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Oakdale High School
Advanced Placement Psychology
Mr. Simoncini
Chapter 1 Reading Response Questions
Part 1: pp. 1-8
1. With regard to the core concept, how do the authors differentiate between mental
processes and behaviors?
2. What is an empirical approach to psychology? What has making the empirical approach
the standard for all psychological research enabled the psychological establishment to
do?
3. Give yourself the “Do It Yourself” quiz—but be sure to cover the answers before you
take the test. After going over the answers, what facts presented, if any, surprised you
the most? Be prepared to discuss in class.
4. Define pseudopsychology and be prepared to provide examples of types of
pseudopsycholotgy.
5. In what ways can confirmation bias negatively affect psychological research?
6. Be prepared to discuss the vignette regarding facilitated communication and what the
authors’ purpose was in relating it.
7. What are the three ways of doing psychology? If you earned a doctorate in psychology,
in which of those three ways would you be most likely to work?
8. Be prepared to discuss each of the applied psychological specialties.
9. What sets psychiatry apart from psychology? What are psychiatrists and what things
about their training and practice set them apart from psychologists?
Part 2: pp. 9-14
10. According to the authors, how Plato related to modern psychology?
11. What disciplines from Asia and Africa have contributed to modern psychology?
12. According to the authors, what traditions most influenced the development of Western
psychology as a science? How?
13. How did the theories of Rene Descartes revolutionize beliefs about human sensations
and behaviors? Discuss in detail.
14. What were the basic assumptions of and techniques attributed to structuralism? What
were the contributions of Wilhelm Wundt to the development of structuralism?
15. In what ways did William James criticize structuralism and what were the basic tenets of
functionalism?
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16. What have been some of the practical uses of functionalism?
17. Discuss the basic principles and early prominent practitioners of Gestalt psychology.
18. How did John B. Watson and other behaviorists differ from others in their approach to
psychology?
19. How did Sigmund Freud and other pioneers of the psychoanalytic method expand the
science of psychology?
20. According to the Zimbardo et al, what two important points in the study of psychology
does the Necker Cube demonstrate?
Part 3: pp. 15-22
21. What is the biological view of psychology? Why is it currently a “hot” area?
22. What is evolutionary psychology and what are the primary beliefs of its practitioners?
23. What are the primary areas of study of developmental psychologists?
24. What is the basic belief of the cognitive view of psychology and what areas are studied
by cognitive psychologists?
25. Discuss both main groups of the clinical view of psychology.
26. According to Zimbardo et al, what is the greatest contribution to psychology provided by
the behaviorists? In your discussion, be sure to draw in the individual the authors assert
is the most influential American behaviorist.
27. What is the sociocultural view of psychology?
28. How does culture contribute to psychology, particularly social psychology?
29. According to Zimbardo, et al, nearly half of the world’s half-million psychologists live and
work where? What affect has that fact had on the study of psychology? Additionally,
what is interesting about most of the new doctorates being awarded in psychology?
30. Be sure to stuffy Table 1.1 on p. 19 in the textbook.