Psychology Final Exam

The case study is a research method in which:

a single individual is studied in great detail.

The case study is a research method in which

a single individual or group is studied in great depth

In a test of the effects of sleep deprivation on problem-solving skills, research participants are allowed to sleep either 4 or 8 hours on each of three consecutive nights. This research is an example of:

an experiment.

The mean of a distribution of scores is the:

arithmetic average of all the scores.

The most extensive regions of the brain, which enable judging and planning, are called the:

association areas.

Psychology is now best defined as the science of:

behavior and mental processes.

Two historical roots of psychology are the disciplines of:

biology and philosophy

The one-eighth inch wrinkled outer covering of the two cerebral hemispheres is called the

cerebral cortex

Psychologists who study, assess, and treat troubled people are called:

clinical psychologists.

A researcher would be most likely to discover a positive correlation between

intelligence and academic success

A synapse is a(n):

junction between a sending neuron and a receiving neuron.

A myelin sheath is a

layer of fatty tissue encasing the axons of some nerve cells

Whether a person is reading a story or drawing a picture, the whole brain is involved in the activity. However, reading a story primarily involves brain activity in the _____ cerebral hemisphere and drawing a picture primarily involves brain activity in the _____ cerebral hemisphere.

left; right

The more sensitive a body region, the greater the area of the sensory cortex devoted to it; your super-sensitive _____, for example, project to a larger brain area then do your toes.

lips

The biggest danger of relying on case-study evidence is that it:

may be unrepresentative of what is generally true.

The four families on your block all have annual household incomes of $25,000. If a new family with an annual income of $75,000 moved in, which measure of central tendency would be most affected?

mean

The part of the brain that controls heartbeat and breathing is the:

medulla

Degeneration of the myelin sheath results in

multiple sclerosis

Dendrites are branching extensions of

neurons

Our tendency to believe we know more than we do best illustrates

overconfidence

Endorphins are most directly involved in the control of:

physical pain

In a study of the effects of alcohol consumption, some participants drank a nonalcoholic beverage that actually smelled and tasted alcoholic. The nonalcoholic drink was a:

placebo.

The specialist most likely to have a medical degree is a(n):

psychiatrist.

Which of the following best describes the hindsight bias?

Events seem more predictable after they have occurred.

A professor constructs a questionnaire to determine how students at the university feel about nuclear disarmament. Which of the following techniques should be used in order to survey a random sample of the student body?

From an alphabetical listing of all students, every tenth (or fifteenth, e.g.) student should be asked to complete the questionnaire.

Who said our minds are a blank slate or a "tabula rasa?"

John Locke

The function of dendrites is to:

receive incoming signals from other neurons.

The suggestion that psychology is less a set of facts than a method of evaluating ideas best highlights the ________ nature of psychology.

scientific

Alicia Adams insists that Dr. Phillip's theory of aggression be checked against observable evidence. She is demonstrating the scientific attitude of

skepticism

The two most fundamental characteristics of the scientific attitude are:

skepticism and humility.

Phrenology highlighted the presumed functions of

specific brain regions

The myelin sheath helps to increase the _________ of neural impulses

speed

After detailed study of a gunshot wound victim, a psychologist concludes that the brain region destroyed is likely to be important for memory functions. Which research strategy did the psychologist use to deduce this?

the case study

Your roommate is conducting a survey to learn how many hours the typical college student studies each day. She plans to pass out her questionnaire to the members of her sorority. You point out that her findings will be flawed because:

the sample is not random and so will probably not be representative of the whole population of college students.

Testing hypotheses and refining theories in light of those tests is central to

the scientific method

The hindsight bias refers to people's tendency to

exaggerate their ability to have forseen an outcome.

Which of the following research methods does not belong to descriptive studies?

experiment

In order to study the effects of loud noise on worker productivity, Dr. Murphy had one group of research participants work in a noisy room and a second group in a quiet room. Those who worked in the quiet room were exposed to the ____ condition.

control

Which type of research strategy would allow you to determine whether students' college grades accurately predict later income?

correlation

_____________- receive messages from other cells

dendrites

In transmitting sensory information to the brain, an electrical signal within a single neuron travels from the:

dendrites to the cell body to the axon.

Correlation, which serves to predict events, involves _____ factors, whereas experimentation, which seeks to explain events, involves _____ factors.

determining relationships between; manipulating one or more

Schizophrenia is most closely linked with excess activity at receptor sites for the neurotransmitter:

dopamine.

Hormones are chemical messengers of the

endocrine system

The motor cortex is located in the _____ lobes.

frontal

The ancient Greek philosopher Plato located the mind in the

head

Chemical messengers produced by endocrine glands are called:

hormones.

Which psychological specialists are most likely to be involved in applied research?

industrial/organizational psychologists

The axons of certain neurons are covered by a layer of fatty tissue that helps speed neural transmission. This tissue is:

the myelin sheath.

Psychologists select a random sample of research participants in order to ensure that:

the participants are representative of the population they are interested in studying.