Question 1

Too often I find myself trying to understand why I stayed up late at night watching movies when I should have been working. It seems that my feelings and wishes are what are driving my behavior. This fits very well with which ONE of the following perspectives?

Accepted Answer

The psychodynamic perspective emphasizes the influence of unconscious desires and feelings on behavior, which aligns with the idea that feelings and wishes are driving the behavior of staying up late.

Question 2

Freud came up with the notion that behavior is due to unconscious forces from:

Accepted Answer

Freud's theory of psychoanalysis was developed based on his observations of patients whose symptoms had no physical basis. He believed that these symptoms were the result of unconscious forces, such as repressed memories or desires.

Question 3

The idea that psychological symptoms that were not consciously created or maintained, and had not physical basis must have an unconscious basis was essential for

Accepted Answer

The psychodynamic approach to psychology is based on the idea that psychological symptoms that are not consciously created or maintained, and have no physical basis, must have an unconscious basis.

Question 4

The in-depth observation of a small number of people is referred to as:

Accepted Answer

A case study involves an in-depth observation and analysis of a small number of individuals or a single individual to gather detailed information.

Question 5

The idea that people reveal themselves in everything they do:

Accepted Answer

The psychodynamic assumption suggests that people's behaviors and actions reveal underlying thoughts, feelings, and motivations, often rooted in the unconscious mind.

Question 6

Advancing science by proving theories wrong is referred to as:

Accepted Answer

The falsifiability criterion refers to the principle that for a theory to be considered scientific, it must be able to be proven false. This is a key aspect of advancing science by testing and potentially disproving theories.

Question 7

If I think that conducting experiments, and not relying on clinical data, is the very best way to understand human behavior and to advance the field of psychology, which perspective should I NOT join?

Accepted Answer

The psychodynamic perspective often relies on clinical data and case studies rather than controlled experiments to understand human behavior.

Question 8

One of the reasons why the psychodynamic perspective has been criticized from a scientific perspective is that it has violated _____, the ability of a theory to be proven wrong.

Accepted Answer

The psychodynamic perspective has been criticized for lacking falsifiability, meaning its theories are difficult to test or prove wrong scientifically.

Question 9

One person shoots another person and his lawyer argues that God told him to do it. This theory of the shooter's behavior is a poor one and would not be accepted as a scientific explanation because it does not support:

Accepted Answer

The theory is not falsifiable because it cannot be tested or proven false, which is a key criterion for scientific explanations.

Question 10

I have a theory that reading a person's aura will allow me to understand their state of mind. As nobody else can see auras the way that I do, it is not possible for anyone else to prove my theory wrong. My theory violates the

Accepted Answer

The theory violates the falsifiability criterion because it cannot be proven wrong by others, as it relies on a subjective experience that cannot be independently verified or tested.

Question 11

The behaviorist perspective:

Accepted Answer

The behaviorist perspective emphasizes the role of environmental stimuli in shaping behavior through learning, rather than focusing on mental events or family tendencies.

Question 12

The idea that environmental events will influence an individual's behavior is known as

Accepted Answer

The behavioral perspective focuses on how environmental events and stimuli influence observable behavior, emphasizing the role of learning and conditioning.

Question 13

Who stated that if he were given 12 healthy infants at birth he could produce doctors or thieves by controlling their environment:

Accepted Answer

John Watson, a prominent behaviorist, believed in the power of environmental conditioning and famously claimed he could shape infants into any type of person by controlling their environment.

Question 14

I strongly believe that my experiences have shaped and influenced my current actions. I should become a:

Accepted Answer

Behaviorists focus on how past experiences and environmental factors influence current behavior, aligning with the belief that experiences shape actions.

Question 15

A friend of mine from Israel acts very differently than I do. He mentions how different people from the United States are compared to the people from his home, and how his experiences there have shaped the way he is just like my experiences here have shaped me. Which of the following perspectives supports these ideas?

Accepted Answer

Cross-cultural psychology, behaviorism, and psychological anthropology all study the effects of culture on human behavior.

Question 16

To a behaviorist, mental events such as thoughts and emotions are

Accepted Answer

Behaviorists focus on observable behavior and consider mental events unnecessary for understanding behavior. They believe behavior can be explained without reference to thoughts or emotions.

Question 17

The notion that we are born a blank slate and that we are a function of our experiences is called:

Accepted Answer

The concept of "tabula rasa" refers to the idea that individuals are born without built-in mental content and that all knowledge comes from experience or perception.

Question 18

People used to say, ìAnyone can be president.ì This saying supports the notion that we are all born equal. If that is true and who we are depends on our experience, then we have support for the notion of:

Accepted Answer

The notion of "tabula rasa" refers to the idea that individuals are born without built-in mental content and that all knowledge comes from experience or perception, aligning with the idea that who we are depends on our experiences.

Question 19

Behaviorists are not comfortable with studying mental events such as thoughts or feelings because

Accepted Answer

Behaviorists focus on observable behaviors and believe that mental events cannot be objectively measured or verified.

Question 20

According to behaviorism, psychology:

Accepted Answer

Behaviorism is a school of psychology that focuses on the study of observable behavior, rather than internal mental processes.

Quiz 1: Psychology: The Study of Mental Processes and Behavior