Deck 1: The Science of Psychology

Question 1

A group of psychologists conduct research on basic psychological processes, including learning, memory, sensation, perception, thinking, motivation, and emotion. They are most likely to be ________ psychologists.

A) physiological
B) clinical
C) experimental
D) psychometric

Answer 1

experimental

Question 2

A group of psychologists at a cocktail party are discussing what kinds of questions are most studied and useful in the field of psychology. Which of the following pairs of psychologists are most likely to find agreement?

A) industrial/organizational and experimental psychologists
B) industrial/organizational and physiological psychologists
C) clinical and counseling psychologists
D) personality and experimental psychologists

Answer 2

clinical and counseling psychologists

Question 3

Each of the following characterizes a state of mind necessary for critical thinking except ________.

A) a willingness to submit your own beliefs to scrutiny
B) creativity
C) a willingness to challenge the opinions of others
D) objectivity

Answer 3

creativity

Question 4

At the beginning of the 20^th century, most university psychology programs were located in ________.

A) philosophy departments
B) education departments
C) medical schools
D) biology departments

Question 5

________ are interested in the workings of the brain and the nervous system.

A) Experimental psychologists
B) Psychobiologists
C) Behavioral geneticists
D) Neuropsychologists

Question 6

Psychology is the scientific study of ________.

A) how personality can be determined by the size and shape of one's head
B) behavior and mental processes
C) the physiological functions of the brain
D) how cultures and societies develop and interact with each other

Question 7

According to Wundt, the mind should be studied ________.

A) scientifically
B) according to philosophical traditions
C) as a spiritual entity
D) subjectively and introspectively

Question 8

A group of psychologists study the differences among individuals' traits such as agreeableness, sociability, self-esteem, emotional stability, and aggressiveness. They are most likely to be ________ psychologists.

A) clinical
B) developmental
C) psychometric
D) personality

Question 9

A group of psychologists studies how people influence one another, exploring issues such as first impressions, interpersonal attraction, and how attitudes are formed and maintained. These psychologists are most likely to be ________ psychologists.

A) developmental
B) experimental
C) social
D) personality

Question 10

Psychologists are interested in ________.

A) every aspect of human thoughts, feelings, and actions
B) aspects of human behavior, but not human thought
C) aspects of human thought, but not human behavior
D) only major aspects of human thought and behavior

Question 11

In recent years, several Japanese automobile companies have opened manufacturing plants in the United States, bringing Japanese management practices with them. For the most part, American workers at these plants have refused to unionize in the traditional American mold, preferring to work under the Japanese model. Of the following mental health professionals, ________ psychologists would probably be most interested in these events.

A) developmental
B) industrial/organizational
C) social
D) experimental

Question 12

The first psychology laboratory was founded by ________.

A) James
B) Watson
C) Titchener
D) Wundt

Question 13

Life-span psychologists focus mainly on studying ________.

A) adolescent changes and development
B) adulthood
C) the entire developmental spectrum from infancy through adulthood
D) infancy and childhood development

Question 14

Wilhelm runs an experiment and finds that males with high levels of testosterone tend to be more physically aggressive than males with lower levels of testosterone. This leads him to believe that testosterone has a direct effect on physical aggression in males. Wilhelm's belief is best described as a ________.

A) thesis
B) prognosis
C) theory
D) hypothesis

Question 15

Wundt believed that ________ be studied through scientific experiments.

A) only mental processes could
B) all mental processes could
C) some mental processes could not
D) no mental processes could

Question 16

A scientist decides to solve a problem by collecting data through careful systematic observation, developing theories, making predictions based on those theories, and systematically testing those predictions. The scientist is using ________.

A) the inductive method
B) the deductive method
C) the scientific method
D) objective introspection

Question 17

Most psychologists agree that psychology, as a science, was born in ________.

A) 1879
B) 1921
C) 1909
D) 1891

Question 18

A group of psychologists are interested in how hormones, psychoactive medications, and "social drugs" affect us. They are most likely to be ________.

A) neuropsychologists
B) biological psychologists
C) experimental psychologists
D) behavioral geneticists

Question 19

A group of psychologists study human, mental, and physical growth from the prenatal period through childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and old age. They are most likely to be ________ psychologists.

A) developmental
B) social
C) personality
D) organizational

Question 20

The history of psychology can be divided into ________ main stages.

A) two
B) three
C) four
D) five

Question 21

Which of the following pairs is associated with the earliest development of behaviorism?

A) Pavlov and Watson
B) Skinner and Thorndike
C) Watson and James
D) Skinner and Pavlov

Question 22

John Watson was the founder of the school of thought that became known as ________.

A) functionalism
B) structuralism
C) humanism
D) behaviorism

Question 23

A therapist has you lie on a couch and describe your dreams, and say whatever comes into your mind. This therapist is using a technique known as ________.

A) reflection
B) pole-shifting
C) the empty chair
D) free association

Question 24

Titchener believed psychologists should analyze complex experiences in terms of ________.

A) learned behaviors
B) actualizing experiences
C) their basic elements
D) a stream of consciousness

Question 25

James suggested that ________ allow us to benefit from previous experience.

A) atoms of experience
B) rewards and punishments
C) mental associations
D) dreams

Question 26

Psychodynamic theory is most closely associated with ________.

A) James
B) Rogers
C) Freud
D) Perls

Question 27

The idea that psychology should be based only on observable, measurable behavior is central to ________.

A) cognitive theory
B) psychodynamic theory
C) structuralism
D) behaviorism

Question 28

William James is noted for founding the ________ school of psychology.

A) Gestalt
B) structuralist
C) reductionist
D) functionalist

Question 29

Freud's work with his patients convinced him that many nervous ailments are ________.

A) caused by environmental toxins
B) genetically inherited
C) physiological in origin
D) psychological in origin

Question 30

Pavlov called his method of training ________.

A) shaping
B) modeling
C) conditioning
D) reinforcement

Question 31

A psychologist claims that hidden motives and unconscious desires are the basis of behavior. This psychologist is most likely a(n) ________ psychologist.

A) existential
B) Gestalt
C) psychoanalytic
D) behavioral

Question 32

Personality theories contending that personality results from various psychological forces that interact within the individual, often outside the conscious awareness of the individual, are ________ theories.

A) behavioral
B) existential
C) psychodynamic
D) structural-functional

Question 33

Psychologists should only study observable, measurable behavior, according to ________.

A) Watson
B) Kohler
C) Freud
D) Titchener

Question 34

Wundt used the term ________ to describe his view of psychology.

A) voluntarism
B) cognitism
C) Gestaltism
D) mentalism

Question 35

James argued that consciousness ________.

A) is comprised of "atoms of thought"
B) is an illusion
C) flows in a continuous stream
D) does not exist

Question 36

Titchener broke experience down into ________ basic elements.

A) two
B) three
C) four
D) five

Question 37

A noted scientist argues that experience can be broken down into physical sensations (including sights and sounds), affections or feelings (which are like sensations but less clear), and images (such as memories or dreams). This scientist is most likely a follower of ________.

A) Galton
B) Wundt
C) James
D) Titchener

Question 38

A noted scientist argues that consciousness is a continuous flow, and that perceptions, associations, sensations and emotions cannot be separated. This scientist is most likely a follower of ________.

A) Titchener
B) Wundt
C) James
D) Galton

Question 39

According to Freud, much of our behavior is controlled by ________.

A) mental Gestalts
B) environmental stimuli
C) unconscious desires
D) mental associations

Question 40

The basic units of experience and their combinations were the foundation of ________.

A) functionalism
B) Gestalt psychology
C) structuralism
D) behaviorism

Question 41

A male who seeks help for depression is told that the way to overcome the depression is to improve his self-esteem and self-expression, to seek out peak experiences and achieve self-actualization. This approach is most similar to that of ________ psychology.

A) cognitive
B) humanistic
C) Gestalt
D) existential

Question 42

The field of psychology that explores the neurological mechanisms that underlie mental processes such as learning, memory, intelligence, and emotion is ________.

A) evolutionary psychology
B) psychoneuroimmunology
C) Gestalt psychology
D) cognitive neuroscience

Question 43

The field of psychology that is concerned with the biological origins of behaviors and mental processes, their adaptive value and the purposes they continue to serve is ________ psychology.

A) cognitive
B) evolutionary
C) ethnographic
D) physiological

Question 44

Watson's experiment with Little Albert demonstrated that ________.

A) reward learning is more powerful in humans than conditioning
B) other animals besides dogs can be conditioned
C) children are born with a natural fear of rats
D) people can be conditioned

Question 45

A mother is trying to teach her little boy to eat his cereal with a spoon. Every time he correctly does so, his mother gives him a small piece of his favorite cookie. This is an example of ________.

A) vicarious learning
B) insight learning
C) conditioning
D) reinforcement

Question 46

Positive psychologists are most similar in their beliefs to ________.

A) behaviorists
B) Gestalt theorists
C) humanists
D) psychodynamic theorists

Question 47

The scientific study of mental processes in the broadest sense - thinking, feeling, learning, and remembering - is ________ psychology.

A) behavioral
B) humanistic
C) cognitive
D) existential

Question 48

The idea that psychology should focus on how people experience and perceive separate objects (such as dots) as whole patterns (such as lines, or objects) is a central concept of ________ psychology.

A) cognitive
B) behavioral
C) humanistic
D) Gestalt

Question 49

A psychologist reads a lengthy story to a group of people and then observes the kinds of things they remember, the ways in which their recollections change over time, and the sorts of errors in their memories that occur. This psychologist is most likely a(n) ________ psychologist.

A) behavioral
B) humanistic
C) cognitive
D) existential

Question 50

F. Skinner is associated with ________.

A) psychodynamic psychology
B) Gestalt psychology
C) existentialism
D) behaviorism

Question 51

When we are shown a series of still pictures flashed at a constant rate, they seem to show movement. The psychologists most likely to be interested in this event are ________ psychologists.

A) behavioral
B) humanistic
C) Gestalt
D) structuralistic

Question 52

Wertheimer, Köhler, and Koffka were all associated with ________ psychology.

A) psychoanalytic
B) functionalist
C) Gestalt
D) existential

Question 53

________ refers to the spontaneity and creativity that result from focusing on problems outside of oneself and looking beyond the boundaries of social conventions.

A) Self-efficacy
B) Self-actualization
C) Rational restructuring
D) Psychological congruence

Question 54

An unintended consequence of the dominance of behavioral psychology was that psychology developed ________.

A) a genetic bias
B) selective amnesia
C) an aversion to scientific research
D) an environmental bias

Question 55

________ theory has often been referred to as the "third force" in psychology, beyond Freudian theory and behaviorism.

A) Humanistic
B) Existential
C) Cognitive
D) Trait

Question 56

Like Watson, Skinner believed that psychology should study only ________.

A) elements of thought
B) observable behavior
C) mental processes
D) perceptions

Question 57

A positive psychologist is most likely to devote her attention to studying the ________.

A) "good life": the study of subjective well-being
B) role of evolution in shaping behaviors linked to human survival
C) role of learning and conditioning in shaping a child's personality
D) influences of unconscious processes on mental illness

Question 58

A scientist trains dogs to salivate to the sound of a buzzer by pairing the buzzer's sound with the presence of food. This technique is called ________.

A) conditioning
B) reinforcement
C) modeling
D) social learning

Question 59

A famous psychologist studies mate selection, altruism, and jealousy in a variety of cultures across a wide range of time periods in an effort to find out how we (humans) have developed our current patterns of behavior in regard to these issues. This psychologist is most likely a(n) ________ psychologist.

A) physiological
B) ethnographic
C) evolutionary
D) cognitive

Question 60

By snapping your fingers just before you blow a gentle puff of air into someone's eyes, causing them to blink, you can teach them to blink to just the sound of your fingers snapping, even when you no longer blow the puff of air. This is an example of ________.

A) conditioning
B) modeling
C) reinforcement
D) shaping

Question 61

Scientists use the word ________ to refer exclusively to biological differences between men and women in anatomy, genetics, or physical functioning.

A) sex role
B) culture
C) gender
D) sex

Question 62

The term "race" refers to ________ heritage.

A) neither an individual's cultural nor biological
B) an individual's cultural, not biological
C) an individual's biological and cultural
D) an individual's biological, not cultural

Question 63

The expectations of a researcher that might distort or influence his or her interpretation of what he or she actually observed is called ________.

A) sample bias
B) observer bias
C) the Phi phenomenon
D) cognitive dissonance

Question 64

Observing behavior as it happens in real-life natural settings without imposing laboratory controls is known as ________.

A) correlational research
B) naturalistic observation
C) psychometric research
D) experimental research

Question 65

The primary advantage of the naturalistic observation method of research is that it ________.

A) allows for better control of the experimental situation than other research methods
B) allows for gathering information more easily, quickly, and cheaply than other research methods
C) usually allows for behavior that is more natural, varied, and spontaneous than in a laboratory
D) virtually eliminates the problem of observer bias

Question 66

Political polls taken before major elections are examples of ________ research.

A) survey
B) case study
C) correlational
D) experimental

Question 67

A researcher, interested in how children interact with each other, goes to a school playground and unobtrusively takes notes as she watches them over a period of several hours. This researcher is using the ________ method of research.

A) case study
B) experimental
C) naturalistic observation
D) psychometric

Question 68

The female psychologist who is known for her pioneering research examining the role of imagery in thought processes is ________.

A) Christine Ladd-Franklin
B) Margaret Floy Washburn
C) Mary Whiton Calkins
D) Margaret Mead

Question 69

A research method in which the real-life behavior of a pre-selected individual or a few individuals is studied at an in-depth level for some time through the use of observation, interviews, and writings (such as letters) is the ________ method of research.

A) correlational
B) case study
C) naturalistic observation
D) survey

Question 70

A common cultural heritage, including religion, language, and/or ancestry, that is shared by a group of individuals is called ________.

A) race
B) society
C) ethnicity
D) orientation

Question 71

Women in many cultures are expected to take care of the children, clean the house, do laundry, and make the meals. These behavioral expectations of women are known as ________.

A) display rules
B) cultural universals
C) gender roles
D) gender stereotypes

Question 72

Jean Piaget's observations of his three children formed the basis of his theories of childhood development. This is an example of the ________ method of research.

A) naturalistic observation
B) correlational
C) psychometric
D) case study

Question 73

Case studies, naturalistic observation, and surveys are best suited for ________ behaviors, beliefs, opinions, and attitudes.

A) explaining Incorrect. Explanation of phenomena requires experimental research. The methods noted in this question are descriptive research.
B) describing Correct. These are called "descriptive methods" because they can only describe, not explain, why behaviors happen.
C) predicting
D) determining the causes of

Question 74

The anthropologist whose research showed that definitions of masculinity and femininity are not biological given but are learned cultural constructs and therefore subject to change is ________.

A) Mary Whiton Calkins
B) Margaret Mead
C) Christine Ladd-Franklin
D) Margaret Floy Washburn

Question 75

Which of the following is an example of correlational research?

A) A historian conducts an extensive study of the factors that led to the American defeat at Pearl Harbor in 1941.
B) A researcher tracks smokers and nonsmokers to see how many of them get lung cancer and if there are significant differences in lung cancer rates between the two groups.
C) A researcher interviews taxpayers to find out how strongly they would support a proposal for a "flat" tax.
D) A researcher randomly divides her participants into two groups, giving one group a powerful new medicine while the other group gets a placebo.

Question 76

Someone who is attracted to members of the opposite sex has a(n) ________ orientation.

A) asexual
B) bisexual
C) heterosexual
D) homosexual

Question 77

Research techniques based on the naturally occurring relationship between two or more variables are known as the ________ method.

A) case study
B) correlational
C) experimental
D) naturalistic observation

Question 78

Which of the following statements is true?

A) Psychologists have looked closely at the influence of human diversity on human behavior since the very beginnings of the field.
B) Psychologists have looked closely at the influence of human diversity on human behavior since the earliest years of the 20^th century.
C) Psychologists still have not begun to look closely at the influence of human diversity on human behavior.
D) Only recently have psychologists looked closely at the influence of human diversity on human behavior.

Question 79

Today women receive ________ of the PhD's granted in psychology.

A) fewer than 10 percent
B) more than half
C) fewer than half
D) more than 90 percent

Question 80

Cultures that value independence and personal achievement are ________ cultures.

A) recidivist
B) individualistic
C) collectivist
D) opportunistic