question

Psychology is defined as

answer

the scientific study of behavior and mental processes.

question

A counseling psychologist is working with a married couple to promote better communication in their relationship. Which goal of psychology is the psychologist trying to accomplish?

answer

influence

question

Which of the following is true regarding basic and applied research?

answer

Basic research would allow us to learn about memory changes, and applied research allows us to help those with memory problems cope with everyday life.

question

One of the first psychological laboratories was established by ________________ where he used ________________ as the primary method of research.

answer

Wilhelm Wundt; introspection

question

The early psychological school of thought devoted to studying the basic elements of conscious mental experiences was ________________, developed by ________________.

answer

structuralism; Titchener

question

________________ is the school of thought that focuses on unconscious wishes, desires, and impulses.

answer

Psychoanalytic psychology

question

________________ is associated with ________________, the school of thought that studies only observable, measurable behavior.

answer

John B. Watson; behaviorism

question

Dr. Smith believes that depression is a consequence of faulty thinking, decision making, and problem solving. With which theoretical perspective would Dr. Smith most agree?

answer

cognitive

question

Dr. Jarrod, a psychologist, is part of an interdisciplinary team that includes biologists, biochemists, and medical researchers, who study the nervous system. To which field does Dr. Jarrod likely belong?

answer

neuroscience

question

Dr. Benson studies the factors that promote productivity in an office environment for a large company. Which type of psychologist is Dr. Benson likely to be?

answer

industrial-organizational psychologist

question

Which type of psychologist is most likely to study how human behavior is affected by the presence of other people?

answer

social psychologist

question

Which of the following is not a characteristic exhibited when one engages in critical thinking?

answer

open-minded acceptance

question

A researcher is studying patterns of social play in 8-year-olds by watching children on a playground and documenting their behaviors. Which research method is she using?

answer

naturalistic observation

question

A survey taker makes sure that the people surveyed closely mirror the population of interest. He is ensuring that he has a

answer

representative sample

question

A professor asks her class to record how often they study. Her students may tend to report studying more than they really do, thereby giving a

answer

social desirability response

question

The variable that is presumed to vary as a result of the manipulation of another variable is called a(n)

answer

independent variable

question

Dr. Needles is testing the effects of a new drug. One group receives the drug, while a comparison group receives an injection of a harmless solution. The group that receives the drug is called the

answer

experimental group

question

In Dr. Needles's experiment, neither he nor the participants know who gets the drug and who gets the harmless solution. This method is called

answer

the double-blind technique.

question

Which of the following correlation coefficients indicates the strongest relationship between two variables?

answer

-.85

question

Research participants must be told the purpose of the study in which they are participating and its potential for harming them. This is the ethical consideration known as

answer

informed consent

question

True/False Replication is used to verify a study's findings with a different group of participants.

answer

Answer: True

question

Wilhelm Wundt and John Watson belonged to the same early school of psychology.

answer

Answer: False

question

Humanistic psychology focuses on the uniqueness of human beings and their capacity for growth.

answer

Answer: True

question

Information-processing theory compares the human brain's workings to those of a computer.

answer

Answer: True

question

The view that human behavior is shaped by physiological factors is called the sociocultural approach.

answer

Answer: False

question

Descriptive research methods, such as surveys and observation, accomplish all four goals of psychology equally well.

answer

Answer: False

question

The experimental method allows for the greatest experimenter control as well as permitting cause and effect conclusions to be drawn.

answer

Answer: True

question

A perfect positive correlation is indicated by the coefficient 1.00.

answer

Answer: True

question

If stress and illness are positively correlated, it means that stress causes illness.

answer

Answer: False

question

The APA permits the use of animals in research.

answer

Answer: True

question

Short Essay: Explain what separates the science of psychology from common sense. Include in your response reasons that a theory cannot rely on anecdotal evidence.

answer

Answer: Common sense propositions are made based on experience or folklore. Common sense sayings may also contradict. For example, do "opposites attract" or do "birds of a feather flock together"? Psychology, as a science, employs the scientific method to investigate propositions through the use of research. The scientific method consists of the orderly, systematic process that researchers follow as they identify a research problem, design a study to investigate the problem, collect and analyze data, draw conclusions, and then communicate their findings.

question

Name and describe at least four current, major schools of thought in psychology. According to each school selected, what is the primary reason for an individual's behavior?

answer

Answer: Psychologists seek to explain behavior and may do so in a number of different ways. Those who believe behavior is a product of our environment and focus on learning and environment as determinants of behavior take on the behavioral school of thought (also called behaviorism). Psychologists who take a biological perspective look to the functioning of the nervous system and the structure of the brain to explain human behavior. Psychologists who take a cognitive school of thought focus on thinking as a means of explaining behavior, that how one thinks influences how one acts. Humanistic psychologists look at our desire to be the best that we can be as the guiding force behind our behavior, while the Freudian approach, psychoanalytic psychology, sees most of our behavior as the product of the unconscious.

question

Suppose you wanted to test whether a new drug helped improve scores on a memory test for college students. Design an experiment to do so. Include how you would select your sample and label the independent and dependent variables, as well as the experimental and control groups. Also, describe one confounding variable you would avoid.

answer

Answer: Volunteers from one or more college campuses should be randomly assigned to the experimental group, the group that will receive the drug, and a control group, who will not receive the drug. This random assignment ensures that the two groups are roughly equivalent in all respects other than the receipt of the drug or a placebo. The use of a single-blind or double-blind design may prevent biases on the part of the participants or the researcher from impacting the results. All participants will then take a test of memory. The drug is the independent variable, and scores on the memory test are the dependent variable. If the drug is effective, the experimental group will outperform the control group on the test of memory.

question

Definition of psychology

answer

The science of behaviour and mental processes. That seeks to describe and explain aspects of human thought feelings, perceptions and actions.

question

The scientific method

answer

Refers to a body of techniques for investigating phenomena, acquiring new knowledge, or correcting and integrating previous knowledge. Is the way scientists learn and study the world around them.

question

Replication

answer

is a biological process that occurs in all living organisms and copies their DNA; it is the basis for biological inheritance. The process of repeating as study to verify research findings.

question

The goals of psychology

answer

To describe, explain, predict, and control behaviour and mental processes. Describe: tell what occurred Explain: tells the why Predict: under what conditions is the behaviour/event likely to occur Control: how is the principle applied or what change in condition is necessary to prevent unwanted occurrence or to bring about a desired outcome

question

Wilhelm Wundt:

answer

is known to posterity as the "father of experimental psychology" and the founder of the first psychology laboratory

question

Introspection

answer

is the self-observation and reporting of conscious inner thoughts, desires and sensations.

question

Structuralism

answer

Edward B. Titchener (1867-1923) is the founder of the theory of structuralism. He was student of Wilhelm Wundt at the University of Leipzig. Titchener's ideas on how the mind worked were heavily influenced by Wundt's theory of voluntarism and his ideas of association and apperception (the passive and active combinations of elements of consciousness respectively). The goal to describe the structure of the mind in terms of the most primitive elements of mental experience.

question

functionalism

answer

An early school of psychology that was concerned with how humans and animals use mental processes in adapting to their environment.

question

behaviorism

answer

school of behaviorism founded by by John B. Watson (1878 - 1958) redefined as the "science of behavior" The school of psychology that confines itself to the study of behavior because behavior is observable and measurable and, therefore, objective and scientific.

question

psychoanalysis

answer

Founded by Signmund Freud (1856-1939). The term Frued used for both his theory of personality and his therapy for the treatment of psychological disorders; the unconscious is the primary focus of psychoanalytic theory.

question

humanistic psychology

answer

Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers (1902 - 1987) the school of psychology that focuses on the uniqueness of human beings and their capacity for choice, growth, and psychological health. Theory of motivation the need for self actualization is the highest need in the hierarchy of needs.

question

cognitive

answer

The school of psychology that sees humans as active participants in their environment; studies mental processes such as memory, problem solving, reasoning, decision making, perception, language, and other forms of cognition.

question

eclecticism

answer

Eclecticism is recognized in approaches to psychology that see many factors influencing behavior and the psyche, and among those who consider all perspectives in identifying, changing, explaining, and determining behavior.

question

Naturalistic observation

answer

researchers observe and record behaviour without trying to influence or control it-subjects are not aware of observation

question

Advantage

answer

study is in natural setting ; good descriptive; can provide hypothesis to be tested later

question

Disadvantage

answer

must wait for behaviour to occur, researcher has no control so cause and effect is difficult to determine-potential for observer bias, presence of researcher may influence situation

question

Survey research

answer

using interviews and/or questionnaires to gather information about aptitudes, beliefs, experiences or behaviours of a group (e.g. the incidence of drug use)

question

Population

answer

the entire group of interest to researcher and to which they wish to generalize findings; a group from which a sample is chosen

question

Sample

answer

The portion of any population selected for study and from which generalizations are made about the population

question

Representative sample

answer

a sample selected from the larger population in a way that important subgroups within the population are included in the same proportions as the larger population

question

Questionnaire

answer

faster and less expensive than interview- a survey does not become more accurate based on more respondents- the survey can be generalized only if it is representative of the larger population ( questionnaire in magazine does not represent Canadian population)

question

Interview

answer

skilled interviewer uses well-worded questions. Comfort level with interviewer is a factor; truthfulness can be affected by the interviewer's personal characteristics.

question

Experimental method

answer

the method where researchers randomly assign participants to groups and control all conditions other than the one or more independent variables which are then manipulated to determine their effect on some behaviour measured--the dependent variable in the experiment. * purpose of experimental method is to determine causes of behaviour (e.g. what causes stress) * an experiment is designed to test a hypothesis ( a prediction about a cause-effect relationship between two or more variables) A variable is any condition/factor that can be manipulated, controlled, measured (e.g. one variable is how much you study, another is the grade you obtain)

question

Independent variable

answer

the factor or condition that researchers manipulate in order to determine its effect on another behavior or condition known as the dependent variable.

question

Dependent variable:

answer

the variable measured at the end of the experiment and that is presumed to vary as the result of manipulations of the independent variable.

question

Control and experimental groups.

answer

in an experiment, the group of participants exposed to the independent variable or treatment. a group that is similar to the experimental group and is expose to the same experiential environment but is NOT exposed to the independent variable; the group is used for comparison.

question

Correlation coefficient - what two pieces of information does it yield?

answer

a numerical value that indicates the strength and direction of the relationship between two variables; ranges from +1.00 ( a perfect positive correlation) to -1.00 ( a perfect negative correlation)

question

Critical thinking

answer

The process of objectively evaluating claims, propositions, or conclusions to determine whether they follow logically from the evidence presented.

Psy Ch.1 – Practice Test – Flashcards

Unlock all answers in this set

Haven't found what you were looking for?

Search for samples, answers to your questions and flashcards