Deck 1: Section 5: Psychology: Evolution of a Science

Question 1

Which statement is NOT true about B. F. Skinner?

A)He developed a specialized chamber in which rats could press levers to earn food.
B)He taught "Little Albert" to fear rats.
C)He denied the existence of free will.
D)He developed the principle of reinforcement.

Answer 1

He taught "Little Albert" to fear rats.

Question 2

Most psychologists today work:

A)as behavioral neuroscientists.
B)in academia.
C)as government researchers.
D)in clinical or health-related fields.

Answer 2

in clinical or health-related fields.

Question 3

The research of _____, in which rats' maze performance was measured before and after brain surgery, was a forerunner of today's behavioral neuroscience.

A)E. O. Wilson
B)B. F. Skinner
C)Karl Lashley
D)Frederic Bartlett

Answer 3

Karl Lashley

Question 4

The school of psychology developed by William James is most similar to which more modern field of psychology?

A)behaviorism
B)evolutionary psychology
C)industrial-organizational psychology
D)social psychology

Question 5

Nature is to nurture as:

A)Aristotle is to Plato.
B)behaviorism is to evolutionary psychology.
C)nativism is to philosophical empiricism.
D)Skinner is to Chomsky.

Question 6

In Pavlov's classic experiment, the sound of a tone was the _____ that produced a _____ of salivating in dogs, even in the absence of food.

A)response; stimulus
B)stimulus; response
C)reinforcer; stimulus
D)stimulus; reinforcer

Question 7

To better understand Nazi atrocities, social psychologists began to study:

A)the evolutionary basis of aggression.
B)conformity and obedience.
C)cultural differences between the United States and Germany.
D)differences in brain functioning between violent criminals and normal controls.

Question 8

A _____ treats individuals with psychological problems and is allowed to prescribe medication.

A)psychiatrist
B)counseling psychologist
C)clinical psychologist
D)cognitive neuroscientist

Question 9

By asking people to pay attention to and record their feelings and perceptions of an event, Wilhelm Wundt used the method of _____ to analyze the basic elements of the mind.

A)psychoanalysis
B)brain scanning
C)introspection
D)reinforcement

Question 10

Cognitive psychology addressed the critiques of behaviorism by applying scientific methods to the study of:

A)mental processes, such as memory, perception, and thought.
B)stimulus-response learning.
C)the unconscious mind.
D)neurological mechanisms underlying observable behavior.

Question 11

William James suggested that consciousness should be examined depending on the purpose of the mental processes involved, as suggested by _____, rather than trying to break it down into specific elements as suggested by _____.

A)functionalism; structuralism
B)functionalism; natural selection
C)structuralism; functionalism
D)structuralism; empiricism

Question 12

Audrey is a clinical psychologist who emphasizes the positive potential in her clients and who feels it is her job to gently guide them in realizing this potential. Audrey is which type of therapist?

A)behaviorist
B)cognitive
C)humanistic
D)psychoanalytic

Question 13

Helmholtz was a(n) _____ who studied _____.

A)philosopher; the mind-body problem
B)behavioral neuroscientist; rats' maze learning
C)personality theorist; the shape of skulls
D)physiologist; reaction time

Question 14

_____ stresses the importance of studying observable behaviors and ignores the mental processes involved in different tasks.

A)Behaviorism
B)Natural selection
C)Humanism
D)Cognitive psychology

Question 15

A psychologist develops a new treatment for depression in the United States that involves teaching people techniques to increase their self-esteem. Assuming that the treatment is successful in the United States, should the same treatment be used to treat depression in Japan?

A)Yes, because if a treatment is effective in one culture, it will be effective in all cultures.
B)Yes, because previous research has demonstrated that depression manifests itself in exactly the same way across these cultures.
C)No, because depressed people in Eastern cultures do not devalue themselves like depressed people in Western cultures.
D)No, because since all behavior is culturally dependent, it is highly unlikely that any therapy would be effective in more than one culture.

Question 16

Chad explains his irresponsible spending by speculating that he shares genes with ancestors who had no need to save for the future because their lives were brutish and short. Which field of psychology is most consistent with his view?

A)evolutionary psychology
B)behaviorism
C)cognitive neuroscience
D)behavioral neuroscience