Deck 1: A: Psychology and Life

Question 1

While playing golf,Tom catches his opponent cheating.Tom's subsequent belief that his opponent also probably cheats on his income tax is most consistent with which of the psychologist's research goals?

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

Answer 1

prediction

Question 2

A basketball player stays late after practice in an effort to improve performance.Other players talk about this individual as being highly motivated to succeed and hard-working.How are these variables best characterized?

A)descriptive
B)situational
C)internal
D)environmental

Answer 2

internal

Question 3

To investigate behaviour,researchers may use different levels of analysis.Which research question exemplifies the narrowest,most specific level of analysis?

A)What are the causes of mental illness?
B)Which brain structures are associated with paranoid schizophrenia?
C)Are food additives responsible for the occurrence of certain types of mental illness?
D)Are there differences in the prevalence of mental illness in different countries?

Answer 3

Which brain structures are associated with paranoid schizophrenia?

Question 4

An individual's curiosity about how the human mind works is coupled with a fascination with computer science and artificial intelligence.What emerging area of science is being described?

A)social
B)health
C)cognitive
D)biological

Question 5

When compared to the work of sociologists and anthropologists,what are psychologists most likely to focus more upon?

A)social institutions.
B)individual behaviour.
C)cultural differences in behaviour.
D)the behaviour of people in groups.

Question 6

Two students are discussing their teacher's inability to remember student names.One attributes the inability to a poor memory,but the other believes it is due to a lack of motivation.How should researchers judge which of the two explanations is best?

A)By attributing the inability to remember to a situational variable
B)By measuring how strongly each student feels about their explanation
C)By attributing the inability to remember to a dispositional variable
D)By determining how well each explanation predicts behaviour in new situations

Question 7

Two psychologists are discussing the relative importance of the various levels of analysis researchers may use.Which statement are they most likely to agree upon?

A)The broadest level of analysis is the most important.
B)The narrowest level of analysis is the most important.
C)Some levels of analysis are less important than others.
D)Different levels of analysis address different questions.

Question 8

When conducting psychological research,what should the conclusions be based upon?

A)the beliefs held by the majority of people.
B)the fundamental concept of common sense.
C)the opinions of respected researchers in the field.
D)the application of the scientific method.

Question 9

How is psychology best defined?

A)The scientific study of the mind and consciousness.
B)The scientific study of the mental processes of individuals.
C)The scientific study of mental disorders and abnormal behaviour.
D)The scientific study of the behaviour of individuals and their mental processes.

Question 10

Dr.Dehane has conducted a research study.When drawing conclusions about behaviour,what should Dr.Dehane rely upon?

A)Personal beliefs
B)Common sense
C)Objectively collected information
D)Everyday observations of people

Question 11

How does the psychologist's goal of explanation differ from the psychologist's goal of description?

A)Explanations are objective.
B)Explanations are based on data.
C)Explanations use a lower level of analysis.
D)Explanations deliberately go beyond what can be observed.

Question 12

Which statement is MOST consistent with the perspective taken by psychologists?

A)Human behaviour is of primary interest.
B)Mental processes are of less value than observable behaviour.
C)Observable behaviour and mental processes are of interest.
D)Theoretically,behaviour should only be studied in a controlled research laboratory.

Question 13

When investigating behaviour,researchers may use different levels of analysis.Which research question exemplifies the broadest,most global level of analysis?

A)What are the origins of prejudice?
B)Are there gender differences in prejudice?
C)Are there differences in how various racial groups express prejudice?
D)What is the role of early childhood experiences in the formation of prejudice?

Question 14

What is the primary subject matter of psychology?

A)observable behaviour of humans.
B)unobservable behaviour of humans.
C)observable behaviour of other species of animals.
D)observable behaviour of humans and other species of animals.

Question 15

What must psychologists do first to make accurate observations about behaviour?

A)Predict behaviour
B)Explain behaviour
C)Control behaviour
D)Describe behaviour

Question 16

An educational psychologist has decided to do research on reading behaviour.If this topic was approached from the broadest level of analysis,what would most likely be studied?

A)Lip movements made while reading a page of text
B)Cross-cultural variations in attitudes toward reading
C)Eye movements made while reading a page of text
D)Left and right brain hemispheric differences in the processing of foreign languages

Question 17

In the context of the goal of explanation,what does the concept of "informed imagination" imply?

A)The widest level of analysis
B)The researcher's use of objective methods
C)Creativity in synthesizing what is known and not yet known
D)Discovery of cause-effect relationships by systematic experimentation

Question 18

What should be of utmost importance to a research psychologist when describing behaviour?

A)To use a broad level of analysis
B)To use a narrow level of analysis
C)To collect the facts as they exist
D)To collect facts that are consistent with the hypothesis.

Question 19

How are different explanations of behaviour usually judged?

A)By how consistent they are with the hypothesis
B)By how well they combine situational and environmental variables
C)By how well they can make accurate and comprehensive predictions
D)By how consistent they are with the experiences of the general public

Question 20

Which scenario best reflects the psychological goal of control?

A)A girl discovers that she can make her brother cry by teasing him.
B)A pet owner expects that her dog will be waiting for her when she gets home.
C)A child likes ice cream because it tastes sweet.
D)A poet writes a poem describing a beautiful snowfall.

Question 21

In 1908,Hermann Ebbinghaus wrote that "Psychology has a long past,but only a short history." Which statement best captures the idea that Ebbinghaus was expressing?

A)Psychologists,like philosophers,have difficulty learning from their mistakes.
B)Questions about human nature have existed for a long time,but only recently have the methods necessary to answer them been developed.
C)The field of psychology has existed for a long time,but only recently have scholars recorded the accomplishments of the profession.
D)Although psychologists have been doing laboratory research for hundreds of years,little of substance has been discovered about human nature.

Question 22

What happened in 1879 in Leipzig,Germany that was of great importance to the field of psychology?

A)Wilhelm Wundt was born.
B)The idea of behaviourism was first suggested.
C)Sigmund Freud wrote his book,The Interpretation of Dreams.
D)The first formal laboratory devoted to experimental psychology was founded.

Question 23

In 1900,approximately how many psychology laboratories were in existence in North America?

A)1
B)4
C)40
D)400

Question 24

Which German psychologist focused on the way in which the mind understands experiences as organized wholes rather than as the sums of simple parts?

A)Max Wertheimer
B)Sigmund Freud
C)Wilhelm Wundt
D)Edward Titchener

Question 25

Where can questions about how the mind works and the nature of free will be traced?

A)To Wilhelm Wundt
B)To Hermann Ebbinghaus
C)To the end of the nineteenth century
D)To the fourth and fifth centuries B.C.

Question 26

When Edward Titchener brought Wundt's psychology to the United States,what experimental technique was introduced for examining conscious mental life?

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

Question 27

The types of interventions that allow people to improve the quality of their lives is most directly the result of which goal of psychological research?

A)control
B)prediction
C)explanation
D)Description

Question 28

One attack on structuralism was that it is mentalistiC)Why do critics believe this to be true?

A)Structuralism sought to combine parts,or elements,into a whole.
B)Structuralism studied only verbal reports of human conscious awareness.
C)Structuralism required participants to make simple responses to stimuli.
D)Structuralism reduced all complex human experience to simple sensations.

Question 29

When attempting to answer questions about how the mind works,how did the classical Greek philosophers compare to the psychological researchers at the end of the nineteenth century?

A)The philosophical approach was actually more scientific.
B)The philosophical and psychological approaches were essentially identical.
C)Only the psychological researchers applied laboratory techniques from other sciences.
D)Only the classical Greek philosophers realized that such questions could never really be answered.

Question 30

What would a research assistant likely conclude after observing experiments in Wilhelm Wundt's laboratory?

A)His approach was was more suitable for the study of physiology than that of psychology.
B)The responses that were required of the participants were quite complex.
C)Independent observers could replicate the experiments.
D)The data collection techniques were neither systematic nor objective.

Question 31

A research psychologist believes that,to have a complete understanding of behaviour,one needs to study both human and non-human behaviour.Which criticism of structuralism is in agreement with this researcher's philosophy?

A)It had very little application to the "real world."
B)It ignored participants who could not engage in introspection.
C)It combined parts into a whole rather than studying behaviours directly.
D)It studied simple sensations that could not account for complex human behaviour.

Question 32

Which psychological goal is achieved when therapeutic programs are designed to help people substitute more positive behaviours for negative behaviours?

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

Question 33

According to research cited in the text,what did Russian students report as the greatest source of conflict among friends?

A)romantic competition
B)disrespectful behaviour
C)betrayals of confidence
D)attitudes towards the opposite sex

Question 34

Treatments for mental illness,the ability of people to eliminate unhealthy behaviours such as smoking and initiate healthy behaviours such as exercise,and the development of positive parenting practices are all consistent with which idea?

A)Psychology is based on common sense.
B)Psychological knowledge can be used to help improve quality of life.
C)Explanation and prediction are the two most important psychological goals.
D)The use of animal participants has minimal relevance to modern psychological research.

Question 35

What would a participant in one of Titchener's early studies of conscious experience most likely be asked to do?

A)Attempt to memorize a long list of nonsense words.
B)Try to read the mind of a person seated in an adjoining room.
C)Undergo hypnosis and have the responses recorded.
D)Examine personal thoughts and feelings about sensory experiences.

Question 36

What concept was of the most concern to followers of structuralism?

A)The "how" of mental contents
B)The "why" of mental contents
C)The "what" of mental contents
D)The "when" of mental contents

Question 37

Which early American psychologist taught philosophy at Harvard,studied medicine,had strong interests in literature and religion,and wrote one of the most important psychology texts ever,The Principles of Psychology,in 1890?

A)William James
B)Wilhelm Wundt
C)G)Stanley Hall
D)Edward Titchener

Question 38

A psychologist who specializes in the study of perception is referred to as a "Gestalt Psychologist." What does a Gestalt Psychologist typically focus upon?

A)the approach known as functionalism.
B)the reduction of complex human experience into simple sensations.
C)the way in which the mind understands experiences as organized wholes.
D)conscious experience being the sum of individual experiences.

Question 39

How has much of the history of psychology been characterized?

A)By the belief that ideas matter greatly
B)By general agreement about the subject matter of psychology
C)By uncertainty with respect to the definition of psychology
D)By considerable agreement among researchers as to appropriate methodologies

Question 40

Where can the origins of Western psychology be traced?

A)To indian Yogic traditions
B)To classical Greek philosophy
C)To Asian and African psychology
D)To the early Roman Catholic church

Question 41

Using ideas originating in his work with mentally disturbed patients,who developed the psychodynamic principles of motivation?

A)John Dewey
B)William James
C)Sigmund Freud
D)Wilhelm Wundt

Question 42

Which statement most closely characterizes the current view of most psychologists toward the study of behaviour?

A)Psychologists borrow and blend from different perspectives.
B)Psychologists tend to agree that the most productive approach is the biological perspective.
C)Psychologists take the approach that complex behaviour can be reduced to patterns of simple behaviour.
D)Although psychologists differ in their basic approach,the vast majority agree on the questions to be asked and how they should be studied.

Question 43

What did functionalists such as William James and John Dewey emphasize in their approach to behaviour?

A)purposes.
B)elements.
C)contents.
D)structures.

Question 44

For functionalists,what was the key question to be answered by research?

A)"What is the nature of the mind?"
B)"What is the purpose of any behavioural act?"
C)"What part of the mind is responsible for human motivation?"
D)"What feelings are associated with specific thoughts and emotions?"

Question 45

Which statement best characterizes the textbook authors' views with respect to the legacy of behaviourism?

A)The principles of behaviourism have been widely and successfully applied to human problems.
B)The principles of behaviourism ultimately fail because they are not based on carefully controlled laboratory experiments.
C)Behaviourism has been relatively unsuccessful because it places too little emphasis on determining the antecedents and consequences of behaviour.
D)Behaviourism has been successful because,unlike other perspectives,it has based most of its conclusions on research with human participants.

Question 46

Dr.Albert is searching for antecedent environmental conditions and the observable consequences that follow from responses.Which perspective does Dr.Albert most likely support?

A)cognitive
B)humanistic
C)behaviourist
D)psychodynamic

Question 47

The professor in a Theories of Psychology class asks the students to read the section of the textbook in which antecedents,responses,and consequences are described.Which perspective will the next class likely focus upon?

A)biological
B)humanistic
C)behaviourist
D)evolutionary

Question 48

Due in large part to the theorizing of John Dewey,where did school systems in the early part of the twentieth century in North America place more emphasis?

A)On progressive education.
B)On learning by observing.
C)On intellectual curiosity.
D)On rote learning.

Question 49

Titchener is to structuralism as Dewey is to

A)behaviourism.
B)determinism.
C)functionalism.
D)introspection.

Question 50

While rummaging in the attic,a student comes across what appears to be a previously undiscovered early manuscript of Sigmund Freud.Although the student can't read German,which title would the student most likely presume?

A)Learning by Doing.
B)The Technique of Introspection.
C)The Purposes of Behaviuor.
D)Unconscious Motivations.

Question 51

Which aspects of the mind were of most interest to William James?

A)functions
B)contents
C)thoughts
D)emotions

Question 52

Which area of focus is more in keeping with the philosopy of William James than that of Edward Titchener?

A)rigorous laboratory methods and experimental control.
B)the functions of mental processes,not the contents of the mind.
C)the basic elements of sensation that formed an individual's mental life.
D)the "what" of mental contents rather than the "why" or "how" of thinking.

Question 53

Dr.Ellis believes that one purpose of behaviour is to reduce the tension that has been brought about by powerful inner forces such as conflicts between personal needs and society's demands.Which perspective does Dr.Ellis most likely favour?

A)cultural
B)humanistic
C)behaviourist
D)psychodynamic

Question 54

With respect to the legacies of structuralism and functionalism,what do contemporary psychologists currently examine?

A)strictly the function of behaviour.
B)strictly the structure of behaviour.
C)both the structure and function of behaviour.
D)both human uniqueness and the collective unconscious.

Question 55

Who was the founder of the school of functionalism?

A)John Dewey.
B)Henry James.
C)William James.
D)Edward Titchener.

Question 56

A psychologist believes that the habit of nail biting is the result of an inner conflict between a personal need to stay a child and society's demand that that the individual grow up.Which psychological perspective has this psychologist most likely adopted?

A)cultural
B)biological
C)evolutionary
D)psychodynamic

Question 57

A psychologist believes that instincts,drives and conflicts act as one fuel for behaviour; when tension has been reduced sufficiently,the behaviour stops.Which psychological perspective is being described?

A)biological
B)evolutionary
C)behaviourist
D)psychodynamic

Question 58

What do psychologists who take the behaviourist approach seek?

A)To illustrate the innate goodness of humans.
B)To understand how environmental stimuli control behaviour.
C)To validate the importance of thought processes in human behaviour.
D)To demonstrate the importance of unresolved conflicts and inner forces.

Question 59

Which belief is consistent with Neo-Freudian theory?

A)human nature is clearly rational.
B)conscious processes are most important.
C)personality develops over the lifetime.
D)systematic scientific research is not necessary.

Question 60

Who pioneered the behaviourist perspective?

A) Sigmund Freud
B) John Watson
C) Mary Calkins
D) B. F. Skinner

Question 61

Which assumption is consistent with the biological perspective?

A)Organisms that are better suited to the environment tend to produce offspring more successfully.
B)Behaviour is determined by both preceding environmental events and novel ways of thinking.
C)Experience cannot alter underlying brain structures and processes.
D)Complex behaviour is best understood if it is studied at the broadest level of analysis.

Question 62

Which psychological perspective looks for the causes of behaviour in the functioning of genes,the brain,the nervous system,and the endocrine system?

A)cognitive
B)biological
C)humanistic
D)psychodynamic

Question 63

Where would a biological psychologist most likely look for the determinants of a serial killer's behaviour?

A)at the individual's immediate environment.
B)at the individual's unconscious drives and conflicts.
C)at the individual's brain and nervous system processes.
D)at adaptive behaviours of the individual's ancestors.

Question 64

According to the humanistic perspective,what is the main task for humans?

A)To manage powerful,instinctive forces.
B)To attend,think,remember and understand.
C)To strive for positive development.
D)To shape personal behaviour to avoid unfavourable consequences.

Question 65

Which idea would a cognitive psychologist most likely support?

A)there is no such thing as a novel way of thinking.
B)behaviour is primarily a function of objective reality.
C)thoughts can be either the results of behaviour or the causes of behaviour.
D)researchers should focus their attention on behaviours rather than on higher mental processes.

Question 66

When anthropologist Bronislaw Malinowski soundly critiqued Freud's father-centered theory by describing the family practices of the Trobriand Islanders of New Guinea,he was showing the value of which perspective?

A)sociocultural
B)cognitive
C)humanistic
D)psychodynamic

Question 67

What is the central emphasis of the cognitive approach?

A)principles of evolution.
B)human feelings and emotions.
C)human thought and knowledge.
D)inner forces that push and pull behaviour.

Question 68

Which psychological perspective is supported by Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow?

A)behaviourist
B)psychodynamic
C)evolutionary
D)humanistic

Question 69

The task of psychobiological researchers is to understand behaviour at which of the following levels of analysis?

A)the broadest level
B)the most precise level
C)a moderately broad level
D)a moderately precise level

Question 70

Which belief about the relationship between the principles of evolution and the brain's mental abilities is consistent with evolutionary psychology?

A)Brains evolve just as other organs do.
B)The evolution of mental abilities has reached its peak.
C)Brains adapt in humans,but not in other animals.
D)Physical abilities adapt to environmental demands,not the brain.

Question 71

Organisms that are better suited to their environments are more likely to pass on their genes than are organisms with poorer adaptations.What concept does this statement support?

A)the cultural perspective.
B)Charles Darwin's theory of evolution.
C)Sigmund Freud's psychodynamic approach.
D)the behaviourist view of human behaviour.

Question 72

How would evolutionary psychologists most likely explain the male and female sexual roles of today?

A)As products of recent changes in the society.
B)As behaviours that developed over extremely long periods of time.
C)As equal to those roles as they existed during the Pleistocene era.
D)As learned responses to environmental consequences in the individual male's and female's experience.

Question 73

Dr.Barber follows the humanistic perspective in psychology.Where will Dr.Barber most likely place greater weight and importance?

A)On the capacity of humans to make choices.
B)On breaking down complex behaviour into elementary units of behaviour.
C)On how environmental forces come to control the individual's behaviour.
D)On the powerful instinctual tendencies that dominate people's actions.

Question 74

What is the dominant approach in psychology today?

A)cognitive
B)sociocultural
C)evolutionary
D)psychodynamic

Question 75

A researcher who is investigating the possibility that some mental illnesses have a genetic basis is most likely being guided by which perspective?

A)cultural
B)biological
C)humanistic
D)behaviourist

Question 76

Which psychological perspective focuses on why anorexia and bulimia do not seem to be as common in Third World countries as they are in technologically advanced countries?

A)sociocultural
B)cognitive
C)humanistic
D)evolutionary

Question 77

A psychologist who explains a rapist's behaviour in terms of the rapist's displaced hostility toward his mother is most likely to prefer which perspective?

A)cognitive
B)humanistic
C)evolutionary
D)psychodynamic

Question 78

According to the cognitive model which statement about behaviour is true?

A)It may result from totally new ways of thinking.
B)It is primarily determined by past behavioural consequences.
C)It is generally determined by preceding environmental events.
D)It is primarily determined by both preceding stimulus events and past behavioural consequences.

Question 79

Which psychological perspective emphasizes the "whole" person?

A)cognitive
B)humanistic
C)behaviourist
D)psychodynamic

Question 80

If cooperation among humans enhanced the survival of the human species,this outcome would be most consistent with which perspective in psychology?

A)sociocultural
B)biological
C)humanistic
D)evolutionary