Deck 1: Introducing Psychological Science

Question 1

The biopsychosocial model assumes that:

A)behavior often can be fully explained only by combining multiple perspectives.
B)biological factors are more important than social factors in determining behavior.
C)all living organisms form social groups,based on their physical and psychological needs.
D)the simplest explanation for behavior is usually the best.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Caroline is interested in determining how squirrels find the caches of nuts they buried several months earlier.She watches the squirrels in a park and notices that they tend to bury food near landmarks,such as trees or benches.She predicts that moving these landmarks after the squirrels have buried their food will prevent them from finding it later on,and designs an experiment to test her prediction.Caroline's approach is an example of

A)pseudoscience.
B)the scientific method.
C)the psychoanalytic model.
D)the biopsychological model.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Dr.Fernwood is a research psychologist.The main focus of her research is the use of psychological knowledge to find ways to reduce bullying in schools.Dr.Fernwood's research could be described as _____ psychology.

A)Basic
B)forensic
C)applied
D)I/O

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Why was the perspective followed by Wilhelm Wundt and his followers called structuralism?

A)They wanted to identify the major brain structures.
B)Their primary goal was to understand the physiology of the mind.
C)They focused their efforts on analyzing the elements of the nervous system.
D)Their primary focus was on describing the structure of conscious experience.

Question 5

Psychology has been a science since

A)around 470 BC.
B)the early 1600s.
C)the late 1800s.
D)the mid-1900s.

Question 6

The question of nature and nurture relationships centers on how _____ (nature)and _____ (nurture)influence behavior and mental processes.

A)environment; heredity
B)heredity; environment
C)emotion; logic
D)logic; emotion

Question 7

In which field is someone with a background in psychology likely to work?

A)Advertising
B)Teaching
C)Management
D)Any of the above

Question 8

You attend a lecture by a psychologist who uses terms such as free will and life's meaning.Which psychological perspective is most consistent with the points the psychologist presented?

A)Behaviorism
B)Humanistic psychology
C)Functionalism
D)Psychodynamics

Question 9

_____ is the belief that knowledge comes through observation and experience.

A)Determinism
B)Parsimony
C)Skepticism
D)Empiricism

Question 10

Psychology can be considered a collection of many related fields of study.What is one of the features that all of these fields have in common?

A)the use of the scientific method
B)the study of mental illness
C)the belief that the unconscious mind determines human behavior
D)the use of introspection

Question 11

Psychology can be considered a collection of many related fields of study.What is one of the features that all of these fields have in common?

A)The use of the scientific method
B)The study of mental illness
C)The belief that the unconscious mind determines human behavior
D)The use of introspection

Question 12

How did physiologists and physicists,like Gustav Fechner,contribute to the development of psychology as a science?

A)They studied the relationship between the physical world and the mental representation of that world.
B)They demonstrated that the brain was responsible for consciousness.
C)They identified the locations of specific functions within the brain.
D)They extended Darwin's theory of evolution to behavior and cognitive abilities.

Question 13

The belief that the unconscious mind has an influence on a person's behavior is part of which early approach to psychology?

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

Question 14

All types of psychology involve

A)interactions between patients and therapists.
B)replicating what is already known via common sense.
C)treating people's behavioral and emotional problems.
D)the use of scientific method.

Question 15

Which school of psychology questioned whether psychologists should study the mind,which was thought to be unobservable?

A)Psychoanalysis
B)Behaviorism
C)Gestalt psychology
D)Humanism

Question 16

Which of the following is true about the concept of scientific literacy?

A)Only trained scientists are considered scientifically literate.
B)Scientific literacy is the ability to answer basic science questions without looking up their answers.
C)A person who can understand,analyze,and apply scientific information is demonstrating scientific literacy.
D)Knowledge of scientific terminology is the most important part of scientific literacy.

Question 17

_____ are built from _____ that are repeatedly tested and confirmed.

A)Theories; hypotheses
B)Hypotheses; theories
C)Predictions; observations
D)Observations; predictions

Question 18

Liam mentions to a friend that he is currently taking an introduction to psychology course."Why would you want to do that?" asks his friend,"Psychology is mostly therapists analyzing people's problems and self-help gurus selling books." What should Liam's response be?

A)"No,psychology has nothing to do with helping people."
B)"Actually,psychology is a vast discipline that covers much more than mental health and self-help."
C)"Ok,those self-help gurus usually aren't real psychologists,but all real psychologists are trained to really help people improve their lives."
D)"Psychology is actually about studying how chemicals in the brain interact."

Question 19

_____ psychologists are generally interested in how the behavior of individuals can be influenced by other people.

A)Social
B)Gestalt
C)Behavioral
D)Humanistic

Question 20

According to your authors,the discipline of psychology is best thought of as

A)a field of self-help principles to eliminate mental problems.
B)a mixture of anecdotes and personal intuition about human behavior and mental processes.
C)a process for encouraging people to reach their ultimate potential.
D)the scientific study of behavior,thought,and experience.

Question 21

Ms.Patel is a 3^rd grade teacher.Several children in her class have been having trouble concentrating and sitting still in her class,so she finds several articles from psychology journals on hyperactivity and attention in young children.Although she is not a scientist,Ms.Patel is able to understand the articles and then use the information to redesign her classroom schedule to help improve attention.This is an example of

A)the scientific method.
B)the biopsychosocial model.
C)scientific literacy.
D)empiricism.

Question 22

__________ are built from __________ that are repeatedly tested and confirmed.

A)Theories; hypotheses
B)Hypotheses; theories
C)Predictions; observations
D)Observations; predictions

Question 23

As part of the scientific method,scientists form testable predictions that can be observed and measured.These are called

A)theories.
B)proofs.
C)hypotheses.
D)models.

Question 24

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

A)theory.
B)untestable statement.
C)hypothesis.
D)fact.

Question 25

The term pseudoscience refers to

A)the scientific study of psychology and related phenomena.
B)hypotheses that have been rejected through observation and testing.
C)ideas that are presented as science but in fact do not use the basic principles of scientific thinking procedure.
D)the belief that the mind is separate from the body.

Question 26

In order to be considered scientific,a hypothesis must be

A)testable.
B)believed true by a majority of experts.
C)proven.
D)stated in very general terms.

Question 27

Which of the following is a good scientific hypothesis?

A)Everything happens for a reason.
B)Happiness is the meaning of life.
C)People born with the zodiac sign Taurus have higher IQ scores on average than others.
D)All humans are connected by an unseen force that cannot be measured or observed.

Question 28

Randi is a practitioner of crystal healing: the use of different crystals to treat medical disorders ranging from headaches to cancer.Crystal healers like Randi use scientific terminology (e.g.,energy,vibrations,etc.)when explaining the technique to patients,but do not use the scientific method to develop or test their treatments.This makes crystal healing a

A)metascience.
B)pseudoscience.
C)episcience.
D)protoscience.

Question 29

When a psychologist uses the term scientific theory,he or she is referring to something that

A)is guaranteed to be true.
B)explains a wide range of observations.
C)is no more or less plausible than any other theory.
D)is an educated guess.

Question 30

__________ refers to a claim or statement that superficially appears to be scientific but is not.

A)Misinformation
B)Hypothesis
C)Pseudoscience
D)Theory

Question 31

A perennial question for educational psychologists is,"Why do some students in a class succeed while others perform poorly?" According to the biopsychosocial model,which of the following is a possible explanation for this phenomenon?

A)biological differences in brain structures and chemistry
B)social and cultural differences between students
C)cognitive,emotional,and personality differences between students
D)each student's biological makeup,social and cultural background,and their cognitive abilities,emotional state,and personality combine to make them different from any other student in the class

Question 32

In science,a theory can be defined as

A)an educated guess.
B)an explanation that explains and integrates numerous findings and observations into a coherent whole.
C)a personal understanding of natural laws.
D)a testable prediction.

Question 33

Which of the following is true about scientific theories?

A)All theories are equally plausible.
B)The quality of a theory cannot be measured by the number of people who believe it to be true.
C)Theories are the same thing as opinions or beliefs.
D)A theory is only valid if it has been proven to be true.

Question 34

What property do hypotheses and theories both share?

A)They are both types of educated guesses.
B)They both integrate numerous findings and observations.
C)They are both types of opinions or beliefs.
D)In order to be scientific,they both must be capable of being proven false.

Question 35

Which of the following is true about the concept of scientific literacy?

A)Only trained scientists are considered scientifically literate.
B)Scientific literacy is the ability to answer basic science questions without looking it up.
C)A person who can understand,analyze,and apply scientific information is demonstrating scientific literacy.
D)Knowledge of scientific terminology is the most important part of scientific literacy.

Question 36

Dr.Preston is a psychologist studying why some people develop depression,while others do not.She realizes that the reasons are probably complicated,and include factors such as genetics,brain chemistry,how individuals might experience events differently,and how family members and others influence each other.Dr.Preston's approach is an example of

A)pseudoscience.
B)the biopyschosocial model.
C)the psychoanalytic model.
D)gestalt psychology.

Question 37

Collecting observations,testing predictions about how to best explain the observations,and developing theories are all part of

A)the scientific method.
B)pseudoscience.
C)the biopsychosocial model.
D)the psychoanalytic model.

Question 38

Lidia gives a talk at a psychology conference in which she presents her new theory about the causes of autism.At one point,an audience member interrupts and says "but that's just your theory." What is the problem with this statement?

A)A theory is not the same thing as an opinion or belief.
B)If Lidia is presenting the theory at a psychology conference it must be true.
C)If most of the psychologists in the audience agree with Lidia,then the theory is likely to be true.
D)The audience member should have used the term hypothesis,not theory.

Question 39

The biopsychosocial model assumes that

A)behavior often can only be fully explained by combining multiple perspectives.
B)biological factors are more important than social factors in determining behavior.
C)all living organisms form social groups,based on their physical and psychological needs.
D)the simplest explanation for behavior is usually best.

Question 40

The ability to understand analyze,and apply scientific information is called

A)the biopsychosocial model.
B)scientific literacy.
C)skepticism.
D)empiricism.

Question 41

______________ is the belief that knowledge comes through observation and experience.

A)Determinism
B)Parsimony
C)Skepticism
D)Empiricism

Question 42

Which of the following questions represents the concept of empiricism?

A)Would Martin Luther King,Jr.,have been a good president?
B)What is the meaning of life?
C)Was the Civil War necessary?
D)Is there life on other planets?

Question 43

According to the principle of parsimony,reports of alien abduction are unlikely to be true because

A)there are several other explanations that are much simpler.
B)aliens do not really exist.
C)eyewitness reports should never be believed.
D)anyone who thinks they were abducted by aliens is clearly mentally unstable.

Question 44

According to the principle of _______________,human behavior is the result of factors that influence us is predictable ways.

A)free will
B)materialism
C)determinism
D)empiricism

Question 45

The concept of free will-the idea that we are in charge of our own behavior-is often in conflict with the concept of

A)empiricism.
B)determinism.
C)parsimony.
D)materialism.

Question 46

A research psychologist is interested in whether children who play violent videogames display above average violent behavior in real life.Which approach to this question could the psychologist take that would be consistent with the principles of empiricism?

A)Use common sense to determine if there is a connection.
B)Ask children to speculate about the connection.
C)Carefully measure the type and amount of videogame play in children and observe their behavior.
D)Ask parents and teachers to speculate about the connection.

Question 47

Jose reads in an article from a psychology journal that people tend to remember the first and last few items in long lists of information,but have the most trouble remembering the items in the middle.He immediately starts thinking of how he can use this information to change the way he studies the long list of vocabulary terms for his upcoming exam.Which part of the scientific literacy model does this demonstrate?

A)application
B)scientific explanation
C)knowledge gathering
D)critical thinking

Question 48

A friend of yours has 30 Spanish vocabulary words to learn by tomorrow.Which of the following is the best way for her to use flashcards to study?

A)Study each card only once.
B)Divide the cards into five piles and then study each pile four times before moving on to the next pile.
C)Go through the entire pile of 25 cards four times.
D)Divide the cards into 10 piles and then study each pile four times before moving on to the next pile.

Question 49

Which of the following is the best conclusion to draw from the massing versus spacing experiment discussed in the textbook?

A)Massing is better than spacing for all types of learning.
B)Massing is better than spacing for studying vocabulary.
C)Spacing is better than massing for all types of learning.
D)Spacing is better than massing for studying vocabulary.

Question 50

Which of the following is true about critical thinking?

A)If used properly,everyone who uses it will come to the same conclusion.
B)It forces us to break persistent mental habits that almost everyone uses.
C)It often requires being negative or arbitrarily critical of other people's ideas.
D)It always guarantees a correct answer.

Question 51

____________ holds that,when dealing with competing theories,the simplest one should be chosen.

A)Skepticism
B)Ambiguity
C)The principle of parsimony
D)Critical thinking

Question 52

As a critical thinker,what habit is most likely to keep you from basing your conclusions on poor research?

A)examine assumptions and biases
B)examine the nature and source of the evidence
C)tolerate ambiguity
D)avoid overly emotional thinking

Question 53

The belief that behavior follows lawful,cause-and-effect relationships is known as

A)free will.
B)materialism.
C)empiricism.
D)determinism.

Question 54

For a class project,Brenda read about the results of several studies investigating the causes of schizophreni a.Some of the studies seemed to indicate that schizophrenia is genetic,while others indicated that schizophrenia could be triggered by environmental factors.Eventually,Brenda had to accept that schizophrenia is a complicated disease,and that there probably is not a clear-cut reason why some people develop it.This illustrates what critical thinking habit?

A)examine assumptions and biases
B)examine the nature and source of the evidence
C)tolerate ambiguity
D)consider alternatives

Question 55

Which of the following techniques could be described as "massing?"

A)Studying for a test by breaking up your lecture notes into sections and mastering each section before moving on to the next.
B)Studying for a chapter test by reading through the entire chapter before going back to the beginning and starting over again.
C)Studying each flash card in a large pile before starting over again.
D)A football player learning the playbook by reviewing each play once before starting over again.

Question 56

Dr.Patel is a school psychologist who has noticed that a 5^th grade student has recently begun to misbehave and fall behind academically.He decides there must be a reason for the student's sudden problems and decides to try to figure out what it is.Dr.Patel's belief that the student's behavior is the result of some unknown cause is an example of

A)determinism.
B)parsimony.
C)skepticism.
D)empiricism.

Question 57

Psychological science is

A)both empirical and deterministic.
B)empirical but not deterministic.
C)deterministic but not empirical.
D)neither empirical or deterministic.

Question 58

Leonard is missing a sock.His sister suggests that a friend of his may have snuck into his room while he was sleeping and took the sock as a practical joke.However,Leonard decides it is much more likely that the sock was simply lost when he last did the laundry.What element of critical thinking most likely influenced his decision?

A)skepticism
B)the principle of parsimony
C)tolerance of ambiguity
D)avoiding overly emotional thinking

Question 59

Being skeptical about a claim means

A)asking if there is sound evidence to support it.
B)realizing that most complex issues do not have easy answers.
C)not believing the claim,no matter what.
D)believing the claim unless evidence to the contrary is presented.

Question 60

Caroline's best friend tells her that eating a chili pepper with each meal will increase her metabolism and help her burn more calories."That sounds interesting," says Caroline,"but is there any evidence to back up this claim?" Caroline's question illustrates what element of critical thinking?

A)the principle of parsimony
B)cynicism
C)tolerating ambiguity
D)skepticism

Question 61

How would Charles Darwin likely explain maternal aggression when something or someone threatens a mother's children?

A)Young girls learn to protect their children by watching their mothers.
B)Maternal aggression is an inherited trait that is selected for because it contributes to the survival of the offspring.
C)Mothers are rewarded for being protective of their children.
D)Mothers learn to be protective of their children through trial and error.

Question 62

How did physiologists and physicists,like Gustav Fechner,contribute to the development of psychology as a science?

A)They studied the relationship between the physical world and mental representation of that world.
B)They demonstrated that the brain was responsible for consciousness.
C)They identified the locations of specific functions within the brain.
D)They extended Darwin's theory of evolution to behavior and cognitive abilities.

Question 63

Kelly notices a bump on the side of Roger's head and points it out to him.He replies,"That means I'm a passionate person!" Roger's joke is based on the theory of

A)phrenology.
B)eugenics.
C)parsimony.
D)psychophysics.

Question 64

Which of the following is true regarding Darwin's theory of evolution?

A)it applies to physical characteristics,but not behavior
B)it applies to behavior,but not physical characteristics
C)it applies to physical characteristics as well as behaviors
D)it was discredited along with Francis Galton's concept of eugenics

Question 65

The philosopher and mathematician René Descartes famously believed that the mind was not made of physical matter,and could exist outside of the body.Descartes' belief in the relationship between mind and body could be described as

A)determinism.
B)empiricism.
C)materialism.
D)dualism.

Question 66

"Brain localization" refers to the idea that

A)the brain is wired for the spatial mapping of our surroundings.
B)neurons in the brain only communicate with nearby neurons.
C)the brain,and not the heart,is the seat of the human consciousness.
D)certain parts of the brain control specific mental abilities and personality characteristics.

Question 67

Brenda is a participant in an experiment.She is told to watch a series of lights and to identify which one is the brightest.It is likely that Brenda is participating in a(n)________________ experiment.

A)psychophysics
B)anthropometric
C)phrenology
D)eugenics

Question 68

Which two physicians developed phrenology?

A)Gall and Spurzheim
B)Broca and Wernicke
C)Mesmer and Freud
D)Galton and Wundt

Question 69

Which early approach to brain localization was used by physicians like Paul Broca,and was more scientific than phrenology?

A)using electricity to stimulate different brain regions
B)surgically removing brain regions
C)studying the behavior of patients who had experienced brain injuries
D)studying the shape and size of the human skull

Question 70

Which two doctors were able to identify important language centers in the brain by studying their patients?

A)Gall and Spurzheim
B)Broca and Wernicke
C)Mesmer and Freud
D)Galton and Wundt

Question 71

During the Victorian period in Europe,sexuality of any kind was considered taboo.Today of course,most adults are more open about their sexuality.This is an example of how the ____________ of different periods can affect the way people behave and think.

A)psychophysics
B)zeitgeist
C)dualism
D)materialism

Question 72

Which of the following is true regarding phrenology?

A)it is still used by forensic psychologists
B)it was an early approach to brain localization
C)it was developed by Karl Wernicke and Paul Broca
D)it was developed in the 1950's

Question 73

Suppose a small number of geese are born with a genetic mutation that makes them spend more time caring for their eggs.As a result,more chicks hatch from these eggs that then survive to reproduce themselves.According to the principle of natural selection,which of the following would be the likely result?

A)Other genetic mutations would start occurring at a faster rate.
B)The genetically inherited behavior would become more common after many generations.
C)The genetically inherited behavior would become less common after many generations.
D)The rate of genetic mutations would slow drastically.

Question 74

Psychophysics is the study of

A)how the mind controls the body.
B)the relationship between the physical world and the mental representation of that world.
C)the relationship between mental abilities and bumps on the head.
D)how information is stored in the brain.

Question 75

According to the authors of the textbook,what is a key reason why psychology took almost 300 years longer than physics,biology,and chemistry to become scientific?

A)Early scientific methodology was too primitive to use to study the mind.
B)Laws were passed in the 1600s that made studying the mind illegal.
C)Few people were interested in the mind and behavior prior to the 20^th century.
D)The zeitgeist of the 1600s prevented people from believing that science could be applied to the study of the mind.

Question 76

The belief that the mind or soul is separate from the physical body is known as ____________,whereas the belief that humans are completely physical beings is called _____________.

A)determinism; empiricism
B)empiricism; determinism
C)dualism; materialism
D)materialism; dualism

Question 77

Who proposed that emotions and other behaviors were the result of natural selection?

A)Spurzheim
B)Wernicke
C)Freud
D)Darwin

Question 78

In a given culture,certain periods of its history are dominated by a general set of beliefs and attitudes known as a

A)zeitgeist.
B)metaperspective.
C)parsimony.
D)gestalt.

Question 79

Psychology has been a science since

A)around 470 BC.
B)the early 1600's.
C)the late 1800's.
D)the mid 1900's.

Question 80

According to the authors of the textbook,scholars in the 1600's did not apply scientific methodology to the study of the mind and human behavior because of what belief?

A)that scientific methodology did not work
B)that science needed more time to develop
C)that humans were not just physical machines,and could not be studied using science
D)that it was a religious sin to try to understand the nature of the mind