Exam 1: Introduction and Research Methods

The scientific method is rarely used in psychology, as psychologists value "common sense," subjective experience, and expert opinions more highly than so-called empirical evidence.

Positive psychology focuses on developing therapeutic techniques that increase personal well-being rather than just alleviating the troubling symptoms of psychological disorders.

Psychologists who take the evolutionary perspective:

In combination, the ginkgo biloba experiment and the hotel experiment showed conclusively that taking ginkgo biloba in combination with exercise has proven health benefits.

The development of the first computers in the 1950s was a contributing factor to the cognitive revolution in psychology.

Sample is to population as _____ is to _____.

Unobtrusively, Dr. Jones and two of her students record the willingness of boys and girls to volunteer for an elephant ride or a donkey ride at the local zoo. Jones is using:

What strategies do pseudosciences often use to promote their claims?

Charles Darwin was the author of the landmark book on evolution On the Origin of Species.

Although the biological perspective was important when psychology was first founded, it is of little interest in contemporary psychology.

The Snape Oil Supplement Company uses sincere and compelling testimonials and personal anecdotes to promote its products on TV infomercials. These testimonials:

In trying to make sense out of the unusual experimental results, Dr. Kling and Dr. Hunger carefully reviewed a video tape of the experimental assistant interacting with the research participants. "Look at that!" said Dr. Hunger as she pointed at the screen. "He's smiling as he hands the fake vitamins to the participants in the placebo control group, but he didn't smile when he handed the real vitamins to the participants in the experimental group." "Well," said Dr. Kling, shaking his head, "It looks like we'll have to invalidate the experiment because the:

Dangerous Dan's lawyer claimed that his client is not mentally competent to stand trial, but the prosecutor believes that he is. In order to resolve the issue, it is very likely that a _____ psychologist will be consulted to conduct an assessment.

Deception in psychology experiments:

The effects of a placebo are compared to the effects of the actual independent variable on the experimental group. The placebo control group serves as a check for practice effects and expectancy effects.

A friend tells you that putting a small cardboard pyramid under your bed as you sleep at night will enhance your "psychic energy" and give you "inner peace." Pseudoscientific claims like this:

Descriptive methods include correlational studies, case studies, surveys, and naturalistic observation.

John B. Watson believed that conscious processes were worthy of study for psychology and promoted the use of introspection as a technique for studying such processes.

Of the nearly 6,000 people who participated in the National Survey of Sexual Health and Behavior (NSSHB), which is a survey on sexual behaviors:

During her first trip abroad, Paula was surprised to find that people in other cultures ate such foods as snails, squid, insects, lizards, earthworms, and seaweed. "One day they will become civilized like us and eat normal foods like donuts, pizza, hot dogs, and hamburgers and fries," she e-mailed her parents. Paula's remarks reflect a tendency called: