Human Development: A Life-span View 7th Sample Test for Ch. 5

Ms. Goodsell is thinking about how she might help the students in her introductory French class learn to pronounce the word bonjour correctly. Which one of her thoughts below is most consistent with a social cognitive perspective of learning?

"Maybe I should show them how I form my mouth and lips as I pronounce the word and then encourage them to imitate me."

Which one of the following is the best example of a symbolic model?

A detective on a television show

Bandura proposes that three of the following conditions are necessary for modeling to occur. Which one is not necessary?

A relatively stress-free environment

Which one of the following best illustrates cognitive modeling?

A science teacher thinks aloud, "How can I determine what makes this pendulum swing fast or slowly? Hmm, I'll change the amount of weight on the bottom, but I need to keep the length the same so I'll know that any change in speed isn't due to length."

Three of the following are examples of self-regulation as social cognitive theorists describe it. Which one is not a good example of self-regulation?

A student tries hard to earn the reinforcer his teacher has told him he will get for good behavior.

Which one of the following best illustrates the self-reaction aspect of self-regulation?

Adele feels terrible when she inadvertently hurts a classmate's feelings.

Which one of the following is an example of vicarious reinforcement?

Alice notices that her friend Ellen gets extra attention from the teacher when she acts helpless. Alice begins to act helpless as well.

Which of the following examples best illustrates a child using effortful control.

Allison likes to laugh when other kids get in trouble in class, however she knows this will hurt their feelings, therefore she holds her tongue and does not laugh.

In social cognitive theorists' conceptualization of reciprocal causation, which one of the following is the best example of a person factor?

Alma expects to do well in science this year.

Which one of the following alternatives illustrates the impact of an efficacy expectation?

Although Christina would like to be on the varsity softball team, she doesn't think she has sufficient talent to make the team, even with a lot of practice.

Only one of the following definitely illustrates high self-efficacy. Which one?

Amy knows she is a good singer.

The textbook describes Meichenbaum's five steps for teaching a child how to regulate his or her own behavior. Which one of the following most accurately summarizes these steps?

An adult models the use of self-instructions while performing a task, then encourages the child to use similar self-instructions, first aloud and then silently, while performing the same task.

From the perspective of social cognitive theory, which one of the following children most clearly shows a key ingredient of self-regulation?

Bob is proud of the fact that he always keeps a promise.

If we consider the concept of reciprocal causation, we must conclude that students' behavior in the classroom is influenced:

Both by classroom events and the student's expectations about the classroom

Listed below are four reasons why students might not want to take their schoolwork seriously or to try very hard to succeed at classroom tasks. Which one of these reasons is most clearly consistent with the concept of self-efficacy?

Carol doesn't believe she has the ability to do the work successfully.

Some researchers have studied the effects of modeling on children's interpersonal behaviors. Which one of the following conclusions cannot be drawn from their research?

Children learn effective interpersonal skills only from watching adults; what they see other children do has little or no effect on their own behavior.

Social cognitive theorists have studied the role of modeling on aggressive behavior. Which one of the following conclusions cannot be drawn from their research?

Children model aggression only when the model is the same sex as themselves.

According to social cognitive theorists, learning is unlikely to occur in one of the following situations. Which one?

Corinna's teacher gives her a good grade on her paper because it was neatly written, but Corinna doesn't realize that "neatness counts."

Modeling is often facilitated by memory codes. Three of the following are examples of such codes. Which one does not specifically illustrate a memory code?

David wears the same style of clothing his friends wear, even though he's never been reinforced for doing so.

Tammy has trouble getting dates, so she begins to observe how other students attract boys. The four girls below have all had a date within the last week. Without knowing anything about Tammy, but using criteria proposed by social cognitive theorists, choose the girl whom Tammy is most likely to model.

Dorinda is popular and feminine.

Which one of the following is the clearest example of a child working for an incentive?

Doris is studying for a history test with the hope that she'll get an A on it.

According to social cognitive theorists, reinforcement affects learning because it:

Encourages the learner to pay attention

A guest speaker is coming to Mr. Fisk's third-grade classroom, and he wants his students to treat the speaker with courtesy and respect. He decides to give his students 15 minutes of free time if they show appropriate behavior during the guest's visit. From the perspective of social cognitive theory, Mr. Fisk's reinforcement is likely to work only if his students:

Expect that this consequence will follow their good behavior

Mr. Limpitlaw wants to increase his female students' self-efficacy for mastering simple car maintenance procedures. He can best do this by:

Having the students watch other girls successfully change the oil and the air filter

Which one of the following examples best illustrates social cognitive theorists' concept of personal agency in learning and behavior?

In order to enhance his roller skating skills, Marvin enrolls in a roller skating class.

John's teacher gives him constructive criticism about how to improve the poem he has just written. According to the textbook's discussion of social cognitive theory, what effect is such criticism likely to have on John's self-efficacy for writing poetry, and why?

It will probably enhance his self-efficacy, because it communicates the message that he has the ability to write a good poem.

Which one of the following is an example of vicarious punishment?

Jane sees her friend Olivia scolded by the teacher for talking out of turn in class. Jane stops talking out of turn in class.

Jim has a high sense of self-efficacy regarding his ability to work with his hands. Based on this information, we would predict three of the following from social cognitive theory. Which one would we not necessarily predict?

Jim will be a bit careless when he works with his hands, so he will frequently make silly little mistakes.

Which one of the following statements best reflects the concept of collective self-efficacy?

Learners may have greater confidence about accomplishing a task when they work with others rather than alone.

Models can influence an observer's behavior in a number of ways. Which one of the following behaviors is least likely to be the result of modeling?

Luke scratches his mosquito bites, even though his mother continually asks him not to, because it makes them feel better.

When people begin to record their own behavior, the frequency of that behavior:

May go either up or down

Sharon knows that Kathy frequently completes her assignments long after they are due. She has noticed that their teacher willingly accepts Kathy's late assignments because Kathy always has a creative excuse for turning them in late. Sharon begins to do the same thing—she turns in assignments past the due date and makes up excuses for why she is late. Sharon's increase in excuse-making is due to:

Modeling and vicarious reinforcement

Two boys are fighting on school grounds. 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. From the perspective of social cognitive theory, these boys will be:

More likely to fight in the future

Three of the following alternatives depict situations in which a teacher is facilitating the retention component of modeling. Which one does not depict such a situation?

Mr. Byers suggests, "Let's play some background music while I show you how to use the dipstick to measure your oil level."

These four teachers claim to be practicing principles from social cognitive theory. Based on the following information, which one is not?

Mr. Carlson tells his class that he wishes he had never started smoking cigarettes.

Which of the following teachers most clearly illustrates teacher self efficacy?

Mrs. Sand is a confident teacher who believes that she can teach students.

Which one of the following teaching strategies is most likely to promote resilient self-efficacy?

Ms. Davis assigns a variety of challenging math problems, knowing that her students will successfully solve most, but probably not all, of them.

Which one of the following alternatives best describes the disinhibition effect that social cognitive theorists describe?

People may engage in a previously prohibited behavior if they see someone else being reinforced for that behavior.

A problem with trying to explain modeling solely from a strictly behaviorist perspective is that:

People sometimes don't imitate a behavior until many days after observing it.

Three of the following ideas are integral parts of social cognitive theory. Which one is not?

People's behaviors are always the direct results of the specific environments in which they live.

Which one of the following instances of learning can be explained more easily by social cognitive theory than by behaviorist views of learning?

Playing the role of a German soldier in the school play, Andy says his lines using a German accent similar to one he's heard in the movies a few times.

John is motivated to bring up his grade in chemistry. He has decided to go to his chemistry class every day at lunch and after school. John's decision is an example of:

Self imposed stimulus control

In what way does the concept self-efficacy differ from such terms as self-concept and self-esteem?

Self-efficacy varies depending on the specific task to be performed.

Several students in Mr. Samber's class have trouble keeping themselves on task during independent seatwork assignments. Mr. Samber gives each of these students a piece of paper on which they are to make a check mark every time they find themselves doing something other than their assignment during seatwork time. Mr. Samber is using which one of the following techniques for changing behavior?

Self-monitoring

Mark often comes to school wearing sandals instead of sneakers on days he has physical education. He is getting angry with himself regarding his chronic forgetfulness about appropriate footwear. His teacher suggests that he treat himself to an hour of television only on days when he has remembered to wear sneakers. Mark's teacher is suggesting that Mark use:

Self-reinforcement

Maria is what social cognitive theorists would describe as a self-regulating individual when it comes to her moral behavior. Given this information, which one of the following descriptions best describes Maria's moral behavior?

She has an internal set of standards regarding right and wrong behavior, and she feels guilty when she violates those standards.

Jenny hears her second grade teacher often tell the class that soda is bad for your health and that everyone should drink water. However, every afternoon Jenny sees her teacher drink a soda. Based information regarding behaviors that are learned through modeling, which beverage is Jenny most likely to drink:

Soda, people imitate other people's actions more than their words.

Which one of the following is the best example of generalized self-efficacy?

Thanks to his good study habits, Evan is optimistic that he'll do well in the wide variety of college courses he must take in order to graduate.

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

The environment alters behavior, but behavior alters the environment as well.

Which one of the following best illustrates collective self-efficacy in teachers?

The teachers at West Middle School confer weekly about students who they believe are at risk for academic failure, and they are confident that, by working together, they can help these students be successful at school.

Ms. Jefferson promises her students special treats if they turn in their homework assignments the next day. But the following day Ms. Jefferson forgets to bring the treats she promised. From the perspective of social cognitive theory, what has just happened to the students who turned in their homework assignments?

They have been punished for doing so.

Trudy makes an obscene gesture in class, and the teacher punishes her severely. Other students in class observe both the gesture and the punishment. Based on social cognitive theory, what can we guess about what those other students have learned and how they are likely to behave in the future?

They know how to make the gesture, but they are unlikely to make it in class.

Which one of the following strategies is most likely to promote self-regulation in students?

When assigning a lengthy research project, Mr. Barnett advises his students to break the project down into a number of smaller tasks and then to reinforce themselves after they complete each one.

Should students ever be allowed to fail at classroom tasks? According to social cognitive theorists, the answer is:

Yes. Occasional failures interspersed among frequent successes teach students that perseverance pays off.

Imagine that you are a teacher at a junior high school. Below are four behaviors you might exhibit in your classroom. Considering the textbook's discussion of modeling, choose the behavior your students are least likely to imitate.

You show them how much you enjoy reading professional education journals.

When George attends the first day of an Advanced Placement class in biology, he thinks to himself, "This is going to be a really hard class. I don't know if I have what it takes to understand and remember all this stuff." Which one of the following concepts from social cognitive theory do George's misgivings best exemplify?

self-efficacy for learning

Social cognitive theory can best be characterized as being concerned with learning

through observations of others