Deck 1: Mind, Behavior, and Psychological Science

Question 1

One evening, when he couldn't sleep, Mr. Bradley turned on the television and saw an infomercial for a new sleep aid. As a critical thinker, Mr. Bradley should be most cautious about this new product if

A) the product had been subjected to an experimental study and the scrutiny of a peer review process.
B) its makers claim it is a breakthrough that has been "proven" to induce sleep in 80 percent of test participants.
C) its makers discuss the scientific investigations that have compared it to other effective sleep aids rather than relying on testimonials of those with insomnia.
D) the results of research connect the efficacy of the sleep aid to other widely accepted scientific findings.
E) the advertisement noted several scientifically controlled studies that all found the same results.

Answer 1

its makers claim it is a breakthrough that has been "proven" to induce sleep in 80 percent of test participants.

Question 2

At the close of the 19th century, Gerhard is excited to find that he has been accepted for training in the psychology laboratory of Wilhelm Wundt. It is likely that Gerhard will be trained to

A) analyze how to break down his sensations into their most basic elements.
B) determine the function or purpose of a particular human behavior.
C) listen intently while individuals tell him of their depression or nervousness.
D) carefully feel the bumps on a person's head in order to determine his or her character traits.
E) uncover a person's unconscious conflicts.

Answer 2

analyze how to break down his sensations into their most basic elements.

Question 3

Which of the following is an example of pseudo-psychology?

A) paranormal claims
B) astrology
C) graphology
D) subliminal messages
E) All of these answers are correct.

Answer 3

All of these answers are correct.

Question 4

One major difference between psychiatry and psychology is that psychiatry is

A) a branch of sociology.
B) a medical specialty.
C) focused on the importance of perception for human function.
D) part of a large group of specialties.
E) involved in case study research.

Question 5

Jones is an industrial/organizational (I/O) psychologist. Thus, she is most likely to do which of the following?

A) Help individuals who have eating disorders, such as anorexia nervosa.
B) Conduct experiments to determine which studying strategies work best.
C) Diagnose learning disabilities within a school district.
D) Assist an athlete in creating an effective schedule of practice sessions.
E) Help companies develop questions to ask job candidates.

Question 6

French philosopher René Descartes most likely would believe that individuals suffer from schizophrenia due to

A) irrational ways of interpreting events in the world.
B) unconscious conflicts involving sexuality and aggression.
C) whether an individual lives in a destructive society.
D) the upbringing of the person.
E) activity within the person's nervous system.

Question 7

Which topic would NOT be investigated by a psychologist if the definition of psychology were limited to "the science of behavior"?

A) relation between grade-point average and salary
B) thought processes students used while trying to answer this question
C) how changes in the rate of television violence influence real-life violence
D) effectiveness of several treatments for people who suffer from depression
E) the hereditary determinants of sexual orientation

Question 8

Jones probably agrees with the ________ theory of psychology, as he contends that humans are an intelligent species due to the fact that intelligence gives us an advantage in the natural world.

A) psychoanalytic
B) behavioral
C) cognitive
D) evolutionary
E) developmental

Question 9

Gwen has posted a questionnaire on Myspace asking her friends to support her idea of cell phones in the classroom. She ignores anyone opposing her beliefs, which is an example of

A) naïve realism.
B) conjunctive fallacy.
C) confirmation bias.
D) attribution bias.
E) reactive bias.

Question 10

Margaret is a psychologist who designs programs to increase employee morale and workplace productivity. She is a(n) ________ psychologist.

A) developmental
B) clinical
C) industrial/organizational
D) social
E) experimental

Question 11

Ross is a psychologist, whereas Rachel is a psychiatrist. Thus, which of the following is MOST likely to be true?

A) Rachel has not earned a PhD degree.
B) They both have earned MD degrees.
C) They both can prescribe medicine to help people with psychological problems.
D) Only Ross can treat people with psychological problems.
E) Ross is more likely than Rachel to use a medical perspective to understand people.

Question 12

Noted Greek philosophers such as Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle observed that

A) brain damage contributed to most mental disorders.
B) emotions were caused by changes in brain chemistry.
C) "truth" was determined by careful testing procedures.
D) emotions can distort thinking.
E) emotions were not worthy of scientific discussion.

Question 13

After the abduction and murder of a well-known business leader, lawmakers immediately passed new legislation for increased penalties. This is an example of ________ bias.

A) confirmation
B) realistic
C) volitional
D) reactive
E) emotional

Question 14

Braunz has been treating a child with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. She decides to write a prescription for Ritalin. Given this information, it is most likely that Dr. Braunz is a

A) psychiatrist.
B) psychoanalyst.
C) humanistic psychologist.
D) school psychologist.
E) psychiatric social worker.

Question 15

Evolutionary psychology might suggest that certain cognitive strategies and goals are built into the brain because

A) they help humans adapt to their natural environment.
B) human brains are similar to the brains of the higher primates.
C) they are the result of learning that has taken place over many centuries.
D) they are the result of memories we have inherited from our ancestors.
E) they are prewired to help us achieve self-actualization during our lifetimes.

Question 16

Psychology is differentiated from pseudo-psychology because of

A) the absolute certainty of its findings.
B) its focus on the natural rather than the social world.
C) the more widespread public acceptance of pseudoscience.
D) its findings are more relevant to human problems.
E) the type of evidence used to support its claims.

Question 17

Modern psychology is best considered to be a

A) collection of pieces of folk wisdom.
B) series of contradictions to be sorted out.
C) science.
D) therapeutic process.
E) pseudoscience.

Question 18

What is the best analogy for Wundt's and Titchener's mission for psychology?

A) a chart listing the basic chemical elements
B) a list of the courses required for graduation
C) an umbrella keeping you dry in a storm
D) a computer program used for writing a term paper
E) a traffic light that alternates colors on a predictable time schedule

Question 19

________ psychologist would be most likely to help individuals overcome the symptoms of depression or an anxiety disorder.

A) clinical
B) industrial/organizational (I/O)
C) engineering
D) school
E) social

Question 20

These psychologists perform most of the research that creates new psychological knowledge:

A) industrial/organizational psychologists
B) clinical psychologists
C) school psychologists
D) applied psychologists
E) experimental psychologists

Question 21

While on a visit to a large city, you observe several billboards in which a series of lights seems to move. Which perspective in psychology would most likely help you understand this phenomenon?

A) Gestalt
B) behavioral
C) humanistic
D) psychodynamic
E) temperament

Question 22

According to this perspective, people change as the interactions of heredity and environment unfold over time:

A) biological
B) cognitive
C) whole-person
D) developmental
E) sociocultural

Question 23

Which school of psychology questioned whether psychologists should study the mind?

A) psychodynamic theory
B) behaviorism
C) Gestalt psychology
D) cognitive psychology
E) humanistic psychology

Question 24

The key feature of behaviorism that distinguishes it from other approaches to psychology is that

A) consciousness is central to the study of the mind.
B) only observable behavior is appropriate for study.
C) mental abilities evolve just as physical characteristics do.
D) a holistic view of a person is essential for understanding.
E) groups, not individuals, should be the focus of study.

Question 25

A cross-cultural psychologist would be most interested in which of the following?

A) measuring how children respond after they are spanked
B) asking parents why they spank their children
C) comparing how often Americans and Canadians spank their children
D) examining how spanking has served an evolutionary purpose throughout history
E) determining whether mothers or fathers are more likely to spank their children

Question 26

The main idea that defines this perspective is that people change in predictable ways as the influences of heredity and environment unfold over time:

A) engineering
B) sociocultural
C) developmental
D) structuralist
E) humanistic

Question 27

Which of the following would be correctly described as a whole-person perspective in psychology?

A) humanistic psychology
B) cognitive psychology
C) developmental psychology
D) sociocultural psychology
E) Gestalt psychology

Question 28

Functionalists were interested in the function of ________ in dealing with the problems of everyday living.

A) family and friends
B) consciousness
C) stress reduction techniques
D) drugs
E) professional therapists

Question 29

If a functionalist from the 1870s were alive today, where would we most likely find him?

A) in a laboratory, studying principles of perception
B) in a school, working to improve teaching methods
C) in a mountain retreat, contemplating the meaning of life
D) in a sleep laboratory, trying to determine if our need for sleep is biologically based
E) in a hospital doing research into the neurochemicals that have survived various "levels" of human evolution

Question 30

The ________ perspective argues that other people have a large influence on our own behaviors.

A) engineering
B) sociocultural
C) cognitive
D) structuralist
E) humanistic

Question 31

Suppose you were a graduate student studying for a PhD in psychology in the 1920s. Your advisor was strongly influenced by John B. Watson. Which of the following might your advisor consider an acceptable choice for your research?

A) a survey of daydreams
B) an analysis of how specific behaviors are acquired
C) a survey of sexual imagery in dreams of men and women
D) an analysis of the thought processes students report while answering test items
E) the achievement of self-actualization and why it is such a rarely seen occurrence

Question 32

Structuralists were concerned with uncovering the basic components of

A) the unconscious.
B) the mind.
C) the environment.
D) culture.
E) the family unit.

Question 33

A scientist who studies the strategies involved in playing a game of chess is most likely to follow a(n) ________ approach to psychology.

A) cognitive
B) humanistic
C) behavioristic
D) evolutionary
E) psychoanalytic

Question 34

A cognitive psychologist has been studying aggression in teens. Which of the following is most likely to be the title of her latest study?

A) "The Consequences of Teen Violence"
B) "The Family Dynamics of Violent Teens"
C) "Social Pressures that Produce Violent Teens"
D) "The Use of Medications to Control Aggression in Teens"
E) "The Reasons Why Teens Say They Act Violently"

Question 35

A behavioral psychologist studying the causes of alcohol usage would most likely

A) ask people why they consume alcohol.
B) observe whether people have a positive or negative experience after consuming alcohol.
C) measure brain changes following alcohol consumption.
D) determine patterns of alcohol usage within different cultures.
E) ask people how they feel while they are consuming alcohol.

Question 36

If you are interested in how patterns, beliefs, customs, values, and traditions influence behavior, you are interested in the ________ perspective.

A) behavioral
B) sociocultural
C) psychodynamic
D) cognitive
E) evolutionary

Question 37

Gestalt psychology argued that perception is

A) altered by an evolutionary pressure to avoid being eaten.
B) impossible to study using introspection.
C) a process in which the whole is more than the sum of the parts.
D) a process found in animals but not humans.
E) a function of our unique streams of consciousness.

Question 38

The ________ approach views the mind, particularly the unconscious mind, as a reservoir of energy for the personality.

A) biological
B) sociocultural
C) behavioristic
D) psychodynamic
E) humanistic

Question 39

Ted is seeing a humanistic psychologist for therapy. His psychologist is most likely to focus on

A) cultural guidelines that shaped Ted's personality.
B) how Ted's parents shaped his behavior.
C) striving for growth and exercising free will.
D) the conflict between personal desires and social restrictions.
E) Ted's unconscious resentment of his siblings.

Question 40

You attend a presentation by a psychologist who uses terms such as free will and growth. Which psychological perspective is most consistent with the points the psychologist presented?

A) behaviorism
B) humanism
C) functionalism
D) psychodynamics
E) structuralism

Question 41

In a well-designed experiment, subjects must be ________ in experimental conditions to control for other factors.

A) stratified
B) correlated
C) randomized
D) dispersed
E) controlled

Question 42

Gina wants to conduct a study of discrimination based on looks in hiring practices. Gina selects two candidates with equivalent qualifications, one extremely attractive and the other of average attractiveness. She sends them to interview for the same job. The dependent variable in Gina's experiment is the

A) relative attractiveness of the two candidates.
B) qualifications of the two candidates.
C) type of job the candidates apply for.
D) response of the interviewer to each candidate.
E) number of candidates who interviewed for the job.

Question 43

Marcia believes that people have an internal set of conditions that are largely responsible for determining their actions in life. Marcia would probably be most affiliated with which school of psychological thought?

A) trait and temperament psychology
B) behavioral psychology
C) structuralism
D) functionalism
E) Gestalt psychology

Question 44

Random assignment

A) ensures that studies can be replicated.
B) is a good way to define the dependent variable.
C) is difficult to achieve in research.
D) must be used with great caution.
E) minimizes any potential differences between the control and experimental groups.

Question 45

The most important aspect of a hypothesis is that it must be a ________ idea.

A) complicated
B) relevant
C) testable
D) believable
E) logical

Question 46

Sally proposes the idea that one's sexual history prior to marriage may be linked to whether one ends up getting divorced. This best represents which step of the scientific method?

A) testing the hypothesis
B) observing events
C) forming a hypothesis
D) formulating a theory
E) randomizing participants

Question 47

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

A) conclusion.
B) result.
C) hypothesis.
D) fact.
E) data point.

Question 48

Malcolm works for a major pharmaceutical company and is in charge of designing a clinical protocol to study depression. The new medication under investigation has the potential to alleviate the symptoms of depression. Malcolm needs to describe how depression as well as how the improvement of depressive symptoms will be defined in the study in order to recruit the right subjects. In other words, Malcolm needs to provide a(n)

A) hypothesis.
B) theory.
C) operational definition.
D) functional definition.
E) investigative definition.

Question 49

Jenna wants to learn whether men or women are better drivers. To determine this, she decides that she will measure driving ability by examining the number of automobile accidents people have been involved in as a driver. The number of accidents is the basis of

A) her control group in this study.
B) a theory of good driving.
C) the independent variable in this study.
D) the operational definition of driving ability.
E) a case study examination of driving ability.

Question 50

A key aspect of an experiment is the requirement that researchers

A) use correlational methods.
B) manipulate one variable to see its effect on another variable.
C) replicate their findings.
D) publish their results in a scientific journal.
E) provide some sort of placebo.

Question 51

Based on his classroom experiences and everyday observations, Dr. McGinty believes that those students sitting in the front row of a classroom get higher grades than those sitting in rows further back. His belief is an example of a

A) method.
B) theory.
C) stimulus event.
D) correlation coefficient.
E) dependent variable.

Question 52

Some people believe that money can buy happiness. Dr. Goodwin wants to determine whether paying people plays a role in their happiness. The level of money given to a subject would be considered to be the ________ variable.

A) experimental
B) confounding
C) dependent
D) independent
E) control

Question 53

A scientist who is skeptical about a particular study can decide to run that study in his or her laboratory. This would represent ________ the original research study.

A) reconfiguring
B) rearranging
C) reanalyzing
D) replicating
E) referencing

Question 54

What is one of the major reasons that psychologists report results publicly?

A) to comply with legal requirements
B) to identify all the extraneous variables
C) to allow researchers to replicate experiments
D) to explain research results so that non-psychologists can understand them
E) to validate grant funding that supported their research

Question 55

"Differences in individuals are a result of differences in persistent characteristics and internal dispositions." This is the basic premise of which psychological perspective?

A) trait and temperament psychology
B) psychodynamic theory
C) structuralism
D) functionalism
E) Gestalt psychology

Question 56

Some people believe that money can buy happiness. Dr. Goodwin wants to determine whether paying people plays a role in their happiness. The level of happiness would be considered to be the ________ variable.

A) experimental
B) confounding
C) dependent
D) independent
E) control

Question 57

A psychology teacher wants to determine whether computer-aided learning will produce higher standardized test scores than a usual lecture format. In this example, the independent variable is the

A) individual students.
B) students' previous grades in psychology.
C) test scores.
D) students' interest in psychology.
E) method of instruction.

Question 58

The scientific method could best answer questions about whether

A) a particular behavior is sinful.
B) men or women are more violent.
C) cats can read minds.
D) or not Elvis was a great singer.
E) it is right or wrong to spank children.

Question 59

If I performed a study in the 1980s, and you wanted to see if my findings are still current in 2008, you could simply ________ my study today.

A) analyze
B) qualify
C) power
D) quantify
E) replicate

Question 60

A psychology teacher wants to determine whether computer-aided learning will produce higher standardized test scores than a usual lecture format. In this example, the dependent variable is the

A) individual students.
B) students' previous grades in psychology.
C) standardized test scores.
D) students' interest in psychology.
E) method of instruction.

Question 61

What is the main difference between an experiment and a correlational study?

A) A correlational study involves the manipulation of variables, while an experiment does not.
B) An experiment looks at the relationship between independent and dependent variables, while a correlational study looks at the relationship between within-group and between-group variables.
C) A correlational study looks at the relationship between independent and dependent variables, while an experiment looks at the relationship between within-group and between-group variables.
D) An experiment involves the manipulation of variables, while a correlational study does not.
E) An experiment involves naturalistic observation, while a correlational study involves laboratory work.

Question 62

If there is a positive correlation between the number of children a person has and their overall life satisfaction, we would find that people with more children

A) consistently find less satisfaction with their lives.
B) are less satisfied with their lives than are people with fewer children.
C) are no more or less satisfied than those with fewer children.
D) are more satisfied with their lives than are people with fewer children.
E) are less satisfied with their lives than they were before they had children.

Question 63

Professor Golder is studying hyperactivity in preschool age children. She is concerned that differences in child rearing, diet, and so forth may affect her results. To minimize these potential preexisting variables, she should be sure to do which of the following?

A) Use random assignment when forming her groups.
B) Include an independent variable.
C) Include a dependent variable.
D) Assign boys to the experimental group and girls to the control group.
E) Include multiple confounding variables.

Question 64

Jose is in a study to measure the effects of caffeine on mental performance. If Jose is given a caffeine-free beverage that tastes just like a beverage with caffeine, we would say that he is

A) in the experimental group.
B) in a correlational study.
C) receiving a placebo.
D) receiving the dependent variable.
E) participating in introspection research.

Question 65

Which type of research study would best be used to study the factors that shaped a notorious serial killer?

A) confounding
B) case study
C) introspection
D) naturalistic observation
E) experiment

Question 66

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

A) What is the effect of ingesting alcohol on problem-solving ability?
B) Does wall color affect the frequency of violence in prison populations?
C) Do students prefer a grading system with or without pluses and minuses?
D) What is the relationship between the number of hours of study per week and grade point average?
E) What is the relationship between alcohol consumption and driving ability?

Question 67

Which correlation coefficient is most likely to describe the relationship between brushing one's teeth and the number of cavities one gets?

A) -.62
B) .83
C) -.08
D) .45
E) -1.78

Question 68

Which of the following is NOT a drawback to correlational studies?

A) Researchers must give up some control of the research conditions.
B) One can never ensure that groups are comparable in every way.
C) Subjects cannot be assigned randomly to the various conditions.
D) The results may not hold true in the real world outside of the laboratory.
E) It cannot be determined whether one variable caused a change in the other.

Question 69

Alicia wants to understand the impact of peer pressure on adolescent behavior. She goes to a popular mall and observes the activities and interactions of a group of adolescents. Alicia is using

A) self-report measures.
B) naturalistic observation.
C) conditioning.
D) introspection.
E) a double-blind study.

Question 70

A case study would be the most appropriate method to investigate which of these topics?

A) the ways in which the games of boys differ from the games of girls
B) the development of a male baby raised as a female after a surgical error destroyed his penis
C) the math skills of students in Japan as compared to those of U.S. students
D) physiological changes that occur when people watch violent movies
E) the relationship between childhood nutrition and physical development

Question 71

Some research questions cannot be answered using human experiments because

A) some studies would be impractical or unethical.
B) randomization is often hard to achieve.
C) double-blind studies are usually dangerous to participants.
D) researchers know that their results usually will not be published.
E) they are not a very effective way to learn about cause-and-effect relationships.

Question 72

In the 1970s, a 13-year-old girl was found locked up in a room, strapped to a potty chair. Since she had grown up in a world without human speech, researchers studied "Genie's" ability to acquire words, grammar, and pronunciation. This type of research is called

A) a case study.
B) a representative sample.
C) a single-blind study.
D) a naturalistic observation.
E) correlational examination.

Question 73

If you could measure the height of each student in your introductory psychology class and the amount of money that each person has in their pockets right now, you would expect to find

A) a zero correlation.
B) a positive correlation.
C) a negative correlation.
D) that taller people have more money.
E) that shorter people have more money.

Question 74

If obese people tend to whistle less than slender people, what kind of correlation would be expected between weight and the tendency to whistle?

A) zero
B) positive
C) negative
D) random
E) minimal

Question 75

Experimenters can justify the use of deception if

A) there is informed consent.
B) research is more important than people.
C) it may be necessary for the experiment to work.
D) it is not that harmful.
E) there are no guidelines that prohibit any use of deception.

Question 76

How does conducting a double-blind study attempt to remedy the expectancy bias?

A) The experimenter does not know, but the participant does know, what condition the participant is assigned to.
B) The experimenter and the participant both know what condition the participant is assigned to.
C) The experimenter knows, but the participant does not know, what condition the participant is assigned to.
D) Neither the experimenter nor the participant knows what condition the participant is assigned to.
E) Neither the experimenter nor the participant knows that deception has been used in the study.

Question 77

A scientist who asks people which memory strategies they use in their daily lives would be said to be conducting a(n)

A) experiment.
B) case study.
C) survey.
D) clinical trial.
E) naturalistic observation.

Question 78

If a study finds that there is a negative correlation between exercise and blood pressure, this would most likely indicate that

A) exercise could be dangerous in terms of our blood pressure.
B) blood pressure changes alter our exercise patterns.
C) the more we exercise, the higher our blood pressure becomes.
D) exercise causes our blood pressure to rise.
E) people who exercise more tend to have a lower blood pressure.

Question 79

Hefner wants to test the effects of Viagra on sexual desire. Dr. Hefner's research assistant (who is unaware of what the study is testing) randomly gives 50 males the drug while 50 males receive a placebo. (The study subjects are also unaware of the treatment that they are getting.) This would be described as a

A) correlational study.
B) double-blind study.
C) study with no control group.
D) study with two independent variables.
E) study that would be difficult to replicate.

Question 80

Which type of research study would best be used to determine how aggressive children are while playing in a schoolyard during recess?

A) confounding
B) case study
C) introspection
D) naturalistic observation
E) experiment