Martina Is a Preschooler and Her Mother Wonders Whether She

question 126

Multiple Choice

Martina is a preschooler and her mother wonders whether she has psychological problems because she talks to herself constantly.Because you are taking a course in developmental psychology, she asks you if she should be concerned by Martina's behaviour.Based your knowledge from this course, how would you explain Martina's behaviour to her mother?

• A)Martina is displaying cognitive immaturity and she will grow out of this behaviour.
• B)Martina is likely developmentally delayed.
• C)Martina is displaying cognitive competence and she should be encouraged.
• D)Martina is not receiving enough social stimulation.

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Definitions:

Reinforcer

Any stimulus that strengthens or increases the frequency or likelihood of a behavior when it occurs.

Biological Need

Fundamental requirements that organisms need to maintain life, such as food, water, and shelter.

Probability

A measure of how likely it is that some event will occur; a number expressing the ratio of favorable outcomes to the total number of possible outcomes.

Operant Conditioning

A method of learning that employs rewards and punishments for behavior, where an association is made between a behavior and a consequence for that behavior.