Deck 1: The Science of Psychology

Question 1

Developmental 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

Answer 1

the entire developmental spectrum from infancy through adulthood

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

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

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

Answer 3

personality

Question 4

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 5

The American Psychological Association is made up of _______ divisions of psychology that study many different areas within the field.

A) about ten
B) about 25
C) over 30
D) over 50

Question 6

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 7

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 8

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

Question 9

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

A) 1879
B) 1921
C) 1909
D) 1979

Question 10

According to Wundt, attention is controlled by ________.

A) intentions and motives
B) perception and memory
C) thought and memory
D) perception and behavior

Question 11

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

Question 12

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

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

Question 13

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 14

Wundt was primarily interested in memory and _______, the process by which we determine what we are going to attend to at any given moment.

A) structuralism
B) behaviorism
C) selective attention
D) functionalism

Question 15

A group of psychologists study physical, mental, social and emotional 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 16

A scientist decides to solve a problem by collecting data, generating a theory to explain the data, producing testable hypotheses based on those theories, and systematically testing those hypotheses empirically. The scientist is using ________.

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

Question 17

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

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

Question 18

The first psychology laboratory was founded by ________.

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

Question 19

Abigail goes to school with a set of twins. She is interested in why, even though they are identical, the two girls act differently. She knows that one sister grew up in their father's household, and the other lived exclusively with their mother. Abigail's interest and question best could fall under which enduring question in psychology?

A) Person-Situation
B) Nature-Nurture
C) Stability-Change
D) Diversity-Universality

Question 20

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) physiological psychologists
C) experimental psychologists
D) behavioral geneticists

Question 21

Titchener broke experience down into ________ basic elements.

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

Question 22

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 23

Psychodynamic theory is most closely associated with ________.

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

Question 24

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 25

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

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

Question 26

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 27

Skinner rewarded subjects for behaving the way he wanted them to, and termed this ________.

A) shaping
B) training
C) learning
D) reinforcement

Question 28

James suggested that ________ cannot be separated, as consciousness flows in a continuous stream.

A) atoms of experience
B) rewards and punishments
C) perceptions, emotions, and images
D) dreams

Question 29

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 30

Watson attempted to demonstrate that all psychological phenomena were a result of ____.

A) training
B) shaping
C) consciousness
D) learning

Question 31

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 32

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

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

Question 33

Freud's theories are considered to have laid the foundation for the study of ________.

A) behaviorism
B) the cognitive revolution
C) structuralism
D) personality and psychological disorders

Question 34

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

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

Question 35

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

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

Question 36

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 37

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 38

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

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

Question 39

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 40

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

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

Question 41

F. Skinner is associated with ________.

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

Question 42

Positive psychologists are most similar in their beliefs to ________.

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

Question 43

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 44

The field of psychology that is concerned with the evolutionary 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 45

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 trained
C) children are born with a natural fear of rats
D) people can be trained or conditioned

Question 46

________ 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 47

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 48

By giving your child a dollar for cleaning their room, you increase the likelihood they will do it again. This is an example of ________.

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

Question 49

Skinner believed that he could discover ________.

A) rules of natural selection
B) a definite training set for animals
C) the mental processes animals go through before making decisions
D) natural laws of behavior

Question 50

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 51

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 52

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 53

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 54

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 55

A researcher gives a rat a pellet each time it presses the proper lever in its cage. This technique is called ________.

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

Question 56

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 57

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

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

Question 58

________ 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 59

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 60

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

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

Question 61

A researcher, interested in how people use the recycling bins on campus, goes to the cafeteria and watches and records who places bottles in the recycling bin versus the trash can over several hours. This researcher is using the ________ method of research.

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

Question 62

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 63

Cultures that value independence and personal achievement are ________ cultures.

A) mainstream
B) individualistic
C) collectivist
D) minor

Question 64

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

A) race
B) social group
C) ethnicity
D) orientation

Question 65

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 66

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 67

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 68

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 69

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 70

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

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

Question 71

Which of the following is an example of correlational research?

A) A historian studies the factors that lead to the outcome of the previous five presidential elections in the United States.
B) A researcher tracks binge drinkers and nondrinkers to see how many of them get colon cancer and if there are significant differences in cancer rates between the two groups.
C) A researcher interviews workers to see if they would support a $15 minimum wage level.
D) A researcher randomly divides her participants into three groups, giving one group a powerful new drug, the second group a drug already on the market, and the last group gets a placebo.

Question 72

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

A) fewer than 10 percent
B) more than half
C) about one-third
D) more than 90 percent

Question 73

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 74

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 75

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 76

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 77

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

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

Question 78

Jean Piaget's intensive observations and analyses 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 79

Researchers use the word ________ to refer to the psychological and social meanings attached to being biologically male or female.

A) sex
B) anatomy
C) genetics
D) gender

Question 80

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