Psychology quizzes

Sleepwalking is most likely to be associated with ________ sleep. a. NREM-1 b. REM c. NREM-3 d. NREM-2

NREM-3

The disorder involving uncontrollable attacks of overwhelming sleepiness is known as a. sleep apnea. b. paradoxical sleep. c. narcolepsy. d. insomnia.

Narcolepsy

Neuron-produced chemicals that carry messages to other neurons or to muscles and glands are called a. neurotransmitters. b. dendrites. c. synapses. d. interneurons.

Neurotransmitters

When the ________ nervous system is active, the pupils contract, heartbeat slows, digestion is stimulated, and the bladder contracts. a. sympathetic b. autonomic c. somatic d. parasympathetic

Parasympathetic

The two major divisions of the nervous system are the central and the ________ nervous systems. a. sympathetic b. somatic c. peripheral d. autonomic

Peripheral

The perceptual tendency to group together stimuli that are near each other is called

Proximity

A recurring sleep stage during which most vivid dreams commonly occur is known as ________ sleep. a. NREM-3 b. REM c. NREM-2 d. NREM-1

REM

After Carlos had been asleep for about an hour and a half, his heart began to beat faster, his breathing became fast and irregular, and his closed eyes began to dart back and forth. Carlos was most likely experiencing a. sleep apnea. b. narcolepsy. c. REM sleep. d. NREM-3 sleep.

REM sleep

Becky feels dizzy often and has trouble keeping her balance. Which brain structure is associated with this function? a. cerebral cortex b. pons c. amygdala d. cerebellum

cerebellum

Although a few keys on the piano were broken, Shana mentally filled in the missing notes of the familiar melodies. This best illustrates the principle of a. closure. b. proximity. c. interposition. d. blindsight.

closure

During a radio ad, listeners are repeatedly asked, "What would life be without Fletchers Ice Cream?" At the end of the ad, the same question is cleverly interrupted immediately after the word "without." At that point, many listeners mentally respond with the words "Fletchers Ice Cream." Their response best illustrates the principle of

closure

Following use of a psychoactive drug, Jasmine quickly experienced a rush of euphoria followed within the same hour by a crash of agitated depression as the drug's effect wore off. Jasmine's reactions most clearly suggest that she was using a. LSD. b. barbiturates. c. marijuana. d. cocaine.

cocaine

The ________ is a snail-shaped tube in the inner ear.

cochlea

The coiled, bony, fluid-filled tube in which sound waves trigger nerve impulses is called the

cochlea

The retina is to the eye as the ________ is to the ear. a. auditory canal b. eardrum c. auditory nerve d. cochlea

cochlea

The enduring traditions, attitudes, ideas, and behaviors shared by a large group of people constitute their a. culture. b. levels of analysis. c. community psychology. d. massed practice.

culture

The transmission of customs for showing respect to those in positions of authority best illustrates the importance of a.culture b.introspection c.functionalism d.behavior genetics.

culture

The branching extensions of nerve cells that receive incoming signals from sensory receptors or from other neurons are called the a.axons b..neurotransmitters. c.dendrites. d.synapses.

dendrites

In transmitting sensory information to the brain, an electrical signal travels from the ________ of a single neuron. a. axon to the dendrites to the cell body b. dendrites to the cell body to the axon c. dendrites to the axon to the cell body d. axon to the cell body to the dendrites

dendrites to the cell body to the axon

In an experimental study of the extent to which mental alertness is inhibited by sleep deprivation, mental alertness would be the a. dependent variable. b. experimental condition c.independent variable. d. control condition.

dependent variable

Drugs such as alcohol and opiates that calm neural activity and slow body functions are called a. amphetamines. b. hallucinogens. c. depressants. d. endorphins.

depressants

A substance use disorder is best characterized by continued use of a substance a. in order to lose weight or boost one's athletic performance. b. without realizing it may be addictive. c. without demonstrating any behavioral symptoms of being intoxicated. d. despite significant life disruption and physical health risk.

despite significant life disruption and physical health risk.

Audition begins when sound waves strike the ________, causing it to vibrate.

eardrum

To monitor the electrical activity in the brain that is triggered by hearing one's own name, researchers would make use of a(n) a. brain lesion. b. MRI. c. EEG. d. PET scan.

eeg

A correlation between physical attractiveness and dating frequency of +0.60 would indicate that a. less frequent dating is associated with lower levels of physical attractiveness b.it is impossible to predict levels of physical attractiveness based on knowledge of dating frequency. c. more frequent dating is associated with lower levels of physical attractiveness. d. physical attractiveness has no causal influence on dating frequency.

ess frequent dating is associated with lower levels of physical attractiveness

In an experiment, the experimental group is the group that a. is exposed to the treatment being tested by the experiment. b. receives a placebo. c. is informed about which treatment they are receiving. d. is not fully debriefed following the completion of the experiment.

is exposed to the treatment being tested by the experiment

A synapse is a(n) a. neural cable containing many axons. b. automatic response to sensory input. c junction between a sending neuron and a receiving neuron. d. chemical messenger that triggers muscle contractions.

junction between a sending neuron and a receiving neuron

Josef, a high school student, tells his therapist that he has had a recurring dream in which he hunts and kills a ferocious tiger. The therapist explains that the dream reflects Josef's unresolved feelings of hostility toward his father. According to Freud, the therapist is revealing the possible ________ content of Josef's dream. a. latent b. manifest c. circadian d. hypnagogic

latent

The amygdala, hypothalamus, and hippocampus are part of the a. reticular formation. b brainstem. c cerebral hemispheres. d. limbic system.

limbic system

The biggest danger of relying on case-study evidence is that it a. may be unrepresentative of what is generally true. b. leads us to underestimate the causal relationships between events. c. is based on naturalistic observation. d. overestimates the importance of operational definitions.

may be un representative of what is generally true

Your life would be most immediately threatened if you suffered destruction of the a. cerebellum. b. amygdala. c. medulla. d. hippocampus.

medulla

A descriptive technique of monitoring and recording behavior in naturally occurring situations without trying to change or control the situation is called a. naturalistic observation b. random sampling. c. replication. d. the double-blind procedure.

naturalistic observation

One research team studied the ups and downs of human moods by counting positive and negative words in 504 million Twitter messages from 84 countries. The researchers' method best illustrates the use of a. naturalistic observation b. case studies. c. experimentation. d. a survey.

naturalistic observation

Dr. Psychology is studying the relationship between alcohol intoxication and risky driving behaviors. Dr. Psychology defines alcohol intoxication as having a blood alcohol level of .08. This definition of alcohol intoxication is a(n) a. operational definition. b. hunch. c. theory. d. hypothesis.

operational definition

A theory is an explanation using an integrated set of principles that ________ observations and ________ behaviors or events. a. organizes; predicts b. replicates; controls c. randomly samples; randomly assigns d. questions; surveys

organizes ; predicts

Mr. Dayton often stops breathing while sleeping. He wakes up to snort air for a few seconds before falling back to sleep. Mrs. Dayton complains that her husband snores. Clearly, Mr. Dayton suffers from a. narcolepsy. b. night terrors. c. insomnia. d. sleep apnea.

sleep apnea

Although Stephanie is starting to wake up, she is still half asleep and is unable to move. She feels frightened! She is experiencing a. sleep paralysis. b. hallucinations. c. delta waves. d. paradoxical sleep.

sleep paralysis

The part of the peripheral nervous system that controls the movement of your arms when you write is the a. sympathetic nervous system. b. somatic nervous system. c. autonomic nervous system. d. parasympathetic nervous system.

somatic

The peripheral nervous system consists of two divisions: the a. somatic and autonomic systems. b. sympathetic and parasympathetic systems. c. parasympathetic and autonomic systems. d. sympathetic and somatic systems.

somatic and autonomic

Research has demonstrated that sleep helps consolidate memory. This is congruent with a. cognitive development. b. the information-processing perspective. c. Freud's view of dreams. d. the activation-synthesis theory.

the information-processing perspective

The relief of pain following the taking of an inactive substance that is perceived to have medicinal benefits illustrates a. the placebo effect. b. random assignment. c. hindsight bias. d. debriefing.

the placebo effect

Which research method would be most appropriate for investigating the relationship between the religious beliefs of Americans and their attitudes toward abortion? a. the survey b. the case study c. experimentation d. naturalistic observation

the survey

Which division of the autonomic nervous system arouses the body and mobilizes its energy in stressful situations? a. the sympathetic nervous system b. the parasympathetic nervous system c. the somatic nervous system d. the central nervous system

the sympathetic nervous system

Arlette often consumes up to six cocktails in a row before she experiences any noticeable symptoms of intoxication. This suggests that Arlette has developed a. hallucinations. b. tolerance. c. disinhibition. d. withdrawal.

tolerance

The need to take larger and larger doses of a drug in order to experience its effects is an indication of

tolerance

An axon transmits messages ________ the cell body and a dendrite transmits messages ________ the cell body. a. toward; away from b. toward; toward c. away from; away from d. away from; toward

toward; away from

Our eyes receive light energy and ________ it into neural messages. a. change b. send c. transduce d. move

transduce

S. M. is a patient who has been called "the woman with no fear," even of being threatened with a gun. Her fearlessness is best attributed to damage to her a. cerebellum. b. hypothalamus. c amygdala. d. pons.

Amygdala

When people were shown happy and angry faces, their ________ was found to activate in response to the angry faces. a. thalamus b. hypothalamus c. basal ganglia d. amygdala

Amygdala

After suffering an accidental brain injury, Kira has difficulty walking in a smooth and coordinated manner. She has probably suffered damage to her a. cerebellum. b. amygdala. c. corpus callosum. d. hypothalamus.

Cerebellum

Which school of thought most clearly emphasized the study of mental processes, such as occur when we perceive, learn, remember, think, communicate, and solve problems? a.functionalism b.behaviorism c.humanistic psychology d.cognitive psychology

Cognitive psychology

The conclusion that "playing violent video games leads to violent crime" has been refuted by the American Psychological Association. Why was this statement problematic? a. Correlation does not prove causation. b. It was derived from a survey study. c. This finding is not problematic. d. The experiment that reached this conclusion cannot be replicated.

Correlation does not prove causation.

The limbic system structure that regulates hunger is called the a.amygdala. b. hypothalamus. c. thalamus. d. hippocampus.

Hypothalamus

In an experimental study of the effects of dieting on weight loss, dieting would be the a. dependent variable. b. placebo. c. control condition. d. independent variable.

Independent variable

An altered state of consciousness in which people experience fantastic images and often feel separated from their body is most closely associated with the use of a. LSD. b. cocaine. c. heroin. d. marijuana.

LSD

Drugs such as cocaine and caffeine that excite neural activity and speed up body functions are known as a. hallucinogens. b. stimulants. c. opiates d.depressants.

Stimulants

The nervous system that arouses and expends energy is the ________ nervous system. a. autonomic b. parasympathetic c. somatic d. sympathetic

Sympathetic

Which of the following would be particularly useful for detecting the brain areas that are most active as a person performs mathematical calculations? a. a PET scanen b. larged ventricles c. an MRI scan d. a brain lesion

a PET scan

The experiment is a research method in which a. a random sample of individuals are questioned about their opinions and behaviors. b. individuals are carefully observed in their natural environment. c. a researcher manipulates one or more factors that might affect behavior. d. an individual is studied in great depth.

a researcher manipulates one or more factors that might affect behavior.

The case study is a research method in which a. a representative sample of people are questioned regarding their opinions or behaviors. b. a single individual or group is studied in great depth. c. an investigator manipulates one or more variables that might affect behavior. d. organisms are carefully observed in a laboratory environment.

a single individual or group is studied in great depth.

A descriptive technique for obtaining the self-reported attitudes or behaviors of a representative sample of a population is known as a. naturalistic observation. b. debriefing. c. a survey. d. a case study.

a survey

The idea that dreams are the brain's attempt to synthesize random neural activity in the brain matches the ________ of dreaming. a. latent content b. activation-synthesis theory c. cognitive development perspective d. information-processing perspective

activation-synthesis theory

Which theory suggests that dreams are mental responses to random bursts of neural stimulation? a. cognitive development theory b. wish-fulfillment theory c. information-processing theory d. activation-synthesis theory

activation-synthesis theory

A neuron's reaction of either firing at full strength or not firing at all is described as a. the resting potential. b. a reflexive response. c. an all-or-none response. d. a refractory period.

all or none

Correlation is a measure of the extent to which two variables a. are dependent variables. b .influence each other. c.are random samples. d. are related.

are related

The part of a neuron that transmits neural messages to other neurons or to muscles or glands is called the a. synapse. b. cell body. c. dendrite. d axon.

axon

Investigating whether a dog could be conditioned to bark when it detected the odor of a specific narcotic drug would have been of most direct interest to the school of thought known as a.structuralism b.functionalism c.Freudian psychology d.behaviorism.

behavioralism

If the correlation between the physical weight and reading ability of children is +0.85, this would indicate that a. body weight has no causal influence on the reading abilities of children. b. better reading ability is associated with greater physical weight among children. c. low body weight has a negative effect on the reading abilities of children. d. there is very little statistical relationship between weight and reading ability among children.

better reading ability is associated with greater physical weight among children.

The central nervous system consists

brain and spinal cord

The part of the neuron that contains the nucleus is called the a. cell body. b. myelin sheath. c. axon. d. dendrite.

cell body

The scientific study of mental activities associated with perceiving, processing, and remembering information is most central to a. humanistic psychology b. cognitive psychology c. evolutionary psychology d. clinical psychology.

cognitive psychology

In a study of factors that might affect memory, research participants were assigned to drink either an alcoholic or a nonalcoholic beverage prior to completing a memory test. Those who drank the nonalcoholic beverage were assigned to the ________ group. a. experimental b. correlational c. control d. survey

control

Dr. Branch would like to study the relationship between room lighting and college students' test performance. He randomly assigns college students to two groups. The first group takes an exam in a dimly lit room and the second group takes the same exam in a regularly lit room. What is the dependent variable? a. exam scores b. random assignment c. Dr. Branch d. room lighting

exam scores

Which of the following is NOT a descriptive method? a. naturalistic observation b. survey c. case study d. experiment

experiment

Although several students in the classroom are talking loudly, Jim's attention is focused on what his girlfriend is saying. In this instance, the girlfriend's voice is a(n) a. gestalt. b. perceptual adaptation. c.figure. d. opponent process.

figure

Visually perceiving words as distinct from the surrounding white paper on which they are printed best illustrates a. perceptual adaptation. b. figure-ground perception. c. retinal disparity. d. the phi phenomenon.

figure-ground perception

Sherry is often overly generous in sacrificing her time to help others. Her friend suggests that by keeping busy in this way Sherry avoids confronting her own unconscious conflicts. Her friend's suggestion illustrates the type of explanation that is most typical of a. structuralism b. cognitive neuroscience c. evolutionary psychology d. Freudian psychology

freudian psychology

Which major force in psychology emphasized unconscious thought processes? a. Freudian psychology b. behavior genetics c. evolutionary psychology d. behaviorism

freudian psychology

The principle of continuity refers to the perceptual tendency to a. group stimuli into smooth, uninterrupted patterns. b. group things that are near each other. c. generate reversible figure-ground patterns. d. fill in gaps so as to perceive a complete, whole object.

group stimuli into smooth, uninterrupted patterns.

Audition depends on the movement of ________ on the surface of the basilar membrane triggering impulses in adjacent nerve cells. a. olfactory receptors b. hair cells c. the eardrum d. vestibular sacs

hair cells

The best predictor of an adolescent's pattern of drug usage is whether the adolescent a. has religious beliefs. b. grows up in an intact two-parent family. c. owns his or her own car. d. has close friends who use drugs.

has close friends who use drugs.

The medulla is the part of the brain that most directly regulates a. face recognition. b. heartbeat and breathing. c. language comprehension. d. sexual motivation.

heartbeat and breathing

Janessa suffered a stroke that destroyed a specific part of her limbic system. Although she remembers events prior to her illness, she is unable to form new memories of her daily experiences. Janessa has most likely suffered damage to the a. thalamus. b. amygdala. c. hypothalamus. d. hippocampus.

hippocampus

Angie wonders whether her calm and relaxed personality style was learned or inherited. Angie's concern is most directly relevant to the issue of a. conscious mind and unconscious mind b. nature and nurture c. observation and introspection d. behavior and mental processes.

nature and nurture

Debates as to whether the excessive use of alcohol is biologically determined or culturally influenced are most relevant to the issue of a.observation and introspection b. structuralism and functionalism c. behavior and mental processes d. nature and nurture.

nature and nurture

Efforts to discover whether the intelligence of children is more heavily influenced by their biology or by their home environment are most directly relevant to the debate regarding a. observation and introspection b. conscious and unconscious thought c. structuralism and functionalism d. nature and nurture.

nature and nurture

Lissette wonders whether personality differences between her friends who recently moved from Nigeria and those who moved from Thailand result primarily from biological influences or from cultural influences. In this instance, Lissette is primarily concerned with the relative contributions of a. conscious and unconscious thoughts b. nature and nurture c. neuroscience and cognition d. behavior and mental processes.

nature and nurture

About three hours after he falls asleep, Bobby often sits up in bed screaming incoherently. His mother tries to awaken him, but with no success. The next morning, he remembers nothing. It appears that Bobby suffers from a. night terrors. b. sleep apnea. c. narcolepsy. d. sleep spindles.

night terrors

Brandon has trouble sleeping regularly. He has difficulty falling asleep and then staying asleep. On average, he gets 4 hours of sleep each night. His ________ may not be functioning properly. a. thalamus b. hypothalamus c. pons d. reticular formation

pons

The brainstem structure located above the medulla that helps control sleep is called the a. hippocampus. b. nucleus accumbens c. .amygdala. d. pons.

pons

Humanistic psychologists focused attention on the importance of people's a. genetic predispositions b .childhood memories c .potential for healthy growth d .unconscious thought processes.

potential for heath growth

Correlational research is most useful for purposes of a. prediction. b. replication. c. explanation. d. control.

prediction

The iris is a doughnut-shaped ring of muscle that adjusts the size of the

pupil

The function of dendrites is to a. control pain through the release of opiate-like chemicals into the brain. c. coordinate the activation of the parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous systems. c. release neurotransmitters into the spatial junctions between neurons. d. receive incoming signals from other neurons.

receive incoming signals from other neurons.

Dr. Smith just reviewed an article that found a relationship between playing violent video games and childhood aggression. Dr. Smith would like to conduct a similar study to see if he obtains the same results. Dr. Smith is planning on ________ this study. a. operationalizing b. replicating c. plagiarizing d. copying

replicating

Repeating the essence of a previous research study to verify whether its findings extend to a new group of research participants and to different circumstances is called a. the double-blind procedure. b. replication. c. random sampling. d. naturalistic observation

replication

The light-sensitive inner surface of the eye, containing the rods and cones, is the

retina

The reabsorption of excess neurotransmitter molecules by a sending neuron is called a.reuptake. b. an action potential. c. a refractory period. d. the all-or-none response.

reuptake

Objects are brought into focus on the retina by changes in the curve and thickness of the a. lens. b. rods and cones. c. bipolar cells. d. optic nerve.

rods and cones

Dr. Branch would like to study the relationship between room lighting and college students' test performance. He randomly assigns college students to two groups. The first group takes an exam in a dimly lit room and the second group takes the same exam in a regularly lit room. What is the independent variable? a. Dr. Branch b. exam scores c. random assignment d. room lighting

room lighting

The principles of continuity and closure best illustrate that a. sensations are organized into meaningful patterns. b. perception is the direct product of sensation. c. cultural experiences shape perception d. .visual information is especially likely to capture our attention.

sensations are organized into meaningful patterns.

the peripheral nervous system consists of a. sensory and motor neurons. b. endocrine glands. c. interneurons. d. the spinal cord.

sensory and motor neurons

Jacob has just gotten an interview for a job he really wants. With his excitement, his heartbeat increases, his blood pressure rises, and he begins to perspire. Which nervous system is responsible for these physiological changes? a.autonomic b. sympathetic c. somatic d. parasympathetic

sympathetic

Neurotransmitters are molecules that travel across the a. synaptic gap. b. threshold. c. cell body. d. myelin sheath.

synaptic gap

A hypothesis is a(n) a. observable relationship between specific independent and dependent variables. b. set of principles that organizes observations and explains newly discovered facts. c. unprovable assumption about the unobservable processes that underlie psychological functioning. d. testable prediction that gives direction to research.

testable prediction that gives direction to research.

Which brain structure relays information from the eyes to the visual cortex? a. cerebellum b. amygdala c. thalamus d. medulla

thalamus

To understand the unusual behavior of an adult client, a clinical psychologist carefully investigates the client's current life situation and his physical, social-cultural, and educational history. Which research method has the psychologist used? a. the survey b. naturalistic observation c. experimentation d. the case study

the case study

Sabrina is 7-years-old. Her dreams are similar to a slide show of images, rather than a story. This best reflects a. the information-processing perspective. b. the cognitive development perspective. c. Freud's view of dreams. d. the activation-synthesis theory.

the cognitive development perspective.

Which method offers the most reliable way of assessing whether athletic performance is boosted by drinking soda with caffeine in it? a. the experiment b. the survey c. naturalistic observation d. the case study

the experiment

The discomfort and distress following discontinued use of a psychoactive drug best illustrates

withdrawal

When Celeste was unable to obtain her regular supply of heroin, she began to develop pain and an intense craving for the drug. Celeste was experiencing symptoms of a. withdrawal. b. reuptake. c. hallucinations. d. tolerance.

withdrawal