psychology 1 through 3 midterms

According to the textbook, which of the following is NOT a pseudo psychology?

psychoanalysis

"Why" questions refer to which of psychology's goals?

understanding

Professor Windham asks her general psychology students to give an example of overt behavior. Which of the following would be an example of an overt behavior?

gesturing to someone to come over to the group.

Psychology would best be described as

the scientific study of behavior and mental processes

To explain most behavior, John B. Watson adopted the concept of conditioning developed by

Ivan Pavlov.

"The whole is greater than the sum of its parts" is the motto of the

Gestalt psychologists

The concept of natural selection was adapted to the study of human behavior by the followers of which school of thought in psychology?

functionalism

A simple experiment has two groups of subjects called the

control group and the experimental group.

The independent variable in an experiment is

the variable that the experimenter chooses to manipulate

Naturalistic observation, correlational studies, the clinical method, and the survey method are considered ________ methods.

non-experimental

Scientific observation is based on the

gathering of empirical evidence.

A systematic process for answering scientific questions is called

a research method.

According to John B. Watson, introspection was

unscientific

When subjects in an experiment are chosen so that each has an equal chance of being in either the experimental group or the control group, we say that the subjects have been assigned
consecutively.

randomly

A researcher states that in his experiment, "frustration is considered to be any interruption of the subject before he or she finishes the timed puzzle." This description is considered to be a(n)

operational definition

When people read their horoscopes, they often believe these flattering descriptions of themselves, a tendency referred to as

uncritical acceptance.

The fact that a subject's behavior may change when they know they are being watched is called

the observer effect.

An empirical investigation that is structured to answer questions about the world in a systematic and intersubjective fashion is called a(n)

scientific observation.

Learning makes us more adaptable, so the functionalists tried to find ways to improve education and promoted the study of learning, teaching, classroom dynamics, and related topics called __________ psychology.

educational

To assess clients' abilities, a phrenologist would want to

read their handwriting.

According to Freud, unconscious thoughts are often revealed by

dreams, emotions, and slips of the tongue.

With its emphasis on stimuli and responses, which school of thought helped make psychology a natural science, rather than a branch of philosophy?

behaviorism

When a researcher creates two groups, varies a condition, and records whether varying the condition had any effect on behavior, the researcher is conducting a(n)

experiment

Covert behavior includes

hidden, private, internal thoughts.

The graph shown depicts a _______________ correlation.

perfect positive

The conditions that a researcher wishes to prevent from affecting the outcome of the experiment are the __________variables.

extraneous

Neo-Freudians placed less emphasis on

sex and aggression.

Wundt's ideas were carried to the United States by

Edward Titchener.

When observations can be confirmed by more than one observer, these observations are said to be

intersubjective

You want to find out what relationship exists between high school grades and college grades. You should use the __________ method.

correlational

Suppose you want to find out if using cell phones while driving a car affects the likelihood of having an accident. Driving ability as defined by the scores achieved on a test of driving ability would be the __________variable.

dependent

Which of the following correlation coefficients shows the STRONGEST relationship?

-0.80

We can draw conclusions about a larger group of people by randomly selecting a smaller group. The entire larger group of people is known as the

population

The process of fully developing one's personal potential and becoming the best person one can become is known as

self-actualization.

Suppose you want to find out if using cell phones while driving a car affects the likelihood of having an accident. Cell phone use would be the __________variable.

independent

The more general the predictions a fortune teller or palmist makes, the more believable the results. This fact has been called the

Barnum effect.

The word psychology comes from the roots psyche and logos, which mean, respectively,

mind and knowledge or study.

Psychologists who want to study behavior as it unfolds in natural settings use a technique called

naturalistic observation.

The founder of psychoanalytic psychology was

Sigmund Freud.

Humanistic theories emphasize

Free will and self determination

The first fully developed psychotherapy or "talking cure" was

psychoanalysis

Which of the following theorists used introspection as a scientific technique for investigating consciousness?

Wilhelm Wundt

One of the advantages of the experimental method is that

clear cause-and-effect relationships can be identified.

Responding to a substance, such as a sugar pill or a saline injection, as if it where the real drug is referred to as

the placebo effect.

Suppose you want to find out if using cell phones while driving a car affects the likelihood of having an accident. The group that would NOT be talking on a cell phone while taking the driving test would be the __________ group.

control

An in-depth focus on a single individual is known as a

case study.

The father of psychology and founder of the first psychological laboratory was

Wilhelm Wundt.

Simon has a bipolar disorder and requires medication to control his extreme mood swings. Simon's medication will need to be prescribed by which mental health professional?

psychiatrist

In a research study, when the subjects do not know who is in the experimental group and who is in the control group, but the experimenters do know, the study is called a(n) __________ experiment.

single-blind

Research on "bystander apathy" reveals that people often fail to help when other possible helpers are nearby because of a "diffusion of responsibility." Explaining this perplexing problem meets which goal of psychology?

understanding

In most people, the left hemisphere of the brain is in charge of

language

The two cerebral hemispheres are connected by a band of fibers called

the corpus callosum.

The part of the nervous system that is known as the "fight or flight" system because it arouses the body to meet emergencies and respond to emotional events is the __________branch.

sympathetic

After rushing to catch the bus, when you find a seat and begin to relax, the return to your normal heart rate is under the influence of the

parasympathetic branch.

The "all or nothing event" refers to the fact that

action potentials occur completely or not at all.

In humans, the right side of the brain mainly controls the

left side of the body.

One's dominant hemisphere is considered the side of a person's brain that

produces language.

In order to perform a split-brain operation, which of the following must be severed?

corpus callosum

The increased size and wrinkling of the cerebral cortex in higher animals is referred to as

corticalization

Small gaps in the myelin result in the nerve impulses jumping from gap to gap which cause these nerve impulses to move

faster

A glandular secretion that affects body functions and behavior is known as

a hormone.

Which part of the brain stores lasting verbal memories and helps us navigate through space?

hippocampus

Saltatory conduction refers to

a nerve impulse jumping from gap to gap in the myelin layer.

If the electrical charge of the neuron changes to about a minus 50 millivolts, the neuron will reach its __________ for firing.

threshold

Muscle tone, body balance, and muscular coordination are regulated by the

cerebellum

The brain consists of approximately 100 billion nerve cells called

neurons

The chemicals that are released at an axon terminal and can either excite or inhibit other neurons are called

neurotransmitters

An EEG records

electrical impulses from the brain.

Listening to certain pieces of music can send shivers down your spine because it activates the __________ of your brain.

limbic system

Neurons "talk" to each other chemically when which of the following are released?

neurotransmitters

The cerebral cortex is divided into eight smaller areas known as

lobes

Which gland is located just under the back of the rib cage, atop the kidney?

adrenal

The "runner's high" and the euphoria sometimes associated with childbirth, painful initiation rites, and sports parachuting are due to the release of

endorphins

The activation of mirror neurons may play a role in a person's ability to identify with another person's experiences and feelings, a skill known as human

empathy

During practice a football player experiences symptoms commonly associated with having a stroke. The coaches rush him to the hospital so that the doctors can view the structure of this player's brain using a specialized X-ray technique known as a(n)

CT scanning.

A karate chop to an area at the top of the neck could stop a person's heart and breathing by damaging the

medulla

The hypothalamus, the hippocampus, the amygdala, and parts of the thalamus make up the __________ system.

limbic

The technique that uses a magnetic field to develop an image of the brain is called the

MRI scan.

The cell body of a neuron is also called the

soma

The central nervous system is composed of the

brain and spinal cord.

The communication BETWEEN neurons would be described as

chemical

Although other neurotransmitters are also present, the brain's reward or "pleasure" system has a predominance of which neurotransmitter?

dopamine

The passage of information within a single neuron would be described as

electrical

The electrically charged molecules that are involved in a nerve impulse are called

ions

The fear response that enables us to respond to potentially dangerous stimuli before we are really aware of them is under the control of the

amygdala

As the muscles in your body relax during Stage 1 sleep, the reflex muscle contraction that may happen is called

a hypnic jerk.

To be conscious means

that one is aware.

A small, shallow flotation tank in which subjects float in body-temperature water in darkness and silence is known as a

sensory-deprivation chamber.

Psychoactive drugs are

substances capable of altering attention, perception, and mood.

Physical exertion tends to increase

NREM sleep

We spend most of our lives in a state of consciousness that is organized, meaningful, and clear and is referred toas

waking consciousness.

Downing five or more drinks in a short time is referred to as

binge drinking.

According to the dual process theory of sleep, which of the following "calms" the brain during the earlier part of a night's sleep?

NREM sleep

A very stressful day is likely to increase the amount of

REM sleep.

Bill has been a heavy alcohol user for a number of years. When he decides to quit "cold turkey," he experiences violent flu-like symptoms of nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, chills, sweating, and cramps. Bill is experiencing

withdrawal symptoms.

Being prevented from getting desired or needed amounts of sleep is known as

sleep deprivation.

Since their principal characteristic is their mind-altering quality, LSD, mescaline, and marijuana are classified as

hallucinogens

Dreams can occur in

both REM and NREM sleep

Carlos suffers from REM sleep behavior disorder, which means that Carlos

lacks muscle paralysis, which allows him to thrash about and act out his dreams.

Alcohol is classified as a(n)

Depressant