ATSW Learning Theory 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Piaget's concept of 'accommodation' refers to:
- Interpreting new information through existing mental frameworks
- Modifying existing schemas to incorporate new information that doesn't fit (Correct answer)
- The physical arrangement of the classroom to support learning
- Providing additional time for students with learning disabilities
Correct answer: Modifying existing schemas to incorporate new information that doesn't fit
Accommodation occurs when new information cannot fit into existing schemas, so the learner modifies or creates new schemas to make sense of the experience.
Question 2: According to Skinner's operant conditioning, which schedule of reinforcement produces the MOST resistant-to-extinction behavior?
- Fixed interval
- Fixed ratio
- Variable ratio (Correct answer)
- Continuous reinforcement
Correct answer: Variable ratio
Variable ratio schedules, which reinforce behavior after an unpredictable number of responses, produce the highest response rates and the greatest resistance to extinction.
Question 3: A teacher observes that students retain more information when it is presented with both visual diagrams AND verbal explanations. This finding BEST supports which theory?
- Dual coding theory (Correct answer)
- Classical conditioning
- Maslow's hierarchy of needs
- Social learning theory
Correct answer: Dual coding theory
Dual coding theory, proposed by Allan Paivio, suggests that information is better retained when encoded through both verbal and visual channels simultaneously.
Question 4: Which of the following is an example of NEGATIVE reinforcement in the classroom?
- A teacher takes away recess privileges when students misbehave
- A teacher removes a daily quiz requirement when students demonstrate mastery (Correct answer)
- A teacher praises a student for answering a question correctly
- A teacher assigns extra homework as a consequence for disruptive behavior
Correct answer: A teacher removes a daily quiz requirement when students demonstrate mastery
Negative reinforcement involves removing an unpleasant stimulus (the daily quiz) to increase a desired behavior (demonstrating mastery), thereby strengthening that behavior.
Question 5: Howard Gardner's theory of Multiple Intelligences suggests that teachers should PRIMARILY:
- Identify students' single dominant intelligence and teach exclusively to it
- Use IQ scores to group students for instruction
- Provide varied instructional approaches that engage different types of intelligence (Correct answer)
- Focus on linguistic and logical-mathematical intelligence since those are most academically valued
Correct answer: Provide varied instructional approaches that engage different types of intelligence
Gardner's theory implies that instruction should be diversified to reach learners whose strengths lie across multiple domains, not just traditional academic areas.
Question 6: In information processing theory, 'working memory' is BEST characterized as:
- The unlimited storage system where long-term knowledge is held
- The temporary, limited-capacity system where information is consciously processed (Correct answer)
- The automatic processing of routine skills without conscious attention
- The sensory register that holds raw input for a fraction of a second
Correct answer: The temporary, limited-capacity system where information is consciously processed
Working memory has limited capacity and duration, holding and actively processing information that is currently being used or thought about.
Question 7: A student watches a classmate successfully solve a problem and then attempts the same strategy themselves. This scenario BEST illustrates which concept?
- Negative transfer
- Observational learning (modeling) (Correct answer)
- Operant conditioning
- Insight learning
Correct answer: Observational learning (modeling)
Observational learning, a key concept in Bandura's social learning theory, occurs when a learner acquires new behaviors by watching and imitating a model.
ATSW Learning Theory 3
Piaget's concept of 'accommodation' refers to: