Deck 1: Mind, Behavior, and Psychological Science

Question 1

One evening, when he couldn't sleep, Mr. Bradley turned on the television and saw an infomercial for a new sleep aid. As a critical thinker, Mr. Bradley should be most cautious about this new product if

A) the product had been subjected to an experimental study and the scrutiny of a peer-review process.
B) its makers claim it has been "proven" to induce sleep in 80 percent of test participants.
C) its makers discuss the scientific investigations that have compared it to other effective sleep aids rather than relying on testimonials of those with insomnia.
D) the results of research connect the efficacy of the sleep-aid to other widely accepted scientific findings.
E) the advertisement noted several scientifically controlled studies that all found the same results.

Answer 1

its makers claim it has been "proven" to induce sleep in 80 percent of test participants.

Question 2

Which of the following is an example of pseudo-psychology?

A) paranormal claims
B) astrology
C) graphology
D) subliminal messages
E) All of the above are

Answer 2

All of the above are

Question 3

Which degree is a psychologist LEAST likely to have earned?

A) master's
B) PhD
C) EdD
D) PsyD
E) MD

Answer 3

MD

Question 4

A(n) ________ psychologist would be most likely to help individuals overcome their depression.

A) clinical
B) industrial/organizational (I/O)
C) engineering
D) school
E) social

Question 5

Modern psychology is best considered to be a

A) collection of pieces of folk wisdom.
B) series of contradictions to be sorted out.
C) science.
D) therapeutic process.
In
E) pseudoscience.

Question 6

The term "psyche" means

A) people.
B) thoughts.
C) processes.
D) brain.
E) mind.

Question 7

Ross is a psychologist, whereas Rachel is a psychiatrist. Thus, which of the following is MOST likely to be true?

A) Rachel has not earned a PhD degree.
B) They both have earned MD degrees.
C) They both can prescribe medicine to help people with psychological problems.
D) Only Ross can treat people with psychological problems.
E) Ross is more likely than Rachel to use a medical perspective to understand people.

Question 8

These psychologists perform most of the research that creates new psychological knowledge:

A) industrial/organizational psychologists
B) clinical psychologists
C) school psychologists
D) applied psychologists
E) experimental psychologists

Question 9

Which of the following statements is a formal definition of psychology?

A) Psychology is the scientific study of human nature.
B) Psychology is the scientific study of theories and research methods.
C) Psychology is the scientific study of the process of learning and modifying behavioral reflexes.
D) Psychology is the scientific study of behavior and mental processes.
E) Psychology is the scientific study of groups of people.

Question 10

The literal meaning of the word "psychology" is the

A) study of the mind.
B) study of people.
C) science of behavior.
D) study of insanity.
E) science of people.

Question 11

After the abduction and murder of a well-known business leader, lawmakers immediately passed new legislation for increased penalties. This is an example of

A) confirmation bias.
B) realistic bias.
C) volitional bias.
D) reactive bias.
E) emotional bias.

Question 12

Psychology is distinct from psychiatry in that it

A) requires significantly less graduate training.
B) is concerned with all behavior, not just abnormality and mental illness.
C) is based on counseling therapy rather than medication.
D) is less concerned with scientific method than the latter disciplines.
E) is not considered to be a scientific field.

Question 13

Psychology is differentiated from pseudo-psychology because of

A) the absolute certainty of its findings.
B) its focus on the natural rather than the social world.
C) the more widespread public acceptance of pseudoscience.
D) its findings are more relevant to human problems.
E) its method of using the scientific method to test theories and hypotheses.

Question 14

Which topic would NOT be investigated by a psychologist if the definition of psychology were limited to "the science of behavior"?

A) relation between grade-point average and salary
B) thought processes students used while trying to answer this question
C) how changes in the rate of television violence influence real-life violence
D) effectiveness of several treatments for people who suffer from depression
E) the hereditary determinants of sexual orientation

Question 15

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.
E) sensory and perceptual events.

Question 16

The majority of psychologists work in

A) private practice.
B) public school.
C) government.
D) universities, colleges, and medical schools.
E) not-for-profit agencies.

Question 17

Dr. Braunz has been treating a child with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. She decides to write a prescription for Ritalin. Given this information, it is most likely that Dr. Braunz is a

A) psychiatrist.
B) psychoanalyst.
C) humanistic psychologist.
D) school psychologist.
E) psychiatric social worker.

Question 18

One major difference between psychiatry and psychology is that psychiatry is

A) a branch of sociology.
B) a medical specialty.
C) focused on importance of perception for human function.
D) part of a large group of specialties.
E) involved in case study research.

Question 19

Margaret is a psychologist who designs programs to increase employee morale and workplace productivity. She is a(n)

A) developmental psychologist.
B) clinical psychologist.
C) industrial/organizational psychologist.
D) applied psychologist.
E) experimental psychologist.

Question 20

Dr. Jones is an industrial/organizational (I/O) psychologist. Thus, she is most likely to do which of the following?

A) help individuals who have eating disorders, such as anorexia nervosa
B) conduct experiments to determine which studying strategies work best
C) diagnose learning disabilities within a school district
D) assist an athlete in creating an effective schedule of practice sessions
E) Help companies develop questions to ask job candidates.

Question 21

Gwen has posted a questionnaire on MySpace asking her friends to support her idea of cell phones in the classroom. She ignores anyone opposing her beliefs, which is an example of

A) naïve realism.
B) conjunctive fallacy.
C) confirmation bias.
D) attribution bias.
E) reactive bias.

Question 22

The tendency to look for supportive evidence rather than actively seeking out contradictory evidence is known as

A) the availability heuristic.
B) belief perseverance.
C) the confirmation bias.
D) the hindsight bias.
E) the emotional bias.

Question 23

French philosopher René Descartes most likely would believe that individuals suffer from schizophrenia due to

A) irrational ways of interpreting events in the world.
B) unconscious conflicts involving sexuality and aggression.
C) whether an individual lives in a destructive society
D) the upbringing of the person.
E) activity within the person's nervous system.

Question 24

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
E) in a hospital doing research into the neurochemicals that have survived various "levels" of human evolution

Question 25

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

A) intervention
B) introspection
C) insight inventory
D) induction
E) investigation

Question 26

What 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) an umbrella keeping you dry in a storm.
D) a computer program for word processing a term paper
E) a traffic light that alternates colors on a predictable time schedule

Question 27

A psychologist who studies how hormones affect a person's behavior is using the ________ perspective.

A) biological
B) functional
C) deterministic
D) evolutionary
E) humanistic

Question 28

Chemistry, physics, and anthropology are classified as scientific because of their

A) findings.
B) philosophy.
C) methods.
D) clinical application.
E) usefulness in general life.

Question 29

The tendency to look for information that supports one's own belief is called

A) the principle of falsifiability.
B) confirmation bias.
C) criterion validity.
D) volunteer bias.
E) expectation bias.

Question 30

Functionalists were interested in the function of ________ in dealing with the problems of everyday living.

A) family and friends
B) consciousness
C) stress reduction techniques
D) drugs
E) professional therapists

Question 31

A breakthrough in the scientific field of ________ ultimately led to the world's first psychology laboratory.

A) chemistry
B) botany
C) biology
D) sociology
E) geology

Question 32

Evolutionary psychology might suggest that certain cognitive strategies and goals are built into the brain because

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.
E) they are prewired to help us achieve self-actualization during our lifetimes.

Question 33

Dr. Jones probably agrees with the ________ theory of psychology, since he contends that humans are intelligent species due to the fact that intelligence gives us an advantage in the natural world.

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

Question 34

Wilhelm Wundt founded the

A) notion of free will.
B) approach of radical behaviorism.
C) psychodynamic approach.
D) first psychology laboratory.
E) first therapy clinic.

Question 35

At the close of the nineteenth century, Gerhard is excited to find 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.
E) uncover a person's unconscious conflicts.

Question 36

Noted Greek philosophers such as Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle observed that

A) brain damage contributed to most mental disorders.
B) emotions were caused by changes in brain chemistry.
C) "truth" was determined by careful testing procedures.
D) emotions can distort thinking.
E) emotions were not worthy of scientific discussion.

Question 37

Structuralists were concerned with uncovering the basic components of

A) the unconscious.
B) the mind.
C) the environment.
D) culture.
E) the family unit.

Question 38

The research technique of introspection

A) measures people biologically by using tools such as an MRI or PET scan.
B) studies groups of people interacting with one another.
C) asks people to describe their sensations and responses.
D) studies children rather than adolescents and adults.
E) exposes people to a variety of stressful situations to determine how they will respond.

Question 39

Who was an early proponent of functionalism?

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

Question 40

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

A) William James.
B) William Tell.
C) Wilhelm Wundt.
D) Sigmund Freud.
E) William the Conqueror.

Question 41

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

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

Question 42

A cognitive psychologist has been studying aggression in teens. Which of the following is most likely to be the title of his latest study?

A) "The Consequences of Teen Violence"
B) "The Family Dynamics of Violent Teens"
C) "Social Pressures that Produce Violent Teens"
D) "The Use of Medications to Control Aggression in Teens"
E) "The Reasons Why Teens Say They Act Violently"

Question 43

The humanistic approach toward psychology emphasizes

A) the positive side of human nature.
B) the deterministic nature of human environments.
C) unconscious motivations.
D) stimulus-response relationships in humans.
E) our brain biochemistry.

Question 44

Which school of psychology questioned whether psychologists should study the mind?

A) psychodynamic theory
B) behaviorism
C) Gestalt psychology
D) cognitive psychology
E) humanistic psychology

Question 45

The ________ approach views the mind, particularly the unconscious mind, as a reservoir of energy for the personality.

A) biological
B) sociocultural
C) behavioristic
D) psychodynamic
E) humanistic

Question 46

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

A) behavior.
B) the mind.
C) the brain.
D) consciousness.
E) emotions.

Question 47

A scientist who studies the strategies involved in playing a game of chess is most likely to follow a(n) ________ approach to psychology.

A) cognitive
B) humanistic
C) behavioristic In
D) evolutionary
E) psychoanalytic

Question 48

________ argued that a truly objective science of psychology should deal solely with observable events: stimuli from the environment and the organism's responses.

A) Jean Piaget
B) John B. Watson
C) B. F. Skinner
D) Sigmund Freud
E) Wilhelm Wundt

Question 49

The psychodynamic perspective was originally conceived as a technique for

A) developing useful experiments to study the mind.
B) observing workplace productivity.
C) treating mental disorders.
D) creating surveys to measure behavior.
E) the use of animal models of abnormal behavior.

Question 50

The first applied psychologists were the

A) structuralists.
B) behaviorists.
C) functionalists.
D) Gestalt psychologists.
E) psychoanalysts.

Question 51

A behavioral psychologist studying the causes of alcohol usage would most likely

A) ask people why they consume alcohol.
B) observe whether people have a positive or negative experience after consuming alcohol.
C) measure brain changes following alcohol consumption.
D) determine patterns of alcohol usage within different cultures.
E) ask people how they feel while they are consuming alcohol.

Question 52

The principles of psychodynamics were first outlined by

A) William James.
B) B. F. Skinner.
C) Sigmund Freud.
D) Aristotle.
E) Jean Piaget.

Question 53

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
E) temperament

Question 54

________ was an influential advocate of behaviorism.

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

Question 55

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) psychodynamic psychology
D) behavioral psychology
E) cognitive psychology

Question 56

Suppose you were a graduate student studying for a PhD 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
E) the achievement of self-actualization and why it is such a rarely seen occurrence

Question 57

Gestalt psychology argued that perception is

A) altered by an evolutionary pressure to avoid being eaten.
B) impossible to study using introspection.
C) a process in which the whole is more than the sum of the parts.
D) a process found in animals but not humans.
E) a function of our unique streams of consciousness.

Question 58

The key feature of behaviorism that distinguishes it from other approaches to psychology is that

A) consciousness is central to the study of the mind.
B) only observable behavior is appropriate for study.
C) mental abilities evolve just as physical characteristics do.
D) a holistic view of a person is essential for understanding.
E) groups, not individuals, should be the focus of study.

Question 59

Ted is seeing a humanistic psychologist for therapy. His psychologist is most likely to focus on

A) cultural guidelines that shaped Ted's personality.
B) how Ted's parents shaped his behavior.
C) striving for growth and exercising free will.
D) the conflict between personal desires and social restrictions.
E) Ted's unconscious resentment of his siblings.

Question 60

Which of the following would be correctly described as a "whole-person" perspective in psychology?

A) humanistic psychology
B) cognitive psychology
C) developmental psychology
D) sociocultural psychology
E) Gestalt psychology

Question 61

In science, a theory

A) is based on several hypotheses.
B) always generates accurate findings.
C) is an unverified idea or abstract concept.
D) is diametrically opposed to empiricism.
E) is a testable explanation for a set of facts or observations.

Question 62

The ancient Greek typology of the four body humors is lives on in modern times as

A) trait and temperament psychology.
B) psychodynamic theory.
C) structuralism.
D) functionalism.
E) Gestalt psychology.

Question 63

Psychologists gather data using

A) media reports.
B) empirical investigations.
C) common sense.
D) second-hand reference.
E) careful thought.

Question 64

"Differences in individuals are a result of differences in persistent characteristics and internal dispositions." This is the basic premise of which psychological perspective?

A) trait and temperament psychology
B) psychodynamic theory
C) structuralism
D) functionalism
E) Gestalt psychology

Question 65

________ is a system used for reducing bias in research.

A) Statistics
B) The scientific method
C) Checks and balances
D) The double-blind method
E) Correlation

Question 66

The term "hypothesis" literally means

A) prediction.
B) knowledge derived from common sense.
C) an informed hunch.
D) little theory.
E) belief system.

Question 67

Sally proposes the idea that one's sexual history prior to marriage may be linked to whether one ends up getting divorced. This best represents which step of the scientific method?

A) testing the hypothesis
B) observing events
C) forming a hypothesis
D) formulating a theory
E) randomizing participants

Question 68

The first step in any scientific investigation is

A) forming the hypothesis.
B) perceiving the question.
C) coming to a conclusion.
D) developing an argument.
E) identifying research participants.

Question 69

"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.
E) data point.

Question 70

The scientific method could best answer

A) questions about whether a particular behavior is sinful.
B) questions about whether men or women are more violent.
C) questions about whether cats can read minds.
D) questions about whether or not Elvis was a great singer.
E) questions about whether it is right or wrong to spank children.

Question 71

The main idea that defines this perspective is that people change in predictable ways as the influences of heredity and environment unfold over time:

A) engineering
B) sociocultural
C) developmental
D) structuralist
E) humanistic

Question 72

According to this perspective, people change as the interactions of heredity and environment unfold over time:

A) biological
B) cognitive
C) whole-person
D) developmental
E) sociocultural

Question 73

The most important aspect of a hypothesis is that it must be a ________ idea.

A) complicated
B) relevant
C) testable
D) believable
E) logical

Question 74

The ________ perspective argues that other people have a large influence on our own behaviors.

A) engineering
B) sociocultural
C) cognitive
D) structuralist
E) humanistic

Question 75

Empirical investigation is

A) a study that makes logical sense.
B) the collection of objective information by means of careful measurements.
C) based on random coding of data.
D) biased by random procedures.
E) always found to be accurate.

Question 76

Based on his classroom experiences and everyday observations, Dr. McGinty believes that those students sitting in the front row of a classroom get higher grades than those sitting in rows further back. His belief is an example of a(n)

A) method.
B) theory.
C) stimulus event.
D) correlation coefficient.
E) dependent variable.

Question 77

According to the text, another name for a "hypothesis" is

A) a specific testable idea or prediction.
B) knowledge derived from common sense.
C) an informed hunch.
D) informed guess.
E) belief system.

Question 78

A cross-cultural psychologist would be most interested in which of the following?

A) measuring how children respond after they are spanked
B) asking parents why they spank their children
C) comparing how often Americans and Canadians spank their children
D) examining how spanking has served an evolutionary purpose throughout history
E) determining whether mothers or fathers are more likely to spank their children

Question 79

Marcia believes that people have an internal set of "conditions" that are largely responsible for determining their actions in life. Marcia would probably be most affiliated with which school of psychological thought?

A) trait and temperament psychology
B) behavioral psychology
C) structuralism
D) functionalism
E) Gestalt psychology

Question 80

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
E) evolutionary