Question 1

Which of the following is NOT a misunderstanding of evolutionary theory?

Accepted Answer

Adaptations are indeed designed (through natural selection) to confront environmental problems, which is a correct understanding of evolutionary theory. The other options represent common misunderstandings.

Question 2

Classical conditioning differed from operant conditioning in the role given to _________ in human behavior.

Accepted Answer

Classical conditioning focuses on the association between stimuli and involuntary responses, while operant conditioning involves learning through the consequences of behavior, where reinforcement is used to increase or decrease the likelihood of a behavior's occurrence. Reinforcement is a key component in operant conditioning but not in classical conditioning.

Question 3

Combinatorial explosion refers to __________.

Accepted Answer

Combinatorial explosion refers to the exponential increase in the number of possible outcomes when multiple options or choices are combined, resulting in a difficult or impossible task to analyze or compute all possible outcomes. Option A best describes this concept. Option B is incorrect as it refers to the origin of life on Earth, which is not related to the term combinatorial explosion. Option C is also incorrect as it describes the problem of limited programming options for human behavior, which is not directly related to combinatorial explosion. Option D is incorrect as it mentions the general-purpose learning mechanisms instead of combinatorial explosion.

Question 4

Which of the following is the theory of human origins which has received much support from archeological evidence,though recent genetic evidence has refuted its exclusivity as a full explanation?

Accepted Answer

The "Out of Africa" theory posits that all modern humans originated from a single population in Africa before migrating outwards. It has been widely supported by archaeological findings. However, recent genetic studies have shown that there was also interbreeding with other hominins (like Neanderthals and Denisovans), which suggests that the "Out of Africa" theory might not fully explain human origins on its own.

Question 5

The common ancestor of all modern humans can be traced back to __________ years ago.

Accepted Answer

According to genetic and fossil evidence, the common ancestor of all modern humans can be traced back to approximately 120-150 thousand years ago. Choice A is too recent, choices C and D are much too far back in time.

Question 6

Knowledge about evolved social psychological adaptations __________.

Accepted Answer

Knowledge about evolved social psychological adaptations gives us insight into why certain behaviors have evolved and can provide us with strategies for modifying targeted behaviors. This understanding can be used to create interventions and programs aimed at changing behaviors for the better.

Question 7

William James was one of the first to posit that humans have _________ instincts than/from other animals.

Accepted Answer

William James believed that humans have more instincts than other animals due to our complex cognitive abilities and social nature. He argued that many of our instincts are learned and developed through experience, but our brains are wired for certain behaviors that contribute to our survival and reproduction.

Question 8

Behaviorists believed that ___________.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Behaviorists believed that ___________.
...

Question 9

The cognitive revolution is synonymous with __________.

Accepted Answer

The cognitive revolution refers to a shift in psychology towards focusing on mental processes such as perception, attention, memory, and language processing. This shift was heavily influenced by the development of the information processing model, which saw the human mind as resembling a computer, with the ability to input, store, and output information. Therefore, choice B, information processing, best represents what the cognitive revolution was synonymous with.

Question 10

Behaviorism was a direct reaction to __________.

Accepted Answer

Behaviorism emerged as a reaction against the introspective psychology of the time, which was heavily influenced by William James's emphasis on consciousness and instincts. Behaviorists sought to make psychology a more objective science by focusing solely on observable behavior.

Question 11

The last chapter on humans in Edward O.Wilson's 1975 book was __________.

Accepted Answer

The question states that the last chapter of Wilson's book was based on little empirical work, indicating that it lacked substantial research. The other answer choices relate to controversial aspects of the chapter, but do not necessarily address its empirical basis.

Question 12

Margaret Mead was famous for __________.

Accepted Answer

Margaret Mead is famous for her fieldwork in which she claimed to have found cultures with reversed sex roles and with no fighting, murder, or sexual jealousy. She wrote about her experiences and findings in her book "Sex and Temperament in Three Primitive Societies."

Question 13

Human behavior cannot occur without which of the following sets of two ingredients?

Accepted Answer

Human behavior requires adaptations, which are evolved traits, and environmental input, which provides the context and stimuli necessary for these adaptations to manifest in behavior.

Question 14

Which of the following did not coalesce into the cognitive revolution?

Accepted Answer

The cognitive revolution was primarily influenced by the realization of limitations in behaviorist theories (A), the study of language structures (B), and the analogy of the mind to computers (D). MRI technology (C) became prominent later and was not a factor in the initial cognitive revolution.

Question 15

Genetic determinism implies that __________.

Accepted Answer

Genetic determinism suggests that genes determine behavior, without taking into account the complex interaction between genes and the environment. This view is often criticized as overly simplistic and reductionist.

Question 16

Which of the following is not a critical development in the evolutionary history of humans?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which of the following is not a...

Question 17

Scientists have brought three fundamental sources of evidence to bear on testing theories about origins of modern humans out of Africa.Which of the following is not one of these sources?

Accepted Answer

The three fundamental sources of evidence used to test theories about the origins of modern humans out of Africa are anatomical evidence, archeological evidence, and genetic evidence. Anthropological evidence is a subfield of archeology, so it would fall under the category of archeological evidence. Therefore, Option C is not one of the three fundamental sources of evidence.

Question 18

Which of the following does not describe evolved psychological mechanisms?

Accepted Answer

Evolved psychological mechanisms are not necessarily optimally designed; they are shaped by evolutionary pressures and constraints, which can lead to suboptimal solutions due to trade-offs, genetic drift, and historical contingencies.

Question 19

Harry Harlow used the theory behind operant conditioning to predict incorrectly that __________.

Accepted Answer

Harlow incorrectly predicted that monkeys would prefer a wire mesh mother that dispensed food, but his experiments showed that they preferred the comfort of a soft cloth mother, even if it did not provide food.

Question 20

The Garcia effect refers to __________.

Accepted Answer

The Garcia effect, named after researcher John Garcia, highlights the phenomenon where certain associations are learned more readily than others, particularly in the context of taste aversion learning. This demonstrates that humans and animals are biologically predisposed to learn some connections more easily, especially those that have survival implications, such as avoiding foods that have made them sick in the past.

Quiz 1: The Scientific Movements Leading to Evolutionary Psychology