Studies on the Effect of Reinforcement Upon Intelligence Test Performance

question 32

Multiple Choice

Studies on the effect of reinforcement upon intelligence test performance by African-American children (by Terrell and colleagues) suggest that

• A) African-American children will improve their performance if given simple verbal praise such as "Excellent performance".
• B) African-American children will not be affected by the administration of tangible awards.
• C) only "culturally relevant" verbal praise will help boost performance by African-American children.
• D) culturally specific feedback such as "Nice job,blood" alienates African-American youngsters and may damage test performance.

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Definitions:

Operant Conditioning

A method of learning that occurs through rewards and punishments for behavior, through which an association is made between a behavior and a consequence for that behavior.

Correct Response

The accurate or appropriate reply or action in answer to a question, statement, or situation.

Variable Interval

A schedule of reinforcement where a response is rewarded after an unpredictable amount of time has passed, which encourages steady response rates.

Responding

The act of giving a reaction or answer to a stimulus or question.