Question 1

Caroline is interested in determining how squirrels find the caches of nuts they buried several months earlier.She watches the squirrels in a park and notices that they tend to bury food near landmarks,such as trees or benches.She predicts that moving these landmarks after the squirrels have buried their food will prevent them from finding it later on,and designs an experiment to test her prediction.Caroline's approach is an example of

Accepted Answer

A) pseudoscience. 
B) the scientific method. 
C) the psychoanalytic model. 
D) the biopsychological model.

Question 2

Suppose you were a graduate student studying for a Ph.D.in psychology in the 1920s.Your advisor was strongly influenced by John B.Watson.Which of the following might your advisor consider an acceptable choice for your research?

Accepted Answer

A) a survey of daydreams 
B) an analysis of how specific behaviours are acquired 
C) a survey of sexual imagery in dreams of men and women 
D) an analysis of the thought processes students report while answering test items

Question 3

What early American psychologist yearned to create a periodic table of the elements of consciousness?

Accepted Answer

A) Sigmund Freud 
B) William James 
C) B.F.Skinner 
D) Edward Titchener

Question 4

__________ refers to a claim or statement that superficially appears to be scientific but is not.

Accepted Answer

A) Misinformation 
B) Hypothesis 
C) Pseudoscience 
D) Theory

Question 5

Which of the following is true about scientific theories?

Accepted Answer

A) All theories are equally plausible. 
B) The quality of a theory cannot be measured by the number of people who believe it to be true. 
C) Theories are the same thing as opinions or beliefs. 
D) A theory is only valid if it has been proven to be true.

Question 6

During the Victorian period in Europe,sexuality of any kind was considered taboo.Today of course,most adults are more open about their sexuality.This is an example of how the ____________ of different periods can affect the way people behave and think.

Accepted Answer

A) psychophysics 
B) zeitgeist 
C) dualism 
D) materialism

Question 7

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

Accepted Answer

A) examine assumptions and biases 
B) examine the nature and source of the evidence 
C) tolerate ambiguity 
D) avoid overly emotional thinking

Question 8

You attend a lecture by a psychologist who uses terms such as free will and life's meaning.Which psychological perspective is most consistent with the points the psychologist presented?

Accepted Answer

A) behaviourism 
B) humanism 
C) functionalism 
D) psychodynamics

Question 9

A perennial question for educational psychologists is,"Why do some students in a class succeed while others perform poorly?" According to the biopsychosocial model,which of the following is a possible explanation for this phenomenon?

Accepted Answer

A) biological differences in brain structures and chemistry 
B) social and cultural differences among students 
C) cognitive,emotional,and personality differences among students 
D) each student's biological makeup,social and cultural background,and their cognitive abilities,emotional state,and personality combine to make them different from any other student in the class

Question 10

"Children who watch violent cartoons will become more aggressive." According to the scientific method,this statement is most likely a(n)

Accepted Answer

A) theory. 
B) untestable statement. 
C) hypothesis. 
D) fact.

Question 11

____________ holds that,when dealing with competing theories,the simplest one should be chosen.

Accepted Answer

A) Skepticism 
B) Ambiguity 
C) The principle of parsimony 
D) Critical thinking

Question 12

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 13

Which of the following is an environmental psychologist most likely to do?

Accepted Answer

A) redesign an office to encourage communication between employees 
B) study how global warming is affecting the behaviour of chimpanzees in the wild 
C) help clients get in touch with nature 
D) develop ways to encourage recycling

Question 14

Dr.Fernwood is a research psychologist.The main focus of her research is to use psychological knowledge to find ways to reduce bullying in schools.Dr.Fernwood's research could be described as ____________ psychology.

Accepted Answer

A) basic 
B) forensic 
C) applied 
D) I/O

Question 15

How behaviours and mental processes help us adapt to the environment is a question addressed by which early movement of psychology?

Accepted Answer

A) behaviourism 
B) cognitism 
C) functionalism 
D) structuralism

Question 16

When a psychologist uses the term scientific theory,he or she is referring to something that

Accepted Answer

A) is guaranteed to be true. 
B) explains a wide range of observations. 
C) is no more or less plausible than any other theory. 
D) is an educated guess.

Question 17

Brenda is a participant in an experiment.She is told to watch a series of lights and to identify which one is the brightest.It is likely that Brenda is participating in a(n)________________ experiment.

Accepted Answer

A) psychophysics 
B) anthropometric 
C) phrenology 
D) eugenics

Question 18

Suppose you were one of the early graduate students in the newly developed field of psychology.Your mentor is interested in discovering the answers to questions like,"Why is the ability to forget helpful?" and "How do emotions assist us in social situations?" Your mentor's approach is most consistent with the ___________ perspective.

Accepted Answer

A) behaviourist 
B) functionalist 
C) psychoanalytic 
D) structuralist

Question 19

No matter what they specialize in,psychologists who teach and/or conduct research at universities can be referred to as ______________ psychologists.

Accepted Answer

A) academic 
B) school 
C) forensic 
D) clinical

Question 20

Which type of psychologist is most likely to work at a large company?

Accepted Answer

A) forensic 
B) industrial/organizational (I/O) 
C) clinical 
D) school

Exam 1: B: Introducing Psychological Science