Question 1

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

Accepted Answer

An evolutionary psychologist studies how behavior and traits have developed over time as adaptations to environmental pressures. Therefore, the question of whether there is an adaptive reason why men tend to gamble more than women is of most interest to an evolutionary psychologist.

Question 2

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

Accepted Answer

Clinical psychology is the field of psychology that focuses on understanding and treating mental illness and abnormal behavior. It is concerned with the assessment, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of psychological disorders. The other choices do not specifically pertain to abnormal behavior or mental illness.

Question 3

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

Question 4

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 research has shown that eyewitness testimony can be influenced by societal biases and cultural factors, such as race or ethnicity. This highlights the potential for inaccuracies in eyewitness testimony and emphasizes the need for caution in relying solely on this type of evidence in court cases.

Question 5

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

Accepted Answer

The term "perspectives" refers to the various theoretical approaches or frameworks that psychologists use to understand behavior. By the second half of the 20th century, there were several dominant perspectives, including behaviorism, psychoanalysis, humanism, and cognitive psychology. While some psychologists may have taken a "centrist" or integrative approach, it was not the dominant approach. "Divergent" and "dualistic" do not accurately describe the prevailing approach during this time period.

Question 6

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, also known as biopsychology or psychobiology, is the psychological perspective that focuses on the relationships between mind, behavior, and their underlying biological processes, including genetics, biochemistry, anatomy, and physiology.

Question 7

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

Accepted Answer

Social psychology examines the impact of social and cultural factors on individual behavior. It explores how social and cultural factors influence our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors in different situations. It focuses on topics such as conformity, obedience, group dynamics, and social influence.

Question 8

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 9

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. 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 10

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

Accepted Answer

Developmental psychology is the branch of psychology that studies the normal changes in behavior that occur across the life span, from infancy to old age. This includes physical, cognitive, and social-emotional development. Social psychology examines how individuals interact with and influence one another, while the individual differences perspective looks at how people differ from each other in terms of personality traits, attitudes, and behaviors. Evolutionary psychology focuses on how evolutionary processes have shaped human behavior and mental processes.

Question 11

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 with spaced-out study sessions or cramming for exams is a specific question about how cognitive processes work, which is the focus of cognitive psychology. The other questions are more likely to be asked by sociologists (A), health psychologists (C), or educators (D).

Question 12

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

Accepted Answer

The developmental perspective considers how experiences and events are experienced differently across different stages of development. The loss of a parent may be experienced differently depending on the age of the child at the time of the loss.

Question 13

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

Accepted Answer

Cognitive psychology investigates how people process information, think, reason, and solve problems. Evolutionary psychology examines how humans have evolved over time and how that affects behavior, the individual differences perspective looks at how people differ from each other in terms of personality, intelligence, and other characteristics, and developmental psychology focuses on how people change and grow over their lifespan.

Question 14

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

Accepted Answer

Clinical and counseling psychologists have expanded their perspective to include the promotion of general well-being, which refers to the maintenance and enhancement of an individual's overall quality of life. This includes not only treating mental health disorders, but also working with clients to improve their physical health, social relationships, and overall life satisfaction. While B, C, and D may be relevant areas of study and practice for some psychologists, they are not necessarily central to the broader perspective adopted by clinical and counseling psychologists in recent years.

Question 15

What limited the understanding of the mind by early psychologists?

Accepted Answer

Early psychologists often approached psychological questions from their own sociocultural context, which limited their understanding of the mind by not considering diverse perspectives and cultural influences.

Question 16

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 an individual's characteristic way of thinking, feeling, and behaving. It encompasses a range of traits, behaviors, and tendencies that are relatively stable over time and across situations. Understanding and studying individual differences in personality is a key area of interest for psychologists.

Question 17

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

Accepted Answer

The term "individual differences" refers specifically to the study of variations in behavior from one person to another, and is a major area of study within psychology. Therefore, option B is the correct answer. Option A ("clinical psychology") refers to the diagnosis and treatment of mental illness, option C ("sociocultural psychology") looks at the ways in which culture and society impact behavior, and option D ("evolutionary psychology") focuses on how the process of evolution has shaped our behavior as a species. While all of these areas of psychology may touch on the question of individual differences to some extent, none are primarily concerned with it in the way that option B is.

Question 18

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 19

What was a major shortcoming of early psychologists?

Accepted Answer

Early psychologists often attempted to establish theories without sufficient experimental data to support their claims. This led to a lack of scientific rigor and credibility in the field of psychology.

Question 20

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 EEG and fMRI, allowed researchers to directly observe the functioning of the brain in real time and greatly expand their understanding of the connections between brain and behavior.

Quiz 1: The Science of Mind the Discipline of Psychology