psych quizzes 1-3

Which correlation coefficient represents the weakest correlation between two variables? A. +0.40 B. +0.31 C. -0.60 D. -0.42

B. +0.31

Which numbered arrowheads in the figure represent instances of spurious causation? A. 2, 4, and 6 B. 1 and 2 C. 3, 4, 5, and 6 D. 1, 2, 3, and 4

B. 1 and 2

The thyroid and the pituitary gland are part of the A. central nervous system. B. limbic system. C. endocrine system. D. somatosensory cortex.

C. endocrine system.

Lowered levels of this neurotransmitter are suspected of playing a role in Alzheimer's disease. a. Acetylcholine b. Dopamine c. GABA d. Norepinephrine

a. Acetylcholine

Which of the following correlation coefficients indicates the strongest relationship between two variables? a. +.78 b. -.84 c. +.35 d. 00

b. -.84

Which of the following is TRUE of the cell body? a. It cannot accept incoming information from dendrites. b. It determines whether the neuron should fire and pass on information to the axon. c. It is housed inside of the cellular nucleus. d. It is located outside of the cellular membrane.

b. It determines whether the neuron should fire and pass on information to the axon.

The branches of the neuron that receive neural impulses from other neurons are called _____, and the tube-like structure that conveys impulses toward other neurons is called the _____. a. somas; axon b. dendrites; axon c. axons; dendrite d. dendrites; soma

b. dendrites; axon

a system of psychotherapy called psychoanalysis was developed as a way to deal with unconscious conflicts by ________ a. B.F. Skinner b. Carl Rogers c. William James d. Sigmund Freud

d. sigmund freud

A meta-analysis most typically focuses on a multitude of A. phenomena. B. studies. C. theories. D. hypotheses

B. studies

Which of the following is not a measure of central tendency? A. Mode B. Median C. Range D. Mean

C. Range

Psychologist Margaret Floy Washburn is best known for her work on the A. similarity of the nervous system to a machine. B. ways that experience impacts behavior. C. unreliability of human senses. D. relationships between human and animal behaviors.

D. relationships between human and animal behaviors.

The case of Phineas Gage suggests that the _____ lobes regulate our personality. These lobes are largely responsible for much of what makes us uniquely human. a. frontal b. temporal c. parietal d. occipital

a. frontal

The study of the nervous system is called A. neuroscience. B. cognitive science. C. psychophysics. D. psychopathology.

a. neuroscience

John Watson, Ivan Pavlov, and B. F. Skinner would have agreed that psychology is the study of A. the mind. B. mental processes. C. behavior. D. conscious experience.

c. behavior

The peripheral nervous system _____. a. is composed of the spinal cord and somatic nerves b. is less important than the central nervous system c. is contained within the skull and spinal column d. includes all the nerves and neurons outside the brain and spinal cord

d. includes all the nerves and neurons outside the brain and spinal cord

This scatterplot shows a(n) _______ correlation. A. negative B. inverse C. non-linear D. positive

d. positive

Who wrote The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals, which argues that all human behaviors had their beginnings in earlier ancestors? A. John Locke B. Charles Darwin C. Plato D. René Descartes

B. Charles Darwin

Cognitive psychologists became interested in how processing was done inside the brain, which led directly to the development of A. Gestalt psychology. B. neuroscience. C. functionalism. D. behaviorism.

B. neuroscience

Which of the following approaches to psychology did Edward Titchener advocate in the late 1800s? A. Functionalism B. Psychoanalysis C. Structuralism D. Humanistic psychology

C. Structuralism

When he is in a casino, Albert is unable to control himself. He does not stop gambling until all of his money is gone. The _______ lobe of Albert's brain is most likely to be affecting this behavior. A. temporal B. parietal C. frontal D. occipital

C. frontal

One of the goals of studying psychology is to A. completely understand and predict human behavior. B. learn how to become happy. C. find the answers to all of life's questions. D. learn to sort out fact from fiction about ideas in popular psychology.

D. learn to sort out fact from fiction about ideas in popular psychology.

A _______ is a set of consistent _______ that have undergone successful testing. A. strong inference; theories B. hypothesis; strong inferences C. strong inference; hypotheses D. theory; hypotheses

D. theory; hypotheses

What effect would you most expect from a norepinephrine agonist? A. Accelerated heart rate B. Slowed breathing C. Reduced anxiety D. Improved mood

A. Accelerated heart rate

Of the following, who is best described as a structuralist? A. Edward Titchener B. Wilhelm Wundt C. B. F. Skinner D. William James

A. Edward Titchener

In what brain area would a stroke be most likely to impair language comprehension? A. Left temporal lobe B. Right temporal lobe C. Left prefrontal cortex D. Right prefrontal cortex

A. Left temporal lobe

The extent to which changes in one factor are accompanied by changes in another is called A. a correlation. B. negative skew. C. positive skew. D. a confound.

A. a correlation

The numerals 1, 2, 3, and 4 refer to the _______, respectively. A. corpus callosum, thalamus, pituitary, and cerebellum B. limbic system, thalamus, corpus callosum, and cerebellum C. corpus callosum, pituitary, cerebellum, and thalamus D. cerebellum, nucleus, amygdala, and brainstem

A. corpus callosum, thalamus, pituitary, and cerebellum

The numerals 1, 2, 3, and 4 refer to _______, respectively. A. dendrites, cell body, axon, and axon terminals B. axon terminals, cell body, interneuron, and synapses C. basal ganglia, cell body, axon, and axon terminals D. dendrites, interneuron, cell body, and axon terminals

A. dendrites, cell body, axon, and axon terminals

Research has shown that social exclusion activates the same brain regions as physical pain. A researcher wants to test the hypothesis that over-the-counter pain relievers will also reduce the pain of social exclusion. She gives half of her participants ibuprofen and half a placebo, then has them play a game in which other players ignore them. Participants who take the ibuprofen are the _______ and participants who take the placebo are the _______. A. experimental group; control group B. representative sample; random sample C. independent sample; dependent sample D. randomly assigned group; blind group

A. experimental group; control group

When administered to subjects in an experiment, a placebo is a treatment that A. is believed to be free of medical effects. B. has unpredictable medical effects. C. has different effects on different groups. D. is being subjected to rigorous testing.

A. is believed to be free of medical effects

The claim "cigarette smoking does not increase risk for lung cancer" _______ a scientific hypothesis because it is _______. A. is; testable B. is; consistent with theory C. is not; clearly untrue D. is not; not testable

A. is; testable

Scientists use laboratory experiments primarily to A. test cause-and-effect relationships. B. generate initial information about whether two variables are related. C. replicate case studies. D. create the most naturalistic conditions possible.

A. test cause-and-effect relationships

Which accurately reflects the path of information flow that takes place when child jerks his hand away from a hot pan? A. Sensory neurons → cerebellum → motor neurons B. Sensory neurons → sensory cortex → spinal interneurons C. Spinal interneurons → parietal cortex → motor neurons D. Sensory neurons → spinal interneurons → motor neurons

D. Sensory neurons → spinal interneurons → motor neurons

The year 1879 might be thought of as the beginning of psychology as a science because that is the year A. Margaret Floy Washburn wrote The Animal Mind. B. Edward Thorndike conducted his first puzzle box experiments. C. Charles Darwin published On the Origin of Species. D. Wilhelm Wundt developed and opened the first psychology laboratory.

D. Wilhelm Wundt developed and opened the first psychology laboratory

Psychological research has proven that many long-held, popular beliefs about psychology are untrue. Psychology as a science has been able to accomplish this by emphasizing A. reliance on authority. B. consciousness. C. belief perseverance. D. critical thinking.

D. critical thinking

The main purpose of inferential statistics is to A. account for variability within a population. B. decide whether the standard deviation is skewed by outliers. C. adjust analyses to improve validity. D. estimate a characteristic of a population based on a sample.

D. estimate a characteristic of a population based on a sample

Proponents of the social brain hypothesis would be most likely to argue that A. specific behaviors evolved mainly as a way to solve ecological problems. B.the more social connections a person has, the greater that person's chances for survival. C.it is best to have social interactions primarily with people who share your personality type. D. human intelligence evolved as a way to survive in large social groups.

D. human intelligence evolved as a way to survive in large social groups

In case study research, A.researchers interview a representative sample of people about a topic of interest. B. subjects are polled about their beliefs and opinions. C. people are carefully observed in real-world situations. D. one or more individuals are studied in great detail

D. one or more individuals are studied in great detail.

Scores for Group 1 differ most dramatically from scores for Group 2 in their A. mode. B. mean. C. median. D. standard deviation.

D. standard deviation.

Key functions of the hypothalamus are A. problem solving and planning. B. motor coordination and balance. C. attention and memory. D. the regulation of hunger and thirst.

D. the regulation of hunger and thirst.

Your text defines a hypothesis as a _____. a. specific prediction about how one variable is related to another b. precise definition of how variables will be observed and measured in a study c. concept that explains previously gathered data d. method by which a research question will be examined

a. specific prediction about how one variable is related to another

The principle of Occam's razor is used to compare scientific hypotheses primarily on the basis of A. testability. B. usefulness. C. simplicity. D. clarity.

c. simplicity

What is a mainstream psychologist most likely to think about Sigmund Freud? A.Freud was a complete fraud who barely rates a mention in psychology textbooks. B. Freudian theory is untestable and not grounded in science. C. Rigorous research has proven that most of Freud's theories were correct. D. Freud, a great pioneer in psychology, discovered the unconscious.

B. Freudian theory is untestable and not grounded in science.

Which of the following is a myth of psychology? A. We are consciously aware of only a small part of our mental activity. B. Heritable traits, such as IQ, cannot be altered by experience. C. The mind is a product of a physical machine, the brain. D. Experience physically alters the structure of the brain.

B. Heritable traits, such as IQ, cannot be altered by experience

How is natural selection related to psychology? A. All organisms have been shown to be capable of learning. B. Humans behave as they do in part because that behavior promotes survival. C. Animals share many genes with human beings. D. Survival depends on environment just as much as it depends on genes.

B. Humans behave as they do in part because that behavior promotes survival

Of the following, who is most closely associated with Gestalt psychology? A. Charles Darwin B. Max Wertheimer C. William James D. Ivan Pavlov

B. Max Wertheimer

The limbic system is most involved in A. breathing. B. emotion. C. movement. D. the regulation of body temperature.

B. emotion

Psychologists Kenneth and Mamie Phipps Clark found that doll tests A.demonstrated that observational learning can promote aggressive as well as nurturing behavior in children. B.exposed internalized racism in African-American children, particularly among children attending segregated schools. C.confirmed that behavior can be modified based on a system of positive or negative reinforcements. D.showed that most people are willing to obey authority figures, even if those orders conflict with their own personal values.

B. exposed internalized racism in African-American children, particularly among children attending segregated schools.

The Tuskegee syphilis study is famous because A. it demonstrated the psychological effects of syphilis infection. B. researchers failed to inform participants that they had a treatable disease. C.it was the first use of randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled research. D. measures were so low in reliability and validity that the data had no value.

B. researchers failed to inform participants that they had a treatable disease

PET scans A. show brain structures but not areas of brain activity. B. track radioactive markers in the blood. C. require intense X-ray exposure. D.provide a less detailed image of the brain than does transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS).

B. track radioactive markers in the blood

The corpus callosum is directly responsible for A. activating the autonomic nervous system. B. transferring information between the left and right hemispheres. C. controlling the pituitary gland. D. triggering movement.

B. transferring information between the left and right hemispheres

Which side effect is most likely following the removal of a large tumor from a patient's cerebellum? A. Impaired visual perception B. Poor language comprehension C. Difficulty with balance and motor coordination D. Problems with memory formation

C. Difficulty with balance and motor coordination

Scientific investigation has revealed that the "Mozart Effect" (the notion that children become smarter from listening to the music of Mozart) is A. dependent on the gender of the child. B. a question that cannot be answered through science. C. not substantiated through research. D. supported by findings from numerous studies.

C. not substantiated through research.

The foundations of psychology are most closely related to which of the following disciplines? A. Astrology B. Chemistry C. Philosophy D. Political science

C. philosophy

Correlations are most useful for A. explaining outcomes. B. discovering the cause of behavior. C. predicting behavior. D. testing treatments.

C. predicting behavior

The idea that children are born with no knowledge or "content" whatsoever and are "filled" by life experiences is called A. rationalism. B. nature vs. nurture. C. tabula rasa. D. determinism.

C. tabula rasa.

According to the ancient Greek philosopher Plato, A. objective reality can be perceived only through experience. B. all of reality is simply an illusion. C. we cannot necessarily rely on our senses to learn the truth. D. animal behavior has nothing to teach us about human behavior.

C. we cannot necessarily rely on our senses to learn the truth

Your psychology professor tells the class, "Experience cannot be analyzed successfully into its elements." Your professor is most likely A. a Gestalt psychologist. B. a behaviorist. C. a structuralist. D. an empiricist.

a. a Gestalt psychologist

The _____ nervous system is responsible for involuntary tasks, whereas the _____ nervous system is responsible for voluntary tasks. a. autonomic; somatic b. somatic; autonomic c. central; peripheral d. peripheral; central

a. autonomic; somatic

John B. Watson, a leading figure in the _____ school of psychology, focused on objective, observable behavior rather than on the unconscious. a. behavioral b. cognitive c. developmental d. conditional

a. behavioral

Three structures associated with the hindbrain are the _____. a. thalamus, amygdala, and hippocampus b. motor control, sensory, and projection areas c. pons, medulla, and cerebellum d. cerebrum, cerebellum, and corpus callosum

c. pons, medulla, and cerebellum

Rosa has multiple sclerosis, a degenerative disorder that causes myelin sheathe around some of her neurons to disintegrate. What effect will this have on Rosa's nerve impulses? a. They will slow down. b. They will be stopped in the soma. c. They will speed up. d. They will reverse polarity.

a. they will slow down

In _____research, a researcher observes or measures (without manipulating) two or more variables to find relationships between them, without inferring a causal relationship. a. experimental b. correlational c. basic d. applied

b. correlational

An interconnected group of forebrain structures that are responsible for the arousal and regulation of emotion, motivation, memory, and other mental processes is the ________. a. brain stem b. limbic system c. reticular formation d. cerebral cortex

b. limbic system

Neuroplasticity refers to the ability of the brain to change its _____ in response to environmental conditions. a. shape, weight, and size b. structure and function c. basic organization d. electrical conductivity

b. structure and function

A psychologist administered a test that was designed to measure intelligence. Individuals taking the test on multiple occasions were found to achieve similar scores over time. Another psychologist used the same test to evaluate subjects' memory capacity, and these results were strongly correlated with those of other memory tests. As an instrument designed to measure intelligence, the test has _______ validity and _______ reliability. A. high; low B. low; high C. high; high D. low; low

b? or c

The Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee is responsible for all of the following except A. inspecting animal care facilities. B. ensuring researchers have minimized animal stress and pain. C. collecting blood and tissue samples from research animals. D. evaluating the rationale for a proposed study.

c.

The frontal, parietal, temporal, and occipital lobes make up the _____. a. subcortical area of the brain b. reticular formation c. cerebral cortex d. association areas of the brain

c. cerebral cortex

The cells that provide structural, nutritional, and other support for neurons are called _____ cells. a. nervous b. axon c. glial d. dendritic

c. glial

Growth, reproduction, moods, and our responses to stress are all controlled by our _____. a. peripheral nervous systems b. endorphins c. hormones d. parasympathetic nervous system

c. hormones

A well-substantiated explanation for a phenomenon or a group of facts that have been repeatedly confirmed by previous research is called a(n) . a. algorithm b. operational definition c. hypothesis d. theory

d. theory

A psychologist has formulated the hypothesis that a lack of positive reinforcement by supervisors in the workplace leads to lower morale among workers, based on the observed correlation between these two phenomena. To support this hypothesis, the four-step process of strong inference would prescribe A.an experiment that will test whether low worker morale leads to less frequent reinforcement. B.methods for varying the level of exposure to positive reinforcement by test subjects. C.an experiment with a control group that receives no reinforcement by an authority figure. D.a wide variety of methods for observing and measuring both reinforcement and morale.

d?

Collecting fMRI data A.begins with the placement of sensors on the scalp to detect electrical activity. B. starts with capturing X-ray data from all possible angles. C. begins with the injection of a radioactive marker. D. requires control scans and task-specific scans.

either A or D