Deck 1: The Science of Psychology

Question 1

A negative correlation means that __________.

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

Answer 1

high values of one variable are associated with low values of the other

Question 2

Which research method involves watching behaviors as they occur without intervening or altering the behaviors in any way?

A) case study
B) experiment
C) correlational studies
D) naturalistic observation

Answer 2

correlational studies

Question 3

__________ is an experiment in which participants do not know if they are in the experimental or the control group, but the experimenters do know which participants are part of which group.

A) The double-blind study
B) Field research
C) The single-blind study
D) Correlational research

Answer 3

The single-blind study

Question 4

Experimenters can justify the use of deception because __________.

A) there is informed consent
B) research is more important than people
C) it may be necessary for the experiment to work
D) it is not that harmful

Question 5

Which perspective focuses on free will and self-actualization?

A) psychoanalysis
B) humanism
C) cognitive perspective
D) behaviorism

Question 6

The question "What is happening?" refers to which of the following goals in psychology?

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

Question 7

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

A) conclusion
B) result
C) hypothesis
D) fact

Question 8

In an experiment, a researcher manipulates one variable to see how it affects a second variable. The manipulated variable is called the __________.

A) dependent variable
B) experimental variable
C) independent variable
D) placebo

Question 9

__________ was an early proponent of functionalism.

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

Question 10

A(n) __________ is a measure of how strongly two variables are related to one another.

A) independent variable
B) dependent variable
C) experimental effect
D) correlation

Question 11

A detailed description of a particular individual being studied or treated is called a __________.

A) representative sample
B) case study
C) single-blind study
D) naturalistic observation

Question 12

"There is no life outside this solar system and nothing you can say will change that fact!" Which criterion of critical thinking does this person lack?

A) Evidence is only necessary if it can be tested.
B) All evidence is not equal in quality.
C) Authority or expertise does not make the claims of the authority or expert true.
D) Critical thinking requires an open mind.

Question 13

The class is playing a game of Jeopardy! and it is your turn. "I'll take Specialties in Psychology for $300." The revealed answer is, "These psychological professionals work with situations in which environmental conditions may have an impact on mental health." What will you say?

A) "What is a neuropsychologist?"
B) "What is a forensic psychologist?"
C) "What is a psychiatric social worker?"
D) "What is a developmental psychologist?"

Question 14

The goals of psychology are to __________.

A) explore the conscious and unconscious functions of the human mind
B) understand, compare, and analyze human behavior
C) improve psychological well-being in all individuals from birth until death
D) describe, explain, predict, and control behavior

Question 15

Dr. Ramos contends that humans are intelligent species due to the fact that intelligence gives us an advantage in the natural world. Dr. Ramos likely agrees with the __________ theory of psychology.

A) psychoanalytic
B) behavioral
C) cognitive
D) evolutionary

Question 16

A good control group __________.

A) contains at least one confound
B) has a limited number of dependent variables
C) has a limited number of research participants
D) holds constant all variables in the experiment

Question 17

Freud said phobias were ___________, whereas Watson said phobias were __________.

A) learned; inherited
B) repressed conflicts; learned
C) sexual; unconscious
D) conditioned; unconditioned

Question 18

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

A) hypothesis
B) operationalization
C) double-blind study
D) theory

Question 19

__________ claimed that behavior is affected by reinforcement.

A) William James
B) Sigmund Freud
C) B. F. Skinner
D) Wilhelm Wundt

Question 20

When you watch dogs play in the park or watch how your professors conduct their classes, you are engaging in a form of __________.

A) case study research
B) naturalistic observation
C) survey research
D) psychometric study

Question 21

How our minds help us adapt to the world around us was a primary question addressed by which early movement of psychology?

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

Question 22

In the definition of psychology, the term mental processes refers to __________.

A) internal, covert activities
B) outward behavior
C) overt actions and reactions
D) only animal behavior

Question 23

Which of these is the most accurate definition of the discipline of psychology?

A) the scientific study of behavior
B) the scientific study of mental processes
C) the scientific study of behavior and mental processes
D) the scientific study of human behavior and mental processes

Question 24

Early in psychology's history, research participants might have been asked to view a chair and describe its color, shape, and texture and other aspects of their conscious experience. These individuals would have been using a method called __________.

A) hypnosis
B) objective introspection
C) psychosurgery
D) psychoanalysis

Question 25

Objective introspection required __________.

A) metaphysical experiences
B) self-skepticism about experiences
C) empiricism
D) reflection on the self

Question 26

The school of psychology known as structuralism used a technique called __________, which involved reporting the contents of consciousness to study a person's experiences.

A) intervention
B) objective introspection
C) insight inventory
D) induction

Question 27

In 1879, in Leipzig, Germany, the first psychological laboratory was overseen by __________.

A) William James
B) William Tell
C) Wilhelm Wundt
D) Sigmund Freud

Question 28

The general curiosity about why people think, feel, and behave the way they do __________.

A) primarily happened after World War II
B) is about a century old
C) is several centuries old
D) has always probably been with us

Question 29

The structuralists were important in the history of psychology because they __________.

A) examined consciousness and the structure of mental processes
B) were the first to use brain-scanning techniques to learn about the structure of the brain
C) realized the limits of introspection and focused on the function of behaviors
D) were strongly influenced by Charles Darwin

Question 30

__________ was an early proponent of functionalism.

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

Question 31

Which noted African American psychologist held a post as president of Shaw University in North Carolina and then president of Virginia State College?

A) Charles Henry Thompson
B) Howard Hale Long
C) Robert Prentiss Daniel
D) Albert Sidney Beckham

Question 32

Why was the perspective followed by Wilhelm Wundt and his followers called structuralism?

A) They wanted to identify the major brain structures.
B) Their primary goal was to understand the physiology of the mind.
C) They focused their efforts on analyzing the elements of the nervous system.
D) Their primary focus was on describing the structure of conscious experience.

Question 33

While Margaret F. Washburn was the first woman to receive a Ph.D. in psychology in the United States (in 1894), the first African American woman to do so was __________ in 1934 at the University of Minnesota.

A) Inez Beverly Prosser
B) Ruth Howard
C) Margaret Mahler
D) Anna Freud

Question 34

If a functionalist from the 1870s were alive today, where would we most likely find him?

A) in a laboratory, studying principles of perception
B) in a school, working to improve teaching methods
C) in a mountain retreat, contemplating the meaning of life
D) in a sleep laboratory, trying to determine if our need for sleep is biologically based

Question 35

Hunter is a fan of the Boston Celtics basketball team. With little provocation, he will engage his friends in a debate about whether it is the greatest team in basketball. Hunter may be demonstrating __________.

A) bias
B) critical thinking
C) an eclectic approach
D) unconscious behavior

Question 36

At the close of the nineteenth century, Gerhard is excited to learn that he has been accepted for training in the psychology laboratory of Wilhelm Wundt. It is likely that Gerhard will be trained to __________.

A) analyze how to break down his sensations into their most basic elements
B) determine the function or purpose of a particular human behavior
C) listen intently while individuals tell him of their depression or nervousness
D) carefully feel the bumps on a person's head in order to determine his or her character traits

Question 37

Which of the following is the BEST analogy for Wundt's and Titchener's mission for psychology?

A) a chart listing the basic chemical elements
B) a list of the courses required for graduation
C) a list of the types of clothing sold at a retail outlet
D) a computer program for word processing a term paper

Question 38

Which psychologist was the first African American to receive a Ph.D. in educational psychology in 1925?

A) Charles Henry Thompson
B) Linus Pauling
C) Albert Sidney Beckham
D) Inez Beverly Prosser

Question 39

You are at a basketball game and the arena is packed; the crowd is evenly split between fans of the two teams. At one point, the referee makes a call. Half of the fans yell insults; the other half shout their approval. The event reminds you of the topic of today's lecture in psychology class. What was the likely topic of the lecture?

A) bias
B) experiments
C) psychoanalysis
D) extraneous variables

Question 40

If an individual believed that why people think and feel as they do is more important than what they think and how they think, that individual would be a proponent of the __________ approach to psychology.

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

Question 41

Summer has noticed that when her alarm clock goes off in the morning, her dog, Alfie, is standing by her bed salivating. This is because she immediately rolls out of bed and feeds Alfie, who very much enjoys his canned dog food. It is likely that Summer has conditioned Alfie to __________.

A) enjoy canned dog food
B) sleep next to her bed
C) salivate over canned dog food
D) salivate to the sound of her alarm clock

Question 42

The class is playing a game of Jeopardy! and it is your turn. "I'll take Pioneers in Psychology for $100." The revealed answer is "Focused on unconscious factors." Just before the buzzer sounds, what will you say?

A) "Who is B. F. Skinner?"
B) "Who are the humanists?"
C) "Who is Sigmund Freud?"
D) "Who are the behaviorists?"

Question 43

"The whole is greater than the sum of its parts" is a statement associated with the perspective of __________.

A) introspection
B) functionalism
C) psychoanalysis
D) Gestalt psychologists

Question 44

While on a visit to a large city, you observe several billboards in which a series of lights seems to move. Which perspective in psychology would most likely help you understand this phenomenon?

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

Question 45

Freud stressed the importance of __________.

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

Question 46

Gestalt psychology attempted to discover __________.

A) how the mind helped people adapt to the world
B) the overall patterns of perceptions and thoughts
C) the basic building blocks of consciousness
D) the unconscious motivations for human functioning

Question 47

Which type of psychologist would be most likely to argue that a criminal engages in unlawful behavior because he grew up around older boys who engaged in criminal activities?

A) Gestaltist
B) behavioralist
C) psychodynamic
D) functionalist

Question 48

The work of Freud was built around a __________.

A) theory of personality that emphasizes the awareness of one's own cognitive processes
B) theory of personality that emphasizes unconscious motives and conflicts
C) method of psychotherapy in which an observer carefully records and interprets behavior without interfering with the behavior
D) method of psychotherapy that emphasizes how maladaptive behaviors are learned through imitations of others and through cognitive expectations

Question 49

The school of behaviorism attempted to explain behavior by studying __________.

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 50

What did Sigmund Freud consider to be the key to understanding the nervous disorders he observed?

A) free will
B) brain physiology
C) the unconscious mind
D) external consequences

Question 51

John B. Watson believed that psychology should involve the study of __________.

A) behavior
B) the mind
C) the brain
D) consciousness

Question 52

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

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

Question 53

The Russian physiologist Ivan Pavlov discovered that dogs would salivate to the sound of a ticking metronome due to __________.

A) habituation
B) reflexology
C) a learned reflexive response called conditioning
D) their fear response

Question 54

The belief that the unconscious mind has an influence on one's behavior is part of what early field of psychology?

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

Question 55

According to Freud, repressed unconscious urges __________.

A) are able to be suppressed
B) only pertain to sex
C) can surface and create nervous disorders
D) have no impact on everyday life

Question 56

According to Freud, phobias were __________; according to Watson, phobias were __________.

A) learned; inherited
B) repressed conflicts; learned
C) sexual; unconscious
D) conditioned; unconditioned

Question 57

Pavlov's research demonstrated that __________.

A) involuntary reaction (salivation) could occur in response to an unrelated stimulus (sound of a bell)
B) an unrelated stimulus (salivation) could occur in response to an involuntary reaction (sound of a bell)
C) involuntary reaction (sound of a bell) could occur in response to an unrelated stimulus (food)
D) an unrelated stimulus (food) could occur in response to an unrelated stimulus (barking)

Question 58

The early perspective called Gestalt psychology has evolved into what current perspective?

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

Question 59

Which of the following advice might John B. Watson have offered to psychologists of his time?

A) "Focus on observable behavior."
B) "Life is an effort to overcome inferiority."
C) "We cannot know others until we know ourselves."
D) "Remember that what we accomplish is due to the composition of our genes."

Question 60

Which type of early psychologist believed that "the whole is more than the sum of its parts"?

A) Gestaltist
B) behaviorist
C) structuralist
D) functionalist

Question 61

The field of biopsychology is part of the larger discipline of __________, which refers to the study of the physical structure, function, and development of the nervous system.

A) neuroscience
B) behavioral genetics
C) sociobiology
D) medicine

Question 62

Jake's car broke down and smoke started rising from the engine. He felt lucky to have broken down while parked in the center of town during lunch hour, when many people were outside and could help. However, 30 minutes has passed and despite the heavily populated area, nobody has offered assistance. Jake's experience is an example of the __________.

A) zeitgeist
B) behaviorist effect
C) bystander effect
D) self-serving prophecy

Question 63

Which perspective focuses on free will and self-actualization?

A) psychoanalysis
B) humanistic perspective
C) cognitive perspective
D) behaviorism

Question 64

Dr. Vaughan is a psychologist who tries to understand how people select their mates. She must be a(n) __________ psychologist.

A) behavioral
B) cognitive
C) evolutionary
D) biopsychological

Question 65

If you are interested in how patterns, beliefs, and customs influence behavior, you are interested in the __________ perspective.

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

Question 66

The psychodynamic perspective was based on the work of __________.

A) Watson
B) Wundt
C) Gestalt
D) Freud

Question 67

The emerging field of brain imagery in cognitive neuroscience has developed methods such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to examine __________.

A) images and activity of the living brain
B) biopsies of the brain of a cadaver
C) select biopsied portions of a brain
D) acute time of death in stroke patients

Question 68

According to humanist Abraham Maslow, when people reach self-actualization, they __________.

A) develop to their fullest potential
B) avoid negative consequences of behavior
C) seek maximum reward for all their behaviors
D) learn from their mistakes and move on

Question 69

Professor Wallis approaches questions about human behavior from a perspective that emphasizes unconscious processes within the individual, such as inner forces or conflicts. It is most likely that she accepts which of the following psychological approaches?

A) social-cognitive learning
B) behaviorism
C) the cognitive approach
D) the psychodynamic approach

Question 70

Cognitive neuroscientists can examine the brain with tools such as __________.

A) electrolysis and PET
B) PET, MRI, and fMRI
C) MRI and electrolysis
D) Gamma images and electrolysis

Question 71

In the early part of the past century, psychologists who broke down thought processes into their basic elements and analyzed them were called structuralists. What term might we use to describe psychologists with similar interests today?

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

Question 72

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?

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 73

Darley and Latané (1968) theorized that the presence of other people in a distressing situation decreased the likelihood that someone would receive help due to __________.

A) diffusion of anonymity
B) diffusion of responsibility
C) flaws in laws protecting Good Samaritans
D) timeliness of onset

Question 74

Which pair of scientists shared the most similar views of behavior?

A) William James and Wilhelm Wundt
B) B. F. Skinner and Max Wertheimer
C) Ivan Pavlov and John B. Watson
D) Carl Rogers and Edward Titchener

Question 75

Who claimed that behavior is affected by reinforcement?

A) William James
B) Sigmund Freud
C) B. F. Skinner
D) Wilhelm Wundt

Question 76

Professor Chen approaches questions about human behavior from a perspective that emphasizes bodily events and chemicals, such as hormones, associated with behavior. She most likely accepts which of the following psychological approaches?

A) biopsychological
B) learning
C) cognitive
D) sociocultural

Question 77

Which founding contributors to psychology helped develop behaviorism?

A) Gestalt and Wundt
B) Freud and Watson
C) Watson and Pavlov
D) Pavlov and Wundt

Question 78

In studying the bystander effect, a researcher is interested in looking at differences between prison guards in China and the United Kingdom. The researcher is taking a(n) __________ perspective in this cross-cultural study.

A) Eurocentric
B) egocentric
C) culturio
D) sociocultural

Question 79

Eloise just had her purse stolen while walking down Fifth Avenue in New York City, which is a very busy part of Manhattan. She screamed loudly, and several people looked in her direction, but nobody stopped walking or made an attempt to help. She immediately broke down in tears and trembled for 10 minutes until she could walk to her car. Eloise's experience is an example of __________.

A) democracy
B) the bystander effect
C) diffusion of effects
D) flaws in the judicial system

Question 80

You attend a lecture by a psychologist who uses terms such as free will and self-actualization. Which psychological perspective is most consistent with the points the psychologist presented?

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