Deck 1: Thinking Critically With Psychological Science

Question 1

Abigail is pregnant.Her friend has told her that she is able to predict the sex and birth date of a baby,including her baby.How might Abigail test this claim?

A) She can use introspection.
B) She can use critical thinking.
C) She can use the empirical approach.
D) She can use the biopsychosocial approach.

Answer 1

She can use the empirical approach.

Question 2

A questioning attitude regarding psychologists' assumptions and hidden values best illustrates

A) behaviorism.
B) critical thinking.
C) introspection.
D) Freudian psychology.

Answer 2

critical thinking.

Question 3

When you question the claim that hypnosis helps people to recall memories more accurately,you are most clearly demonstrating

A) introspection.
B) the neuroscience perspective.
C) an empirical approach.
D) critical thinking.

Answer 3

critical thinking.

Question 4

Checking on the credibility of the sources of information you use in a class report is most indicative of

A) a biopsychosocial approach.
B) critical thinking.
C) introspection.
D) functionalism.

Question 5

Three key attitudes of scientific inquiry are

A) pride,enthusiasm,and ingenuity.
B) ingenuity,practicality,and certainty.
C) certainty,creativity,and curiosity.
D) curiosity,skepticism,and humility.

Question 6

Reasoning that does not blindly accept available arguments and conclusions illustrates

A) introspection.
B) critical thinking.
C) the psychodynamic perspective.
D) an empirical approach.

Question 7

The type of thinking that examines assumptions,appraises the source,discerns hidden biases,evaluates evidence,and assesses conclusions is called

A) critical thinking.
B) introspection.
C) speculation.
D) emergent thinking.

Question 8

Aristotle suggested the source of our personality is the

A) brain.
B) throat.
C) heart.
D) stomach.

Question 9

In conducting research,Brandon demonstrates a scientific attitude.Which of the following characteristics are part of that attitude?

A) curiosity
B) indifference
C) certainty
D) sureness

Question 10

Marissa recently attended a lecture on supernatural phenomena,at which the speaker explained how the locations of planets and stars at one's birth determine the person's personality and life course.Marissa is not convinced that this information is accurate and so she is quite skeptical.She has concluded that the assumptions and conclusions of this statement are faulty,that the speaker is biased and lacks credibility,and that there is minimal evidence to support this claim.Marissa has engaged in

A) critical thinking.
B) introspection
C) speculation.
D) emergent thinking.

Question 11

Questioning whether conclusions are warranted by the existing evidence best illustrates

A) critical thinking.
B) functionalism.
C) the biopsychosocial approach.
D) introspection.

Question 12

One of psychology's early mottos was "the rat is always right." Which aspect of the scientific attitude did this represent?

A) humility
B) respect for animals
C) curiosity
D) skepticism

Question 13

Melinda expressed concerns as to whether the wording of the questions in a life satisfaction survey may have encouraged respondents to convey unusually positive levels of well-being.Melinda's concerns best illustrated

A) introspection.
B) an empirical approach.
C) critical thinking.
D) the neuroscience perspective.

Question 14

Who speculated that a meal makes us sleepy by causing gas and heat to collect around our heart?

A) Aristotle
B) Plato
C) Skinner
D) Darwin

Question 15

The empirical approach draws on

A) observation.
B) experimentation.
C) both observation and experimentation.
D) neither observation nor experimentation.

Question 16

Rodesia insists that Dr.Phillips' theory of aggression be checked against observable evidence.She is demonstrating the scientific attitude of

A) pride.
B) skepticism.
C) practicality.
D) enthusiasm.

Question 17

Which of the following is an evidence-based method that draws on observation and experimentation?

A) critical thinking
B) structuralism
C) empirical approach
D) humanistic psychology

Question 18

Which of the following is TRUE regarding the field of psychology?

A) It is a pseudoscience.
B) It is a science,similar to biology and chemistry.
C) It is a field that is often confused with science.
D) It is not based on scientific methods.

Question 19

Critical thinking most clearly involves

A) a biopsychosocial approach.
B) introspection.
C) evaluating evidence.
D) the psychodynamic perspective.

Question 20

Using scientific procedures to test whether watching violent movies increases the frequency of emotionally upsetting dreams best illustrates

A) functionalism.
B) Freudian psychology.
C) an empirical approach.
D) positive psychology.

Question 21

Who was the American philosopher-psychologist who authored a textbook in 1890 for the emerging discipline of psychology?

A) Wilhelm Wundt
B) John B.Watson
C) Sigmund Freud
D) William James

Question 22

Looking inward and reporting your immediate sensations,images,and feelings is called

A) cognitive neuroscience.
B) introspection.
C) behaviorism.
D) humanistic psychology.

Question 23

Which theorist most clearly influenced William James' efforts to understand the adaptive functions of thinking and consciousness?

A) John B.Watson
B) Sigmund Freud
C) Carl Rogers
D) Charles Darwin

Question 24

Edward Titchener and others attempted to reveal the basic elements of the mind by asking people to look inward.They were using a method known as

A) functionalism.
B) empiricism.
C) introspection.
D) conditioning.

Question 25

The birth of psychology is often attributed to Wilhelm Wundt because he pioneered the investigation of mental processes using

A) a biopsychosocial perspective.
B) an evolutionary perspective.
C) positive psychology.
D) scientific methods.

Question 26

Which early psychologist aimed to study the evolved functions of our thoughts and feelings?

A) Edward Bradford Titchener
B) William James
C) Charles Darwin
D) Wilhelm Wundt

Question 27

Who was a student of William James and the first female president of the American Psychological Association?

A) Jean Piaget
B) Margaret Floy Washburn
C) Rosalie Rayner
D) Mary Whiton Calkins

Question 28

Who developed the first psychological laboratory?

A) Wundt
B) Plato
C) Freud
D) James

Question 29

Edward Titchener is to structuralism as William James is to

A) behaviorism.
B) humanistic psychology.
C) cognitive neuroscience.
D) functionalism.

Question 30

The psychology textbook that William James authored was titled

A) The New Science.
B) Psychology.
C) Principles of Psychology.
D) The Abstract Mind.

Question 31

Introspection was the basic research tool used by ________ in order to study people's inner sensations and mental images.

A) John B.Watson
B) Charles Darwin
C) Edward Titchener
D) B.F.Skinner

Question 32

Which early psychologist aimed to discover the mind's structure?

A) Edward Bradford Titchener
B) William James
C) Charles Darwin
D) Wilhelm Wundt

Question 33

Functionalism was a school of psychology that focused attention on the

A) adaptive value of thoughts and behaviors.
B) component elements of sensory experience.
C) disruptive effects of unconscious motives.
D) treatment of psychological disorders.

Question 34

Which woman psychologist was the first to officially earn a doctorate degree?

A) Margaret Floy Washburn
B) Mary Whiton Calkins
C) Anna Freud
D) Marla Wundt

Question 35

The unreliability of ________ led to the waning popularity of structuralism.

A) introspection
B) behavior genetics
C) behaviorism
D) humanistic psychology

Question 36

Research participants are asked to monitor and report their own immediate sensory reactions to differently colored objects.This research involves a technique known as

A) behavior genetics.
B) psychoanalysis.
C) behaviorism.
D) introspection.

Question 37

Between 1997 and 2017 women were ________ elected presidents of the Association for Psychological Science.

A) 5 of the 10
B) 1 of the 20
C) 10 of the 10
D) 10 of the 20

Question 38

Wilhelm Wundt's laboratory work involved experimental studies of

A) animal intelligence.
B) personality development.
C) social influence.
D) mental processes.

Question 39

William James was a prominent American

A) psychoanalyst.
B) behaviorist.
C) functionalist.
D) psychiatrist.

Question 40

Which of the following people is most likely to earn a doctorate degree in psychology today?

A) Samantha,who is from the United States
B) Brandon,who is from Canada
C) Margo,who is from Mexico
D) Steven,who is from Europe

Question 41

Beginning in the 1920s,American psychologists such as John B.Watson emphasized the study of

A) genetic influences.
B) self-esteem.
C) conscious thoughts and feelings.
D) observable behavior.

Question 42

Early behaviorists such as John B.Watson would have considered the introspective study of self-esteem to be

A) applied research.
B) a positive psychology.
C) an unscientific method.
D) a biopsychosocial approach.

Question 43

Early psychologists such as Wilhelm Wundt and William James focused on the study of

A) mental processes.
B) clinical psychology.
C) unconscious motives.
D) conditioned responses.

Question 44

Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow promoted a historically significant approach known as

A) behaviorism.
B) humanistic psychology.
C) cognitive neuroscience.
D) behavior genetics.

Question 45

Which of the following is a conditioned behavior that can be observed?

A) anxiety
B) intelligence
C) depression
D) crying

Question 46

Sherry is often overly generous in sacrificing her time to help others.Her friend suggests that by keeping busy in this way Sherry avoids confronting her own unconscious conflicts.Her friend's suggestion illustrates the type of explanation that is most typical of

A) evolutionary psychology.
B) cognitive neuroscience.
C) structuralism.
D) Freudian psychology.

Question 47

The branch of psychology that can be considered a marriage between the science of the mind and the science of the brain is called

A) behaviorism.
B) Freudian psychology.
C) neuroscience.
D) cognitive neuroscience.

Question 48

The scientific study of mental activities associated with perceiving,processing,and remembering information is most central to

A) clinical psychology.
B) humanistic psychology.
C) evolutionary psychology.
D) cognitive psychology.

Question 49

Which major force in psychology emphasized unconscious thought processes?

A) evolutionary psychology
B) psychoanalytic psychology
C) behavior genetics
D) behaviorism

Question 50

Investigating patterns of brain activity that accompany people's recollections of a stressful experience would be of most direct interest to the specialty area known as

A) behavior genetics.
B) cognitive neuroscience.
C) evolutionary psychology.
D) functionalism.

Question 51

In the 1960s,the cognitive revolution in psychology involved a renewal of interest in the scientific study of

A) mental processes.
B) hereditary influences.
C) unconscious motives.
D) learned behaviors.

Question 52

Cognitive neuroscience studies relationships between

A) natural selection and genetic predispositions.
B) childhood memories and psychological disorders.
C) thought processes and brain functions.
D) philosophy and physiology.

Question 53

Humanistic psychologists focused attention on the importance of people's

A) childhood memories.
B) genetic predispositions.
C) unconscious thought processes.
D) potential for growth.

Question 54

Beginning in the 1960s,psychological science returned to its earlier interest in mental processes.This movement was inspired by the

A) emergence of community psychology.
B) push for a positive psychology.
C) cognitive revolution.
D) free love movement.

Question 55

Observing and recording people's behavior as they are conditioned was of most central interest to

A) Freudian psychology.
B) humanistic psychology.
C) behaviorism.
D) structuralism.

Question 56

Jill is observing how children react to being pushed by other children while playing in the school yard.Which psychological perspective is she likely applying to her research?

A) behaviorism
B) Freudian psychology
C) humanistic psychology
D) cognitive psychology

Question 57

Behaviorists dismissed the value of

A) science.
B) introspection.
C) neuroscience.
D) applied research.

Question 58

John B.Watson is to Edward Titchener as ________ is to ________.

A) biology;environment
B) observable behavior;inner sensations
C) mental illness;psychiatry
D) cognitive perspective;psychodynamic perspective

Question 59

The view that psychology should be an objective science that studies observable human activity without reference to mental processes is known as

A) behaviorism.
B) cognitive neuroscience.
C) humanistic psychology.
D) positive psychology.

Question 60

Contemporary psychology is best defined as the science of

A) conscious and unconscious mental activity.
B) observable responses to the environment.
C) behavior and mental processes.
D) maladaptive and adaptive behaviors.

Question 61

The nature-nurture issue refers to the debate over the relative contributions that ________ make to the development of psychological traits.

A) introspection and nerve cell activity
B) unconscious and conscious motives
C) behavior and mental processes
D) genes and experience

Question 62

Exploring how we humans are diverse because of our differing genes and environments is the focus of

A) behavior genetics.
B) cognitive psychology.
C) evolutionary psychology.
D) humanistic psychology.

Question 63

Lissette wonders whether personality differences between her friends who recently moved from Nigeria and those who moved from Thailand result primarily from biological influences or from cultural influences.In this instance,Lissette is primarily concerned with the relative contributions of

A) neuroscience and cognition.
B) nature and nurture.
C) behavior and mental processes.
D) conscious and unconscious thoughts.

Question 64

Professor McClure believes that young children are frequently able to make morally correct decisions because humans are endowed with an inborn knowledge of basic ethical principles.The professor's belief is most consistent with the views of

A) Aristotle.
B) Plato.
C) John B.Watson.
D) B.F.Skinner.

Question 65

Exploring how we humans are alike because of our common biology and evolutionary history is the focus of

A) cognitive neuroscience.
B) community psychology.
C) behavior genetics.
D) evolutionary psychology.

Question 66

Efforts to discover whether the intelligence of children is more heavily influenced by their biology or their home environments are most directly relevant to the debate regarding

A) structuralism and functionalism.
B) conscious and unconscious thought.
C) observation and introspection.
D) nature and nurture.

Question 67

The personality theorist Sigmund Freud was an Austrian

A) chemist.
B) physician.
C) theologian.
D) politician.

Question 68

Professor Jones is examining the impact of parental divorce on adult children's attitudes regarding romantic relationships.The attitude regarding romantic relationships can be considered a(n)

A) behavior.
B) action.
C) mental process.
D) conclusion.

Question 69

Charles Darwin attempted to explain the ________ that he encountered.

A) unconscious thought processes
B) species variation
C) biopsychosocial approach
D) cognitive neuroscience

Question 70

The young science of psychology developed from the more established fields of philosophy and

A) economics.
B) biology.
C) geography.
D) sociology.

Question 71

Smiling is to feeling as ________ is to ________.

A) evolution;natural selection
B) behavior;mental process
C) conscious;unconscious
D) nurture;nature

Question 72

Innate ability is to learned skill as ________ is to ________.

A) observation;introspection
B) psychology;psychiatry
C) nature;nurture
D) behavior;mental processes

Question 73

The theorist who first proposed evolutionary psychology was

A) Ivan Pavlov.
B) Charles Darwin.
C) John B.Watson.
D) Carl Rogers.

Question 74

The survival of organisms best suited to a particular environment is known as

A) functionalism.
B) natural selection.
C) behavior genetics.
D) structuralism.

Question 75

Natural selection refers to the principle that variations in ________ that contribute to reproduction and survival will most likely be passed on to succeeding generations.

A) learned habits
B) inherited traits
C) levels of analysis
D) cultural practices

Question 76

Today's psychology is best described as increasingly

A) introspective in its methods.
B) psychodynamic it its perspective.
C) globalized in its influence.
D) controversial in its application.

Question 77

One of the last century's most influential observers of children was the Swiss biologist

A) Edward Bradford Titchener.
B) Margaret Floy Washburn.
C) William James.
D) Jean Piaget.

Question 78

Who is best known for highlighting the reproductive advantages of environmentally adaptive traits?

A) Plato
B) Aristotle
C) Edward Titchener
D) Charles Darwin

Question 79

In the context of debates over the origins of psychological traits,nature is to nurture as

A) Plato is to Aristotle.
B) Watson is to Skinner.
C) Aristotle is to Plato.
D) Skinner is to Watson.

Question 80

Plato's assumption that we inherit character and intelligence is most directly relevant to the controversy regarding

A) conscious and unconscious thoughts.
B) observation and introspection.
C) nature and nurture.
D) basic and applied research.