The Speech Given by Former Harvard University President Lawrence Summers

question 28

Multiple Choice

The speech given by former Harvard University president Lawrence Summers speculated that

• A) the low numbers of women found in engineering and physics might be due in part to innate differences between men and women.
• B) intrinsic differences between men and women might be due in part to socialization factors.
• C) intrinsic differences between men and women might be due to discrimination.
• D) there exist no differences between men and women that cannot be explained by cognitive theory.
• E) there exist no differences between men and women that cannot be explained by biological mechanisms.

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Definitions:

Reinforcement

In behavioral psychology, a consequence that strengthens an organism's future behavior whenever that behavior is preceded by a specific antecedent stimulus.

Punishment

A process that decreases the likelihood of a behavior being repeated by applying an adverse stimulus or removing a rewarding stimulus following the behavior.

Responsible Behavior

Actions that are accountable and ethical, demonstrating a readiness to answer or be responsible for one's conduct.

Radical Behaviorist

A school of thought within psychology that emphasizes the study of observable behavior, the environment's role in shaping behavior, and dismissing the use of internal states as explanations for behavior.