Deck 1: Introduction

Question 1

The development of psychophysical methods and reaction time experiments at the end of the 19^th century was important to emerging field of psychology because these methods

A)paved the way for psychology to become a quantifiable,laboratory-based science.
B)were instrumental in the development of behaviorism in the 20^th century.
C)linked psychology with spiritualism in the public's mind.
D)allowed researchers to gain understanding about mental telepathy and clairvoyance.

Answer 1

paved the way for psychology to become a quantifiable,laboratory-based science.

Question 2

Explain why psychologists at the turn of the 20^th century embraced an empirical approach to advance understanding about human behavior.

Answer 2

At the turn of the 20^th century society was interested in pseudoscientific topics such as clairvoyance and telepathy.To establish the young field of psychology as a science,the early psychologists focused on behavior and mental processes that could be observed directly.By adopting an empirical approach,with its emphasis on direct observation and experimentation for answering questions,early psychologists were able to divorce psychology from pseudoscience.

Question 3

The social-cultural context in which research takes places influences psychological research by affecting

A)the change in theoretical perspectives from behaviorism to cognitive psychology.
B)the resources available for psychological research.
C)the moral integrity of individual researchers.
D)all of these

Answer 3

the resources available for psychological research.

Question 4

Identify two reasons why it is important to go to the original source (i.e. ,the research report)when evaluating a media report of research.

Question 5

Public criticism of psychological research seems to occur primarily when

A)the research findings go against strongly held personal beliefs.
B)the media seeks to make a trivial topic more controversial than it is.
C)the research was conducted in a laboratory setting.
D)the research was poorly conducteD.

Question 6

Psychologists seek to improve people's lives by

A)going to medical school.
B)gaining insight into their own behavior through intensive psychoanalysis.
C)developing theories and conducting research.
D)shifting from behaviorism to a cognitive approach to psychology.

Question 7

Most recently,the dominant psychological perspective for understanding people's behavior and mental processes is

A)computer psychology.
B)behaviorism.
C)spiritualism.
D)cognitive psychology.

Question 8

Define ethnocentrism and provide an example from the field of psychology.

Question 9

The "scientific method" refers to

A)historical,social-cultural,and ethical contexts in which science takes place.
B)the specific procedures,measurements,and instruments used by psychologists.
C)the development of psychophysical methods for measuring thought processes.
D)an abstract concept that describes the logic and methods used to answer questions.

Question 10

An example of a violation of scientific integrity is

A)using the number of scientific publications authored by a researcher to make decisions about professional advancement.
B)selectively reporting research findings when making a claim about behavior.
C)using animal subjects in research.
D)attending to societal issues when choosing research questions.

Question 11

The most important characteristic of the scientific method is the

A)computer revolution.
B)theoretical perspective of behaviorism.
C)empirical approach.
D)cognitive approach.

Question 12

Which of the following statements about the historical context of psychology is true?

A)Topics and theoretical perspectives have changed very little in more than 100 years of psychological research.
B)The theoretical perspective of behaviorism has dominated the science of psychology since its inception.
C)By investigating a wide array of topics over time,psychologists have demonstrated the complexity of human behavior.
D)Only a few key scientists have contributed important findings to the science of psychology.

Question 13

The broad trend that describes the historical development of scientific psychology may be characterized as

A)shifts in theoretical perspectives from behaviorism,to cognitive perspectives,to neuroscience emphases.
B)a chaotic array of investigations covering a diverse set of topics.
C)unchanging;current scientific psychology is much as it was at its inception.
D)advances in science due to only one or two people.

Question 14

A source of bias that may originate when we attempt to understand another culture through the framework or lens of our own culture is called

A)egotism.
B)anthropomorphism.
C)nomotheticism.
D)ethnocentrism.

Question 15

Three ways that we can characterize the context in which science occurs include

A)behavioral,cognitive,and neuroscience.
B)historical,social/cultural,and moral.
C)legal,scientific,and clinical.
D)philosophical,hypothetical,and ethnocentric.

Question 16

Scientists' choice of topics to study,resources available to support their research,and society's acceptance of their findings is most influenced by

A)their moral integrity.
B)the American Psychological Association.
C)the social and cultural context in which they work.
D)the number of research articles found in a literature search.

Question 17

An important factor in the advancement of cognitive psychology during the 20^th century was the

A)first introductory psychology textbook by William James.
B)computer revolution.
C)work of Sigmund Freud.
D)award of the Nobel Prize to several important psychologists.

Question 18

A researcher's findings are criticized in the media because the findings are regarded as unacceptable.The research program is suspended.This is an example of the ____________ context of science.

A)historical
B)ethical
C)social-cultural
D)ethnocentric

Question 19

When using an empirical approach,psychologists focus on

A)using computers and other technology to understand people.
B)pseudoscientific topics such as clairvoyance and telepathy.
C)behaviors and experiences that can be observed directly.
D)the "black box" between a stimulus and a response.

Question 20

At the end of the 19^th century,the young field of psychology was a subdiscipline of

A)philosophy.
B)neuroscience.
C)medicine.
D)theology.

Question 21

According to some clinical psychologists,the practice of present-day clinical psychology

A)relies too heavily on personal experience rather than empirically-supported treatments.
B)resembles the pre-scientific medical practice that took place in the 1800s and early 1900s.
C)does not make use of the latest scientific findings from psychological research.
D)all of these

Question 22

Scientific skepticism refers to the idea that

A)claims about phenomena should be tested and untestable claims should be rejected.
B)scientists automatically assume that unconventional interpretations of phenomena could not be true.
C)scientists do not trust anything or anyone.
D)it's permissible to accept explanations for phenomena as true until testing is completeD.

Question 23

A psychology student watches a television program that mentions research on newborn infants' ability to recognize their parents' voices.To learn more about this study,the student should

A)locate and read the original research article that describes the research.
B)contact the producer of the television program for more information.
C)discuss the program with friends.
D)ask parents if their children recognized their voices as infants.

Question 24

That a search of the psychological literature usually reveals that other persons have investigated the same question we are studying reveals

A)how difficult it is to do psychological research.
B)that we will need to take a different approach.
C)that science is a cumulative endeavor.
D)that scientists have answered most of the important questions.

Question 25

Before beginning a research project,researchers should search the psychological literature about their topic

A)to stop the research if the study or a similar one has already been done.
B)to demonstrate that no one has had a similar idea.
C)in order to develop research hypotheses.
D)all of these

Question 26

A potential problem that arises when evaluating research findings presented in the media (e.g. ,television,newspapers)is that

A)important aspects of the research method are likely not reported.
B)those reporting the findings have little financial stake in the public's acceptance of the findings.
C)the findings may be from research studies conducted in other countries.
D)all of these

Question 27

In a recent criticism of the practice of clinical psychologists,all of the following suggestions were made except

A)reform clinical psychology training programs.
B)make science-centered education a central feature of clinical training programs.
C)stigmatize the practice of clinical psychology that is not science-based.
D)make some clinical psychology training programs non-scientific to keep psychology balanceD.

Question 28

Which of the following statements is false regarding searching the psychological literature before beginning a research project?

A)The process of conducting a literature search can provide a wealth of ideas for research projects.
B)The process of conducting a literature search should be discouraging for a researcher who finds that other researchers have investigated the same or similar ideas.
C)The process of conducting a literature search reminds researchers that science is a cumulative endeavor,with current research building on previous research.
D)The process of conducting a literature search is much less tedious than it used to be without computers.

Question 29

The strongest research evidence for a claim about behavior occurs when

A)research is conducted using the Internet.
B)findings converge across many replications of an experiment.
C)a relationship is observed among factors or variables.
D)the results of a study are reported in the media.

Question 30

When considering a possible research question to investigate,a student wishes to seek advice from psychology instructors about whether to conduct a study to answer the research question.Which of the following questions would help the student identify whether the research question is a good one?

A)Is it possible for me to get on television if I conduct research in this area?
B)Could I get money from this school to help pay for the research?
C)Is this question important for the science of psychology?
D)Could I conduct this research project by myself?

Question 31

A research question may be considered important when

A)the findings from the study are likely to be completely unique.
B)the findings from the study will likely advance the science of psychology.
C)a review of research literature reveals that no one has investigated the question.
D)all of these

Question 32

An important first step when evaluating psychological research reported in the media is to

A)decide whether the report describes a survey or an experiment.
B)determine whether the research was reported both on television and in printed material (e.g. ,newspapers,magazines).
C)search the psychological literature for related information.
D)go to the original source in which the research was reporteD.

Question 33

Violations of scientific integrity include

A)using animals in research,misusing research funds,and deceiving participants in a research project.
B)plagiarism,selective reporting of research findings,and using computers to collect data.
C)fabricating data,reporting only the data that support the researcher's expectations,and failure to acknowledge people who contributed significantly to the research.
D)all of these

Question 34

Data fabrication,plagiarism,and failure to acknowledge individuals who contributed to a research project are examples of

A)the social and cultural context in which scientists conduct their work.
B)examples of the principle of moral relativism.
C)easy to detect in research reports.
D)violations of scientific integrity.

Question 35

Which of the following statements is false?

A)Scientists recognize that researchers can make mistakes in their research.
B)Psychological scientists often withhold judgment because they recognize human behavior is complex.
C)Scientists are cautious about accepting claims about behavior until they see the findings published in psychology journals.
D)Scientists strive to draw conclusions based on empirical evidence rather than subjective judgments.

Question 36

The ethical principles for research developed by the American Psychological Association

A)state that researchers may never deceive research participants about the nature of the investigation.
B)forbid the use of animals in research investigations.
C)guide researchers regarding the ethical dilemmas that occur with human and animal research subjects.
D)all of these

Question 37

In order to make decisions about ethical dilemmas in research,psychologists consult

A)the American Psychological Association's ethical principles.
B)the psychological literature related to their topic.
C)the local,state,and federal agencies most relevant to their work.
D)their attorneys.

Question 38

Suppose a friend tells you about psychological research findings she read about on the Internet,and because of the findings she is convinced that she should try some new communication techniques in her relationship.You tell her you are skeptical because

A)the way the research was conducted may not be very good.
B)it's better to read the original research report before drawing a conclusion.
C)some important information about the research may not have been reported on the Internet.
D)all of these

Question 39

A key factor when "thinking like a researcher" is to be

A)polemic.
B)trusting.
C)dogmatiC.
D)skeptical.

Question 40

The parallel in attempting to understand truth based on legal evidence and scientific evidence is that in both cases

A)we can make decisions with absolute certainty.
B)the decisions we make depend on the quality and extent of evidence.
C)we make our decisions based on subjective impressions of people.
D)decisions are reliable and accurate.

Question 41

Prior to conducting a research project,scientists form a ___________,a tentative explanation for the phenomenon they seek to investigate.

A)hypothesis
B)theory
C)colloquium
D)subjective judgment

Question 42

Two students each conduct a study to answer a research question about study skills and test performance.One student conducts a survey and the other student conducts an experiment.In terms of psychological science,their use of different methods for answering the research question is consistent with

A)the steps of the research process.
B)a multimethod approach.
C)thinking like a researcher.
D)the social-cultural context of doing research.

Question 43

The "multimethod approach" to research in psychology refers to the

A)multiple strategies available to psychologists to answer research questions.
B)historical,social-cultural,and moral context of research.
C)multiple theoretical perspectives within psychology,including behaviorism and cognitive psychology.
D)many questionnaires researchers use to seek people's attitudes and opinions.

Question 44

The statement of a research hypothesis includes

A)a predicted outcome and an explanation for the outcome.
B)an explanation for why a particular behavior is under investigation.
C)an overview of previous research findings regarding the topiC.
D)all of these

Question 45

Which of the following statements is false?

A)No single research methodology can answer all of psychology's questions.
B)Researchers gain a more complete understanding of behavior by emphasizing one particular method when investigating their research question.
C)Any one method or measure of behavior is likely flawed or incomplete.
D)A multimethod approach to a research question allows researchers to overcome the flaws associated with any one particular methoD.