Deck 1: Introduction and Research Methods

Question 1

The _____ perspective emphasizes studying how behavior is acquired or modified by environmental causes.

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

Answer 1

behavioral

Question 2

As one of the advocates of _____, _____developed a theory of motivation that emphasized psychological growth.

A) functionalism; G. Stanley Hall
B) psychoanalysis; Sigmund Freud
C) humanistic psychology; Abraham Maslow
D) structuralism; Edward B. Titchener

Answer 2

humanistic psychology; Abraham Maslow

Question 3

Researchers at the United Family Therapy Center are conducting a study to determine how quickly different forms of psychotherapy reduce symptoms of anxiety. What is the dependent variable in this study?

A) change in the symptoms of anxiety
B) the method used to recruit participants for the study
C) the type of psychotherapy used to treat anxiety
D) the number of participants receiving each type of psychotherapy

Answer 3

change in the symptoms of anxiety

Question 4

Mary Whiton Calkins:

A) founded the first psychology laboratory in America at Yale University.
B) studied with Sigmund Freud and became the first female psychoanalyst in the United States.
C) is best known for her pioneering research on comparative psychology and for her book The Animal Mind.
D) conducted research on personality, dreams, and memory, and was the first woman elected president of the American Psychological Association.

Question 5

Edward Titchener is associated with which early approach or "school" of psychology?

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

Question 6

Of the following correlation coefficients, which represents the weakest relationship between two factors?

A) -.67
B) +.53
C) +.32
D) -.12

Question 7

Correlational research:

A) can indicate causality in either a positive or a negative direction.
B) provides the most compelling evidence of a cause-and-effect relationship between two variables.
C) can reveal the degree to which two factors are related to or associated with each other in a systematic way.
D) has been banned by the American Psychological Association since the 1960s, but it is still allowed in other countries.

Question 8

The term _____ refers to the tendency to use one's own culture as the standard for judging other cultures.

A) ethnocentrism
B) expectancy effect
C) empirical
D) collectivistic

Question 9

Which of the following titles would most likely be found in a research journal for biological psychology?

A) "Increased levels of the hormone testosterone causes increased aggressive behavior in laboratory rats"
B) "The effects of compliments on helping behavior"
C) "Decreases in intellectual functioning can be reversed through increased mental activities in the older adult"
D) "Spacing rehearsals during learning improves long-term memory for nonsense syllables"

Question 10

Evidence that is the result of observation, measurement, and experimentation is referred to as _____ evidence.

A) empirical
B) pseudoscientific
C) hypothetical
D) theoretical

Question 11

The first African American to earn a Ph.D. in psychology was:

A) Mary Whiton Calkins.
B) Francis C. Sumner.
C) Edward B. Titchener.
D) G. Stanley Hall.

Question 12

Several correlational studies point to the basic conclusion that the more time students spend playing violent video games, the greater their tendency to engage in delinquent behavior. Based on this result, you would be justified in stating that:

A) playing violent video games causes delinquent behavior.
B) there is a positive correlation between delinquent behavior and playing violent video games.
C) there is a negative correlation between playing violent video games and delinquent behavior.
D) the researchers were conducting pseudoscientific research.

Question 13

Professor Diaz is studying the development of the human brain from infancy to early adulthood. She takes the _____ perspective and her specialty area is _____ psychology.

A) humanistic; social
B) evolutionary; cognitive
C) behavioral; social
D) biological; developmental

Question 14

Who wrote On the Origin of Species?

A) Sigmund Freud
B) John B. Watson
C) B. F. Skinner
D) Charles Darwin

Question 15

Which of the following terms refers to a procedure that assures that all participants have an equal chance of being assigned to any of the experimental conditions?

A) the double-blind technique
B) random assignment
C) the single-blind technique
D) random selection

Question 16

A collectivistic culture is one in which:

A) the self is seen as less interdependent with others compared to individualistic cultures.
B) a person's social behavior is influenced more by individual preference than by cultural values and norms.
C) a person's individual preferences and goals are considered to be more important than the requirements and goals of his or her social group.
D) the needs and goals of the group are considered to be more important than the needs and goals of the individual.

Question 17

Professor Newberg decided to study the social activity level of senior citizens, so he visited a local retirement village and invited residents to participate in a lengthy survey. Professor Newberg's survey results are probably invalid because he did not use:

A) a valid hypothesis.
B) an operational definition.
C) independent and dependent variables.
D) random selection of participants.

Question 18

The use of dogs and cats in psychological research:

A) is very common, especially in research investigating drug effects on sleep.
B) is prohibited by the American Psychological Association and the Association for Psychological Science.
C) is very common; approximately 90 percent of animals used in research are cats and dogs.
D) is rare.

Question 19

According to the Science Versus Pseudoscience feature in Chapter 1, which of the following items is NOT one of the strategies used by proponents of pseudoscience to give credibility to their claims?

A) shifting the burden of proof
B) use of irrefutable or nonfalsifiable claims
C) combining unfounded claims with established scientific findings
D) use of the scientific method and replication of their findings by other scientists

Question 20

In a study described in Chapter 1, psychologist Paul Solomon and his colleagues investigated the effects of the herb gingko biloba on memory, concentration, and other mental tasks. All participants in the study took a battery of tests at the beginning and end of the six-week study. The results showed that:

A) test scores increased about the same for the participants in the experimental group and for the participants in the placebo control group.
B) test scores actually decreased for the participants in the experimental group and increased slightly for the participants in the no-treatment control group.
C) test scores were virtually identical both times the participants were tested.
D) although test scores stayed about the same, participants in the study subjectively rated their memory and concentration as being significantly improved.

Question 21

Professor Karney administered a psychological test measuring shyness to a large number of undergraduate students. The students also completed a lengthy questionnaire on their social life and activities, including number of friends. Professor Karney conducted a statistical analysis of the responses and found a correlation coefficient of -.80 between level of shyness and number of friends. This indicates that:

A) as number of friends increases, level of shyness increases.
B) as number of friends decreases, level of shyness increases.
C) there is no relationship between level of shyness and number of friends.
D) a cause-and-effect relationship exists between shyness and number of friends.

Question 22

The established science most responsible for the emergence of psychology as a scientific discipline was physiology.

A) True
B) False

Question 23

Physiology is sometimes referred to as the "third force" in American psychology.

A) True
B) False

Question 24

Which of the following is NOT one of the brain-imaging techniques discussed in the Focus on Neuroscience section in the text?

A) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
B) functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)
C) transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)
D) positron emission tomography (PET)

Question 25

When college students are enrolled in a class in which participation in psychological research is part of the course requirement:

A) the researcher is not required to provide the student participants with information about the purpose of the research.
B) their reactions and behavior in experimental situations can be videotaped without their consent.
C) they should complain to the college administration because it is a violation of the ethical standards for psychological research to use students as research participants.
D) students must be given the choice of an alternative activity to fulfill the course requirement or earn extra credit.

Question 26

In Crum and Langer's hotel experiment, the group of participants who were informed that housekeeping work was good exercise was the:

A) placebo control group.
B) experimental group.
C) extraneous group.
D) control group or control condition.

Question 27

Correlational research is useful because it can:

A) provide compelling evidence of cause-and-effect relationships.
B) help identify the factors that play an important role in the behavior that is being investigated and rule out the factors that do not.
C) provide a detailed description of a single individual.
D) promote the acceptance of pseudosciences.

Question 28

In an online survey, people were asked if they would cheat on their partner if there was no chance of getting caught. Approximately 23,000 internet users responded to the survey. Almost half of those responding said they would not, while the other half said they probably would. What is a significant limitation with surveys like this one?

A) Not enough people responded to the survey, which means the results are not valid.
B) The survey involved respondents who volunteered to participate, so the sample was not representative of the overall population.
C) Participants tend to be less comfortable reporting sexual behaviors over the internet than discussing them in person or on the phone.
D) The survey did not follow a double-blind procedure, which means that expectancy effects probably slanted the results.

Question 29

Professor Wallace studied over 3,000 elderly individuals for a decade and found a statistically significant relationship between survival rate and number of close friends. Specifically, he found that elderly individuals with few close friends had a much higher death rate. To say that the results of his study are "statistically significant" means that:

A) the finding has great practical value and significance.
B) there is a cause-and-effect relationship between the two variables.
C) the finding does not have to be replicated to be accepted by the scientific community.
D) the results are unlikely to have occurred by chance.

Question 30

Psychologists today have abandoned the nature-nurture debate and concluded that the environment is responsible for behavior.

A) True
B) False

Question 31

Ginkgo biloba is an herb that is thought to increase blood flow in the brain and enhance memory processes. In a carefully controlled study investigating this claim, young adults were assigned to one of three groups. Those in group 1 took a capsule containing 120 milligrams of ginkgo biloba once a day. Those in group 2 took a capsule that looked identical but was a fake. Those in group 3 did not take any capsules. The participants assigned to group 2 constituted the _____ in this study.

A) dependent variable
B) placebo control group
C) extraneous group
D) out-of-control group

Question 32

Psychology's definition has not changed since it was founded as a science in the late nineteenth century.

A) True
B) False

Question 33

Today, psychology is formally defined as the scientific study of behavior and mental processes.

A) True
B) False

Question 34

A cognitive psychologist decides to study the effects of chess practice on math abilities in middle school students. All students are tested on a standard math test at the beginning of the study. Students are then randomly assigned to a chess group and a control group. Students in the chess group spend thirty minutes every school day learning chess strategy and playing chess. Students in the no-chess control group spend thirty minutes every school day watching educational television. At the end of three months, students take another standardized math test. The improvement or decline in their test score is computed and compared across the two groups. In this experiment, what is the DEPENDENT variable?

A) the change in math test scores
B) playing chess or watching educational television
C) improvement in chess-playing ability
D) the number of chess matches won

Question 35

Dr. Ginsburg wants to study possible gender differences in the willingness of young children to engage in risky behaviors. To gather data, Ginsburg and a co-researcher carefully and unobtrusively observe the willingness of boys and girls to try risky behaviors at a local zoo, such as petting a burro or feeding different animals. Dr. Ginsburg is using _____ to gather data.

A) naturalistic observation
B) a survey
C) the case study method
D) a representative sample

Question 36

More than 2,000 years ago, the Greek philosopher Aristotle wrote extensively about psychological topics such as sleep, dreams, the senses, and memory.

A) True
B) False

Question 37

Physiology is a branch of biology that studies the functions and parts of living organisms, including humans.

A) True
B) False

Question 38

For centuries, philosophers have debated which is more important: the inborn nature of the individual or the environmental influences that nurture the individual.

A) True
B) False

Question 39

Many of the issues that are central to contemporary psychology have been debated for hundreds of years.

A) True
B) False

Question 40

René Descartes promoted a doctrine called interactive monism, an idea that the mind and the body are one entity that produces sensations, emotions, and other conscious experiences.

A) True
B) False

Question 41

Edward B. Titchener departed from Wilhelm Wundt's position regarding consciousness and developed his own ideas on the nature of psychology, which he called functionalism.

A) True
B) False

Question 42

Introspection was not a good method for psychological inquiry because it could not be used to study a variety of complex topics, such as learning, development, and personality.

A) True
B) False

Question 43

The event that marked the formal beginning of psychology as a separate experimental science occurred when William James taught the first course in psychology at Harvard University in the early 1870s.

A) True
B) False

Question 44

Physiology is the idea that mind and body are separate entities.

A) True
B) False

Question 45

Like behaviorists, functionalists were opposed to having psychology study consciousness or conscious experience.

A) True
B) False

Question 46

The school of thought in psychology called structuralism held that even our most complex conscious experiences could be broken down into elemental structures of conscious thought.

A) True
B) False

Question 47

Whereas structuralists were concerned with the study of conscious experiences, functionalists abandoned the study of conscious experiences, favoring the study of overt measurable behavior.

A) True
B) False

Question 48

Followers of the school of functionalism strongly favored a scientific method called introspection and emphasized studying the most basic components of conscious experience.

A) True
B) False

Question 49

Wilhelm Wundt defined psychology as the study of consciousness and emphasized the use of experimental methods to study and measure consciousness.

A) True
B) False

Question 50

Edward B. Titchener at Cornell University opened the first psychology research laboratory.

A) True
B) False

Question 51

William James's writings were the basis for a new school of psychology called functionalism.

A) True
B) False

Question 52

Charles Darwin was the author of the landmark book on evolution On the Origin of Species.

A) True
B) False

Question 53

Wilhelm Wundt wrote a landmark textbook titled Principles of Physiological Psychology in the 1870s that promoted his belief that psychology should be established as a separate scientific discipline.

A) True
B) False

Question 54

William James played a key role in helping to establish psychology in the United States.

A) True
B) False

Question 55

Williams James's book titled Principles of Psychology provided the basis for the development of a new school of psychology called behaviorism.

A) True
B) False

Question 56

Both the functionalists and the structuralists thought that psychology should focus on the study of conscious experiences.

A) True
B) False

Question 57

Both G. Stanley Hall and Mary Whiton Calkins were German psychologists who were originally students of Wilhelm Wundt.

A) True
B) False

Question 58

Charles Darwin's book On the Origin of Species had a profound effect on William James and influenced his ideas about the importance of adaptation to environmental changes.

A) True
B) False

Question 59

William James developed the technique called introspection as a way for people to tap into their unconscious.

A) True
B) False

Question 60

The first major school of thought in psychology was called structuralism.

A) True
B) False

Question 61

Mary Whiton Calkins was the first woman president of the American Psychological Association and the author of a comprehensive textbook on psychology.

A) True
B) False

Question 62

John B. Watson and B. F. Skinner were two important American psychologists associated with the school of behaviorism.

A) True
B) False

Question 63

A young, dynamic psychologist named John B. Watson said, "Behaviorism, on the contrary, holds that the subject matter of human psychology is the behavior of the human being. Behaviorism claims that consciousness is neither a definite nor a usable concept. The behaviorist, who has been trained always as an experimentalist, holds, further, that belief in the existence of consciousness goes back to the ancient days of superstition and magic."

A) True
B) False

Question 64

Ivan Pavlov demonstrated that dogs could learn to associate a neutral stimulus, such as the sound of a bell, with an automatic response, such as reflexively salivating to food.

A) True
B) False

Question 65

John B. Watson believed that conscious processes were worthy of study for psychology and promoted the use of introspection as a technique for studying such processes.

A) True
B) False

Question 66

Harvard University refused to award Mary Whiton Calkins her Ph.D. in psychology because she was a woman and at that time Harvard was not a coeducational institution.

A) True
B) False

Question 67

Psychoanalysis emphasizes the role of early childhood experience and unconscious conflicts in the development of personality.

A) True
B) False

Question 68

Rejecting the study of conscious experience, Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow were behaviorists who emphasized the importance of observable behaviors.

A) True
B) False

Question 69

Francis C. Sumner was the first African American to earn a Ph.D. in psychology.

A) True
B) False

Question 70

The goal of psychologists Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers was to discover the fundamental principles of learning.

A) True
B) False

Question 71

The first American woman to earn a Ph.D. in psychology and the second woman to be elected president of the American Psychological Association was Margaret Floy Washburn.

A) True
B) False

Question 72

Despite repeated invitations from William James and others, Sigmund Freud refused to visit the United States.

A) True
B) False

Question 73

Because his ideas were so controversial in this country, Sigmund Freud was refused a visa to visit the United States.

A) True
B) False

Question 74

In compelling experimental demonstrations, B. F. Skinner systematically used reinforcement or punishment to shape the behavior of rats and pigeons.

A) True
B) False

Question 75

Because humanistic psychology is distinctly different from both psychoanalysis and behaviorism, it is sometimes referred to as the "third force" in American psychology.

A) True
B) False

Question 76

At the turn of the twentieth century, Ivan Pavlov founded developmental psychology with his pioneering studies of infants and young children.

A) True
B) False

Question 77

Humanistic psychology was largely founded by the American psychologist B. F. Skinner.

A) True
B) False

Question 78

Like earlier psychologists, Watson and the behaviorists focused on the study of mental processes and conscious experience.

A) True
B) False

Question 79

Harvard University awarded Mary Whiton Calkins her Ph.D., but only after William James intervened on her behalf.

A) True
B) False

Question 80

According to Freud, glimpses of unconscious impulses were revealed in everyday life in dreams, memory blocks, and slips of the tongue.

A) True
B) False