Psych 101 Exam I Chp 1-4

A group that experiences all experimental procedures with the exception of exposure to the independent variable is called a ____. a. control group c. variable group b. random group d. dynamic group

a

A leading humanist thinker who introduced a major theory of motivation with a goal of self-actualization is ____. a. Abraham Maslow c. Herbert Simon b. Alan Newell d. Carl Rogers

a

A limitation of the experimental method is that ____. a. participants know that they are in a research study and may vary their behavior accordingly b. causation cannot be established c. the results are rarely accepted by scientific peers d. experiments involving fear, panic, and stress may be so realistic that participants are harmed

a

A measure is a method for describing a variable's ____. a. quantity c. fluctuation b. reliability d. deviation

a

A method for assessing age-related changes that combines the cross-sectional and longitudinal approaches by observing a cross-section of participants over a relatively limited period of time is called a ____. a. mixed longitudinal study c. cohort study b. longitudinal study d. limited longitudinal study

a

A newspaper headline states "Autism correlation to wealth affirmed." Researchers found that affluent youngsters were almost twice as likely as the poorest children in the study to have autism. This is a ____. a. positive correlation c. negative correlation b. reciprocal correlation d. zero correlation

a

A set of facts and relationships between facts that can explain and predict related phenomena is called a(n) ____. a. theory c. descriptive method b. hypothesis d. experiment

a

A squid axon is large enough to be visible to the naked eye, while a human axon can only be viewed with a microscopic. Compared with an action potential for a human axon, the size of an action potential for a squid axon will be ____. a. the same b. smaller c. larger d. smaller or larger depending on the length of the axon

a

A variable that is irrelevant to the hypothesis being tested and can alter a researcher's conclusions is called a(n) ____. a. confounding variable c. dependent variable b. independent variable d. third variable

a

A well-known local herbalist sells the neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) as "the body's natural tranquilizer," stating that it helps to calm the central nervous system and prevent anxiety and stress-related messages from reaching the motor centers of the brain. This portrayal reflects GABA's ____. a. inhibitory effect on brain activity c. lack of hyperpolarization b. depolarizing properties d. excitatory effect on brain activity

a

A(n) ____ is a neuron that carries information from the external environment, or from the body, back to the central nervous system. a. sensory neuron c. cerebellar neuron b. interneuron d. motor neuron

a

According to evolutionary psychologists, what traits do women subconsciously look for in a potential mate to maximize the survival of their children? a. low levels of testosterone c. low levels of progesterone b. high levels of testosterone d. high levels of progesterone

a

According to the American Psychological Association's guidelines, research animals ____. a. may be euthanized in accordance with veterinary standards b. must be provided with housing, food, and veterinary care until their natural end c. may be killed only after individual review and certification of need d. may not be killed

a

Although the bulk of psychology focuses on human behavior, studying animal behavior has been an essential part of the discipline that allows for ____. a. making essential comparisons with humans b. understanding animal-human interactions c. understanding behavior from an evolutionary standpoint d. designing better psychoanalytical therapies

a

Amber is fascinated by forensic psychology, the application of psychology to the study of crime and the legal system. This is an example of a(n) ____ track of psychology. a. applied c. experimental b. therapist d. cognitive

a

An error that occurs when DNA is replicated is referred to as a ____. a. mutation c. splicing event b. migration d. genetic drift

a

Beginning in the 17th and 18th centuries, with new technologies including the light microscope, scientists began to make a series of important new discoveries showing that ____. a. a single nerve cell carries one type of information b. nerve cells use electrical impulses to transmit signals c. the mind works in isolation from the rest of the body d. chemical messengers facilitate communication in the brain

a

Callie's data set regarding the working conditions and stress levels of domestic workers contains housing expenses. The average is surprisingly low, but then she realizes that many workers are live-in employees and report zero housing expense. A more useful measure of central tendency would be the ____. a. median c. normal distribution b. frequency d. mean

a

Christopher suffered a traumatic brain injury in an automobile accident. Since the accident, he has great difficulty in forming new memories but remembers his childhood well, which suggests that his ____ was damaged. a. hippocampus c. basal ganglia b. hypothalamus d. amygdala

a

Conducting a meta-analysis often provides a ____. a. clearer picture of a phenomenon than single experiments observed in isolation b. narrow view of a phenomenon c. random sampling of a phenomenon d. less discrete picture of a phenomenon than that of single experiments

a

Consider the following relationships between two variables. Which pair is most likely to have the weakest correlation? a. hair color and intelligence c. salary and educational level b. height and weight d. age and verbal ability up to age 20

a

Critical thinking is ____. a. a skill people need to learn b. set before the teenage years c. genetically determined d. based on cultural norms

a

Deandra and her son Jake are visiting the local petting zoo. Deandra points out a peacock spreading his feathers, and explains to him that the peacock is attempting to attract a mate. What is this process called? a. intersexual behavior c. sexual fitness b. intrasexual behavior d. sexual adaptation

a

Doris's heart suddenly races as a speeding car nearly collides with hers on the highway. Which neurotransmitter is playing a role in this response? a. norepinephrine c. serotonin b. GABA d. dopamine

a

Dr. Arnold is a biological psychologist interested in understanding how climate influences male aggression. Which hypothesis most closely reflects a biological psychological perspective? a. Men who live in warmer climates tend to have higher levels of testosterone, which leads to more male aggression. b. Warm weather tends to create more competition and thus more aggression among males. c. In societies where climates are warm, attitudes towards male aggression tend to be more acceptable. d. In regions with warm climates, people socialize more outdoors, which naturally leads to more male aggression.

a

Dr. Mahr is studying the heritability of shyness. Because her research participants are adolescents from different socioeconomic groups across the county, the heritability of self-confidence will appear to be ____. a. low c. variable b. high d. constant

a

Elaine, a graduate student in a neuroscience department, is interested in understanding the effects of popular herbal remedies on neuronal communication. After growing neurons in a petri dish, she exposes the neurons to several common herbal supplements. After performing a series of electrophysiology experiments, she notes that one class of herbal supplements caused the neurons to become depolarized. What does this mean? a. The difference between the electrical charges of the extracellular and intracellular recordings decreased, increasing the chances of an action potential. b. The difference between the electrical charges of the extracellular and intracellular recordings decreased, decreasing the chances of an action potential. c. The difference between the electrical charges of the extracellular and intracellular recordings increased, increasing the chances of an action potential. d. The difference between the electrical charges of the extracellular and intracellular recordings increased, decreasing the chances of an action potential.

a

Gene expression results in the synthesis of what component of a living cell? a. proteins c. lipids b. nucleic acids d. carbohydrates

a

Georgio is jogging barefoot along the beach when he suddenly steps on the sharp edge of a broken shell. He instantly feels pain due to the message carried to his brain by ____. He then slowly walks home with an achy foot. The message of the ache is carried by ____. a. myelinated axons; unmyelinated axons b. myelinated dendrites; unmyelinated axons c. unmyelinated dendrites; myelinated axons d. unmyelinated axons; myelinated axons

a

Harold is trying to decide between teaching at the nearby community college or obtaining a therapist's license. What degree is the minimum degree required for these positions? a. master's degree c. doctoral degree b. bachelor's degree d. associate's degree

a

How frequently can scientists prove that their hypotheses are true? a. never c. sometimes b. always d. often

a

If genes play no role in producing phenotypical differences between individuals, heritability is a. 0.0 c. 0.5 b. 0.25 d. 1.0

a

In statistics, the extent to which scores differ from one another or from their mean; often measured using the standard deviation, is called ____. a. variability c. distribution b. frequency d. correlation

a

In the 1970s, what initiated an explosion of knowledge about the connections between brain and behavior? a New methods for observing brain activity b Looser government regulations on human experimentation c A focus away from animal research toward human research d The advent of the statistical method

a

In the Tuskegee syphilis experiment, researchers from the U.S. Public Health Service ____. a. studied the progression of syphilis in a group of African American men without providing diagnosis or treatment b. poured bacteria on scrapes made on prisoners' faces and arms to transmit syphilis for the purposes of study c. hired syphilis-infected prostitutes to sleep with soldiers to study the progression of the disease d. exposed prisoners, soldiers, and mental patients to syphilis and gonorrhea to test the effectiveness of penicillin

a

In what way did ancient physicians contribute to contemporary psychology? a. By studying the nervous system and developing the scientific method b. By studying hormone imbalances and developing the scientific method c. By studying the nervous system and developing diagnostic tools d. By studying hormone imbalances and developing diagnostic tools

a

Josh has a doctoral degree in psychology and is a therapist in New York. His sister Sarah has a medical degree and is in a residency program for psychiatry. Currently, the biggest difference between the two professions is that, in contrast to Josh, Sarah can ____. a. prescribe medication b. conduct research c. conduct psychotherapy d. peer review the work of other researchers

a

Keith feels that the results of his research study in autism among the elderly is finally ready for submission to a journal. For the journal editor to recommend his article for publication, what must the peer reviewers conclude? a. His research is important, accurate, and explained thoroughly. b. His methods are novel and could contribute to the field. c. His statistical analysis is cutting edge. d. His findings are the first of their kind and therefore replicable

a

Many of the big questions tackled by behaviorists are now examined through the lens of the ____ perspective. a. cognitive or biological c. evolutionary or cross-cultural b. structural or historical d. psychodynamic or humanistic

a

Many of the new ways of looking at the mind will take advantage of the revolution in techniques for studying the brain; for example, ____ currently investigate the biological factors that vary along with people's feelings and experience of social inclusion, rejection, or loneliness. a. social neuroscientists c. clinical psychologists b. cognitive neuroscientists d. behavioral neuroscientists

a

Marcus is conducting a squid axon electrophysiology experiment with Dr. Flores. While monitoring a recording electrode placed within a squid axon, Marcus reports to Dr. Flores that the neuron is in a refractory period. What does this mean? a. The cell is hyperpolarized and cannot fire another action potential. b. The cell is depolarized and cannot fire another action potential. c. The cell is hyperpolarized and is getting ready to fire a larger action potential. d. The cell is depolarized and is getting ready to fire a larger action potential

a

Marcus works in the laboratory of Dr. Flores, an expert in squid axon electrophysiology. After taking a reading from a recording electrode placed within a squid axon, Marcus comments to Dr. Flores that the squid axon is at its resting potential. What measurement did Marcus take with the recording electrode? a. -70mV c. 0mV b. -40 mV d. +40 mV

a

Marguerite, a first-year doctoral student, scrutinizes the neural tissue that she prepared for study under her microscope. She knows from experience that the areas that look gray have a high density of cell bodies, while the areas that look white consist of large bundles of myelinated ____. a. axons c. soma b. dendrites d. nuclei

a

Mary Ann and Toby have been married for two years and are very happy. Each feels they receive a high level of support from the other and are very physically compatible. They may have higher than average levels of which hormone? a. oxytocin c. insulin b. growth hormone d. estrogen

a

Melanie, a graduate student working in a neuroscience lab, grows neurons in a petri dish to study the effects of environmental toxins on neuronal communication. During one of Melanie's experiments, she accidentally damages the axon of a neuron. What will be an immediate consequence of this mishap? a. The neuron will not be able to transmit information to other cells. b. The neuron will not be able to translate proteins. c. The neuron will not be able to receive inputs from other cells. d. The neuron's other axons will have to take over the function of the damaged axon.

a

Molly, whose eyes are brown, inherited a gene for blue eyes from her mother and a gene for brown eyes from her father. Molly's brown eyes are part of her ____. a. phenotype c. heterotype b. homotype d. genotype

a

More recently, clinical and counseling psychologists have expanded their perspective to include ____. a. the promotion of general well-being b. the influences of evolutionary adaptation on behavior c. monitoring chemical changes in the brain in response to treatment d. brain scans in the course of therapeutic treatment

a

Most philosophers beginning with Aristotle commonly believed that all knowledge is ____. a. gained through sensory experience b. innate or inborn c. built upon from simple schema present at birth d. acquired by integrating environmental cues with innate skills

a

Noreen is a graduate student in psychology. She is designing a study regarding health care decision-making among teenagers. Which of the following research participants can legally provide his or her own informed consent? a. An eighteen year old male with HIV/AIDS b. A nineteen year old female with profound developmental disabilities c. A seventeen year old female with chronic kidney disease d. An eighteen year old male with schizophrenia

a

One important difference between science and everyday observations is that science relies on ____. a. objectivity c. perspective b. introspection d. subjectivity

a

Over the last 30 years, new methods have allowed psychologists to observe brain activity and revisit questions of mental processes. What element have these methods introduced to psychological research? a. objectivity c. generalizability b. subjectivity d. conclusiveness

a

Over the seven-million-year period of hominin evolution, ____. a. brains grew very rapidly b. quadrupeds became bipeds c. agriculture replaced hunting d. ecological complexity shaped modern intelligence

a

Permission obtained from a research participant after the risks and benefits of an experimental procedure have been thoroughly explained is called ____. a. informed consent c. IRB approval b. assumption of risk d. parental assent

a

Police Officer Amy Randall suspects that the driver of a car in front of her is driving under the influence of alcohol. She pulls the driver over and administers a field sobriety test. She asks the driver to stand on one leg so that she can evaluate the driver's balance. This test is performed because the ____ is one of the first structures in the brain to be affected by alcohol. a. cerebellum c. pons b. cerebral cortex d. medulla

a

Professor Frankel is an editor for a psychology journal. She is considering which submissions to send out for peer review. Which of the following submissions is likely to receive the strongest consideration based on its research methods? a. A professor from Utah who used well-established methods b. A researcher from California who developed novel methods c. A professor from Illinois who employed rarely-used methods d. A postdoctoral fellow from Texas who used a controversial method

a

Recognizing individual differences is especially important to psychologists interested in variations in an individual's characteristic way of thinking, feeling, and behaving. This is referred to as ____. a. personality c. type b. cognition d. psyche

a

Researchers believe that humor attracts potential mates because it signifies ____. a. intelligence c. the ability to nurture b. empathy d. self-confidence

a

Researchers working in universities and other agencies must receive the approval of institutional review boards (IRBs) for human participant research and institutional animal care and use committees (IACUCs) before conducting research, ____. a. if their institution receives federal funding b. if their institution receives private funding c. only if their research involves vulnerable populations d. only if their research has a questionable purpose

a

Rodney, who has ____, takes medication to help offset the depletion of ____ in his brain. However, although the medication is helping his condition, his wife is alarmed that as a consequence of the medication, Rodney recently developed a gambling addiction. a. Parkinson's disease; dopamine b. posttraumatic stress disorder; serotonin c. bipolar disorder; norepinephrine d. Alzheimer's disease; acetylcholine

a

Scientific hypotheses must be both ____. a. falsifiable and testable b. valid and replicable c. falsifiable and reliable d. valid and testable

a

Seth, a psychologist, would like to conduct research in the form of naturalistic observation of drug sales and use among teenagers in his city's poorest neighborhood without their knowledge. What problem does this raise? a. The research may be unethical. b. People often behave differently when they know they are being observed. c. His sample is insufficiently representative for naturalistic observation. d. Study participants tend to want to appear socially appropriate.

a

Skinner generalized his findings to complex human behaviors even though his subject pool was limited to ____. a. rats and pigeons c. graduate students b. children d. dogs and cats

a

Tara and Boris, expectant parents, wonder about the endless possibility of traits their unborn son might inherit from them (e.g., Tara's red hair and allergies; Boris's tall frame and poor eyesight). As a genetics expert, what can you share with them about the number of chromosomal combinations that are possible when a parental cell divides to make an egg or sperm cell? a. After cell division, the egg or sperm contain 23 chromosomes; thus, a male or female can produce 223 different combinations of his or her chromosomes. b. After cell division, the egg or sperm contain 23 chromosomes; thus, a male or female can produce 232 different combinations of his or her chromosomes. c. After cell division, the egg or sperm contain 46 chromosomes; thus, a male or female can produce 246 different combinations of his or her chromosomes. d. After cell division, the egg or sperm contain 46 chromosomes; thus, a male or female can produce 462 different combinations of his or her chromosomes.

a

The Gestalt movement traces its origin to a single experiment conducted by Max Wertheimer in 1912 that demonstrated the ____. a. apparent movement of stationary objects b. influence of introspection on behavior c. speed of nerve conduction d. salivation of dogs in anticipation of food

a

The Gestalt psychologists believed that breaking a "whole" perception into its building blocks, as advocated by the structuralists, would result in the loss of ____. a. important psychological information c. learned consciousness b. fundamental intellect d. irrational behaviors

a

The SAT II single subject achievement test shows the highest positive correlation with first-year college grades compared to both the SAT I aptitude test and high school grade point average. This indicates that of the three tests, it is the most ____. a. valid c. reliable b. generalizable d. operational

a

The ____ is a part of the prefrontal cortex located right behind the eyes that participates in impulse control. a. orbitofrontal cortex c. frontal lobe b. occipital lobe d. parietal cortex

a

The ____ is the division of the autonomic nervous system associated with rest, repair, and energy storage. a. parasympathetic nervous system c. endocrine system b. somatic nervous system d. sympathetic nervous system

a

The ____ is the part of the peripheral nervous system that brings sensory information to the central nervous system and transmits commands to the muscles. a. somatic nervous system c. parasympathetic nervous system b. endocrine system d. autonomic nervous system

a

The ability of one genotype to reproduce more successfully relative to other genotypes is referred to as ____. a. fitness c. adaptation b. malleability d. exclusivity

a

The arrival of a(n)____ causes synaptic vesicles to be released from their protein anchors, allowing the vesicles to fuse with the cell membrane and release ____ into the synaptic cleft. a. action potential; neurotransmitters b. neurotransmitter; an electrical charge c. action potential; an electrical charge d. neurotransmitter; more neurotransmitters

a

The curly wing trait of the fruit fly is carried by a dominant gene. What is the minimum number of curly winged genes that a fruit fly must have to exhibit a curly wing phenotype? a. one c. three b. two d. four

a

The endocrine system is comprised of a number of glands that release chemical messengers known as ____ into the ____. a. hormones; blood b. neurotransmitters; blood c. hormones; cerebrospinal fluid d. neurotransmitters; cerebrospinal fluid

a

The field of evolutionary psychology directly descends from which early school of thought? a. functionalism c. gestaltism b. dualism d. structuralism

a

The heritability ratio of having a liver is ____. a. 0.0 b. 0.25 c. 0.75 d. 1.0

a

The mapping done by Boyack and colleagues shows that psychology is one of the major hub sciences, with strong connections to ____. a. the medical sciences, the social sciences, and education b. the humanities, education, and the medical sciences c. the social sciences, the medical sciences, and the humanities d. the medical sciences, education, and philosophy

a

The spinal cord is a(n) ____ extending from the medulla of the brain down to the middle of the back. a. long cylinder of neural tissue b. hollow canal c. interwoven network of tissue and cartilage d. series of interlocking bones

a

The statistical analysis of many previous experiments on a single topic is called a ____. a meta-analysis c. deviation analysis b modal analysis d. regression analysis

a

Valerie recently lost her sister to suicide. She is having difficulty sleeping, feels hopeless about the future, and is easily startled or frightened. Her doctor recommends that she participate in a discussion group led by a social worker to connect with others who are going through a similar experience. Which approach to psychological disorders does this exemplify? a. The psychological model c. The self-actualization model b. The behavioral model d. The medical model

a

Variations of a single gene are known as ____. a. alleles b. chromosomes c. homozygotes d. heterozygotes

a

Vestigial wings (very small wings) are a recessive trait of the fruit fly. For a fruit fly to have a vestigial phenotype, it must inherit the gene(s) for vestigial wings from ____. a. both parents c. the mother b. either parent d. the father

a

What allows for variation within the human species? a. alleles c. number of chromosomes b. genes d. structure of DNA

a

What is an accurate statement regarding interneurons found in the central nervous system? a. They form bridges between sensory and motor neurons. b. They block motor output to allow for sensory input. c. They block sensory input to allow for motor output. d. They act as either sensory or motor neurons.

a

What is an argument against the idea that promiscuity is an ideal way to pass one's genes onto successive generations? a. Parental care suffers when a parent has too many children. b. Fertility rates typically decrease when sexual activity goes beyond a threshold level. c. Increased sexual activity introduces a variety of fatal infections to the individual. d. The quality of the selected mate tends to decrease with increased promiscuity.

a

What is an argument against using adoption studies for assessing the relative influences of genetics and environment on child development? a. Adoptive parents go through a rigorous screening process, decreasing their diversity. b. Because adoptive parents are under constant scrutiny, they tend to downplay the negative behaviors of their children. c. Children who are adopted are more likely to feel out of place in their adopted home and community. d. The mere knowledge of knowing they were adopted will alter the behavior of a child.

a

What is one advantage of using naturalistic observation over the case study method? a. Looking at a much larger group supports application of the results to the general population. b. Observing individuals in their natural setting without their knowledge is the most accepted form of research. c. Observing individuals outside of their everyday circumstances encourages candor. d. Looking at a much larger group supports hypothesis testing as well as hypothesis generation.

a

What would be a consequence of destroying the corpus callosum? a. The left and right cerebral hemispheres would not be able to effectively communicate. b. A person would have difficulty breathing. c. A severe movement disorder would eventually emerge. d. A person would lose the ability to experience fear.

a

When do the sympathetic and parasympathetic divisions cooperate, rather than antagonize one another? a. during sexual activity b. at times of relative calm c. when a fight-or-flight response is required d. following the ingestion of a meal

a

Which early scientist described how species change in an orderly manner? a. Charles Darwin c. James Watson b. Francis Galton d. Gregor Mendel

a

Which example best illustrates the concept of epigenetics? a. Josh and Jason are identical twins; Josh is two inches taller than Jason. b. Fareed and Asha are fraternal twins; they are often mistaken for identical twins. c. Toby has Huntington's disease; his son has a 50% chance of inheriting the disease. d. Joe and Elaine have brown eyes; their youngest daughter has blue eyes.

a

Which of the following is NOT one of the theories regarding the possible advantages of lateralization? a. Lateralization may reduce vulnerability to some diseases and disorders. b. Lateralization of human brain structures made language possible. c. Lateralization might provide organisms with the ability to multitask. d. Left-handedness might afford an advantage in hand-to-hand combat

a

Which of the following is least likely to be an example of classical conditioning? a. A child hears a police siren for the first time and cries. b. A whiff of perfume on a crowded subway triggers a memory of a prior love. c. A dog sits upon sight or smell of a treat. d. A former soldier cringes at the sound of an airplane overhead.

a

Which of the following statements about Freud's work is true? a. His theories do not lend themselves to experimentation. b. His patients were primarily working class men and therefore not representative of the broader population. c. His theories were based exclusively on animal studies. d. His psychoanalytic techniques are replicated in their original form today.

a

Which scenario best illustrates the concept of migration? a. Twelve thousand years ago Native Americans traversed the Bering Strait to settle in the Americas, causing different genetic traits to be favored over others. b. The genetic mutation that causes sickle cell anemia also increases resistance to malaria, increasing the frequency of the diseased allele in the general population. c. The prevalence of depression is greater in populations where the serotonin transporter gene translocated to position q21 along chromosome 17. d. There is a higher than average rate of Ellis-van Creveld syndrome in the Amish community because the diseased allele was introduced by some original Amish settlers.

a

Which scenario best illustrates the concept of natural selection? a. The gene for sickle cell anemia has been passed down for generations because those with sickle cell anemia are typically resistant to malaria. b. Farmers typically breed only their strongest animals to ensure that the offspring will retain the most desirable characteristics. c. The gene for brown eyes is dominant; therefore, the most common eye color in the world is brown. d. As identical twins age, they typically show more physical differences because of epigenetic processes.

a

Which type of interaction is most likely to result in a negative outcome for both parties in a relationship? a. spitefulness c. selfishness b. altruism d. cooperation

a

While attending the opening of her friend's art exhibit, Lisbeth weighs the pros and cons of having a third glass of wine. In Plato's version of the mind, this is the role of the ____. a. driver c. reins b. horse d. carriage

a

A subset of the population being studied is called.... a. sample c. demographic b. cohort d. cluster

b

According to your text, which of the following best describes scientific knowledge? a. historical and progressive c. qualitative and definitive b. stable and changing d. quantitative and procedural

b

An experimental design for assessing age-related changes in which data are obtained from the same individuals at intervals over a long period is called a ____. a. cross-sectional study c. correlational study b. longitudinal study d. mixed longitudinal study

b

An inactive substance or treatment that cannot be distinguished from a real, active substance or treatment is called a ____. a. measure c. variable b. placebo d. sample

b

Ancient Greek philosophers ____. a. were exclusively monists b. provided natural explanations for their observations c. were exclusively dualists d. relied on the supernatural to explain their observations

b

Any science that studies nonliving matter, including physics, chemistry, astronomy, and geology, is called a(n) ____ science. a. natural c. applied b. physical d. earth

b

Arthur has developed a hypothesis and now is designing a study to test it. Which of the following can provide the best guidance regarding his choice of measures, types of data to be collected, and methods for interpreting the data? a. Hypotheses from other, similar studies b. The scientific literature in his area of interest c. The independent variables used in his previous study d. His personal observations during the development phase

b

At the core of ethical standards for human research is the idea that participation should involve ____. a. positive experiences c. substantial compensation b. no coercion d. minimization of pain and suffering

b

Damage to the midbrain would most likely result in ____. a. the inability to speak b. changes in pain perception c. the inability to regulate blood pressure d. difficulties with facial expressions

b

Darren suffers from fragile bone X (FBX) disorder. He inherited the FBX allele from his father and the normal allele for bone development from his mother. What can we conclude? a. FBX is a recessive allele. b. FBX is a dominant allele. c. Darren's children will most likely suffer from FBX disorder. d. Darren's children are unlikely to suffer from FBX disorder.

b

Dave is asked a series of questions by a neuropsychologist such as, "Please describe the weather outside today." Speaking with ease Dave replies, "The traffic on the way to your office was awful, I could not use my airplane because it was stuck in the garage." In which area of his brain does Dave have damage? a. Broca's c. Ranvier's b. Wernicke's d. M'Naghten's

b

Deena, a licensed practical nurse, is assisting a psychology professor with a research study on the physiological and psychological reactions to violence in blockbuster films. After a participant views a film clip, she administers some basic tests. Which of the following is the most subjective result? a. The participant's blood pressure is 140/90. b. The participant describes the level of film violence as 8 on a scale of 0 to 10. c. The participant's heart rate is 75. d. The participant has perspiration on her brow and her pupils are dilated.

b

Denise, a first year graduate student, is getting ready to begin a lab rotation with Dr. Hudson, an expert on the nodes of Ranvier. What should Denise know about the nodes of Ranvier before beginning her lab rotation? a. Action potentials occur only at the nodes of Ranvier in unmyelinated axons. b. Action potentials occur only at the nodes of Ranvier in myelinated axons. c. Action potentials "skip" over the nodes of Ranvier in unmyelinated axons. d. Action potentials "skip" over the nodes of Ranvier in myelinated axons.

b

Dominant alleles determine a phenotype when an individual is ____. a. neither homozygous nor heterozygous for a particular gene b. either homozygous or heterozygous for a particular gene c. only heterozygous for a particular gene d. only homozygous for a particular gene

b

Dr. Benson discovers a new hormone, "hormone X," which becomes elevated when people experience extreme anxiety. To establish a reciprocal relationship, Dr. Benson needs to show that ____. a. blocking the binding sites of "hormone X" leads to feelings of euphoria b. feelings of euphoria decrease "hormone X" levels c. people experience anxiety when injected with "hormone X" d. levels of anxiety correlate with levels of "hormone X"

b

Dr. Crane is studying patients who are in the residual phase of schizophrenia. His colleague, Dr. Mellus, takes detailed notes during a series of interviews and interactions that Dr. Crane has with one such patient for later analysis. What research method are these doctors employing? a. experimental study c. correlational study b. case study d. experiential study

b

Dr. Pohlson is studying the heritability of self-confidence. Because all of his research participants are upper-middle class adolescents from the same private school in New York City, the heritability of self-confidence will appear to be ____. a. low c. nondiscrete b. high d. constant

b

Dr. Segal is studying the effects of television watching on the language development of children under the age of two. Because of room scheduling issues, the children in the experimental group underwent testing in the morning and the children in the control group underwent testing in the afternoon. This is a ____. a. random assignment b. situational confounding factor c. confounding factor due to individual differences d. randomization error

b

During the peer review process, whose work is most likely to be accepted rapidly into the body of scientific knowledge? a. Dr. Gupta's, whose research led to unexpected and unique results b. Dr. Koch's, whose results fit with existing knowledge in her field c. Dr. Anton's, who used novel research methods and produced unconventional findings d. Dr. Dunn's, whose results are unreplicated in previous reports in his field

b

Edward has a fear of being contaminated when shaking hands with others, touching doorknobs, and being in crowded public spaces such as subway cars. He washes his hands roughly 100 times a day. His doctor has recently prescribed an antidepressant to increase his level of serotonin. Which approach to psychological disorders does this exemplify? a. The psychotherapeutic model c. The psychological model b. The medical model d. The self-actualization model

b

Eric has held a part-time job in a community mental health clinic throughout college. He values his interactions with the clients and is known for remaining calm during high stress situations at the clinic. He may be most interested in the ____ track of psychology. a. applied c. social b. therapist d. experimental

b

Falsifiable is a characteristic of a scientific hypothesis in which ____. a. the hypothesis is predicted to be wrong from the outset b. you can imagine situations in which the hypothesis might be false c. you can imagine situations in which the hypothesis cannot be false d. the hypothesis is not testable

b

From an evolutionary psychological perspective, why would social structures be more important for humans than for other animals? a. Humans are highly intelligent. b. Humans lack impressive claws or teeth. c. Humans are able to express emotions. d. Humans are able to empathize.

b

Greek physicians described a rudimentary theory of personality, stating that it is affected by the relative amounts of four different body fluids. A person with depression might be diagnosed as having an excess of ____. a. blood c. phlegm b. black bile d. yellow bile

b

Hal meets some friends at a local sports bar. After drinking several beers, Hal picks a fight with someone that he thinks is giving him "dirty" looks. Normally very mellow and calm, the alcohol has interfered with Hal's judgment, causing him to lose control. Which theory best explains Hal's behavior? a. Dawson's theory that people use alcohol as an excuse to act in ways they truly desire b. Jackson's theory that the nervous system is organized as a hierarchy c. Anderson's theory that our behavior is linked more to physiological cues than environmental cues d. Friedrich's theory that the brain behaves differently when people are in groups versus isolation

b

Heritability of most human traits is typically in the range of ____. a. 0.10 to 0.40 b. 0.30 to 0.60 c. 0.50 to 0.80 d. 0.70 to 1.0

b

Hormones released from the ____ gland control the production and release of sex hormones by the ovaries and testes, initiating puberty and maintaining fertility. a. pineal c. thyroid b. pituitary d. adrenal

b

How does myelination affect the signal transmission of a neuron? a. It slows the transmission of a signal. b. It speeds the transmission of a signal. c. It filters the signals so that only the "correct" signals are sent. d. It allows two or more signals to be transmitted simultaneously.

b

In Callie's study of the working conditions and stress levels of domestic workers, which of the following would be the most reasonable form of compensation for each interviewee? a. Acupoftea b. An amount that approximates the domestic worker's hourly rate c. One hundred dollars for a one hour interview d. Two bottles of wine

b

In Dr. Segal's study of the effects of television watching on the language development of children under the age of two, which of the following would you recommend to operationalize the dependent variable? a The cumulative amount of time spent watching television during the study b A count of the number of words each child knows at the end of the study c The amount of time per session spent watching television d A count of the number of words each child knows at the beginning and end of the study

b

Joan, a neuroscience graduate student, is asked by her laboratory mentor to study the communication of two neurons grown in a petri dish. She is asked to stimulate an action potential in the first neuron, which will send a depolarizing stimulus to the second, "receiving" neuron. However, her mentor would also like her to block the receiving neuron from generating an action potential. How can Joan accomplish this? a. She must cause the depolarization current in the receiving neuron to drift to the junction where the cell body and the axon meet. b. She must block the process of summation in the receiving neuron. c. She must cause the first neuron to release excitatory neurotransmitters. d. She must remove the myelin from the receiving neuron.

b

Leena and Leia are identical twins. Which of the following is true of their genetic makeup? a. They have identical genotypes and identical phenotypes. b. They have identical genotypes but not identical phenotypes. c. They have identical phenotypes but not identical genotypes. d. They have neither identical phenotypes nor genotypes.

b

Mariah is a neuroscience graduate student interested in understanding how the human brain processes early childhood memories. What technique should Mariah use to determine which brain regions are activated when someone recalls their first memory? a. single cell recording c. evoked potential b. positron emission tomography d. transcranial magnetic stimulation

b

Maxwell is a participant in a research study aimed at understanding how the brain responds to prolonged periods of isolation. After spending several hours in a room alone, Maxwell undergoes a(n) ____ procedure; a method that measures the brain's electrical activity using electrodes placed on the scalp. a. skin conductance response c. magnetoencephalography b. electroencephalogram d. electrical stimulation

b

Molly, a second year neuroscience graduate student, treats neurons grown in a petri dish with drugs that "block" the function of neuronal receptors. What is a consequence of the drug treatment? a. The neurons will become hyperpolarized, initiating a refractory period. b. The neurons will not be able to "sense" neurotransmitters, blocking neuronal communication. c. The synaptic vesicles will be void of neurotransmitters, blocking neuronal communication. d. Action potentials will fire immediately, enhancing neuronal communication.

b

Mrs. Agos is unable to recognize her husband by sight when he enters her hospital room. However, once she hears his voice, she recognizes him. Mrs. Agos has likely suffered damage to her ____. a. Wernicke's area c. Broca's area b. temporal lobe d. parietal lobe

b

Neil has gathered data regarding self-report of successful smoking cessation. He finds that one of the eight methods used by study participants accounts for a high proportion of the successes. The most useful measure of central tendency to report would be the ____. a. distribution c. frequency b. mode d. mean

b

Officers of the federal Drug Enforcement Administration recently broke up a ring of drug traffickers involved in dealing oxycodone, a prescription pain killer that mimics the action of ____ at the synapse. a. acetylcholine c. serotonin b. endorphins d. dopamine

b

On a field assignment with her students, Professor Miller observes two male elephant seals engaged in a fierce battle. She explains to her students that they are fighting for mating control of the female harem, a process termed ____. a. intersexual selection c. sexual fitness b. intrasexual selection d. sexual adaptation

b

Once the "threshold" for an action potential is reached what is the sequence of events that occur? 1. Potassium channels are activated and potassium ions move out of the neuron. 2. Sodium channels are activated and sodium ions move into the neuron. 3. The interior of the neuron becomes more negatively charged than the exterior. 4. The interior of the neuron becomes more positively charged than the exterior. a. 1, 3, 4, 2 c. 4, 1, 2, 3 b. 2, 4, 1, 3 d. 3, 2, 1, 4

b

One critique of Professor Bem's recent study of extrasensory perception (ESP) is that ____. a. he exposed undergraduates to erotic photographs without their consent b. he changed his research methods in the middle of the experiment without explanation c. he coerced students into participating by implying that he would lower their grades d. he failed to compensate the students for their participation

b

Piya suffers from severe jet lag when traveling between Bangkok and Boston. He might benefit from an added dose of the chemical messenger ____, which is endogenously released by the ____. a. thyroid hormone; thyroid gland c. oxytocin; pituitary gland b. melatonin; pineal gland d. insulin; islets of Langerhans

b

Reciprocal altruism is best described as helping someone who ____. a. has helped you in the past b. you expect will help you in the future c. makes a promise to help you with a specific task in return d. has an advantageous position with which to return the favor

b

Reciprocal altruism is likely to flourish in situations ____. a. of extreme stress b. where individuals are in regular contact c. that have a high cost-benefit ratio d. where the reward is more emotional than physical

b

Research using animals must demonstrate a(n) ____. a. physical or financial benefit to humans b. clear scientific purpose c. clear benefit to other animals d. absence of discomfort or invasive procedures

b

Science is best described as a(n) ____ enterprise. a. socialist c. hierarchical b. vastly collaborative d. solitary

b

Scott suffers from metabolic insufficiency X (MIX) disorder. His mother also has MIX disorder, but his father does not. What can we conclude? a. The MIX gene must be recessive. b. The MIX gene must be dominant. c. Scott may or may not pass down the gene for MIX disorder to his children. d. Scott will pass down the MIX disorder to his children, but they may not get the disease.

b

Sustained ____ depletes the body of resources at the same time as the ____ is unable to store new resources; this can lead to fatigue and wear and tear on internal organs. a. somatic activation; autonomic division b. sympathetic activation; parasympathetic division c. autonomic activation; somatic division d. parasympathetic activation; sympathetic division

b

The ____ is a structure attached to the brainstem that participates in skilled movement and, in humans, complex cognitive processing. It is connected to the rest of the brain by the ____. a. thalamus; brainstem c. midbrain; amygdala b. cerebellum; pons d. pons; medulla

b

The ____ is a subcortical structure located in the ____ lobe and believed to participate in emotional processing. a. hippocampus; parietal c. hypothalamus; frontal b. amygdala; temporal d. medulla; occipital

b

The ____ is a subcortical structure that participates in the regulation of thirst, temperature, hunger, sexual behavior, and aggression. a. hippocampus c. thalamus b. hypothalamus d. cingulate cortex

b

The ____ is the division of the autonomic nervous system that coordinates arousal. a. endocrine system c. parasympathetic nervous system b. sympathetic nervous system d. somatic nervous system

b

The best scientific theories not only explain and organize known facts, but they also generate new ____. a. guesses c. hunches b. predictions d. particulars

b

The brain and the spinal cord form the ____. a. autonomic nervous system c. peripheral nervous system b. central nervous system d. somatic nervous system

b

The first official psychological experiment involved _____. a. observing the behavior of cats when escaping puzzle boxes b. measuring how quickly, after hearing a ball drop onto a platform, a person could respond by striking a telegraph key c. the salivation of dogs in anticipation of food in response to the arrival of the handler d. the use of a stroboscope to control the timing of the appearance of two black lines against a white background

b

The gene for nerve deterioration X (NDX) disorder is located on the X chromosome. What can we conclude? a. It is more prevalent in females. b. It is more prevalent in males. c. Only mothers can pass down the gene for NDX. d. Only fathers can pass down the gene for NDX.

b

The idea that a person's dominant hemisphere influences their creativity or ability to think logically is ____. a. supported by the evidence that most left-handed individuals are employed as artists or musicians b. a popular myth about lateralization c. supported by the research findings on split-brain operations d. important for teachers to consider when working with children who have learning disabilities

b

The last area of the nervous system to be myelinated is the part of the brain located right behind the eyes. Which of the following situations reflects this fact? a. Marilyn, age 54, realizes that the glasses she purchased just two years ago are no longer strong enough. b. Martin and Tobias, ages 16 and 17 are long-time friends, impulsively decide to drag race their cars down a dark road. c. Nora, age 2, cries in frustration and discomfort when she falls down. d. Daniel, age 35, is considered highly intelligent amongst his peers.

b

The most forward part of the frontal lobe of the cerebral cortex, known as the ____, is involved with ____. a. primary somatosensory cortex; processing emotions b. prefrontal cortex; the planning of behavior, attention, and judgment c. parietal cortex; processing touch, pain, and body position d. primary cortex; processing the movement of objects

b

The process by which survival and reproduction pressures act to change the frequency of alleles in subsequent generations is referred to as ____. a. coercive inheritance c. randomized lineage b. natural selection d. genetic exclusion

b

The psychological perspective that examines the effects of the social environment on the behavior of individuals is called ____ psychology. a. evolutionary c. cultural b. social d. clinical

b

The psychological perspective that seeks to explain, define, and treat abnormal behaviors is called ____. a. the individual differences perspective c. developmental psychology b. clinical psychology d. evolutionary psychology

b

The relationship between neurons and glia is similar to the relationship between ____. a. plumbers and electricians c. ballerinas and their audience members b. racecar drivers and their pit crews d. dentists and their patients' teeth

b

The salivation of dogs in Pavlov's experiments was significant because it ____. a. emphasized conscious thought b. demonstrated the ability to learn to anticipate future events as a survival advantage c. indicated that intelligence is innate d. demonstrated that the ability to smell food prior to its arrival is a highly developed sense

b

The study of gene-environment interactions in the production of phenotype is called ____. a. genospherics c. biogenics b. epigenetics d. phenomics

b

The text described a survey that asked a representative sample of middle school students to respond to seventeen motives for playing violent video games on a four-point scale. Surprisingly, approximately 25% of boys indicated that they liked to play these games in order to ____. a. make new friends c. feel less bored b. help get their anger out d. teach others to play

b

Throughout his discussions of mental processes and behavior, James emphasized the role of ____. a. environment c. abandonment b. evolution d. nurture

b

Tomoko is developing a survey regarding anger management. Respondents rate their level of agreement with each item on a scale of one to five. Item 4 states: "Given enough provocation, I may swear at a friend or family member." Item 12 states: "I can think of no good reason for ever swearing at a friend or family member." These questions seek to determine ____. a. inter-rater consistency c. inter-method consistency b. internal consistency d. test-retest consistency

b

Two groups of students (Group A and Group B) participate in standardized agility tests. The results show that Group A is considerably more agile than Group B and that agility is heritable. What can we conclude? a. The genetic variability between the two groups is high. b. Genetic factors play a role in agility. c. The genetic variability within each group is low. d. Environment has no effect on agility.

b

Using her data set regarding the working conditions and stress levels of domestic workers, Callie has calculated the standard deviation of their housing expenses in two ways, with and without the workers who have zero housing expense. When she includes all workers, the standard deviation is ____. a. smaller c. the same b. larger d. scattered

b

Walter is applying to graduate programs in psychology and is curious about current trends in the field. What trend is occurring in many psychology graduate school programs? a. Students are trained in specific specializations. b. Students are trained in combined specialties. c. There is a movement away from animal research. d. There is a movement away from using human subjects.

b

Washington State is one of several states that actively tracks and investigates pesticide-related illnesses. In an attempt to understand how to minimize the devastating effects of these illnesses, the state initiated a research program to study the relationship between pesticides and the neurotransmitter ____. a. endorphins c. norepinephrine b. acetylcholine d. dopamine

b

Watson changed the goal of psychology from Wundt's desire to understand consciousness to the ____. a. explication of the unconscious b. prediction and control of behavior c. understanding of cognition d. analysis of the whole beyond the parts

b

What is the likelihood of your sharing an allele with a parent or with a sibling? a. The chance that you share an allele with either a parent or a sibling is one fourth. b. The chance that you share an allele with either a parent or a sibling is one half. c. The chance that you share an allele with a parent is one-half and with a sibling, one fourth. d. The chance that you share an allele with a parent is one-fourth and with a sibling, one eighth.

b

What is the major function of the spinal cord? a. It provides structural support for the trunk of the body. b. It serve as a major conduit for information flowing to and from the brain. c. It sends sensory information from the brain to the peripheral nervous system. d. It serves as a centralized muscle mass that coordinates intricate muscle movements.

b

What limited the understanding of the mind by early psychologists? a. They focused on behavior rather than biology. b. They approached psychological questions from their own sociocultural context. c. They did not appreciate the complexity of the mind. d. They tried to understand perspectives to which they could not relate.

b

What psychological perspective assumes that our current behavior exists because it provided survival and reproductive advantages to our ancestors? a. adaptive psychology c. biological psychology b. evolutionary psychology d. behavioral genetics

b

What system transmits commands for voluntary movement from the central nervous system to the muscles and brings sensory input back to the CNS for further processing? a. autonomic c. parasympathetic b. somatic d. sympathetic

b

When a parent's cell divides to make an egg or sperm cell, each resulting cell contains ____. a. 11 chromosomes c. 46 chromosomes b. 23 chromosomes d. 92 chromosomes

b

Which of the following best describes the British empiricists' view of the mind? a. Infants acquire language primarily by drawing from innate mechanisms. b. Infants learn to process language entirely based on their sensory experiences. c. Infants with similar genetic backgrounds will acquire language at similar rates. d. Infants are born with varying degrees of aptitude for acquiring language.

b

Which of the following best describes the relationship between evolutionary forces and behavior? a. Evolutionary forces influence simple physical traits and simple behaviors, but not complex behaviors. b. Although behavior is complex, evolutionary forces influence both physical traits and behavior. c. Because behaviors have no genetic component, evolutionary forces are irrelevant in shaping behavior. d. The idea that evolutionary forces can mold behavior has come to light only in the last decade.

b

Which of the following describes Wundt's use of introspection as an experimental technique? a. The participants in his study focused on internal thoughts and feelings about their competence while performing a task. b. The participants in his study drew from their internal thoughts and feelings as they described an object in detail. c. The participants in his study pressed a telegraph key as soon as they heard a ball drop onto a platform, indicating their internal state. d. The participants in his study used mental building block constructs to describe their perception of an object.

b

Which of the following is an accurate match between a division of the autonomic nervous system and a bodily function or state? a. sympathetic; constricts pupils b. parasympathetic; stimulates digestion c. sympathetic; stimulates immune response d. parasympathetic; induces rapid heart beat

b

Which of the following is an application of Skinner's behaviorism? a. Dr. Monson provides humane living conditions for the mice in his research laboratory. b. Doug needs to lose a few pounds, and has a rule that if he eats a dessert, he must go for a five-mile run. c. Sandra is learning a new surgical procedure by observing several operations performed by other physicians. d. Dylan is delaying vaccinations for his young son because of his concerns regarding

b

Which of the following is an example of the autonomic nervous system at work? a. Manoj enjoys listening to bird songs early in the morning. b. Rachel's foot kicks out when her physician taps her knee. c. Peter struggles to scratch an itch in the middle of his back. d. Gina salivates at the smell of fresh bread baking in her grandmother's kitchen.

b

Which of the following is evidence of the adaptation of the contemporary human brain? a. Brain size has gradually increased over the last 6,000 years. b. Genes involved with brain development appear to have changed as recently as 6,000 years ago. c. Compared with non-human primates, the human brain uses oxygen more efficiently. d. Although the brain comprises only about 2% of the body's weight, it requires about 15% of the body's resources when at rest.

b

Which of the following is most likely to be the topic of research of a biological psychologist? a. Did contagious yawning provide a survival advantage in early societies? b. Do stress hormones due to abuse in early childhood affect the ability to form memories? c. At what age can a child correctly separate the vocabulary and grammar of two languages? d. Will a study participant obey an authority figure even in violation of her own moral code?

b

Which of the following research questions is most likely to be asked by a cognitive psychologist? a. To what extent is student learning influenced by the socio-cultural makeup of the class? b. Do students learn material better when the learning takes place over time or when they "cram" for an exam? c. Which stress reduction techniques are most effective for college students to reduce the stress of balancing academic and social demands? d. Are there common characteristics among students who graduate in the top one percent of their class?

b

Which of the following statements is an example of humanistic influence? a. Capital punishment serves a protective role in a liberal society. b. "I hear what you're saying." c. Parental love should mirror the behavior of the child. d. "Do as I say, not as I do."

b

Which scenario best illustrates the concept of adaptation? a. Plant "A" produces either large fruit or small fruit; farmers breed only the large fruit plants, causing them to outnumber the small fruit variant. b. Plant "B" has a rare waxy leaf variant; as the environment becomes more arid, the waxy leaf variant becomes more prevalent. c. Plant "C" has a genetic mutation that creates a taller variant; this variant is able to survive and reproduce. d. Plant "D" has a recessive allele that causes a higher rate of photosynthesis; plants with this phenotype have a higher energy reserve.

b

Which statement best describes the relationship between the central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system? a. The central nervous system carries out the commands; the peripheral nervous system is the command center. b. The central nervous system is the command center; the peripheral nervous system carries out the commands. c. The central nervous system consumes the fuel; the peripheral nervous system is the fuel station. d. The central nervous system is the fuel station; the peripheral nervous system consumes the fuel.

b

Which statement is consistent with a monistic philosophy? a. The soul is the essence of the self and the brain is its vessel. b. The mind and the brain are one. c. The mind controls our emotions and the brain controls our bodies. d. The brain is too rudimentary to explain complex human behavior.

b

Which statement is most consistent with the evolutionary psychology perspective? a. Men are promiscuous because of increasing societal pressures. b. Men are promiscuous because of the need to spread their genes. c. Men are promiscuous because of the high levels of testosterone in Western culture. d. Men are promiscuous because they have adapted to low impulse control behaviors.

b

Which statement reflects how culture has influenced the reproductive success of the Waorani and Yanomamö people of the Amazonian Basin? a. Although aggression is highly valued for both Waorani and Yanomamö men, the high mortality rates amongst aggressive males is causing these tribe populations to dwindle. b. Although male aggression is highly valued in both societies, aggressive Yanomamö men are more successful than Waorani men in passing along their genes because Yanomamö men stand down between conflicts. c. In contrast to other tribes of the same region, the Waorani and Yanomamö people value peace and tranquility and thus have had the greatest success in passing along their genes. d. In contrast to other tribes of the same region, the Waorani and Yanomamö people value peace and tranquility; however, because the Waorani, but not the Yanomamö people, refuse to defend themselves, their gene pool is dwindling.

b

Who is credited for first describing the contrast between heredity and environment as "nature versus nurture"? a. Charles Darwin c. Gregor Mendel b. Francis Galton d. James Watson

b

Why is the primary motor cortex important for the control of movement? a. It is the only brain area that regulates movement. b. It provides the highest level of voluntary control over movement. c. It regulates all involuntary movements. d. It contains all of the motor neurons of the brain.

b

Why is the thalamus referred to as the "gateway to the cortex?" a. Motor outputs generated in the cerebral cortex are funneled first through the thalamus, which then sends inputs to the motor neurons. b. Input from most of our sensory systems travels first to the thalamus, which then funnels the information to the cerebral cortex. c. Motor outputs generated in the thalamus are funneled first through the cerebral cortex, which then sends inputs to the motor neurons. d. Input from most of our sensory systems travels first to the cerebral cortex, which then funnels the information to the thalamus.

b

With the exception of occasional bursts of insight from the Egyptians and Greeks, the most common view of psychological disorders over the course of history has been that they____. a. originated in childhood from repressive parenting b. resulted from the actions of evil spirits or other external, magical forces c. originated from guilt for condemned behaviors d. resulted from malfunctions of the human body

b

You are attending a family reunion of your dad's extended family. You often wonder how you could be related to any of them based on their physical and behavioral characteristics. What is the chance you share an allele with your first cousins? a. one sixteenth c. one fourth b. one eighth d. one half

b

You decide to study weekend dorm life for a sociology term paper. In order to do this, you attend several fraternity parties at a large university, week after week. What method of research are you employing? a. case study c. survey b. naturalistic observation d. experiential observation

b

____ is a neurotransmitter that participates in the processing of mood, appetite, and sleep. a. Epinephrine c. Dopamine b. Serotonin d. Acetylcholine

b

A change due to natural selection is referred to as a. fitness c. adaptation b. malleability d. exclusivity

c

A measure of how tightly clustered a group of scores is around their mean is called the ____. a. variability c. standard deviation b. mode d. frequency

c

A surgeon had severed Barbara's corpus callosum in order to reduce the severity of her epileptic seizures. After the surgery, when she was shown an image in her left visual field, she could not ____. a. see it c. name it b. point to it with her left hand d. remember it

c

A survey is a descriptive method in which the participants are asked ____. a. open-ended questions b. to journal their own thoughts c. the same questions d. to converse with other survey members

c

An approach to psychology that features the study and careful measurement of observable behaviors is called ____. a. functionalism c. behaviorism b. structuralism d. humanism

c

As Sir Isaac Newton noted, scholars stand ____. a. on shifting sands b. beneath the tree of knowledge c. on the shoulders of giants d. at the intersection of history and knowledge

c

As early as 500 B.C.E., Greek physicians began to ____. a. interpret the cardiovascular system as the locus of the mind b. prohibit bloodletting as a form of treatment c. systematically dissect human bodies d. drill holes in people's skulls to cure seizures

c

Beth has always enjoyed solving theoretical problems, is very good at math and statistics, and is excited to learn more about experimental design. She may be most interested in the ____ track of psychology. a. therapy c. experimental b. applied d. developmental

c

Dr. Harmon has conducted a study of social networks and health within an isolated community. Which of the following would breach a research participant's right to privacy? a. As part of the study, Dr. Harmon reviewed each participant's medical record. b. Dr. Harmon's report contains some potentially identifiable information. c. Dr. Harmon conducted his interviews at the health clinic in an examining room separated from the waiting room by a curtain. d. Dr. Harmon stored the completed surveys and the key linking names and code numbers on his laptop, to which only he and his wife have the password.

c

Dr. Stevens, a drug addiction researcher, hopes to find a drug that will stop heroin addiction. Which area of the brain is most likely a focus of Dr. Stevens' research? a. the hypothalamus c. the nucleus accumbens b. the hippocampus d. the amygdala

c

During the 20th century, which method led to a burst of knowledge about the nervous system? a. radiography b. phrenography c. functional magnetic resonance imaging d. cranial formation diagnostic imaging

c

Emily grew up in Boston and attends college there. She often notices clusters of people smoking outside of office buildings as she walks to class. Which of the following sources would provide the most reliable information regarding the prevalence of smoking in Boston? a. A detailed personal study of the history of her extended family b. Interviews with her classmates and professors c. A review of her professor's behavioral statistics study drawn from census data d. Observations of campus fraternity and sorority life

c

Endorphin, short for "endogenous morphine," is a neurotransmitter involved in ____. a. schizophrenia c. the perception of pain b. Parkinson's disease d. muscle paralysis

c

Evolutionary psychologists suggest that sacrificing yourself for others is much more likely when the "others" are ___. a. members of the same sex c. genetically related relatives b. members of the opposite sex d. genetically diverse individuals

c

Following a spinal cord injury, formation of the ____ prevents neuronal regeneration in the ____. a. blood-brain barrier, central nervous system b. blood-brain barrier, peripheral nervous system c. glial scar, central nervous system d. glial scar, peripheral nervous system

c

Freud's psychodynamic theory and its applications to the treatment of psychological disorders dominated much of psychological thinking for the ____. a. first half of the 19th century c. first half of the 20th century b. second half of the 19th century d. second half of the 20th century

c

Functionalism emerged partly in response to the publication of ____. a. Great Expectations, by Charles Dickens b. The Prince and the Pauper, by Mark Twain c. The Origin of the Species, by Charles Darwin d. Far from the Madding Crowd, by Thomas Hardy

c

Heritability takes into account ____. a. environmental factors only b. genetic factors only c. both environmental and genetic factors d. neither environmental nor genetic factors

c

How did early industrialization impact the male-female dynamic? a. Men and women interacted in a manner more consistent with the hunter-gatherer model than the agricultural model. b. Although the power differential between men and women still existed, it was less pronounced. c. The power differential between men and women was further accentuated. d. Society turned toward a more egalitarian model.

c

How do dendrites facilitate neuronal communication? a. They provide structural support for the neuron. b. They select the type of neurotransmitter that is released. c. They allow a neuron to receive multiple inputs from other neurons. d. They increase the speed of action potentials.

c

How do drugs classified as "SSRIs," such as Prozac, alter neuronal communication? a. They increase the effectiveness of the neurotransmitter serotonin by stopping its diffusion from the synaptic cleft. b. They decrease the effectiveness of the neurotransmitter serotonin by returning it to the axon terminal for recycling. c. They increase the effectiveness of the neurotransmitter serotonin by blocking its reuptake into the axon terminal. d. They decrease the effectiveness of the neurotransmitter serotonin by facilitating its metabolism by neuronal enzymes.

c

How does the brain control human behavior? a. Specific brain regions control specific behaviors. b. Simple behaviors are controlled by specific brain regions; complex behaviors are controlled by the interaction of multiple brain regions. c. Multiple brain regions work together to control human behavior. d. Conscious behaviors are controlled by specific brain regions; subconscious behaviors are controlled by the interaction of multiple brain regions.

c

Humanistic psychologists believed that ____. a. human behavior is on a continuum with animal behavior b. society acts to civilize humans who are otherwise innately selfish and aggressive c. people only behave badly when corrupted by society d. the true motivation for humans to be successful is to see others fail

c

If channels in the outer membrane of a neuron were blocked, what would be the consequence? a. Membrane fluidity would be impaired and the neuron would undergo apoptosis. b. Osmosis would be disrupted and the neuron would be unable to communicate. c. Many chemicals would not be able to move into and out of the neuron, disrupting communication. d. The neuron would be deprived of oxygen and would undergo necrotic death.

c

If we restrict our thinking about an aspect of mind to the information provided by one perspective, at worst, the result may ____. a. be incomplete c. lead us in the wrong direction b. lack depth d. be overly simplistic

c

In an experiment, Wertheimer flickered between two images on a wall. What did the participants in this study perceive? a. diffusion c. movement b. distortion d. contrast

c

In one study, rats licked frequently during infancy by their mothers were calmer than rats licked infrequently when faced with stress later in life. What is the most likely explanation for this? a. The rat pups that were frequently licked learned to engage in the licking behavior as a coping strategy during times of stress. b. Because mothers who chose to lick their pups had a calmer demeanor, their pups were raised in less stressful environments. c. By licking their pups, these mothers had influenced the expression of genes that influenced responses to a stress hormone. d. The "licking" prone mothers only cared for the calmest pups of the litter, causing the more aggressive pups to die prematurely.

c

Jake trips; he knocks his elbow against the edge of the door jamb while simultaneously stubbing his toe on a chair. Based on the work of von Helmholtz's, which of the following is likely to occur? a. The intensity of the elbow pain is greater than that of the toe pain. b. The intensity of pain for both the toe and elbow is equal. c. He experiences the elbow pain before the toe pain. d. He experiences the toe and elbow pain instantaneously.

c

Jang, who has Type A blood, inherited the gene for Type A blood from his mother and the gene for Type O blood from his father. What is the genotype for Jang's blood type? a. Type A c. Type AO b. Type O d. Type AA

c

John B. Watson was ____. a. part of the cognitive revolution c. a leading behaviorist b. a leading humanist d. one of Freud's disciples

c

Like most sciences, psychology has accepted as a standard for statistical significance the odds of 5 out of 100 that an observed result is ____. a. true c. due to chance b. due to error d. false

c

Marcus is excited to be working in the laboratory of Dr. Flores, an expert on electrical signaling in neurons. However, he is surprised to learn that the research is done on squid axons placed in sea water. He asks Dr. Flores the reasons for this. Which of the following is NOT one of the reasons that Dr. Flores provides? a. A recording electrode can be inserted into a squid axon without disrupting its function. b. Sea water has a chemical composition similar to the fluid surrounding our body's cells. c. Squid axons are myelinated, increasing the speed of propagation of an action potential. d. Squid axons can be as great as one millimeter in diameter.

c

Marcus, who works in the laboratory of Dr. Flores, a prominent electrophysiologist, takes readings with a recording electrode placed within a squid axon. He reports to Dr. Flores that the cell is firing an action potential. What measurement did Marcus take with the recording electrode? a. -70 mV c. +40 mV b. 0mV d. +70mV

c

Parkinson's disease, characterized by difficulties in initiating voluntary movements, is caused by degeneration of the ____. a. amygdala c. basal ganglia b. cerebral cortex d. cerebellum

c

Participants in an experiment on stress management are given stress reduction techniques and then measured for the effect. What is the role of the control group in this experiment? a. They receive no techniques, and they are not measured. b. They receive a random technique. c. They receive no techniques at all, but they are measured. d. They receive the same techniques as the experimental group, and they are measured.

c

Participants in the following surveys are guaranteed that their answers will remain confidential and anonymous. In which case are survey respondents least likely to shade the truth? a. A survey regarding personal displays of racial prejudice b. A survey regarding sexual infidelity c. A survey regarding preferences as to online news sources d. A survey regarding the purchase, sale, or use of illegal drugs

c

Petra will soon complete her doctoral degree in psychology. She, like the highest percentage of doctoral level psychologists, will work ____. a. as a university professor c. as a therapist b. in business d. in government

c

Professor Kingston is interested in understanding the origins of gambling addictions. To study the brain activity of gambling addicts, Professor Kingston tracks oxygen flow in their brains while they engage in online gambling. What method is he most likely using? a. single cell recording b. transcranial magnetic stimulation c. functional magnetic resonance imaging d. magnetoencephalography

c

Professor Laurent wants to understand how violence in the media affects adolescents. What method should she use to monitor the arousal state of adolescents while they view a news report of a violent crime? a. single cell recording c. skin conductance response b. magnetoencephalography d. electrical stimulation

c

Professor Scott conducts research on teenage risk-taking behavior. He would like to develop a hypothesis on the parental influence on teenage risk-taking at the extreme end of the spectrum, with a focus on teenagers who sail around the world alone. Would a case study be an appropriate first step, and why or why not? a. Yes, because Professor Scott already knows that parents are the driving influence behind teenage circumnavigation. b. No, because it will not generate a sufficient amount of data to be tested statistically. c. Yes, because teenage circumnavigators are rare and the data will help generate new, or possibly falsify existing, hypotheses. d. No, because case studies are too idiosyncratic and lack scientific rigor.

c

Random assignment is the procedure in which each participant's chance of being assigned to any group in an experiment is ____. a. dependent on their relevant personal qualities b. hypothetical c. equal d. dependent on the size of the control group

c

Researchers found that "the widespread and highly publicized stereotype about female talkativeness is unfounded" (Mehl, Vazire, Ramírez-Esparza, Slatcher, & Pennebaker, 2007). This conclusion illustrates that science relies primarily on ____. a. strongly held beliefs c. observable, repeatable evidence b. clinically conducted tests d. laboratory experiments

c

Science comes from the Latin scientia, which means "knowledge." According to your text, which of the following best describes "science" today? a. A study of the physical world through objective and subjective observations b. A method of assessment that uses all of a researcher's senses c. A special way of learning about reality through systematic observation and experimentation d. A process of investigation through thoughtful and personal reflection

c

Simon has curly hair. If he is homozygous for the gene that determines curly hair, what is true of his parents? a. They must each have a recessive allele for straight hair. b. They have together contributed four dominant alleles for this gene. c. They have contributed the same type of allele for this gene. d. One, but not both, of his parents, have contributed an allele for curly hair.

c

Soma and Biresh are debating about the best places to live after college. Soma states that the Northeast offers a healthier lifestyle than the Southwest and insists that she is basing her conclusions on facts, without any influence of personal emotion or bias. In other words, Soma believes that she is showing ____. a. subjectivity c. objectivity b. neutrality d. perspective

c

Statistical methods that organize data into meaningful patterns and summaries, such as finding the average value, are called ____. a. inferential statistics c. descriptive statistics b. measures d. modes

c

The ____ lobe in the cerebral cortex curves around the side of each hemisphere and is the location of the primary ____ cortex. a. parietal; visual c. temporal; auditory b. occipital; somatosensory d. frontal; associative

c

The ____ lobe is the most forward of the four lobes of the cerebral cortex. It is the location of the primary motor cortex and some of the most complex cognitive processes. a. occipital c. frontal b. temporal d. parietal

c

The cingulate cortex is a subcortical structure above the corpus callosum. Its anterior (forward) segment participates in ____, and its posterior (rear) segment participates in ____. a. memory and visual processing; decision-making and emotion b. the four Fs; formation of long-term memories c. decision-making and emotion; memory and visual processing d. formation of long-term memories; the four Fs

c

The depolarizing or hyperpolarizing current that results from neurotransmitter activity at the synapses of the receiving neuron drifts to the junction of the ____. a. dendrites and cell body c. cell body and axon b. glia and dendrites d. axon and nucleus

c

The development of traits that help an individual compete for mates is referred to as ____. a. fertility fitness c. sexual selection b. procreative agility d. reproductive ratio

c

The diversity of career pathways for those with degrees in psychology reflects, in relation to other disciplines, that psychology is a(n) "____." a. epicenter c. hub b. pathway d. vocation

c

The endocrine system is directly involved with ____. a. movement and balance c. arousal, metabolism, growth and sex b. pleasure and pain d. vision, hearing, and taste

c

The group of early 20th century German psychologists who founded Gestalt psychology included Kurt Koffka, Max Wertheimer, and ____. a. Wilhelm Wundt c. Wolfgang Köhler b. William James d. Ulric Neisser

c

The halfway mark in a set of data, with half of the scores above and half below, is the ____. a. norm c. median b. mode d. mean

c

The nervous system is divided into two major components: the ____ and the ____. a. autonomic nervous system; somatic nervous system b. central nervous system; somatic nervous system c. central nervous system; peripheral nervous system d. peripheral nervous system; autonomic nervous system

c

The news headline "Recession spurs young in the US to forgo marriage" describes____. a. a study that found a causal link between the U. S. recession and the decisions of young adults to marry b. census data that indicated poverty was a primary cause of decreased marriage rates c. data that could have been explained by the trend for Americans to marry at later ages d. a study of historical data on marriage rates

c

The practices, values, and goals shared by groups of people is referred to as ____. a. civilization c. culture b. mores d. society

c

The process of gene expression involves ____. a. replicating a cell's genetic makeup during division b. influencing the behavior of a segment of society c. converting genetic instructions into a feature of a living cell d. chromosomal recombination during gamete formation

c

The process of having other experts examine research prior to its publication is called ____. a. quality assurance c. peer review b. jury evaluation d. validation

c

The psychological perspective that examines the normal changes in behavior that occur across the lifespan is called ____. a. social psychology c. developmental psychology b. the individual differences perspective d. evolutionary psychology

c

The psychological perspective that investigates how physical structure and behavior have been shaped by their contributions to survival and reproduction is called ____ psychology. a. biological c. evolutionary b. social d. clinical

c

The psychological perspective that investigates information processing, thinking, reasoning, and problem solving is called ____. a. evolutionary psychology b. the individual differences perspective c. cognitive psychology d. developmental psychology

c

The relationship between behavior and biology is ____. a. unilateral: biology affects behavior b. unilateral: behavior affects biology c. reciprocal: biology affects behavior and vice versa d. mutually exclusive: biology and behavior function independently

c

Titchener's approach to psychology paralleled which of the following trends of his day? a. The development of graduate programs in mathematics b. The movement for women's suffrage in American politics c. Efforts in chemistry to break molecules into elements d. The use of light in Impressionist art

c

To illustrate the relationship between two variables, one can use a ____. a. normal curve c. scatter plot b. histogram d. bar graph

c

Tomas, age 15, beat a younger boy severely, causing extensive injuries. When asked why, he said the boy sat in a seat on the school bus that Tomas wanted. Which of the following statements might his attorney make in his defense? "Neuroscience evidence shows that ____." a. Damage to the parietal lobe causes impaired judgment. b. Overdevelopment of the nucleus accumbens leads to bad behavior. c. The prefrontal cortex continues to mature until the age of 25 years. d. Damage to the hippocampus impairs intelligence.

c

Using the developmental perspective, a psychologist might look at whether the loss of a parent ____. a. affects the storage and retrieval of memories contemporaneous with the loss b. triggers changes in brain chemistry, temporarily or permanently c. is experienced differently at different ages d. is experienced differently depending on family size

c

What is a research design that controls for placebo effects in which neither the participant nor the experimenter observing the participant knows whether the participant was given an active substance or treatment, or a placebo? a. clinical trial c. double-blind procedure b. Phase IV trial d. prospective cohort study

c

What is an experimental design for assessing age-related changes in which data are obtained simultaneously from people of differing ages? a. longitudinal study c. cross-sectional study b. mixed longitudinal study d. correlational study

c

What is the common factor that most influences the social behavior of all species? a. intelligence c. competition b. emotions d. dexterity

c

What is true of genetic mutations? a. They typically lead to disease. b. They are a rare occurrence. c. They typically cause no phenotypical change. d. They generally lead to a survival advantage.

c

Which is an accurate statement regarding the generation of an action potential? a. If a neuron becomes hyperpolarized to the threshold level, an action potential is inevitable. b. Small hyperpolarizations lead to small action potentials and large hyperpolarizations lead to large action potentials. c. If a neuron becomes depolarized to the threshold level, an action potential is inevitable. d. Small depolarizations lead to small action potentials and large depolarizations lead to large action potentials.

c

Which of the following best describes a characteristic of intersexual selection? a. The tendency to view close relatives as unattractive b. Ensuring species continuation via heterosexual behavior c. Having characteristics that are likely to attract a mate d. Choosing a mate with genetic diversity

c

Which of the following best represents a cognitive approach to childhood language learning? a. Children acquire language in response to parental approval. b. Children are born with distinct physical features that facilitate learning the language of their parents. c. Children are born with innate mechanisms for learning language. d. Children acquire language in response to being understood.

c

Which of the following does NOT protect the brain at the physical level? a. meninges c. blood-brain barrier b. cerebrospinal fluid d. skull

c

Which of the following is a drawback of longitudinal studies? a. They are subject to cohort effects. b. They cannot be used to discuss causality. c. Participants may drop out of the study over time. d. They have limited generalizability.

c

Which of the following is an accurate match between a division of the autonomic nervous system and a bodily function or state? a. sympathetic; slows heart rate b. parasympathetic; induces sweaty palms c. sympathetic; dilates pupils d. parasympathetic; induces rapid breathing

c

Which of the following is the most appropriate research method for studying the effects of moderate to heavy parental smoking on infants from birth to one year old? a. experimental study c. correlational study b. naturalistic observation d. case study

c

Which of the following is the strongest analogy to explain the relationship between receptors and neurotransmitters? a. needle and thread c. lock and key b. bat and ball d. boat and sail

c

Which of the following is true? a. A measure cannot be reliable without being valid. b. Numerical measures are rarely valid. c. A measure cannot be valid without being reliable. d. Numerical measures are always reliable.

c

Which of the following lends itself to the use of a descriptive method? a. Daniel seeks to test his hypothesis that stress in early childhood is positively related to heart disease in adulthood. b. Bina would like to find whether there is a correlation between stress in early childhood and learning difficulties in school. c. Jonathan would like to develop a hypothesis regarding the role of parental expression of affection in reducing toxic stress in early childhood. d. Heather is conducting data analysis regarding health disparities and depression among children from different socio-economic and racial groups.

c

Which of the following questions demonstrates critical thinking? a. What is your immediate reaction to this information? b. What political party is expressing this point of view? c. What evidence supports this position? d. What did the professor give as the answer?

c

Which of the following refers to the very private and internal mental processes that the behaviorists avoided studying—information processing, thinking, reasoning, and problem solving? a. client-centered therapy c. cognition b. self-actualization d. study of the id

c

Which of the following statements is true of sex-linked disorders? a. Childbirth and the stress of raising children contributes to the prevalence of sex-linked disorders in women. b. Hormonal fluctuations lead to a great prevalence of sex-linked disorders in women than men. c. Sex-linked disorders, which are more prevalent in males, are typically caused by recessive diseased alleles found on the X chromosome. d. Sex-linked disorders are caused by genetic mutations on the X chromosome for females and on the Y chromosome for males.

c

Which of the following statements would be most difficult to falsify? a. All swans are white. c. All men are mortal. b. All women are immortal. d. All birds fly.

c

Which of the following titles suggests monism? a. Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, by John Berendt b. Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen c. We All Are One, by Jimmy Cliff d. War and Peace, by Leo Tolstoy

c

Which statement best illustrates the concept of heritability? a. Dara is outgoing, just like her father and older sisters. b. Mario is the first person in his family in three generations to have blue eyes. c. Naomi inherited the mutated BRCA1 gene, increasing her risk for certain cancers. d. Selma has a 50% chance of passing the gene for curly hair to her children.

c

Which statement regarding the role of genes on human behavior is accurate? a. In general, a single gene drives behavior and small differences in auxiliary genes modify that behavior. b. Typically, one to two particular genes drive specific patterns of human behavior. c. Small differences in a cluster of genes typically drive specific behaviors. d. Genes play a negligible role in driving human behavior.

c

Who contributed ideas about the unconscious mind, the development of sexuality, dream analysis, psychological roots of abnormal behavior, personality, and therapy? a. Abraham Maslow c. Sigmund Freud b. Carl Rogers d. Noam Chomsky

c

Why does Huntington's disease have a heritability ratio of 1.0? a. The gene that causes Huntington's disease is dominant. b. In families where Huntington's disease is prevalent, it tends to appear at least once every generation. c. If someone inherits the gene for Huntington's disease, it is inevitable that he/she will acquire the disease. d. Because of environmental influences, it is difficult to predict if someone will acquire the disease despite having the diseased allele.

c

Why is hemophilia more prevalent in males? a. Fathers can only pass the diseased allele along to their sons. b. The Y chromosome activates the diseased allele on the X chromosome. c. There is no other X chromosome to offset the diseased gene. d. The diseased gene is located on the Y chromosome.

c

A change in a population's genes from one generation to the next due to chance or accident is referred to as a ____. a. mutation c. splicing event b. migration d. genetic drift

d

A doctor notices that many soldiers returning from fighting in the trenches in World War I were highly anxious, fearful of loud noises, and having difficulty reconnecting with their families. He asks them to record personal observations of their own thoughts, feelings, and behaviors in a journal. This process is called ____. a. extroversion c. objectivism b. transference d. introspection

d

A leading behaviorist who first explored classical conditioning is ____. a. b. Edward Thorndike c. John B. Watson B.F. Skinner d. Ivan Petrovich Pavlov

d

A measure of the direction and strength of the relationship between two variables is called ____. a. statistical power c. standard deviation b. its distribution d. a correlation

d

A newspaper headline reads "Are intellectual pursuits key to preventing Alzheimer's disease?" The researchers in the cited study scanned the brains of healthy seniors with no memory loss and asked the seniors to recall how much reading, writing, and game-playing they did in their childhood. The researchers found that those who reported doing daily brain activities from a young age had very low levels of amyloid plaques, which are associated with Alzheimer's disease. Which of the following best describes this study? a. This study found a positive correlation between intellectual pursuits and the presence of amyloid plaques. b. This study controlled for all potential third variables. c. This study is proof that intellectual pursuits prevent Alzheimer's disease. d. This study found a negative correlation between intellectual pursuits and the presence of amyloid plaques.

d

A proposed explanation for a situation, usually taking the form "if A happens then B will be the result" is called a(n) ____. news headline, "Recession Spurs Young in U.S. to Forgo or Delay Marriage," described ____. ____ 17. The a. a study that found a causal link between the U. S. recession and the decisions of young a. theory b. research proposal c. experiment d. hypothesis

d

A quality of a measure that leads to valid conclusions (i.e., the measure measures the concept it was designed to measure) is called ____. a. reliability c. statistical significance b. variability d. validity

d

A rare health condition caused damage to the amygdala on both sides of Nina's brain. She is now more likely than most people to ____. a. be fearful of strangers b. eat excessively c. have problems sleeping d. try skydiving

d

A recent study found that when men and women describe an "ideal date," both sexes indicate that a sense of humor is an important feature. What were the specific findings of the study? a. Both men and women were more interested in someone who appreciated, rather than produced, humor. b. Both men and women were more interested in someone who made them laugh rather than someone who appreciated humor. c. Women were interested in men who appreciated, rather than produced, humor, while men were interested in women who made them laugh. d. Men were interested in women who appreciated, rather than produced, humor, while women were interested in men who made them laugh.

d

A(n) ____ is a neuron that carries commands from the central nervous system to muscles or glands. a. interneuron c. sensory neuron b. cerebellar neuron d. motor neuron

d

According to evolutionary psychologists, which male would be most interested in sharing child rearing responsibilities with his wife? a. Chung, who has a strong brow ridge and square chin b. Milan, who has a soft brow ridge and square chin c. Jonathan, who has strong brow ridge and round chin d. Ahmed, who has a soft brow ridge and round chin

d

American political thought was profoundly influenced by ____. a. behaviorism b. psychoanalysis c. dualism d. empiricism

d

An evolutionary psychologist would be most interested in the question of ____. a. whether gambling affects brain chemistry and fosters addiction b. how best to assist a person to reduce a propensity to gamble c. whether attraction to gambling varies over the lifespan d. whether there is an adaptive reason why men tend to gamble more than women

d

An experimental study focuses on the effects that the amount of exercise has on the number of calories consumed per day. The number of calories that a participant consumes is represented by the ____. a. independent variable c. continuous variable b. confounding variable d. dependent variable

d

Analysis of SAT test data shows that the differences on the mathematics portion of the SAT test between male and female test-takers are ____. a. attributable to chance b. precisely correlated with performance in college mathematics courses c. unreliable d. statistically significant

d

Any observation by a human being is, by definition, ____. a. objective c. inferential b. falsifiable d. subjective

d

Approximately 10,000 years ago humans experienced a dramatic change in their social structure because of the advent of ____. a. monogamy c. new hunter-gatherer tools b. religion d. agriculture

d

As a discipline, psychology dates back to ____. a. ancient Greece c. the Renaissance era b. the Roman Empire d. the 1870s

d

As societies became larger, humans devised new cultural systems to ____. a. weed out the weakest members c. promote rugged individualism b. foster innovation d. maintain group cohesion

d

By the 1950s, the behaviorists' disinterest in mental states and activity was challenged by scientists from diverse fields, including linguistics and computer science, leading to ____. a. psychodynamic theory b. client-centered therapy c. a new appreciation of humanism d. a cognitive revolution

d

Carl Rogers, a leading humanist, developed the approach of ____. a. psychoanalysis c. behavioral therapy b. cognitive therapy d. client-centered therapy

d

Chemical messengers used in neuronal communication are referred to as ____. a. neuroregulators c. neuromodulators b. neuromolecules d. neurotransmitters

d

Contrary to popular belief during his time, Hermann von Helmholtz's work on nerve conduction showed that ____. a. different brain regions work together to integrate information b. specific regions of the brain control specific behaviors c. nerve conduction is quick and in all practicality, instantaneous d. behavior is not instantaneous

d

Dr. Harmon has conducted a study of social networks and health within an isolated community. Which of the following would breach a research participant's right to confidentiality? a. The completed surveys are stored in a locked file cabinet to which only Dr. Harmon has access. b. Dr. Harmon's report avoids the use of identifying information. c. As part of the study, Dr. Harmon reviewed each participant's medical record. d. Dr. Harmon stored the completed surveys and the key linking names and code numbers on his laptop, to which only he and his wife have the password.

d

Dr. Pohler is a neurobiologist studying ways to enhance the perception of sound in people with hearing difficulties. He discovers a natural neurotransmitter that increases the chance a neuron will fire an action potential, increasing sensitivity to sound. What is the effect of this neurotransmitter on the receiving neuron? a. inhibitory, causing hyperpolarization b. inhibitory, causing depolarization c. excitatory, causing hyperpolarization d. excitatory, causing depolarization

d

Dr. Segal is testing the hypothesis that television watching in children under the age of two enhances the development of language skills. In her study, the randomization process ____. a. ensures that the dependent variable reflects the personal qualities of the participants b. addresses situational confounding variables, such as the time of day or weather conditions c. ensures that the independent variable reflects the outcomes of the dependent variables d. tends to cancel out individual differences among participants in the experimental group and the control group

d

Dr. Snape was skeptical after reading a study concluding that chocolate truffles reduced the symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder. Therefore, he initiated a similar study to determine whether he would achieve the same results. Dr. Snape's study would be termed a ____. a. statistical sampling c. regressive analysis b. validity test d. replication

d

Each cell type in the human body has ____. a. the same gene expression b. a different set of genes c. a different set of genes, but the same gene expressions d. the same set of genes, but different gene expressions

d

Edgar sees that the last train of the evening is leaving. He sprints through the terminal and the length of platform, just barely making his train. During a surge of energy like this, which of the following systems may temporarily shut down? a. respiratory c. thermoregulatory b. cardiovascular d. immune

d

Elias is a young athlete and body builder who hopes to be a personal trainer someday. He sees that other athletes at the gym take ____ for performance enhancement; however, he is hesitant to take it because he is unsure of its side effects. a. insulin c. estrogen b. vasopressin d. growth hormone

d

Elsie, an 85-year-old woman, has been diagnosed with early-stage Alzheimer's disease. Her doctor has prescribed the medication donepezil, which belongs to which class of medications? a. serotonin reuptake inhibitors c. benzodiazepines b. dopamine agonists d. cholinesterase inhibitors

d

Empiricism profoundly influenced the foundations of ____. a. sociology b. psychoanalysis c. philosophy d. science

d

Enclosed within axons are ____, which are hollow spheres containing ____. a. peroxisomes; myelin b. vesicles; myelin c. peroxisomes; chemical messengers d. vesicles; chemical messengers

d

Entering the 21st century and armed with in-depth research results compiled in the various perspectives, psychologists are returning to ____. a. the structuralist view of the mind b. viewing the mind as a set of building blocks based on introspection c. viewing the "the whole as greater than the sum of its parts" d. a more comprehensive view of the mind

d

Following the development of a brain tumor, Jerome starts to exhibit impulsive behavior with little regard for right or wrong. He attacks a man in a bar for looking at him the "wrong" way, breaking the man's nose and damaging bar property. Yet, he feels no remorse for the harm he has caused. The tumor is most likely in Jerome's ____. a. somatosensory cortex c. parietal lobe b. occipital lobe d. orbitofrontal cortex

d

Giacomo Rizzolatti and a team of Italian scientists conducted research that led to the discovery of "mirror neurons" in monkeys. Which research method did they use? a. positron emission tomography b. functional magnetic resonance imaging c. electroencephalography d. single cell recording

d

Harry would like to take a paternity test to determine if he is Maia's father. He asks Maia's mother, Julia, to provide DNA samples for both her and Maia. Which technique will most likely be used to compare the three DNA samples? a. high performance liquid chromatography b. immunocytochemistry c. western blots d. autoradiographs

d

Henry works the night shift at a convenience store. He sees a man entering the store with his hood up, hands in his pockets, and eyes darting around. This causes Henry's stress level to surge. At times of stress, pituitary hormones activate the ____ gland(s), which release(s) other hormones, including ____, that travel throughout the body and brain to provide a general "wake up" message. a. pancreatic; insulin c. thyroid; serotonin b. pineal; melatonin d. adrenal; cortisol

d

Hermann von Helmholtz's work on ____ provided further evidence that the mind had a physical basis. a. dissection and human anatomy c. the mind/body dichotomy b. the range of human hearing d. the speed of nerve conduction

d

How do hormones differ from neurotransmitters? a. They are typically much smaller in size. b. They are typically much larger in size. c. They target adjacent cells. d. They target distant cells.

d

Humans share what percent of their genes with mice? a. 18% c. 44% b. 26% d. 92%

d

In Thorndike's experiment on trial and error learning, the cat would escape a puzzle box faster and faster on progressive trials. In other words, the cat ____. a. acquired faster nerve impulses on successive trials b. became more physically fit c. memorized the solution to the puzzle d. repeated effective behaviors and abandoned ineffective ones

d

In Titchener's view, the mind constructs an overall perception ____. a. based on prior life experiences b. based on its relationship to evolutionary survival c. by perceiving complete forms within their context d. out of building blocks made up of separate sensations and emotional responses

d

In symmetrical probability function is called a ____. a. standard deviation c. frequency distribution b. cumulative distribution d. normal distribution

d

In their study, Anderson and Dill found that the physical aggression score was positively correlated with long-term exposure to video game violence and with the amount of recently recorded playing time. Based on these results, we know that ____. a. having an aggressive personality leads to spending more time playing violent video games b. a third variable contributes to both physical aggression and choice of violent video games c. playing violent video games leads to more physical aggression d. it is possible that both relationships are true: an aggressive personality may lead to more video game time or playing violent video games may lead to more aggression

d

Janelle inherited the allele for muscle fiber X (MFX) disorder from her mother and the normal allele for muscle fiber formation from her father. Janelle does not suffer from any variant of MFX disorder. What can we conclude? a. Janelle's mother has MFX disorder. b. MFX disorder is a sex-linked disorder. c. The MFX gene is dominant. d. The MFX gene is recessive.

d

Neuronal communication is a two-step process. In the second step, which takes place between two neurons, what does the arrival of an action potential at the axon terminal of the first neuron signal? a. The synthesis of neurotransmitters by specialized enzymes b. The uptake of neurotransmitters from the extracellular space c. The enzymatic breakdown of residual neurotransmitters d. The release of neurotransmitters into the extracellular fluid

d

Our judicial system relies heavily on eyewitness testimony; however, as ____ informs us, eyewitness testimony can be shaped by a community's perceptions of race. a. clinical psychology c. developmental psychology b. the individual differences perspective d. social psychology

d

Philosophers and psychologists have a shared interest in ____. a. helping others gain self-confidence c. the scientific method b. anatomy of the nervous system d. the origin of knowledge

d

Professor Freeman calls on his student Maya to describe how the presence of myelin affects an action potential. Maya should respond with which of the following statements? a. Current flows along the unmyelinated segments and action potentials propagate along the myelinated portions of the axon, decreasing the speed and efficiency of the action potential b. Current flows under the myelin and action potentials propagate along the unmyelinated segments of the axon, decreasing the speed and efficiency of the action potential c. Current flows along the unmyelinated segments and action potentials propagate along the myelinated portions of the axon, increasing the speed and efficiency of the action potential d. Current flows under the myelin and action potentials propagate along the unmyelinated segments of the axon, increasing the speed and efficiency of the action potential

d

Psychology as a hub science tells us that ____. a. psychological research is well-funded b. the general population is intrigued by the study of human behavior c. psychology is one of the oldest disciplines d. many disciplines require an in-depth understanding of people

d

Recessive alleles determine a phenotype when an individual is ____. a. neither homozygous nor heterozygous for a particular gene b. either homozygous or heterozygous for a particular gene c. only heterozygous for a particular gene d. only homozygous for a particular gene

d

Remarkably, Phineas Gage survived a horrific traumatic brain injury in 1848, but was not the same person as before his accident. Although outwardly normal in his intelligence, speech, and movement, Gage became prone to angry outbursts and unreliability. In which area of his brain did Phineas Gage experience trauma? a. right parietal lobe c. left temporal lobe b. right occipital lobe d. left frontal lobe

d

Research methods designed for making careful, systematic observations are called ____. a. correlational methods c. experimental methods b. inferential methods d. descriptive methods

d

Researchers found that specific combinations of serotonin transporter alleles affected how students reacted to being bullied. Students with the SS alleles had the strongest reaction, those with the LL alleles the mildest reaction, and those with the heterozygous SL alleles reacted somewhere in between. What do these results suggest? a. The L allele is the dominant allele. b. The S allele is the recessive allele. c. The S allele is the dominant allele. d. The L and S alleles do not have a dominant/recessive relationship.

d

Rima washes her hands repeatedly, unable to find relief from the thought that they are dirty or contaminated. This obsessive behavior may be related to a disorder of the ____. a. thalamus c. nucleus accumbens b. hippocampus d. basal ganglia

d

Sandra rushes over to her friend Denise's house because Denise is distraught over a recent breakup with her boyfriend. Even though Sandra has a term paper due the next day, she wants to console Denise because she knows Denise would do the same for her. This is an example of ____. a. mutual kinship c. atypical selflessness b. anticipatory cooperation d. reciprocal altruism

d

Statistical methods that allow experimenters to extend conclusions from samples to larger populations are called ____. a. descriptive statistics c. representative samples b. probability distributions d. inferential statistics

d

Stephanie reports to her physician that she suddenly cannot sleep because she is unable to tune out noises such as the humming of the refrigerator or an occasional car driving down the street. After undergoing an MRI, she finds out that she has a tumor in her ____. a. reticular formation c. hippocampus b. cerebellum d. thalamus

d

Steve and Allie, who work at the same research institute, are competing to be the first scientist to isolate novel protein X from cancer cells. They run into one another while signing up for the same lab microscope and discuss their research progress. The end result is that Steve's research project benefited from the interaction but Allie's did not. Which set of interactional styles could have occurred between Steve and Allie? a. cooperative or altruistic c. altruistic or spiteful b. spiteful or selfish d. altruistic or selfish

d

Surveys results can be influenced by people's natural tendency to want to appear socially appropriate because surveys rely on ____. a. later publication c. peer review b. public funding d. self-report

d

Synaptic vesicles have been released from their protein anchors. What happens next? a. The vesicles cross the synaptic gap, deliver their contents to the receptors, and dissolve into the fluid. b. The vesicles migrate to the cell membrane, spill their contents into the synaptic gap, and complete their life cycle. c. The vesicles cross the synaptic gap, enter the receiving neuron and deliver their contents to the receptors. d. The vesicles migrate to the cell membrane, spill their contents into the synaptic gap, and are refilled for later use.

d

The ____ cortices are important for processing incoming information such as smell or vision. a. association c. motor b. cingulate d. sensory

d

The ____ is the lobe of the cerebral cortex located at the back of the brain in which the ____ is located. a. frontal lobe; primary auditory cortex b. parietal lobe; Wernicke's area c. temporal lobe; primary somatosensory cortex d. occipital lobe; primary visual cortex

d

The ability to think clearly, rationally, and independently is called ____. a. moral reasoning b. authoritative reasoning c. free thinking d. critical thinking

d

The authors of this text believe that the future of psychology will ____. a. depend upon the development of independent, individual perspectives b. draw from the success of existing perspectives c. turn increasingly to cross-cultural studies d. combine and integrate new and existing perspectives

d

The major factor distinguishing human intelligence from the intelligence of other species is the ____. a. ability to recognize the self b. size of the human brain c. ability to combat environmental factors d. richness and complexity of social behaviors

d

The mean, median, and mode are all measures of a data set's ____. a. frequency distribution c. variability b. numerical average d. central tendency

d

The most frequently occurring score in a set of data is the ____. a. mean c. median b. norm d. mode

d

The parietal lobe in the cerebral cortex lies at the top of the head between the frontal and occipital lobes and is the location of the ____. a. primary auditory cortex c. primary visual cortex b. orbitofrontal cortex d. primary somatosensory cortex

d

The philosophies of monism and dualism address which of the following questions? a. Does the mind operate through innate processes or is it formed through experience? b. How does one study the processes of the mind? c. Does the mind work as the sum of its parts or as individual elements? d. What is the relationship between the body and mind?

d

The probability that two people share the same allele from a common ancestor is referred to as ____. a. familiality c. gene lineage b. degree of origin d. relatedness

d

The psychology family tree includes two major roots: ____. a. biology and philosophy c. anthropology and physics b. medicine and the social sciences d. philosophy and the physical sciences

d

The statistical likelihood that variations observed in a population are due to genetics is referred to as ____. a. inheritance c. covariation b. selectability d. heritability

d

The term intrasexual selection refers to ____. a. homosexual behavior b. procreation within the same family c. choosing a mate from a genetically similar population d. same-sex competition for a mate

d

What distinguishes a neuron from most other cell types? a. It can translate proteins. b. It contains DNA. c. Its nucleus is contained within the cell body. d. It has specialized features for sending and receiving messages.

d

What is the relationship between a gene and DNA? a. A gene is a helical structure, and DNA contains the regulatory elements that decode the structure. b. A gene is the subset of "turned on" DNA. c. A gene is a static superset of the entire DNA in a specific individual. d. A gene is a specific segment of DNA.

d

What was a major shortcoming of early psychologists? a. They overgeneralized their findings. b. They abandoned the scientific method. c. They diluted their efforts by diverging into several psychological specializations. d. They tried to establish theories without a large body of experimental data.

d

When we make conclusions based on observations of our immediate circle of acquaintances, friends and loved ones, we are engaging in ____. a. systematic observations c. interpreted observations b. repeated observations d. hit or miss observations

d

Which of the following is an advantage of survey research? a Survey participants are easy to recruit since the typical sample is small. b Survey participants are more likely to be truthful than participants of other research methods. c Surveys provide insight into real-world behaviors in their natural setting. d Surveys provide large amounts of data quickly and relatively inexpensively.

d

Which of the following is one of the greatest contributions of empiricism? a. The idea that the brain is the essence of the mind. b. The idea that each person has a different capacity for learning. c. The idea that our brains are composed of interconnected "living units." d. The idea that all men are created equal.

d

Which of the following proverbs best describes Gestalt theory? a. A chain is only as strong as its weakest link. b. The more things change, the more they stay the same. c. A little knowledge is a dangerous thing. d. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

d

Which of the following was one of the findings of early Greek physicians regarding the brain? a. The brain controls the coordinated movement of the body. b. The brain is divided into four major lobes. c. The brain controls personality by secreting yellow bile. d. The brain is connected to the sense organs, such as the eyes.

d

While people who volunteer to participate in research are probably quite different in important ways from those who don't volunteer, most psychologists have chosen to prioritize ____. a. the generalizability of research results over research ethics b. validity over reliability c. reliability over validity d. research ethics over the generalizability of research results

d

Who is the American psychologist who proposed the functionalist approach and whose textbook, Principles of Psychology, dominated the field of psychology for the fifty years after its publication? a. Sigmund Freud c. Abraham Maslow b. B.F. Skinner d. William James

d

You and your roommate are supporting different presidential candidates. You frequently debate the claims that each candidate makes against the other on various issues. Which of the following would be a sign that you are not thinking critically? a. You question what you are being asked to believe by either candidate. b. You think of alternative ways to interpret the claims of either candidate. c. You consider the need for additional evidence or information to assess the claims of either candidate. d. You are loyal to your candidate and defend the claims with evidence provided by the campaign.

d

____ is a neurotransmitter that contributes to arousal and vigilance. a. GABA c. Acetylcholine b. Serotonin d. Norepinephrine

d

Kevin Boyack and his colleagues generated a map of the sciences, similar to a map of friendship networks on social media, by using ____. a. the number of doctoral dissertations in each field b. the titles of journal articles c. reference lists in journal articles d. search terms related to psychology

c

Lower than normal levels of hormones released from the ____, which raises or lowers metabolism, can mimic the symptoms of ____. a. islets of Langerhans; diabetes c. thyroid gland; depression b. pineal gland; insomnia d. adrenal gland; chronic stress

c

A factor that has a range of values is called a ____. a. measure c. set b. variable d. parameter

b

An approach to psychology that sees people as inherently good and motivated to learn and improve is called ____. a. behaviorism c. Freudian psychology b. humanistic psychology d. Gestalt psychology

b

Compared with hunter-gatherer societies, agricultural societies are more ____. a. matriarchal c. egalitarian b. patriarchal d. homogenous

b

Naturalistic observation is best suited for ____. a. testing hypotheses b. establishing a correlation between two concepts c. developing hypotheses d. establishing whether the relationship between two concepts is positive or negative

c

Who is a leading cognitive psychologist? a. Carl Rogers b. Jean Piaget c. Ulric Neisser d. Edward Thorndike

c

What do modern biologists describe as the "descent with modification from a common ancestor"? a. genetic lineage c. epigenetics b. heritability d. evolution

d

Which correlational coefficient represents the strongest relationship? a. -.95 c. .75 b. -.75 d. 1.25

d

Which early scientist was the first to develop a method to account for variations observed in particular traits? a. Charles Darwin c. James Watson b. Francis Galton d. Gregor Mendel

d

An evolutionary psychologist would suggest that the function of a tradition, such as wearing green on St. Patrick's day, is to ____. a. enhance the sense of group membership b. show pride in one's native culture c. intimidate others who are considered outsiders d. attract a mate by showing commitment to a group

a

As human beings, we each have a personal set of instructions, or alleles. What term best describes this set? a. genotype c. phenotype b. homotype d. heterotype

a

As part of their effort to measure behavior carefully, many behaviorists restricted their research to studies using ____. a. animals c. adults b. children d. males

a

Before contemporary research methods were available, ____ provided significant advancements in our understanding of the nervous system. a. autopsies b. clinical observations of healthy individuals c. X-rays d. phrenology

a

Rosa, a doctoral student in psychology, observes that one of her young study participants grimaces after taking a bite of broccoli. His facial expression is an example of ____. a. a psychosomatic response c. an integrated mental process b. a behavior d. introspection

b

The word psychology is a combination of two Greek words: psyche (or psuche), meaning the soul, and logos, meaning the ____. a. law of c. study of b. expression of d. representation of

c

What is the psychological perspective that focuses on the relationships between mind, behavior, and their underlying biological processes, including genetics, biochemistry, anatomy, and physiology? a. evolutionary psychology c. cognitive psychology developmental psychology d. biological psychology

d

The ____, located just above the roof of the mouth and just below the ____, is often referred to as the body's master gland because many of the hormones it releases activate the body's other glands. a. pineal gland; hippocampus c. pituitary gland; hypothalamus b. thyroid gland; amygdala d. hypothalamus; medulla

c

The ancient Greek philosopher Plato was one of the earliest thinkers to address the question, "What is the mind?" He viewed the mind as three parts that must be in balance: ____. a. id, ego, and superego c. reason, spirit, and appetite b. intellect, emotion, and instinct d. cognition, creativity, and sanity

c

When a specialized function of the cerebral cortex occurs on either the right or the left hemisphere, this is referred to as ____. a. bipolarity c. lateralization b. localization d. categorization

c

When psychologists examine psychological phenomena from different perspectives, it ____. a. implies disagreement on basic principles b. represents a lack of awareness of alternative perspectives c. indicates different points of view about behavior d. reflects changing trends in psychology

c

Which gene is thought to play a major role in the development of language? a. Sp1 c. FoxP2 b. Nrf2 d. HIF-1a

c

Jeanine, a research psychologist, has developed a falsifiable and testable hypothesis. Her next step is to ____. a. interpret the data necessary to evaluate it b. conduct the statistical analysis c. undergo peer review of her hypothesis d. collect the data necessary to evaluate it

d

John reports to his doctor that he has been experiencing changes in his appetite. This suggests that John is experiencing fluctuations in which neurotransmitter? a. acetylcholine c. glutamate b. histamine d. serotonin

d

Juan, a graduate student in an electrophysiology lab, stimulates an isolated neuron grown in a petri dish and measures its action potential. How will the neuron respond to the firing of the action potential? a. Its dendrites will retract. c. It will take up chemical messengers. b. Its dendrites will extend. d. It will release chemical messengers.

d

Junko's grandmother survived a stroke but is paralyzed on her left side. She has likely suffered damage to her ____. a. left hemisphere c. brain stem b. cerebellum d. right hemisphere

d

Mayra is participating in a double-blind study on the effectiveness of a new time-release antidepressant medication. Once a week, she receives a small white pill from Dr. Stanley, which she takes immediately. The first "blind" aspect of this study is that ____. a. Dr. Stanley does not know if Mayra is being given a real substance or placebo until the experiment is over b. Mayra does not know the purpose of the study c. Dr. Stanley does not know the purpose of the study d. Mayra does not know whether she has taken a real substance or a placebo

d

Myelin, which insulates many neuronal axons, is formed by ____. a. synaptic coatings c. dendritic ensheathings b. blood vessel extensions d. glial membranes

d

Which of the following most closely paraphrases Watson's views regarding human behavior? a. Some children are born with artistic talent; others are not. b. I can raise a child to be an artist if he has at least a small amount of talent and interest. c. Very few children actually have the skill and discipline to become artists. d. I can raise any child to be an artist, regardless of her tendencies.

d

The allocation of responsibilities between the sympathetic and parasympathetic divisions of the autonomic nervous system are least effective at appropriately dealing with ____. a. battle c. bountiful harvests b. natural disasters d. chronic stress

d

The concept of fitness includes survival to adulthood, the ability to find a mate, and ____. a. the loss of recessive traits b. diversification of the genetic pool c. adaptation to multiple environments d. successful reproduction

d

The discipline that systematically examines basic concepts, including the source of knowledge, is called ____. a. psychology c. science b. history d. philosophy

d

The discovery of "mirror neurons" in monkeys, while not yet established in humans, has stimulated new hypotheses regarding the origins of ____. a. depression c. schizophrenia b. bipolar disorder d. autism

d

Which leading behaviorist proposed the law of effect? a. B.F. Skinner c. Noam Chomsky b. John B. Watson d. Edward Thorndike

d

Which of the following best describes how contemporary psychology views the mind? a. Sam was just born smart, though no one else in his family seems to share his intelligence b. Sam must have gotten the "smart gene" from his mother: he never studies but gets good grades. c. Sam was sent to the best schools and thus became a highly intelligent individual. d. Sam was alert and responsive as a baby, studied diligently in school, and was admitted to a top-ranked college.

d

Which of the following best describes the mind? a. The basis of rational thought c. The embodiment of the soul b. The hidden instinctual self d. The brain and its activities

d

A correlational study found that affluent youngsters were almost twice as likely as the poorest children in the study to have autism. What is the likely reason? a. Autism and the traits of high achievers lie on the same continuum. b. The reason is impossible to determine from this correlation. c. Wealthier parents tend to put off child-bearing until they're older, which increases the risk of autism. d. Poorer children have less access to diagnosis and services for autism

b

A group of participants that is exposed to the independent variable is called a(n) ____. a. control group c. random group b. experimental group d. non-experimental group

b

A research method that tests hypotheses and allows researchers to make conclusions about causality is called a(n) ____. a. case study c. descriptive method b. experiment d. correlational study

b

A standard for deciding whether an observed result is due to chance is called ____. a. randomization c. the null hypothesis b. statistical significance d. reasonable doubt

b

Acknowledging that an experience is different than the sum of its elements is reflective of ____. a. psychodynamic theory c. structuralism b. Gestalt psychology d. functionalism

b

Alejandro is developing a preliminary research study to address the question of whether four-year-olds who are asked to delay gratification (e.g., to delay eating candy) perform differently in solitude than with other four-year-olds. Which combination of research perspectives would be best for this preliminary study? a. biological psychology and the individual differences approach b. developmental psychology and social psychology c. cognitive psychology and evolutionary psychology d. evolutionary psychology and clinical psychology

b

An approach to psychology that investigates variations in behavior from one person to the next is called ____. a. clinical psychology c. socio-cultural psychology b. individual differences d. evolutionary psychology

b

At what point did the discipline of psychology distinguish itself from the discipline of philosophy? a. When psychologists began to explore individual rather than global phenomenon b. When psychologists adopted the scientific method c. When psychologists became interested in providing therapeutic treatments d. When psychologists began to investigate abnormal behaviors

b

B. F. Skinner, a leading behaviorist who explored operant conditioning, believed that inner, private states such as thinking and feeling existed and ____. a. should be analyzed based on introspection b. viewed them as behaviors that followed the same rules as public behaviors c. viewed them as behaviors that should be attended to through psychodynamic therapy d. are a part of what makes a person inherently human and good

b

Callie has gathered extensive data regarding the working conditions and stress levels of domestic workers in five U.S. cities, including their annual income. She arranges the data from low to high and notes how many workers are in each category using a histogram. This is called a ____. a. standard deviation c. normal distribution b. frequency distribution d. median

b

Consider the observation that many school shootings have been perpetrated by people who had been bullied relentlessly by others. What is the third variable in this scenario? a. The school shootings b. The experience of having been bullied c. The tendency to engage in aggressive behavior d. The permissiveness of the environment

b

Contemporary scientists studying the brain are ____. a. primarily dualists b. monists c. nearly evenly split between monism and dualism d. entirely dualists

b

Damage to which part of the brain would result in death due to the loss of heart function and blood pressure regulation? a. midbrain c. pons b. medulla d. cerebellum

b

In a study where participants rated the pleasantness of T-shirt odors, what gene alleles influenced their odor preference? a. serotonin transporter b. major histocompatibility complex c. blood type d. phosphatase enzyme

b

In an experimental study on the effects of sleep deprivation on depression, the number of hours that a participant stays awake is represented by the ____. a. random variable c. dependent variable b. independent variable d. control variable

b

In his study of American cities, Professor Smith finds a strong positive correlation between the number of preschools and the number of bars. What is the most likely explanation of this relationship? a. Parents of small children need to take an occasional break. b. The relationship is due to a third variable, population size. c. The relationship is due to a third variable, socio-economic status. d. People who regularly frequent bars often meet their life partner and procreate.

b

In hopes of better understanding how glia affect brain repair, Dr. Jennings develops a special mouse lacking specific types of glia. In her experimental design, Dr. Jennings injures the brain of this special mouse and monitors neuronal repair. What is Dr. Jennings likely to observe? a. Action potentials can no longer propagate in unmyelinated nerves. b. Cell debris from damaged neurons is not cleared. c. A blood-brain barrier is formed in response to the injury. d. Neurons undergo hypermyelination.

b

In the ideal normal curve, 95% of the population falls within ____. a. one standard deviation of the mean b. two standard deviations of the mean c. three standard deviations of the mean d. four standard deviations of the mean

b

It is difficult for others to confirm an individual's subjective introspections; therefore, this approach does not lend itself well to ____. a. psychoanalysis c. case studies b. the scientific method d. cognitive therapy

b

The clinical or counseling specialty includes extensive internships and supervised training prior to ____ that usually add at least one year to students' graduate studies. a. working with children b. government-regulated licensure c. a human subject committee review d. commencement of dissertation research

b

The consistency of a measure, including test-retest, inter-rater, inter-method, and internal consistency, is called ____. a. significance c. validity b. reliability d. testability

b

The cross-sectional method is subject to the generational effects of having been born at a particular point in history, which is called the ____. a. generational correlation c. historical bias b. cohort effect d. age-related differences

b

The endocrine system responds to input from the nervous system, particularly from the ____. a. thalamus c. amygdala b. hypothalamus d. nucleus accumbens

b

The first experimental psychologist and proponent of the structuralist approach, along with his students, was ____. a. Edward Titchener c. Max Wertheimer b. Wilhelm Wundt d. Kurt Koffka

b

Between the 17th and 19th centuries, supernatural explanations for psychological disorders began to give way to two scientific approaches: ____. a. functionalism and behaviorism b. a cognitive model and a behavioral model c. a medical model and a psychological model d. psychodynamic theory and humanism

c

By the second half of the 20th century, the majority of psychologists were pursuing an understanding of behavior from the ____. a. centrist approach c. perspectives approach b. divergent approach d. dualistic approach

c

Comprised primarily of ____, the degree of convolutions in the cerebral cortex positively correlates with the ____ of a species. a. gray matter; intellectual capacity b. gray matter; size c. white matter; intellectual capacity d. white matter; size

c

Defining variables in practical terms is called ____. a. regression c. operationalization b. validity d. variability

c

Stefan is ____; therefore, he is nearly certain to lateralize language to his left hemisphere. a. left-handed c. right-handed b. ambidextrous d. bidextrous

c

Synaptic communication between two neurons usually occurs via ____. a. direct contact c. chemical messengers b. molecular transduction d. electrical signaling

c

The ____ is the part of the peripheral nervous system that directs the activity of glands, organs, and smooth muscles. a. somatic nervous system c. autonomic nervous system b. endocrine system d. central nervous system

c

The ____ lies above the medulla and contains structures involved with the management of ____. a. cerebellum; sensory reflexes, movement, and pain b. midbrain; heart rate and blood pressure c. pons; sleep, arousal and facial expressions d. brain stem; balance and motor coordination

c

The numerical average of a set of scores is the ____. a. mean c. mode b. median d. norm

a

The ____ cortices are important for helping us form abstract thoughts related to our senses. a. basal c. somatosensory b. motor d. association

d

What do humans share that allows them to be so similar to one another, but different from other animals? a. alleles c. b. genes d. number of chromosomes structure of DNA

b

What feature of a hypothesis means that it can be evaluated using known scientific methods? a. replicable c. reliable b. testable d. valid

b

What is the approach to psychology that saw behavior as purposeful and contributing to survival? a. behaviorism c. humanism b. functionalism d. structuralism

b

Who was a vocal proponent of dualism? a. Aristotle b. René Descartes c. Baruch Spinoza d. Democritus

b

Humans share what percent of their genes with fruit flies? a. 18% c. 44% b. 26% d. 92%

c

What does pons mean in Latin? a. balance c. bridge b. below d. border

c

A biological psychologist studies the effects of amphetamine on aggression in rhesus monkeys. However, to the researcher's surprise, the experimental results differ for isolated monkeys versus monkeys in a colony. What is missing from this experiment? a. The social psychology perspective b. Human controls c. Physiological measurements d. An integration between biology and psychology

a

While jogging barefoot on the beach, Georgio steps on the sharp edge of a broken shell and immediately lifts his foot. What causes Georgio to immediately lift his foot in response to the shell? a. Sensory neurons relay information directly to the spinal cord and motor neurons in the spinal cord send information to muscles in the foot. b. Sensory neurons relay information directly to the brain and motor neurons in the brain send information to muscles in the foot. c. Motor neurons relay information directly to the spinal cord and sensory neurons in the spinal cord send information to muscles in the foot. d. Motor neurons relay information directly to the brain and sensory neurons in the brain send information to muscles in the foot.

a

William James' impact on contemporary psychology is evidenced by the fact that functionalism ____. a. was absorbed into mainstream psychology b. became a separate discipline c. bridged the gap between philosophy and psychology d. bridged the gap between structuralism and Gestalt psychology

a

Wundt's student Edward Titchener developed an approach in which the mind is broken into the smallest elements of mental experience. What is this called? a. structuralism c. behaviorism b. functionalism d. humanism

a

You are trying to convince your classmates to register for Professor Engle's genetics class. Since she is a behavioral geneticist, which of the following would you describe as her primary interest? a. The discovery of single genes that drive behavior b. Evolutionary pressures that shape behavior c. Genes that make us different from other species d. Genes we share with other species

a

Your university is hosting an interdisciplinary conference entitled "Contemporary Perspectives on Evolution." Two leading psychologists have been invited to debate the effects of nature and nurture on human behavior. They would most likely reach the consensus that these two entities ____. a. are not mutually exclusive c. compete to influence behavior b. maintain distinct and equal functions d. have a negative correlation

a

____ area is an area adjacent to primary motor cortex in the frontal lobe that participates in speech production. a. Broca's c. Ranvier's b. Wernicke's d. M'Naghten's

a

The scientific study of behavior and mental processes is called ____. a. introspection c. behaviorism b. psychology d. functionalism

b

While largely known for their work in perception, the Gestalt psychologists also had wide-ranging interests in learning, memory, motivation, and ____. a. anatomy c. discrete mathematics b. group dynamics d. personality disorders

b

Why is it thought that advances such as agriculture, literacy, and urbanization have not been accompanied by additional increases in brain size? a. The earliest homo sapiens were as intelligent as contemporary humans. b. Although brain size has remained constant, brain density has increased. c. The physiological cost of a bigger brain exceeds its benefit. d. More efficient neuronal connections account for modern human advancements.

c

Your sister-in-law frequently comments on how many traits you seem to have in common with your eight-year-old niece. You share your extensive knowledge on genetics and explain that the chance you share an allele with your niece is ____. a. one sixteenth c. one fourth b. one eighth d. one half

c

____ is a neurotransmitter that is found at the neuromuscular junction, in the autonomic nervous system, and in the central nervous system. a. Dopamine c. Acetylcholine b. Serotonin d. Glutamate

c

____ is a neurotransmitter that participates in movement, planning, and reward. a. Serotonin c. Dopamine b. Acetylcholine d. Glutamate

c

Which scenario best illustrates the concept of genetic drift? a. Twelve thousand years ago Native Americans traversed the Bering Strait to settle in the Americas, causing different genetic traits to be favored over others. b. The genetic mutation that causes sickle cell anemia also increases resistance to malaria, increasing the frequency of the diseased allele in the general population. c. The prevalence of depression is greater in populations where the serotonin transporter gene translocated to position q21 along chromosome 17. d. There is a higher than average rate of Ellis-van Creveld syndrome in the Amish community because the diseased allele was introduced by some of the original Amish settlers.

d

Which statement best reflects the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) theory of sexual selection? a. People tend to choose mates with similar MHC genotypes to prevent their offspring from acquiring autoimmune disorders. b. People tend to choose mates with similar MHC genotypes to increase the immune capacity of their offspring. c. People tend to choose mates with different MHC genotypes to prevent their offspring from acquiring autoimmune disorders. d. People tend to choose mates with different MHC genotypes to increase the immune capacity of their offspring.

d

Which statement is consistent with a reductionistic perspective? a. Most aspects of human behavior are easily explained by biological factors; environmental influence on behavior is negligible. b. Studying the brain at the cellular level is not necessary to explain human behavior; understanding brain function at the anatomical level is sufficient. c. Understanding how isolated brain regions integrate information at the cellular level is sufficient for explaining human behavior. d. Understanding brain cell communication is important for understanding human behavior, but it is just one component that ties into the bigger picture.

d