Deck 1: Introduction

Question 1

The __________ method refers to a process for conducting an objective inquiry through data collection and analysis.

A) investigative
B) experimental
C) empirical
D) scientific

Answer 1

scientific

Question 2

Which of the following is found in the definition of the term Psychology?

A) Scientific study
B) Cognition
C) Relationships
D) Experimental methods

Answer 2

Scientific study

Question 3

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) hypothesis
B) dependent variable
C) formulation
D) theory

Answer 3

hypothesis

Question 4

Luther is a graduate student in clinical psychology,and his thesis research centers around uncovering the precursors of generalized anxiety disorder in college undergraduates.The main question he is asking is,"Why do college undergraduate students seem more susceptible to the symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder than non-students of the same age?" Which goal of psychology is Luther's research exploring?

A) Description
B) Explanation
C) Prediction
D) Control

Question 5

Luther is a graduate student in clinical psychology,and his thesis research centers around uncovering useful treatments for generalized anxiety disorder in college undergraduates.The main question he is asking is,"What are the most effective treatments for reducing the symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder in college undergraduate students." Which goal of psychology is Luther's research exploring?

A) Description
B) Explanation
C) Prediction
D) Control

Question 6

Which of the following is an accurate synonym for the term 'hypothesis'?

A) An educated guess.
B) A conclusion based on gathered data.
C) An answer to a question that is based on logic.
D) An untestable supposition.

Question 7

Dr.Esterson is studying the effect of caffeine on laboratory rats.He has decided that he will give the rats 100 milligrams of caffeine three times a day,and then run them through mazes at various points to see if there is any change in the time it takes to complete the maze.Based on his review of existing research addressing this topic,Dr.Esterson believes that the rats will complete the maze the fastest immediately after they ingest the caffeine.Dr.Esterson's belief about the results he will find is called a(n):

A) covariate.
B) construct.
C) theory.
D) hypothesis.

Question 8

Psychologists use the scientific method for all but which of the following purposes?

A) Explanation
B) Supposition
C) Prediction
D) Control

Question 9

Until very recently,approximately 130 years ago,psychology was considered to be a branch of __________.

A) Biology
B) Physiology
C) Philosophy
D) Religion

Question 10

"I wonder why Jim is so mean to Louise," Mary commented to Sheila over coffee."Maybe other people have always been mean to him,and so he is really angry all of the time.Maybe that makes him treat Louise badly,even though they are supposed to be in love," replies Sheila.According to the scientific method,Sheila has just posed a ________.

A) theory
B) problem
C) hypothesis
D) relative truth

Question 11

Once you have established a problem that can be studied empirically the next step is to identify the variables that will be investigated.How many variables that can change throughout an experiment should a researcher investigate?

A) Only one variable should change throughout the experiment.
B) There are exactly three variables that should change throughout the experiment.
C) The number of variables that change can differ based on the particular research question.
D) It is impossible to limit the number of variables that can change throughout an experiment.

Question 12

Testing a hypothesis is the fourth step in a scientific investigation.This step is derived from which goal of psychology?

A) describing
B) explaining
C) predicting
D) controlling

Question 13

Why is it optimal for a researcher to ensure that only one variable changes throughout an experiment?

A) Because more than one variable creates a statistical nightmare that is exceedingly difficult to interpret.
B) Because multiple variables will require more research participants, and thus more funding.
C) Because more than one variable changing can influence our results and lead to incorrect conclusions.
D) Because the definition of a true experiment is that only one variable should change at a time; otherwise, it is not an experiment.

Question 14

Identifying a problem is the first step in a scientific investigation.This step is derived from which goal of psychology?

A) describing
B) explaining
C) predicting
D) controlling

Question 15

The view that knowledge originates through experience is called __________.

A) scientology
B) structuralism
C) empiricism
D) functionalism

Question 16

Maggie was sent to the school psychologist for an intelligence test.Based on the results of that test,it was decided that she would do well in the gifted child program.This is an example of which goal of psychology?

A) Describing behavior
B) Explaining behavior
C) Predicting behavior
D) Controlling behavior

Question 17

Lizette is having a conversation with her sister,Drew,who happens to be a psychology researcher."You know,I really don't understand how you can claim that psychology is a science," Lizette says."You just ask questions and guess as to what the right answer is!" Drew smiles at Lizette and says "Well,I don't think that you understand much about psychology,sis! We believe in empiricism,which means that

A) "the use of logic is an adequate means with which to draw conclusions to problems."
B) "new knowledge comes from our experiences."
C) "there really is no right or wrong, but rather just individual perspectives."
D) "as long as you cannot disprove a researcher's findings, that research is valid."

Question 18

After a researcher has identified a problem that (s)he would like to explore,what is the next step in the scientific method?

A) Report the question to established professional journals so that other researchers can get to work trying to find an answer.
B) Gather data that can be used to generate a hypothesis about the research question.
C) Formulate a hypothesis, or an educated guess, as to what the answer to the research question will be.
D) Conduct background research to see what others have found about the question being explored.

Question 19

Forming a hypothesis is the third step in a scientific investigation.This step is derived from which goal of psychology?

A) describing
B) explaining
C) predicting
D) controlling

Question 20

What is the main reason why many people do not believe that psychology is a science?

A) Because much of what psychologists study may be personally experienced.
B) Because much of what psychologists study are abstract concepts that have no bearing on the real world.
C) Because psychology does not use the rigorous research methodologies of the 'hard sciences' like physics and chemistry.
D) Because the uniqueness and individuality of every human being makes it truly impossible to generate any scientifically based theories that apply to larger groups of people.

Question 21

Dr.Hendricks conducts a thorough experimental investigation into the effects of alcohol consumption on the driving ability of college students.He concludes that even small amounts of alcohol - less than would make a person legally intoxicated - can still have very serious effects on one's ability to safely operate a motor vehicle.According to the scientific method,what should Dr.Hendricks do with his conclusions?

A) Report the findings by publishing in a scholarly journal or presenting at a research conference.
B) Make sure to tell his students that alcohol is not safe, so that his research can potentially save lives.
C) Hold onto his findings until he has conducted the same experiment several more times to verify his findings.
D) Contact the local newspaper so that he can let the general public know what he found.

Question 22

Dr.Llewellyn conducted research into the effects of classroom temperature on exam score,and hypothesized that subjects who took a test in a colder room would do better on that test than subjects who took a test in a warmer room.After he gathered his data,he found exactly the opposite of what he hypothesized.What should Dr.Llewellyn do now?

A) He should use a different research method so that he can find ways of proving his hypothesis.
B) He should look for other explanations for his observations and construct a new hypothesis.
C) He should find a new research question, because research is not valuable when our hypotheses are disproven by the data.
D) He should conduct his research again repeatedly until he gets the data that he was expecting.

Question 23

In 1879 in Germany,the first psychological laboratory was developed by __________.

A) Edward Titchener
B) Sigmund Freud
C) Max Wertheimer
D) Wilhelm Wundt

Question 24

What is the best analogy for Wundt's and Titchener's goals for the scientific discipline of psychology?

A) A musical score with many notes on it.
B) An artist's palette with various colors at different locations.
C) A list of the types of clothing sold at all of the stores in a shopping mall.
D) A chart listing the basic chemical elements and their various physical properties.

Question 25

Byron was reading an article in the New York Times that discussed the effectiveness of a new medication for those suffering from scleroderma.The article interviewed the medicine's inventor,who gave a plethora of information as to why this medication is safe,effective,and economical.Because Byron is a critical thinker,he is cautious in his acceptance of the article's claims.Why?

A) Byron understands that anything printed in a newspaper should be viewed with caution because it is not a scholarly journal.
B) Byron knows that medical science cannot possibly produce a medication that can be both effective and safe while also being economical.
C) The article does not actually report on the methods used in the research, so the methods must have something wrong with them.
D) Byron knows that the medicine's inventor may have an agenda that influences his interpretation of the research into the safety and effectiveness of the new medicine.

Question 26

The school of psychology called structuralism used a technique called __________,which involved reporting the contents of consciousness to study a person's experiences.

A) intervention
B) introspection
C) introjection
D) induction

Question 27

__________ is often credited as being the father of modern psychology.

A) Wilhelm Wundt
B) Plato
C) Sigmund Freud
D) William James

Question 28

The very last step of the scientific method is to

A) Conduct background research.
B) Test your hypothesis.
C) Generate a theory.
D) Report you results.

Question 29

Titchener believed psychologists should analyze complex experiences in terms of __________.

A) individual emotions and sensations.
B) a stream of consciousness.
C) learned behaviors.
D) actualizing experiences.

Question 30

____________ thinking is a way of processing information in which a person examines assumptions,evaluates evidence,looks for hidden agendas,and assesses conclusions.

A) Empirical
B) Subjective
C) Critical
D) Psychological

Question 31

Which of the following is the most important reason why researchers should report their results?

A) So that other researchers can use those findings as the basis for future investigation.
B) Because research is a "publish or perish" world and failure to report your findings means that you will probably lose your job.
C) Because research is not considered valuable until others have lent their support to it.
D) So that the subjects who were investigated can go to professional journals and read the findings.

Question 32

Which of the following terms belong together?

A) structuralism; observable behavior
B) Gestalt; parts
C) psychoanalysis; free will
D) purpose; functionalism

Question 33

"People who have relationship difficulties clearly have unresolved unconscious issues that remain from difficult experiences during childhood," a researcher hypothesizes.What is the basic error of this hypothetical statement?

A) It is too subjective, and may be based on the researcher's own personal issues.
B) It is not based on any specific, clearly stated problem.
C) The researcher's hypothesis cannot be proven or disproven and thus is not open to scientific inquiry.
D) The hypothesis has been presented before any empirical data was collected to verify it.

Question 34

Which of the following would be a good title for a book discussing the scientific method?

A) "The Rules: Do NOT bend!"
B) "The Scientific Method: Different processes for different questions."
C) "The Scientific Method: Why empiricism is the wrong way to go."
D) "Science vs. Logic: Who would win?"

Question 35

Who was the first philosopher to investigate Socrates's idea that the mind is distinct from the body?

A) René Descartes
B) John Locke
C) Aristotle
D) Wilhelm Wundt

Question 36

What did John Locke mean when he stated that the human mind is a tabula rasa?

A) Human beings are naturally evil.
B) We are like sponges that can only hold a specific amount of information.
C) We are born with no innate knowledge.
D) We are nothing more than the sum of our chromosomes, and we can never exceed the restrictions of genetics.

Question 37

A psychologist who adheres to the functionalist school of thought is staring at a banana.Which of the following statements is she most likely to make?

A) I see a long, curved, yellow object with a dark stem at one end.
B) I think that banana would really take the edge off of my hunger right now.
C) I see a banana.
D) I see a series of curved lines converging at two points, with the color yellow in between them. There is also a small "u"-shaped line connected to one conversion point for the other lines. The color brown is inside of it.

Question 38

The structuralists believed that elements of consciousness could be studied through a method called "introspection," which means __________.

A) looking inward
B) critical evaluation
C) internal dialogues
D) perspective hypothesis

Question 39

Which student of Wilhelm Wundt eventually developed the school of psychological thought known as structuralism?

A) Max Wertheimer
B) William James.
C) John Locke
D) Edward Titchener

Question 40

Which of the following statements best summarizes the concept known as dualism?

A) We are all alone in the world until we found a person with whom we can share our innermost secrets.
B) The mind exists as an entity that is separate from the body.
C) All research requires the presents of exactly two variables - one independent and one dependent variable.
D) Psychology is the result of the merging of two disciplines - biology and philosophy.

Question 41

Modern psychotherapy developed primarily from the theories and ideas of __________.

A) Carl Jung
B) Sigmund Freud
C) Max Wertheimer
D) Phil McGraw

Question 42

You are trying to convince a friend to go out for a night on the town,but she refuses,saying "I just have so much to get done and I don't want to leave it until the last minute." You try to convince her to stop being so responsible and to have some fun,but she refuses.Finally,in a fit of frustration,you yell "Why are you so anal all of the time?" Your friend,a psychology major,laughs at you and says "Gee,I didn't know that you believed in the psychological theories of __________."

A) B.F. Skinner
B) Charles Darwin
C) Abraham Maslow
D) Sigmund Freud

Question 43

What scientific limitation was shared by structuralism,functionalism,and psychoanalytic theory?

A) All three theories proposed that women were naturally inferior to men.
B) All three theories were difficult, if not impossible, to test scientifically.
C) All three theories were developed in Europe, and therefore do not apply to people from other continents.
D) All three theories opposed the prevailing religious views of their times.

Question 44

Which of the following statements is accurate regarding the early perspectives of structuralism and functionalism?

A) Neither perspective is still actively endorsed, but both perspectives had influence on modern topics in psychology.
B) Structuralism died out almost immediately, but functionalism remains a driving force in the field of psychology.
C) Structuralism turned into the psychoanalytic school of thought, and functionalism turned into the behavioral school of thought in psychology.
D) Structuralism and functionalism remain the two most widely held perspectives in the field of psychology.

Question 45

A psychologist who adheres to the Gestalt school is staring at a banana.Which of the following statements is she most likely to make?

A) I see a long, curved, yellow object with a dark stem at one end.
B) I think that banana would really take the edge off of my hunger right now.
C) I see a banana.
D) I see a series of curved lines converging at two points, with the color yellow in between them. There is also a small "u"-shaped line connected to one conversion point for the other lines. The color brown is inside of it.

Question 46

In order to demonstrate the principles of behaviorism,John B.Watson and Rosalie Rayner famously proved that they could teach an 11-month old child to be afraid of a __________.

A) black spider.
B) white rat.
C) loud bell.
D) strange man.

Question 47

Which psychologist,who was mentored by William James,was one of the first prominent women in the field?

A) Anna Freud
B) Margaret Floy Washburn
C) Mary Calkins
D) May Clark

Question 48

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

A) structuralism
B) interpretive functionalism
C) Gestalt psychology
D) evolutionary psychology

Question 49

William James is to functionalism as __________ is to Gestalt psychology.

A) Helmut Stricker
B) Carl Jung
C) Max Wertheimer
D) Carl Rogers

Question 50

You are a psychologist who is a devout follower of the work of B.F.Skinner.Your young child is trying to learn how to tie her shoes,and in order to help her you give her an M&M every time she gets one step closer to her goal.This strategy - the use of __________ - is the basis of Skinner's theory.

A) reinforcement
B) unconscious bolsters
C) developmental scaffolds
D) unconditional stimuli

Question 51

Which of the following approaches to psychology would probably be least concerned with unconscious processes?

A) psychoanalytic theory
B) functionalism
C) cognitive psychology
D) behaviorism

Question 52

The class is playing a game of Jeopardy! and it is your turn."I'll take Pioneers in Psychology for $50." The revealed answer is "Gave great attention to the primary sexual drives of human beings as a main tenet of his theory." Just before the buzzer sounds,what would you say?

A) "Who is B.F. Skinner?"
B) "Who are the humanists?"
C) "Who is Sigmund Freud?"
D) "Who are the behaviorists?"

Question 53

Which of the following is an accurate English translation of the German word "gestalt?"

A) whole
B) psychology
C) conscious
D) personality

Question 54

According to Freud,human beings are motivated primarily by __________ drives,forbidden desires,and traumatic childhood memories.

A) sexual
B) primary
C) secondary
D) immature

Question 55

What would have been John B.Watson's biggest objection to the theories of Sigmund Freud and the psychodynamic school of thought?

A) The unconscious is not the same in every human being, and so it is not a stable concept that can be explored scientifically.
B) Freud's theories do not acknowledge that there is any influence of our environment upon our psychological development.
C) Freud's theories, and the psychodynamic approach that followed, were far too conservative and limited by the Victorian times in which he lived.
D) Freud's main concept, the unconscious, was an internal process that could not be observed, measured, or validated.

Question 56

Proponents of the __________ school of thought felt that psychology should concentrate on observable behavior that can be directly measured and recorded.

A) Gestalt
B) psychodynamic
C) behavioral
D) cognitive

Question 57

The ideas that mental associations allow us to benefit from experiences and that consciousness should be studied in terms of how it allows us to adapt to our environments are central to __________.

A) functionalism.
B) structuralism.
C) pragmatism.
D) behaviorism.

Question 58

"The whole is greater than the sum of its parts" is a statement that would most appropriately be associated with the ___________ perspective.

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

Question 59

For Freud,much of our behavior is controlled by __________.

A) environmental stimuli
B) mental Gestalts
C) unconscious desires
D) mental associations

Question 60

When a person looks at a house,a Gestalt psychologist says that they see

A) an image that is filtered through their need to re-experience their past homes.
B) a philosophical mystery regarding the permanence of any object.
C) a collection of doors and windows.
D) a house.

Question 61

"Men are more likely to cheat on their partners because of a biologically wired need to increase their chance of creating offspring to pass along their genetic code." This statement would most likely be uttered by a(n)__________ psychologist.

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

Question 62

Suppose you were a graduate student studying for a Ph.D.in psychology in the 1920s.Your advisor was 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) The mighty unconscious: Are we servants of its whim?
D) I'm okay, you're okay. All the rest are nuts.

Question 63

The development of __________ stimulated new insight and inquiry about the workings of human thought processes.This is the basis of cognitive psychology.

A) computers
B) calculators
C) airplanes
D) televisions

Question 64

A noted scientist argues that psychology should scientifically study how people process information,and then use that information to solve problems.This scientist is probably a(n)__________ psychologist.

A) humanistic
B) structural
C) physiological
D) cognitive

Question 65

John B.Watson was to __________ as Carl Rogers was to __________.

A) psychodynamic theory; behaviorism
B) evolutionary psychology; cognitive psychology
C) humanistic psychology; cognitive psychology
D) behaviorism; humanistic psychology

Question 66

You attend a lecture by a psychologist who keeps using terms like reaching one's potential and self-actualization.This psychologist has been most influenced by the theories of ____________?

A) John Locke
B) Plato
C) William James
D) Abraham Maslow

Question 67

In the Nature vs.Nurture debate,Morgan falls strictly on the side of 'nature'.Which of the following statements about human personality might Morgan be most inclined to agree with?

A) There is no such thing as 'personality', but instead we merely demonstrate learned responses, or habits, that make it look like we have a personality.
B) Each person has free will, so we have the ability to choose whatever personality we think will bring us the best outcomes.
C) We have some genetic influence on our personality, but who we become is really a product of the environment in which we are raised.
D) We are all born with the personality that we will develop, and our surroundings cannot change it.

Question 68

Which of the following would you be least likely to hear emphasized by a humanistic psychologist?

A) self-actualization
B) unconscious motives
C) free will
D) self-expression

Question 69

A psychologist argues that human characteristics such as jealousy and violence emerged hundreds of thousands of years ago because they were linked to reproductive success.This psychologist is most likely a(n)__________ psychologist.

A) evolutionary
B) cognitive
C) positive
D) behavioral

Question 70

Modern approaches to psychology __________.

A) are becoming more and more mutually exclusive of each other.
B) have become more and more dominated by behavioral and biological approaches.
C) have become increasingly dominated by Freudian and mentalistic approaches.
D) tend to complement each other, with each approach contributing in its own way to our understanding of human behavior.

Question 71

Memory,perception,learning,intelligence,language,and problem solving are all areas that are of particular interest to a __________ psychologist.

A) humanistic
B) cognitive
C) industrial/organizational
D) evolutionary

Question 72

The most prominent and rapidly advancing perspective in modern psychology is __________ psychology.

A) humanistic
B) structural
C) physiological
D) cognitive

Question 73

Which of the following pairs is associated with the earliest development of behaviorism?

A) Pavlov and Watson
B) Skinner and Thorndike
C) Skinner and Pavlov
D) Watson and James

Question 74

Why is Watson and Rayner's famous study demonstrating the learning of fear in a young boy unlikely to ever be repeated?

A) Evolutionary psychology has given us an innate resistance to the fear of harmless animals.
B) Behaviorism, which formed the basis of Watson and Rayner's theory, is no longer a viable psychological perspective.
C) There are serious questions about the ethics of inducing fear in a child for research purposes.
D) The child in the initial study was irreversibly damaged from the experiment, and Watson and Rayner recanted their own findings as a result of that damage.

Question 75

Which approach to psychology focuses on self-esteem,self-expression,and individual potential?

A) Positive psychology
B) Humanistic psychology
C) Evolutionary psychology
D) Behavioral psychology

Question 76

A boy is taught to fear a rat by pairing the rat with a frightening noise.This is an example of __________.

A) modeling.
B) shaping.
C) social learning.
D) conditioning.

Question 77

In the Nature vs.Nurture debate,Morgan falls strictly on the side of 'nurture'.Which of the following statements about human personality might Morgan be most inclined to agree with?

A) There is no such thing as 'personality', but instead we merely demonstrate learned responses, or habits, that make it look like we have a personality.
B) Each person has free will, so we have the ability to choose whatever personality we think will bring us the best outcomes.
C) We are all born as blank slates, and the personality we develop is a function of our environments and surroundings.
D) We are all born with the personality that we will develop, and our surroundings cannot change it.

Question 78

Which pair of scientists shared the most similar views of behavior?

A) William James and Wilhelm Wundt
B) B.F. Skinner and Max Wertheimer
C) Carl Rogers and Edward Titchener
D) Ivan Pavlov and John B. Watson

Question 79

In the early part of the 1900s,psychologists who broke down thought processes into their basic elements or functions were called structuralists or functionalists.What term might we use to describe psychologists in today's world who are similarly interested in understanding human thought processes?

A) cognitive psychologists
B) evolutionary psychologists
C) humanistic psychologists
D) psychodynamic psychologists

Question 80

The principles of evolutionary psychology are founded on the work of __________.

A) Heidegger
B) Locke
C) Darwin
D) Maslow