TA Learning Theories & Psychology 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A student watches a peer solve a math problem correctly and then attempts the same method herself. This best illustrates which concept from Bandura's social learning theory?
- Operant conditioning
- Observational learning (Correct answer)
- Classical conditioning
- Scaffolding
Correct answer: Observational learning
Observational learning (modeling) occurs when a person acquires new behaviors by watching others perform them.
Question 2: According to Vygotsky, which term describes tasks a student can complete independently without any adult help?
- Zone of proximal development
- Scaffolded level
- Actual developmental level (Correct answer)
- Potential developmental level
Correct answer: Actual developmental level
The actual developmental level refers to what a learner can do independently, as opposed to what they can do with assistance.
Question 3: A teaching assistant notices that a student's disruptive behavior increases whenever the TA pays attention to it. Applying operant conditioning, what should the TA do?
- Punish the behavior immediately
- Ignore the behavior to remove reinforcement (Correct answer)
- Increase praise for other students
- Refer the student to the principal
Correct answer: Ignore the behavior to remove reinforcement
Extinction occurs when a behavior is no longer reinforced; ignoring attention-seeking misbehavior removes the reinforcer.
Question 4: Erik Erikson's stage 'Industry vs. Inferiority' typically corresponds to which grade-school age range?
- Ages 2–3
- Ages 6–12 (Correct answer)
- Ages 13–18
- Ages 18–25
Correct answer: Ages 6–12
During ages 6–12, children work to develop a sense of competence and industry; failure leads to feelings of inferiority.
Question 5: A TA praises a student's effort rather than their intelligence after they complete a difficult task. This practice is most consistent with promoting which mindset?
- Fixed mindset
- Growth mindset (Correct answer)
- Learned helplessness
- Self-handicapping
Correct answer: Growth mindset
Praising effort reinforces the belief that abilities can be developed through hard work, which is the core of a growth mindset.
Question 6: Which memory system holds information for only about 20–30 seconds without rehearsal?
- Long-term memory
- Sensory memory
- Working memory (Correct answer)
- Procedural memory
Correct answer: Working memory
Working (short-term) memory has a limited capacity and duration of roughly 20–30 seconds unless information is actively rehearsed.
Question 7: A student consistently avoids raising her hand because she failed publicly last semester. This pattern is most accurately described as:
- Negative reinforcement
- Learned helplessness (Correct answer)
- Extinction
- Avoidance conditioning
Correct answer: Learned helplessness
Learned helplessness is a state in which repeated past failures lead a person to believe their actions cannot produce positive outcomes.
TA Learning Theories & Psychology 2
A student watches a peer solve a math problem correctly and then attempts the same method herself.
This best illustrates which concept from Bandura's social learning theory?