Exam 1: What Is Psychology

Shane is eager to buy an Electro-Neural Stimulator so that he can get both halves of his brain working at peak efficiency by exam time. Based on what you have read about similar products, how should you respond to his plans?

In contrast to modern psychologists, ancient scholars explored human nature primarily through:

One reason why people in the general public are often confused about what psychologists do is that:

Hank demands that his psychology professor give him a yes-or-no answer to the question, "Do violent movies cause adolescents to become more aggressive?" When the professor explains the complicated evidence, Hank says, "You are evading the issue!" What critical thinking guideline does Hank need to take into consideration? Support your choice with information from the textbook.

Critical thinkers try to:

Counseling psychologists are trained to do psychotherapy with severely disturbed people.

Wilhelm Wundt's trained introspectors had to make between 10 and 50 practice observations before they were allowed to participate in an actual study.

_______________ founded the field of psychoanalysis.

One common form of oversimplification is argument by anecdote. Explain this type of critical thinking error. Create your own example of an argument by anecdote.

Clinical social workers typically treat general problems in adjustment and family conflicts.

One of the most important contributions of the _______________ perspective of psychology has been to show how people's thoughts and explanations affect their actions, feelings, and choices.

The sociocultural perspective emphasizes the dynamics of the social and cultural forces that shape every aspect of human behavior.

The forerunners of modern psychology depended heavily on casual observation.

E. B. Titchener gave Wilhelm Wundt's approach the name "structuralism."

Empirical evidence is the evidence gathered by careful observation and experimentation.

Psychobabble is:

Cognitive researchers have been able to study the kind of "thinking" that goes on without awareness.

Sigmund Freud argued that many of his patients' symptoms had mental, not physical, causes.

Sam, a business-owner, sought the help of a friend to find out which employees were likely to be loyal and honest if hired. The friend examined the bumps on the heads of all applicants and gave Sam a list of the employees he should hire. Sam's friend is a _______________.

Critical thinkers realize that everybody's beliefs are as good as everybody else's.