A Recent Study Found That the More Time Fathers Spend

question 114

Multiple Choice

A recent study found that the more time fathers spend with their children, the less likely they are to abuse their children.Which of the following is the most valid interpretation of this finding?

• A) Fathers who spend a lot of time with their children are more likely to develop loving relationships, reducing the likelihood that they will abuse their children.
• B) Many fathers who abuse their children feel guilty and thus avoid spending time with their children.
• C) There is some third variable, such as having an anti-social personality, that increases the likelihood that fathers will abuse their children and that they will spend little time with them.
• D) Either A, B, or C could be true, and one can't tell which, based on the results of the study.

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Definitions:

Joseph Wolpe

A South African psychiatrist known for developing systematic desensitization, a method used in behavior therapy to treat phobias and other anxiety disorders by gradually exposing the patient to the anxiety source.

Mary Cover Jones

An early psychologist known for her work in counter-conditioning, effectively using this technique to cure phobias.

Conditioned Response

the learned reaction to a conditioned stimulus that occurs as a result of previous conditioning.

Unconditioned Stimulus

A stimulus that naturally and automatically triggers a response without any need for learning or prior conditioning.