Exam 1: The Science of Psychology

In a laboratory, smokers are asked to "drive" using a computerized driving simulator equipped with a stick shift and a gas pedal. The object is to maximize the distance covered by driving as fast as possible on a winding road while avoiding rear-end collisions. Some of the participants smoke a real cigarette immediately before climbing into the driver's seat. Others smoke a fake cigarette without nicotine. You are interested in comparing how many collisions the two groups have. In this study, the dependent variable is the __________.

Which perspective is often referred to as the "third force" in psychology and focuses on people's freedom of choice in determining their behavior?

Calvin needs just one more participant to complete her experiment. Lisa, a student of Dr. Calvin, has almost completed the experiment when she announces she wants to quit because the experiment is boring. What options does Dr. Calvin have?

Hunter is a fan of the Boston Celtics basketball team. With little provocation, he will engage his friends in a debate about whether it is the greatest team in basketball. Hunter may be demonstrating __________.

Wilhelm Wundt used the method of objective introspection.

Dr. Archer wanted to see if people are more prone to seek the company of others when anxious than when calm. He randomly assigned half of his subjects to an anxiety group and then told them that, as part of the study, they would receive electric shocks. He did not frighten the other group of subjects. Finally, he recorded how many subjects in each group chose to be "tested" in a group setting and how many chose to be "tested" alone. What was the independent variable in this study?

Experimenters can justify the use of deception because __________.

Dr. Santos wishes to study the relationship between high school grades and college grades. Which of the following research methods would be the most appropriate for Dr. Santos's study?

Research in which a carefully selected group of people is asked a set of predetermined questions in interviews or through questionnaires is known as __________ research.

"Children who watch violent cartoons will become more aggressive." According to the scientific method, this statement is most likely a __________.

Structuralism emphasizes __________.

Which of the following questions could be answered best by using the survey method?

Which of the following correlation coefficients represents the strongest relationship between two variables?

A good control group __________.

How does diffusion of responsibility contribute to the bystander effect?

The famous study of Phineas Gage, who survived when a metal rod pierced his skull, is an example of a __________.

Dr. Sutton-Smith is conducting research in Kenya into the ways that mothers and their toddlers interact throughout the day. Given the purpose of her study, it is most likely that she is engaged in __________.

Using an example of a study you might conduct, go through all of the steps of the scientific approach.

After reading about the possible causes of schizophrenia, a scientist thinks that a virus is the most likely cause. What term most accurately describes the scientist's idea?

A negative correlation means that __________.