1. The primary focus of educational psychology is to understand how
a. students develop physically, cognitively, and emotionally over time.
b. different factors influence learning in classroom settings.
c. problem-solving tactics and self-esteem influence psychosocial well-being.
d. achievement test scores relate to general aptitude.
ANS: B REF: 1
NOT: The primary focus of educational psychology is to understand how students learn in classroom
settings.
2. The following quote, “to study what people think and do as they teach and learn in a particular
environment where education and training are intended to take place” best describes the
primary focus of
a. social scientists. c. school administrators.
b. board of education members. d. educational psychologists.
ANS: D REF: 1
NOT: The primary focus of educational psychology is to understand how students learn in various
educational settings.
3. Teaching children or adolescents is challenging because it requires
a. flexible decision making and a working knowledge of the topics being discussed.
b. the development of instructional techniques that work with virtually all students.
c. rapid use of the latest methods of instruction.
d. strict adherence to carefully designed lesson plans.
ANS: A REF: 2
NOT: Teaching is complex work because of its decision-making nature; it requires extensive
knowledge and a variety of instructional skills.
4. Being a teacher is somewhat analogous to being
a. a worker in a factory who is expected to produce a particular product efficiently.
b. the president of a company who directs the activities of all of its divisions.
c. a computer specialist who knows everything about one type of computer and
nothing about any other type.
d. a rock that stands firm under any condition.
ANS: B REF: 2
NOT: Like a company president who must be knowledgeable about the personnel and operations of
all of the company's divisions, teaching requires extensive knowledge about one's subject matter,
instructional strategies, and students.
5. Many advancements in teaching and learning are due in large part to
a. the accumulation of traditional practices.
b. philanthropic contributions.
c. the research of educational psychologists.
d. suggestions from parents and school board members.
, ANS: C REF: 3
NOT: For almost every topic in this textbook, suggested instructional practices are supported by a
significant body of educational research.
6. Educational psychology research offers strong support for which of the following instructional
practices?
a. giving students positive reinforcement when their performance meets or exceeds
the teacher's objectives
b. teaching students how to improve their own learning skills
c. having students work cooperatively in small learning groups
d. All of these answers.
ANS: D REF: 3-4 NOT: The text mentions these and several other findings.
7. The most important predictor of teaching effectiveness is
a. undergraduate grade-point average.
b. grade-point average in one's major, such as biology or communications.
c. grades received in undergraduate education courses.
d. one's score on the National Teacher Examination.
ANS: C REF: 6
NOT: The most important predictor of teaching effectiveness is grades received in teacher-education
courses.
8. Research shows that the most effective teachers generally have
a. received little or no formal training but seem to have a genuine knack for
instruction.
b. been paid the most for teaching.
c. earned excellent grades in all of their own course work.
d. received professional training.
ANS: D REF: 6
NOT: Research has shown that the most effective teachers are those who have graduated from an
accredited teacher-education program.
9. One aspect of making observations and drawing inferences from those observations is that
a. the more systematic our observations are, the less likely we are to draw reasonable
conclusions.
b. unsystematic observations may lead to faulty conclusions.
c. either systematic or unsystematic observations generally lead to correct decisions,
as long as our hypotheses are well formulated.
d. generally speaking, the first explanation that comes to mind is likely to be the
correct one.
ANS: B REF: 6
NOT: Unsystematic observations often lead to faulty conclusions, since we may be observing
behaviors that are the result of idiosyncratic factors that may never occur again. Furthermore, a lack of
systematic observation may lead to noting only evidence that fits our expectations.
10. The grade retention policies of many schools are examples of
a. the implementation of practices based on sound scientific research.
b. practices based on studies that verify teachers' beliefs about intellectual
, development.
c. practices that have little scientific merit because they are based on unsystematic
observation.
d. practices stemming from research that suggests that repeating a grade is beneficial
to a student.
ANS: C REF: 6
NOT: Grade retention practices are based on unsubstantiated beliefs that are founded on unsystematic
observations.
11. On Elizabeth's birthday she was given a lottery ticket. When the drawing was held the
numbers drawn matched those on her ticket and she was given two hundred cookies. She
immediately concluded that the best way to obtain cookies was to buy a lottery ticket. Her
conclusion is a product of
a. an unsystematic observation. c. systematic logic.
b. a carefully constructed plan of action. d. modeled progression.
ANS: A REF: 6
NOT: This is an example of an unsystematic observation because it involves the formation of a
generalization from a single episode.
12. One example of how unsystematic observation may lead to poor educational policies or
decisions is
a. free school lunches. c. Head Start programs.
b. assessment instruments. d. grade retention policies.
ANS: D REF: 6-7
NOT: Widely held beliefs about the value of grade retention are based on unsystematic observations
and have little scientific merit.
13. Strengths of the scientific method include all of the following except
a. the simultaneous manipulation of many variables in order to reveal the
complexities of behavior.
b. the formulation of plausible hypotheses, which are then tested systematically.
c. the use of a representative sample of participants.
d. a dissemination of results so that similar scientific inquiry may be further
stimulated in other settings.
ANS: A REF: 7
NOT: The scientific method does not include the simultaneous manipulation of many variables in
order to reveal the complexities of behavior. When someone is using the scientific method, all factors
but one are held constant in order to ascertain the impact of a given variable on behavior.
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