Exam 1: Psychology: the Science of Behaviour

Steve is working toward a career in investment banking.Although he dates interesting women,marriage is not one of Steve's goals.He is content to remain single and has no interest in having children.His parents are so upset by his lack of "paternal instinct" that he has been ostracized from his family.Steve's co-workers think he will change his mind and want children eventually.If we look at the three levels of analysis,we can say that the pressures from Steve's family fall at the ________________ level.

Wynda is interested in which flirting behaviours women display most often when they are around men they like.She is not concerned about improving gender relations or solving any problems,just interested in the information for its own sake.Which type of research should Wynda use?

While reading a magazine,Jordan sees an advertisement that claims that a new weight loss pill will help anyone lose weight without exercising.The advertisement includes a picture of a woman when she was obese and another picture of her looking thin and fit.Though the pictures are very compelling,Jordan knows that she needs to examine advertisements critically.Which of the following questions best represents critical thinking?

Skye has been having problems with depression.She doesn't have health insurance to see a doctor,but she sees an advertisement for a study being done at the local university.When she meets with one of the scientists,he tells her that the study will require her to have several PET scans.The first one will be done before she takes any medication for her depression,and the rest will be done at regular intervals both while she is taking an antidepressant and after she no longer needs to take an antidepressant.The researchers doing this study are probably

Thuy emigrated to Canada with her parents when she was a year old.Her parents still speak Vietnamese,practice Confucianism,and eat rice with most meals.They have decorated their home with woodcuts,lacquered art,and sculptures of pagodas.Thuy,however,speaks Vietnamese only with her parents,attends a Canadian church,eats a wide variety of foods,and has decorated her apartment with movie posters,impressionist paintings,and pictures of her friends at amusement parks.Based on this information,we can say that Thuy

Latisha believes that when human beings are born their potential is unlimited.She also believes in the influence of nurture and rejects the idea of nature.In fact,she thinks that by controlling children's environments very carefully,she can train them to be anything she wants them to be.The psychological perspective she would probably agree with most is

Chloe is interested in better understanding how her mental processes work.She reflects on the internal processes taking place and records them in her journal.Chloe is __________________,the same approach the ___________ used.

To explain cognitive processes in psychology to a friend,Samira uses a computer metaphor,saying the brain takes information in,processes it,stores it,and retrieves it.This same metaphor was used by scientists in the 1950s,60s,and 70s,a time that is sometimes referred to as

After Liang has gone on three or four dates with the same person,he finds himself coming up with reasons why he doesn't like her.He has done this with everyone he has dated since his parents were divorced two years ago.He tells himself that his parents' divorce has nothing to do with his own behaviour and tells his friends that he simply is yet to meet a woman who meets his standards.A psychodynamic therapist might say that Liang

A number of people in Toshi's family struggle with anxiety attacks.He has been fortunate in that he has never had a problem with anxiety.However,when his parents suddenly announce that they are going to be divorced,Toshi is shocked and upset.A week later,sitting in class,he has his first anxiety attack.If we use the three levels of analysis,we can say that Toshi's anxiety is

Malcolm and Tavis are identical twins.When they reach college,it becomes clear that Malcolm is most interested in physical fitness and competitive sports,whereas Tavis prefers working with computers and taking nature photographs.Which area of psychology would best explain the differences between Malcolm and Tavis?

Rafael recently saw a movie in which a man killed his entire family because the ghosts that supposedly haunted his house told him to.The moviemakers claim that the story is based on real events and that the house in which the man lived is haunted.Rafael's psychology professor,however,says that people who hear voices usually have schizophrenia.To decide which "facts" to believe,the best question Rafael could ask himself is,

After encountering a number of patients who had physical problems without any apparent physical cause,Sigmund Freud reasoned that the causes must be psychological and beyond his patients' conscious awareness.For example,one of his patients,a woman named Anna O. ,sometimes developed paralysis in her limbs,even though there was nothing physically wrong with her.Based on his observations,Freud eventually developed a theory he called psychoanalysis.What was Freud actually analyzing?

Julie wants to earn good grades in college.She carefully schedules time to study,but every time she sits down she realizes how messy her dorm room is,she can hear other people talking down the hall,or she is distracted by the television.Which of the following would a behaviourist tell Julie to do first?

Seiji refers to himself as a Japanese American.Seiji's Japanese parents want him to become a medical doctor.They say that this profession would bring honour to their family and allow him to choose a wife from a good family.Seiji,however,would like to be an actor.He doesn't enjoy his biology classes and is more interested in loving his job than in making a lot of money.If Seiji chooses to do what feels best to him;that is,to pursue an acting career,we can say that he