Question 1

The psychological perspective that seeks to explain, define, and treat abnormal behaviors is called ____.

Accepted Answer

Clinical psychology is the field within psychology that focuses on the assessment, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of mental illness, abnormal behaviors, and psychological disturbances. Its primary goal is to understand the various factors that contribute to the development of abnormal behaviors and to provide appropriate interventions to promote mental health and well-being.

Question 2

The psychological perspective that examines the normal changes in behavior, which occur across the life span, is called ____.

Accepted Answer

Developmental psychology is the psychological perspective that studies the normal changes in behavior that occur across the life span, including physical, cognitive, and social-emotional development. Social psychology studies how people's thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by the presence of others. Individual differences perspective examines how people differ from each other in terms of their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Evolutionary psychology studies how evolutionary processes have shaped human behavior and cognition.

Question 3

When psychologists examine psychological phenomena from different perspectives, it ____.

Accepted Answer

When psychologists examine psychological phenomena from different perspectives, it indicates different points of view about behavior. Psychologists may examine behavior or mental processes from a biological, cognitive, behavioral, or psychodynamic perspective, and each perspective offers a different way of understanding and explaining behavior. However, this does not necessarily imply disagreement on basic principles or a lack of awareness of alternative perspectives, nor does it always reflect changing trends in psychology.

Question 4

The psychological perspective that investigates how physical structure and behavior have been shaped by their contributions to survival and reproduction is called ____ psychology.

Accepted Answer

The question is asking for the psychological perspective that investigates how physical structure and behavior have been shaped by their contributions to survival and reproduction. This is a fundamental principle of evolutionary psychology, which emphasizes the role of natural selection in shaping psychological traits and behaviors. Biological psychology may study the relationship between the brain and behavior, but it does not specifically focus on evolution. Social psychology examines the impact of social influences on behavior, while clinical psychology deals with the assessment and treatment of mental illness.

Question 5

Which of the following research questions is most likely to be asked by a cognitive psychologist?

Accepted Answer

The question about whether students learn better when learning is spread out over time or when they cram for an exam is a question that a cognitive psychologist would be interested in investigating because it relates to how the brain processes and stores information.

Question 6

The psychological perspective that investigates information processing, thinking, reasoning, and problem solving is called ____.

Accepted Answer

Cognitive psychology is the branch of psychology that studies mental processes such as "attention, language use, perception, problem solving, memory, and thinking," according to the American Psychological Association.

Question 7

By the second half of the 20th century, the majority of psychologists were pursuing an understanding of behavior from the ____appraoch.

Accepted Answer

By the second half of the 20th century, psychologists were increasingly using multiple perspectives to understand behavior, integrating various approaches such as cognitive, behavioral, and social perspectives.

Question 8

Using the developmental perspective, a psychologist might look at whether the loss of a parent ____.

Accepted Answer

The developmental perspective focuses on how experiences and events affect individuals at different stages of life. Therefore, a psychologist using this perspective would be interested in whether the loss of a parent is experienced differently at different ages, as children at different stages of development may have different understandings and coping mechanisms for this type of loss. The other options (A, B, and D) are more focused on specific aspects of the loss and are not necessarily tied to developmental perspectives.

Question 9

Recognizing individual differences is especially important to psychologists interested in variations in an individual's characteristic way of thinking, feeling, and behaving. This is referred to as ____.

Accepted Answer

Personality refers to the unique set of traits, patterns of thought, feelings, and behaviors that characterize an individual and distinguish them from others. Understanding individual differences in personality is a key focus of psychology.

Question 10

What is the psychological perspective that focuses on the relationships between mind, behavior, and their underlying biological processes, including genetics, biochemistry, anatomy, and physiology?

Accepted Answer

Biological psychology is the perspective that examines the connections between mind, behavior, and biological processes, such as genetics, biochemistry, anatomy, and physiology.

Question 11

More recently, clinical and counseling psychologists have expanded their perspective to include ____.

Accepted Answer

Clinical and counseling psychologists have started to look at the promotion of general well-being, rather than just treating mental illnesses. This includes promoting positive emotions, relationships, meaning and accomplishments in life.

Question 12

Our judicial system relies heavily on eyewitness testimony; however, ________ would remind us that  eyewitness testimony can be shaped by a community's perceptions of race and culture.

Accepted Answer

Social psychology studies how social factors, such as group attitudes and beliefs, can influence individual behavior and perceptions. Therefore, social psychology can provide insight into how cultural biases and stereotypes can shape eyewitness testimony.

Question 13

Entering the 21st century and armed with in-depth research results compiled in the various perspectives, psychologists are returning to ____.

Accepted Answer

Psychologists are returning to a more comprehensive view of the mind in the 21st century, which takes into account various perspectives and in-depth research results. They are moving away from the structuralist view of the mind (A) and viewing the mind as a set of building blocks based on introspection (B). While the concept of "the whole as greater than the sum of its parts" (C) is still relevant, it is not the primary focus of contemporary psychology.

Question 14

What was a major shortcoming of early psychologists?

Accepted Answer

Early psychologists often tried to establish theories without a large body of experimental data, which made their theories speculative and their findings unreliable. They relied heavily on observation and introspection, which did not always lead to accurate conclusions. This shortcoming was gradually overcome through the development of more rigorous scientific methods and the accumulation of more empirical data.

Question 15

In the 1970s, what initiated an explosion of knowledge about the connections between brain and behavior?

Accepted Answer

New methods for observing brain activity, such as neuroimaging techniques, allowed researchers to study the brain in ways that were not previously possible, leading to significant advancements in understanding the brain-behavior relationship.

Question 16

The psychological perspective that examines the effects of one ' s environment on the behavior of individuals is called ____ psychology.

Accepted Answer

Social psychology examines how the environment and social interactions influence an individual's behavior, thoughts, and feelings. It looks at factors like group dynamics, social norms, and cultural influences on behavior. Evolutionary psychology focuses on how evolution has shaped our behavior, while cultural psychology looks at how cultural values and beliefs affect behavior. Clinical psychology is concerned with diagnosing and treating mental illness. Therefore, social psychology is the best choice for the given question.

Question 17

An evolutionary psychologist would be most interested in the question of ____.

Accepted Answer

Evolutionary psychology looks at how certain behaviors or traits may have evolved and the potential adaptive reasons for their existence. Therefore, the question of whether there is an adaptive reason why men tend to gamble more than women would align with the interests of an evolutionary psychologist.

Question 18

An approach to psychology that investigates variations in behavior from one person to the next is called ____.

Accepted Answer

The term "individual differences" specifically refers to the study of variations in behavior from person to person, which aligns with the description in the question stem. Clinical psychology focuses on the diagnosis and treatment of mental health disorders, sociocultural psychology examines the influence of culture and social norms on behavior, and evolutionary psychology explores how behavior has evolved over time.

Question 19

Which of the following is most likely to be the topic of research of a biological psychologist?

Accepted Answer

Biological psychologists study the links between biological processes and psychological phenomena, such as how stress hormones affect memory formation.

Question 20

What limited the understanding of the mind by early psychologists?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What limited the understanding of the mind...

Quiz 1: The Science of Mind: the Discipline of Psychology