Deck 1: Psychology: the Science of Behaviour

Question 1

The four central goals of psychology are:

A) describe,understand,predict,influence.
B) describe,understand,reduce,influence.
C) rationalize,understand,predict,influence.
D) simplify,analyze,influence,rationalize.

Answer 1

describe,understand,predict,influence.

Question 2

On the old Star Trek series,viewers were always able to tell which crew member would be the most likely to die when on the "away mission." It was the crew member wearing the red suit,although we never knew the reason for this occurrence.The ability to forecast the demise of the red-suited crew member illustrates the ability to:

A) describe behaviour.
B) predict behaviour.
C) understand behaviour.
D) influence or control behaviour.

Answer 2

predict behaviour.

Question 3

Evidence gained through experience and observation is called ___________.

A) real world data
B) empirical evidence
C) personal evidence
D) rational evidence

Answer 3

empirical evidence

Question 4

Which of the following examples is most consistent with your textbook authors' definition of the term behaviour,a?

A) developmental psychologist counts the number of times a child verbally taunts another student on the playground to measure aggression.
B) cognitive psychologist uses a reaction time experiment to assess prejudicial beliefs.
C) biological psychologist watches the activity of a particular brain area in order to infer an animal's emotional state.
D) clinical psychologist asks a client to describe how she thinks when she gets depressed.

Question 5

Dr.Forman is a school psychologist who has been asked to observe a disruptive student.After her observation,she writes,"Bobby had difficulty with the math lesson,and began distracting the students who were sitting next to him by pinching and hitting them." Dr.Forman's observations are most consistent with which goal of psychology?

A) description
B) application
C) prediction
D) influence

Question 6

A usually very mild-mannered middle-aged man started to lose his temper very easily and often.His doctor became suspicious of an underlying physical reason for the change in his behaviour and ordered a CAT scan in which it was determined that he had a brain tumour.The doctor is fulfilling the Goal of _______________ in Psychology.

A) description
B) understanding
C) prediction
D) control

Question 7

During dinner one evening,Ariel mentions that she just read in a popular magazine that a particular herbal substance improves memory.She's very excited about trying this supplement in hopes that it might improve her grades.Sitting across the table from her,Juan is skeptical.He begins to ask her about such things as the nature of the evidence regarding the herb's effectiveness and how big the memory improvement effect is supposed to be.Juan's behaviour is most consistent with which of the following concepts discussed in the text?

A) Gestalt psychology
B) functionalism
C) British empiricism
D) critical thinking

Question 8

The benefit of critical thinking is that it helps us avoid many negative outcomes,such as:

A) spending money and energy on bogus therapies
B) basing important decisions on fortune tellers' bogus advice
C) using 'educational' toys for children that have not been shown to be educational
D) all of these are benefits

Question 9

The field of psychology is concerned with the scientific study of:

A) directly observable behaviours but not internal states and processes.
B) internal states and processes but not directly observable behaviours.
C) personality and abnormal behaviour.
D) directly observable behaviours and internal states and processes.

Question 10

Dr.Kohler is a developmental psychologist who is concerned with some problems in the area of youth sport,such as overly critical coaches and children with poor self-esteem.He conducts research in which coaches are observed during games and children are interviewed about their attitudes toward their sport and their coaches.The results from these observations are then used to create an education program designed to change coaching behaviour and to help increase the self-esteem of the children they coach.Dr.Kohler's research is best characterized as:

A) basic research.
B) dualistic research.
C) applied research.
D) functional research.

Question 11

Basic research seeks:

A) knowledge for its own sake.
B) to solve a specific,practical problem.
C) to utilize biological or genetic methodologies.
D) to do research in a unique new area.

Question 12

The subfield of psychology that would be concerned with studying leadership,teamwork,job satisfaction and performance is called _____________ psychology.

A) cognitive
B) human
C) experimental
D) industrial-organizational

Question 13

While driving home one day,Joe meets with a serious auto accident.Several weeks later,he notices that he is still feeling very tense and anxious.He consults with a psychologist,who informs him that it is common for people who have been in such accidents to have these kinds of feelings.The psychologist goes on to say that oftentimes these people experience subsequent bad dreams where they re-experience the trauma,and that Joe shouldn't be surprised if this happens.The psychologist's comments best illustrate which goal of psychology?

A) prediction
B) understanding
C) description
D) influence

Question 14

One of the greatest strengths of the scientific method is that,it is:

A) a self-correcting process.
B) free from error.
C) free from speculation.
D) only undertaken for the greater good.

Question 15

When explaining behaviour,the levels-of-analysis approach considers the _________,___________,and _________ perspectives.

A) pre-event;event;post-event
B) antecedent;behavioural;consequential
C) biological;psychological;environmental
D) developmental;biological;humanistic

Question 16

Compared to the other ways of trying to understand the world,critical thinking is unique in that it emphasizes:

A) learning how to personally conduct actual research experiments.
B) taking an active role when attempting to understand something.
C) relying on experts to tell us what is accurate and true.
D) understanding the meaning of particular statistics.

Question 17

All of the following are specifically mentioned as questions to consider asking when engaged in critical thinking about a claim,EXCEPT:

A) are there other possible explanations?
B) what is the evidence?
C) what do other people think about this?
D) what is the most reasonable conclusion?

Question 18

Which of the following actions was NOT mentioned as a central goal of psychology?

A) describe
B) rationalize
C) influence
D) predict

Question 19

Applied research seeks:

A) knowledge for its own sake.
B) to solve a specific,practical problem.
C) to demonstrate that psychological interventions are cost-effective.
D) to develop interdisciplinary ties with other areas.

Question 20

Which of the following activities best represents basic research;studying:?

A) methods for reducing depression after the death of a loved one.
B) changes in brain chemistry that are associated with depression.
C) how to help AIDS victims effectively cope with their disease.
D) the effects of a reading program designed to assist disadvantaged children.

Question 21

One important implication of the dualism position is that it implies that:

A) studying the body won't necessarily tell us anything about the mind.
B) studying the body will enable us to learn more about the mind.
C) the mind should be studied by examining the functions it is capable of.
D) the mind should be studied by examining its basic structural components.

Question 22

British empiricism made the specific claim that our knowledge and understanding should be based upon:

A) intuition.
B) basic research.
C) observation.
D) reason.

Question 23

The claim that human behaviour can be better understood by studying the behaviour of other animal species is most relevant to which of the following?

A) British empiricism
B) structuralism
C) Darwin's theory of evolution
D) Gestalt psychology

Question 24

René Descartes proposed a solution to mind-body dualism by suggesting that:

A) there is no spiritual mind.
B) the brain is actually irrelevant for physical behaviour.
C) the mind affects behaviour through the pineal gland.
D) electrochemical processes explain behaviour.

Question 25

Wundt and Titchener were associated with which of the following approach to psychology?

A) structuralist
B) functionalist
C) psychodynamic
D) dualistic

Question 26

Dr.Dinh is examining the differences in brain activity that occur when people are happy or sad in an attempt to gain a better understanding of how the mind works.In terms of the mind-body problem,which of the following statements about Dr.Dinh is MOST likely to be true? Mr.Dinh is:

A) most likely a monist.
B) most likely a dualist.
C) equally likely to be either a monist or a dualist given the work that she is doing.
D) NOT likely to be a monist or a dualist since neither of these terms has relevance to her work.

Question 27

William James was a proponent of the approach to psychology known as:

A) structuralism.
B) functionalism.
C) dualism.
D) British empiricism.

Question 28

"… answers to the great questions of psychology will ultimately be found in 'physiology.' … All behaviour,all experience,all feeling,indeed all the subject matter of psychology,are nothing more than the outcomes of the activity of the nervous system." This statement is most consistent with which of the following views?

A) dualism
B) monism
C) functionalism
D) structuralism

Question 29

Imagine that you are curious about how people perceive colour and how well they can detect small changes in colour.You design a slide show in which you slowly manipulate the colour of the light people see (by slowly changing the light's frequency)and you ask them if they can detect the change.Your efforts are most similar to the works of the people in which of the following fields?

A) evolutionary psychology
B) psychophysics
C) behaviour genetics
D) behavioural neuroscience

Question 30

The field that studies how psychologically experienced sensations depend on characteristics of physical stimuli is called __________.

A) psychophysics
B) physiology
C) neurology
D) psychodynamism

Question 31

The school of British empiricism is least compatible with which of the following disciplines?

A) chemistry
B) biology
C) psychology
D) philosophy

Question 32

Researchers who adhered to the structuralism school of psychological thought typically studied sensations through which method?

A) insight
B) dream analysis
C) introspection
D) monitoring brain activity

Question 33

For some strange reason,noses have always fascinated George.He spends hours a day speculating on just why humans have noses and how noses have helped us to adapt and evolve in our environments.George's speculations are most similar to which of the following schools of psychology?

A) functionalism
B) behaviourism
C) social constructivism
D) structuralism

Question 34

John Locke is associated with which philosophical perspective?

A) functionalism
B) structuralism
C) British empiricism
D) dualism

Question 35

When considering the mind-body puzzle,some philosophers argue that the mind is a separate entity from the body and is not subject to the same physical laws as the body.These individuals would belong to which philosophical position?

A) monism
B) structuralism
C) dualism
D) functionalism

Question 36

All the following were mentioned as playing important roles in contributing to the intellectual roots of psychology,EXCEPT:

A) Darwin's theory of evolution
B) British empiricism
C) psychophysics
D) anthropology

Question 37

Who among the following individuals is a representative of the early school of psychology known as structuralism?

A) Charles Darwin
B) John Locke
C) William James
D) Edward Titchener

Question 38

The approach that attempted to analyze the mind in terms of its basic elements is known as _____________.

A) functionalism
B) structuralism
C) pyschodynamism
D) empiricism

Question 39

One of the critical implications of the monism position on the mind-body question is that it assumes that:

A) the mind is a completely separate entity from the body.
B) we should base our knowledge on empiricism.
C) we can understand the mind by understanding the brain and how it works.
D) we should study the mind and brain by focusing on their various functions.

Question 40

When considering the mind-body puzzle,philosophers who argued that the mind is NOT separate from the body would belong to which philosophical position?

A) dualism
B) monism
C) structuralism
D) functionalism

Question 41

Despite its emphasis on unconscious factors,the psychodynamic perspective is similar to the behavioural perspective in that they both acknowledge the importance of ________________ in determining human behaviour.

A) thoughts
B) biology and genetics
C) environmental factors
D) free will and personal choice

Question 42

Wilhelm Wundt is to ______________ as William James is to ______________.

A) functionalism;structuralism
B) structuralism;functionalism
C) historical;contemporary
D) contemporary;historical

Question 43

Which approach to psychology emphasizes the analysis of mind in terms of its basic elements?

A) operant conditioning
B) classical conditioning
C) structuralism
D) functionalism

Question 44

Which of the following psychological perspectives strongly emphasizes the role of the external environment in influencing and affecting our actions?

A) humanistic
B) cognitive
C) biological
D) behavioural

Question 45

What technique did Sigmund Freud use to treat his patients?

A) free association
B) graded exposure
C) introspection
D) flooding

Question 46

The behavioural psychological perspective owes its' roots to which philosophical perspective?

A) British empiricism
B) Gestalt psychology
C) functionalism
D) dualism

Question 47

Freud's psychoanalytic perspective suggested that humans have inborn ___________ drives.

A) primary and sexual
B) power and aggressive
C) sexual and aggressive
D) physical and achievement

Question 48

Sigmund Freud based much of his psychoanalytic theory on his investigation of people suffering from:

A) feelings of persistent depression,sadness,and loneliness.
B) physical symptoms such as paralysis that had no apparent bodily cause.
C) insanity and madness.
D) multiple personalities.

Question 49

Sigmund Freud would be most likely to endorse which of the following statements? Our behaviour is largely the _____________________________.

A) product of the reinforcement and punishment we receive from our environment
B) product of neurological imbalances that are inherent in the average human body
C) result of the continuous conflict between internal impulses and defences
D) result of genetics

Question 50

Modern psychodynamic theory differs from Freud's traditional psychoanalytic theory in that the modern approach:

A) places more emphasis on childhood sexuality.
B) de-emphasizes the role of unconscious aggressive and sexual impulses.
C) is more likely to use hypnosis instead of free association in order to get at unconscious material.
D) rejects the notion of the unconscious altogether.

Question 51

You get especially angry when your boss yells at you,but you never talk back to him.According to psychodynamic theory,you do not talk back because you have _____________ your aggressive drives into your unconscious.

A) ameliorated
B) diffused
C) repressed
D) coalesced

Question 52

Individuals aligned with the ______________ approach used the method known as introspection in order to study _______________.

A) functionalism;the functions of consciousness
B) structuralism;human sensations
C) Gestalt psychology;how experiences are organized into wholes
D) evolutionary psychology;natural selection

Question 53

The psychological techniques that help people cope with anxiety and the pain of traumatic experiences are called ____________.

A) anxiety therapies
B) mental exercises
C) defence mechanisms
D) introspections

Question 54

Steve is having problems with unwanted feelings of anger and frustration at work.He consults with a psychologist who asks Steve many detailed questions about his early childhood and interprets Steve's problems as being a result of conflicts between his unconscious aggressive urges and his defence mechanisms.Steve's therapist would most likely identify with which psychological perspective?

A) behavioural
B) cognitive
C) psychodynamic
D) sociocultural

Question 55

From a behavioural perspective,people are born as a 'tabula rasa',or a(n):

A) prepared being.
B) blank slate.
C) instinct driven organism.
D) inherently good being.

Question 56

Although functionalism no longer exists as a school of thought within psychology,it had an influence on the contemporary fields of ______________ psychologies.

A) cognitive and psychodynamic
B) evolutionary and empiricism
C) cognitive and evolutionary
D) evolutionary and dualism

Question 57

The psychological defence mechanism that is thought to protect people from anxiety by keeping anxiety-producing thoughts,feelings,memories,and impulses in the unconscious is called ____________________.

A) repression
B) psychoanalysis
C) free association
D) insight

Question 58

Which approach to psychology emphasizes the uses of consciousness instead of its structures?

A) operant conditioning
B) classical conditioning
C) structuralism
D) functionalism

Question 59

A major criticism of Sigmund Freud's theory of psychoanalysis would be that his theory _________________.

A) is difficult to test because many of its concepts are difficult to measure
B) did little to stimulate additional psychological research
C) did little to stimulate the development of new psychological theories
D) was not comprehensive enough

Question 60

Bettina is very angry with her professor about the recent bad grade she received.However,Bettina is very uncomfortable with anger,so much so that she is completely oblivious to her feelings of resentment and has no idea that she actually feels this way.This example best illustrates which of the following?

A) free association
B) mind-body dualism
C) collectivism
D) repression

Question 61

The psychodynamic and humanistic perspectives are similar in that both:

A) emphasize the importance of biological and genetic factors.
B) acknowledge the importance of internal personality processes.
C) owe their philosophical roots to British empiricism.
D) focus exclusively on the impact of culture and society on the individual.

Question 62

The effects of the humanistic tradition are most clearly articulated in the contemporary:

A) learning theories.
B) social engineering movement.
C) positive psychology movement.
D) diathesis-stress movement.

Question 63

From Maslow's humanistic perspective,each person has a drive toward:

A) reproduction.
B) death.
C) self-actualization.
D) learning.

Question 64

Carl Rogers was noted for applying humanistic principles to:

A) social engineering.
B) the homeless.
C) psychotherapy.
D) environmental issues.

Question 65

Humanistic theorists assume that everyone has an innate tendency toward growth,and achieving one's individual potential called:

A) self-realization.
B) self-actualization.
C) self-development.
D) self-confidence.

Question 66

The behavioural perspective is often traced to ___________,who studied the causes of salivation in dogs.

A) John Watson
B) Ivan Pavlov
C) Sigmund Freud
D) Wilhelm Wundt

Question 67

Which of the following statements comparing the behavioural and psychodynamic perspectives is most accurate?

A) Although they are rather different on the surface,the perspectives are similar in that they both place a strong emphasis on free will and personal choice.
B) The behavioural approach emphasizes free will and personal choice while the psychodynamic approach does not.
C) The behavioural approach emphasizes internal causes while the psychodynamic approach places more emphasis on external causes.
D) The behavioural approach emphasizes external causes,whereas the psychodynamic approach places more emphasis on internal causes.

Question 68

Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers were both associated with which psychological perspective?

A) psychodynamic
B) cognitive
C) humanistic
D) biological

Question 69

This perspective arose from philosophical schools that emphasized free will,innate tendencies toward growth,and the attempt to find meaning in one's existence:

A) sociocultural
B) behavioural
C) humanistic
D) cognitive

Question 70

Imagine two students who both get a D on an important exam in a psychology class.One of them decides to study much harder,and on the next test she gets a significantly better grade.The other student concludes that he just isn't smart enough to do well in this class and,not surprisingly,he gets another D on the next exam.Even though both students were exposed to the same occurrence (both got a D on the first exam),their subsequent behaviours were very different as a result of their different thoughts and expectations.This example best illustrates the approach of which of the following?

A) behaviourism
B) cognitive behaviourism
C) evolutionary psychology
D) Gestalt psychology

Question 71

According to humanistic theorists,why isn't everyone self-actualized?

A) Unsupportive environments frustrate and inhibit this innate tendency towards growth.
B) Although self-actualization is a universal human tendency,some people possess less of this tendency than others.
C) This tendency does not operate properly if a person still has unresolved sexual and aggressive issues in his or her unconscious.
D) In individualistic cultures,this tendency receives little emphasis.

Question 72

A psychologist proposes that to affect recent problems with school violence we need to significantly change the environments in which children are being raised by more heavily reinforcing the behaviours we would like to see.This psychologist is most likely associated with which psychological perspective?

A) humanistic
B) psychodynamic
C) cognitive
D) behavioural

Question 73

Popular psychology's emphasis on self-help,achieving one's goals,and active growth is most consistent with which of the following perspectives?

A) behaviouristic
B) humanistic
C) psychoanalytic
D) cognitive

Question 74

Thorndike's law of effect suggests that behaviours that lead to ____________ are more likely to recur.

A) insight
B) satisfying consequences
C) repression
D) pair-bonding

Question 75

According to Thorndike's law of effect,studying for an exam should lead you to study for future exams if:

A) you do well on the exam.
B) you do poorly on the exam.
C) studying generates more repression.
D) studying generates less repression.

Question 76

Psychodynamic perspective is to ________________ as humanistic perspective is to _______________.

A) unconscious conflict;free will
B) free will;unconscious conflict
C) repression;rewards/punishment
D) rewards/punishment;repression

Question 77

A psychologist who argues that the proper focus of psychology is NOT inner mental events but ONLY observable behaviour is most likely associated with which psychological perspective?

A) cognitive
B) biological
C) behavioural
D) sociocultural

Question 78

Jerry is working with a psychologist who pays a great deal of attention to how he finds personal meaning in his life.The psychologist also focuses on the power of choice and free will.This psychologist most likely adheres to which psychological perspective?

A) behavioural
B) psychodynamic
C) humanistic
D) biological

Question 79

Watson was so passionate about his behaviouristic perspective that he believed that he could take 12 infants and identify:

A) their most likely profession based on genetics.
B) their most likely profession based on personality.
C) their most likely profession based on culture.
D) how to train them to pursue whatever profession he chose.

Question 80

The recent "positive psychology movement" is most closely associated with which of the following?

A) cognitive behaviourism
B) behaviourism
C) humanism
D) the sociocultural approach