Question 1

With respect to the mind/body problem, which of the following alternatives best captures the view of dualism held by contemporary psychological scientists?

Accepted Answer

A) Most psychological scientists reject dualism. 
B) Most psychological scientists accept dualism. 
C) While many psychological scientists reject dualism, a growing minority promote a return to dualism. 
D) While many psychological scientists accept dualism, a growing minority reject the view.

Question 2

Who first proposed that psychology should be a science of observation and experimentation in order to discover the laws of the mind?

Accepted Answer

A) René Descartes 
B) John Locke 
C) John Stuart Mill 
D) Hermann von Helmholtz

Question 3

Which of the following statements best captures historical trends in the cognitive approach in psychology?

Accepted Answer

A) In the 1970s, cognitive psychology emphasized the mind; today, it focuses mostly on behavior. 
B) In the 1970s, cognitive psychology emphasized the mind; today, it focuses mainly on the brain. 
C) In the 1970s, cognitive psychology emphasized the brain; today, it focuses on the mind along with the brain. 
D) In the 1970s, cognitive psychology emphasized the mind; today, it focuses on both the mind and the brain.

Question 4

Based on the textbook's definition of psychology, which statement best reflects the relationship between the mind and the brain?

Accepted Answer

A) The brain is the same thing as the mind. 
B) The brain influences the mind. 
C) The brain is unrelated to the mind. 
D) The brain reflects the mind.

Question 5

Which of the following psychologists is most closely associated with the Gestalt school of thought?

Accepted Answer

A) Sigmund Freud 
B) B.F.Skinner 
C) Wolfgang Köhler 
D) William James

Question 6

Kim spent years studying children in a remote village.To understand how their behavior and mental processes change over time, she would like to study them over the course of their lifetimes.Kim is most likely a psychologist.

Accepted Answer

A) personality 
B) school 
C) cognitive 
D) developmental

Question 7

Juan is in the market for a new toaster.Which of the following is an example of confirmation bias?

Accepted Answer

A) Juan reads reviews of his favorite brand of toaster on the company's Web site. 
B) Juan reads reviews of all the toasters available on Amazon.com within his price range. 
C) Juan buys a toaster based on its color, rather than functionality. 
D) Juan buys a toaster, and then writes a positive review for it online.

Question 8

The psychological approach that emphasizes the role of the environment in influencing behavior is

Accepted Answer

A) behaviorism. 
B) humanism. 
C) psychoanalytic. 
D) evolutionary.

Question 9

According to theory, the brain has adapted over millions of years to solve problems related to survival and reproduction.

Accepted Answer

A) adaptational 
B) evolutionary 
C) the nature/nurture 
D) the neurochemical

Question 10

According to your text, a turning point in the history of experimental psychology was

Accepted Answer

A) René Descartes announcing his influential theory of dualism. 
B) John Stuart Mill declaring that methods of science were required to understand the mind. 
C) Leonardo da Vinci producing accurate anatomical drawings of the human brain. 
D) the recognition, based on observations of Roman gladiators, that head injury can lead to disturbances in mental activity.

Question 11

Yuko remarks that she is interested in child development and educational psychology.Based on your text's discussion, Yuko's interests echo the

Accepted Answer

A) emphases of Confucius. 
B) writings of da Vinci. 
C) thoughts of Greek scholars. 
D) writings of early Muslim thinkers.

Question 12

Which psychologist would be most dismayed by the emphasis on mental processes in modern psychology?

Accepted Answer

A) Sigmund Freud 
B) Wilhelm Wundt 
C) Edward Titchener 
D) John Watson

Question 13

Which of the following phenomena would likely be studied by humanistic psychologists?

Accepted Answer

A) how people chose tasks in daily life to derive maximal satisfaction 
B) how animals differ in their sensitivities to reward and punishment 
C) which category of perceptual images is most likely to be identified quickly 
D) which neurons are activated when people look at different shapes

Question 14

Which of the following psychologists is most closely associated with the concept of the unconscious?

Accepted Answer

A) Sigmund Freud 
B) B.F.Skinner 
C) Wilhelm Wundt 
D) William James

Question 15

The theories of Sigmund Freud and his followers

Accepted Answer

A) are based on the idea that much of human behavior is determined by mental processes operating below the level of conscious awareness. 
B) emphasize the functions served by the mind. 
C) emphasize the concept that the whole is different than the sum of its parts. 
D) state that behavior can be altered by the application of reinforcement and punishment.

Question 16

Over history, people have viewed the mind as being located in which parts of the body?

Accepted Answer

A) brain, liver, and heart 
B) brain, lungs, and heart 
C) brain, pancreas, and liver 
D) kidney, pancreas, and spleen

Question 17

"I think therefore I behave"-a version of Descartes's statement "I think therefore I am"-indicates the importance of on behavior and would not be agreed with by a behaviorist.

Accepted Answer

A) reflexes 
B) mental functions 
C) environment 
D) the unconscious

Question 18

Which career is LEAST likely to require knowledge of the principles of psychology?

Accepted Answer

A) a computer-interface designer 
B) a family-practice doctor 
C) a botanist 
D) a bartender

Question 19

Dr.Alvarez studies how the degeneration of certain components of nerve cells in the brain might contribute to the development of multiple sclerosis.Dr.Alvarez's work best exemplifies the subfield of psychology.

Accepted Answer

A) cognitive 
B) social 
C) developmental 
D) biological

Question 20

Kaley has a big presentation at work.Afterward, her boss tells her she did a terrible job and immediately fires her.Given what you know about how people tend to process their own failures, how will Kaley explain this situation?

Accepted Answer

A) She did poorly on this presentation because she is stupid. 
B) She did poorly on this presentation because the topic was confusing and her boss did not give her enough time to complete it. 
C) She did well on this presentation because she is a good public speaker and she is smart. 
D) She did well on this presentation because it was easy and her boss did most of the work.

Exam 1: The Science of Psychology