Multiple Choice Questions

1. Ivan Pavlov is thought to have predominantly used which of the following stimuli to condition dogs?

  1. electric shocks
  2. a bell
  3. lights and tapping sounds
  4. a recording of Mozart’s Clarinet Quintet in A major

Answer: C

2. The ‘Law of Effect’ refers to which of the following?

  1. every action has an equal and opposite reaction
  2. the legal prohibition of ineffective psychological treatments
  3. the concept that unsuccessful behaviour often leads to fruitless repetition in an attempt to produce a different outcome
  4. the concept that the consequence of a successful behaviour is that it is more likely to occur in similar circumstances in future

Answer: D

3. The term ‘behaviourism’ was first coined by

  1. Francis Crick
  2. Edward Lee Thorndike
  3. John Watson
  4. Sherlock Holmes

Answer: C

4. Which of the following is a central theme of behaviourism?

  1. human behaviour can be manipulated using food
  2. the majority of behaviour is learnt and not innate
  3. the majority of behaviour is innate and not learnt
  4. genetics has the strongest influence on human behaviour

Answer: B

5. Which of the following did B. F. Skinner use as one experimental application of operant conditioning?

  1. he trained pigeons to operate missile guidance systems
  2. he trained mice to perform simple calculus operations
  3. he trained dogs to play short tunes on a series of eight bells
  4. he trained chimpanzees to make moderately palatable cups of tea

Answer: A

6. Which of the following is NOT given as a criticism of behaviourism?

  1. it ignores the fact that humans are able to learn from others in a social capacity
  2. it reduces humans to stimulus–response machines
  3. it ignores the influence of astrological factors
  4. it ignores the fact that humans are able to think and reflect on their behaviours

Answer: C

7. Which of the following could be considered to be the result of indirect learning?

  1. avoiding shellfish because last time you ate some, you vomited
  2. turning off the television when you see Piers Morgan because you know he makes you angry
  3. solving a Rubik’s Cube in under a minute after months of practice
  4. walking around a patch of ice you just saw someone slip over on

Answer: D

8. ‘Self-efficacy’ refers to

  1. the ability to modify one’s own behaviour
  2. a belief in one’s own ability to succeed
  3. the level of general skill a person has
  4. a belief in one’s own self-worth

Answer: B

9. Sailer et al. (2005) described the stages of learning a complex visuomotor skill. Which of the following is NOT one of those stages?

  1. the skill refinement stage
  2. the incremental improvement stage
  3. the exploratory stage
  4. the skill acquisition stage

Answer: B

10. Gamification refers to

  1. incorporating game-like elements to otherwise non-game activities to increase learning
  2. the increasing tendency for dumbing-down of learning
  3. the increasing proliferation of gaming apps on mobile devices
  4. the treatment of otherwise-bland meat (such as intensively reared chicken) to improve its flavour

Answer: A