EXAM 2: STUDY GUIDE
What Is Learning? Chapter 5
1) Define learning and conditioning, and name the forms of conditioning.
2) Describe the background that led to Ivan Pavlov’s discovery of classical conditioning,
and the procedures he developed to create a classically conditioned response.
3) Define and give examples of each of the following: unconditioned stimulus,
unconditioned response, conditioned stimulus, and conditioned response.
4) Identify factors that can affect the strength of a classically conditioned response, and
give examples of generalization and discrimination, extinction, and spontaneous
recovery in classical conditioning.
5) Describe John Watson and Rosalie Rayner’s famous “Little Albert” study and explain
how emotional responses can be classically conditioned.
6) In Focus: Watson, Classical Conditioning, and Advertising
7) Describe how Watson applied classical conditioning principles to advertising.
a. Discuss Edward Thorndike’s contributions to the study of learning, and define
the law of effect.
8) Describe the basic principles of operant conditioning, giving examples of positive and
negative reinforcement, primary and conditioned reinforcers, and discriminative
stimuli.
9) Explain the difference between negative reinforcement and punishment, and give
examples of punishment by application and punishment by removal.
10) Discuss shaping, explain the difference between continuous and partial
reinforcement, and describe and give examples of each of the four schedules of
reinforcement.
11) Give examples of how shaping, behavior modification, and other operant conditioning
principles can be used to develop new behaviors.
12) Explain the phenomenon of learned helplessness, noting how it provided additional
evidence for the role of mental factors in learning, and describe how learned
helplessness can be overcome.
13) Describe Albert Bandura’s classic studies on observational learning and identify
factors that increase the likelihood of imitation occurring.
Introduction: What Is Memory? Chapter 6
14) Define memory, and explain the processes of encoding, storage, and retrieval.
15) Describe the stage model of memory, and explain how each of the three stages
function.
16) Discuss the function, duration, capacity, and types of sensory memory, and explain
how George Sperling’s experiment advanced the understanding of sensory memory.
17) Describe the function, duration, and capacity of short-term memory, and explain the
usefulness of chunking.
18) Explain the functions of the different components in Baddeley’s model of working
memory.
19) Give examples of maintenance rehearsal and elaborative rehearsal, and explain why
one is more effective in encoding long-term memories.
20) Describe the types of information in long-term memory, and explain the differences
between implicit memory and explicit memory.
a. Retrieval: Getting Information from Long-Term Memory
21) Describe how each of the following explanations account for forgetting: encoding
failure, decay theory, interference theory, and motivated forgetting.
22)
Imperfect Memories: Errors, Distortions, and False Memories
23) Define imagination inflation, and describe how it has been used in psychological
studies to create false memories.
24)
The Search for the Biological Basis of Memory
25) Critical Thinking: The Memory Wars: Recovered or False Memories
26) Define memory consolidation, retrograde amnesia, and anterograde amnesia.
27) Identify several strategies you can use to enhance your ability to remember
information.
Introduction: Your Life Story: Chapter 9
28) Define the terms chromosomes, genes, and DNA, and explain how they are related.
29) Describe the sex chromosomes and explain why males are more likely to develop
certain genetic disorders than females.
30) Describe how a zygote develops into a full-term fetus, noting the characteristics of
the three stages of prenatal development.
31) Provide examples of common teratogens, and explain how teratogens affect the
developing fetus.
a. Development During Infancy and Childhood
32) Identify the sensory capabilities and reflexes of newborns that enhance their chances
for survival, explain how these abilities promote the development of relationships
with caregivers, and describe the development of motor skills in infancy.
33) Define temperament and identify the main temperamental patterns.
34) Explain the basic premise of attachment theory and describe the behavioral
differences that characterize secure and insecure attachment.
35) Critical Thinking: The Effects of Child Care on Attachment and Development
36) Describe the stages of language development, and explain how language
development is shaped by both innate predispositions and environmental influences,
giving examples of each factor.
37) Cognitive Development
38) Explain the basic assumptions of Jean Piaget’s theory of cognitive development, and
describe the main characteristics of each of the four stages of cognitive development
in Piaget’s theory.
39) Discuss some important criticisms of Piaget’s theory, including research by Renee
Baillargeon, and contrast Lev Vygotsky’s and Piaget’s views on cognitive
development.
40) Adolescence
41) Define adolescence and describe the typical course of physical development,
including primary and secondary sexual characteristics.
42) Discuss factors that affect the timing of puberty, and describe the effects of early
and late maturation, including how those effects differ for girls and boys.
43) Focus on Neuroscience: The Adolescent Brain: A Work in Progress
44) Discuss the important role that adolescent identity formation plays in Erik Erikson’s
psychosocial theory of development, and describe the other stages of psychosocial
development in Erikson’s theory.
45) Explain the major milestones in physical and social development during adulthood.
46) Characterize physical development in late adulthood, and discuss the accuracy of
U.S. stereotypes of old age.
47) Discuss social development in late adulthood, explain the activity theory of aging,
and describe the final stage in Erik Erikson’s psychosocial theory.
48) Describe Elisabeth Kübler-Ross’s stage theory of dying, and assess its validity.
49) Explain the effects of authoritarian, permissive, and authoritative parenting styles on
children.