Exam 1: An Introduction to Psychology

An advertisement touts the muscle-building benefits of a new herbal supplement. Jana investigates the credentials of the individuals testifying to its benefits and performs some research on the company that manufactures the supplement. In addition, she searches the scientific literature for any controlled research that might attest to the action of the supplement. Jana is engaged in _____ thinking.

People become happier as they grow older.

Our knowledge of physiology drives the biological perspective in psychology.

Which of the following is NOT an operational definition of happiness?

Which sequence BEST reflects the order of events in a typical experimental session?

Positive psychology reflects the legacy of the earlier humanistic perspective.

A pharmaceutical company has developed a new antidepressant medication and wishes to test its effectiveness. How might extraneous variables, placebo effects, and experimenter bias comprise the results of such a test? How should the company use random assignment, placebos, and a double-blind procedure to maximize the validity of the test?

Planning research, making observations, and communicating findings are all part of psychology's _____ goal.

List and briefly describe three descriptive research methods. Provide an original example of each. Identify one advantage and one disadvantage of each of the methods you describe.

Valentina is engaged in naturalistic observation. In which project is she MOST likely engaged?

Dr. Wood's research assistant is preparing a graph displaying the results of a study in which participants either engaged in self-affirmations or did not, and then rated their current self-esteem. Which pair below correctly labels the x- and y-axes on the graph? Would a line or a bar graph be preferable?

Because she is a psychiatrist, Paula has completed a mental health residency in a hospital.

Andrea is reading a general, comprehensive account of human aggression in the introduction to a research report in psychology. Andrea is reading a(n):

Contemporary psychology's empiricism reflects Aristotle's legacy.

"Opposites attract." "Birds of a feather flock together." These aphorisms are:

Which sequence arranges the concepts in order from broadest to most specific?

Which proportion BEST approximates the percentage of psychologists who provide therapy?

Describing the feel of bedsheets as "cool . . . smooth . . . very slightly granular" echoes Wundt's introspection.

Dr. Leleux asserts that psychologists should attempt to identify the fundamental attributes of mental experience. Dr. Leleux appears most sympathetic to psychology's school of:

The representativeness of a sample has little impact on the validity of survey research.