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WorksheetsPurposive Behaviorism
Total questions: 20
Worksheet time: 10mins
Which statement best describes Edward Tolman’s concept of purposive behaviorism?
Behavior is a simple chain of reflexes and stimulus-response reactions.
Behavior should be explained solely by observable motor responses.
Behavior is goal-directed and influenced by both motivation and cognition.
Behavior is random and cannot be predicted by environmental factors.
How did Tolman’s purposive behaviorism differ from the behaviorism of John B. Watson?
Tolman believed behavior should be studied as whole; molecular, not just molar.
Tolman introduced mentalistic explanations that could not be observed.
Tolman believed behavior should be studied as a whole; molar, not just molecular.
Tolman agreed that behavior was purely a result of muscle movements.
Why is Edward Tolman often associated with cognitive behaviorism despite beginning as a behaviorist?
Because he argued that learning can occur without reinforcement.
Because he believed behavior is determined by reinforcement schedules and external conditioning.
Because he redefined consciousness as the only valid explanation for purposive behavior.
Because he maintained that purpose and cognition exist but cannot be objectively studied within behaviorism.
Edward Tolman’s concept of a ‘cognitive map’ suggests that organisms learn more than just a series of turns. What does it propose they learn?
A vicarious reinforcement schedule based on the outcomes experienced by other animals in the same environment.
A chain of specific stimulus-response connections, where one turn serves as the cue for the next.
To discriminate between stimuli that signal reinforcement and those that signal punishment or extinction.
A mental representation of the overall spatial layout of an environment.
The study by Tolman, Ritchi, and Kalish used a ‘sunburst’ maze to provide evidence for cognitive maps. What was the key finding from this experiment?
Rats learned the correct path only after receiving a reward for each correct turn in the sunburst maze.
Rats were unable to solve the maze after the path was blocked, showing that learning is not flexible.
When their usual path was blocked, rats chose a new path that pointed in the general direction of where the food had been located.
Rats chose the path that was physically most similar to the one they were originally trained on, demonstrating stimulus generalization.
The concept of latent learning directly challenges which core assumption of early, strict behaviorism?
That performance is not necessarily an indicator of learning.
Learning is an internal cognitive process that may not be immediately reflected in behavior.
For learning to occur, a response must be followed by a reinforcer.
Learning involves the acquisition of a four-term contingency: motivating operation, antecedent, behavior, and consequence.
A student watches their parent drive to school every day but has never driven the route themselves. One day, the student has to drive and successfully navigates the route without a GPS. This is an example of:
Latent Learning.
Shaping.
Positive Reinforcement.
Stimulus Generalization.
It is a mental representation of the layout of a certain environment
Concept map
Road Maps
Cognitive Map
Physical Map
Tom sets up a trap with cheese to catch Jerry. What principle is shown in this situation?
Learning is an internal change
Behavior is purposive
Expectations affect behavior
Learning results in an organized body of information
A person watches their therapist use calming techniques for anxiety (like deep breathing) but doesn’t try it immediately. Later, during a stressful situation, they suddenly use it successfully. What principle is shown in this situation?
Learning is an internal change
Behavior is purposive
Expectations affect behavior
Learning results in an organized body of information
An employee expects a bonus for reaching a target. Because of that expectation, he works harder. However, when no bonus is given, he loses motivation and begins to perform poorly. What principle is shown in this situation?
Learning is an internal change
Behavior is purposive
Expectations affect behavior
Learning results in an organized body of information
Mae saved her food to give to the homeless. What principle is shown in this situation?
Learning is an internal change
Behavior is purposive
Expectations affect behavior
Learning results in an organized body of information
Jerry memorizes the layout of the house, where the mouse holes, kitchen, and hiding spots are. When Tom blocks one hole, Jerry quickly uses another route to escape. What principle is shown in this situation?
Learning is an internal change
Behavior is purposive
Expectations affect behavior
Learning results in an organized body of information
In the principle “Learning is an Internal Change,” an organism ____.
An organism will only learn with reinforcement
An organism will immediately show the learned behavior
An organism can learn without external reward
An organism has changed its physical appearance
What do you call the effect where there is a drop in performance because the change in expectations led to disappointment?
Sad effect
Cause-and-effect
Domino Effect
Depression Effect
A psychology student observes that some learners study and perform tasks with clear personal goals, even without external rewards. This pattern suggests that behavior can be directed by internal purposes rather than external reinforcements. Which part of Tolman’s theory does this best reflect?
Introduction
Background and Experiment
Main Principle
Application and Relevance
An individual develops a mental layout of their university campus after several weeks of walking around. Later, they can find new classrooms easily even without directions. This demonstrates how Tolman’s ideas can be applied to real-world settings through the concept of:
Classical conditioning
Cognitive mapping
Reinforcement theory
Trial-and-error learning
A student volunteers to tutor others not for recognition, but because helping others also helps them understand lessons better. This situation shows:
Purposeful and goal-oriented behavior
Background and Experiment
Stimulus-response reaction
Behavior controlled by rewards
An athlete keeps training even during off-season because they know it contributes to long-term improvement. What concept explains this?
Latent learning
Classical conditioning
Trial-and-error learning
Observational learning
A person chooses to focus on studying instead of scrolling through social media because they believe it will help them achieve their academic goals. This reflects:
Goal-directed or purposive behavior
Background and Experiment
Reflexive action
Simple conditioning
