PSYC107: Exam 1

The process of establishing rules for administering a test and for interpreting its scores is known as

standardization.

Which of these is recognized as one of the founders of behaviorism?

John Watson

Adherents of free will disagree with adherents of determinism with regard to whether behavior is

Predictable

Someone develops a new test of mechanical abilities. Which of the following (if true) would be the strongest evidence that the test is biased against women?

Women with a particular test score are better mechanics than men with the same score.

Who was clever Hans?

a horse that seemed to do arithmetic

What is a correlation?

a measurement of the relationship between two variables

Which of the following is impossible?

a test with low reliability and high predictive validity

What does the standard deviation measure?

the amount of variation

What do psychologist and philosophers mean by the term mind-body question?

"how does therein activity relate to mental activity?"

On IQ tests such as the WISC and WAIS, men's mean score is ___ and women's mean is ___.

105... 95

What does it mean to say that Raven's Progressive Matrices is a "culture-reduced" test?

It calls for little factual information or use of language.

Wilhelm Wundt was on of the first people to demonstrate that

It i possible to measure psychological process scientifically

What have psychologists made more progress in understanding sensation than emotion?

It is easier to make accurate measurements in sensation

One of the main objections raised against ESP is that

the claims for it are based entirely on anecdotes

Compared to the Wechsler and Stanford-Binet tests, what is an advantage of Raven's Matrices?

It is more appropriate for people who do not speak English.

Why did Harvard University refuse to give a Ph.D degree to Mary Calkins?

because she was a women

Which of the following correlations is generally the highest?

between the IQ of an adopted child and the IQs of that child's biological parents

Since 1960s, which fields have increased in their influence within psychology?

cognitive psychology and neuroscience

The earlier psychologists (in the 1800s and early 1900s) focused most of their research on __ b/c they believed those questions___

sensation...were relatively easy to answer

Which of the following correlation coefficients indicates that two variable have no consistent relationship to each other?

0

Which of the following correlation coefficients indicates the weakest relationship between two variables--that is the weakest ability to use one variable to predict the other?

0

The Wechsler and the Stanford-Binet tests were both devised to have a mean score around __________ and a standard deviation around __________.

100...15

A group of seven students receive the following scores on a test: 87, 88, 89, 86, 85, 90 and 35. What is the median score?

87

An experimenter tests the reading skills of 10-year-old children, puts them on a low-fat diet, and finds that most show improved reading 6 months later. The experimenter concludes that the diet was helpful. One major defect in this study is that it lacks

A control group

If a psychologist wanted to test Spearman's concept of a "g" factor in intelligence, what kind of data should the psychologist collect?

A. correlations between performances on various intellectual tasks

Why do quantitative scores on the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) have higher predictive validity for graduate students in English than verbal scores do?

All graduate students in English tend to have similar (high) verbal scores.

Jane describes a dream she had that came true the next day. This is an example of

Anecdote

What can we conclude if the correlation between variable A and B is zero?

As A goes up, B does not consistently go either up or down

What do we call theoretical research, such as trying to understand learning and memory?

Basic research

Which type of psychologists would be mot interested in the genetic makeup of an individual?

Biological

Brain researchers would probably be most comfortable with which of the following statements?

Brain activity and mental activity are the same thing

which of these ways of conducting research uses the fewest amount of participants?

Case history

A survey on the internet lets anyone answer it. What kind of sample will probably result?

Convenience sample

It is found that children with many friends are generally happier than children with fewer friends. What kind of research design was probably used in this study?

Correlation study

What do we call the cues that suggest the experimenter hopes to find?

Demand characteristics

Dr. Rodentz deprives rats food for different lengths of time and then records how long each rat takes to reach the food at the end of a maze. The time needed to reach the food is the

Dependent variable

Which of theses is a key concern for the field known an ergonomics or human factors?

Design of machinery and instructions so people can understand them better

Someone who believes that all behaviors have a cause follows which philosophical position?

Determinism

Which refers to the idea that every event, including our behavior, has a cause?

Determinism

Which of the following is one possible explanation for g?

Different abilities develop together because all depend on health, nutrition, etc

Suppose someone charges that the driver's license exam is "biased" against people with poor eyesight. To evaluate that claim, what evidence would be most important?

Does the exam accurately predict driving performances of people with poor vision?

Health psychologists would be especially interested in which of these?

Effects of exercise and diet on behavior

Wilhelm Wundt is famous for

Establishing the first laboratory for psychological research

What kind of specialist provides advice and consultation to police, lawyers, and courts?

Forensic psychologist

A test claims to measure intelligence. How could you measure the reliability of the test?

Give the test repeatedly and see whether each person's scores are consistent.

The mind-brain (min-body) problem refers to the question:

How is the mind related to the brain and does one control the other?

Cognition can best be defined as

How we think and acquire knowledge

A testable prediction of what will happen under a specific set of conditions is known a/an

Hypothesis

Delia thinks her hunches usually come true, although in fact they are correct only by chance. Remembering only the cases that fit her expectation produces which of the following?

Illusionary correlation

What is the main difference between a correlation study and an experiment?

In an experiment, the investigator manipulates the independent variable

What does it mean if the correlation between variable A and variable B is -.5?

Increase in A are associated with decreases in B

What kind of psychologist helps a corporation choose the right people to hire?

Industrial/Organizational

What kind of psychologist helps a company increase workers' productivity and satisfaction?

Industrial/Organizational Psychologist

What are "descriptive statistics"?

Mathematical summaries of results

The word psychology was derived from the Greek works psyche, meaning______, logos, meaning ______.

Mind...word

What evidence did Spearman cite to support his concept of a "g" factor in intelligence?

Most people who do well on one intellectual task do well on others tasks also.

What evidence did Spearman have for his proposed g factor in intelligence?

Most people who do well on one type of test also do well on other tests.

Suppose we find a +.8 correlations between students reported interest in psychology and their grades in a psychology course. Which conclusion, if any, can we draw?

None of these conclusions follow from the results

A pre-school teacher records the height of all the students and their parents. The distribution of these measures would be a

Normal distribution

According to one study, what was the effect of red-letter instructions on the first page of a test?

On average, students got lower test scores

Which of the following types of evidence, if found, would offer the strongest support in favor of Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences?

People develop strengths in whatever skills they have been trained to do

Moderate alcohol drinkers have been reported to be healthier than non-drinkers. What is a problem with this research?

People were not randomly assigned to groups

Dualism--the idea that the mind and brain exist separately--conflict with which of these?

Physicists' principle of conservation of matter and energy

What do we call the relationship between the intensity of a stimulus and its perceived intensity?

Psychophysical function

What does The Individuals with Disabilities Act in the United States require?

Public schools must provide free and appropriate education for all children regardless of their limitations.

Why do deaf and foreign-born people get a fairer score on the Raven's Progressive Matrices than they do on the Wechsler or Stanford-Binet test?

Raven's Matrices include only nonverbal questions and answers.

If competent researchers consistently get similar results whenever they follow a particular procedure, then the results are

Replicable

A cross-cultural sample is most important for which type of research?

Research seeking generalizations about humans nature in general

Why did early psychologist spend so much time studying rats in a maze?

Researchers expected to find simple laws

Damage on the adrenal gland can lead to an increase need for which dietary substance?

Salt

What does "psychometric" mean?

based on measurements of individual differences

Suppose someone devises a new IQ test and we discover that tall people get higher test scores than short people. How can we determine whether this test is biased against short people?

See whether the test equally well predicts performances of both short and tall people

What is one way to decrease the impact of stereotype threat?

Simply educate people about stereotype threat.

What kind of psychologist is most concerned with how other people influence our behavior?

Social psychologist

Which of the following does NOT typically offer help to troubled people?

Social psychologist

What distinguishes a psychoanalysts from other kinds of therapist?

Strong adherence to theories pioneered by Sigmund Freud

The experimental group receives a free copy of the study guide so that the experimenter can determine its effect on test performance. What will the control group in this experiment do?

Take all the same test without using the study guide

Which of the following is an operational definition of "anxiety"?

The amount of music tension after hearing a loud noise

According to the Flynn effect, if psychologists did NOT re-standardize IQ tests from time to time, what would happen?

The mean score on the test would increase from generation to generation

What does it mean to say that a test is biased against members of a particular group?

The test scores underestimate the performance of that group on other tasks

Which of the following is desirable feature of scientific theory?

The theory is falsifiable

Psychology research differs from chemistry research in many ways. What is one way in which they are similar?

They both need careful measurements

How strongly do monozygotic twins resemble each other in IQ scores if they were reared in separate families?

They resemble each other more closely than dizygotic twins reared together

What did Sigmund Freud emphasized in treating troubled people?

Tracing current behavior to early childhood experiences

Which of the following is known to influence people's food preferences?

Variations in their number of taste buds

Psychologist specializing in learning and motivation stress which point about food choice?

We are most adept at learning to avoid foods which cause illness

Studies find that people who exercise regularly tend to have more cheerful outlook on life. What conclusions, if any, can we draw from these date?

We can draw none of these conclusions

An investigator trying to demonstrate Lamarckian evolution tested rats' ability to learn a swimming maze, and then bred those rats and demonstrated that the next generation learned faster. What conclusions can we draw, if any?

We drew no concluded, because the study lacked a control group

Students who spent the weekend studying got better grades than those who went to the beach. To know whether this statement came from the experiment or a correlational study, what question should we ask?

Were students randomly assigned to two groups, or did they decide for themselves

When Wilhelm Wundt started his psychological research, which of these was a key issue?

What are the elements of experience?

Modern-Day research on animal intelligence focuses most on which of these questions?

What does animal learning tells us about the mechanism of intelligence behavior?

According to a recent survey, 78% of workers say they have cheated their employer. Before we can interpret these results, which of the following is important to ask?

What were the participants told to count as examples of cheating?

A psychologist who attempts to test the assumptions of determinism is most likely to investigate

Whether it is possible to predict behaviors

An evolutionary psychologist is most likely to consider which of these questions?

Why are men more likely than women to seek multiple sexual partners?

Who advocated research on the actions the mind perform, rather than the ideas it has?

William James

Which of the following jobs is a school psychologist most likely to perform

a consult with teachers about how to meet the educational needs of a troubled student

What is a placebo?

a pill with no important biological effects

Aptitude tests attempt to measure _____. Achievement tests attempt to measure _____.

ability to learn... skills and knowledge already learned

What is meant by "adaptive testing"?

administering only those items at or near someone's level of functioning

The WAIS-III test is given to __________. The WISC-IV test is given to __________.

adults.. children up to age 16

To decide whether or not any individual item on a test is biased against men or women, psychologists would need to determine whether:

an item that is easy for one group is among the most difficult for the other.

Sternberg distinguished three types of intelligence: practical, creative, and __________.

analytical

Which of the following research questions most directly related to the nature-nurture concept

are behavioral differences between boys and girls due to differences in their genes?

IQ scores

are positively correlated with success on a variety of jobs

The mean, median, range, and standard deviation are all examples of

descriptive statistcics

Mathematical summaries of results are called ____ statistics, while statistics that inform about the entire population, based on information collected from small samples, are called______ statistics.

descriptive....inferential

Which of the following is biopsychologist LEAST likely to investigate?

effects of unconscious though on behavior

A new worker at Consolidated Generic Products cannot perform any of the company's traditional tasks as well as more experienced workers. However, the new worker learns new skills faster than the older workers. The new worker apparently has a high degree of

fluid intelligence

If you solve a problem of a type you never saw before, what type of intelligence do you show?

fluid intelligence

Jacque's co-workers are surprised to see him solve complex problems on the spot, because he is not skilled at the tasks of his job. Jacque is apparently high in ____ intelligence and lower in ____ intelligence.

fluid; crystallized

In one study, what had the biggest effect on whether Japanese EXCHANGE STUDENTS felt homesick?

foods

Professor Plum devises a new personality test and administers it to a large and representative group of people, finding a wide distribution of scores on the test. Two months later he administers a second form of the same test to the same people and finds that most people receive almost the same score they had the first time. He should conclude that the test has

high reliability and unknown validity

Estimates of the heritability of IQ scores are LOWEST for people in which kind of family?

impoverished families

The increase in raw IQ scores known as the Flynn effect has been shown to occur

in every country where it has been investigated

What must a researcher obtain before conducting research on humans?

informed consent from the participants

In which of these ways does stereotype threat affect the results of a test?

it decreases the validity of the test

To determine whether a theory is parsimonious, psychologist pay attention to whether

its assumptions are simple and consistent with those of others theories

Psychologists analyze a reading comprehension test and find that someone could answer most of the questions correctly without reading the passage. They therefore cast doubt on which aspect of this test?

its validity

Over the last 50 years or so, what have psychologists had to do in order to make sure the mean score on an IQ test remains at 100?

make the test harder

The reliability of most IQ tests is .90 or higher. This means that the tests

measure something (whatever) in a repeatable manner

Which term refers to the most common score?

most

If standard deviation is small, then

most scores are close to the mean

If you became skillful at basketball because your friends encourage you to play and you have practiced a lot, your behavior is influenced by_______. If you are good at basketball mainly because you are very tall, as have all the members of your family for generations, your behavior is influenced by________

nature....nurture

Which of these best describes a double-blind people?

neither the observer nor the participants know who is in the experimental group

The WAIS-III and WISC-IV have one advantage over the Raven's Progressive Matrices test, which is that the WAIS-III and WISC-IV

provide scores on a number of separate abilities

A psychotherapist with a medical degree is a _____ and one with a PHD is a ______

psychiatrist....psychologist

If every individual in the population has an equal chance in being selected for a sample, it's a/an____

random

If everyone has the same chance of being in an experimental group, then the experiment has

random assignment

"Falsifiability" is desirable characteristic for a scientific theory because a falsifiable theory

relies on anecdotal evidence

If a test has high reliability,

scores on the test correlate positively with performance in some other situation

When clever Hans seemed to answer mathematical questions, what was he really responding to?

signals from the person asking the question

If someone expects that members of his/her group usually do poorly on some task, which expectation may interfere with the person's ability to concentrate and do well on the task. What is this phenomenon called?

stereotype threat

If an IQ test has high predictive validity, then

students who do well on the test also get good grades in school.

Improved nutrition and increased cognitive stimulation are among the possible explanations for

the Flynn effect.

Which of the following could be an operational definition of "sense of humor"?

the number of times someone makes other people laugh

Which of the following is an example of an inferential statistics?

the p value from a statistical test

In both science and criminal trail, who has the "burden of proof"-- that is, the obligation to demonstrate that their claims are correct

the side that should be able to produce good evidence, if they are right

An experimenter kept students in a hot, neutral, or cold room and then texted their ability to memorized poetry. What was the independent variable in this experiment?

the tempt of the room

If a test has low validity, then

the test does not measure what it is supposed to measure

"Stereotype threat" refers to the finding that Black students' test performance deteriorates when

they are nervous about their performance or expect to do poorly

Which of the following is true of normal distributions?

they are symmetrical

If we compare IQ scores across countries, we find a tendency toward lower scores in which countries?

those with the highest exposure to infectious diseases

What was originally, and still is, the main purpose of IQ tests?

to predict performance in school

Women now receive approximately what percentage of the Ph Ds in psychology?

two thirds

Harriet has just taken a new IQ test. She answered 88 questions correctly. However, this test has not yet been standardized. Therefore, A. her score is in the 88th percentile. B. we do not know how her score compares to that of other people. C. we can be sure that her score is neither reliable nor valid. D. we know that her IQ is below average, but we do not know how much below average.

we do not know how her score compares to that of other people