question

What important lesson could we learn from the story of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's belief that there was photographic proof that fairies exist?

answer

Personal beliefs can influence the evaluation of evidence.

question

When we view a claim, question, or proposed solution, we must be cautious that our assumptions do not make us

answer

Biased.

question

You are faced with a choice between two hypothetical explanations of an event. Theory A is straightforward and brief; Theory B is complex and lengthy. If you select Theory A, you are using the law of

answer

parsimony

question

What is one similarity shared by clinical psychologists and psychiatrists?

answer

They diagnose and treat people experiencing behavior and emotional problems.

question

Why is it important to know how the facts supporting a claim were derived?

answer

Psychologists prefer research over casual observation.

question

A study of communication patterns in dolphins yields results that probably did not occur by chance. The researchers are likely to describe their results as

answer

Statistically significant

question

Which situation best illustrates the placebo effect?

answer

You drink a nonalcoholic drink and become "intoxicated" because you think it contains alcohol.

question

Tammy is a psychologist interested in studying the influence of alcohol on domestic violence. What will she do if she follows the scientific method in devising a study?

answer

Test the hypotheses she generates from her theory and her initial observations

question

A clinical psychologist wants to understand the behavior of hyperactive children. He decided to focus on Jenny, a six-year-old who has shown signs of hyperactivity. Which research method is the psychologist using?

answer

Case study

question

Which research method involves watching behaviors as they occur, without intervening or altering the behaviors in any way?

answer

Naturalistic observation

question

Sam conducted a naturalistic observation as a project for a psychology class. He observed the interactions of parents and children at a restaurant. Many of the people he observed seemed to have noticed him. When Sam described his work to his teacher, she said his observations were

answer

Reactive.

question

After reading the case of Ted Bundy, a serial killer, several students discussed the advantages and disadvantages of case studies in psychological research. What conclusions might they reach

answer

Case studies can provide a wealth of detail, but the information may not be applicable to other individuals

question

The College Board's Validity Study Service reported a correlation of +.42 between college grade-point average and SAT scores. Which statement is most consistent with this report

answer

The relation means SAT scores can be used to predict grade-point average.

question

Which correlation coefficient indicates the strongest relation between two variables?

answer

-.74

question

Which group of correlation coefficients is presented from the highest in magnitude to the lowest in magnitude?

answer

-.80, -.50, +.32

question

Which example represents a positive correlation?

answer

The more days you miss class, the more points you lose

question

A researcher stops people at the mall and asks them questions about their attitudes toward gun control. Which research technique is being used?

answer

Survey

question

When researchers want to estimate the national crime rate, why do they ask only several thousand persons about their experiences with crime?

answer

The people surveyed are a representative sample of the population.

question

On a television show, a physician draws a blood sample to be used to determine if a patient has a virus. This segment immediately reminds you of a concept discussed in your psychology class. Of the following concepts, which one is most accurately illustrated by this television segment?

answer

Representative Sample

question

Which pair represents a population and a sample that is most likely to be representative of that population?

answer

voters in the most recent election and every tenth person who leaves the polling place

question

The primary goal of qualitative research is

answer

Developing a complete description of the behavior of interest.

question

A researcher is interested in studying how unemployment affects fathers' interactions with their children. The researcher gathers together 25 unemployed fathers and with a moderator they discuss how they think and feel about their situation and their interactions with their children. This is an example of

answer

A focus group study.

question

Which research technique can provide cause-and-effect answers?

answer

Experimental

question

A riverboat gambling company wants to increase the amount of money that patrons gamble while on board. A researcher suggests that the scent of ginger in the air might increase interest in gambling. What would a researcher select as the most likely independent variable and dependent variable in an experiment designed to test this idea?

answer

The independent variable would be the amount of ginger in the air; the dependent variable would be the amount of money bet.

question

The notion that music can influence mood is widely held. Several psychologists decide to put this idea to an experimental test. What would happen to the participants in the control and experimental groups?

answer

The control group would hear no music; the experimental group would listen to music.

question

Albert Bandura hypothesized that children who observed an adult behaving aggressively would be more likely to exhibit aggressive actions. In his experiment ________ was the independent variable and ________ was the dependent variable.

answer

observing an aggressive or nonaggressive model; number of hits directed at a Bobo doll

question

How do researchers ensure that groups of participants are equal before they begin an experiment?

answer

They randomly assign participants to groups.

question

Ken is planning on studying the influence of intelligence on the ability to recall events from the 1960s. If Ken does not account for variables, such as age, that could also influence one's ability to recall these events, age could be considered a(n) ________ variable.

answer

Extraneous

question

Which of these is a measure of central tendency?

answer

mean

question

Which group must evaluate all psychological research proposals before the research can be conducted?

answer

Institutional review board

question

In order to shed light on some of the factors that might have influenced the Holocaust, Stanley Milgram asked participants to administer electrical shocks to others as part of what was described as research on learning. Today, this research would violate which ethical principle?

answer

Protection from harm

question

Research participants are entitled to know and agree to the nature of research and the requirements of participation according to the concept of

answer

Informed consent.

question

What did Sigmund Freud consider as the key to understanding behavior?

answer

The unconscious mind

question

In the early part of the past century, psychologists who studied conscious experience were called structuralists. What term might we use today to describe psychologists with similar interests?

answer

Cognitive

question

Suppose you were a graduate student studying for a PhD in psychology in the 1920s. Your advisor was strongly influenced by John B. Watson. Which of these might your advisor consider an acceptable choice for your research?

answer

An analysis of how specific behaviors are acquired

question

Alice's third-grade teacher believes she has a reading problem that causes difficulty in learning. Which type of psychologist is likely to be asked to evaluate Alice and plan a treatment program?

answer

school psychologist

question

Why is it important to learn about biology?

answer

to understand many areas of psychology

question

What term describes a range of disciplines involved in the study of the nervous system?

answer

behavioral neuroscience

question

What is a stimulus?

answer

a feature in the environment that provokes a response

question

What do we call cells that detect stimuli?

answer

receptors

question

The brain and spinal cord are the two components of the ________ nervous system

answer

central

question

Which component of the nervous system makes contact with the environment?

answer

Somatic

question

While walking down the street you step on something, which turns out to be a wallet. What sequence of components of the nervous system was involved as you realized that you stepped on something and then picked it up?

answer

afferent nerves, brain, efferent nerves

question

"A voluntary system" is a description of the ________ nervous system; "an involuntary system" is a description of the _________ nervous system

answer

somatic; autonomic

question

You make a wrong turn off the highway and find yourself in an unfamiliar town. You spot a group of men breaking windows with baseball bats. They see you and begin running toward you. Which part of your nervous system will be activated at this point?

answer

sympathetic component of the autonomic nervous system

question

You are studying alone in your room late at night when you hear a loud noise downstairs. Your heart beat has increased significantly and your breathing is deeper. You wonder if a burglar has entered the house so you decide to investigate. When you cautiously walk downstairs you discover your cat has knocked over a plant stand. Your body begins to relax and return to normal. Which part of your nervous system is responsible for returning you to a normal state

answer

parasympathetic

question

Homeostasis refers to?

answer

a balanced state of functioning.

question

What is the function of interneurons in the spinal cord?

answer

to send information to a motor nerve or up the spinal cord

question

What is the approximate speed of the reaction to a painful stimulus?

answer

0.8 milliseconds

question

The endocrine system consists of glands that secrete chemicals called

answer

Hormones.

question

Which pathway is important in determining the amount of melatonin released by the body?

answer

retina to hypothalamus to pineal gland

question

Which of the following correctly pairs an endocrine gland with a hormone it secretes?

answer

pancreas - insulin

question

Which of these is both an endocrine gland and the center for a variety of behaviors related to survival?

answer

hypothalamus

question

Which endocrine gland controls several other glands?

answer

pituitary

question

Which of these is a hormone that has been linked to learning and memory?

answer

ACTH

question

Which hormone is released to produce the growth spurt that occurs during puberty?

answer

somatotropin

question

The ovaries produce ________; the testes produce ________.

answer

estrogens; androgens

question

You are driving down the highway when suddenly an 18-wheeler crosses the double yellow line and narrowly misses you. You came within inches of being killed, so understandably you are under a great deal of stress. Which gland is releasing hormones to power your reactions this to situation?

answer

adrenal

question

What term is used for the basic cells of the nervous system?

answer

neurons

question

Which part of a cell is involved in metabolic regulation?

answer

Soma

question

Which part of a neuron transmits signals to other neurons and to muscles and glands?

answer

Axon

question

What are the short, branchlike structures of a neuron that receive signals from receptors or other neurons?

answer

Dendrites

question

Your teacher asks you to describe the sequence of parts of a neuron that the impulse travels during neural conduction. Which of the following sequences will you offer?

answer

dendrites, soma, axon, terminal buttons

question

To help her students understand the various parts of a neuron, an instructor compares a neuron to an electrical cord. Using this analogy, how would the instructor describe the myelin sheath?

answer

The insulating cover

question

The view of glial cells as merely "supporting players" has begun to change; as a result neuroscientists now believe that glial cells may play a role in

answer

Learning and memory.

question

What term describes the space between two neurons?

answer

Synapse

question

Where are neurotransmitters stored?

answer

terminal buttons

question

Some neurotransmitters make it more likely that a neuron will send its message to other neurons, a process known as ________; whereas some make it less likely that a neuron will send its message, a process known as ________

answer

inhibition;excitation

question

Which neurotransmitter plays a role in motor movement and is also involved in brain pathways for reward and punishment

answer

dopamine

question

Which neurotransmitter is involved in mood, weight regulation, and sleep induction?

answer

serotonin

question

Sara has been experiencing a serious memory problem. An interdisciplinary team has ruled out a range of causes and believes that a neurotransmitter is involved. Which neurotransmitter is most likely involved?

answer

acetylcholine

question

Which neurotransmitter may cause neurons to become overexcited, and thus may cause damage if its level is excessive?

answer

glutamate

question

What term is used for drugs that enhance the operation of neurotransmitters?

answer

agonists

question

Haloperidol (Haldol) is effective in treating some psychological disorders by blocking the action of dopamine. Thus, we can describe haloperidol as a(n)

answer

antagonist.

question

How do neuromodulators affect neural transmission?

answer

by inhibiting the release of neurotransmitters

question

Every day you see Ted running as hard as he can. You wonder why he likes to sweat so much and work so hard. When you ask, he tells you he does not feel pain; in fact, he talks about a "runner's high." A physiological psychologist might attribute this "runner's high" to the effects of:

answer

endorphins.

question

The medulla, pons, and the cerebellum are parts of the

answer

hindbrain.

question

While driving, Sam was directed by a police officer to pull off the highway. The officer suspected that Sam had been drinking and asked him to walk a straight line. If Sam had been drinking, he would have difficulty with this maneuver as a result of the effects of alcohol on the:

answer

cerebellum.

question

What are the components of the brain stem?

answer

hindbrain and midbrain

question

What is the main function of the reticular formation?

answer

to control levels of alertness

question

The two hemispheres of the brain communicate with each other through the

answer

corpus callosum

question

Dion threw his bat into the dirt after he struck out for the third time during a softball game. Which part of the brain is involved in this expression of anger?

answer

limbic system

question

After an iron rod shot through his brain in an accident, Phineas Gage experienced difficulty in carrying out his plans effectively. Which lobe of the brain was damaged in his accident

answer

frontal

question

Darla was in an automobile accident that resulted in an injury to her brain. Her sense of touch has been affected. Which part of the brain is the likely site of the damage? (

answer

the temporal lobe

question

A neurologist examines a patient who cannot see despite any evidence of damage to the eye. The neurologist suspects the patient has brain damage. Which part of the brain would the neurologist hypothesize as the location of the damage?

answer

Occipital lobes

question

The hippocampus plays a key role in:

answer

the formation of memories

question

Which lobe of the cerebral cortex is involved in the interpretation of speech?

answer

the frontal lobe

question

Activation of the receptors by stimuli is called

answer

sensation

question

The phone in your room rings; you pick it up and immediately recognize the voice of your grandfather. What process is involved in this recognition?

answer

perception

question

What is the process in which receptors become less sensitive to repeated presentations of the same stimulus?

answer

adaptation

question

Transformation of physical energy received by the receptors into a pattern of neural impulses that the nervous system can process is called:

answer

transduction.

question

Ernst Weber provided a formula that is used to predict the:

answer

smallest detectable difference between two stimuli.

question

You push the volume button on your remote control until you can tell that the television's sound is louder. The number of times you pushed the button represents your

answer

just noticeable difference.

question

The difficulty you have deciding if the doorbell actually sounded is best explained by

answer

signal detection theory.

question

Erin has learned to create a "truly red" light by focusing on only one wavelength of the visible spectrum. She is most likely to be concerned with which property of light?

answer

saturation

question

Why do you see a lemon as yellow?

answer

The lemon reflects only yellow wavelengths.

question

What color would you see if a researcher simultaneously passes radiant light through filters representing the three primary colors?

answer

white

question

If an object absorbs all light waves, what color would you see when you look at the object?

answer

Black

question

When light waves enter the eye, they first pass through the

answer

cornea.

question

What is the pupil of the eye?

answer

the small opening in the center of the eye

question

When we describe Cassie's eyes as blue, technically, we are referring to her blue: (Answer on P. 90).

answer

irises.

question

The adjustments called accommodation result from changes in the: (Answer on P.90).

answer

lens.

question

Which component of the eye contains the visual receptors? (Answer on P.90).

answer

retina

question

What are the sensory receptors for light? (Answer on P.92).

answer

cones and rods

question

Rob is color blind as a result of a problem in the eye itself. Which structure is most likely responsible for his color blindness

answer

Cones

question

Which disease is a factor in a number of cases of acquired color deficiency? (Answer on P. 96).

answer

diabetes

question

What characteristic of sound waves is measured in units called decibels? (Answer on P.97-98)

answer

amplitude

question

What is the basic function of the pinna? (Answer on P.99).

answer

to gather sound waves to the eardrum

question

The bone that is attached to the eardrum is called the ________; the bone that is connected to the oval window is called the ________.

answer

malleus; stapes

question

What is the auditory receptor where transduction occurs? (Answer on P.100).

answer

hair Cells

question

The place theory of pitch suggests that pitch is determined by the: (Answer on P.100).

answer

specific hair cells that are stimulated.

question

A blow to Gina's head caused brain damage resulting in a loss of hearing. Which area of the brain was damaged? (Answer on P.100)

answer

temporal lobes

question

What factors do we use to locate sounds around us? (Answer on P.100).

answer

volume of sound and differences in time for sound to reach each ear

question

Why are the chemical senses called the primitive senses? (Answer on P.102).

answer

Compared to humans, other animals rely heavily on chemical senses for survival.

question

Our sense of taste works best when food molecules are:

answer

dissolved in a liquid solution.

question

What are papillae? (Answer on P.102)

answer

protrusions that contain taste buds

question

What is the actual location of the taste receptors?

answer

papillae

question

What is the neural pathway sequence for taste?

answer

taste buds, medulla, thalamus, somatosensory cortex

question

Which of these is a situation that involves olfaction?

answer

comparing the smell of two colognes

question

Stan has been having a difficult time smelling the food he consumes. He may be suffering from: (Answer on P.

answer

anosmia.

question

What is the proper sequence traveled by an olfactory stimulus? (Answer on P.105).

answer

receptor, olfactory bulb, amygdala, thalamus

question

Which sense provides information about the body's orientation and movement? (Answer on P.106).

answer

vestibular

question

You walk into class and find the following words on the board: mechanoreceptors, thermoreceptors, and nocioreceptors. Based on these words, what will you conclude was the topic of the lecture? (Answer on

answer

cutaneous senses

question

A participant in an experiment just had his mechanoreceptors stimulated. If the researcher asked him to continually report what was occurring to him, what did he just say? (Answer on P.107).

answer

"I feel some pressure."

question

If a team of researchers is interested in the functioning of nocioreceptors, what is the focus of their research efforts? (Answer on P.108).

answer

sensation of pain

question

What requirement does attention place on our sensory systems? (Answer on P.110).

answer

We must filter out some stimuli to process.

question

Recognizing your home in the suburbs from the other similar-looking houses requires the use of: (Answer on

answer

Pattern Perciption

question

A dinner plate looks circular when viewed from directly above. Viewed from an angle, the same plate looks elliptical. We know the plate remains circular thanks to: (Answer on P.112).

answer

Shape constancy.

question

Your friend walks away from you on campus. Despite the fact that the retinal image of your friend ________, your perception of the friend does not change, thanks to ________.

answer

shrinks; size constancy

question

What kind of cues do we use to perceive depth? (Answer on P.113).

answer

binocular and monocular

question

Which perceptual principle suggests that we are likely to perceive [ ] as a square? (Answer on P.117).

answer

closure

question

A student club at school invited a psychic to perform several feats during the lunch hour. One of the feats involved "psychically" moving a pencil across a table without touching it. What "psychic ability" does this represent? (Answer on P. 122).

answer

psychokinesis

question

Your father claims he "read" a note you wrote on a slip of paper and kept in your locker at school. According to the note, you intended to go out next weekend despite the fact that you had been grounded. What form of ESP might your father claim he was using? (Answer on P.1

answer

clairvoyance

question

According to the Gestalt principle of proximity, we group together items that are ________; according to similarity, we group items that are ________. (Answer on P.116).

answer

close together; alike

question

Why did Hermann Ebbinghaus create nonsense syllables?

answer

to find how stimuli are remembered without interference from previous learning

question

Which method is involved when a teacher asks her students to list the 50 states in the U.S. in no particular order?

answer

free recall

question

A child learning to recite the alphabet is an example of

answer

serial learning.

question

Hermann Ebbinghaus found that memory is best immediately after we learn information, and we gradually forget more as time passes. What name is given to this observation?

answer

curve of forgetting

question

A psychologist was invited to speak to a group of freshmen students to help them develop better ways to study material in all of their classes. The psychologist begins by noting that two key findings relevant to them can be found in the work of the pioneer in memory research. First, too many students who cram do not understand the consequences of ________, and they would be far better off if they would use ________ when studying.

answer

the curve of forgetting; distributed practice

question

Which measure of memory is involved in answering multiple-choice questions?

answer

recognition

question

You originally needed 24 trials to learn a list of words and two weeks later took 18 trials to relearn the list. A psychologist analyzed the evidence for memory and reports it. Which term would you hear when she gives this report?

answer

Savings Score

question

Which model of memory is inspired by the operation of computers?

answer

information processing

question

In which information processing stage is information transformed into neural impulses that can be processed further or stored for later use?

answer

Encoding

question

What are the components of the information processing model, in order?

answer

encoding, storage, retrieval

question

Which of these is the best analogy for the storage process?

answer

imprinting the digitized musical notes onto the CD

question

"Do you remember the candidate who lost to Barack Obama?" "Don't tell me, I know. OK, I can use a hint." "His initials are JM." "I got it—John McCain." What do psychologists call details such as these initials that help us retrieve information from memory?

answer

Cues

question

Which stage of information processing is used when we bring memory into consciousness?

answer

retrieval

question

Which memory system provides a very brief image of all the stimuli present at a particular moment?

answer

Sensory memory

question

Estimates of the length of echoic sensory memory are in the range of ________ seconds, although some estimates run as high as ________ seconds

answer

2 - 3; 20

question

When a psychologist asked groups of participants to listen to three different speakers presenting different lists of letters, he came across evidence for the existence of echoic memory. What was the evidence that supported the existence of echoic memory?

answer

The participants had difficulty repeating the letters from all three participants, but if asked immediately for one of the lists, they could repeat it.

question

How long does information remain in short-term memory if it is not rehearsed?

answer

10 to 20 seconds

question

According to George Miller, how many items can we hold in short-term memory at any one time?

answer

seven plus or minus two

question

What term do psychologists use for the second phase of short-term memory, in which attention and conscious effort are brought to bear on the material at hand?

answer

working memory

question

Your street address, telephone number, and Social Security number are stored in ________ memory

answer

Long Time

question

________ rehearsal results in a more lasting memory compared to ________ rehearsal, and promotes the transfer of information to long-term memory

answer

Elaborative; maintenance

question

When new information blocks the recall of old information, we experience ________; when old information blocks the recall of new information, we experience ________

answer

retroactive interference; proactive interference

question

When asked to name the anchor for NBC Nightly News, Donna says she knows the name, but cannot produce it. Donna's failure to recall the name is an example of

answer

the tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon.

question

Steve was recalling his first day in college, including walking into the wrong class, dropping his books as he left, and the long line at the registrar's office he encountered when he had to switch classes. These memories are examples of ________ memory

answer

episodic

question

What is an unconscious form of memory concerned with perceptual identification of words and objects?

answer

priming memory

question

How does the Levels of Processing model of memory differ from the Information Processing model?

answer

The Levels of Processing model hypothesizes only one type of memory, but different levels of information processing.

question

Don hasn't recited the Pledge of Allegiance in years. When asked to do so, he places his right hand over his heart and recites the Pledge perfectly. Placing his hand over his heart was retrieved from his ________ memory, whereas the recited words were retrieved from his ________ memory

answer

procedural, semantic

question

What has research demonstrated about the method used for retrieving short-term memories?

answer

We scan short-term memory, locate the specific memory, and process it.

question

The instructor walks into the classroom and is carrying a pile of papers and some books. After an introduction, the instructor distributes the syllabus, explains the course requirements, and takes roll. This description of what happens on the first day of a class is a

answer

schema.

question

"The effectiveness of memory retrieval is directly related to the similarity of cues present when the memory was encoded to the cues present when the memory is retrieved." What concept is described by this statement?

answer

encoding specificity

question

What major problem with eyewitness testimony has Elizabeth Loftus uncovered?

answer

Memories of details can be altered while in short-term memory.

question

When related concepts are linked together, they form:

answer

semantic networks.

question

What is one major concern about the use of memory-recovery techniques in psychotherapy?

answer

These techniques can create compelling, but false memories.

question

Ancient Greek orators had no way to write down their speeches, so they devised other methods to aid recall. They imagined that they were walking through a temple and associated each part of their speech with a statue in the temple. What do we call this method?

answer

method of loci

question

Ted associates each item on a list with one of the following rhymes: "one is a bun .... two is a shoe .... three is a tree ...." and so on. What memory technique is he using?

answer

pegword technique

question

After being challenged to name all 50 states, you begin to recall them by thinking of states that begin with "A" and proceeding through the alphabet. What approach are you using?

answer

chunking

question

A police officer was shot in a gun battle with bank robbers. Although emergency brain surgery saved his life, it left him unable to store new information. When asked to provide a diagnosis of the difficulties he suffers, what will they write

answer

anterograde amnesia

question

H. M. lost the ability to form new memories after an operation removed portions of his

answer

hippocampus.

question

A soldier was injured when a mortar exploded next to him. Although he recovered from his wounds, he is not able to recall information from years ago. What term is used to describe this soldier's condition?

answer

retrograde amnesia

Psychology Chapter 1-4

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