Deck 1: What Is Psychology

Question 1

In contrast to structuralists, Gestalt psychologists claimed that one cannot explain human perceptions, emotions, or thought processes in terms of basic units. 

Answer 1

True

Question 2

According to structuralists, maladaptive behavior patterns tend to drop out, and only the fittest behavior patterns survive. 

Answer 2

False

Question 3

Ravi is unable to choose the right career path after completing his college education. He plans to visit a psychologist who might help him find the right career. In this scenario, Ravi is most likely to visit a human factors psychologist. 

Answer 3

False

Question 4

Structuralists emphasized the tendency to organize perceptions into wholes and to integrate separate stimuli into meaningful patterns. 

Question 5

In the context of psychological researches, debriefing is the process of explaining the purposes and methods of a completed procedure to a participant. 

Question 6

In an experiment, the presence of dependent variables does not depend on the independent variables. 

Question 7

Erik Erikson focused more on unconscious processes and less on conscious choice and self-direction. 

Question 8

In the 1940s and 1950s, psychodynamic theory dominated the practice of psychotherapy. 

Question 9

Psychoanalysis is the name of the theory of personality developed by Sigmund Freud but not the method of psychotherapy he had developed. 

Question 10

Paulina is a kindergarten teacher. Every time one of her students answers correctly during her alphabet classes, she uses phrases like "Well done" and "Keep it up." Her behavior exemplifies reinforcement. 

Question 11

Structuralists tended to ask, "How do behavior and mental processes help people adapt to the requirements of their lives?"
 

Question 12

Many case studies are clinical; that is, they are descriptions of a person's psychological problems and how a psychologist treated them. 

Question 13

As opposed to a dependent variable, an independent variable is manipulated by the experimenters so that its effects may be determined. 

Question 14

According to the ethical guidelines of the American Psychological Association, animals cannot be harmed under any circumstance while conducting research. 

Question 15

In a stratified sample, each member of a population has an equal chance of being selected to participate. 

Question 16

Personality psychologists are concerned with the nature and causes of individuals' thoughts, feelings, and behavior in social situations. 

Question 17

Sociocultural psychologists study those things we refer to as the mind. 

Question 18

Case studies are subject to inaccuracies. 

Question 19

In a study conducted to test the effect of a medicine, one group of participants is given the medicine while another group is not. The latter would be considered an experimental group. 

Question 20

Social-cognitive theorists grant cognition a key role in studying and explaining behavior. 

Question 21

Carl is conducting a study to determine the effects of the new technology-assisted learning methods among students. As part of this study, he has selected a group of university students, male and female, in the age group of 18 to 24 years. These students have been using the new methods of learning. In terms of research methodology, this group best describes a _____. 

A)control group  
B)population  
C)placebo group  
D)sample

Question 22

Ned is feeling stressed because of his workload in office. He is also experiencing insomnia with rapid weight loss. Ned's condition is an example of a__________correlation. 

A)horizontal  
B)negative  
C)lateral  
D)positive

Question 23

A(n) _____ primarily focuses on the relationships between people and work. 

A)industrial psychologist  
B)human factors psychologist  
C)forensic psychologist  
D)consumer psychologist

Question 24

Which of the following statements is true of William James's contribution to psychology?  

A)He argued that the stream of consciousness was fluid and continuous. 
B)He theorized that experience can be broken down into objective sensations and subjective feelings. 
C)He pointed out that people were social creatures who influenced one another. 
D)He believed that organisms learn to behave only through reinforcement.

Question 25

Which of the following statements is true of the experimental method of research?  

A)In the experimental method of research, participants in control groups obtain the treatment being tested. 
B)The experimental method fails to answer questions about cause and effect. 
C)In the experimental method of research, participants in experimental groups do not obtain the treatment being tested. 
D)The experimental method allows psychologists to control the experiences of participants and draw conclusions about cause and effect.

Question 26

Identify a true statement about social-cognitive theorists. 

A)They believe that people are typically good and are predisposed to exhibit ethical conduct. 
B)They note that people engage in intentional learning by observing others. 
C)They define psychology as the scientific study of behavior, not of behavior and mental processes. 
D)They believe that human social behavior is solely based on hereditary principles.

Question 27

Which of the following is true of Aristotle's contribution to psychology?  

A)He held that people's behavior should be analyzed subjectively and not objectively. 
B)He suggested that one could think of behavior in terms of a body and a mind. 
C)He argued that human behavior is subject to rules and laws. 
D)He pointed out that people's behavior is solely influenced by external stimulation.

Question 28

Which of the following was proposed by functionalists?  

A)Experience can be broken down into objective sensations and subjective feelings. 
B)Direct observations of human behavior in the laboratory cannot supplement introspection. 
C)Adaptive behavior patterns are learned and maintained. 
D)Our lives are governed by unconscious ideas and impulses that originate in childhood conflicts.

Question 29

__________are different from clinical psychologists in that their clients typically have adjustment problems, such as trouble making academic or vocational decisions or making friends in college, but not serious psychological disorders. 

A)Personality psychologists  
B)Organizational psychologists  
C)Developmental psychologists  
D)Counseling psychologists

Question 30

Brandon is a psychologist who is studying the relationship between heredity and mood disorders. He strongly believes that behavior and mental processes have a connection with the brain, hormones, heredity, and evolution. Brandon's beliefs are most consistent with the _____ perspective. 

A)psychodynamic  
B)cognitive  
C)biological  
D)humanistic-existential

Question 31

_____ specialize in basic processes such as the nervous system, sensation and perception, learning and memory, thought, motivation, and emotion. 

A)Forensic psychologists  
B)Clinical psychologists  
C)Personality psychologists  
D)Experimental psychologists

Question 32

Julie's research work requires her to interview a sample of 200 people within two months. She needs to gather data about the sample group's attitude toward certain situations through a questionnaire, but she has limited time to gather the information. Which of the following methods should Julie use to gather the required information?  

A)The survey method  
B)The placebo method  
C)Naturalistic observation  
D)The experimental method

Question 33

_____ was a founder of the school of functionalism. 

A)B. F. Skinner  
B)Wilhelm Wundt  
C)William James  
D)Kurt Koffka

Question 34

The measured results, or outcomes, in an experiment are called__________. 

A)dependent variables  
B)volunteer biases  
C)correlation coefficients  
D)stratified samples

Question 35

Which of the following is a drawback of case studies?  

A)Interviewers may influence participants to give responses that suit their expectations. 
B)Case studies are not descriptive and hence do not offer substantial information about participants. 
C)Interviewers are required to disclose personal information about clients. 
D)Case studies do not collect information about small groups.

Question 36

Wilhelm Wundt used__________to try to discover the basic elements of experience. 

A)introspection  
B)reinforcement  
C)psychoanalysis  
D)existentialism

Question 37

Famous neoanalysts such as Karen Horney and Erik Erikson differ from earlier psychodynamic practitioners in that they:  

A)emphasized on environmental influences and the learning of habits through repetition. 
B)focused less on unconscious processes and more on conscious choice and self-direction. 
C)focused on the evolution of behavior in order to understand the human psyche. 
D)believed that people perceive separate pieces of information as integrated wholes.

Question 38

Since 15 percent of a university comprises Asian-American students, a sample for a study was chosen in such way that it, too, consisted of 15 percent Asian-Americans. This kind of sample would be an example of a__________. 

A)random sample  
B)static sample  
C)crowd sample  
D)stratified sample

Question 39

Which of the following statements is true about the different types of psychologists?  

A)Counseling psychologists deal exclusively with clients who suffer from serious psychological disorders. 
B)Clinical psychologists help clients resolve problems and change self-defeating behavior. 
C)School psychologists focus on planning instructional methods for a school system rather than on individual children. 
D)Health psychologists apply psychology to the criminal justice system.

Question 40

Which of the following is a defining characteristic of biologically oriented psychologists?  

A)They believe that self-awareness, experience, and choice permit us to invent ourselves and our ways of relating to the world as we progress through life. 
B)They study the influences of ethnicity, gender, culture, and socioeconomic status on behavior and mental processes. 
C)They investigate the ways we perceive and mentally represent the world, remember the past, plan for the future, solve problems, form judgments, make decisions, and use language. 
D)They study the role of heredity in behavior and mental processes such as psychological disorders, criminal behavior, and thinking.

Question 41

Gestalt psychologists believe that learning:  

A)can take place only through positive reinforcement. 
B)is very responsive and mechanical. 
C)is based only on overt behavior. 
D)could be active and purposeful.

Question 42

Jane is a practicing psychologist who assesses the mental status of people charged with crimes and shares her findings with the courts. Jane is most likely a(n) _____. 

A)health psychologist  
B)forensic psychologist  
C)industrial psychologist  
D)environmental psychologist

Question 43

The construction of a factory near Valley Mont Elementary School adversely affected the concentration of the students in the school. In order to help the students cope with this problem, the principal of the school invited a(n) _____ who was experienced in dealing with humans and their interactions with their surroundings. 

A)forensic psychologist  
B)social psychologist  
C)environmental psychologist  
D)industrial psychologist

Question 44

Social-cognitive theorists:  

A)suggest that people can modify and create their environments. 
B)primarily emphasize environmental influences and the learning of habits through repetition. 
C)primarily emphasize environmental influences and the learning of habits through reinforcement. 
D)suggest that people cannot engage in intentional learning.

Question 45

__________are particularly concerned with issues such as anxiety, aggression, and gender roles. 

A)Human factors psychologists  
B)Personality psychologists  
C)Forensic psychologists  
D)Industrial psychologists

Question 46

In Gestalt psychology, learning, especially problem solving, is accomplished primarily by _____. 

A)repetition  
B)insight  
C)continuous practice  
D)mechanical reinforcement

Question 47

Erica is part of a research group that is studying a group of software executives. She is trying to determine the relationship between workplace stress and cancer. As part of the same study, she also advises her subjects on ways to counter workplace stress. Erica is most likely a__________. 

A)forensic psychologist  
B)personality psychologist  
C)health psychologist  
D)human factors psychologists

Question 48

According to the American Psychological Association's Handbooks of Ethics in Psychology, psychologists may use deception in their experiments:  

A)when the participants are debriefed afterward. 
B)when they believe the individuals might not be willing to participate. 
C)only when the names of participants are kept anonymous. 
D)when they collect stratified samples.

Question 49

Which of the following is true of B. F. Skinner's contribution to behaviorism?  

A)He believed that organisms learn to behave in certain ways because they have been reinforced for doing so. 
B)He focused on the relation between conscious experience and behavior in shaping the human psyche. 
C)He used introspection to try to discover the basic elements of experience that influenced human behavior. 
D)He stated that psychology should be defined as the study of behavior and mental processes.

Question 50

Which of the following is a defining feature of psychoanalysis?  

A)The emphasis on unconscious ideas and impulses that originate in childhood conflicts  
B)The division of conscious experience into objective sensations and subjective feelings  
C)The focus on only observable behaviors that originate in childhood conflicts  
D)The emphasis on the human capacity for self-actualization

Question 51

Identify the neoanalyst among the following. 

A)Aristotle  
B)Erik Erikson  
C)B. F. Skinner  
D)Carl Rogers

Question 52

According to the biological perspective of psychology,__________interact with inherited factors to determine specific behavior and mental processes. 

A)goals set by people  
B)cognitive factors  
C)dreams experienced by people  
D)environmental factors

Question 53

Erik works as a counselor. He strongly believes in an individual's capacity for self-fulfillment, self-awareness, and decision making. He follows the principle that people are responsible for choosing their conduct. Erik's beliefs best exemplify the _____ perspective. 

A)psychodynamic  
B)humanistic-existential  
C)biological  
D)sociocultural

Question 54

Which of the following statements is true of clinical psychologists?  

A)They study ways to encourage people to recycle and to preserve bastions of wilderness. 
B)They evaluate problems such as anxiety and depression through interviews and psychological tests. 
C)They deal with clients who have minor adjustment problems but not with clients who have serious psychological disorders. 
D)They deal with legal matters such as whether a defendant was sane when committing a crime.

Question 55

When following the scientific method, psychologists usually begin a study by:  

A)formulating a research question. 
B)testing a hypothesis. 
C)calculating correlations. 
D)modifying theories.

Question 56

One of the advantages of__________is that by distributing questionnaires and analyzing answers with a computer, psychologists can study many thousands of people at a time. 

A)surveys  
B)case studies  
C)interviews  
D)simulation techniques

Question 57

A _____ is a complete group of interest to researchers, from which a sample is drawn for an experiment. 

A)random sample  
B)segment  
C)population  
D)stratified sample

Question 58

A person has trouble adjusting with the new students in his classroom. He does not have any serious psychological disorders but has trouble making new friends. A(n) _____ would most likely be consulted to help the person. 

A)environmental psychologist  
B)human factors psychologist  
C)developmental psychologist  
D)counseling psychologist

Question 59

While industrial psychologists focus on the relationships between people and work,__________study the behavior of people in workplaces such as businesses. 

A)organizational psychologists  
B)forensic psychologists  
C)developmental psychologists  
D)personality psychologists

Question 60

Identify a true statement about functionalism. 

A)Functionalists focus solely on learning observable behavior. 
B)Wilhelm Wundt was the founder of functionalism. 
C)Functionalism stresses that the stream of consciousness is not continuous. 
D)Functionalists focus on behavior as well as the mind or consciousness.

Question 61

Identify a true statement about forensic psychologists. 

A)They deal with legal matters and evaluate eyewitness testimonies. 
B)They are employed by school systems to identify and assist students who have problems that interfere with learning. 
C)They attempt to facilitate learning, but they usually focus on course planning and instructional methods for a school system rather than on individual children. 
D)They treat offenders with minor anxiety problems but not offenders with serious psychological disorders.

Question 62

Psychologists with a__________perspective are most likely to focus on the evolution of behavior. 

A)functionalist  
B)cognitive  
C)behaviorist  
D)biological

Question 63

Amelia is a general physician. One of her patients claimed to be suffering from constant stomach aches. After running some tests, Amelia concludes that the patient is not suffering from any medical disorder. However, the patient insisted that she has stomach cancer. The patient was then made to participate in an experiment where she was given sugar pills and was told that it was a new medicine for treating cancer. Some other participants in the experiment were also given sugar pills. This best exemplifies _____. 

A)a volunteer bias  
B)a placebo  
C)a nocebo  
D)debriefing

Question 64

Sean believes that many of our unconscious ideas and impulses stem from our childhood conflicts. Based on his beliefs, it can be said that Sean is a _____. 

A)psychoanalyst  
B)behaviorist  
C)structuralist  
D)functionalist

Question 65

Raoul is one of the best football players in Newborn Warriors. However, his stamina has been reducing and he has been unable to sustain an entire game due to his habit of smoking cigarettes. In order to improve his performance, Raoul is most likely to consult a__________. 

A)developmental psychologist  
B)human factors psychologist  
C)health psychologist  
D)social psychologist

Question 66

Which of the following is a goal of psychology?  

A)To establish behavioral and moral standards  
B)To explain behavior and mental processes  
C)To change social norms  
D)To seek ways to make people do their religious bidding

Question 67

Which of the following statements is true of applied research?  

A)It is categorized as research for its own sake. 
B)It is designed to find solutions to specific personal or social problems. 
C)It has no immediate application to personal or social problems. 
D)It is broad and nonspecific in its approach.

Question 68

The _____ perspective works on the assumption that thoughts, fantasies, and dreams-and the inborn or instinctive behavior patterns of various species-are made possible by the nervous system and especially by the brain. 

A)cognitive  
B)biological  
C)humanistic-existential  
D)psychodynamic

Question 69

An association among variables is known as__________. 

A)a constant  
B)a sample  
C)volunteer bias  
D)correlation

Question 70

Psychologists with a__________perspective are most likely to investigate the ways we perceive and mentally represent the world, how we learn, remember the past, plan for the future, solve problems, form judgments, make decisions, and use language. 

A)cognitive  
B)behaviorist  
C)humanistic-existential  
D)sociocultural

Question 71

_____ refers to the culturally defined concepts of masculinity and femininity. 

A)Gender  
B)Sexuality  
C)Class  
D)Race

Question 72

__________is defined as a way of evaluating the claims and comments of other people that involves skepticism and examination of evidence. 

A)Introspection  
B)Critical thinking  
C)Reinforcement  
D)Conditioning

Question 73

Which of the following is an important factor emphasized by the sociocultural perspective in understanding behavior and mental processes?  

A)Superego  
B)Gender  
C)Mutation  
D)Ego

Question 74

With__________, psychologists and other scientists can observe behavior where it happens, or "in the field."  

A)experimental observation  
B)controlled observation  
C)naturalistic observation  
D)introspective observation

Question 75

__________stresses people's capacities for self-fulfillment and the central roles of consciousness, self-awareness, and decision making. 

A)Behaviorism  
B)Humanism  
C)Structuralism  
D)Functionalism

Question 76

Sujay is conducting a research on a group of factory machinists as part of a study on workplace stress and heart disease. Before conducting his study, he explains the objective of the study to the subjects and tells them what they would need to do. He gives them the opportunity to choose if they want to participate or not. In other words, Sujay is seeking__________. 

A)reinforcement  
B)informed consent  
C)a placebo effect  
D)participant exclusion

Question 77

The deliberate looking into one's own cognitive processes to examine one's thoughts and feelings is termed _____. 

A)critical thinking  
B)conditioning  
C)reinforcement  
D)introspection

Question 78

Which of the following is true of behaviorism?  

A)Behaviorists define psychology as the scientific study of behavior, not of behavior and mental processes. 
B)Behaviorism emphasizes the role of the unconscious mind over conscious actions and behavior. 
C)Behaviorism holds that the mind functions by combining the objective and subjective elements of experience. 
D)Behaviorism explains the relationship between the brain, hormones, evolution, heredity, and behavior.

Question 79

What similarity did Wilhelm Wundt share with Aristotle?  

A)Both used introspection to try to discover the basic elements of experience. 
B)Both saw the mind as a natural event that could be studied scientifically, like light and heat. 
C)Both believed that physical events were not related to psychological sensation and perception. 
D)Both agreed on the relation between the unconscious mind and behavior.

Question 80

_____ were the first to believe that the mind functions by combining objective and subjective elements of experience. 

A)Structuralists  
B)Functionalists  
C)Behaviorists  
D)Psychoanalysts