quiz 1

the hallmarks of psychology as a science are: a) reliance on authority and cautious measurement of data b) the use of informal data and the belief in perseverance in all research c) careful experimentation and the application of critical thinking d) adherence to conventional morality and deductive reasoning

c) careful experimentation and the application of critical thinking

what is a mainstream psychologist most likely to think about Sigmund Freud? a) Freudian theory is untestable and not grounded in science b) Freud, a great pioneer in psychology, discovered the unconscious c) Freud was a complete fraud who barely rates a mention in psychology textbooks d) rigorous research has proven that most of Freud's theories were correct

a) Freudian theory is untestable and not grounded in science

cognitive psychology: a) focuses on how people think, remember, store, and use information b) attempts to explain reality in a way that does not rely on our fallible senses c) studies the nervous system, including the brain and spinal cord and all of their connections to the body d) focuses exclusively on externally visible behavior and ignores internal mental processes

a) focuses on how people think, remember, store, and use information

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) survival depends on the environment just as much as it depends on genes d) animals share many genes with human beings

b) humans behave as they do in part because that behavior promotes survival

a researcher presents his participant with a series of flashing lights at varying intervals. after each presentation of a light, he asks the participant to fully describe her internal experiences, a method known as: a) functionalism b) introspection c) behaviorism d) psychoanalysis

b) introspection

plato's allegory of the cave indicates that: a) majority opinion is almost always correct b) truths about reality are not always obvious c) when we seek the truth, we must always trust our senses d) imagination is a more reliable guide than objective reality

b) truths about reality are not always obvious

according to the social brain hypothesis, each of us can deal effectively with social interactions with roughly 150 people. This implies that: a) most of us are able to maintain close, lifelong friendships with about 150 people b) we are capable of maintaining social networks of up to 150 people throughout our lives c) most of us cannot recognize more than 150 people at any given time in our lives d) we function best in groups of roughly 150 people, whether all are friends or strangers

b) we are capable of maintaining social networks of up to 150 people throughout our lives

parents who agree with John Locke's notion of tabula rasa would most likely: a) believe that their children will develop adequately with little parental support b) view their children as their intellectual equals c) expose their children to a rich variety of sensory experiences d) reject the notion that they need to "teach" their children since all knowledge is innate

c) expose their children to a rich variety of sensory experiences

psychology is best defined as the study of: a) mental health b) consciousness and intuition c) the mind and behavior d) learning and developmental delay

c) the mind and behavior

the year 1879 might be thought of as the beginning of psychology as a science because that is the year: a) Edward Thorndike conducted his first puzzle box experiments b) Margaret Floy Washburn wrote The Animal Mind 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

which of the following perspectives argues that human behavior develops in certain ways because it serves a useful purpose? a) psychoanalysis b) cognitive psychology c) behaviorism d) functionalism

d) functionalism

the study of the nervous system is called: a) cognitive science b) psychopathology c) psychophysics d) neuroscience

d) neuroscience

which statement reflects a reasonable attitude for a good student of psychology to have toward any claim about human behavior? a) the older an idea is, the more likely it is to be correct b) it is fine to accept an idea until it is proven wrong c) the more popular an idea is, the more likely it is to be correct d) skepticism is advisable until an idea is proven right

d) skepticism is advisable until an idea is proven right

which of the following approaches to psychology did Edward Titchener advocate in the late 1800s? a) humanistic psychology b) psychoanalysis c) functionalism d) structuralism

d) structuralism

an important principle to remember when studying psychology is that: a) we are consciously aware of all the events that affect our behavior b) genetics has very little influence on our behavior c) adults rarely alter their behavior according to what those around them are doing d) the act of learning changes the physical structure of the brain

d) the act of learning changes the physical structure of the brain