General Psychology, Chapter 1

Lori and Monica are looking at the cans of coffee on display at a local supermarket. They are trying to decide which of two different-sized cans is a better buy. Lori attempts to divide the price of each can by the number of ounces of coffee each contains. Monica suggests that the larger size is usually a better buy. Lori is using a(n) _____; Monica is using a(n) _____.

algorithm; heuristic

If a study were to show the correlation of -0.70 between children's physical height and popularity among their peers, then it would indicate that:

among children, being short is associated with greater popularity

Which type of game is MOST likely the prototype of the concept of a sport?

baseball

The cognitive process called _____ allows us to recognize supporting evidence for our beliefs, but it also hinders our consideration of contradictory evidence.

confirmation bias

The _____ variable is the outcome factor that is measured during the study.

dependent

Prompt and clear feedback regarding one's performance on a psychology practice test is MOST likely to inhibit:

overconfidence

People cannot rely on common sense because of _____, which means that people tend to think they know more than they really do, and _____, which is also known as the I-knew-it-all-along phenomenon.

overconfidence; hindsight bias

The term _____ is used to describe a culture where people's emotions and personal beliefs often override their acceptance of objective facts.

post-truth

Kianna computes a correlation coefficient and finds a value of +2.36. She is surprised and MOST likely exclaimed:

"Wow! There must be a glitch in this software!"

Brenda says, "Psychology is the study of behavior." Chase responds, "No, psychologists study emotions." Which statement BEST evaluates these two remarks?

Brenda's statement is too narrow; Chase's is also too narrow

Dr. Rowan attempts to help his patients uncover unconscious motives and conflicts. Dr. Rowan appears to reflect the _____ approach in psychology.

Freudian

"He wanted to do for psychology what the Periodic Table of the Elements did for chemistry," lectures a psychology professor. To whom is the professor MOST likely referring?

Wilhelm Wundt

Christy moved from her home state so that she could attend graduate school in her desired field of study. She did not know anyone where she moved to and spent the money she had saved for the move very quickly. Things cost much more than she had expected. She received little support from her family to pursue her college education. Still, she progressed and quickly earned her degree. She graduated at the top of her class. Christy has:

a venturesome personality

Dr. O'Brien develops computerized simulation models of human problem solving, whereas Dr. Lawrence seeks to identify the neural basis for attentional processes. Both psychologists are MOST likely _____ psychologists.

cognitive

Which of these is the interdisciplinary study of brain activity associated with cognition?

cognitive neuroscience

Tyler loves dogs. Anytime he sees an animal, he asks his parents whether or not that animal is a dog. Eventually, he is able to differentiate dogs from other animals as well as recognize both large and small dogs as dogs. These experiences are helping to shape his _____ about dogs.

concept

The ability to produce novel and valuable ideas is called _____.

creativity

A website claims that it can improve concentration, problem solving, and creativity through simple game like experiences "based on neuroscience." Before Melanie subscribes to the site, she seeks empirical evidence that the experiences have lasting cognitive benefits. She also examines the credentials of the neuroscientists appearing to endorse the site. In this example, Melanie is using _____ thinking.

critical

An individual who believes their opinion to be correct simply because they believe to be so is reflecting a lack of _____ thinking.

critical

Having a passion to explore and understand without misleading others or being misled exemplifies a component of the scientific attitude called:

curiosity

Dr. Topping is a faculty member in the College of Education at a state university. She is working with her state's department of education to develop new methods to teach mathematics more effectively to students in the sixth, seventh, and eighth grades, when students are introduced to algebra. Dr. Topping is MOST likely a(n) _____ psychologist. Please choose the correct answer from the following choices, and then select the submit answer button. Answer choices

educational

The _____ approach is an evidence-based method that draws on observation and experimentation.

empirical

When testing those claiming to be able to see auras around people's heads, magician James Randi issued this challenge: "Then if I were to step behind a wall barely taller than I am, you could determine my location from the aura visible above my head, right?" This type of challenge shows Randi's:

empirical approach.

_____ psychologists are a diverse group of scientists who investigate a variety of basic behavioral processes in humans and other animals.

experimental

A law firm hires Dr. Groening to determine whether a set of crime scene photos are more likely to bias rather than inform potential jurors. Dr. Groening is MOST likely a _____ psychologist.

forensic

_____ psychologists apply psychological principles to legal issues.

forensic

Tiffany is a young sales representative who is just starting out. After her first few months on the job, she notices that potential clients respond better when she tells them that the product is successful 99 percent of the time, instead of saying that the error rate is 1 percent. This is an example of:

framing

In a playoff game between the State City Champions and the Anytown Victors, Sara initially bet against the State City Champions, who eventually won. After the game, she claimed she knew the Champions would be the winners. This is an example of a flaw in thinking called _____ bias.

hindsight

After the horror of 9/11, many people said the Central Intelligence Agency and Federal Bureau of Investigation should have foreseen the likelihood of the terror attacks. This belief MOST clearly illustrates:

hindsight bias

Rosco's family endured two weeks of pain and suffering after a horrific car accident left him in a coma. Rosco was struggling for his life, and physicians predicted he would never wake up. On the thirteenth day, Rosco did wake up. Rosco's Aunt Roxie was tempted to say that she knew all along he would wake up, but she refrained in order to avoid an error in thinking called:

hindsight bias

Which question BEST illustrates how psychologists approach the nature-nurture issue?

how are differences in personality influenced by heredity and by the environment?

The leader of a self-help group has asked Devin to recommend an approach to psychology that emphasizes personal growth and people's need for love and acceptance. Devin would MOST likely recommend an approach called _____ for this group.

humanistic

The leader of a self-help group has asked Patty to recommend an approach to psychology that emphasizes personal growth and people's need for love and acceptance. Which approach would Patty MOST likely recommend for this group?

humanistic psychology

Melissa believes there is a correlation between temperature and the number of cars in the city. She is more likely to take note of and remember incidents that support her belief, even if the relationship does not actually exist. This is known as a(n) _____ correlation.

illusory

Makayla is taking a child development class and has been assigned a class project of her choice. She has chosen to analyze children's drawings. She collected children's drawings from a nearby elementary school from a total of 50 children in the third grade. Now she is in the process of analyzing the drawings and preparing her presentation. She has completely lost track of time. She meant to work on this for only an hour, but when she looks at the clock, 3 hours have passed. She is completely interested in the project and finds it challenging to analyze the drawings. Makayla is demonstrating _____ motivation.

intrinsic

Isaac Newton stated that he was able to solve difficult scientific problems "by thinking about them all the time." This BEST demonstrates:

intrinsic motivation

Researchers today can use technology such as functional MRI scans to measure brain activity. Some researchers ask their subjects to describe elements of their experiences (for example, sensations, images, feelings) while undergoing the scans. This _____ technique is similar to the methodology of _____.

introspection; Titchener

A weakness of the experimental method is that:

it may not be ethical to manipulate some variables

Prior to 1920, the field of psychology was defined as "the science of _____."

mental life

In the framing effect:

people's decision making can be influenced by the wording of a question or the context of a problem

The subfield called personality psychology investigates:

people's persisting traits

When someone mentions that they saw a bird out of a window, DeJuan immediately thinks of a robin. A robin is an example of the _____ of the concept of a bird.

prototype

As compared with the philosophers of ancient Greece, today's psychologists ask _____ questions. As compared with the ancient philosophers, modern psychologists use _____ methods to find answers to their questions.

similar; different

A local school board is setting up a program to help prepare children to become scientists. To carry out this program, teachers should encourage which scientific attitude?

skepticism

With respect to the three scientific attitudes, a psychologist who asks, "How do you know?" is demonstrating _____, whereas a psychologist who asks, "Could I be wrong?" is demonstrating _____.

skepticism; humility

Dr. Blackburn investigates the processes whereby one individual tends to emerge as the leader in an informal group. DR. Blackburn is MOST likely a _____ psychologist.

social

The _____ perspective in contemporary psychology focuses on how behavior and thinking vary across situations and from one part of the world to another.

social-cultural

Titchener is to _____ as Freud is to psychoanalysis.

structuralism

SQ3R is an acronym for an effective:

study method

A political rally erupts in violence, seriously injuring a number of attendees. An editorial columnist writes that city officials should have realized the violence would occur. "All the signs were there," the columnist notes. This belief MOST clearly illustrates hindsight bias, also known as:

the I-knew-it-all-along phenomenon

In "person-who" reasoning, one offers the experience of a single individual as evidence to evaluate a claim. "But I know a person who smokes two packs a day. He's 88 and in great health!" Person-who reasoning is persuasive because it is easy to imagine the individual whose experience is cited. Person-who reasoning is BEST seen as capitalizing on:

the availability heuristic

Which method offers the only reliable way of assessing whether caffeine consumption causes athletic performance to be improved?

the experiment