Study Questions for Myers’ Exploring Psychology in Modules
(Worth Publishers, 7th edition, 2008)
UNIT 4
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Module 25: Intelligence
Discuss how intelligence is viewed in various contexts. Then state the textbook author’s definition of
intelligence. (p. 331)
Discuss the controversy over the suggestion that there is a single general mental capacity (“g”) that underlies all
the various abilities a person has. Identify and compare the positions of Charles Spearman and Howard Gardner
on this controversy. (pp. 331-332, and Table 25.1)
Describe savant syndrome, and indicate whether evidence from the study of savants supports or challenges the
idea of intelligence as one general mental ability. (p. 331)
Explain Gardner’s concept of multiple intelligences. Be able to recognize each of the eight intelligences
Gardner has identified, and list the two that are assessed by standard tests of intelligence. Then discuss
criticisms of Gardner’s theory. (pp. 331-332 and , Table 25.1)
List and discuss the three dimensions of intelligence specified in Sternberg’s triarchic theory. Compare
Sternberg’s triarchic theory with Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences. (pp. 332-333, and Table 25.1once
again )
Define creativity. Distinguish between convergent and divergent thinking, and describe the relationship
between creativity and intelligence. (pp. 353-354)
Identify and describe the four components of emotional intelligence, and describe the some of the known
characteristics and outcomes of people who score high on tests of emotional intelligence. (pp. 335-336)
Explain what an intelligence test is. Describe the contributions of Binet and Terman, and discuss the
development of the earliest intelligence tests. (Who developed the first widely used standardized test of
intelligence, and where and when was it developed? Who developed the Stanford-Binet test?) (pp. 336-338)
Distinguish between mental age and chronological age, and explain how IQ was calculated using Stern’s
formula. For practice, use this formula to calculate the IQ score of: (a) a 6-year-old child whose mental age is
9, and (b) a 12-year-old whose mental age is 9. What is the IQ score of a child whose intelligence is average?
(Think about why this is so, given the application of the IQ formula to a sample case of a 6-year-old child
whose mental age is 6, or a 9-year-old child whose mental age is 9.) (p. 337)
Identify the person who developed the WAIS. (What does the abbreviation “WAIS” stand for?) Describe the
distinctive features of this intelligence test, comparing it with the Stanford-Binet test. Distinguish between the
general types of items included “verbal” and “performance” subtests of the WAIS, describe specific examples.
(pp. 337-338, and Figure 25.1 on p. 338)
Compare and contrast achievement tests and aptitude tests. (p. 338)
List and then explain the three criteria a test must meet in order to be scientifically acceptable. (pp. 338-339)
a. Describe the steps involved in standardizing a test. Discuss the characteristics of the normal curve,
and explain what it means to say that the distribution of intelligence test scores forms a normal
curve.
b. Explain test reliability and validity, and tell how each of these characteristics is checked. (Identify
which of these two characteristics involves checking the test scores against an independent outside
standard, and which one essentially involves checking the test against itself to see whether the tests
scores in a consistent and stable way.)
c. Explain the difference between content validity and predictive validity.
Discuss Lewis Terman’s long-term study tracking the lives of 1500 intellectually gifted children as they
developed and matured. How did Terman define “gifted”? Summarize the findings from Terman’s research. (p.
340-341)
Specify the criteria for mental retardation, and distinguish between mild, moderate, severe, and profound
mental retardation. Describe the type of mental retardation known as Down syndrome, and identify its cause.
(pp. 340-341, and Table 25.2)
Tell what the Flynn effect is, and describe its practical impact. (pp. 340-341, and Figure 25.3)
Explain how findings from studies of twins and adopted children support the conclusion that genes contribute
to an individual’s intelligence. Comment on whether these research findings rule out the environment as an
influence on intelligence. (pp340-343 and Figure 25.4).
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Study Questions for Myers’ Exploring Psychology in Modules
(Worth Publishers, 7th edition, 2008)
17. Define heritability, and explain what a heritability estimate does and does not tell us. What do heritability
estimates reveal about the relationship between genes and intelligence? (p. 343)
18. Describe research evidence showing the impact of environmental factors, such as caregiving, nutrition, and
schooling, on individual intelligence scores. (pp 344-345)
19. Describe some group differences in average intelligence test scores, and explain why such group differences
cannot be simply explained as based on genetic differences between these groups. (pp. 345-347)
20. List some of the average differences in the information-processing and intellectual abilities of males and
females, noting specific areas in which females excel and those in which males excel, on average. (pp. 347350)
21. Specify two different meanings of the term “bias” in reference to tests, and summarize the author’s conclusions
on the issue of whether intelligence tests are biased. (p. 350)
22. Explain the idea of stereotype threat, and discuss how this phenomenon might relate to performance on
intelligence tests and other tests of ability. (pp. 350-351)
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Module 26: Introduction to Motivation --Hunger
Define motivation, explaining the two general ways in which motivation affects behavior. (p. 356).
Identify and compare the major perspectives on motivation, pointing out any limitations as well as explanatory
strengths as you discuss each perspective: a) instincts and evolutionary theory, b) drive-reduction theory, c)
optimum arousal theory, and d) Maslow’s hierarchy of motives. (pp. 357-360 and Figure 26.2)
Define and then discuss the connection of each of the following terms to one of the major perspectives on
motivation: homeostasis, incentives, and self-actualization. (p. 358-359 and Figure 26.2)
Explain what research has revealed about the contribution of the following physiological factors to hunger:
stomach contractions, blood glucose levels, brain areas (lateral hypothalamus and ventromedial hypothalamus),
insulin, ghrelin, leptin, orexin, basal metabolic rate, set point, and settling point. (pp. 360-362 and Figure 26.5)
Describe and distinguish between anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa, and discuss some of the factors that
are found to be related to these eating disorders. (Box 26.0 on pp. 364-365)
Describe some of the health risks and social effects of obesity. (pp. 366-368)
Summarize evidence on the role of the following factors in obesity: size and number of fat cells, body weight
set point (or settling point), metabolism, genetic factors, available food options and food habits, and fidgeting
and physical activity levels. (pp. 368-370)
List several tips researchers have offered for people seeking to lose weight. (pp. 371-372)
Module 27: Sexual Motivation
1. List in order and describe the four stages of the human sexual response cycle, based on Masters and Johnson’s
research. Compare the refractory period in males and females. (pp. 375-376)
2. Discuss the influence of estrogen and testosterone on sexual behavior and sexual motivation. (pp. 376-377)
3. Review the idea that sexual motivation is best understood at various levels of analysis, using a biopsychosocial
approach. (Figure 27.1, p. 377)
4. List some of the effects of exposure to sexually explicit materials, such as X-rated sex films. (p. 378)
5. Recognize some of the factors that are related to relative rates of premarital sexual intercourse in teenagers, and
to rates of teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections. List several factors known to be associated with
sexual restraint in adolescents. (pp. 378-380)
6. Compare statistical results from carefully conducted survey research with popular press assumptions about the
percentage of European and American men and women whose sexual orientation is exclusively homosexual.
(pp. 381-382)
7. State what research has revealed about whether any of the following factors seems to be related to sexual
orientation: relationship with parents, fear of the opposite sex, childhood sexual molestation or abuse, current
hormone levels, brain anatomy, genes, prenatal hormones. Does it appear that there is more evidence for the
role of “nature” or “nurture” in determining sexual orientation? (pp. 380-386 and Table 27.1)
8. Describe some of the benefits to survival and well-being that come with the human tendency to want to belong
and to form relationships, and also some of the risks that come with social rejection and isolation. (pp. 387-389)
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Study Questions for Myers’ Exploring Psychology in Modules
(Worth Publishers, 7th edition, 2008)
Module 28: Motivation at Work
1. Describe the experience of “flow,” as researched by Czikszentmihalyi, and indicate its relationship to one’s
sense of well-being, self-esteem, and competence. (p 392)
2. Define the focus of industrial-organizational (I/O) psychology, and be able to recognize the types of activities
that might be performed by various I/O psychologists, such as human factors psychologists, organizational
psychologists, and personnel psychologists. (pp. 393-394, including the Close-Up box on p. 394)
3. Explain the procedures and tools involved in implementing a strength-based selection system. (p. 395)
4. Explain why interviewers’ judgments of job candidates are prone to errors, and identify other indicators that
better predict job performance. Distinguish between structured and unstructured interviews, and identify which
type of interview yields more accurate predictions about a job candidate. (pp. 395-396)
5. Explain several methods of appraising performance, including 360-degree feedback. (pp. 396-397)
6. Define achievement motivation, and relate achievement motivation to peoples’ preferences for easy, moderate,
or difficult tasks and to their persistence in the face of difficulties and challenges. (p. 398).
7. List some management strategies that have been found to be effective, and compare and contrast task
leadership and social leadership styles. (pp. 401)
8. Identify: voice effect, command-and-control management, joint-vision process. (p. 402)
Module 29: Theories and Physiology of Emotion
1. Identify the three components of an emotion, and summarize the controversies over how these components
interact. (pp. 406-407)
2. Describe and then compare the following views on the sequence of events that take place to determine
emotional feelings: a) the common-sense view; b) the James-Lange theory of emotion; and c) the Cannon-Bard
theory of emotion. (pp. 407-409, including Figure 13.1)
3. List the two factors that the Schachter and Singer two-factor theory specifies as necessary to our emotional
feelings. (pp. 408-409, including Figure 29.1)
4. List the two subdivisions of the autonomic nervous system, and describe their effects in the body during
emotionally aroused and calm states. (pp. 409-410, including Figure 29.2)
5. Describe the relationship between level of physiological arousal and performance on tasks of varying levels of
difficulty. (p. 410, including Figure 29.3)
6. Explain the role of the amygdala and the right and left frontal cortex in emotional states. (p. 411)
7. List the specific physical responses a polygraph (“lie detector”) measures, and discuss the question of whether
this device can effectively detect lying. Then explain how the “guilty knowledge test” can improve the
effectiveness of lie detection and protect innocent suspects. (p. 412, Box 29.0--“Thinking Critically About Lie
Detection”)
8. Summarize evidence addressing the issue of whether all emotions depend on cognitive processes (such as the
interpretation or labeling of the arousal we experience)? (pp. 413-412)
9. Describe, compare, and contrast the two brain pathways described as the “low road” and the “high road”
underlying amygdala activation and fear responses. Which of these pathways is faster in stimulating a fear
response? Which of these pathways involves more cognitive processing (thinking, intellectual activity) before
the fear response occurs? (pp. 413-414 and Figure 29.5-)
Module 30: Expressing and Experiencing Emotion
1. List some factors that influence the ability to detect emotions that are express nonverbally, and compare the
abilities of women and men in reading emotional cues and in expressing empathy. (pp. p. 417-420)
2. Explain how Ekman and others investigated the question of whether facial expressions of emotion have similar
meanings regardless of culture. Describe the results and conclusions from these studies. (pp. pp. 420-421)
3. Compare the emotional facial expressions of sighted children with those of children who have been blind from
birth, and tell what studies on this subject suggest about the role of experience in shaping facial expressions of
emotion. (p. 421)
4. Describe some situational and cultural variations in how much emotion people express. (p. 421)
5. Describe the procedures and results of several research studies concluding that facial feedback and behavior
feedback can amplify and regulate our emotional feelings. (pp. 421-422)
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Study Questions for Myers’ Exploring Psychology in Modules
(Worth Publishers, 7th edition, 2008)
6. Define catharsis, and discuss whether research evidence supports the idea that venting anger is usually an
effective way to rid ourselves of angry feelings. What alternative ways of dealing with anger do experts
recommend? (pp. 423-425)
7. Identify and discuss the relationship to happiness of the following: 1) the feel-good, do-good phenomenon; 2)
the adaptation-level phenomenon; 3) relative deprivation. (pp. 425-428)
8. Summarize what research has revealed about the relationship between subjective well-being or happiness and
each of the following factors: 1) wealth; 2) self-esteem; 3) close relationships; 4) age; 5) gender; 6) physical
attractiveness; 7) genes. (pp. 427 and 430-431)
9. Review the list of research-based recommendations about how to improve your mood and satisfaction with life,
and reflect on their implications for your own life. Which of these realizations, outlooks, attitudes, and habits
are already a part of your life? Which other ones might be worth incorporating into your life? (p. 432)
Module 31: Stress and Illness
1. Distinguish between the terms stressor, stress reaction, and stress, discuss the role of cognitive appraisal in the
experience of stress, and mention some examples of beneficial and damaging effects of stress. (pp. 435-436)
2. Identify the division of the autonomic nervous system that is activated when our bodies prepare for “fight or
flight,” and list various physiological changes that accompany this fight or flight preparation. Then name and
describe another common response to stress that does not involve preparation for fight or flight. (p. 436)
3. Explain some of Hans Selye’s fundamental discoveries about the body’s adaptive response to stress. Then list
the three stages of Selye’s general adaptation syndrome, and explain the physiological changes that occur as
these three phases unfold during prolonged stress. (pp. 436-437 and Figure 31.2)
4. Give examples of catastrophes, significant life transitions, and daily hassles, and compare their effects on health
of. (pp. 437-438)
5. List some factors associated with increased risk of heart attacks. Describe Type A and Type B behavior
patterns, as researched by Friedman and Rosenman, and relate these personality types to heart attack risk.
Identify the “toxic core” of Type A behavior – the specific components of Type A personality that seems to
have the greatest impact on health. (pp. 438-439 )
6. Define the following terms: psychophysiological illnesses, psychoneuroimmunology, immune system,
lymphocytes. Describe specific research evidence supporting the idea that stressful life circumstances can affect
the immune system and health. Summarize specific evidence suggesting a link between stress and vulnerability
to the common cold. (pp. 440-441)
7. Identify: AIDS, HIV; carcinogens. Discuss whether there is a relationship of stress to the occurrence or
progression of diseases in individuals with serious medical conditions such as HIV/AIDS or cancer, and if so,
through what mechanisms. (pp. 441-442)
8. Tell how the focus of behavioral medicine relates to important points of view and central themes in
contemporary psychology, and especially to the idea that “we are biopsychosocial systems.” (p. 443)
Module 32: Promoting Health
1. Compare and contrast problem-focused coping strategies and emotion-focused coping strategies, giving
examples of each strategy. (p. 445)
2. Summarize research evidence suggesting a link between health and perceived control, and cite possible reasons
for this link. (pp. 445-446)
3. Distinguish between pessimistic and optimistic explanatory styles, and describe the association between
explanatory style and health outcomes. (pp. 446-447)
4. Cite evidence on the association between social support, stress, and health outcomes. Also describe research
suggesting that the act of expressing our thoughts about troubling events can help to relieve stress. (pp. 447449)
5. Describe research evidence on the impact of aerobic exercise on mood and health. (pp. 449-450)
6. Describe biofeedback. Discuss research into biofeedback, lifestyle modification, meditative relaxation, and
complementary and alternative medicine approaches to stress management and health improvement. Explain
why is it so important for researchers who investigate these topics to perform controlled experiments with
random assignment of some participants to a control group. (pp. 451- 454 and Figure 32.2)
7. Describe the religiosity-longevity correlation, and discuss various potential explanations for “the faith factor” in
longevity. (pp. 454-456 and Figures 32.5 and 32.6)
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