Question 1

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 scientific evidence to back up this claim?" Caroline's question illustrates what element of critical thinking?

Accepted Answer

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

Question 2

Dr.Sandra Bem's research demonstrated that more men were in positions of power because

Accepted Answer

A) men have a more favourable stress response than women,making them more stable leaders. 
B) of rampant sexism present in almost every aspect of society. 
C) women are too emotional,leading them to make poor choices. 
D) men are genetically more aggressive than women,and are more likely to seek out promotions and positions of power.

Question 3

What property do hypotheses and theories have in common?

Accepted Answer

A) They are both capable of proving a fact as true. 
B) They both integrate numerous findings and observations. 
C) They are both specific,testable predictions about processes. 
D) They are both falsifiable.

Question 4

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

Accepted Answer

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

Question 5

The term pseudoscience refers to

Accepted Answer

A) the study of psychology and related phenomena through collecting observations,developing theories to explain them,and using the theories to make predictions. 
B) hypotheses that have been rejected through careful observation and testing. 
C) claims and ideas that are presented as science but do not use the basics of the scientific method to support their claims. 
D) theories that have not yet been proven.

Question 6

Which of the following techniques could be described as massed learning?

Accepted Answer

A) taking a full-day workshop on mental health first aid 
B) studying for your introduction to psychology exam by focusing on the same difficult topics every day for three weeks 
C) setting aside a couple of hours,three days a week,to learn a new language 
D) reading all four chapters of your textbook from beginning to end before going back to review them again

Question 7

Which pair of founding contributors to psychology helped develop the field of behaviourism?

Accepted Answer

A) Gestalt and Wundt 
B) Freud and Watson 
C) Watson and Pavlov 
D) Pavlov and Wundt

Question 8

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

Accepted Answer

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

Question 9

According to the textbook,the discipline of psychology is best defined as

Accepted Answer

A) a collection of self-help principles used to treat psychological disorders. 
B) a combination of hypotheses and personal intuition about human behaviour and mental processes. 
C) a process for encouraging individuals to reach their ultimate potential. 
D) the scientific study of behaviour,thought,and experience.

Question 10

______________ psychologists are generally interested in how the behaviour of an individual is influenced by other people.

Accepted Answer

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

Question 11

Dr.Bardouille is a researcher in the field of _________.His primary focus is identifying the area of the brain that is involved with individual decision-making.

Accepted Answer

A) cross-cultural psychology 
B) social neuroscience 
C) positive psychology 
D) cognitive neuroscience

Question 12

In America,Wilhelm Wundt's ideas were popularized by one of his students,_______________,who gave Wundt's approach the name "structuralism."

Accepted Answer

A) Sigmund Freud 
B) John Watson 
C) William James 
D) Edward Titchener

Question 13

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

Accepted Answer

A) examining assumptions and biases 
B) examining the nature and source of evidence 
C) tolerating ambiguity 
D) avoiding overly emotional thinking

Question 14

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

Accepted Answer

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

Question 15

Which of the following questions represents an empirical question?

Accepted Answer

A) Would Martin Luther King,Jr. ,have been a good American president? 
B) What is the meaning of life? 
C) Was the War of 1812 necessary? 
D) Is there life on other planets?

Question 16

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?

Accepted Answer

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 17

Which two physicians developed phrenology?

Accepted Answer

A) Gall and Spurzheim 
B) Broca and Wernicke 
C) Darwin and Fechner 
D) Galton and Wundt

Question 18

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

Accepted Answer

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 19

______________ is the idea that knowledge is gained through observation and experience.

Accepted Answer

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

Question 20

Which of the following statements regarding the over-arching goals of psychology is FALSE?

Accepted Answer

A) Psychology involves researching the role of brain structures on human behaviour. 
B) Psychology is centred around curing all psychological disorders. 
C) The field of psychology focuses on understanding the effects of genetics and environment on behaviour. 
D) Psychology focuses on understanding how many different factors contribute to the development of psychological disorders.

Exam 1: C: Introducing Psychological Science