Question 1

One of the most important contributions of the _______________ perspective of psychology has been to show how people's thoughts and explanations affect their actions, feelings, and choices.

Accepted Answer

The cognitive perspective focuses on how people think, perceive, remember, and solve problems. One of the key contributions of this perspective is the emphasis on how people's thoughts and explanations (or cognitive processes) affect their behavior, emotions, and decisions. This includes topics such as cognitive development, perception, attention, memory, reasoning, and decision-making.

Question 2

Observing violent role models can influence some children to behave aggressively themselves. Which of the following psychological perspectives is this an example of?

Accepted Answer

The social-cognitive perspective focuses on how people learn by observing others and how their thoughts and beliefs influence their behavior. This perspective suggests that observing violent role models can lead to aggression in children who learn from these models. The behaviorist and learning perspectives also emphasize the role of learning in behavior, but they do not specifically focus on social factors like role models. The biological perspective emphasizes the role of genetic and physiological factors in behavior, which is not directly relevant to the question at hand.

Question 3

_______________ focus on how groups affect attitudes and behavior, why people obey authority, and how each of us is affected by other people-spouses, lovers, friends, bosses, parents, and strangers.

Accepted Answer

Social psychologists focus specifically on how groups affect attitudes and behavior, obedience to authority, and the impact of others on our lives.

Question 4

A(n) __________ psychologist studies how genetically-influenced behavior that was functional or adaptive during our species' past may be reflected in the present behaviors, mental processes, and traits of modern humans.

Accepted Answer

Evolutionary psychology is the study of how evolution has shaped our behavior and mental processes, especially in terms of their adaptive function in the past.

Question 5

_______________ combine elements of behaviorism with research on thoughts, values, expectations, and intentions and believe that people learn not only by adapting their behavior to the environment, but also by observing and imitating others.

Accepted Answer

Social-cognitive learning theorists combine elements of behaviorism (focus on observable behavior) with research on thoughts, values, expectations, and intentions (cognitive processes) to suggest that people learn not only by adapting their behavior to the environment, but also by observing and imitating others.

Question 6

A psychologist who embraces the cognitive perspective would be most interested in:

Accepted Answer

The cognitive perspective in psychology focuses on how people think, perceive, and process information, rather than focusing solely on external stimuli or internal conflicts. Therefore, a psychologist who embraces this perspective would be most interested in understanding how people think.

Question 7

Which of the following modern psychological perspectives has strongly encouraged precision and objectivity in psychology by focusing on observable and measurable events?

Accepted Answer

The learning perspective, also known as behaviorism, focuses on observable and measurable events, encouraging precision and objectivity in psychology. It emphasizes the role of the environment in shaping behavior through reinforcement and punishment.

Question 8

Which modern psychological perspective focuses on how our behavior is influenced by the other people in our environment and the communities we belong to?

Accepted Answer

Sociocultural perspective focuses on how our behavior is influenced by the other people in our environment and the communities we belong to. This perspective emphasizes the roles of culture, ethnicity, gender, and socio-economic status in shaping behavior and mental processes. It emphasizes the important role of social norms, values, and expectations in determining how individuals behave and interact with others.

Question 9

The _______________ is a psychological approach that emphasizes mental processes in perception, memory, language, problem solving, and other areas of behavior.

Accepted Answer

The cognitive perspective is the psychological approach that emphasizes mental processes in various areas of behavior. The other options, such as the biological perspective, learning perspective, and sociocultural perspective, focus on different aspects of psychology.

Question 10

Tom is a psychologist investigating the contributions of genes in the development of abilities and personality traits in human beings. Tom is most likely a _______________.

Accepted Answer

Tom's focus on genes and their role in human development suggests that he is a biological psychologist, who studies the biological underpinnings of behavior and mental processes.

Question 11

Dr. Mannisto is a behaviorist who is studying the causes of excessive violence among some hockey players. She is likely to consider whether:

Accepted Answer

As a behaviorist, Dr. Mannisto would focus on the underlying reinforcement and punishment mechanisms that could be contributing to excessive violence among hockey players. She would consider whether players who engage in violence are rewarded in some way, such as by gaining more respect or popularity among their peers, receiving fewer penalties than expected, or increasing their chances of winning. She may also evaluate the effectiveness of deterrence strategies, such as fines, suspensions, or public shaming, in reducing violent behavior among players. The other options may be relevant as well, but they do not directly address the behavioral factors that Dr. Mannisto is interested in exploring. For instance, brain injuries may affect players' impulse control and cognitive processing, but they do not fully explain why some players become more violent than others. Emotional abuse in childhood may contribute to the development of aggressive tendencies, but it is not a sufficient condition for violent behavior on the rink. Cultural change may shape players' attitudes and values, but it does not fully account for the variance in violent behavior among players of different teams or regions.

Question 12

Older adults with low levels of the chemical acetylcholine in their brains may develop memory loss. Which of the following psychological perspectives does this best relate to?

Accepted Answer

The fact that memory loss is associated with low levels of a specific chemical in the brain suggests that this phenomenon is rooted in biology. Therefore, the most relevant psychological perspective is the biological perspective.

Question 13

A _______________ might study what goes on in the mind of an infant or study different types of intelligence.

Accepted Answer

A cognitive researcher studies mental processes such as perception, attention, language, memory, decision-making, and problem-solving. They might also study how cognitive processes develop and change over the lifespan. This includes studying the minds of infants and examining different types of intelligence. Cultural psychologists study how cultural beliefs, values, and practices influence behavior, while learning theorists focus on how behavior is acquired through experience. Biological psychologists study the relationship between the brain and behavior.

Question 14

_______________ psychology spurred the growth of research on topics that had long been ignored in psychology, including motherhood, rape, domestic violence, gender roles, and sexist attitudes.

Accepted Answer

Feminist psychology emphasizes the experiences of women and the effects of gender on behavior and mental processes. Feminist psychology encouraged research on previously ignored topics, such as motherhood, rape, domestic violence, gender roles, and sexist attitudes.

Question 15

Which modern psychological perspective is behaviorism a part of?

Accepted Answer

Behaviorism is a part of the modern psychological perspective of learning, which focuses on observable behaviors and the environment's role in shaping and controlling them.

Question 16

Professor King approaches questions about human behavior from a perspective that emphasizes the rewards and punishments that maintain certain specific behaviors. He does not invoke the mind to explain behavior but sticks to what he can observe and measure directly. It is most likely that he accepts which of the following psychological approaches?

Accepted Answer

Professor King's emphasis on rewards and punishments aligns with the principles of the learning approach, which explains behavior through conditioning and reinforcement. The other options (sociocultural, cognitive, and psychodynamic) involve mental processes or social factors that Professor King explicitly does not consider in his approach.

Question 17

Dr. Lyons studies the impact of societal norms and values on human decision-making behavior. It is most likely that she endorses which of the following psychological approaches?

Accepted Answer

Dr. Lyons' focus on societal norms and values suggests that she is most likely to endorse the sociocultural approach, which examines how social and cultural factors influence behavior and mental processes. The other options (learning, cognitive, and biological) may touch on aspects of this, but they do not focus specifically on the impact of societal norms and values.

Question 18

The _______________ perspective of psychology focuses on the environmental rewards and punishers that maintain or discourage specific behaviors.

Accepted Answer

The learning perspective of psychology is concerned with how environmental factors, such as rewards and punishments, shape and maintain behavior. This perspective is also known as behaviorism, which emphasizes the importance of observable behavior rather than internal processes such as thoughts and feelings. Therefore, the learning perspective is the best choice for this question.

Question 19

Which modern psychological perspective focuses on how people reason, remember, understand language, and solve problems?

Accepted Answer

The cognitive perspective focuses on mental processes such as reasoning, problem-solving, language acquisition, and memory. It examines how people perceive, process, and store information, and how they use that information to make decisions and solve problems. It also looks at how cognitive processes change over time and how they are influenced by cultural and social factors.

Question 20

With which of the following psychological perspectives is the term "behaviorist" most closely associated?

Accepted Answer

The term "behaviorist" is most closely associated with the learning perspective, which emphasizes the importance of observational learning, reinforcement, and punishment in shaping behavior.

Quiz 1: What Is Psychology