We Took a Sample of Children Who Had Been Learning

question 2

Multiple Choice

We took a sample of children who had been learning to play a musical instrument for five years.We measured the number of hours they spent practising each week and assessed their musical skill by how many of 8 increasingly difficult exams they had passed.We also asked them whether their parents forced them to practise or not (were their parents pushy?) .What does the graph suggest about children who spend approximately 1 hour practising a week?

• A)They were less affected by having a pushy parent than those that practised for 7 hours.
• B)They had less variability in their ability than those who didn't practise at all.
• C)On average,these children will be more musically skilled if they do not have pushy parents than if they do have pushy parents.
• D)On average,these children will be more musically skilled if they have pushy parents than if they do not have pushy parents.

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Definitions:

Behavioral Contrast

A phenomenon in operant conditioning where the rate of response to one stimulus changes when the reinforcement conditions are modified for another stimulus.

Congruency Effect

A phenomenon where the reaction time is faster and accuracy is higher when the properties of a stimulus are in harmony with its response.

Negative Reinforcement

The strengthening of a behavior by removing or avoiding a negative outcome or aversive stimulus.

Positive Reinforcement

The addition of a pleasant stimulus following a desired behavior, increasing the likelihood of that behavior being repeated.