Ch.1 “What is Psychology?”
Section 1: Why Study Psychology?
Use the terms in the word bank to fill in the correct answer.
natural
anxiety
sports psychologists
research
theory
social
psychology
behavior
cognitive activities
psychologists
1._________________________ the scientific study of behavior and mental processes
2._________________________ any action that other people can observe or measure
3._________________________ private mental processes
4._________________________ experts who study psychology
5._________________________ psychologists who work with athletes
6._________________________ a feeling that can make a person alert and provides motivation?
7._________________________ type of science that includes history, economics, and psychology
8._________________________ type of science that includes biology, chemistry, and physics
9._________________________ conducted by psychologists, and other scientists, to test theories
10._________________________ a statement that attempts to explain why things are the way they are and happen
the way they do
Section 2: What Psychologists Do
Determine which type of psychologist is described by each statement below. Circle the correct answer.
1. They make up the largest group of psychologists.
clinical psychologists
school psychologists
developmental psychologists
2. They study the changes that occur throughout the life span.
clinical psychologists
school psychologists
developmental psychologists
3. They help their clients overcome problems and adjust to the demands of life.
clinical psychologists
school psychologists
developmental psychologists
4. They help students who have problems that interfere with learning.
clinical psychologists
school psychologists
developmental psychologists
5. They attempt to sort out the relative influences of heredity and the environment on development.
clinical psychologists
school psychologists
developmental psychologists
6. They are employed by school districts.
clinical psychologists
school psychologists
developmental psychologists
7. Some of them work in hospitals or prisons.
clinical psychologists
school psychologists
developmental psychologists
8. They administer tests to large groups of students.
clinical psychologists
school psychologists
developmental psychologists
9. They observe students in the classroom.
clinical psychologists
school psychologists
developmental psychologists
10. Many of them are in private practice.
clinical psychologists
school psychologists
developmental psychologists
Section 3: A History of Psychology
Fill in the word (or words) that best completes each statement.
1. The type of learning suggested by Socrates is today called ____________________, which means "looking within."
2. One of Plato's students, ____________________, argued that human behavior is subject to certain rules and laws.
3. Wilhelm Wundt and his students founded a field of psychology that came to be known as ___________________.
4. Willian James was one of the founders of ____________________.
5. As the founder of ____________________, John B. Watson defined psychology as the scientific study of
observable behavior.
6. Harvard University psychologists B. F. ____________________ added to the behaviorist tradition by introducing
the concept of reinforcement.
7. According to Skinner, people learn in the same way ____________________ do.
8. German psychologists, who were interested in the way that context influences people's interpretations of
information, founded the school of ____________________ psychology.
9. Sigmund ____________________ was perhaps the most famous of the early psychologists.
10. The school of thought founded by Freud was called ____________________.
Section 4: Contemporary Perspectives
Determine which type of perspective is described by each statement below. Circle the correct answer.
1. This perspective emphasizes the role played by thoughts in determining behavior.
biological perspective
cognitive perspective
humanistic perspective
2. This perspective emphasizes the influence of biology on our behavior.
biological perspective
cognitive perspective
humanistic perspective
3. This perspective looks for the connections between events in the brain.
biological perspective
cognitive perspective
humanistic perspective
4. This perspective stresses the human capacity for self-fulfillment and the importance of consciousness and selfawareness.
biological perspective
cognitive perspective
humanistic perspective
5. Psychologists who follow this perspective study mental processes to understand human nature.
biological perspective
cognitive perspective
humanistic perspective
6. This perspective has its roots in Socrates' maxim "Know thyself."
biological perspective
cognitive perspective
humanistic perspective
7. From the viewpoint of this perspective, people's personal experiences are the most important aspect of psychology.
biological perspective
cognitive perspective
humanistic perspective
8. Psychologists who follow this perspective are interested in the influences of hormones and genes.
biological perspective
cognitive perspective
humanistic perspective
9. This perspective views people as basically good and helpful to others.
biological perspective
cognitive perspective
humanistic perspective
10. Psychologists who follow this perspective use techniques such as CAT scans and PET scans.
biological perspective
cognitive perspective
humanistic perspective