Question 1

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 behaviors 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 2

A negative correlation means that ________.

Accepted Answer

A) high values of one variable are associated with low values of the other 
B) high values of one variable are associated with high values of the other 
C) low values of one variable are associated with low values of the other 
D) there is no relationship between the two variables

Question 3

A correlation coefficient shows that alcohol consumption and driving accidents are indeed related.As a result,a researcher could predict ________ if the direction of the relationship is known.

Accepted Answer

A) the number of arrests a person has will go up or down based on the type of car an individual drives 
B) the number of driving accidents a person has will go up or down based on the number of alcoholic drinks consumed 
C) the number of arrests will increase the fewer drinks an individual consumes 
D) the number of driving accidents a person has will contribute to the number of days spent in jail

Question 4

Ken is planning on studying the influence of intelligence on the ability to recall events from the 1960s.If Ken does not account for variables such as age,which could also influence one's ability to recall these events,age could be considered a(n)________.

Accepted Answer

A) random variable 
B) dependent variable 
C) confounding variable 
D) independent variable

Question 5

Which topic would NOT be investigated by a psychologist if the definition of psychology were limited to "the science of behavior"?

Accepted Answer

A) relation between grade-point average and salary 
B) thought processes students used while trying to answer this question 
C) how changes in the rate of television violence influence real-life violence 
D) effectiveness of several treatments for people who suffer from depression

Question 6

Which of the following questions could be answered best by using the survey method?

Accepted Answer

A) What is the effect of ingesting alcohol on problem-solving ability? 
B) Does wall color affect the frequency of violence in prison populations? 
C) Do students prefer a grading system with or without pluses and minuses? 
D) What is the relationship between number of hours of study per week and grade point average?

Question 7

As a project for a psychology course,a student correlated weight and intelligence scores for 250 students.The computed correlation coefficient was .00.What did the scatter plot look like?

Accepted Answer

A) a random distribution of points 
B) a line with a positive slope 
C) a straight line from the lower left to the upper right-hand corner 
D) a straight line from the upper left to the lower right-hand corner

Question 8

Which of the following statements concerning using animals in research is correct?

Accepted Answer

A) There are no ethical guidelines when it comes to animals. 
B) There are rules that prevent the killing of animals. 
C) Pain and suffering of animals are allowed,but only when necessary,and must be minimized as much as possible. 
D) New ethical guidelines prevent the use of primates in psychological research.

Question 9

The magazine Desperate Wives publishes a survey of its female readers called "The Sex Life of the American Wife." It reports that 87 percent of all wives like to make love in rubber boots.A more accurate title for this survey would be ________.

Accepted Answer

A) "Rubber Boot Preferences and the American Wife" 
B) "The New Sexuality in America: Rubber Boots in Bed!" 
C) "The Sex Lives of Our Readers: Desperate Wives Women Respond" 
D) "Sex in America: These Boots Were Made for Walking and for…"

Question 10

Freud stressed the importance of ________.

Accepted Answer

A) early childhood experiences 
B) adolescence 
C) early adulthood 
D) middle adulthood

Question 11

Which of the following statements is correct concerning correlation coefficients?

Accepted Answer

A) A correlation of +.89 is strong and -.89 is weak. 
B) A correlation of +.89 and -.89 are both strong and equally so. 
C) Correlation coefficients are indicators of cause and effect. 
D) A correlation of +1.5 is very strong.

Question 12

Adaris has always been drawn to the saying "Absence makes the heart grow fonder," and she decides to incorporate this saying into her research project.Adaris is trying to define absence in a way that can be empirically tested.She is attempting to find an appropriate ________.

Accepted Answer

A) hypothesis 
B) operational definition 
C) double-blind study 
D) theory

Question 13

Mei was sent to the school psychologist to be tested.Based on her IQ scores,it was decided that she would do well in the gifted child program.This is an example of which goal of psychology?

Accepted Answer

A) describing behavior 
B) explaining behavior 
C) predicting behavior 
D) controlling behavior

Question 14

A correlation coefficient represents two things: ________ and ________.

Accepted Answer

A) a representative sample;strength 
B) strength;direction of the relationship 
C) the experimental group;control group 
D) direction of the relationship;expectant functionality

Question 15

Which treatment approach did Sigmund Freud develop for treating his patients?

Accepted Answer

A) drug therapy 
B) neuropsychology 
C) clinical psychology 
D) psychoanalysis

Question 16

The early perspective called Gestalt psychology has evolved into the current perspective called ________.

Accepted Answer

A) psychoanalysis 
B) cognitive psychology 
C) behavioral psychology 
D) social psychology

Question 17

The school of behaviorism attempted to explain behavior by studying:

Accepted Answer

A) the reasons people give for their behaviors. 
B) the specific personality traits that lead to behavior. 
C) how a specific stimulus evokes a specific response. 
D) the purposes of people's behavior.

Question 18

Critical thinking requires making judgments that are well-reasoned and well-thought out.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 19

Who was an early proponent of functionalism?

Accepted Answer

A) Ivan Pavlov 
B) William James 
C) Wilhelm Wundt 
D) Max Wertheimer

Question 20

Drinking orange juice is negatively correlated with the risk of cancer.Based on this information,which of the following statements is true?

Accepted Answer

A) The more orange juice you drink,the higher your risk of cancer. 
B) The more orange juice you drink,the lower your risk of cancer. 
C) The less orange juice you drink,the lower your risk of cancer. 
D) Drinking orange juice causes people to be cancer free.

Exam 1: The Science of Psychology