Deck 4: Subject Matter, Methods, and the Making of a New Science

Question 1

Kant insisted that mental phenomena could not be studied in the same way as the natural sciences were studied.One aspect of his reasoning for this was

A)it is impossible to have a priori knowledge of the human mind.
B)there is no way to empirically prove the functions of the unconscious mind.
C)mental phenomena were the concern of philosophers alone.
D)none of the above

Answer 1

it is impossible to have a priori knowledge of the human mind.

Question 2

Theodor Fechner's law, previously referred to as Weber's law, can be described as

A)a theory whereby psychological and physical experiences are proposed to be distinct.
B)a mathematical law that describes the relationship between the physical world and a human's subjective experience of that world.
C)a mathematical law that examines the relationship between an individual's jnd and the average jnd of that person's peers.
D)Fechner's attempt to provide a mathematical solution to the mind-body problem.

Answer 2

a mathematical law that describes the relationship between the physical world and a human's subjective experience of that world.

Question 3

Wundt's method of experimental introspection could be distinguished from other forms of introspection because

A)Wundt used laboratory apparatus to standardize the presentation of stimuli to which subjects would respond.
B)his meticulous and detailed record keeping of all laboratory procedures was used to empirically demonstrate results.
C)Wundt required his subjects to free-associate to stimuli.
D)it was more mathematical.

Answer 3

Wundt used laboratory apparatus to standardize the presentation of stimuli to which subjects would respond.

Question 4

Wilhelm Wundt started his academic career as an assistant to

A)Hermann von Helmholtz.
B)Ernst Heinrich Weber.
C)Theodor Fechner.
D)Fritz Ringer

Question 5

Which 18th-century philosopher believed that humans never directly experience the pure reality of things?

A)David Hume
B)Immanuel Kant
C)Jean-Jacques Rousseau
D)Johann Friedrich Herbart

Question 6

Psychophysics can be defined as

A)a natural science whereby the connection between the mind and the body is examined empirically.
B)a branch of study involving the physical measurement and quantification of psychological phenomena.
C)the application of psychological knowledge to the physical world.
D)a hybrid of scientific methodologies, including psychical and physiological sciences.

Question 7

Universities that were opening in the United States in the late 1800s and early 1900s were offering graduate programs that were distinctly research focused.One early example of such a university was

A)Vassar College.
B)Johns Hopkins University.
C)Harvard College.
D)none of the above

Question 8

The method of study developed by Wundt and used in his laboratory came to be known as

A)experimental psychology.
B)psychological introspection.
C)experimental introspection.
D)introspective research methodology.

Question 9

Lernfreiheit can be defined as ____, while Lehrfreiheit can be defined as ____.

A)freedom to teach; freedom to learn
B)freedom to learn; freedom to teach
C)independent thought; freedom to learn
D)freedom to teach; independent thought

Question 10

Wilhelm Dilthey's human scientific critique of experimental psychology was one of the most significant alternatives to the Wundtian tradition.Dilthey stated that

A)atomism was the best approach to understanding psychological processes.
B)prediction and control were appropriate goals for psychology.
C)basic mental processes were the appropriate subject matter for psychology.
D)experience in its totality was the appropriate subject matter for psychology.

Question 11

Many influential German philosophers and scientists, such as Kant, Hermann von Helmholtz, and Fechner, facilitated the emergence of a science of Psychology.Although there are several reasons for the strong German influence on the emergence of a scientific psychology, a particularly important aspect of the context in which these figures worked was

A)the structure of the German university system.
B)German Kultur.
C)Lehrfreiheit and Lernfreiheit.
D)all of the above

Question 12

Ernst Heinrich Weber's formulation of the just-noticeable difference (jnd) refers to

A)sensory discrimination's reliance on the absolute difference between the original stimulus and the comparison stimulus.
B)the difference between one sensory experience and another as determined subjectively.
C)the individual differences among people in their ability to discriminate among stimuli of various intensities.
D)the smallest increase in the physical intensity of a stimulus that can be reliably discriminated as a sensory experience.

Question 13

Descartes believed that the interactions between the body and the mind occurred in

A)the pineal gland.
B)the amygdala.
C)the prefrontal cortex.
D)the heart.

Question 14

Wundt's 1874 publication Principles of Physiological Psychology was important in the development of psychology as a discipline because

A)it merged experimental physiology and psychological introspection to create the field of experimental psychology.
B)it clearly separated psychology from psychical research.
C)it stated that all of psychology was amenable to experimental investigation.
D)it provided a mathematical foundation for the new scientific psychology.

Question 15

Atomism refers to

A)a branch of scientific study typically used by geologists during the late 1800s.
B)a variation of traditional atomic theory with applications to a greater number of natural sciences.
C)breaking subject matter into its smallest elements for study.
D)the use of psychological knowledge to assist with atomic warfare.

Question 16

The German university system and educational tradition differed dramatically from other European or American models of schooling because

A)German universities had a strict institutional structure compared to the open atmospheres of American and French universities.
B)German universities did not require any formal examinations.
C)German universities focused on creating an open atmosphere of learning where students and professors could explore chosen topics of interest.
D)German universities were secular, while all American and French universities were religiously based.

Question 17

The Galtonian tradition in psychology can be described as

A)associationistic.
B)focused on the distribution of psychological characteristics in large numbers of individuals in a population.
C)focused on understanding the processes of the individual human mind.
D)focused on understanding abnormal experiences to inform us about normal experiences.

Question 18

Herbart created an extension of Kant's philosophical system, which involved

A)assigning numbers to psychological experiences and creating a mathematical system of psychology.
B)creating a complex system of symbols to represent certain psychological phenomena.
C)using statistical computations to evaluate the relationship between mental and physical phenomena.
D)examining the phenomenal world empirically.

Question 19

The German term Wissenschaften refers to the idea that

A)students should be provided with publicly funded education.
B)science should be offered at all levels of the curriculum.
C)all students should be provided with strong and dedicated mentors.
D)all manner of topics can be investigated with a scientific attitude.

Question 20

The term noumenal world refers to

A)René Descartes's expression of the interaction between the mind and the body.
B)Immanuel Kant's theory that when the external world encounters the human mind it is transformed.
C)a Kantian concept that the external world consists of objects in a pure state, independent of human experience.
D)the idea that all knowledge is gained through experience.

Question 21

Which American scholar argued that consciousness was not a private matter of the individual?

A)John B.Watson
B)James McKeen Cattell
C)Ralph Barton Perry
D)Burrhus Frederic Skinner

Question 22

What was Calkins's suggestion to psychologists, reflecting her reaction to Watson's behaviorist manifesto?

A)That psychologists could continue to use introspection as a method for studying consciousness but that this should be the study of the conscious self in relation to its environment
B)That they abandon introspection as Watson proposed and focus on making psychology of greater practical use
C)To be wary of any position that eliminates consciousness as a focus of study
D)To be wary of the use of animals in psychological research

Question 23

Watson believed humans were born with which of the following three basic emotions?

A)Fear, rage, and love
B)Sadness, love, and rage
C)Fear, love, and happiness
D)Happiness, anger, and sadness

Question 24

The psychotechnic method was developed by ____ and is described as ____.

A)Hugo Münsterberg; scientifically matching the right worker to the right job to maximize workplace efficiency
B)Wilhelm Wundt; the merging of psychological methods with technology to create more empirically sound research results
C)Hugo Münsterberg; the empirical testing of physical measurements and the quantification of psychological phenomena
D)Wilhelm Wundt; the German method of workplace organizational psychology

Question 25

Watson, although one of the most influential figures in North American psychology, was asked to leave academia because of

A)his inability to accept a psychology that was not purely behaviorist in methods.
B)academic misconduct at Johns Hopkins University.
C)the highly unethical procedures during the famous Little Albert experiment.
D)his affair with a research assistant.

Question 26

The work of Russian physiologist Ivan Pavlov was influential in

A)dismantling the emphasis on introspection in American psychology.
B)creating the theoretical opening for work on physiological processes in psychology.
C)bringing the new science of Psychology to Russia, where it was previously nonexistent.
D)introducing the use of animals in laboratory studies.

Question 27

Which American psychologist is often referred to as the "father of behaviorism"?

A)Burrhus Frederic Skinner
B)John B.Watson
C)Ivan Pavlov
D)James Mark Baldwin

Question 28

One of the most influential early figures in the development of psychology in the United States was

A)Francis Galton.
B)Mary Whiton Calkins.
C)John B.Watson.
D)William James.