Chapter 1 - The Science of Psychology

these might not all be correct but i believe they are!

What is the correct definition of the discipline of psychology?

the science study of behavior and mental processes

How would a psychologist define behavior?

Outward or overt actions and reactions

Compared to the others, which topic is LEAST likely to be studied by a psychologist?

how the average education level in a city is related to the unemployment rate in that city

Why do psychologists use a systematic approach to studying their questions of interest?

to reduce the possibility of biases as they make their observations

Before psychology became established as a science, thinkers in each of these disciplines EXCEPT__________investigated topics relevant to the subject matter of psychology.

chemistry

Who founded the first psychology laboratory in Leipzig. Germany, in 18797

Wilhelm Wundt

What research topic did Wilhelm Wundt initially investigate when he founded the first psychology laboratory?

the structure of consciousness

What is objective introspection?

the process of examining and measuring one's own thoughts and mental activities

Edward Titchener is associated with which school of thought in the history of psychology?

structuralism

What is the fundamental principle guiding structuralism?

every experience can be broken down into its individual elements, such as emotions, thoughts, or sensations

Who was the first woman to receive a PhD in psychology?

Margaret Washburn

Which school of thought did William James advocate during the late 1890s?

functionalism

Two psychologists, Eddie and Bill, walk into a bar, and each orders a beer. Eddie says, "Look at that golden nectar…the bubbles, the foam, the slight fruit notes on my tongue, the amber color; man, that's a beer!" Bill says, "This'll quench my thirst." Which schools of thought do Eddie and Bill endorse, respectively?

structuralism and functionalism

Which theorist's ideas influenced William James in the development of functionalism?

Charles Darwin

Which psychologist was the first African-American to receive a Ph.D. in educational psychology from the University of Chicago in 1925?

Charles Henry Thompson

What is the status of functionalism currently in the discipline of psychology?

It is no longer a dominant theoretical viewpoint although it has influenced theories and applications in many areas of psychology

Which phrase is most closely associated with the Gestalt school of psychology?

"The whole is more than the sum of its parts"

Gestalt psychologists took inspiration from the German word gestalt, which translates as which English word?

"configuration"

In which modern field of psychology can the remnants of the Gestalt approach most clearly be seen?

cognitive psychology

The idea that emotional problems spring from unconscious conflicts is associated with which school of thought in psychology?

psychoanalysis

Alfred Adler, Karen Horney, and Carl Jung all subscribed to the ideas of which founder of psychoanalysis?

Sigmund Freud

Dr. Ramirez is a clinical psychologist who believes that the roots of psychological disorders can be found in early childhood experiences, but that those experiences (especially the painful ones) have been buried in a person's unconscious mind. What school of thought does Dr. Ramirez subscribe to?

psychoanalysis

What do Ivan Pavlov and Sigmund Freud share in common?

neither person was trained as a psychologist

Which viewpoint did John B. Watson propose in the early days of psychology?

psychology should focus only on observable behavior

How did “Little Albert“contribute to the development of ideas in the history of psychology?

he was instrumental in demonstrating the principles of behaviorism

"Little Albert" is to "Little Peter" as conditioning is to

counterconditioning

The modern psychodynamic perspective grew out of which earlier approach to psychology?

psychoanalysis

Little Reggie screams and throws a fit whenever he doesn't get what he wants. When this happens, his parents rush to his side and soothe him, usually fulfilling whatever wants or demands he has at that moment. Which modern psychological perspective would argue that Reggie has been reinforced for his bad behavior?

operant conditioning

Why was humanism called the "third force" in psychology?

it was the third major theory to be proposed in the field, after structuralism and functionalism

Pierre is interested in understanding how people remember, store, and use information to find their way through a novel environment. Which modern psychological perspective is most closely aligned with his interests?

cognitive perspective

What is the subject matter of cognitive neuroscience?

how the brain and nervous system operate during the performance of cognitive tasks

Teresa wants to fit in with her peer group, so she started dressing as they do. She also wants to be accepted by her family, so she's paid more attention to their customs and traditions lately. But she also wants to fit in at school, so she's made an effort to explore the various clubs and activities offered on campus. Compared to the others, which psychologist would be most interested in explaining Teresa's behavior from her or his perspective?

Dr. Wang, who adopts the sociocultural perspective

Which statement about the sociocultural perspective in psychology is correct?

It combines social psychology and cultural psychology

Which of these terms does NOT belong with the others?

sociocultural

Giuseppe wants help dealing with his lack of motivation in school, so he asks his older brother Gaetano, who is taking AP Psychology, for help. "The problem is all in your brain," Gaetano tells him. "You've got an imbalance of chemicals and hormones, which is causing you to feel lackluster and unfocused." Which psychological perspective is Gaetano promoting?

biopsychological

Humans can accurately recognize a smile from greater distances than they can other facial expressions of emotion. One explanation for this finding is that being able to predict, accurately and quickly, that an approaching stranger had good intentions contributed to the development of cooperation among humans, which in turn helped form societies. Which psychological perspective is consistent with this interpretation?

evolutionary perspective

Despite the range of perspectives in modern psychology, what do many psychologists adopt when approaching a question of interest?

an eclectic perspective

Which topic areas would be a major focus of the biopsychological perspective?

the influences of genetics, hormones, and the activity of the nervous system on behavior

Richard Dawkins, David Buss, Leda Cosmides, and Robert Trivers are all associated with which major psychological perspective?

evolutionary

Which school of thought is NOT one of the major modern perspectives on psychology?

symbolic-interactionist perspective

How does a psychologist differ from a psychiatrist?

a psychologist has a doctorate degree but no medical training; a psychiatrist has a medical degree

Which subfield of the discipline contains the greatest percentage of psychologists?

clinical psychology

Compared to the other work settings, relatively few psychologists work in _________.

government centers

Rollo wants "to help people," so he's pursuing a degree in a related field. His interest is in examining how environmental conditions such as poverty, crime, and food insufficiency influence the onset of psychological disorders. Which type of training should Rollo pursue to meet his goals?

psychiatric social worker

Taffi wants to "make a difference" in the world, but she is particularly interested in doing so from a research-based standpoint. What general area should Taffi pursue to reach her goals?

applied research

Compared to the others, which psychologist is MOST likely to engage in applied research?

an educational psychologist

Dr. Swinkels studies mood awareness, which refers to individual differences in how people monitor and label their mood states. His interest is in knowing how those processes work and the underlying psychological mechanisms that make them happen. Dr. Edwards wants to know whether people who are higher in mood awareness are better at regulating their mood states, which in turn might contribute to better outcomes during the process of therapy to treat emotional disorders. Dr. Swinkels' interests are in _____________and Dr. Edwards' interests are in_____________.

basic research; applied research

What is the correct definition of critical thinking?

making reasoned judgments based on information

Which statement does NOT reflect one of the basic criteria applied to critical thinking skills?

common sense explanations should take precedence over scientific explanations

Winston tells his parents, "I read online that fast-food cooks make more money than college graduates. I'm dropping out of high school and getting me a paper chef's hat!" Which one question should Winston's parents ask to demonstrate their critical thinking skills and show Winston the error of his ways?

“What was the source of that information?"

Why is critical thinking closely tied to the scientific method?

most "truths" and claims can and should be subjected to empirical testing

Manolo is talking to a group of elementary school children as part of a project for his astronomy class. The moon is made up of hard, dusty rock," he told the children. My Dad says the moon is made of green cheese; he's got a chunk of it in the refrigerator!" shouted little Beauregard. Well, I guess we can both be right… Manolo trailed off. What opportunity for critical thinking did Manolo unfortunately side-step?

pointing out that all evidence is not equal in quality

Critical thinkers should approach the scientific conclusions discussed in psychology textbooks as:

a way to reduce uncertainty in a complicated world

What is the law of parsimony?

generally speaking, the simplest explanation is more often the best one

When keeping an open mind, critical thinkers should strive to maintain a balance between ________and_________

skepticism; a willingness to consider possibilities

"My childhood memory of getting knocked down by a wave at Newport Beach could be based on what my parents told me later, not on my own recollection." Which critical thinking guideline does this example illustrate?

some incidents have no basis in fact

Which outcome is NOT one of the goals of the scientific approach?

removal

In the scientific process, description addresses a _____________question and explanation addresses a _______________question

what; why

Diego notices that most of the students in his AP psychology class tend to arrive at the classroom five minutes early, but that students in his chemistry class tend to saunter in five minutes late, possibly due to their interest in the two classes. When he learns that a new student enrolled in Chemistry but not Psychology, Diego remarks,” Hmm, I’ll bet she shows up late to her class.” Which aspect of the scientific approach is Diego practicing?

prediction

Diego notices that most of the students in his AP Psychology class tend to arrive to the classroom five minutes early, but that students in his Chemistry class tend to saunter in five minutes late. He thinks the reason for this difference is that students enjoy psychology and are eager to get started, but enjoy chemistry less and don't want to spend any more time in the classroom than they have to. Which aspect of the scientific approach is Diego practicing?

explanation

Diego notices that most of the students in his AP Psychology class tend to arrive to the classroom five minutes early, but that students in his Chemistry class tend to saunter in five minutes late, possibly due to their interest in the two classes. When he learns that a new student is enrolled in Chemistry but not Psychology, Diego remarks, "Hmm, I'll bet she shows up late to her class." Which aspect of the scientific approach is Diego practicing?

prediction

A general explanation for a set of observations and facts is better known as ___________

a theory

A group of applied psychologists were discussing their latest research projects. "If we knew why people were reluctant to recycle, we could develop programs to counteract that behavior," said Dr. Green. "If we understood the many factors that contribute to teen pregnancy, we could take steps to change those behaviors," said Dr. Young. "If we could predict who is more likely to start smoking at a young age, we could curb that behavior with effective advertising campaigns," said Dr. Montecristo. Which aspect of the scientific approach is each of these scientists addressing?

prediction

The scientific goal of description leads to the step of __________ enacting the scientific approach

reporting

What term do scientists use for a tentative explanation of a phenomenon based on observations of that phenomenon?

hypothesis

“All swans are white" is a poor example of a scientific hypothesis. Gathering more and more examples of white swans would never really confirm the conclusion. However, finding a single black swan would be enough to reject the hypothesis. Which scientific principle does this logic demonstrate?

the principle of falsifiability

Hypotheses often take the form of _________statements

if-then

The scientific goals of both description and explanation contribute to the step of _________in enacting the scientific approach.

forming a hypothesis

The tendency to look for information that supports one's own preexisting beliefs is known as __________

confirmation bias

Diego thought that students' early arrival times to AP Psychology and late arrival times to Chemistry classes were due to their interest in the subject matter until he polled students in both classes and analyzed the results. It seems the chemistry classroom is simply farther across campus than the psychology classroom, which offers a reasonable alternative explanation for the results. Diego realizes he needs to refine his thinking in this matter. Which aspect of the scientific approach is Diego practicing?

falsifiability

The scientific goal of prediction contributes to the step of ____________in enacting the scientific approach

drawing conclusions

Under carefully controlled experimental conditions, Dominique finds that seventh graders who study an additional 2 hours raise their test scores by 5 percent. Before publishing her results, she repeats the experiment with a different group of seventh graders, another group of seventh graders studying different material, and a group of eighth graders; in all cases, the same pattern of results emerges. What important feature of the scientific process is Dominique demonstrating?

replication

Dr. Reynolds is conducting research in Botswana to learn the ways in which mothers and their toddlers in rural villages interact as they go through their daily routines. Dr. Reynolds is most likely engaged in ___________

naturalistic observation

Both Sandra and Ella are interested in developmental psychology, specifically the types of play 5-year-olds engage in. Sandra visits a local park and makes notes about the children she sees. Ella invites parents and their children to a specially designed room in a psychology building and watches the children through a one-way mirror. Both approaches are sensible, but the difference is that Sandra is using _________whereas Ella is using_____________.

naturalistic observation; laboratory observation

Lacey has been assigned to do a research project on human development for her AP Psychology course. She decides to conduct a case study of her Uncle Harvey, and devises a days-long set of interview questions for him to answer, ranging from his childhood experiences through the remaining 70 years of his life. Although her intentions are admirable, Lacey might have spent the time more profitably by using a different methodology. Why?

Case studies are of limited usefulness in deriving general conclusions about behavior.

Rita is interested in high school students' morality, so she administers a survey to her classmates asking how many times they've vandalized public property, shoplifted a small item, lied to a loved one, or kept miscounted change from a cash transaction. Rita was pleased to see that a staggering 96 percent of her participants reported little to none of these activities, and she concluded that today's high schoolers are a downright moral bunch. Why might this conclusion not be entirely correct?

People may not always respond accurately to self-report measures, such as surveys.

Ingo wants to gauge the nation's attitudes towards handguns, so he polls a very large sample of National Rifle Association (NRA) members and asks them what they think. Despite having a lot of data, Ingo's conclusions are likely to be flawed. Why?

The sample he used wasn't representative of the population he's interested in learning about.

A_______ is a measure of how strongly two variables are related to one another.

correlation

Which value of a correlation coefficient indicates the strongest degree of relationship?

-.69

Eero finds that children's hours of daily exercise and quality of nutritional intake are correlated +.73 with one another. What does this correlation coefficient indicate?

Higher rates of exercise cause better nutrition.

Dorie tells her AP Psychology teacher that she wants to study why similarity leads to attraction. "That's great," her instructor replies. "But what do you mean, exactly, by 'similarity' and 'attraction'?" What is Dorie's teacher urging her to do?

create operational definitions of the variables she wants to study

In a study where high school students are pampered (given endless amounts of money, unlimited data plans, and spicy Chinese food) to see whether this will improve their grades in their psychology course, what is the independent variable?

whether students were pampered or not

Gary is conducting a psychology experiment with the help of his instructor. As participants come into the laboratory, Gary flips a coin. If it lands on heads, the participant takes part in the experimental group; if it lands on tails, the participant goes into the control group. What principle of experimental design is Gary utilizing?

random assignment

In an experiment, the ________recieves some kind of treatment and the ________ does not.

experimental group; control group

Julie is studying people's moods during a stressful laboratory situation. Wanting to be nice, she smiles at each participant who enters the experimental condition (where they'll be stressed) and remains neutral toward participants in the control group. Julie was surprised to find that participants in the stressful condition were in better moods at the end of the experiment, compared to participants in the control group. Her research mentor was not as surprised, however, because she realizes Julie's results are plagued by:

experimenter effects

Fake treatments or inactive substances that are used as a control in an experiment are known as___

placebos

A study in which participants are unaware of the hypothesis being studied, and are unaware their assignment to the experimental or control condition, is known as a _______study.

single-blind

An experiment in which neither the participants nor the experimenter knows who is in the control group and who is in the experimental group is called a ___________study.

double-blind

Why do psychologists rely on statistics?

they are necessary to help interpret the outcomes of a scientific study

A bimodal distribution has ________

two scores tied for the same high frequency

"Argh!" sputtered Luigi. "I collected all this data for my research project, but I don't know which numbers to pay attention to. The highest values? The lowest values? The most common value? Fie!" Why don't you find the arithmetic mean of all the values?" suggested Assunta. "Finding the average score would be a good indicator of what the values look like in general." How would you advise Luigi to go about finding the mean?

add up all the individual scores, then divide the result by the number of scores

The mean, median, and mode are all measures of ____________.

central tendency

What do measures of variability provide to a scientist?

an assessment of how spread out the scores are in a distribution of data

Calculations that allow a researcher to draw conclusions about how meaningful a result is are collectively called ____________.

inferential statistics

Which letter of the alphabet provides the symbol for a correlation coefficient?

r

The ethical principle of _________means that research participants are given enough information about a study to make a reasonable decision about whether they will participate.

informed consent

What is the function of an institutional review board?

to defend the rights of research participants who have been subjected to ethical violations, should the matter come to a hearing or some other legal forum

The ethical principle of _________ requires that researchers reveal the true nature and purpose of a psychological study to research subjects at the conclusion of their participation, and explain any deception that was used during the study.

debriefing

Why might scientists study animals as research subjects?

to gain knowledge that helps improve human welfare

Approximately what percent of all psychological studies enlist animals as research subjects?

7 percent