AP Psych 5 Steps to a 5 Chapter 1 Schools of Thought
A case study is: (A) A primary tool for investigation into a client's unconscious through dream analysis and free association (B) A study done over an entire life span of one individual, giving the psychologist detailed information of one's psyche (C) A study that exposes the subject to some event and measures coping skills (D) An independent study used outside the natural environment of the subject (E) A comparative study of various people of diff erent ages at the same time
(A) Choice (A) is the defi nition for a case study. Choice (B) defi nes a longitudinal study. Choice (E) defi nes a cross-sectional study. Choices (C) and (D) do not defi ne any type of study.
Phenomenology is best defi ned as: (A) Th e study of natural, unanalyzed perception (B) Th e process of thinking and memory (C) Th e study of psychological mental health (D) Th e study of language development (E) Th e process of consistent patterns and organized sets
(A) Choice (A) is the defi nition of phenomenology, the study of natural, unanalyzed perception.
Jill wants to study the process of thinking. Which fi eld of psychology should she choose? (A) Cognitive (B) Social (C) Personality (D) Learning (E) Perception
(A) Cognitive psychology is the study of how we process, store, and retrieve information. Choices (B) and (C) are devoted to studying the way people relate to others and the unique attributes of a person; neither fi eld focuses on one's thought process. (D) deals with long-lasting changes in behavior, usually through experience. (E) is the experience of a meaningful pattern of a stimulus.
One major criticism of Ivan Pavlov's concept of classical conditioning was that: (A) It did not take into account voluntary human behavior. (B) It was unethical to use dogs in a psychology experiment. (C) It did not take into account involuntary behavior. (D) Th e fi ndings overlapped with other fi elds of psychology. (E) It did not relate to human behavior.
(A) In Pavlov's experiment in which he rang a bell before putting food in the dogs' mouths, the dogs eventually paired the bell with salivating, even when the food was not present. Th is phenomenon, which Pavlov called conditioned refl ex, eventually became known as classical conditioning. Because this theory was based on involuntary refl exes and many psychologists believe human behavior is based on voluntary choices, they criticized classical conditioning, claiming it could not help us further understand human behavior. Th is explanation negates choice (C). (D) and (E) are irrelevant to this question.
Psychology is considered a science mainly because it relies on direct observation. Which fi eld of psychology supports this? (A) Behaviorism (B) Psychodynamic psychology (C) Social psychology (D) Cognitive psychology (E) Structuralism
(A) John Watson published a paper called "Psychology as a Behaviorist Views It." Watson rejected the notion that introspection can be used as a technique to determine the behavior of human beings. Watson believed psychology needed to be an objective experimental science. Unlike choices (B), (C), (D), and (E), behaviorism was the fi rst fi eld to study psychology in an observable and measurable manner.
Clients who work with their therapists to explore their past to discover the source of their illness would be seeking what type of therapy? (A) Psychoanalytic (B) Humanist (C) Cognitive (D) Eclectic (E) Behavioral
(A) Psychoanalysis stresses the importance of the patient and psychologist working together to explore the client's past. Humanism emphasizes one's present and future, not one's past. Cognitive psychology works on changing the client's way of thinking, again not placing much emphasis on the past. Eclectic simply means using several diff erent approaches of psychology. Behavioral psychology tries to identify negative behaviors and eliminate them through such means as systematic desensitization.
Which of the following psychologists wrote Th e Principles of Psychology? (A) William James (B) Wilhelm Wundt (C) John Watson (D) Sigmund Freud (E) Max Wertheimer
(A) William James wrote the Principles of Psychology, published in 1890. Th is book included the study of the mind, sensation, memory, and reasoning. James is associated with functionalism. Wundt is associated with structuralism. Watson is associated with behaviorism. Freud is associated with psychoanalysis. Wertheimer is associated with Gestalt.
A developmental psychologist focuses mainly on: (A) Th e conscious experiences of an infant (B) Th e manner in which a child develops the ability to speak, learn, and understand the world around him or her (C) Th e mental process that helps a young person adapt to his or her environment (D) Th e identifi cation of one's environment and response to the environment (E) Experiments that emphasize actual behavior, rather than controlled settings
(B) Developmental psychologists study a person's biological, emotional, cognitive, and social development across the life span. Choice (A) is too vague to be the correct answer. (C) is incorrect because mental process refers to cognitive psychology, not developmental psychology. (D) and (E) are incorrect because they do not answer the question.
Th e use of rewards, punishments, and positive reinforcement is an example of which fi eld of psychology? (A) Personality (B) Behavioral (C) Social (D) Cognitive (E) Psychoanalytic
(B) Th e behavioral approach analyzes how organisms learn or modify behavior based on rewards and punishments in the environment. Th e other choices do not specifi cally focus on reinforcements in one's environment.
Which of the following psychologists was a structuralist? (A) John Watson (B) Wilhelm Wundt (C) William James (D) Max Wertheimer (E) Sigmund Freud
(B) Wilhelm Wundt established the fi rst psychological laboratory in 1879. Structuralism is the study of the most basic elements in our conscious minds. John Watson was a behaviorist. William James studied functionalism. Max Wertheimer studied Gestalt. Sigmund Freud studied psychoanalysis.
Who was considered the father of psychology? (A) James (B) Wundt (C) Wertheimer (D) Freud (E) Kohler
(B) Wilhelm Wundt is considered the father of psychology. Wundt established the fi rst psychological laboratory in 1879.
I believe people choose to live meaningful lives. I share many of the same beliefs as Carl Rogers. Most important, I believe many people have the ability to reach self-actualization. Who am I? (A) Wertheimer (B) Skinner (C) Maslow (D) Terman (E) Seligman
(C) Abraham Maslow is a humanist. Th e humanist approach emphasizes that each individual has free will to determine his or her own future. Self-actualization is an inherent tendency to reach our true potential.
Th e term biological psychology is concerned with: (A) Aggression and sexual behavior (B) Depression and anxiety (C) Genetics and the nervous system (D) Social anxiety (E) Drug treatment
(C) Biological psychologists focus on the ways changes in an organism's physical makeup can aff ect behavior, relating directly to genetics and the nervous system. Choices (A), (B), and (D) are incorrect because biological psychologists do not study the mind or life experiences. Choice (E) may appear to be correct, but the question is asking what the term biological psychology refers to, which is not drug treatment.
One major diff erence between structuralism and functionalism is: (A) Structuralists analyze all mental elements, while functionalists analyze only some elements. (B) Structuralists believe all behaviors stem from the evolutionary process. (C) Structuralists wish to divide the mind into mental elements while functionalists believe behavior helps an organism adapt to the environment. (D) Only functionalists believe in the importance of introspection. (E) Structuralists try to manipulate the mind in order to understand behavior, while functionalists study the conscious mind to understand behavior.
(C) Structuralism was infl uenced by the physical scientists of the time. Wundt emphasized that all complex substances could be separated into component elements, whereas functionalists examined behaviors from a diff erent point of view. Functionalists were asking what the mind does and why. Choice (C) best exemplifi es these concepts. (A) is too vague and inaccurate to be the correct answer. (B) does not represent either structuralism or functionalism. (D) is incorrect because both structuralism and functionalism used introspection as a means of determining human behavior. Once again, choice (E) is not using accurate information to defi ne either structuralism or functionalism.
Psychodynamic psychology focuses mainly on which of the following? (A) Free will and self-actualization (B) Experiments in controlled settings (C) Th e collective unconscious (D) Th oughts, impulses, and desires beyond the conscious being (E) Practical introspection
(D) Psychodynamic psychology stresses the infl uence of the unconscious. Its fears, impulses, and desires motivate our conscious behavior. Choice (A), free will and self- actualization, refers to humanism. (B) refers to experimental psychology. (C) refers to part of Carl Jung's theory of personality development.
"Give me a dozen healthy infants and my own special world to bring them up in, and I'll guarantee to take any one at random and train him to become any type of specialist, . . . lawyer, doctor . . ." What psychological approach would support this statement? (A) Cognitive (B) Structural (C) Functional (D) Behavioral (E) Psychoanalytic
(D) Th e behavioral approach emphasizes the objective, scientifi c analysis of observable behavior. Th is includes conditioning human behavior. Choice (A) focuses on an individual's thought process or perception. Choices (B) and (C) were both schools of thought that focused on introspection. Psychoanalysis emphasized the strength of the unconscious.
Which of the following best defi nes eclectic psychology? (A) Th e study of animal instinct (B) Th e study of child development (C) Th e study of abnormal behavior (D) Th e study of a variety of theories within the fi eld (E) Th e study of the human brain and central nervous system
(D) Th e defi nition of the eclectic approach is a combination of techniques and ideas from many diff erent schools of thought in psychology.
Psychoanalytic psychology focuses mainly on: (A) Rewards and punishments (B) Self-esteem and self-actualization (C) Biology and genetics (D) Internal confl ict and unconscious desires (E) Sensation and perception
(D) Th e psychoanalytic approach focuses on the idea that each of us has an unconscious that contains thoughts, desires, and fears that have been hidden or repressed because they threaten our conscious self. (A), rewards and punishments, is based on behaviorism. (B), self-esteem and self-actualization, is based on humanism.
Of the following, who is associated with the Gestalt school of psychology? (A) John Watson (B) William James (C) Ivan Pavlov (D) Max Wertheimer (E) Sigmund Freud
(D) Wertheimer, along with Wolfgang Kohler and Kurt Koff ka, studied the illusion of fl ashing lights and the perception of movement. Wertheimer argued that perceptual experiences, such as fl ashing lights, resulted from a "whole pattern" or, in German, "Gestalt."
Th e idea that psychology is not based on scientifi c fact or human shortcomings but instead should focus on human experience is the basis for which psychological approach? (A) Cognitive psychology (B) Structuralism (C) Behaviorism (D) Functionalism (E) Humanism
(E) Th e basis of humanism is the understanding that individuals have free will and a large capacity for reaching their potential. It is the human experience that we all share that enables individuals to attain such goals. Cognitive psychology is incorrect because it focuses on the process of thinking, perception, and attention to details of language and problem solving. Cognition does not emphasize the human experience. Structuralism focuses on complex mental elements. Behaviorism is based on relationships, stimulus-response, and rewards and punishments. Functionalists examined mental processes, not human experience.
