A Woodchuck Tries to Crack a Walnut Shell in Two

question 262

Multiple Choice

A woodchuck tries to crack a walnut shell in two different ways-with his paws and with his teeth. The latter method worked and the former did not; hence, the woodchuck will be more likely to rely on his teeth for splitting the next nut. This observation illustrates the __________.

• A) discrimination principle
• B) law of practice
• C) law of effect
• D) Premack principle

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Definitions:

Short-term Memory

A temporary storage system in the brain capable of holding a small amount of information in an easily accessible state for a short period.

George Miller

A pioneering cognitive psychologist best known for his theory that the span of immediate memory and absolute judgment is limited to an average of seven items.

Magic Number

A concept in cognitive science referring to the limit of items an average human mind can hold in working memory, commonly thought to be seven plus or minus two.

Working Memory

An active system that processes the information in short-term memory.