psychology ch. 1

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 of the fans 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?
Select one:
a. bias
b. experiments
c. psychoanalysis
d. extraneous variables

bias

In addition to describing and explaining mental processes and behavior, psychology
also attempts to ________ these phenomena.
Select one:
a. predict and control
b. analyze and manipulate
c. categorize and organize
d. synthesize and regulate

predict and control

A psychologist is interested in finding out why identical twins have different personalities. This psychologist is most interested in the goal of ________.
a. description
b. explanation
c. prediction
d. control

explanation

Testing a hypothesis is the third step in a scientific investigation. This step is derived from which goal of psychology?
Select one:
a. describing
b. explaining
c. predicting
d. changing

explaining

The tendency to look for information that supports one’s own belief is called ________.
Select one:
a. the principle of falsifiability
b. confirmation bias
c. criterion validity
d. volunteer bias

confirmation bias

Which of the following is NOT an empirical question?
Select one:
a. Will you get an A in this class?
b. Is there life on Mars?
c. Did the universe start with a big bang?
d. Would Martin Luther King, Jr. have been a good president?

Would Martin Luther King, Jr. have been a good president?

Observing behavior as it happens in real-life natural settings without imposing laboratory controls is known as the ________.
Select one:
a. naturalistic observation method
b. experimental method
c. survey method
d. psychometric approach

naturalistic observation method

Sam conducted a naturalistic observation as a project for a psychology class. He observed the interactions of parents and children at a restaurant. Many of the people he observed seemed to notice him. When Sam described his work to his teacher, she suggested he find out more about the ________.
a. restaurant effect
b. parent effect
c. butterfly effect
d. observer effect

observer effect

A detailed description of a particular individual being studied or treated is called ________.
Select one:
a. a representative sample
b. a case study
c. a single-blind study
d. a naturalistic observation

a case study

Surveys, as discussed in the text, are associated most with:
Select one:
a. correlational research.
b. descriptive research.
c. inferential research.
d. experimental research.

descriptive research.

A researcher stops people at the mall and asks them questions about their attitudes toward gun control. Which research technique is being used?
Select one:
a. survey
b. experiment
c. case study
d. naturalistic observation

survey

The magazine Desperate Wives publishes a survey of its female readers called "The Sex Life of the American Wife." It reports that 87 percent of all wives like to make love in rubber boots. The critical flaw in this research would be ________.
Select one:
a. the fact that the sample is not representative of American wives
b. the fact that a psychological test, rather than a survey, should have been given
c. the fact that rubber boots are not equally available in all regions of the country
d. the fact that making love has not been operationally defined

the fact that the sample is not representative of American wives

The word correlation is often used as a synonym for ________.
Select one:
a. validity
b. reliability
c. variable
d. relationship

relationship

A correlation coefficient represents two things: ________ and ________.
Select one:
a. a representative sample; strength
b. strength; direction of the relationship
c. the experimental group; control group
d. direction of the relationship; expectant functionality

strength; direction of the relationship

Professor Holden gives a psychology exam on the origins of intelligence. She gives a short answer question based on the IQ scores of a parent-child pair. In order to answer the question correctly, her students need to remember that ________.
Select one:
a. a parent’s high IQ does not necessarily cause a child to have a high IQ
b. given these variables, the correlation will be positive
c. given these variables, the correlation will be negative
d. given these variables, the correlation will be uncorrelated

a parent’s high IQ does not necessarily cause a child to have a high IQ

A perfect correlation, whether positive or negative, is ________ in the real world.
Select one:
a. expected
b. imperfect
c. common
d. rare

rare

Ken is planning on studying the influence of intelligence on the ability to recall events from the 1960s. If Ken does not account for variables such as age that could also influence one’s ability to recall these events, age could be considered a(n) ________.
Select one:
a. random variable
b. dependent variable
c. confounding variable
d. independent variable

confounding variable

n a laboratory, smokers are asked to "drive" using a computerized driving simulator equipped with a stick shift and a gas pedal. The object is to maximize the distance covered by driving as fast as possible on a winding road while avoiding rear-end collisions. Some of the participants smoke a real cigarette immediately before climbing into the driver’s seat. Others smoke a fake cigarette without nicotine. You are interested in comparing how many collisions the two groups have. In this study, the cigarette without nicotine is ________.
Select one:
a. the control group
b. the driving simulator
c. the experimental group
d. the no-control group

the control group

The general curiosity about why people think, feel, and behave the way they do
Select one:
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

has always probably been with us

Two groups of graduate students were given rats and were told to teach them how to run mazes. Group 1 was told that they had "very smart" rats that should learn quickly. Group 2 was told that they had "very stupid" rats that should learn slowly. In actuality, neither group was any different and the rats were randomly assigned. In spite of that, when the experiment concluded, Group 1 rats had learned the maze much more quickly. How can that be explained?
Select one:
a. experimenter effect
b. placebo effect
c. subject bias
d. treatment effect

experimenter effect

________ is an experiment in which neither the participants nor the individuals running the experiment know if participants are in the experimental or the control group until after the results are tallied.
Select one:
a. The double-blind study
b. Field research
c. The single-blind study
d. Correlational research

The double-blind study

Which of the following most accurately reflects the authors’ views about the influence of philosophy and physiology on present day psychology?
Select one:
a. Only philosophy continues to influence psychology.
b. Philosophy continues to influence psychology more so than physiology.
c. Physiology continues to influence psychology more so than philosophy.
d. Both disciplines, philosophy and physiology, continue to influence psychology.

Both disciplines, philosophy and physiology, continue to influence psychology.

Wesleyan University researchers Jamison and colleagues conducted a study to explore the negative stereotypes of collegiate athletes as "dumb jocks." In their study, the researchers found ________.
Select one:
a. a correlation between collegiate athletes exposure to the negative stereotypes, the better they performed on an intelligence tests
b. negative stereotypes in higher education may contribute to collegiate student athletes underperforming in academics
c. collegiate student athletes performed better in the classroom if they were made aware of the impact of negative stereotypes
d. professors often excuse absences by collegiate student athletes who miss class due to attending practices

negative stereotypes in higher education may contribute to collegiate student athletes underperforming in academics

Each of the following is a common ethical guideline suggested by the American Psychological Association EXCEPT ________.
Select one:
a. participants must be informed of the nature of the research in clearly
understandable language
b. participants cannot be deceived or have information concealed from them at any
time during an experiment
c. risks, possible adverse effects, and limitations on confidentiality must be spelled out in advance
d. informed consent must be documented

participants cannot be deceived or have information concealed from them at any time during an experiment

Each of the following is a common ethical guideline suggested by the American Psychological Association EXCEPT ________.
Select one:
a. data remain confidential
b. participants cannot be deceived about aspects of the research that would affect their willingness to participate, such as risks of unpleasant emotional experiences
c. participants cannot be subjected to any physically or emotionally painful stimuli
d. deception must be justified

participants cannot be subjected to any physically or emotionally painful stimuli

Which of the following is a common ethical guideline suggested by the American Psychological Association?
Select one:
a. Participants may not withdraw once they start.
b. Participants cannot be deceived about aspects of the research.
c. Participants cannot be subjected to any physically or emotionally painful stimuli.
d. Deception must be justified.

Deception must be justified.

Which of the following statements concerning using animals in research is correct?
Select one:
a. There are no ethical guidelines when it comes to animals.
b. There are rules that prevent the killing of animals.
c. Pain and suffering of animals are allowed but only when necessary.
d. New ethical guidelines prevent the use of primates in psychological research.

Pain and suffering of animals are allowed but only when necessary.

Critical thinking means making judgments based on ________.
Select one:
a. emotion
b. keeping a closed mind
c. reason and logical evaluation
d. authority and expertise

reason and logical evaluation

Which of the following statements concerning critical thinking is incorrect?
Select one:
a. There are few truths that need not be tested.
b. All evidence is not equal in quality.
c. Some authorities should not be questioned.
d. Critical thinking requires an open mind.

Some authorities should not be questioned.

Which of the following terms do NOT belong together?
Select one:
a. structuralism; observable behavior
b. Gestalt; whole
c. psychoanalysis; unconscious conflict
d. natural selection; functionalism

structuralism; observable behavior

Which early school of psychology proposed that consciousness was made up of two types of elements, sensations and thoughts?
Select one:
a. Functionalism
b. Gestalt Psychology
c. Psychodynamic Theory
d. Structuralism

Structuralism

Who was an early proponent of functionalism?
Select one:
a. Ivan Pavlov
b. William James
c. Wilhelm Wundt
d. Max Wertheimer

William James

How our minds help us adapt to the world around us was a primary question addressed by which early movement of psychology?
Select one:
a. Behaviorism
b. Cognitivism
c. Functionalism
d. Structuralism

Functionalism

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

in a school, working to improve teaching methods

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?
Select one:
a. Gestalt
b. behavioral
c. humanistic
d. psychodynamic

Gestalt

Gestalt psychology attempted to discover
Select one:
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.

the overall patterns of perceptions and thoughts

Which treatment approach did Sigmund Freud develop for treating his patients?
Select one:
a. drug therapy
b. neuropsychology
c. clinical psychology
d. psychoanalysis

psychoanalysis

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?
Select one:
a. Gestaltist
b. behavioralist
c. psychodynamic
d. functionalist

behavioralist

Which school of psychology questioned whether psychologists should study the mind?
Select one:
a. psychodynamic theory
b. behaviorism
c. Gestalt psychology
d. the cognitive revolution

behaviorism

The school of behaviorism attempted to explain behavior by studying
Select one:
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.

how a specific stimulus evokes a specific response.

Which founding contributors to psychology helped develop behaviorism?
Select one:
a. Gestalt and Wundt
b. Freud and Watson
c. Watson and Pavlov
d. Pavlov and Wundt

Watson and Pavlov

Who claimed that behavior is affected by reinforcement?
Select one:
a. William James
b. Sigmund Freud
c. B. F. Skinner
d. Wilhelm Wundt

B. F. Skinner

Darley and Latané (1968) believe that the presence of other people in a distressing situation decreased the likelihood that they would receive help due to ________.
Select one:
a. diffusion of anonymity
b. diffusion of responsibility
c. flaws in laws protecting Good Samaritans
d. timeliness of onset

diffusion of responsibility

Professor Beverly approaches questions about human behavior from a perspective that emphasizes bodily events and chemicals, such as hormones, associated with behavior. It is most likely that she accepts which of the following psychological approaches?
Select one:
a. biopsychological
b. learning
c. cognitive
d. sociocultural

biopsychological

Dr. Mosher is a psychologist who tries to understand how people select their mates. She must be a(n) ________.
Select one:
a. behavioral psychologist
b. cognitive psychologist
c. evolutionary psychologist
d. biopsychological psychologist

evolutionary psychologist

Evolutionary psychology might suggest that certain cognitive strategies and goals are built into the brain because
Select one:
a. they help humans adapt to their natural environment.
b. human brains are similar to the brains of the higher primates.
c. they are the result of learning that has taken place over many centuries.
d. they are the result of memories we have inherited from our ancestors.

they help humans adapt to their natural environment.

The majority of psychologists work in ________.
Select one:
a. private practice
b. public school
c. government
d. four-year colleges and universities

four-year colleges and universities

What is one similarity shared by clinical psychologists and psychiatrists?
Select one:
a. They obtain the same graduate degree.
b. They have the same training experiences after college.
c. They view abnormal behaviors as arising from the same causes.
d. They diagnose and treat people experiencing behavioral and emotional problems.

They diagnose and treat people experiencing behavioral and emotional problems.

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." Just before the buzzer sounds, what will you say?
Select one:
a. "What is a neuropsychologist?"
b. "What is a forensic psychologist?"
c. "What is a psychiatric social worker?"
d. "What is a developmental psychologist?"

"What is a psychiatric social worker?"

The term ________ refers to a mental health professional who generally has at least an M.S.W. and who typically treats individual dysfunction and family problems but may also deal with other problems such as addiction or abuse.
Select one:
a. psychiatric social worker
b. psychiatrist
c. psychoanalyst
d. educational psychologist

psychiatric social worker