Deck 1: The Science of Psychology

Question 1

The text defines psychology as the

A) science of behaviour.
B) study of the mind.
C) study of behaviour, cognition, and emotion.
D) study of the psyche.
E) study of the brain.

Answer 1

science of behaviour.

Question 2

The ultimate goal of psychology is to

A) discover the causal events.
B) explore the human psyche.
C) solve the problems of humankind.
D) understand human behaviour.
E) control behaviour.

Answer 2

understand human behaviour.

Question 3

The first step in explaining behaviour involves __________ it.

A) discovering
B) describing
C) discussing
D) delineating
E) debating

Answer 3

describing

Question 4

You are a psychologist who wants to explain the phenomenon of road rage. Your first step would involve __________ it.

A) discovering
B) debating
C) discussing
D) delineating
E) describing

Question 5

Events that cause other events are known as __________ events.

A) casual
B) explanatory
C) causal
D) deterministic
E) correlational

Question 6

At the root of most major human problems such as war, pollution, drug addiction, and crime is

A) greed.
B) selfishness.
C) sin.
D) human behaviour.
E) need.

Question 7

__________ is the area of psychology that studies how the nervous system and our physiology affect behaviour.

A) Comparative psychology
B) Physiological psychology
C) Psychophysiology
D) Behaviour analysis
E) Social psychology

Question 8

Dr. Thraill's research has focused on addiction and how drugs affect the brain and nervous system. He is most likely to be a(n) __________.

A) developmental psychologist
B) experimental neuropsychologist
C) comparative psychologist
D) physiological psychologist
E) social psychologist

Question 9

A physiological psychologist would study the impact of the __________ on behaviour whereas a behaviour analyst would study the impact of the __________ on behaviour.

A) drugs; emotions
B) cognition; aging
C) social relationships; personality
D) physics; analysis
E) nervous system; environment

Question 10

The branch of psychology that is most likely to examine the evolution of adaptive behaviour in a given species is

A) behaviour analysis.
B) comparative psychology.
C) developmental psychology.
D) physiological psychology.
E) cognitive psychology.

Question 11

Behaviours such as courting, mating, and parenting are most likely to be studied by a __________ psychologist.

A) cognitive
B) personality
C) comparative
D) clinical
E) behavioural

Question 12

Dr. Lind is a psychologist who studies the effects of different drugs on the behaviour of many different species. Most likely, Dr. Lind is a __________ psychologist.

A) clinical
B) cognitive
C) counselling
D) comparative
E) behavioural

Question 13

Comparative psychology compares different __________.

A) species
B) cultures
C) drugs
D) psychological disorders
E) mental processes

Question 14

__________ is the subfield of psychology that investigates the effects of environmental events on behaviour; particularly the relationship between a behaviour and its environmental consequences.

A) Environmental
B) Behaviour analysis
C) Cognitive
D) Social
E) Developmental

Question 15

Dr. O'Leary is a psychologist whose research rests on the assumption that behaviour is controlled by its consequences and nothing else. Dr. O'Leary is most likely a

A) cognitive psychologist.
B) developmental psychologist.
C) experimental psychologist.
D) behaviour analyst.
E) environmental psychologist.

Question 16

Dr. Shapiro has developed a strain of rats that is especially susceptible to the effects of drugs. These rats become addicted more easily and their behaviour is compared to others that become addicted more slowly. Most likely, Dr. Shapiro is a

A) behaviour analyst.
B) behaviour geneticist.
C) cognitive psychologist.
D) neurosurgeon.
E) developmental psychologist.

Question 17

Cognitive psychology is the study of

A) behaviour.
B) human interaction.
C) mental processes and complex behaviour.
D) the causes of individual differences in thought and behaviour.
E) brain structures.

Question 18

That behaviour involves mental processes such as attention, perception, and thinking is a view likely to be held by

A) behaviour analysts.
B) comparative psychologists.
C) physiological psychologists.
D) cognitive psychologists.
E) environmental psychologists.

Question 19

Dr. Fleming is a psychologist who develops tests used to assess behavioural and cognitive problems caused by abnormal brain processes. Dr. Fleming is most likely to be a __________.

A) cognitive neuropsychologist
B) behavioural psychologist
C) physiological psychologist
D) psychophysiological psychologist
E) comparative psychologist

Question 20

The branch of psychology that is likely to involve, among other things, the study of cognitive, physiological, and social changes that occur as people grow older is __________ psychology.

A) social
B) developmental
C) personality
D) clinical
E) physiological

Question 21

Dr. Burkhart is a psychologist whose primary interest involves attitude formation and change. Most likely, Dr. Burkhart is a __________ psychologist.

A) cognitive
B) developmental
C) social
D) personality
E) environmental

Question 22

The study of the causes of individual differences in patterns of behaviour is the chief mission of __________ psychology.

A) health
B) social
C) personality
D) cognitive
E) experimental

Question 23

If a psychologist uses the theory of natural selection as a guiding principle, he or she is most likely to be a(n) __________ psychologist.

A) personality
B) social
C) developmental
D) cross-cultural
E) evolutionary

Question 24

__________ is the branch of psychology that focuses on the adaptive significance of behaviours. For example, how cognitive or social aspects of our psychology may have provided early humans with a competitive advantage over other species.

A) Developmental psychology
B) Cross-cultural psychology
C) Evolutionary psychology
D) Social psychology
E) Personality psychology

Question 25

Dr. Critchfield is a psychologist who studies the similarities and differences among different societies in terms of how infants and children are raised. Dr. Critchfield is most likely a(n) __________ psychologist.

A) clinical
B) personality
C) experimental
D) cross-cultural
E) behavioural

Question 26

Psychologists who attempt to help people solve their problems, regardless of what causes them, are most likely to be __________ psychologists.

A) clinical
B) cognitive
C) developmental
D) comparative
E) evolutionary

Question 27

__________ psychologists are people whose primary interests involve encouraging people to adopt and maintain patterns of behaviour that promote fitness and well being.

A) Health
B) School
C) Consumer
D) Clinical
E) Organizational

Question 28

Dr. Tucker works with young people in dealing with problems that they have during their education. Dr. Tucker is most likely to be a __________ psychologist.

A) cognitive
B) school
C) clinical
D) developmental
E) experimental

Question 29

The kind of psychologist that you might expect to find in a supermarket or mall studying patterns of shopping behaviour is called a(n) __________ psychologist.

A) consumer
B) clinical
C) human factors
D) organizational
E) engineering

Question 30

The applied area of psychology whose primary goals include the study of the workplace is called __________ psychology.

A) organizational
B) community
C) health
D) consumer
E) school

Question 31

Which of the following is NOT an area of applied psychology?

A) health psychology
B) community psychology
C) consumer psychology
D) social psychology
E) organizational psychology

Question 32

Dr. Wakelin is an applied psychologist. Which of the following is LEAST likely to be his profession?

A) engineering psychologist
B) health psychologist
C) clinical psychologist
D) organizational psychologist
E) cognitive psychologist

Question 33

The idea that objects such as the sun, moon, trees, and rocks possess spirits is known as the philosophy of

A) spiritualism.
B) dualism.
C) monism.
D) animism.
E) environmentalism.

Question 34

Chris argues that all living things possess spirits that control them. For instance, he believes that trees and other plants grow upward because the spirits within them wish to be closer to the warmth of the sun. Chris is a proponent of

A) animism.
B) spiritualism.
C) botany.
D) dualism.
E) monism.

Question 35

The idea that a person's behaviour is controlled by his or her own will is more closely aligned with __________ than it is with __________.

A) the scientific method; the philosophy of animism
B) the philosophy of animism; the scientific method
C) mind body dualism; spiritualism
D) humanistic psychology; the philosophy of animism
E) behaviourism; humanistic psychology

Question 36

Psychology, as a science, makes the assumption that behaviour is subject to

A) will.
B) physical laws.
C) reflexes.
D) animism.
E) materialism.

Question 37

The idea that behaviour and other natural phenomena are subject to physical laws is embodied in

A) animism.
B) physicalism.
C) naturalism.
D) the scientific method.
E) monism.

Question 38

Descartes was a 17th century

A) court jester.
B) inventor.
C) mathematician.
D) engineer.
E) physician.

Question 39

According to Descartes, to understand the world, one must

A) understand how it is constructed.
B) reconcile human experience with God's revelations.
C) use the scientific method to discover the causes of human action.
D) also understand and obey God's will.
E) explore unconscious processes.

Question 40

In Descartes's view, animals were nothing more than

A) creations of God to be used to satisfy humankind's needs and pleasures.
B) creatures controlled by animism.
C) mechanical devices.
D) dualistic entities that serve few, if any, useful functions.
E) creatures determined by spirits.

Question 41

According to Descartes, __________ are reactions that do not require the use of the mind.

A) stimulus response connections
B) involuntary spinal movements
C) animistic gestures and movements
D) reflexes
E) muscular flexes

Question 42

In Descartes's view the distinction between people and other aspects of the natural world was that humans possess a

A) soul.
B) cerebral cortex.
C) knowledge of God.
D) mind.
E) spirit.

Question 43

The idea that all reality can be divided into either mind or matter is called

A) monism.
B) dualism.
C) materialism.
D) empiricism.
E) spiritualism.

Question 44

If Descartes were to examine you, he might conclude that you consist of __________, in accordance with his __________ perspective.

A) mind; monist
B) neurons; empiricist
C) matter; materialist
D) mind and matter; dualist
E) soul; spiritualist

Question 45

Descartes argued that

A) the pineal body is the physical housing for the mind.
B) mind and matter interact.
C) the mind is made of ordinary matter.
D) dualism explains the origins of the mind.
E) the body is dependent on the spirit.

Question 46

According to Descartes, the site in the brain at which the mind and body interact is the

A) pituitary gland.
B) cerebral cortex.
C) lateral geniculate nucleus.
D) pineal body.
E) hypothalamus.

Question 47

According to Descartes, movement of the body is caused by

A) the flow of fluid from the mind to the nerves that then cause the muscles to contract.
B) stimulation of the pineal body to release hormones that then travel to the appropriate set of muscles.
C) specific commands from specific brain nuclei that "order" specific muscles to move.
D) spirits within the mind that travel through the nervous system.
E) the transmission of electrical activity from the brain, via the pineal body, to the nerves that cause muscle contractions

Question 48

A fairly simple system that is based on established principles and can do some of the things that more complex systems can do is called a

A) subsystem.
B) network.
C) model.
D) exemplar.
E) microsystem.

Question 49

Marni believes that she can discover truth by using reason and logical thinking. Like Descartes, she believes in

A) God.
B) materialism.
C) rationalism.
D) empiricism.
E) spiritualism.

Question 50

Descartes is to __________ as Locke is to __________.

A) materialism; rationalism
B) animism; empiricism
C) rationalism; dualism
D) dualism; animism
E) rationalism; empiricism

Question 51

The philosopher who rejected the notion that ideas were an innate part of the human mind was

A) Descartes.
B) Locke.
C) Berkeley.
D) Mill.
E) Helmholtz.

Question 52

The idea that the mind is like a 'cleaned slate' at birth that is written upon by experience was put forth by

A) Mill.
B) Descartes.
C) Berkeley.
D) Locke.
E) Flourens.

Question 53

That idea that knowledge is based on inferences derived from the accumulation of past experiences was argued by

A) Descartes.
B) Berkeley.
C) Locke.
D) Mill.
E) Muller.

Question 54

Locke is to __________ as Mill is to __________.

A) animism; empiricism
B) rationalism; empiricism
C) rationalism; materialism
D) empiricism; materialism
E) rationalism; animism

Question 55

__________ is the belief that reality can only be known by understanding the physical world, of which the mind is a part.

A) Rationalism
B) Dualism
C) Materialism
D) Empiricism
E) Behaviourism

Question 56

James Mill is known for his support of

A) empiricism.
B) dualism.
C) materialism.
D) rationalism.
E) monism.

Question 57

Mill differed from Descartes because he suggested __________ whereas Descartes suggested __________.

A) the mind was composed of matter; only the body was composed of matter
B) truth can be discovered through reason; truth can be discovered through observation
C) fluid from the brain creates action; human will creates action
D) only the body was composed of matter; both the mind and body were composed of matter
E) the mind was physical; the mind was empirical

Question 58

The doctrine of specific nerve energies is best associated with the name of

A) Galvani.
B) Müller.
C) Helmholtz.
D) Flourens.
E) Descartes.

Question 59

The person who discovered that muscles contained the energy needed for them to contract (and that they did not have to be inflated by pressurized fluid) was

A) Galvani.
B) Müller.
C) Helmholtz.
D) Flourens.
E) Mill.

Question 60

One important implication of the doctrine of specific nerve energies was that

A) all nerves lead to the brain.
B) the mind is made of nerves.
C) different parts of the brain may have different functions.
D) electrical stimulation of the brain could lead to cures for depression.
E) nerves communicate unidirectionally from the brain to different parts of the body.

Question 61

The method of experimental ablation was pioneered by

A) Broca.
B) Flourens.
C) Weber.
D) Helmholtz.
E) Müller.

Question 62

Broca's research suggested that damage to the __________ causes deficits in __________.

A) front part of the brain; tasting
B) rear of the brain; seeing
C) right side of the brain; hearing
D) left side of the brain; speaking
E) right side of the brain; speaking

Question 63

By studying the behaviour of people who have experienced brain injury or damage, it is possible to correlate specific behaviours to specific regions of the brain. Modern psychologists and physiologists who study the relationship of behaviour and brain function in this way are building upon the earlier work of

A) Helmholtz.
B) Locke.
C) Flourens.
D) Galvani.
E) Müller.

Question 64

A champion of the notion that mental phenomena could be explained by physiological processes was

A) Helmholtz.
B) Broca.
C) Galvani.
D) Hitzig.
E) Fluorens.

Question 65

The physiologists who introduced the use of electrical stimulation to map the functions of different parts of the brain were

A) Fritsch and Hitzig.
B) Flourens and Broca.
C) Helmholtz and Weber.
D) Comte and Locke.
E) Broca and Weber.

Question 66

One of Helmholtz's most important contributions to physiology was the finding that

A) nerve impulses within the human body travelled at approximately the same speed as electricity in wires.
B) nerve impulses within the human body travelled faster than electricity in wires.
C) nerve impulses within the human body travelled slower than electricity in wires.
D) the speed of nerve impulses could not be recorded like the speed of electricity in wires.
E) the speed of nerve impulses within the body depends on whether nerve fibres are myelinated.

Question 67

The finding that the nerve impulse travelling through the body is slower than electricity travelling through a wire implied to researchers that

A) the nerve impulse is not electrical in its nature.
B) nerve impulses are more complex than simple electrical current.
C) the structures within the body impede the speed with which electrical current travels through the nervous system.
D) the brain and nervous system could be studied safely by stimulating them with weak electrical current.
E) electrical stimulation of the body could potentially damage the nervous system.

Question 68

That the manner in which people are able to distinguish two different values of the same stimulus (such as two lights of unequal brightness) follows orderly laws was first discovered by

A) Helmholtz.
B) Broca.
C) Flourens.
D) Weber.
E) Müller.

Question 69

Through their research on human responses to physical stimuli, both Helmholtz and Weber contributed to the beginning of

A) science.
B) materialism.
C) comparative psychology.
D) rationalism.
E) psychophysics.

Question 70

__________ is the doctrine that prior events cause behaviour.

A) Psychophysics
B) Determinism
C) The law of effect
D) Specific nerve energies
E) Structuralism

Question 71

A commitment to the philisophical notions of empiricism and materialism implies a belief in __________, the idea that prior events cause behaviour.

A) structuralism
B) the doctrine of specific nerve energies
C) structuralism.
D) psychophysics
E) determinism

Question 72

Itard's work with Victor, "The Wild Boy of Aveyron,"influenced subsequent developments in

A) child education.
B) psychophysics.
C) cognitive psychology.
D) psychodynamic theory.
E) introspection.

Question 73

Thorndike formulated his law of effect while studying the behaviour of

A) college students.
B) animals.
C) factory workers.
D) U.S. Navy personnel.
E) children.

Question 74

The law of effect was formulated by

A) Pavlov.
B) Thorndike.
C) Watson.
D) Skinner.
E) Freud.

Question 75

The idea that behaviour that produces a favourable outcome is likely to be repeated is embodied in the

A) approach to psychology championed by the structuralists.
B) behavioural process of classical conditioning.
C) doctrine of specific nerve energies.
D) law of effect.
E) field of cognitive psychology.

Question 76

Kathleen trains her dog by giving him a treat every time he obeys and scolding him when he disobeys. Her method of training is most related to the early psychological ideas of __________.

A) functionalism
B) Pavlov's psychic reflexes
C) the doctrine of specific nerve energies
D) the law of effect
E) Gestalt principles of organization

Question 77

Itard's work with Victor, "The Wild Boy of Aveyron,"inspired which of the following?

A) Freud's work with neurological issues
B) Wundt's work on the elements of consciousness
C) Montessori's work in child education
D) James's functionalist perspective
E) Darwin's work on the inheritance of emotional expression

Question 78

Because he examined Victor, "The Wild Boy of Aveyron,"this may have inspired

A) Freud's work with neurological issues
B) Wundt's work on the elements of consciousness
C) James's functionalist perspective
D) Pinel's work with the mentally ill
E) Darwin's work on the inheritance of emotional expression

Question 79

Pinel's major contribution to the treatment of those with mental illness was

A) the introduction of hypnosis to treat hysteria.
B) to restore cognitive abilities to inmates of asylums.
C) his proposal that asylums could be therapeutic institutions.
D) his suggestion that the government should provide asylums to house them.
E) the linking of neurology to mental illness.

Question 80

Psychology as a separate science began in __________ in the __________.

A) Germany; late 19th century
B) France; middle 19th century
C) England; early 20th century
D) the United States; early 19th century
E) Canada; late 19th century