You are a psychologist who wants to explain each of the following problems or behaviors. Identify which of the three major theoretical perspectives examined in this chapter will be most useful to you in each case, and briefly explain why

a. Randy finds it difficult to stop smoking, especially when he is studying.
b. Alec has an irrational fear of thunderstorms.
c. Anne always misbehaves in the supermarket, but is perfectly well-behaved in the car.
d. Debra thinks that girls can change into men when they grow up.
e. Coco, a cocker spaniel, has learned to sniff out narcotics at the airport.

What will be an ideal response

Most of the behaviors can be experienced from more than one theoretical perspective. What is most
important is that students demonstrate an understanding of how specific elements of a theory can be
used to explain a particular behavior. Most students will probably choose behaviorism to explain
Randy's conditioned smoking, Anne's behavior in the supermarket and in the car, and Coco's ability
to detect narcotics; psychoanalytic theory to explain Alec's fear; and cognitive theory to explain
Debra's thinking about the stability of gender differences