aversion therapy, a woman now feels nauseous just thinking about wine. The nausea in response to wine is the:

Conditioned response (CR) — a learned response to the conditioned stimulus

A toddler bitten by a large black dog becomes frightened of small dogs, stuffed animal dogs, and pictures of dogs in books. This is an example of:

Stimulus generalization — the tendency to respond to stimuli similar to the original conditioned stimulus

A parent first praises their child for picking up one toy, then requires all toys, then requires toys AND making the bed before praising. What is this technique called?

Shaping (method of successive approximations) — reinforcing progressively closer approximations to a target behavior

Every morning Trevor hits snooze and the annoying alarm stops. Over time he hits snooze faster and faster. What is maintaining this behavior?

Negative reinforcement — removing an unpleasant stimulus (the alarm) increases the behavior (hitting snooze)

A teacher takes away 5 minutes of recess from students caught talking during a test. Talking during tests decreases. What type of consequence is this?

Negative punishment — removing something desirable (recess) to decrease a behavior

Little Albert showed no fear of a white rat until researchers repeatedly paired it with a sudden loud noise. The loud noise is the:

Unconditioned stimulus (UCS) — a stimulus that naturally triggers a response without any learning required

A slot machine pays out after an unpredictable number of pulls. A gambler keeps pulling for hours despite rarely winning. What schedule explains this persistence?

Variable ratio (VR) schedule — reinforcement after an unpredictable number of responses; produces the highest and most extinction-resistant behavior

Students hear the fire drill bell and line up to leave. Later the normal class-change bell rings and students instinctively start packing up. What explains this?

Stimulus generalization — responding to a stimulus similar to the original conditioned stimulus

A rat freely explores a Skinner box with no rewards. Later when food is introduced it navigates to the lever much faster than rats that had never explored the box. What explains this?

Latent learning — learning that occurs in the absence of reinforcement, often through exploration and forming cognitive maps

Children who grew up watching a parent cook regularly pick up the same techniques as teenagers, even skills never explicitly taught. This is best explained by:

Observational learning (modeling) — learning by watching others without direct reinforcement

A researcher plays a tone repeatedly to a rat with no consequences. Later, conditioning fear to that same tone takes much longer than with rats who never heard it. This is called:

Latent inhibition — slower conditioning occurs when the conditioned stimulus is already familiar

A teacher rewards students with plastic tokens for completing work on time. Students exchange tokens for prizes at the end of the week. This is an example of:

A token economy — an operant conditioning application using exchangeable tokens (secondary reinforcers) to increase desirable behaviors

Marco watches his brother get grounded for sneaking out. Marco never attempts it himself even though he was never punished. Bandura would explain this as:

Observational learning with vicarious consequences — seeing a model punished reduces the likelihood of imitating that behavior

A woman with a fear of flying learned relaxation techniques and was gradually exposed to images of planes, then airport sounds, then a flight simulator. This treatment is called:

Systematic desensitization — a counterconditioning technique where relaxation gradually replaces fear through step-by-step exposure

You hear a song from elementary school at a store and immediately feel a rush of excitement and relief. In this scenario the song is acting as a:

Conditioned stimulus (CS) — a previously neutral stimulus that through repeated pairing now triggers a learned emotional response

A sneeze is fast, automatic, and impossible to stop once it starts. It requires no learning and happens the same way every time. This is classified as a:

Reflex — an inevitable, involuntary, fast and inflexible response to a stimulus that requires no prior experience