Deck 1: Psychology: the Science of Behaviour

Question 1

Behaviourgenetics is the study of how evolution shaped modern human behaviour.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

If a researcher is studying norms then that individual is most likely taking a humanistic perspective to studying psychology.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

The cognitive psychological perspective views human beings as information processors who think, plan, and solve problems.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

The behavioural psychological perspective is rooted in the work of structuralist Wilhelm Wundt.

Question 5

One of the intellectual precursors to the cognitive revolution was the debate over how children acquire language.

Question 6

Cognitive neuroscience involves the intersection of the cognitive perspective with the biological perspective by combining brain- imaging techniques while individuals engage in cognitive tasks.

Question 7

Collectivistic cultures place a strong emphasis on personal goals and accomplishments.

Question 8

A psychologist who emphasizes the importance of early childhood experiences and unconscious factors would likely be associated with the cognitive-behaviourism psychological perspective.

Question 9

Research has shown that the most important psychological perspective for understanding human behaviour is the biological perspective.

Question 10

A criticism of the sociobiology approach is that it places too much emphasis on cultural factors.

Question 11

The dualism position assumes that the mind and body are one, while the monism position asserts that the mind is in fact separate from the body.

Question 12

Sigmund Freud first thought that his patients were creating fantasies about being sexually abused as children, but he later revised this view and stressed that he believed these reports to be real and accurate.

Question 13

The thinking of functionalists like William James was strongly influenced by Darwin's evolutionary theory.

Question 14

Positive psychology movement was discussed in the context of the behavioural perspective.

Question 15

One goal of psychology is being able to predict how animals or people will behave under specific circumstances.

Question 16

Psychoanalysis is the analysis of internal and primarily unconscious psychological forces.

Question 17

The humanistic psychological perspective emphasizes free will and innate human tendencies towards growth.

Question 18

One of the strengths of Sigmund Freud's psychoanalytic theory is that his concepts are relatively easy to assess and measure.

Question 19

Structuralistswere concerned with breaking human consciousness down into its essential components, whereas Gestalt psychologists were interested in how the elements of experience are organized into wholes.

Question 20

The goal of basic research is simply to learn more about something, while applied research is typically done to solve some real world problems.

Question 21

Karen is interested in how the presence of other people influences an individual's performance on cognitive tasks, like written tests, compared to motor tasks, like jump rope. Karen's research would likely fall into which subfield of psychology?

A)Experimental
B)Personality
C)Social
D)Cognitive

Question 22

The field of psychology tends to favour the use of direct observation over reasoning as a means of gaining knowledge about behaviour.

Question 23

Alex is friendly and outgoing, always having a kind word for everyone. Through observing his behaviour, we can make inferences about his ________.

A)mental processes
B)internal state
C)future thoughts
D)external responses

Question 24

Although psychology courses have been taught in Canada since the early 1900s, the earliest independent Psychology Department at a Canadian university was not created until 1924 at McGill University.

Question 25

When using the term "behaviour," psychologists mean

A)overt actions that can be directly observed
B)overt actions and inner mental processes such as thoughts and feelings
C)overt actions and physiological reactions
D)overt actions, inner mental processes, or physiological reactions

Question 26

Dr. Kohler is a developmental psychologist who studies children involved in sports. He looks at problems like overly critical coaches and children with low self-esteem. He conducts research where coaches are observed during games and children are interviewed about their attitudes towards their sport and their coaches. The results from these observations are then used to create an education program for the coaches. The programs are designed to change coaching behaviour and to help increase the self-esteem of the children they coach. Dr. Kohler's research is best described as

A)basic research
B)applied research
C)insight research
D)interaction research

Question 27

Researchers studying human memory have participants memorize lists of words. These researchers then record how many of the words the participants accurately remember after the passage of time and exposure to new information. When an eyewitness to a crime identifies an attacker in court, lawyers might illustrate the limits of memory by using this type of research

A)applied
B)basic
C)elementary
D)practical

Question 28

Mary was driving on a dark and stormy night. She was unable to read a hidden traffic sign and she ran off the road and crashed into a street light. Two scientists are called as experts to testify in her defence. Scientist 1, who does research on how vision works, explained the limits of a person's ability to process visual information. Scientist 2, who does research on factors that contribute to car accidents, focused on the circumstances surrounding the accident, like the driver's state of mind and the limited visibility of the sign. Both scientists are using research in defence of the driver. Scientist 1 uses _______________ research and Scientist 2 uses ____________ research.

A)observable; tested
B)applied; basic
C)proven; circumstantial
D)basic; applied

Question 29

Research on memory processes shows us that when tested on a recently learned word list, the majority of people will recall the words at the end of the list at a higher rate than the words in the middle of the list. This "recency effect" can be eliminated by involving the participants in a task that stops them from rehearsing the words. Using this principle, before Dr. Brown gives an exam, she asks that all books and notes be put away and then takes time to prevent the "recency effect" by giving the instructions for the exam, the grading procedures, and next week's lesson topic before allowing students to begin the exam. In this case, Dr. Brown is

A)increasing the chance that students will cheat
B)relying on students' short-term memory to help them out
C)applying basic research principles in her course
D)collecting applied research data in her class

Question 30

Dr. Adams is a psychologist who works in the area of animal behaviour. She has a particular interest in crows, and her research is mostly aimed at gaining more information about the behaviours of these birds, such as their mating habits, eating rituals, and so on. Dr. Adams's research is best described as

A)Applied research
B)Basic research
C)Insight research
D)Interaction research

Question 31

Regarding research on depression, it is generally assumed that the biological level of analysis is the most useful in terms of shedding light on the disorder.

Question 32

Psychology can be defined generally as the scientific study of the mind.

Question 33

The training and practice of psychiatrists is, for all intents and purposes, the same as that of psychologists who perform mental-health services.

Question 34

According to the text, psychology is defined as the

A)study of people's subjective mental lives
B)study of behaviour and the mind
C)examination of unconscious factors
D)study of personality

Question 35

In the 1960s, psychologists conducted a study at a summer camp for 11-year old boys. The "Robbers Cave" study showed that conflict between groups could be decreased by making the groups dependent upon one another to cooperate. This experiment is considered to be an example of which type of research?

A)Basic research
B)Applied research
C)Insight research
D)Interaction research

Question 36

Which level of analysis would someone in the subfield of personality psychology tend to take?

A)Biological level
B)Psychological level
C)Environmental level
D)Structural level

Question 37

An interaction is when the presence or strength of one factor can influence the effect of another factor.

Question 38

The behavioural psychological perspective typically operates at the environmental level of analysis.

Question 39

The three important guidelines for effective time management are using written schedules, prioritizing, and constantly monitoring your progress.

Question 40

Which of the following statements about basic and applied research is true?

A)Basic research is less complex and less sophisticated than applied research.
B)Basic research is done to solve practical problems while applied research is done simply to increase knowledge.
C)Basic research is done simply to increase knowledge while applied research is done to solve practical problems.
D)Basic research and applied research have the same goals but are completed by different researchers.

Question 41

Dr. Harris has created an academic performance enhancement program designed to help children who are struggling in school. Results from his research reveal that the program is effective at improving children's grades. Dr. Harris's work is most consistent with which goal of psychology?

A)Description
B)Understanding
C)Prediction
D)Control

Question 42

When considering the mind-body problem, ancient philosophers who argued that the mind is not separate from the body belonged to which philosophical position?

A)Monism
B)Dualism
C)Structuralism
D)Functionalism

Question 43

In the Jumbled-Word Challenge example in the textbook, the claim is made that the research was conducted at Cambridge but no reference information is provided. This is an illustration of which thinking critically step offered in evaluating the research?

A)What's the claim?
B)Who is making the claim?
C)What's the evidence and how good is it?
D)What is the most appropriate conclusion?

Question 44

Steve has been feeling depressed lately and decides to visit a psychologist, Dr. Katz, for some assistance. After learning that Steve's relationship with his girlfriend recently ended, Dr. Katz begins to think that perhaps Steve's depression has been caused by this recently ended relationship. Dr. Katz's speculations are most similar to which goal of psychology?

A)Description
B)Understanding
C)Prediction
D)Control

Question 45

Systematic empiricism is a defining feature of

A)science
B)folk wisdom
C)basic research
D)applied research

Question 46

Which of the following is NOT true of science?

A)Science involves systematic empiricism.
B)Those using science avoid common pitfalls such as the confirmation bias.
C)Science is a public affair.
D)There are some questions that science cannot answer.

Question 47

Charles Whitman was a mass murderer with no previous history of violence. After Charles Whitman committed several murders and suicide, an autopsy revealed that he had a malignant tumour in an area of the brain associated with aggression. Psychologists who cite this fact in an attempt to explain what happened are focused on which level of analysis?

A)Psychological
B)Environmental
C)Biological
D)Structural

Question 48

Charles Whitman was a mass murderer with no previous history of violence. In an attempt to explain his violent behaviour, a psychologist points to Whitman's recent stressful life events and to the way that violence is often reinforced and glorified in today's society. This psychologist's explanation is most compatible with which level of analysis?

A)Psychological
B)Environmental
C)Biological
D)Structural

Question 49

In many eyewitness studies, researchers carefully observe the "victim's" behaviour under various conditions. The presence of a weapon appears to decrease eyewitness accuracy in identifying the perpetrator. To test whether or not this is true, researchers re-enact a robbery both with and without a gun. People viewing the robbery where a gun was used were far less accurate in their description of the robber. This knowledge has been used in courtroom cases, often discrediting eyewitness testimony. In this case, the idea that the presence of a weapon decreases eyewitness accuracy, corresponds to which of the basic goals of psychology?

A)Description
B)Understanding
C)Prediction
D)Application

Question 50

In the 1960s, psychologists conducted a study at a summer camp for 11-year old boys. These researchers in the "Robbers Cave" experiment thought that if they created conditions in which the two groups of boys had to cooperate, then there would be less hostility between the groups. The "Robbers Cave" study showed that conflict between groups could be decreased by making the groups dependent upon one another to cooperate. This finding is an illustration of which goal of psychology?

A)Description
B)Understanding
C)Prediction
D)Control

Question 51

While driving home one day, Abdul is in a serious car accident. Several weeks later, he notices that he is still feeling very tense and anxious. He consults with a psychologist, who informs him that it is common for people who have been in a serious accident to have these kinds of feelings. The psychologist goes on to say that often people also have bad dreams and re-experience the trauma, and that Abdul shouldn't be surprised if this happens. The psychologist's comments are most similar to which goal of psychology?

A)Description
B)Understanding
C)Prediction
D)Control

Question 52

Susan is attending a seminar on stress management. The psychologist leading the seminar states that, "most stress is caused by irrational thinking and the negative ways that we judge various situations." The psychologist's comment most closely resembles which goal of psychology?

A)Description
B)Understanding
C)Prediction
D)Control

Question 53

Monism is a belief that

A)mental events are a product of physical events in the brain
B)the mind is separate from the body
C)the mind is not subject to the physical laws of the body
D)research on the body cannot solve the mysteries of the mind

Question 54

When considering the mind-body problem, some philosophers argue that the mind is a separate entity from the body and is not subject to the same physical laws as the body. These individuals would belong to which philosophical position?

A)Monism
B)Dualism
C)Structuralism
D)Functionalism

Question 55

Industrial-organizational psychology would be an example of what type of research?

A)Applied
B)Basic
C)Experimental
D)Correlational

Question 56

A central belief of the dualism position is that it suggests

A)studying the body won't tell us anything about the mind
B)studying the body will enable us to learn more about the mind
C)the mind and body are essentially one
D)the mind should be studied by examining its individual components

Question 57

In the 1960s, psychologists conducted a study at a summer camp for 11-year old boys. Researchers in the Robbers Cave experiment altered the conditions so that they were able to both increase group hostility (with competition) and decrease group hostility (with cooperation). Through altering these conditions, the psychologists were demonstrating this goal of psychology

A)description
B)understanding
C)prediction
D)control

Question 58

Dr. Smith is a psychologist who is interested in studying aggression in sports. For her research, she attends high school basketball games and records the number of aggressive acts she observes. Dr. Smith's research is best viewed as meeting psychology's basic goal of __________.

A)description
B)understanding
C)prediction
D)control

Question 59

Dr. Forman is a school psychologist who has been asked to observe a disruptive student. After her observation, she writes, "Bobby appeared to have a great deal of difficulty listening to the lessons being taught. He had particular difficulty with the math lesson, and began distracting the students who were sitting next to him by pinching and hitting them." Dr. Forman's observations are most consistent with which goal of psychology?

A)Description
B)Understanding
C)Prediction
D)Control

Question 60

The statement, "answers to the great questions of psychology will ultimately be found in 'physiology' All behaviour, all experience, all feeling, indeed all the subject matter of psychology, are nothing more than the outcomes of the activity of the nervous system" is most consistent with the following view

A)dualism
B)monism
C)functionalism
D)structuralism

Question 61

The fields of sociobiology and evolutionary psychology are example of which psychological perspective?

A)Cognitive
B)Sociocultural
C)Biological
D)Behavioural

Question 62

The Canadian sociobiologists Daly and Wilson noted that females make a greater investment in the reproductive process. Which of the following statements does NOT support their statement?

A)Women have less opportunity to reproduce than males have.
B)Women have a greater health risk during pregnancy and delivery than males have.
C)In Canada, women contribute a greater proportion of the financial earning to meeting family expenses than men do.
D)In Canada, women tend to be the primary caregiver after divorce.

Question 63

The study of how behavioural tendencies are influenced by genetic factors is known as the field of

A)behavioural neuroscience
B)behaviour genetics
C)evolutionary psychology
D)sociobiology

Question 64

Some individuals believe that complex social behaviours can be influenced by evolution. They also believe that natural selection favours behaviours that increase the chances that certain genes will be passed on to the next generation. These individuals are associated with

A)psychoanalysis
B)sociobiology
C)behaviour genetics
D)behaviourism

Question 65

The following is an important technical advancement in the study of the relationship between the brain and behaviour

A)the functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)
B)cellular recording device
C)computerized dynamic posturography
D)the X-ray

Question 66

Sometimes parents will sacrifice their own lives in order to ensure the survival of their children. An individual who associates with the sociobiological view would argue that these instances

A)are due to a cost benefit analysis by the parent
B)occur because genetic survival is more important than individual survival
C)are due to the conflict between unconscious psychological forces and psychological defences
D)occur because of the reinforcement of altruistic behaviour by culture and society

Question 67

What criticism has been made AGAINST the sociobiological theory of evolution?

A)It overemphasizes innate biological factors at the expense of cultural and social learning factors.
B)It overemphasizes cultural and social learning factors at the expense of innate biological factors.
C)It places too much emphasis on early childhood and unconscious factors.
D)It places too much emphasis on the role of thinking, planning, and reasoning.

Question 68

Early studies on brain mechanisms in learning in biological psychology were conducted by Franz and Lashley. When studying animals, Franz and Lashley detected a ________________ correlation between loss of cortex and loss of function.

A)positive
B)negative
C)no
D)normal

Question 69

Which of the following is most consistent with evolutionary psychology?

A)An organism's biology determines whether it will survive or not; behaviour does not determine survival.
B)An organism's biology determines its behavioural capabilities, and its behaviour then determines whether it will survive or not.
C)An organism's biology and behaviour are determined by the environment.
D)An organism's behaviour determines its biological capabilities.

Question 70

British empiricism could be considered as an example of

A)dualism
B)monism
C)functionalism
D)structuralism

Question 71

Behaviour geneticists use which of the following methods to address the role of genetic factors in behaviour?

A)Autobiographical journaling
B)Brain-imaging techniques
C)Selective animal breeding
D)Psychological interviews

Question 72

When Franz and Lashley removed most of a rat's cortex they found that

A)the rat could no longer function
B)the rat had no problem functioning
C)the rat could only do certain tasks
D)the rat could only eat and drink

Question 73

The method of introspection was developed by which school of thought?

A)Dualism
B)Psychoanalysis
C)Functionalism
D)Structuralism

Question 74

Evolutionary theory assumes that individuals who receive a competitive advantage from inherited traits will be more likely to survive, reproduce, and thus pass on these adaptive traits to future generations. This process is known as

A)natural endurance
B)natural selection
C)natural extinction
D)natural survival

Question 75

The scientific study of the influence of genetic factors on behavioural tendencies is called

A)genetic behaviourism
B)behaviour genetics
C)sociogenetics
D)sociobiology

Question 76

When Gary lost his job, he became depressed and started binge-eating. Gary started to seek help from a therapist. To his surprise, the therapist was not at all interested in Gary's relationship with his mother, his family history, or anything about Gary's past. Instead, Dr. Lee focuses on what Gary is currently thinking and how he interprets those thoughts. Dr. Lee conducts therapy from what type of perspective?

A)Psychoanalytic
B)Behaviourist
C)Humanistic
D)Cognitive

Question 77

Early researchers in psychology who believed that the mind could be studied by breaking it down into its basic components as a chemist might break down a complex chemical compound followed which school of thought?

A)Dualism
B)Psychoanalysis
C)Functionalism
D)Structuralism

Question 78

A psychologist who assumes that humans process information, plan and solve problems in a way that is similar to computers would most likely associate with which psychological perspective?

A)Psychodynamic
B)Biological
C)Behavioural
D)Cognitive

Question 79

Behaviour geneticists use which of the following research methods to investigate the role of genetic factors in behaviour?

A)Twin studies
B)Narrative inquiry
C)Ethnography
D)Simulation methods

Question 80

Structuralism, functionalism, and Gestalt psychology were all schools of thought that played important roles in the origin of which psychological perspective?

A)Sociocultural
B)Cognitive
C)Humanistic
D)Behavioural