Question 1

Gregg's nose itches as he is walking toward his telephone to call someone.Gregg phones his friend Maurice who tells him,"Man,we were just talking about you.That's freaky!" Gregg takes this as support for the folk wisdom "your nose itches when people are talking about you." In reality,this is an example of the confirmation bias because

Accepted Answer

Gregg failed to consider the times where his nose itched and no one was talking about him.

Question 2

A scientific theory is defined as a(n)

Accepted Answer

Explanation for scientific findings.

Question 3

Barry believes that male dogs are better at protection than female dogs.He does research on training exercises that he believes proves males are better in K9 training.When presented with evidence that shows female dogs are just as competent as male dogs,he continues to stick to his original opinion,thus demonstrating

Accepted Answer

belief perseverance.

Question 4

Students at a local high school are opposing restrictions the administration has placed on students interacting on social networking websites.The administration believes that the sites promote aggressive behavior among students.The students have offered research findings that show social networking sites do not increase aggression.They believe the administrators are only seeking out evidence that supports their view,which is an example of

Accepted Answer

confirmation bias.

Question 5

If a psychologist were to develop a theory of cognitive development,he or she would want that theory to explain ________ observations.

Accepted Answer

substantial number of

Question 6

38 Which of the following is a theoretical statement?

Accepted Answer

There is a connection between emotionality and increase in nonverbal communication because emotions cause heightened neural activity.

Question 7

Despite the fact that scientific research has found no support or basis for the belief in "the hot hand" in baseball,basketball,or golf,the idea still persists among athletes,sports commentators,and fans.This is a classic example of

Accepted Answer

belief perseverance.

Question 8

When a psychologist mentions the term "scientific theory," he or she is referring to something that

Accepted Answer

explains a wide range of observations.

Question 9

Professor Clark gives her students an assignment to develop hypotheses on global warming.To be consistent with a scientific method,students should develop their hypotheses based on

Accepted Answer

a well-supported scientific theory.

Question 10

When attempting to differentiate between useful and useless information from popular psychology,what is a good rule of thumb to follow?

Accepted Answer

Insist on evidence to accurately evaluate all claims.

Question 11

Because none of us wants to believe we are wrong,we are usually reluctant to give up cherished notions.This phenomenon is known as

Accepted Answer

belief perseverance.

Question 12

Dr.Rashad offers the class an explanation for an extensive group of research findings connecting emotionality and nonverbal communication.Her explanation for this group of findings is a(n)

Accepted Answer

theory.

Question 13

According to your authors,________ is the "mother of all biases."

Accepted Answer

confirmation bias

Question 14

Jan decides to take an online personality quiz to determine her personality characteristics.Though the advice is very useful,Jan should be cautious in believing the results of this inventory because the results

Accepted Answer

may be part of the misinformation explosion.

Question 15

Dr.Richburg's botany class gathers specimens outside of the classroom for further study.Dr.Richburg instructs his students to develop a scientific theory that helps explain the biodiversity of the plants.The resulting theory should

Accepted Answer

explain observations about the plants and predict new findings about plant biodiversity.

Question 16

Sandi is an art major who believes that color affects everything,from how people communicate to their moods.At a recent art show,Sandi discussed this issue with fellow artists who told her that no scientific evidence supported her statements.Sandi still holds to her belief that color affects everything,especially personality,thus demonstrating

Accepted Answer

belief perseverance.

Question 17

Milo and Shirley are taking a trip on a cruise ship for their 20th wedding anniversary.They believe they made it to this milestone because they know each other so well.During the trip they take part in a game show where they find out they don't know each other as well as they thought.However,they still maintain they are very much in tune with the other's needs and thoughts.This is an example of

Accepted Answer

belief perseverance.

Question 18

Some traditions dating back hundreds of years believe in psychic phenomena and use it to explain occurrences in nature.These groups actively seek evidence that supports the ideology and discredit any form of scientific information that is opposed to their beliefs.Instead of asking questions that may redefine their traditions,____________________ occurs and the traditions continue.

Accepted Answer

confirmation bias

Question 19

A local mental health facility looks for extra employees for their crisis line on the night of a predicted full moon.Past experience has led them to believe that a full moon increases levels of suicidal behavior.Even though the employees were presented with evidence showing there is no link between suicide and full moons,they focus on their own evidence of past behavior and ignore the current scientific evidence by exhibiting

Accepted Answer

belief perseverance.

Question 20

Rona believes that women make better elementary school teachers than men because women are more nurturing and less legalistic.When you present her with data that indicate male teachers perform very well at the elementary level,she tries to discredit the information.Rona is a victim of

Accepted Answer

belief perseverance.

Quiz 1: Psychology and Scientific Thinking

A scientific theory is defined as a(n)

If a psychologist were to develop a theory of cognitive development,he or she would want that theory to explain ________ observations.

38 Which of the following is a theoretical statement?

Despite the fact that scientific research has found no support or basis for the belief in "the hot hand" in baseball,basketball,or golf,the idea still persists among athletes,sports commentators,and fans.This is a classic example of

When a psychologist mentions the term "scientific theory," he or she is referring to something that

Professor Clark gives her students an assignment to develop hypotheses on global warming.To be consistent with a scientific method,students should develop their hypotheses based on

When attempting to differentiate between useful and useless information from popular psychology,what is a good rule of thumb to follow?

Because none of us wants to believe we are wrong,we are usually reluctant to give up cherished notions.This phenomenon is known as

Dr.Rashad offers the class an explanation for an extensive group of research findings connecting emotionality and nonverbal communication.Her explanation for this group of findings is a(n)

According to your authors,________ is the "mother of all biases."

Jan decides to take an online personality quiz to determine her personality characteristics.Though the advice is very useful,Jan should be cautious in believing the results of this inventory because the results

Dr.Richburg's botany class gathers specimens outside of the classroom for further study.Dr.Richburg instructs his students to develop a scientific theory that helps explain the biodiversity of the plants.The resulting theory should

Rona believes that women make better elementary school teachers than men because women are more nurturing and less legalistic.When you present her with data that indicate male teachers perform very well at the elementary level,she tries to discredit the information.Rona is a victim of