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Spring 2014 Quiz One: General Psychology
Instructor Charlotte Nolan-Reyes, PhD
Write your name on the BACK
MULTIPLE CHOICE Choose the ONE BEST answer and circle it clearly.
1. The scientific study of behavior and mental processes is called ____.
a.
introspection
c. behaviorism
b.
psychology
d. functionalism
2. A hypothesis is best defined as:
an if-then type statement that predicts a specific relationship among variables that
a. can then be tested.
the precise meaning of a term which specifies the operations for observing
b. and measuring the phenomenon being investigated.
an organized system of assumptions that attempts to explain a data set
c. (specified phenomena and their interrelationships).
the principle that a scientific theory must allow for hypotheses that are
d. specific enough to all for the possibility tht they theory may be disconfirmed.
3. Participants in an experiment on stress management are given a set of stress reduction techniques and then
measured for the effect. What is the role of the control group in this experiment?
a.
They receive no stress reduction techniques and they are not measured.
b.
They receive a random stress reduction technique.
c.
They receive no stress management techniques, but they are measured.
d.
They receive the same techniques as the experimental group, and they are measured.
4. The early approach to psychology in which the mind is broken into the smallest elements of mental
experience. What is this called?
a.
structuralism
c. behaviorism
b.
functionalism
d. humanism
5. What is the early approach to psychology that saw behavior as purposeful and contributing to survival? That
is, they asked “What is this human behavior for”?
a. behaviorism
c. humanism
b. functionalism
d. structuralism
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6. . Which of the following best describes the position of most psychologists today on the nature-nurture
issue?
a. Nature produces our physical traits, whereas our psychological traits are produced by an
interaction of nature and nurture.
b. Some of our psychological traits are produced primarily by nature and some primarily by
nurture, but nature is most important in producing our physical traits.
c. Nature is more important in producing our physical traits, whereas nurture is more important in
producing our psychological traits.
d. Nature and nurture are intertwined to produce both our psychological and our physical traits.
7.
8.
The magazine Hip Urban Lovers publishes a survey of its female readers called "The Real Sex Life
of the American Woman”. It reports that 87 percent of all American women like to make love in rubber
boots. The critical flaw in this report would be:
a. the fact that a psychological test, rather than a survey, should have been given.
b. the fact that rubber boots are not equally available in all regions of the country.
c. the fact that "making love" has not been operationally defined.
d.
the female readers are not a representative sample of American Woman.
When you get nervous or afraid, possibly during this test for example, your sympathetic nervous
system is activated and you:
a. tend to calm down.
b. begin to digest your food.
c. mobilize bodily resources to either fight or flee from danger.
d. begin to produce large amounts of saliva.
9. . Which of the following brain regions contains the visual cortex?
a. temporal lobes
b. frontal lobes
c. occcipital lobes
d. parietal lobes
10.
11.
A newspaper headline states “Autism correlation to wealth affirmed.” Researchers found that affluent
youngsters were almost twice as likely as the poorest children in the study to have autism. This is a ____.
a. positive correlation
c. negative correlation
b. reciprocal correlation
d. zero correlation
A correlational study found that affluent youngsters were almost twice as likely as the poorest children in
the study to have autism. What is the likely reason?
a. Autism and the traits of high achievers lie on the same continuum.
b. The reason is impossible to determine from this correlation.
c. Wealthier parents tend to put off child-bearing until they're older, which increases the
risk of autism.
d. Poorer children have less access to diagnosis and services for autism.
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12. In an experimental study on the effects of sleep deprivation on depression, the number of hours that a
participant stays awake is represented by the ____.
a. random variable
c. dependent variable(DV)
b. independent variable (IV)
d. control variable
13. Which of the following brain regions is most involved in planning and rational decision-making?
a. temporal lobes
b. frontal lobes
c. occipital lobes
d. parietal lobes
14. Profesora Reyes wants to know if people consume greater quantities of alcohol during "Happy
Hour" specials. It is most likely that she will use the _______________ method to explore this topic.
a. case study
b. double-blind
c. experimental
d. naturalistic observation
15. Which of the following neurotransmitters affects neurons involved in Sleep, Mood, Pain Appetite,
and Impulsivity
a.
b.
c.
d.
acetylcholine
norepinephrine
serotonin
dopamine
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58.An approach to psychology that features the study and careful measurement of observable behaviors is called
____.
a. functionalism
c. behaviorism
b. structuralism
d. humanism
ANS: C
PTS: 1
DIF: Understand
REF: How Did the Science of Psychology Begin?
OBJ: LO3
71. By the 1950s, the behaviorists’ disinterest in mental states and activity was challenged by scientists from
diverse fields, including linguistics and computer science, leading to ____.
a. psychodynamic theory
c. a new appreciation of humanism
b. client-centered therapy
d. a cognitive revolution
ANS: D
PTS: 1
DIF: Remember
REF: How Did the Science of Psychology Begin?
OBJ: LO3
75. Many of the big questions tackled by behaviorists are now examined through the lens of the ____
perspective.
a. cognitive or biological
c. evolutionary or cross-cultural
b. structural or historical
d. psychodynamic or humanistic
ANS: A
PTS: 1
DIF: Remember
REF: How Did the Science of Psychology Begin?
OBJ: LO3
76. With the exception of occasional bursts of insight from the Egyptians and Greeks, the most common view of
psychological disorders over the course of history has been that they____.
a. originated in childhood from repressive parenting
b. resulted from the actions of evil spirits or other external, magical forces
c. originated from guilt for condemned behaviors
d. resulted from malfunctions of the human body
ANS: B
PTS: 1
DIF: Remember
REF: How Did the Science of Psychology Begin?
OBJ: LO3
77. Between the 17th and 19th centuries, supernatural explanations for psychological disorders began to give way
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to two scientific approaches: ____.
80. Who contributed ideas about the unconscious mind, the development of sexuality, dream analysis,
psychological roots of abnormal behavior, personality, and therapy?
a. Abraham Maslow
c. Sigmund Freud
b. Carl Rogers
d. Noam Chomsky
ANS: C
PTS: 1
DIF: Remember
REF: How Did the Science of Psychology Begin?
OBJ: LO3
ANS: A
PTS: 1
DIF: Understand
REF: How Did the Science of Psychology Begin?
OBJ: LO3
84. Humanistic psychologists believed that ____.
a. human behavior is on a continuum with animal behavior
b. society acts to civilize humans who are otherwise innately selfish and aggressive
c. people only behave badly when corrupted by society
d. the true motivation for humans to be successful is to see others fail
ANS: C
PTS: 1
DIF: Understand
REF: How Did the Science of Psychology Begin?
OBJ: LO3
85. A leading humanist thinker who introduced a major theory of motivation with a goal of self-actualization is
____.
a. Abraham Maslow
c. Herbert Simon
b. Alan Newell
d. Carl Rogers
ANS: A
PTS: 1
DIF: Understand
REF: How Did the Science of Psychology Begin?
OBJ: LO3
86. Carl Rogers, a leading humanist, developed the approach of ____.
a. psychoanalysis
c. behavioral therapy
b. cognitive therapy
d. client-centered therapy
ANS: D
PTS: 1
DIF: Remember
REF: How Did the Science of Psychology Begin?
OBJ: LO3
87. Which of the following statements is an example of humanistic influence?
a. Capital punishment serves a protective role in a liberal society.
b. “I hear what you’re saying.”
c. Parental love should mirror the behavior of the child.
d. “Do as I say, not as I do.”
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ANS: B
PTS: 1
DIF: Apply
REF: How Did the Science of Psychology Begin?
OBJ: LO3
88. What was a major shortcoming of early psychologists?
a. They overgeneralized their findings.
b. They abandoned the scientific method.
c. They diluted their efforts by diverging into several psychological specializations.
d. They tried to establish theories without a large body of experimental data.
ANS: D
PTS: 1
DIF: Analyze
REF: What Are Psychological Perspectives?
OBJ: LO4
89. By the second half of the 20th century, the majority of psychologists were pursuing an understanding of
behavior from the ____.
a. centrist approach
c. perspectives approach
b. divergent approach
d. dualistic approach
ANS: C
PTS: 1
DIF: Remember
REF: What Are Psychological Perspectives?
OBJ: LO4
90. When psychologists examine psychological phenomena from different perspectives, it ____.
a. implies disagreement on basic principles
b. represents a lack of awareness of alternative perspectives
c. indicates different points of view about behavior
d. reflects changing trends in psychology
ANS: C
PTS: 1
DIF: Analyze
REF: What Are Psychological Perspectives?
OBJ: LO4
91. What is the psychological perspective that focuses on the relationships between mind, behavior, and their
underlying biological processes, including genetics, biochemistry, anatomy, and physiology?
a. evolutionary psychology
c. cognitive psychology
b. developmental psychology
d. biological psychology
ANS: D
PTS: 1
DIF: Remember
REF: What Are Psychological Perspectives?
OBJ:
OBJ: LO4
LO4
96. The psychological perspective that investigates information processing, thinking, reasoning, and problem
solving is called ____.
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a. evolutionary psychology
b. the individual differences perspective
c. cognitive psychology
d. developmental psychology
ANS: C
PTS: 1
DIF: Remember
REF: What Are Psychological Perspectives?
OBJ: LO4
98. The psychological perspective that examines the effects of the social environment on the behavior of
individuals is called ____ psychology.
a. evolutionary
c. cultural
b. social
d. clinical
ANS: B
PTS: 1
DIF: Remember
102. Using the developmental perspective, a psychologist might look at whether the loss of a parent ____.
a. affects the storage and retrieval of memories contemporaneous with the loss
b. triggers changes in brain chemistry, temporarily or permanently
c. is experienced differently at different ages
d. is experienced differently depending on family size
ANS: C
PTS: 1
DIF: Analyze
REF: What Are Psychological Perspectives?
OBJ: LO4
107. Entering the 21st century and armed with in-depth research results compiled in the various perspectives,
psychologists are returning to ____.
a. the structuralist view of the mind
b. viewing the mind as a set of building blocks based on introspection
c. viewing the “the whole as greater than the sum of its parts”
d. a more combined/integrative view of the mind
ANS: D
PTS: 1
DIF: Understand
REF: What Are Psychological Perspectives?
OBJ: LO5
111. If we restrict our thinking about an aspect of mind to the information provided by one perspective, at
worst, the result may ____.
a. be incomplete
c. lead us in the wrong direction
b. lack depth
d. be overly simplistic
ANS: C
PTS: 1
DIF: Understand
REF: What Are Psychological Perspectives?
OBJ: LO5
113. The diversity of career pathways for those with degrees in psychology reflects, in relation to other disciplines,
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that psychology is a(n) “____.”
a. epicenter
b. pathway
c. hub
d. vocation
ANS: C
PTS: 1
DIF: Remember
REF: What Does It Mean to Be a Psychologist?
OBJ: LO6
114. Harold is trying to decide between teaching at the nearby community college or obtaining a therapist’s
license. What degree is the minimum degree required for these positions?
a. master’s degree
c. doctoral degree
b. bachelor’s degree
d. associate’s degree
ANS: A
PTS: 1
DIF: Apply
REF: What Does It Mean to Be a Psychologist?
OBJ: LO6
115. Petra will soon complete her doctoral degree in psychology. She, like the highest percentage of doctoral level
psychologists, will work ____.
a. as a university professor
c. as a therapist
b. in business
d. in government
ANS: C
PTS: 1
DIF: Apply
REF: What Does It Mean to Be a Psychologist?
OBJ: LO6
118. Josh has a doctoral degree in psychology and is a therapist in New York. His sister Sarah has a medical
degree and is in a residency program for psychiatry. Currently, the biggest difference between the two
professions is that, in contrast to Josh, Sarah can ____.
a. prescribe medication
b. conduct research
c. conduct psychotherapy
d. peer review the work of other researchers