Question 1

In an attempt to learn something about his conscious experience, Thuys looked at an abstract painting and wrote down all of his impressions as they came to him. This technique is called

Accepted Answer

The technique of looking at a painting and writing down one's impressions as they come to them is a form of introspection, which involves observing and reporting on one's own conscious experience. Retrospection is similar but involves recalling past experiences rather than observing present ones. Empiricism refers to the idea that knowledge comes from experience and observation, while psychoanalysis is a specific type of therapy developed by Sigmund Freud.

Question 2

The first president of the American Psychological Association (APA) was

Accepted Answer

The first president of the APA was G. Stanley Hall, who held the position from 1892 to 1893. While all of the listed individuals made significant contributions to the field of psychology, only Hall was the first president of the APA. Sigmund Freud was an influential figure in the development of psychoanalytic theory, William James is often regarded as the father of American psychology, and John Watson was a pioneer in behaviorism.

Question 3

Wundt believed that psychology should

Accepted Answer

Wundt believed in the method of introspection, which involves breaking down conscious experiences into their basic elements in order to study them. This approach was the basis for structuralism, which was a major school of thought in early psychology.

Question 4

Aisha is listening to a piece of classical music and tape recording all her feelings and impressions as she experiences them. Aisha is using a technique similar to the research methodology of

Accepted Answer

Aisha's use of tape recording her feelings and impressions as she experiences classical music is similar to the research methodology of structuralism which focuses on reducing experience to its basic elements and analyzing the relationship between these elements.

Question 5

Psychology's intellectual parents are the disciplines of

Accepted Answer

Psychology's intellectual parents are commonly considered to be the disciplines of philosophy and physiology. Philosophy contributed concepts and methods for studying the mind, while physiology provided knowledge of biological processes and the workings of the nervous system.

Question 6

The person responsible for establishing psychology as an independent discipline with its own subject matter is

Accepted Answer

Wilhelm Wundt is considered the father of psychology and the person responsible for establishing psychology as an independent discipline with its own subject matter. He founded the first psychological laboratory in Leipzig, Germany in 1879, and promoted the idea of introspection as a method for studying consciousness.

Question 7

The world's largest organisation devoted to the advancement of psychology is the

Accepted Answer

The American Psychological Association is the largest organisation dedicated to the advancement of psychology in the world, with over 118,000 members. The other options, such as the World Psychology Organisation and Psychologists of North America, do not exist as formal organisations. The American Psychological Society is a former name for a now defunct organisation that merged with the American Psychological Association.

Question 8

If you take a sip of a soft drink and concentrate on what you are experiencing (cold, bubbly, sweet, etc.) you would be utilising the technique of

Accepted Answer

Introspection is the process of looking inward and examining your own thoughts, feelings, and experiences. By concentrating on the experience of drinking a soft drink, you are using introspection. Behaviourism focuses on observable behaviour, functionalism emphasises the purpose of behaviour, and empiricism emphasises the importance of observation and experience, but none of these are directly related to the act of introspection.

Question 9

Dr Tshabalala is studying pain perception using a functionalist perspective. It is MOST likely that Dr Tshabalala would suggest that we can only understand the conscious experience of pain

Accepted Answer

The functionalist perspective in psychology focuses on the purpose of consciousness and behavior, emphasizing how mental processes like pain perception serve to enable people to adapt to their environments. Thus, Dr. Tshabalala, from a functionalist viewpoint, would likely suggest understanding the conscious experience of pain requires comprehending its role in human survival and adaptation.

Question 10

Dr Bell believes that in order to fully understand complex processes, such as taste, it is necessary to understand the purpose that taste plays in survival, not the elementary components that combine to produce taste sensations. Dr Bell's views are MOST consistent with

Accepted Answer

The functionalist approach to psychology emphasizes studying the purpose or function served by mental processes or behaviors, rather than breaking them down into their individual components. Dr. Bell's belief that understanding the purpose of taste in survival is essential to fully understanding taste is consistent with this approach. The behaviorist approach emphasizes the role of experience and environmental factors in shaping behavior, while the structuralist approach focuses on identifying the basic elements of conscious experience. The psychoanalytic approach emphasizes the role of unconscious conflicts and early childhood experiences in shaping behavior and mental processes. None of these approaches are as directly relevant to Dr. Bell's statement as the functionalist approach.

Question 11

William James, who was a pioneer in the development of functionalism, was MOST heavily influenced by

Accepted Answer

William James was heavily influenced by the evolutionary theories of Charles Darwin, which led him to develop functionalism as a way of studying how the mind adapts to different environments and situations. James also believed in the importance of individual differences and the subjective experience of consciousness.

Question 12

Which of the followings is NOT one of the major contributions of G. Stanley Hall?

Accepted Answer

G. Stanley Hall did not receive the first Ph.D. in psychology in America, as that distinction belongs to James McKeen Cattell. However, Hall did make significant contributions to psychology by establishing the first American psychological journal, establishing the first research laboratory for psychology in America, and being the first president of the American Psychological Association.

Question 13

The notion that the subject matter of psychology should be the scientific study of conscious experience is MOST closely linked with

Accepted Answer

Wilhelm Wundt is most closely associated with the idea that psychology should focus on the scientific study of conscious experience. He is often considered the father of experimental psychology and established the first psychology laboratory, where he emphasized introspection and the study of conscious processes.

Question 14

According to Wilhelm Wundt, the focus of psychology was on the scientific study of

Accepted Answer

Wilhelm Wundt is known as the founder of psychology and emphasized the scientific study of conscious experience through introspection. He believed that psychology should focus on understanding the structure of the mind and how it processes information. Therefore, the best choice is B, conscious experience.

Question 15

While the term psychology has existed since at LEAST the early 1700s, psychology did not come to be considered a science until

Accepted Answer

Psychology started to be considered a science in the late 1800s with the development of laboratory experiments and empirical research methods by Wilhelm Wundt, who is often considered the father of experimental psychology.

Question 16

The school of psychology that focused on identifying and examining the fundamental components of conscious experience, such as sensations, feelings, and images was

Accepted Answer

Structuralism was the school of psychology that focused on identifying and examining the fundamental components of conscious experience, such as sensations, feelings, and images. This approach was popularized by Wilhelm Wundt in the late 19th century.

Question 17

The school of psychology associated with understanding the purpose of behaviour was

Accepted Answer

Functionalism was a school of psychology that focused on the purpose of behaviour and how it helps individuals adapt to their environment.

Question 18

The person who established America's first psychological research laboratory and who launched America's first psychology journal was

Accepted Answer

G. Stanley Hall established America's first psychological research laboratory at Johns Hopkins University in 1883 and launched America's first psychology journal, the American Journal of Psychology, in 1887.

Question 19

Wilhelm Wundt believed the focus of psychology should be

Accepted Answer

Wilhelm Wundt believed that the focus of psychology should be on examining people's awareness of their immediate experience. He is considered the founder of psychology as a separate scientific discipline because of his emphasis on introspection, which involved looking inward and describing one's own conscious experiences in a systematic way.

Question 20

In a discussion with your lecturer she tells you that she believes that the focus of psychological study should be to break the conscious experience into its basic elements. Which of the following historical schools of thought is your lecturer's idea MOST consistent with?

Accepted Answer

Structuralism is a historical school of thought that focused on breaking down conscious experience into its basic elements through introspection. This idea is consistent with your lecturer's belief.

Quiz 1: The Evolution of Psychology