This test focuses on behaviourist theories and their classroom applications: Pavlov’s classical conditioning, Thorndike’s trial and error learning and laws, and Skinner’s operant conditioning, reinforcement types and schedules, with practical behaviour modification in the classroom.
Pavlov and Classical Conditioning
Q1. In classical conditioning, learning is shown when:
- (A) A voluntary action is followed by a reward
- (B) A pupil deliberately practises a skill many times
- (C) A response is shaped step by step toward a target
- (D) A previously neutral stimulus comes to elicit a response through association
Show Answer
Answer: D – Classical conditioning is learning by association between a neutral stimulus and an unconditioned stimulus.
Q2. In Pavlov’s experiment, food placed in the dog’s mouth naturally caused salivation. The food was the:
- (A) Unconditioned stimulus
- (B) Conditioned stimulus
- (C) Conditioned response
- (D) Neutral stimulus after conditioning
Show Answer
Answer: A – Food naturally elicits salivation without prior learning, so it is the unconditioned stimulus.
Q3. After repeated pairing of bell and food, the dog salivated to the bell alone. That salivation to the bell is the:
- (A) Unconditioned stimulus
- (B) Neutral response
- (C) Conditioned response
- (D) Operant response
Show Answer
Answer: C – A response learned through pairing is a conditioned response.
Q4. A pupil begins to feel nervous when the teacher picks up a test paper, because test papers have often been followed by difficult timed tests. The test paper here functions as a:
- (A) Neutral stimulus with no learned association
- (B) Conditioned stimulus
- (C) Unconditioned stimulus
- (D) Positive reinforcer
Show Answer
Answer: B – Through repeated association, the test paper has become a conditioned stimulus for nervousness.
Q5. A child who was frightened by a loud noise in a science laboratory now feels uneasy in any laboratory room. This spread of the response to similar settings is called:
- (A) Extinction
- (B) Stimulus generalisation
- (C) Spontaneous recovery
- (D) Discrimination training
Show Answer
Answer: B – Responding to stimuli similar to the conditioned stimulus is generalisation.
Q6. A pupil is anxious about mathematics tests but calm during English tests. The pupil is showing:
- (A) Stimulus generalisation
- (B) Extinction
- (C) Stimulus discrimination
- (D) Higher-order conditioning
Show Answer
Answer: C – Responding differently to different stimuli shows discrimination.
Q7. If a bell is rung repeatedly without food, the dog’s salivation to the bell gradually decreases. This process is called:
- (A) Extinction
- (B) Generalisation
- (C) Acquisition
- (D) Discrimination
Show Answer
Answer: A – Presenting the conditioned stimulus without the unconditioned stimulus weakens the conditioned response, which is extinction.
Q8. After extinction, a conditioned response sometimes reappears weakly after a rest period. This is called:
- (A) Acquisition
- (B) Generalisation
- (C) Discrimination
- (D) Spontaneous recovery
Show Answer
Answer: D – The reappearance of an extinguished response after rest is spontaneous recovery.
Q9. The stage in classical conditioning when the association between bell and food is first being formed is called:
- (A) Acquisition
- (B) Extinction
- (C) Spontaneous recovery
- (D) Discrimination
Show Answer
Answer: A – Acquisition is the initial learning phase when the conditioned response is established.
Q10. A teacher wants to reduce a pupil’s fear of speaking in class. Using classical conditioning ideas, the most appropriate approach is to:
- (A) Punish the pupil for silence
- (B) Remove all speaking tasks permanently
- (C) Test the pupil in front of the whole school at once
- (D) Pair speaking tasks gradually with calm, supportive and successful experiences
Show Answer
Answer: D – Pairing the feared situation with positive, low-threat experiences can build a new association.
Q11. A pupil who liked a subject begins to dislike it after repeated boring and stressful lessons in that subject. This change is best explained by:
- (A) Operant shaping alone
- (B) Classical conditioning of an emotional response
- (C) Trial and error in a puzzle box
- (D) The law of readiness alone
Show Answer
Answer: B – Repeated pairing of the subject with stressful experiences can condition a negative emotional response.
Q12. In classical conditioning, the unconditioned response is a response that:
- (A) Must be taught through rewards
- (B) Appears only after extensive shaping
- (C) Occurs naturally without prior conditioning
- (D) Is always voluntary and deliberate
Show Answer
Answer: C – An unconditioned response is natural and unlearned, such as salivation to food.
Q13. A school bell that once signalled the start of a pleasant activity now makes pupils cheerful even before the activity begins. The bell has become a:
- (A) Punisher
- (B) Negative reinforcer
- (C) Conditioned stimulus
- (D) Operant stimulus only
Show Answer
Answer: C – The bell now elicits a learned response through association, so it is a conditioned stimulus.
Q14. Which classroom example is a classical conditioning effect rather than an operant effect?
- (A) A pupil works hard to earn extra marks
- (B) A pupil feels anxious on hearing the word “test” because tests have often meant stress
- (C) A pupil practises handwriting to earn praise
- (D) A pupil repeats a behaviour because it removed an unpleasant task
Show Answer
Answer: B – Anxiety triggered by association with past stress is classical; the others depend on consequences for voluntary behaviour.
Q15. Pavlov’s work is most relevant to a teacher dealing with:
- (A) Pupils’ ability to memorise long lists of facts
- (B) Pupils’ deliberate choices about which subjects to study
- (C) Pupils’ moral reasoning about right and wrong
- (D) Pupils’ learned likes, dislikes, fears and attitudes toward school situations
Show Answer
Answer: D – Classical conditioning explains learned emotional responses and attitudes.
Q16. For classical conditioning to occur, the neutral stimulus and the unconditioned stimulus must usually be:
- (A) Presented repeatedly in close association
- (B) Presented only once in a lifetime
- (C) Kept entirely separate in time
- (D) Accompanied by a reward for voluntary action
Show Answer
Answer: A – Repeated pairing in close time association builds the conditioned link.
Q17. A pupil is afraid of all teachers after a harsh experience with one teacher. A teacher who wants to help should recognise this as generalisation and respond by:
- (A) Avoiding the pupil completely
- (B) Punishing the pupil for fear
- (C) Telling the pupil that fear is not allowed
- (D) Building separate positive experiences with different teachers over time
Show Answer
Answer: D – New positive associations with different teachers can counter the generalised fear.
Q18. Which statement best distinguishes classical from operant conditioning?
- (A) Classical conditioning uses rewards and operant conditioning uses association only
- (B) Both deal only with reflexes
- (C) Classical conditioning links a stimulus to a response, while operant conditioning links voluntary behaviour to its consequences
- (D) Operant conditioning never involves learning
Show Answer
Answer: C – The key distinction is stimulus-response association versus behaviour-consequence learning.
Thorndike: Trial and Error and the Laws of Learning
Q19. Thorndike placed a hungry cat in a puzzle box with food outside. The cat’s learning was shown mainly by:
- (A) A gradual fall in the time taken to escape over repeated trials
- (B) Sudden understanding without any attempts
- (C) Imitation of another cat only
- (D) Refusal to try after the first failure
Show Answer
Answer: A – Escape time fell gradually as unsuccessful actions were dropped and the successful action was retained.
Q20. In trial and error learning, unsuccessful responses are mainly:
- (A) Repeated forever
- (B) Gradually eliminated while successful responses are retained
- (C) Rewarded to keep the learner trying
- (D) Ignored because they never occur
Show Answer
Answer: B – Trial and error works by dropping errors and keeping the response that succeeds.
Q21. A pupil tries several ways to solve a word problem, discards the wrong approaches and keeps the method that gives the correct answer. This is an example of:
- (A) Trial and error learning
- (B) Classical conditioning of a reflex
- (C) Learning by insight alone
- (D) Learning by memorising a rule without trying it
Show Answer
Answer: A – Trying, eliminating errors and retaining success is trial and error learning.
Q22. Thorndike’s law of readiness states that learning is most effective when:
- (A) The learner is forced to learn before being ready
- (B) The learner is mentally and physically ready and willing to act
- (C) The learner is tired and distracted
- (D) The material is far above the learner’s level
Show Answer
Answer: B – Readiness means the learner is prepared and willing, which makes the learning connection satisfying.
Q23. A teacher introduces fractions only after pupils have mastered whole-number division. This decision best reflects:
- (A) The law of effect only
- (B) The law of exercise only
- (C) The law of readiness
- (D) The principle of extinction
Show Answer
Answer: C – Waiting until prerequisite learning is in place respects readiness.
Q24. According to the law of effect, a pupil is most likely to repeat a study habit that:
- (A) Led to confusion and failure
- (B) Was never noticed by anyone
- (C) Was punished severely each time
- (D) Led to success and satisfaction
Show Answer
Answer: D – Satisfying results strengthen the connection, so the habit is repeated.
Q25. A teacher gives regular short practice in spellings rather than one long session at the end of term. This best illustrates:
- (A) The law of readiness only
- (B) Spontaneous recovery
- (C) The law of exercise
- (D) Stimulus discrimination
Show Answer
Answer: C – Repeated practice strengthens learning connections under the law of exercise.
Q26. Thorndike’s law of exercise includes both the law of use and the law of:
- (A) Readiness
- (B) Effect
- (C) Insight
- (D) Disuse
Show Answer
Answer: D – Connections are strengthened by use and weakened by disuse.
Q27. A pupil who stops practising tables for months finds them harder to recall. Thorndike would explain this mainly through the law of:
- (A) Effect
- (B) Disuse
- (C) Readiness
- (D) Generalisation
Show Answer
Answer: B – A connection not used for a long time weakens, which is the law of disuse.
Q28. Which classroom practice best applies Thorndike’s law of effect?
- (A) Giving prompt, satisfying feedback for correct work so the pupil repeats the effort
- (B) Giving no feedback at all on any work
- (C) Punishing every attempt, correct or not
- (D) Changing the subject every few minutes
Show Answer
Answer: A – Satisfying feedback after correct work strengthens that work pattern.
Q29. A teacher who forces a young child to learn abstract algebra before the child has the needed number concepts is most likely to violate:
- (A) The law of exercise
- (B) The law of readiness
- (C) The law of effect
- (D) The principle of shaping
Show Answer
Answer: B – Learning before readiness is frustrating and less effective.
Q30. Thorndike’s connectionism views learning mainly as the formation of:
- (A) Unconscious wishes
- (B) Mental images alone
- (C) Sudden insights without practice
- (D) Bonds between a stimulus situation and a response
Show Answer
Answer: D – Connectionism describes learning as stimulus-response bonds strengthened by satisfying results and practice.
Q31. A pupil tries different spellings, keeps the one the teacher marks correct, and uses it again in later writing. Thorndike would describe this as learning through:
- (A) Trial and error with the successful response stamped in by its result
- (B) Conditioning of a reflex by a bell
- (C) Pure imitation without any attempt
- (D) Memorising the whole dictionary at once
Show Answer
Answer: A – The successful trial is retained because its result was satisfying.
Q32. Which is a fair criticism of Thorndike’s trial and error account when applied to all classroom learning?
- (A) It explains every kind of learning perfectly
- (B) It requires no practice at all
- (C) It underplays understanding, insight and meaningful organisation of material
- (D) It proves that feedback never matters
Show Answer
Answer: C – Trial and error alone does not fully explain learning that depends on understanding and insight.
Skinner: Operant Conditioning, Reinforcement and Schedules
Q33. In operant conditioning, the term “operant” refers to:
- (A) Voluntary behaviour that operates on the environment and is affected by its consequences
- (B) A reflex that cannot be changed
- (C) A stimulus presented before any behaviour
- (D) A punishment given before learning begins
Show Answer
Answer: A – Operants are voluntary actions whose future occurrence depends on consequences.
Q34. A teacher gives a pupil a star for neat written work, and neat work increases. The star is a:
- (A) Negative reinforcer
- (B) Punisher
- (C) Positive reinforcer
- (D) Conditioned stimulus for fear
Show Answer
Answer: C – Adding a pleasant stimulus that increases behaviour is positive reinforcement.
Q35. A pupil who finishes homework early is excused from an extra drill task, and early finishing increases. This is an example of:
- (A) Positive punishment
- (B) Extinction
- (C) Positive reinforcement
- (D) Negative reinforcement
Show Answer
Answer: D – Removing an unpleasant task to increase behaviour is negative reinforcement, not punishment.
Q36. A teacher scolds a pupil for talking, and talking decreases. The scolding here is acting as:
- (A) A positive reinforcer
- (B) A punisher
- (C) A negative reinforcer
- (D) A neutral stimulus
Show Answer
Answer: B – A stimulus that decreases behaviour is a punisher in operant terms.
Q37. A pupil loses break-time privileges after repeatedly disrupting the class, and disruption decreases. This is best classified as:
- (A) Positive reinforcement
- (B) Negative reinforcement
- (C) Extinction of a reflex
- (D) Negative punishment (removal of a pleasant stimulus)
Show Answer
Answer: D – Removing a pleasant privilege to decrease behaviour is negative punishment, also called response cost.
Q38. The key difference between negative reinforcement and punishment is that negative reinforcement:
- (A) Always uses physical punishment
- (B) Increases a behaviour by removing an unpleasant condition
- (C) Decreases a behaviour by adding a pleasant stimulus
- (D) Has no effect on behaviour at all
Show Answer
Answer: B – Negative reinforcement strengthens behaviour; punishment weakens it.
Q39. A primary reinforcer is one that satisfies a basic need, such as food or rest. A secondary reinforcer, such as praise or marks, works because it:
- (A) Is present from birth
- (B) Has no connection with any primary reinforcer
- (C) Has become associated with primary reinforcers or valued outcomes
- (D) Punishes the learner
Show Answer
Answer: C – Secondary reinforcers gain value through association with primary reinforcers and valued outcomes.
Q40. In Skinner’s work, a rat pressing a lever to obtain food is an example of:
- (A) Operant behaviour shaped by its consequence
- (B) A conditioned reflex to a bell
- (C) Trial and error in a puzzle box only
- (D) Insight learning without any consequence
Show Answer
Answer: A – Lever pressing is voluntary behaviour maintained by food as a consequence.
Q41. A teacher reinforces every correct answer during the first week of a new topic. This schedule is called:
- (A) Variable ratio schedule
- (B) Fixed interval schedule
- (C) Continuous reinforcement
- (D) Variable interval schedule
Show Answer
Answer: C – Reinforcing every occurrence is continuous reinforcement.
Q42. A teacher praises a pupil after every fifth correct answer, regardless of how long it takes. This is a:
- (A) Fixed ratio schedule
- (B) Fixed interval schedule
- (C) Variable ratio schedule
- (D) Variable interval schedule
Show Answer
Answer: A – Reinforcement after a fixed number of responses is a fixed ratio schedule.
Q43. A pupil checks for the teacher’s feedback more and more often as a weekly test approaches, because feedback is given at a set time each week. This pattern best fits a:
- (A) Fixed ratio schedule
- (B) Variable ratio schedule
- (C) Continuous schedule
- (D) Fixed interval schedule
Show Answer
Answer: D – Reinforcement available after a fixed time period produces a fixed interval pattern.
Q44. A teacher sometimes praises a pupil after three correct answers, sometimes after seven, with no fixed pattern. This unpredictable number-based schedule is a:
- (A) Fixed ratio schedule
- (B) Variable ratio schedule
- (C) Fixed interval schedule
- (D) Continuous schedule
Show Answer
Answer: B – Varying the number of responses required is a variable ratio schedule, which typically sustains high response rates.
Q45. Which reinforcement schedule usually produces the most persistent behaviour that is hardest to extinguish?
- (A) Continuous reinforcement only
- (B) Partial (intermittent) reinforcement, especially variable ratio
- (C) No reinforcement at all
- (D) Punishment on every occasion
Show Answer
Answer: B – Partial reinforcement makes behaviour more resistant to extinction than continuous reinforcement.
Q46. A teacher stops praising a pupil’s hand-raising, and hand-raising gradually declines. In operant terms this decline is:
- (A) Extinction
- (B) Generalisation
- (C) Shaping
- (D) Discrimination
Show Answer
Answer: A – Withholding reinforcement for a previously reinforced operant leads to extinction.
Q47. Shaping in the classroom means:
- (A) Punishing all incorrect answers at once
- (B) Giving the full task with no steps
- (C) Waiting until the pupil performs perfectly before any feedback
- (D) Reinforcing successive approximations toward the desired behaviour
Show Answer
Answer: D – Shaping builds complex behaviour by reinforcing closer and closer steps.
Q48. Skinner’s concept of programmed instruction is based mainly on:
- (A) Long lectures with no pupil response
- (B) Memorising without feedback
- (C) Small steps, active pupil response and immediate feedback
- (D) Testing only at the end of the year
Show Answer
Answer: C – Programmed instruction breaks material into small steps with active responding and immediate reinforcement.
Behaviour Modification in the Classroom
Q49. A teacher sets a clear target behaviour, records how often it occurs now, and then changes consequences to increase it. This systematic process is called:
- (A) Introspection
- (B) Case history writing only
- (C) Curriculum planning only
- (D) Behaviour modification
Show Answer
Answer: D – Behaviour modification applies operant principles systematically to change a defined behaviour.
Q50. The first step in a classroom behaviour modification plan should be to:
- (A) Punish the pupil at once
- (B) Change the whole timetable
- (C) Define the target behaviour clearly and measure its present level
- (D) Remove the pupil from the class permanently
Show Answer
Answer: C – A clear definition and baseline measurement are needed before any intervention can be judged.
Q51. A token economy in a classroom works by:
- (A) Giving tokens for any behaviour, wanted or not
- (B) Awarding tokens for desired behaviour that pupils can later exchange for valued privileges or rewards
- (C) Taking tokens away for good behaviour
- (D) Using tokens only as punishment
Show Answer
Answer: B – Tokens act as secondary reinforcers exchangeable for backup reinforcers.
Q52. A teacher wants to increase on-task behaviour. The most behaviourist-consistent plan is to:
- (A) Reinforce on-task behaviour promptly and consistently while ignoring minor attention-seeking disruption where safe to do so
- (B) Reinforce disruption so pupils feel noticed
- (C) Give no feedback on any behaviour
- (D) Punish on-task behaviour
Show Answer
Answer: A – Reinforcing the desired behaviour and withdrawing attention from minor disruption shifts the balance toward on-task work.
Q53. A pupil completes classwork only when the teacher stands nearby. The teacher gradually increases the distance and time before checking, while still reinforcing completed work. This technique is best described as:
- (A) Fading prompts and support gradually
- (B) Punishing dependence
- (C) Extinction of all work
- (D) Classical conditioning of fear
Show Answer
Answer: A – Gradually withdrawing prompts while maintaining reinforcement is fading.
Q54. When a teacher reinforces a behaviour that is incompatible with disruption, such as staying seated and working, instead of reinforcing disruption, she is using:
- (A) Positive punishment
- (B) Differential reinforcement of incompatible behaviour
- (C) Negative reinforcement of disruption
- (D) Continuous punishment
Show Answer
Answer: B – Reinforcing an incompatible alternative is differential reinforcement of incompatible behaviour.
Q55. A behaviour modification plan fails because reinforcement is given late, rarely and inconsistently. The most likely reason for failure is:
- (A) The target behaviour was defined too broadly for the pupil to understand
- (B) The pupil’s classmates did not follow the same plan
- (C) The plan was introduced without consulting the pupil’s parents
- (D) Reinforcement was not immediate, sufficient or consistent
Show Answer
Answer: D – Effective reinforcement must be prompt, valued and consistent to change behaviour.
Q56. A teacher praises effort and improvement rather than only perfect scores. From a behaviourist view, this is wise because:
- (A) Perfect scores need no reinforcement
- (B) Effort is unrelated to learning
- (C) Reinforcing effort and progress strengthens the behaviour that leads to mastery
- (D) Praise always harms learning
Show Answer
Answer: C – Reinforcing successive progress builds the steps that lead to mastery.
Q57. Which approach to a pupil who shouts out answers is most consistent with behaviour modification?
- (A) Shout back louder each time
- (B) Ignore the pupil’s learning needs entirely
- (C) Teach and reinforce hand-raising, and do not give the shouting the attention it seeks
- (D) Remove all questions from lessons
Show Answer
Answer: C – Teaching an alternative and withholding its payoff is more effective than merely scolding.
Q58. A teacher records that a pupil was on task in 3 of 10 intervals before an intervention and 8 of 10 after it. The best conclusion is that:
- (A) The intervention had no effect
- (B) The recording method was useless
- (C) The pupil’s ability changed permanently in one day
- (D) The data suggest the intervention was associated with improved on-task behaviour, pending further checks
Show Answer
Answer: D – Baseline and post-intervention data allow a cautious judgement, not a claim of permanent change.
Q59. The main ethical caution in classroom behaviour modification is to:
- (A) Use reinforcement and consequences fairly, transparently and without humiliation or harm
- (B) Hide the plan from pupils and parents
- (C) Use the harshest punishment available first
- (D) Apply consequences only to some pupils for the same behaviour without reason
Show Answer
Answer: A – Behaviour techniques must be fair, transparent and free from humiliation or harm.
Q60. A balanced behaviourist classroom plan would combine:
- (A) Punishment alone with no reinforcement
- (B) Clear expectations, prompt reinforcement of desired behaviour, consistent consequences and gradual fading of support
- (C) No rules and no feedback
- (D) Reinforcement only for perfect work and nothing else
Show Answer
Answer: B – Effective plans combine clear expectations, reinforcement, consistency and fading toward independence.
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