FED (Psychological) 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: According to Vygotsky's sociocultural theory, the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) is best described as:
- Tasks a student can complete independently
- The gap between what a learner can do alone and with guidance (Correct answer)
- A student's maximum potential intelligence
- The range of standardized test scores within one standard deviation
Correct answer: The gap between what a learner can do alone and with guidance
The ZPD represents the distance between a learner's independent capability and what they can achieve with expert scaffolding.
Question 2: A student who attributes her exam failure to bad luck rather than insufficient study is demonstrating which attribution style?
- Internal, stable attribution
- External, unstable attribution (Correct answer)
- Internal, unstable attribution
- External, stable attribution
Correct answer: External, unstable attribution
Luck is an external (outside oneself) and unstable (varies situation to situation) cause in Weiner's attribution theory.
Question 3: Which theorist introduced the concept of 'scaffolding' as a strategy for supporting student learning?
- Jean Piaget
- B.F. Skinner
- Jerome Bruner (Correct answer)
- Albert Bandura
Correct answer: Jerome Bruner
Jerome Bruner coined 'scaffolding' to describe temporary instructional support that is gradually withdrawn as the learner gains competence.
Question 4: A teacher notices that students perform better on math problems when they believe the problems are for a class project rather than a graded test. This best illustrates:
- Test anxiety reducing performance under evaluation (Correct answer)
- The Pygmalion effect
- Operant conditioning reinforcement schedules
- Classical conditioning
Correct answer: Test anxiety reducing performance under evaluation
Evaluative pressure (graded tests) can trigger test anxiety, which impairs cognitive performance compared to low-stakes conditions.
Question 5: In Erikson's psychosocial stages, the conflict most relevant to elementary school-age children (ages 6–12) is:
- Initiative vs. Guilt
- Identity vs. Role Confusion
- Industry vs. Inferiority (Correct answer)
- Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt
Correct answer: Industry vs. Inferiority
Industry vs. Inferiority occurs during middle childhood, where children develop competence through learning and risk feeling inferior if they fail.
Question 6: A child who can sort objects by color but not simultaneously by color and shape is likely in which Piagetian stage?
- Sensorimotor
- Preoperational (Correct answer)
- Concrete operational
- Formal operational
Correct answer: Preoperational
Preoperational children lack the ability to perform classification on two dimensions at once, a skill called multiple classification.
Question 7: Which learning principle states that behaviors followed by pleasant outcomes are more likely to be repeated?
- Thorndike's Law of Effect (Correct answer)
- Pavlov's Law of Contiguity
- Bandura's Self-Efficacy Principle
- Vygotsky's Internalization Principle
Correct answer: Thorndike's Law of Effect
Thorndike's Law of Effect holds that satisfying consequences strengthen stimulus-response connections, making the behavior more probable.
FED (Psychological) 2
According to Vygotsky's sociocultural theory, the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) is best described as: