Deck 1: Section 4: Introduction and Research Methods

Question 1

Which of the following individuals can prescribe medications?

A)Noah, who is a counseling psychologist
B)Sara, who has a doctorate in school psychology
C)Roman, who is a psychiatrist
D)Lin, who is an educational psychologist

Answer 1

Roman, who is a psychiatrist

Question 2

Professor Wallace studied over 3,000 elderly individuals for a decade and found a statistically significant relationship between survival rate and number of close friends. Specifically, he found that elderly individuals with few close friends had a much higher death rate. To say that the results of his study are "statistically significant" means that:

A)the finding has great practical value and significance.
B)there is a cause-and-effect relationship between the two variables.
C)the finding does not have to be replicated to be accepted by the scientific community.
D)the results are unlikely to have occurred by chance.

Answer 2

the results are unlikely to have occurred by chance.

Question 3

A collectivistic culture is one in which:

A)individual achievements are highly valued.
B)a person's social behavior is influenced more by individual preference than cultural values and norms.
C)a person's individual preferences and goals are considered to be more important than the requirements and goals of his or her social group.
D)great importance is placed on following established tradition and customs.

Answer 3

great importance is placed on following established tradition and customs.

Question 4

A correlational study is useful because it can:

A)provide compelling evidence of cause-and-effect relationships.
B)examine how strongly two variables are related to one another.
C)provide a detailed description of a single individual.
D)promote the acceptance of pseudosciences.

Question 5

The second step of the scientific method is to:

A)analyze the data to arrive at conclusions.
B)formulate a specific question that can be tested.
C)report the results.
D)design a study and collect relevant data.

Question 6

Ginsburg wants to study possible gender differences in the willingness of young children to engage in risky behaviors. To gather data, Ginsburg and a co-researcher carefully observe the willingness of boys and girls to try risky behaviors at a local zoo, such as petting a burro or feeding different animals. Dr. Ginsburg is using _____ to gather data.

A)naturalistic observation
B)a survey
C)the case study method
D)a representative sample

Question 7

Ginkgo Biloba is a herb that is thought to increase blood flow in the brain and enhance memory processes. In a carefully controlled study investigating this claim, young adults were assigned to one of three groups. Those in group 1 took a capsule containing 120 milligrams of ginkgo biloba once a day. Those in group 2 took a capsule that looked identical but was a fake. Those in group 3 did not take any capsules. The participants assigned to group 2 constituted the _____ in this study.

A)dependent variable
B)placebo group
C)extraneous group
D)out-of-control group

Question 8

Which of the following statements about psychologists is true?

A)They focus exclusively on treating psychological disorders and problems.
B)They are interested in both normal and abnormal behaviors.
C)All psychologists can prescribe medication.
D)All psychologists have a doctorate in their field of study.

Question 9

Who among the following individuals was NOT a key scientist in the development of behaviorism?

A)Sigmund Freud
B)Ivan Pavlov
C)John B. Watson
D)B) F. Skinner

Question 10

Wilhelm Wundt:

A)was Sigmund Freud and Erik Erikson's mentor.
B)proposed a doctrine called interactive dualism-the idea that mind and body were separate entities.
C)was the founder of physiology-a branch of biology that studies the functions and parts of living organisms.
D)defined psychology as the study of consciousness and emphasized the use of experimental methods to study and measure it.

Question 11

A cognitive psychologist decides to study the effects of chess practice on math abilities in middle school students. All students are tested on a standard math test at the beginning of the study. Students are then randomly assigned to a chess group and a control group. Students in the chess group spend thirty minutes every school day learning chess strategy and playing chess. Students in the no-chess control group spend thirty minutes every school day watching educational television. At the end of three months, students take another standardized math test. The improvement or decline in their test score is computed and compared across the two groups. In this experiment, what is the DEPENDENT variable?

A)the change in math test scores
B)playing chess or watching educational television
C)improvement in chess-playing ability
D)the number of chess matches won

Question 12

Psychologists who take the evolutionary perspective assume that psychological processes are:

A)subject to the principles of natural selection.
B)unconscious.
C)overt and observable.
D)dynamic and ever changing.

Question 13

Evidence that is the result of observation, measurement, and experimentation is referred to as _____ evidence.

A)empirical
B)pseudoscientific
C)operational
D)dependent

Question 14

Mary Whiton Calkins:

A)founded the first psychology laboratory in America at Yale University.
B)studied with Sigmund Freud and became the first female psychoanalyst in the United States.
C)is best known for her pioneering research on comparative psychology and her book The Animal Mind.
D)conducted research on personality, dreams, and memory, and became the first woman president of the American Psychological Association.

Question 15

_____, an approach developed by Edward B. Titchener, became the first major school of thought in psychology.

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

Question 16

In an online survey, people were asked if they would cheat on their partner if there was no chance of getting caught. Approximately 23,000 Internet users responded to the survey. Almost half of those responding said they would not, while the other half said they probably would. What is a significant limitation with surveys like this one?

A)Not enough people responded to the survey, which means the results are not valid.
B)The survey involved respondents who volunteered to participate, so the sample was not representative of the population.
C)There was no experimental control group.
D)The survey did not follow a double-blind procedure, which means that expectancy effects probably slanted the results.

Question 17

While Freud emphasized _____, Rogers emphasized _____.

A)unconscious conflicts; conscious experiences
B)unconscious conflicts; overt, measurable behavior
C)development; sexuality
D)favorable mental health; mental illness

Question 18

Professor Karney administered a psychological test measuring shyness to a large number of undergraduate students. The students also completed a lengthy questionnaire on their social life and activities, including number of friends. Professor Karney conducted a statistical analysis of the responses and found a correlation coefficient of -.80 between level of shyness and number of friends. This indicates that:

A)as number of friends increases, level of shyness increases.
B)as number of friends decreases, level of shyness increases.
C)there is no relationship between level of shyness and number of friends.
D)a cause-and-effect relationship exists between shyness and number of friends.

Question 19

Sigmund Freud's school of thought, called _____, emphasized the role of unconscious conflicts in determining behavior and personality.

A)structuralism
B)functionalism
C)psychoanalysis
D)behaviorism

Question 20

According to your text, magnet therapy is a form of:

A)experimental research.
B)pseudoscience.
C)correlational research.
D)clinical psychotherapy.

Question 21

According to Psych For Your Life: Successful Study Techniques, which of the following studying strategies should you AVOID?

A)Using flashcards.
B)Taking notes on your laptop.
C)Studying while multitasking.
D)Taking notes by hand.

Question 22

Dalpiez conducts research with mice, pigs, and chimpanzees. Dr. Dalpiez's specialization is in _____ psychology.

A)clinical
B)experimental
C)comparative
D)educational

Question 23

Which of the following is not a key provision in the most recent APA ethnical principles regulating research with human participants?

A)informed consent
B)use of deception
C)debriefing
D)paying participants for their time

Question 24

Which of the following is NOT one of the brain-imaging techniques discussed in the Focus on Neuroscience section in the text?

A)magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
B)functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)
C)transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)
D)positron emission tomography (PET)

Question 25

All of the following are advantages of fMRI over PET imaging EXCEPT fMRI:

A)is a noninvasive procedure and the magnetic waves are harmless allowing research participants to undergo repeated fMRI scans.
B)produces a sharper image than PET scans and therefore can detail much smaller brain structures.
C)is that it provides a picture of brain activity averaged over seconds rather than the several minutes required by PET scans.
D)involves the use smaller amounts of radioactively tagged glucose or oxygen than does PET.

Question 26

When thinking like a scientist, it is important to:

A)engage in critical thinking.
B)utilize a costs-benefits analysis.
C)identify unconscious motivations.
D)avoid speculating about the truth.