Deck 1: Psychology and Science

Question 1

When we size up strangers within just a few moments of meeting them, we rely on which way of knowing?

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

Answer 1

A

Question 2

The problem with common sense as a way of knowing is

A) There's no problem with common sense
B) Standards of common sense vary according to the culture
C) It is a nonempirical method of knowing
D) It is not based on formal logic

Answer 2

B

Question 3

When we state that science is empirical, we mean

A) That someone we believe told us about it
B) That it can be observed directly
C) That it is subject to logic
D) That we feel it's right in our "guts"

Answer 3

B

Question 4

The last stage of the scientific method fifth step) is

A) Defining the problem
B) Collecting data
C) Communicating the findings
D) Formulating a hypothesis

Question 5

The statement, "My textbook states that frustration causes aggression," illustrates which one of the following ways of knowing?

A) authority
B) common sense
C) science
D) logic

Question 6

Which of the following are nonempirical ways of knowing?

A) Authority and logic
B) Intuition and Science
C) Authority and Science
D) Logic and intuition

Question 7

Which one of the following statements is the most objective?

A) Sarah thinks the baby is running a fever.
B) The students arrived according to schedule.
C) Many of the students appeared to be inattentive.
D) The professor dislikes inattentive students.

Question 8

Consider the following statement: "If negative emotions cause aggression, and if frustration induces a negative emotion, then frustration must cause aggression." This statement illustrates which one of the following ways of knowing?

A) science
B) authority
C) common sense
D) logic

Question 9

The theory of obesity that makes the prediction that there should be situations in which overweight people eat less than average-weight people is

A) Based on common sense
B) Counterintuitive
C) Nonempirical
D) Based on authority

Question 10

Which one of the following statements best describes the major limitation of authority as a way of knowing? Authorities

A) do not use logic
B) often disagree among themselves
C) are typically hypocritical
D) rely solely on science

Question 11

Which of the following are empirical ways of knowing?

A) Authority and logic
B) Intuition and Science
C) Authority and Science
D) Logic and intuition

Question 12

Because Psychology has some sub-disciplines that share many of the same ideas as biology and mathematics, it is said to be a

A) Science
B) Hub discipline
C) Discourse community
D) Communicative discipline

Question 13

Accepting the information in an instructor's lecture without examining the book or asking about the source of the ideas is an example of which way of knowing about behavior?

A) Authority
B) Intuition
C) Science
D) Logic

Question 14

The statement, "It seems to me that frustration causes aggression," illustrates which one of the following ways of knowing?

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

Question 15

Which one of the following statements best describes the major limitation of authority as a way of knowing? Authorities

A) are sometimes dishonest
B) do not use scientific methods
C) are often wrong
D) often rely too heavily on intuitive methods

Question 16

The first stage of the scientific method is

A) Defining the problem
B) Collecting data
C) Communicating the findings
D) Formulating a hypothesis

Question 17

A major problem with common sense as a way of knowing is

A) It cannot predict new knowledge
B) It is not based on authority
C) It is a nonempirical method of knowing
D) There is no problem with common sense

Question 18

The statement "If it rains, then there will be no baseball game" is

A) Logically valid and true
B) Logically valid and false
C) Not logically valid, but true
D) Logically valid, and dependent upon the first clause for truth

Question 19

Which one of the following statements is the most subjective?

A) Professor Dolittle announced that the experiment was a success.
B) Three of the participants reported feelings of anxiety.
C) Professor Dolittle's assistant thinks the experiment was a success.
D) All participants were present on the final day of the experiment.

Question 20

A discipline that crosses the boundaries of science is called a

A) Hub discipline
B) Informal discipline
C) Discourse discipline
D) Communicative discipline

Question 21

"I wonder why study questions help students learn," Mr. Manear said. "Perhaps it is because they direct students' attention to relevant information, so that it is appropriately processed and stored in their memories." Mr. Manear had developed a

A) theory
B) hypothesis
C) construct
D) concept

Question 22

The fact that the order in which something occurs is important in establishing a cause and effect relationship is called

A) Temporal precedence
B) A Sequence effect
C) Co-variation of cause and effect
D) An order effect

Question 23

Mr. Manear, a high school literature teacher, noticed that his students always did better on tests if he had given them study questions the day before than if he had not. "Aha," he said, "giving study questions facilitates student learning." Mr. Manear had discovered a

A) theory
B) hypothesis
C) concept
D) law

Question 24

Which one of the following is not a working assumption of science?

A) infallibility
B) rationality
C) causality
D) discoverability

Question 25

Broca's discovery of the speech area of the brain may have involved asking all of the following questions except

A) Did the loss of speech cause the stroke?
B) What did the stroke victims who were unable to speak have in common?
C) How did stroke victims who were unable to speak differ from others?
D) Did the severity of the speech problem vary with the size of the affected brain area?

Question 26

The assumption of rationality means that

A) all events are believed to have causes
B) the universe follows the same laws in all times and places
C) the universe follows laws that may be understood by way of logical thinking
D) the world is not just the way it appears

Question 27

The doctrine that objects perceived have an existence outside the mind is referred to as

A) common sense
B) regularity
C) realism
D) determinism

Question 28

Which is not an obstacle to finding the cause of some effect?

A) We often overlook the real cause.
B) Some events are just coincidences
C) Sometimes the real cause is another event correlated with the suspected cause.
D) Causes sometimes happen after their effects.

Question 29

Science is

A) self-correcting
B) parsimonious
C) progressive
D) all of these

Question 30

The suggestion to take an aspirin to relieve a headache would be considered_________ while ___________ would be concerned with the reason that the aspirin works.

A) Science, technology
B) Technology, science
C) Parsimonious, excessive
D) Law, theory

Question 31

A ________ describes events that occur with great regularity.

A) theory
B) law
C) construct
D) generalization

Question 32

A statement describing the relationship between two or more events is called a

A) theory
B) principle
C) concept
D) law

Question 33

Which one of the following statements best explains the difference between science and nonscience? Science relies more on

A) Empiricism
B) Objectivity
C) Authority.
D) Logic

Question 34

A law may best be defined as a statement that certain events

A) are caused by preceding events
B) are regularly associated with each other
C) explain one or more events
D) occur regularly

Question 35

If we explain the reason that a mother cat licks and cleans her kittens of the fluids that cover them when they are born by saying that the fluids tastes good, which is probably the simplest explanation, we are addressing which aspect of science?

A) Parsimony
B) Self-correcting nature
C) Progessive nature
D) Concern with theory

Question 36

The ultimate goal of science is the development of ________ to explain _________

A) Technology, science
B) Science, technology
C) Laws, theories
D) Theories, laws

Question 37

The assumption of discoverability refers to the notion that

A) events in the world, including behavior, are lawful and orderly
B) reasoning is the basis for solving all problems
C) all events occur as a result of preceding events
D) it is impossible to find solutions to complex problems

Question 38

Determinism is the doctrine that all events

A) are caused
B) take place in recurring patterns
C) have an existence outside the mind
D) can be understood

Question 39

The statement, "Interviewers rate job applicants more favorably when they wear a nice suit than when they wear casual clothes" is an example of a:

A) Theory of behavior
B) Hypothesis
C) Explanation of behavior
D) Law

Question 40

The assumption of regularity refers to the notion that

A) events in the world, including behavior, are lawful and orderly
B) reasoning is the basis for solving all problems
C) all events occur as a result of preceding events
D) it is impossible to discover solutions to complex problems

Question 41

Speculations about the relationship between two or more variables are called

A) hypotheses
B) constructs
C) concepts
D) generalizations

Question 42

Which one of the following is not a major role of a theory?

A) to organize knowledge
B) to explain laws
C) to predict new laws
D) to describe behavior

Question 43

Mr. Manear mused, "If I teach my students better ways to identify key elements in the literature they're reading, this should also improve their test scores." This statement is an example of

A) theory
B) hypothesis
C) law
D) converging operation

Question 44

The idea that scientific progress does not proceed in a straightforward manner, but rather consists of normal science, followed by shifts to other ways of thinking, is Kuhn's concept of a ____________

A) Theory
B) Hypothesis
C) Law
D) Paradigm

Question 45

Explain how the requirements for establishing a law differ from the requirements for
establishing a cause and effect relationship.

Question 46

When defining a term or concept operationally, it is important to

A) consult a dictionary for the exact definition
B) state the means of measuring the term or concept
C) include the common use of the term or concept
D) consult the literature to determine how the term or concept has been defined in previous studies

Question 47

Which one of the following terms best illustrates an operational definition?

A) punishment -- harsh or injurious treatment for an offense
B) learning -- acquiring knowledge or skill
C) thirst -- eighteen hours without access to water
D) anxiety -- state of being uneasy, apprehensive or, worried

Question 48

Which one of the following is not a major factor in judging a theory? A theory must

A) provide a guide for systematizing and interrelating laws
B) combine individual bits of empirical information into a set of constructs that provide for greater understanding
C) help identify the proper questions to be asked in the context of specific research
D) not decrease in usefulness in the light of new knowledge

Question 49

A certain teacher finds it helpful to use multimedia materials in presenting information and content to students. However, she finds herself being criticized by other teachers who rely primarily on textbooks to present information to students. Outline a scientific approach you might use to help this teacher gain information to help her decide if her teaching system is effective enough to continue.

Question 50

The term converging operations means using different _______ to define a concept.

A) theories
B) sources in the literature
C) operational definitions
D) hypotheses

Question 51

Consider the following incomplete statements of a research problem. Rewrite each of the
statements. Be specific enough so that it becomes an acceptable statement of a research problem.
a. Attitudes and academic achievement
b. Behavior modification with children who are hyperactive
c. The use of behavioral objectives in teaching history
d. Accountability and attitude of professors toward college or university administration

Question 52

Consider the following partial hypothesis: If frustration causes aggression, then.... Which one of the following completes the statement by providing the best operational definition for the two concepts in bold?

A) Preschool children who are prevented from playing with a favorite toy will display aggressive behavior.
B) Preschool children who become frustrated will hit other children.
C) Preschool children who are prevented from playing with a favorite toy will hit other children.
D) Frustration among children leads to aggressive behavior.

Question 53

A good theory

A) is logical
B) matches common sense
C) eventually becomes a law
D) provides an explanation for a large number of events

Question 54

A researcher is interested in conducting a study to determine the effects of individualizing instruction on the scholastic performance of junior high school participants. What terms would require operational definitions? Provide examples of operational definitions for these terms.

Question 55

Consider the question: "What should be the objectives of civics instruction in the senior high school?" Discuss how this question can be formulated into a research problem. Develop a satisfactory statement of the research problem, or provide an argument for why this is not a researchable question.

Question 56

Which is not a way to judge a good theory? How well it

A) agrees with common sense
B) explains existing laws
C) predicts new laws
D) guides research

Question 57

A pervasive way of thinking that is dominated by all of the theories assumed to be true by scientists at any given time is called ______________

A) A law
B) A paradigm
C) Social Construction
D) Temporal precedence

Question 58

Social Construction, as applied to science,

A) Refers to the progressive nature of science
B) Refers to hypothesis testing
C) Refers to the claim that science deals with the beliefs of scientists, rather than reality
D) Refers to shifts in world beliefs

Question 59

The statement, "A pleasant fragrance increases ratings of job applicants because the scent creates a positive emotional state in the interviewer" is an example of a:

A) Law
B) Description of behavior.
C) Prediction of behavior.
D) Theory of behavior.

Question 60

Which of the following is NOT true of theories?

A) Explain currently known facts.
B) Rarely change once formulated.
C) Generate new knowledge.
D) Explain laws

Question 61

Some theories suggest that the tendency to abuse alcohol is inherited because alcoholism tends to run in families. Theories play three critical roles in the development of science. List these three roles, then determine whether the inheritance theory of alcoholism can act in these roles effectively.