EDF 6222 Midterm Exam Questions with
Correct Answers
"__________ is more than the mere description of events as they occur. It is an
attempt to discover order, to show that certain events stand in _________ to
other events (Skinner, 1953, p.6)." - CORRECT ANSWER -Science; lawful relations
Being scientifically skeptical means that until there is ____________ available,
assumptions should not be made. - CORRECT ANSWER -evidence
In order to be excellent stewards of science, as behavior analysts, we can follow a
few guidelines when gathering and evaluating evidence. This includes reducing
__________ by ensuring interobserver agreement, examining for actual
___________ (as opposed to effects that could have produced changes without
the intervention), ___________ , and self-correction. - CORRECT ANSWER -
observer bias; experimental control; replication
With ___________, we look for the simplest explanation possible, not extensive
mentalistic explanations. - CORRECT ANSWER -parsimony
"Behaviorism is not the science of human behavior; it is the ___________ of that
science" (Skinner, 1974. p.3). - CORRECT ANSWER -philosophy
Structuralism relied on __________, which looked inward to describe sensations,
images, and feelings. - CORRECT ANSWER -introspection
, _____________ behaviorism might be thought of as a psychological version of
logical positivism or operationism. - CORRECT ANSWER -Methodological
While some methodological behaviorists accept that there are mental states, they
have ruled them completely out of consideration. This is not a new concept and
was once referred to as ____________. - CORRECT ANSWER -psychophysical
parallelism
In Pavlov's early research, he did not jump to conclusions to suggest that the dog
was "thinking" of food, and therefore salivating. Instead, he carefully controlled
conditions that allowed him to show that particular stimuli can "acquire" the
ability to elicit secretion. His careful analysis of the scientific method allowed him
to avoid both __________ and _________ fictions. - CORRECT ANSWER -
mentalistic; explanatory
The evolutionary explanation for reflexes indicates that they are for the survival of
the organism. However, we know all too well that sometimes responses can be
conditioned that serve no purpose - even add a ____________ purpose - to our
complex lives. - CORRECT ANSWER -debilitating
Skinner (1953) informed us "Although the process of [conditioning] greatly
extends the scope of the eliciting stimulus, it does not bring all the behavior of the
organism within such ___________ "(p. 56). Conditioning can add numerous
different eliciting stimuli, but it will never fashion a _________ response. -
CORRECT ANSWER -stimulus control; novel
According to Skinner, contingencies of reinforcement have an edge over
contingencies of survival because contingencies of reinforcement "Have the edge
Correct Answers
"__________ is more than the mere description of events as they occur. It is an
attempt to discover order, to show that certain events stand in _________ to
other events (Skinner, 1953, p.6)." - CORRECT ANSWER -Science; lawful relations
Being scientifically skeptical means that until there is ____________ available,
assumptions should not be made. - CORRECT ANSWER -evidence
In order to be excellent stewards of science, as behavior analysts, we can follow a
few guidelines when gathering and evaluating evidence. This includes reducing
__________ by ensuring interobserver agreement, examining for actual
___________ (as opposed to effects that could have produced changes without
the intervention), ___________ , and self-correction. - CORRECT ANSWER -
observer bias; experimental control; replication
With ___________, we look for the simplest explanation possible, not extensive
mentalistic explanations. - CORRECT ANSWER -parsimony
"Behaviorism is not the science of human behavior; it is the ___________ of that
science" (Skinner, 1974. p.3). - CORRECT ANSWER -philosophy
Structuralism relied on __________, which looked inward to describe sensations,
images, and feelings. - CORRECT ANSWER -introspection
, _____________ behaviorism might be thought of as a psychological version of
logical positivism or operationism. - CORRECT ANSWER -Methodological
While some methodological behaviorists accept that there are mental states, they
have ruled them completely out of consideration. This is not a new concept and
was once referred to as ____________. - CORRECT ANSWER -psychophysical
parallelism
In Pavlov's early research, he did not jump to conclusions to suggest that the dog
was "thinking" of food, and therefore salivating. Instead, he carefully controlled
conditions that allowed him to show that particular stimuli can "acquire" the
ability to elicit secretion. His careful analysis of the scientific method allowed him
to avoid both __________ and _________ fictions. - CORRECT ANSWER -
mentalistic; explanatory
The evolutionary explanation for reflexes indicates that they are for the survival of
the organism. However, we know all too well that sometimes responses can be
conditioned that serve no purpose - even add a ____________ purpose - to our
complex lives. - CORRECT ANSWER -debilitating
Skinner (1953) informed us "Although the process of [conditioning] greatly
extends the scope of the eliciting stimulus, it does not bring all the behavior of the
organism within such ___________ "(p. 56). Conditioning can add numerous
different eliciting stimuli, but it will never fashion a _________ response. -
CORRECT ANSWER -stimulus control; novel
According to Skinner, contingencies of reinforcement have an edge over
contingencies of survival because contingencies of reinforcement "Have the edge
