AP Psychology Chapter 1 Applied Questions

You are interviewing a new member of the psychology department for the university newspaper. The faculty member states, "Internal states undoubtedly exist, but it is not necessary to draw inferences about unobservable states in order to understand behavior." This faculty member's views are most similar to the views held by

B.F. Skinner

Which of the following areas is LEAST likely to be considered an applied area of psychology? a) industrial psychology b) clinical psychology c) educational psychology d) developmental psychology

developmental psychology

Melissa is participating in a study in which she is asked to carefully observe and report her conscious reactions to several stimuli. Melissa is most likely participating in a study conducted by a

structuralist psychologist

Which of the following sounds LEAST like the work of an applied psychologist? a) finding ways to teach learning disabled children b) studying basic learning processes in rats c) treating someone with a phobia d) looking for ways to increase efficiency in an organization

studying basic learning processes in rats

Which of the following is LEAST characteristic of empiricism? a) documentation b) speculation c) skepticism d) observation

speculation

Which of the following statements regarding the difference between a clinical psychologist and a psychiatrist is MOST accurate? a) Psychiatrists cannot prescribe drugs b) A clinical psychologist has a medical degree c) Both clinical psychologists and psychiatrists receive medical training d) Clinical psychologists tend to take a non-medical approach to treat psychological disorders

Clinical psychologists tend to take a non-medical approach to treat psychological disorders

Damion wants to investigate whether altruistic behavior in a specific species of tropical birds gives the birds an evolutionary advantage. If Damion could work with a psychologist who has made a significant contribution in this area of research he would most likely choose to work with

David Buss

Dr. Asgaard believes that in order to fully understand complex processes, such as auditory processing, it is first necessary to understand all the separate component parts. Dr. Asgaard's views are most consistent with those of

Edward Titchener

Which of the following is NOT a reason for psychology's theoretical diversity? a) One theory does not adequately cover the variety of data we have today b) Different theories focus on different aspects of behavior c) "Facts" lend themselves to different interpretations d) Psychology lacks adequate objective data to support theory

Psychology lacks adequate objective data to support theory

Annabel wants to investigate differences in the way language is processed by the brain hemispheres in individuals from different cultures. If Annabel could work with a psychologist who has made significant contributions in this area of research, she would MOST likely choose to work with

Roger Sperry

You are interviewing a new member of the psychology department for the university newspaper. The faculty member states, "Many times, people are unaware of the unconscious motivations that drive their overt actions." This faculty member's views are MOST similar to the views held by

Sigmund Freud

One psychologist explains a phobia in terms of learning principles whereas another looks to the unconscious for an explanation. Given this scenario, which of the following conclusions is MOST accurate?

The two psychologists are using different theoretical perspectives

Which of the following questions would a social psychologist be most likely to ask? a) How stable is personality over a lifespan? b) Why do we like some people and not others? c) What effect does anxiety have on test performance? d) Do depressed people think differently than non-depressed people?

Why do we like some people and not others?

Dr. Rice believes that it is not possible to fully understand emotions unless we understand the purpose that the conscious experiences associated with emotions play in survival and adaptation. Dr. Rice's views are MOST consistent with those of

William James

Programmers who were working on a chess-playing super computer asked a psychologist from their university for some help in working out the problem-solving algorithms they would be using. The psychologist who helped with this project was MOST likely

a cognitive psychologist

Which type of psychologist would be LEAST likely to generalize from studies of animal subjects to human behavior?

a humanist

Which of the following is NOT likely to be considered a critical thinking skill? a) working systematically towards a desired goal b) accepting the views of an appropriate authority figure c) distinguishing among facts, opinions and reasoned judgements d) understanding how reasons and evidence support or refute conclusions

accepting the views of an appropriate authority figure

Zoe believes that Samantha has trouble forming long-term relationships because her parents were overly strict during Samantha's toilet training. This type of explanation for Samantha's current behavior is inconsistent with the view that

behavior is determined by multiple causes

Christine is a psychologist who conducts research on the effects of reward on maze learning in rats. Christine would MOST likely be considered a

behaviorist

The Human Genome Project involves a large number of scientists who are trying to determine the biochemical nature of all the genes on each chromosome in the human body. These scientists come from a variety of areas, including psychology. The psychologists working on this project are most likely

biological psychologists

Some researchers have suggested that people currently tend to sleep during periods of darkness because sleeping under these conditions was an adaptive behavior that helped to increase survival among early humans. This is the type of argument that would most likely be made by psychologists who take the

evolutionary perspective in psychology

Wilhelm Wundt believed the focus of psychology should be

examining people's awareness of their immediate experience

Which of the following is LEAST likely to be included under the umbrella of applied psychology? a) school psychology b) counseling psychology c) experimental psychology d) industrial/organizational psychology

experimental psychology

Nature is to nurture as

heredity is to environment

Dr. Lee is studying pain perception using a functionalist perspective. It is MOST likely that Dr. Lee would suggest that we can only understand the conscious experience of pain

if we first understand the role of pain in human survival and adaption

Liam is reading a magazine article about a new "wonder drug" and finds himself wondering who participated in the study, and what upon what evidence the claims are based. Liam's thinking illustrates the idea that a) motives and expectations can color our experiences b) single-cause explanations are often inaccurate c) information needs to be viewed with a certain degree of skepticism d) sciences do not exist in a cultural vacuum

information needs to be viewed with a certain degree of skepticism

Which of the following statements is the MOST accurate? a) social trends influence psychology's development b) psychology influences social trends and practices c) interconnections exist between what happens in psychology and what happens in society at large d) there is little relationship between what happens in psychology and what happens in society at large

interconnections exist between what happens in psychology and what happens in society at large

In an attempt to learn something about his conscious experience, William looked at an abstract painting and wrote down all of his impressions as they came to him. This technique is called

introspection

Carly was in favor of a proposed convention center; Colin was against the project. When Carly surveyed people, she found that 70% of those she questioned were in favor of the project. Colin's survey found that 75% of those he surveyed were against building the convention center. These differing survey results show that

motives and expectations can color our experiences

Which of the following is NOT good advice for someone about to take a multiple choice test?

once you find your anticipated answer, don't waste time reading the other options

In criticizing the structuralists' reliance on the method of introspection, William James argued that two people could view the same stimulus quite differently. James's argument illustrates which of the textbook's unifying themes?

our experience of the world is highly subjective

Response is to stimulus as

pain is to cut

In the 19th century, Wilhelm Wundt attempted to shape the new discipline of psychology along the lines of physics, because in his era, physics was admired as a "model" science. Wundt's attempt to imitate physics illustrates which of the textbook's unifying themes?

psychology evolves in a sociohistorical context

John Watson argued that psychology should study only observable behavior. This position is most consistent with which of the textbook's unifying themes?

psychology is empirical

In the 1920s, there were many fundamental disputes between competing schools of thought in psychology. These disputes illustrate which of the textbook's unifying themes?

psychology is theoretically diverse

Which of the following is likely to be of most interest to a developmental psychologist? a) the dynamics of small group decision making b) the effect of anxiety on problem solving behavior c) the use of physical exercise as a means of combating depression d) the effects on children of being raised in a single parent home

the effects on children of being raised in a single parent home

Imagine that the editor of your local newspaper writes a column supporting a reduction in government intervention with a transfer of more rights to individual citizens. The editor bases this argument on the assumption that people are rational beings who will fulfill their maximum potential as long as others do not infringe on their basic human needs. This editor's views reflect those seen in

the humanistic perspective

Which of the following do behaviorism and psychoanalystic theory have in common?

the implication that people are not masters of their own destines

Marie is a graduate student whose major area of interest is personality psychology. You should expect that Marie is MOST interested in

the internal factors that lead people to act consistently across a variety of situations

Dr. Vazquez has found that many Asians feel uncomfortable with the expression of emotions and disclosure of personal information. As a consequence, Dr. Vasquez has made several suggestions for ways in which psychological counseling might be modified to benefit people from Asian backgrounds. Based on this information, you could infer that Dr. Vasquez investigates

the role of cultural factors in psychological processes

Which of the following statements about the influence of culture is LEAST accurate? a) the influence of culture is everywhere b) our cultural heritage has a pervasive impact on our thoughts, feelings and behavior c) there is not much diversity in the behavior among members of the same culture d) there are both differences and similarities across cultures in behavior

there is not much diversity in the behavior among members of the same culture

Which of the following would NOT be expected of an experimental psychologist? a) to study the effects of reward on learning b) to examine the relationship between sleep deprivation and task performance c) to conduct psychotherapy d) to study the factors that motivate behavior

to conduct psychotherapy

Which of the following is NOT good advice for getting more out of lectures? a) ask questions during the lecture b) try to record the lecturer's comments verbatim c) when the material is especially complex, read ahead on the topic to be covered in class d) during the lecture, try to anticipate what's coming next and search for deeper meanings

try to record the lecturer's comments verbatim

Which of the following is NOT good advice for developing sound study habits? a) spread out your studying over a period of time b) allow time for study breaks c) try to tackle simple, routine tasks first, saving larger tasks for later d) find a place to study where distractions are likely to be minimal

try to tackle simple, routine tasks first, saving larger tasks for later

Which of the following statements about the concept of cultural heritage is LEAST accurate? a) it can be applied to small as well as to large groups b) much to one's cultural heritage is invisible c) it can influence educational success and physical health d) we generally feel a need to discuss our cultural heritage with others

we generally feel a need to discuss our cultural heritage with others