Question 1

A general rule to help detect pseudoscience is to:

Accepted Answer

A) be highly skeptical of scientific assertions that rely on vague evidence. 
B) draw conclusions based on cognitive and motivational biases that affect perceptions. 
C) not waste time doing an Internet search for supportive evidence. 
D) rely unquestioningly on one's own personal judgment.

Question 2

Which of the following is an advantage of the scientific approach over other ways of knowing about the world?

Accepted Answer

A) Eliminating the need for evidence before drawing scientific conclusions 
B) Ruling out intuition and authority as sources of ideas about behavior 
C) Providing an objective set of rules for gathering, evaluating, and reporting information 
D) Rejecting the idea that numerous cognitive and motivational biases affect our perceptions

Question 3

In determining the cause of behavior, which principle considers the order when two events occur together?

Accepted Answer

A) Temporal precedence 
B) Covariation of cause and effect 
C) Elimination of alternative explanations 
D) Observational analysis

Question 4

Which of the following is true of applied research?

Accepted Answer

A) It is considered more valuable than basic research. 
B) It is often guided by the findings of basic research. 
C) It is designed to answer fundamental questions about the nature of behavior. 
D) It is of value only if the results are published.

Question 5

Scientific _____ means that ideas must be evaluated on the basis of careful logic and results from scientific investigations.

Accepted Answer

A) fanaticism 
B) didacticism 
C) radicalism 
D) skepticism

Question 6

Which of the following is the first goal of behavioral science?

Accepted Answer

A) Understanding behavior 
B) Predicting behavior 
C) Determining the causes of behavior 
D) Describing behavior

Question 7

Which of the following is most likely to be a problem associated with intuition?

Accepted Answer

A) Unquestioningly accepting one's own personal judgment 
B) Finding an explanation for one's own behavior or the behaviors of others 
C) Explaining the intriguing events that one may observe 
D) Drawing erroneous conclusions based on cognitive or motivational biases

Question 8

In the case of knowing that watching television violence is a predictor of actual aggression, which of the following evidence accentuates the need to know that aggression followed after television viewing occurred?

Accepted Answer

A) Temporal precedence 
B) Covariation of cause and effect 
C) Elimination of alternative explanations 
D) Observational analysis

Question 9

According to Goodstein, which characteristic of scientific enquiry states that for scientists, knowledge is primarily based on observations and that scientists enthusiastically search for observations that will verify or reject their ideas about the world.

Accepted Answer

A) Data play a central role. 
B) Scientists are not alone. 
C) Science is adversarial. 
D) Scientific evidence is peer reviewed.

Question 10

Professor Gordon finds that students who read newspapers daily display more knowledge of current events than students who do not read newspapers daily. What type of evidence does this identification of a cause of behavior exemplify?

Accepted Answer

A) Cognitive awareness 
B) Temporal precedence of cause 
C) Covariation of cause and effect 
D) Elimination of alternative explanations

Question 11

When a person accepts unquestioningly what his or her own personal judgment tells about the world, he or she is relying on _____.

Accepted Answer

A) skepticism 
B) authority 
C) intuition 
D) science

Question 12

Which of the following journal article titles represents an example of a basic research study?

Accepted Answer

A) "The effect of self-awareness on a cognitive reasoning task" 
B) "Buying behavior: The influence of item shelf placement in retail grocery stores" 
C) "Increasing knowledge of dangers in the home: A tri-state phone survey" 
D) "A peer tutoring program as a method to increase cultural sensitivity"

Question 13

_____ is a cognitive bias that occurs when a person focuses on two events that stand out and occur together.

Accepted Answer

A) Skepticism 
B) Falsifiability 
C) Illusory correlation 
D) Temporal precedence

Question 14

According to Goodstein, which characteristic of scientific enquiry emphasizes that scientists make observations that are accurately reported to other scientists who will follow up on the findings by conducting research that replicates and extends these observations.

Accepted Answer

A) Data play a central role. 
B) Scientists are not alone. 
C) Science is adversarial. 
D) Scientific evidence is peer reviewed.

Question 15

_____ is "fake" science in which seemingly scientific terms and demonstrations are used to substantiate claims that have no basis in scientific research.

Accepted Answer

A) Omniscience 
B) Antiscience 
C) Prescience 
D) Pseudoscience

Question 16

Of the four goals of behavioral science, determining the cause of behavior involves:

Accepted Answer

A) careful observation of things like running speed, eye gaze, or loudness of laughter. 
B) regular observation of a specific behavior to ensure that two events are systematically related to one another. 
C) concluding causation based on temporal precedence, covariation of cause and effect, and alternative explanations. 
D) explaining and understanding the events that have been described as causing a particular behavior.

Question 17

Scientists often rely on intuition and assertions of authorities to:

Accepted Answer

A) generate ideas for research. 
B) draw conclusions about behavior. 
C) set rules for evaluating and reporting information. 
D) ensure that flawed research does not become part of scientific literature.

Question 18

The statement, "High school seniors with higher SAT scores will have higher GPAs in college" is an example of _____ behavior.

Accepted Answer

A) predicting 
B) describing 
C) explaining 
D) understanding

Question 19

Which of the following is an example of pseudoscience?

Accepted Answer

A) Facilitated communication 
B) Program evaluation 
C) Basic research 
D) Heuristic evaluation

Question 20

Which of the following statements is true of the scientific approach to acquiring knowledge?

Accepted Answer

A) Scientists accept the pronouncements of anyone on faith. 
B) Scientists do not rely on intuition and assertions of authorities for ideas for research. 
C) A person can accept on faith the statements of any authority. 
D) Both intuition and authority can be sources of ideas about behavior.

Exam 1: Scientific Understanding of Behavior