TEST BANK FOR BEHAVIOR
MODIFICATION WHAT IT IS AND
HOW TO DO IT 12TH EDITION BY
GARRY MARTIN, JOSEPH J. PEAR:
ISBN-10; 1032233141 / ISBN 13; 978-
1032233147
TEST BANK FOR BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION: WHAT IT IS AND HOW TO DO IT (12TH EDITION) BY GARRY
MARTIN, JOSEPH J. PEAR
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
1. A behavioral deficit is:
a) too little of a particular type of behavior
b) too much of a particular type of behavior
c) an appropriate behavior occurring to the wrong stimulus
d) an appropriate behavior occurring at the wrong time or place
Correct Answer: a) too little of a particular type of behavior
Rationale: A behavioral deficit refers to an insufficient frequency or intensity of a desirable behavior. It
involves too little of a particular type of behavior that is socially significant or adaptive. This is a
foundational concept in behavior modification, distinguishing between behaviors that need to be
increased (deficits) versus those that need to be decreased (excesses).
2. A behavioral excess is:
a) too much of a particular type of behavior
b) too little of a particular type of behavior
c) an appropriate behavior occurring to the wrong stimulus
d) an appropriate behavior occurring at the wrong time or place
Correct Answer: a) too much of a particular type of behavior
Rationale: A behavioral excess refers to an excessive frequency or intensity of a behavior that is
problematic. Examples include excessive gambling, overeating, or aggressive outbursts. Behavior
,modifiers identify whether a target behavior is a deficit (needs increasing) or an excess (needs
decreasing) to select appropriate intervention strategies.
3. Which of the following is an example of behavior?
a) hair color
b) the color of someone's eyes
c) the clothes someone is wearing
d) dressing in the morning
Correct Answer: d) dressing in the morning
Rationale: In behavior modification, "behavior" refers to anything a person does or says—it is action-
based. Hair color, eye color, and clothing are physical characteristics or products of behavior, not
behaviors themselves. Dressing in the morning is an observable action that a person performs, making it
a behavioral example.
4. In behavior modification, motivation and intelligence refer to:
a) inner mental processes
b) ways of behaving
c) causes of behavior
d) major sources of abnormality
Correct Answer: b) ways of behaving
Rationale: Behavior modifiers view motivation and intelligence not as internal mental entities or causes
of behavior, but as ways of behaving. For example, a "highly motivated" person behaves in certain ways
(persists, works hard), and "intelligent" behavior refers to performing well on certain tasks. This reflects
the behavioral emphasis on observable actions rather than hypothetical internal constructs.
5. In behavior modification, the term "environment" refers to:
a) the neighborhood in which a person is raised
b) the natural habitat of an organism
c) the specific physical variables in one's immediate surroundings
d) the general situation where one happens to be
Correct Answer: c) the specific physical variables in one's immediate surroundings
Rationale: In behavior modification, "environment" has a precise meaning: the specific physical
variables and stimuli in one's immediate surroundings that can affect behavior. This includes people,
,objects, and events currently present that impinge on one's sense receptors. It is not a broad
sociological concept but a concrete set of stimuli that can be manipulated to change behavior.
6. A child does not pronounce words clearly and does not interact with other children. These are
examples of:
a) behavioral excesses
b) behavioral abnormalities
c) behavioral deficits
d) behavioral characteristics
Correct Answer: c) behavioral deficits
Rationale: A behavioral deficit refers to too little of a particular type of behavior. The child's unclear
pronunciation and lack of social interaction represent skills that are insufficiently developed or occurring
at too low a frequency. These are deficits because the child needs to increase these behaviors to
function effectively.
7. Behavior modifiers stress the importance of defining problems in terms of specific behavioral
deficits or behavioral excesses because:
a) therapists can then focus on the individual's problem behaviors rather than on his or her strengths
b) it is behavior that causes concern, and there are specific procedures now available to change behavior
Correct Answer: b) it is behavior that causes concern, and there are specific procedures now available
to change behavior
Rationale: Behavior modifiers emphasize specific behavioral definitions because the concern is with
behavior itself—not with abstract labels or underlying constructs. Once a problem is defined in terms of
specific behavioral deficits or excesses, there are well-established procedures (based on operant and
Pavlovian conditioning principles) that can be applied to change that behavior. This specificity allows for
precise measurement, intervention, and evaluation.
8. Which of the following is not a characteristic of behavior modification?
a) It defines problems in terms of behavior.
b) Its treatment procedures and techniques are ways of rearranging an individual's environment.
c) Its techniques draw extensively from the principles of operant and Pavlovian conditioning.
d) It emphasizes the use of summary labels for classifying individuals.
Correct Answer: d) It emphasizes the use of summary labels for classifying individuals.
, Rationale: Behavior modification explicitly avoids emphasizing summary labels (such as "autistic,"
"depressed," or "mentally retarded") because labels can serve as pseudo-explanations and negatively
affect how individuals are treated. Instead, behavior modifiers focus on specific behaviors and the
environmental variables that control them. The other options are all genuine characteristics of behavior
modification.
9. Which of the following is an example of covert behavior?
a) a skier thinking, "I hope I don't fall"
b) a pitcher throwing a ball
c) a student drinking coffee
d) a child talking to her dog in the backyard
Correct Answer: a) a skier thinking, "I hope I don't fall"
Rationale: Covert behavior refers to private, internal behaviors that are not observable by others, such
as thinking, imagining, and feeling. The skier's thought is a covert behavior. The other options—throwing
a ball, drinking coffee, and talking to a dog—are all overt behaviors that can be directly observed by
others.
10. Which of the following is an example of overt behavior?
a) feelings of nervousness
b) yelling at someone
c) a boy on a date thinking, "I like this girl"
d) imagining a beautiful sunset
Correct Answer: b) yelling at someone
Rationale: Overt behavior refers to observable actions that can be seen or heard by others. Yelling at
someone is an overt behavior. Feelings of nervousness, thinking "I like this girl," and imagining a sunset
are all covert behaviors—they are private events not directly observable by others.
11. Behavior therapy was first used to refer to:
a) behavior modification in which there is typically an attempt to analyze or clearly demonstrate
controlling variables
b) the scientific study of laws that govern the behavior of human beings and other animals
c) Joseph Wolpe's behavioral treatment for specific phobias
d) behavior modification that focuses on overt behaviors that are of social significance
Correct Answer: c) Joseph Wolpe's behavioral treatment for specific phobias
MODIFICATION WHAT IT IS AND
HOW TO DO IT 12TH EDITION BY
GARRY MARTIN, JOSEPH J. PEAR:
ISBN-10; 1032233141 / ISBN 13; 978-
1032233147
TEST BANK FOR BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION: WHAT IT IS AND HOW TO DO IT (12TH EDITION) BY GARRY
MARTIN, JOSEPH J. PEAR
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
1. A behavioral deficit is:
a) too little of a particular type of behavior
b) too much of a particular type of behavior
c) an appropriate behavior occurring to the wrong stimulus
d) an appropriate behavior occurring at the wrong time or place
Correct Answer: a) too little of a particular type of behavior
Rationale: A behavioral deficit refers to an insufficient frequency or intensity of a desirable behavior. It
involves too little of a particular type of behavior that is socially significant or adaptive. This is a
foundational concept in behavior modification, distinguishing between behaviors that need to be
increased (deficits) versus those that need to be decreased (excesses).
2. A behavioral excess is:
a) too much of a particular type of behavior
b) too little of a particular type of behavior
c) an appropriate behavior occurring to the wrong stimulus
d) an appropriate behavior occurring at the wrong time or place
Correct Answer: a) too much of a particular type of behavior
Rationale: A behavioral excess refers to an excessive frequency or intensity of a behavior that is
problematic. Examples include excessive gambling, overeating, or aggressive outbursts. Behavior
,modifiers identify whether a target behavior is a deficit (needs increasing) or an excess (needs
decreasing) to select appropriate intervention strategies.
3. Which of the following is an example of behavior?
a) hair color
b) the color of someone's eyes
c) the clothes someone is wearing
d) dressing in the morning
Correct Answer: d) dressing in the morning
Rationale: In behavior modification, "behavior" refers to anything a person does or says—it is action-
based. Hair color, eye color, and clothing are physical characteristics or products of behavior, not
behaviors themselves. Dressing in the morning is an observable action that a person performs, making it
a behavioral example.
4. In behavior modification, motivation and intelligence refer to:
a) inner mental processes
b) ways of behaving
c) causes of behavior
d) major sources of abnormality
Correct Answer: b) ways of behaving
Rationale: Behavior modifiers view motivation and intelligence not as internal mental entities or causes
of behavior, but as ways of behaving. For example, a "highly motivated" person behaves in certain ways
(persists, works hard), and "intelligent" behavior refers to performing well on certain tasks. This reflects
the behavioral emphasis on observable actions rather than hypothetical internal constructs.
5. In behavior modification, the term "environment" refers to:
a) the neighborhood in which a person is raised
b) the natural habitat of an organism
c) the specific physical variables in one's immediate surroundings
d) the general situation where one happens to be
Correct Answer: c) the specific physical variables in one's immediate surroundings
Rationale: In behavior modification, "environment" has a precise meaning: the specific physical
variables and stimuli in one's immediate surroundings that can affect behavior. This includes people,
,objects, and events currently present that impinge on one's sense receptors. It is not a broad
sociological concept but a concrete set of stimuli that can be manipulated to change behavior.
6. A child does not pronounce words clearly and does not interact with other children. These are
examples of:
a) behavioral excesses
b) behavioral abnormalities
c) behavioral deficits
d) behavioral characteristics
Correct Answer: c) behavioral deficits
Rationale: A behavioral deficit refers to too little of a particular type of behavior. The child's unclear
pronunciation and lack of social interaction represent skills that are insufficiently developed or occurring
at too low a frequency. These are deficits because the child needs to increase these behaviors to
function effectively.
7. Behavior modifiers stress the importance of defining problems in terms of specific behavioral
deficits or behavioral excesses because:
a) therapists can then focus on the individual's problem behaviors rather than on his or her strengths
b) it is behavior that causes concern, and there are specific procedures now available to change behavior
Correct Answer: b) it is behavior that causes concern, and there are specific procedures now available
to change behavior
Rationale: Behavior modifiers emphasize specific behavioral definitions because the concern is with
behavior itself—not with abstract labels or underlying constructs. Once a problem is defined in terms of
specific behavioral deficits or excesses, there are well-established procedures (based on operant and
Pavlovian conditioning principles) that can be applied to change that behavior. This specificity allows for
precise measurement, intervention, and evaluation.
8. Which of the following is not a characteristic of behavior modification?
a) It defines problems in terms of behavior.
b) Its treatment procedures and techniques are ways of rearranging an individual's environment.
c) Its techniques draw extensively from the principles of operant and Pavlovian conditioning.
d) It emphasizes the use of summary labels for classifying individuals.
Correct Answer: d) It emphasizes the use of summary labels for classifying individuals.
, Rationale: Behavior modification explicitly avoids emphasizing summary labels (such as "autistic,"
"depressed," or "mentally retarded") because labels can serve as pseudo-explanations and negatively
affect how individuals are treated. Instead, behavior modifiers focus on specific behaviors and the
environmental variables that control them. The other options are all genuine characteristics of behavior
modification.
9. Which of the following is an example of covert behavior?
a) a skier thinking, "I hope I don't fall"
b) a pitcher throwing a ball
c) a student drinking coffee
d) a child talking to her dog in the backyard
Correct Answer: a) a skier thinking, "I hope I don't fall"
Rationale: Covert behavior refers to private, internal behaviors that are not observable by others, such
as thinking, imagining, and feeling. The skier's thought is a covert behavior. The other options—throwing
a ball, drinking coffee, and talking to a dog—are all overt behaviors that can be directly observed by
others.
10. Which of the following is an example of overt behavior?
a) feelings of nervousness
b) yelling at someone
c) a boy on a date thinking, "I like this girl"
d) imagining a beautiful sunset
Correct Answer: b) yelling at someone
Rationale: Overt behavior refers to observable actions that can be seen or heard by others. Yelling at
someone is an overt behavior. Feelings of nervousness, thinking "I like this girl," and imagining a sunset
are all covert behaviors—they are private events not directly observable by others.
11. Behavior therapy was first used to refer to:
a) behavior modification in which there is typically an attempt to analyze or clearly demonstrate
controlling variables
b) the scientific study of laws that govern the behavior of human beings and other animals
c) Joseph Wolpe's behavioral treatment for specific phobias
d) behavior modification that focuses on overt behaviors that are of social significance
Correct Answer: c) Joseph Wolpe's behavioral treatment for specific phobias
