Group C's sudden performance improvement most directly supports which concept?

Answer: Latent learning, in which a cognitive map formed without reinforcement Tolman argued the rats had built a cognitive map during unrewarded exploration; the learning was latent until reinforcement created the motivation to demonstrate it.

This study most directly supports which theoretical claim?

Answer: Children acquire behaviors by observing and imitating models Bandura's Bobo doll studies showed that children learn novel behaviors through observation and imitation, the core claim of social learning theory.

The performance gap between what children can do alone and with help defines Vygotsky's:

Answer: Zone of proximal development Vygotsky's zone of proximal development (ZPD) is the range of tasks a learner cannot yet perform independently but can complete with guidance from a more skilled partner. Scaffolding (the older child's hints) supports learning within that zone.

AP Psychology · Topic 3.9

Social, Cognitive, and Neurological Factors in Learning Practice

Part of Development and Learning.

Practice questions

Want a predicted score for the whole AP PSYCH exam? Take the 20-question diagnostic and Lumi will plan the rest.

Take diagnosticarrow_forward Practice all 3.9

Sample questions

5 of 20 — sign in to practice the rest with adaptive difficulty and mastery tracking.

Sample 1difficulty 2/5
$Dr. Park replicates Tolman's classic maze studies with three groups of rats. Group A receives food at the goal box every trial. Group B never receives food. Group C explores the maze for 10 days with no reward, then on day 11 begins receiving food. Within two trials after reinforcement begins, Group C's error rate drops to match Group A's, far below Group B's.$
$Group C's sudden performance improvement most directly supports which concept?$
- A
  $Observational learning via vicarious reinforcement$
- B
  $Classical conditioning of an unconditioned response$
- C
  $Operant shaping through successive approximation$
- D
  $Latent learning, in which a cognitive map formed without reinforcement$
  check_circle
Why
$Tolman argued the rats had built a cognitive map during unrewarded exploration; the learning was latent until reinforcement created the motivation to demonstrate it.$
View full solution & statsarrow_forward
Sample 2difficulty 2/5
$In a study, researchers had preschool children watch an adult either kicking, hitting, and yelling at a Bobo doll or playing quietly with toys. Children were then placed alone in a room with the Bobo doll and other toys. Children who had observed the aggressive adult performed more novel aggressive acts toward the doll than children who had observed the nonaggressive adult.$
$This study most directly supports which theoretical claim?$
- A
  $Aggression is purely genetically determined$
- B
  $Classical conditioning explains aggressive behaviors$
- C
  $Aggression is reinforced only through direct experience$
- D
  $Children acquire behaviors by observing and imitating models$
  check_circle
Why
$Bandura's Bobo doll studies showed that children learn novel behaviors through observation and imitation, the core claim of social learning theory.$
View full solution & statsarrow_forward
Sample 3difficulty 2/5
$A researcher pairs 5-year-olds with either a same-age peer or a slightly older child to solve a 24-piece puzzle. Children paired with the older child completed the puzzle 38% faster and, when later tested alone, solved a similar puzzle more independently. The older child often pointed at corner pieces and said, "Try those first."$
$The performance gap between what children can do alone and with help defines Vygotsky's:$
- A
  $Zone of proximal development$
  check_circle
- B
  $Stage of concrete operations$
- C
  $Schema assimilation$
- D
  $Sensitive period$
Why
$Vygotsky's zone of proximal development (ZPD) is the range of tasks a learner cannot yet perform independently but can complete with guidance from a more skilled partner. Scaffolding (the older child's hints) supports learning within that zone.$
View full solution & statsarrow_forward
Sample 4difficulty 2/5
$Dr. Park replicates Tolman's classic maze studies with three groups of rats. Group A receives food at the goal box every trial. Group B never receives food. Group C explores the maze for 10 days with no reward, then on day 11 begins receiving food. Within two trials after reinforcement begins, Group C's error rate drops to match Group A's, far below Group B's.$
$A separate experiment shows chimpanzees suddenly stacking boxes to reach a banana after a period of inactivity, replicating Köhler. Compared with latent learning, this insight learning is best distinguished by which feature?$
- A
  $A reliance on partial reinforcement to shape behavior$
- B
  $A sudden, all-or-none restructuring of the problem rather than gradual map-building$
  check_circle
- C
  $A dependence on observational learning from a model$
- D
  $An automatic response triggered by classical conditioning$
Why
$Köhler's insight learning involves a perceptual reorganization producing a sudden solution, whereas latent learning involves gradual, unrewarded acquisition revealed later.$
View full solution & statsarrow_forward
Sample 5difficulty 3/5
$The spacing effect demonstrates that$
- A
  $Spacing study sessions matters only for short-term recall$
- B
  $Distributed practice over time produces better long-term retention than massed practice$
  check_circle
- C
  $The timing of practice sessions has no effect on retention$
- D
  $Cramming all study sessions together produces the best long-term retention$
Why
$Studying a little each day beats cramming the night before.$
View full solution & statsarrow_forward

Predict my AP scorearrow_forward