psychology unit 1

An amplified recording of the waves of electrical activity that sweep across the surface of the brain is called a(n):

EEG.

Surgeons resorted to cutting communication between the two brain hemispheres because of what severe condition in several patients?

Epilepsy

Which of the following best describes the hindsight bias?

Events seem more predictable after they have occurred.

The first psychology laboratory was established by _____in the year_____.

Wundt; 1879

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

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

clinical psychologists.

Today, psychology is a discipline that:

connects with a diversity of other fields.

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

industrial/organizational psychologists

A synapse is a(n):

junction between a sending neuron and a receiving neuron.

Jamie and Lynn were sure that they had answered most of the multiple-choice questions correctly because "they simply required common sense." However, they each received a 60% on the exam. This best illustrates:

overconfidence.

At the age of 22, Mrs. LaBlanc was less than 4 feet tall. Her short stature was probably influenced by the lack of growth hormone produced by the:

pituitary gland.

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.

Neural regulation of a child's language functioning is transferred to the right hemisphere if speech areas in the left hemisphere are damaged. This best illustrates:

plasticity.

The capacity of one brain area to take over the functions of another damaged brain area is known as brain:

plasticity.

The two most fundamental characteristics of the scientific attitude are:

skepticism and humility.

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

skepticism.

The myelin sheath helps to increase the _________ of neural impulses.

speed

The central nervous system consists of:

the brain and the spinal cord.

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

Parkinson's disease involves:

the death of nerve cells that produce the vital neurotransmitter dopamine.

Concerning the major psychological perspectives on behavior, the text author suggests that:

the different perspectives often complement one another; together, they provide a fuller understanding of behavior than provided by any single perspective.

Researchers and subjects in a drug-evaluation study are both ignorant about which subjects have actually received an experimental drug and which were given a placebo. This investigation involves the use of:

the double-blind procedure.

Which of the following methods is most helpful for revealing cause-effect relationships?

the experiment

The case study is a research method in which:

a single individual is studied in great detail.

Transferring messages from a motor neuron to a leg muscle requires the neurotransmitter known as:

acetylcholine

The longest part of a neuron is most likely to be the:

axon.

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

intelligence and academic success.

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

medulla

Psychologists who carefully watch the behavior of chimpanzees in the jungle are using a research method known as:

naturalistic observation.

Dendrites are branching extensions of:

neurons.

After discovering that the shadows outside his window were only the trees in the yard, Ralph's blood pressure decreased and his heartbeat slowed. These calming physical reactions were most directly regulated by his:

parasympathetic nervous system.

The two major divisions of the nervous system are the central and the _____ nervous systems.

peripheral

His frontal lobes massively damaged by a tamping iron shooting through them, Phineas Gage suffered from a loss of his normal

personality

Endorphins are most directly involved in the control of:

physical pain

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

psychiatrist.

To say that today's "psychology is a science: means that:

psychologists approach the study of thoughts and actions with careful observation and rigorous analysis.

In a group of five individuals, two report annual incomes of $10,000, and the other three report incomes of $14,000, $15,000, and $31,000, respectively. The mode of this group's distribution of annual incomes is:

$10,000.

In order to assess reactions to a proposed tuition hike at her college, Susan sent a questionnaire to every fifteenth person in the college registrar's alphabetical listing of all currently enrolled students. Susan employed the technique of:

random sampling.

A technique that uses magnetic fields to produce computer generated images of the brain if the:

MRI

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

scientific

In its earliest days, psychology was defined as the:

study of mental life.

Your brother has been taking prescription medicine and experiencing a number of unpleasant side effects, including unusually rapid heartbeat and excessive perspiration. It is likely that the medicine is exaggerating activity in the:

sympathetic nervous system

You come home one night to find a burglar in your house. Your heart starts racing and you begin to perspire. These physical reactions are triggered by the:

sympathetic nervous system.

A hypothesis is a(n):

testable prediction that gives direction to research.

The PRTR study method emphasizes the importance of:

thinking critically.

In which type of research would an investigator manipulate one factor in order to observe its effect on some behavior or mental process?

experimentation

Psychological theories:

do all the above.

Chemical messengers produced by endocrine glands are called:

hormones.

In a psychological experiment, the factor that is manipulated by the investigator is called the _____ variable.

independent

In an experiment to determine how aerobic exercise affects motivation, the aerobic exercise is the (Tell yourself "If I do such and such, then such and such will result. The first such and such is the independent variable and the second such and such is the dependent variable.")

independent variable

The cells that serve as the basic building blocks of the body's information processing system are called:

neurons

The chemical messengers released into the spatial junctions between neurons are called:

neurotransmitters.

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.

Which of the following is a correct description of a double-blind procedure?

Neither the subjects nor the research assistants know which subjects have received the treatment of interest.

The biases and errors of people's everyday judgments illustrate the need for:

all of the above.

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.

A psychologist who conducts experiments solely intended to build psychology's knowledge base is engaged in:

basic research.

Jessica experienced difficulty keeping her balance after receiving a blow to the back of her head. It is likely that she injured her:

cerebellum.

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

cerebral cortex

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

In order to determine the effects of a new drug on memory, one group of subjects is given a pill that contains the drug. A second group is given a sugar pill that does not contain the drug. This second group constitutes the:

control group.

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

correlation

If those who watch a lot of TV violence are also particularly likely to behave aggressively, this would not necessarily indicate that watching TV violence influences aggressive behavior because:

correlation does not prove causation.

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.

Information is generally received by the neuron's _____, and sent to other neurons by its _____ which is encased by the _____.

dendrites; axon; myelin sheath

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 the chemical messengers of the:

endocrine system.

Melissa has just completed running a marathon. She is so elated that she feels little fatigue or discomfort. Her lack of pain is probably the result of the release of which one of these neurotransmitters?

endorphins

Jose has just played a long, bruising football game but feels little fatigue or discomfort. His lack of pain is most likely caused by the release of:

endorphins.

Neurosurgeons have severed the corpus callosum in human patients in order to reduce:

epileptic seizures

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

experiment

Which of the following research strategies would be best for determining whether alcohol causes memory impairment?

experiment

Following a gunshot wound to his head, Jack became more uninhibited, irritable, and profane. It is likely that his personality change was the result of injury to his:

frontal lobe.

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

In its early years, psychology focused on the study of___; from the 1920s into the 1960s, American psychologists emphasized the study of ____.

mental processes; observable behavior

The slowdown of neural communication in multiple sclerosis involves a degeneration of the:

myelin sheath

A psychologist studies the play behavior of third-grade children by sitting at a distance and watching groups during recess at school. Which research strategy is being used?

naturalistic observation

Efforts to discover whether the intelligence of children is more heavily influenced by their genetic dispositions of by their home environments are most directly relevant to the debate regarding:

nature versus nurture.

Professor Morin wants to discover whether the intelligence of adopted children is more similar to their adoptive parents or to their biological parents. The professor seems to be most directly interested in the issue of:

nature versus nurture.

Correlational research is most useful for purposes of:

prediction.

In order, the sequence of steps in the PRTR method is:

preview, read, think critically, review.

Clinical psychologists are most likely to be involved in:

providing therapy to troubled people.

The illusion of streak shooting in basketball best illustrates the need to recognize that:

random sequences of events often don't look random.

In answering multiple-choice test items, smart test-takers are best advised to:

recall the correct answer to each question before reading the alternative answers.

The function of dendrites is to:

receive incoming signals from other neurons.

The simplest neural pathways are those that govern our:

reflexes

Mike Crampton's stockbroker has informed him of substantial investment losses. When Mike tells his wife, she angrily responds, "I could have told you that your investment plan would fail!" Her comment best illustrates:

the hindsight bias.

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.

Illusory correlation refers to:

the perception of a relationship where none exists.

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.

In which type of research is a representative sample of people asked to answer questions about their behaviors or opinions?

the survey

Which research method would be most appropriate for investigating the relationship between the religious beliefs of Americans and their attitudes toward abortion?

the survey