Unit 1 Test: Phyc

Which of the following statements BEST defines psychology today?

C. The scientific study of behavior and mental processes.

Bill is a psychologist who works in the aerospace industry designing cockpit instrument panels. Bill is a

D. human factors psychologist

A psychologist who relies on a sociocultural perspective is NOT likely to be interested in the influence of which of the following?

Unconscious processes

_______ psychologists work to assist students who have problems that interfere with learning, whereas ______psychologists forcus on course planning and development of instructional methods.

C. School; educational

What can be accurately stated regarding the representation of ethnic minorities in the field of psychology?

Although the number of ethnic minority individuals is increasing in the field of psychology, it does not yet represent the percentages found in the general population.

When a psychologist conducts research into a problem with no immediate application to personal or social problems, the researcher is conducting _________ research.

B. pure

Gestalt psychology is to patterns as psychoanalysis is to

unconscious processes.

Applied research is reseach undertaken

D. to find solutions to specific problems.

Which of the following is NOT one of the most commonly required courses in typical psychology masters program?

D. neuroscience

In a frequency distribution, the most frequently occuring score.

mode

Numerical facts assembled so that they provide useful information scores.

statistics

A portion of the group of interest; the group that is actually tested.

sample

D. A measure of variability calculated by subtracting the lowest score from the highest score.

range

Branch of statistics concerned with providing description information about a distribution of score

descriptive statistics

The central score in a frequency distribution, beneah which 50% of the cases fall.

median

A type of average calculated by adding all scores and then dividing by the number of scores

mean

A complete group that is of interest.

population

Refers to a distribution that has two modes.

bimodal

A measure of variability found by summing the squared deviations from the mean, dividing by the number of scores, and taking the square root.

standard deviation

Graphic representation of a symmetrical distribution that is assumed to reflect chance of fluctuations.

normal curve

According to the theory of evolution, some species prosper and others do not. This is called

natural selection

Deficiencies in _______ affects the body's metabolism and can cause cretinism in children.

thyroxin

Your grandmother recently had a small stroke that has left her unable to move her right side. Most likely, the stroke caused damage in which lobe of her cerebral cortex?

left frontal

________are the basic building blocks of heredity and are carried on 23 pairs of _______.

genes; chromosomes

In the disease multiple sclerosis, the ______ is replace with a hard fibrous tissue that throws off the timing of nerve impulses and disrupts motor control.

myelin

You touch a hot stove and pull your hand back. This reflexive action was most likely the result of activity in your

spinal cord

Lola is pregnant and ready to deliver her child. Which of the following hormones will her physician use to stimulate her labor?

oxytocin

On your last plane ride, you sat next to an individual who was exhibiting uncontrollable movement. Which of this individual's neurotransmitters is most likely imbalanced?

dopamine

On the way home from the library last night, you heard the footsteps of someone following you. You turned and saw the shadow of a large man heading toward you. You ran to your car faster than you had ever run. When you were finally in the car, your heart rate was highly elevated, your breathing was rapid, and you were sweating. This fight-or-flight response was most likely the result of activity in your

sympathetic nervous system

The brain structure vital to the regulation of body temperature, concentration of fluids, storage of nutrients, and other aspects of motivation and emotion is the

. hypothalamus

cerebral cortex

t's name come from the Lation words meaning bark; it is involved in almost every bodily actvity; the surface of the cerebrum.

Broca's area

When this structure is damaged, people usually understand language well enough but speak slowly and laboriously.

Wernicke's area

Language center that is essential to understanding relationships between words and meanings.

cerebrum

The crowning glory of the brain, it is responsible for the cognitive abilities of thinking and language.

medulla

Hindbrain structure that regulates vital functions like heart rate, blood pressure, and respiration.

corpus callosum

The thick bundle of nerve fibers that connect the two hemispheres of the cortex.

pons

A bulge in the hindbrain that contains bundles of nerves that transmit information about body movement and is involved in functions related to attention, sleep, alertness, and respiration.

amygdala

Limbic structure that is connected with aggressive behavior, fear, and vigilance.

hippocampus

Damage to this limbic structure leads to an inabilty to store new memories.

hypothalamus

Lies below the thalamus and above the pituitary gland and is vital in the reglaltion of body temperature, concentration of fluids, storage of nutrients, and aspects of motivation and emotion.

thalamus

Located near the center of the brain and serves as a relay station for sensory stimulation.

Brad solves puzzles by looking at the cover picture and then looking for pieces to fill in the picture. Brad is using _________ to solve the puzzle.

top-down processing

Dustin recently sustained damage to the structures of his middle ear and is now deaf. Dustin's deafness is know as _____ deafness.

conductive

Which theory of color vision explains color best?

Trichromatic theory

B. opponent-process theory

C. Young-Helmholtz theory

Correct D. All of the above

_________ is to mechanical stimulation as _______ is to mental representation.

one eye; monocular

Sensation is best defined as

the stimulaton of sensory receptors and the transmission of sensory information to the CNS.

relative size

The perception of larger objects as being closer to us.

shadowing

Perception of shadows and highlights as giving depth to two-dimentional objects.

texture gradient

Perception of objects with thougher textures as being closer to the observer.

top-down processing

Perceptual processes that rely on knowledge of the "big" picture to organize a perception.

motion parallax

Perception of objects that seem to move forward with us as distant and those that move backward as nearby.

bottom-up processing

Perceptual processing that begins with smaller units and works toward the whole.

convergence

Perception of objects that require greater inward movement of the eyes as being closer.

interposition

The perception of overlapping objects as being dimensional.

binocular cues

Perceptual cues that involve both eyes

monocular cues

Perceptual cues that rely on the input from one eye.

perspective

The perception of parallel lines coming closer together, or converging, as they recede from us.

Cocaine

A stimulant that produces euphoria, reduces hunger, deadens pain, and bolsters self-confidence; is derived from the coca plant and gave Coca-Cola its name.

marijuana

A hallucinogenic drug, often smoked by mouth; produces relaxation, perceptual distortions, and enhancement of experiences; major psychedelic substance is THC.

Opiod

Synthetic substance similar in chemical structure to opiates; most well known is methadone.

alcohol

A depressant often taken in via the mouth; produces relaxation, euphoria, and lower inhibitions but has also been connected with aggressive behavior, poor grades, and sexual promiscuity

substance abuse

Repeated us of a substance despite the fact that is is causing the individual to experience social, occupational, psychological, or physical problems

tolerance

The body's habituation to a substance such that with regular use, the individual requires higher doses to achieve similar effects

barbiturates

Depressants with several medical uses including relief of pain, anxiety, and tension, and treatment of epilepsy, high blood pressure, and insomnia.

opiates

Group of narcotics, including morphine, heroin codeine, and Demerol, derived from the opium poppy; often injected or smoked by mouth; produces relaxation euphoria, and relief from anxiety and pain.

mescaline

A hallucinogenic drug derived from the peyote cactus often taken by mouth that may lead to tolerance and psychological dependence.

abstinence syndrome

Characteristic withdrawal symptoms that occur when the level of usage of a substance suddenly drops off.

nicotine

A stimulant found in tobacco; stimulates the discharge of the hormone adrenaline and the release of dopamine and acetylcholine.

ampetamines

A group of stimulants first used by soldiers in WWII to help them stay alert, called speed, uppers, bennies, and dexies; side effects include restlessness, loss of appetite, and psychotic symptoms.

LSD

A powerful synthetic hallucinogenic that produces vivid and colorful hallucinations; some users have flashbacks or distorted perceptions that mimic the original "trip" but occur days or weeks later.

substance dependence

Most severe of the substance use disorders; has both behavioral and biological aspects and is behaviorally characterized by loss of control over one's use of the substance.