BAPSY Exploring Theories and Concepts 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Bandura's social learning theory emphasizes which process as critical for learning without direct reinforcement?
- Classical conditioning
- Operant shaping
- Observational learning (Correct answer)
- Insight learning
Correct answer: Observational learning
Bandura showed that people can learn by observing and imitating others, a process called observational (or vicarious) learning.
Question 2: The 'Oedipus complex,' according to Freudian theory, occurs during which psychosexual stage?
- Oral stage
- Anal stage
- Phallic stage (Correct answer)
- Latency stage
Correct answer: Phallic stage
Freud proposed the Oedipus complex arises during the phallic stage (ages 3–6), when children develop unconscious desires for the opposite-sex parent.
Question 3: In social psychology, 'deindividuation' refers to:
- Increased self-awareness in group settings
- Loss of self-awareness and restraint in groups or crowds (Correct answer)
- The tendency to work harder when observed by others
- Forming a unique identity separate from the group
Correct answer: Loss of self-awareness and restraint in groups or crowds
Deindividuation occurs when being part of a large group reduces personal identity and accountability, often leading to impulsive behavior.
Question 4: Which theoretical framework views the mind as an information-processing system analogous to a computer?
- Gestalt psychology
- Psychoanalytic theory
- Cognitive psychology (Correct answer)
- Evolutionary psychology
Correct answer: Cognitive psychology
Cognitive psychology compares human thought to computer processing, focusing on how information is encoded, stored, and retrieved.
Question 5: According to Bowlby's attachment theory, 'secure attachment' in infancy is associated with:
- Consistent caregiver unavailability
- A caregiver who is reliably responsive and sensitive (Correct answer)
- Inconsistent caregiver responses that produce anxiety
- The infant's innate temperament overriding caregiver behavior
Correct answer: A caregiver who is reliably responsive and sensitive
Bowlby and Ainsworth found that caregivers who respond consistently and sensitively foster secure attachment in infants.
Question 6: The concept of 'self-efficacy,' developed by Albert Bandura, refers to:
- One's overall self-esteem and sense of worth
- Belief in one's ability to succeed in specific situations (Correct answer)
- The degree to which behavior is intrinsically motivated
- Awareness of one's emotional states
Correct answer: Belief in one's ability to succeed in specific situations
Self-efficacy is an individual's belief in their capacity to execute behaviors necessary to produce specific outcomes in a particular context.
Question 7: In Gestalt psychology, the principle of 'closure' refers to the tendency to:
- Group similar objects together
- Perceive a continuous line rather than separate segments
- Complete incomplete figures to perceive a whole (Correct answer)
- Focus on the foreground rather than the background
Correct answer: Complete incomplete figures to perceive a whole
The Gestalt principle of closure describes how the mind fills in missing information to perceive a complete, unified figure.
BAPSY Exploring Theories and Concepts 4
Bandura's social learning theory emphasizes which process as critical for learning without direct reinforcement?