Chapter 1
Which perspective most clearly focuses on how we learn observable responses?
behavioral
If the correlation between the physical weight and reading ability of children is +0.85, this would indicate that
better reading ability is associated with greater physical weight among children.
Which perspective is most concerned with how individuals interpret their experiences?
cognitive
Clinical psychologists specialize in
providing therapy to troubled people.
The specialist most likely to have a medical degree is a
psychiatrist.
Cognitive neuroscience studies relationships between
thought processes and brain functions.
The distinctive feature of the psychodynamic perspective is its emphasis on
unconscious conflicts.
Surveys indicate that people are less likely to support "welfare" than "aid to the needy." These somewhat paradoxical survey results best illustrate the importance of
wording effects.
Ahmed has five sisters who are 3, 3, 5, 9, and 10 years of age. The number "5" represents the ________ of the sisters' ages.
median
The most frequently occurring score in a distribution of scores is the
mode.
Humanistic psychologists focused attention on the importance of people's
potential for healthy growth.
Our tendency to believe we know more than we do illustrates
overconfidence.
Mr. and Mrs. Klostreich have six children ages 5, 6, 6, 7, 8, and 16. The mean age of the Klostreich children is
8
Which of the following correlation coefficients expresses the weakest degree of relationship between two variables? A) -0.12 B) -0.99 C) +0.25 D) -0.50
A) -0.12
Which of the following is a statistical measure of both the direction and the strength of a relationship between two variables?
correlation coefficient
Dr. Santaniello conducts research on how children's moral thinking changes as they grow older. It is most likely that Dr. Santaniello is a(n) ________ psychologist.
developmental
Professor Crisman believes that most women prefer tall and physically strong partners because this preference promoted the survival of our ancestors' genes. This viewpoint best illustrates the ________ perspective.
evolutionary
The nature-nurture issue refers to the debate over the relative contributions that ________ make to the development of psychological traits.
genes and experience
Mike Crampton's stockbroker has informed him that he has suffered 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
hindsight bias.
In an experimental study of the effects of anxiety on self-esteem, anxiety would be the ________ variable.
independent
Psychologists who carefully watch the behavior of chimpanzee societies in the jungle are using a research method known as
naturalistic observation.
Lissette wonders whether personality differences between her African-American and Asian- American friends result from biological or cultural influences. In this instance, Lissette is primarily concerned with the relative contributions of
nature and nurture.
Innate ability is to learned skill as ________ is to ________.
nature; nurture
Professor Lopez believes that severe depression results primarily from an imbalanced diet and abnormal brain chemistry. Professor Lopez favors a ________ perspective on depression.
neuroscience
The symmetrical bell-shaped figure used to represent the distribution of many physical and psychological characteristics is called a
normal curve.
Dr. Mills conducts research on why individuals conform to the behaviors and opinions of others. Which specialty area does his research best represent?
social psychology
Dr. Wilson attributes the delinquent behaviors of many teens to the pressures associated with being members of street gangs. Her account best illustrates a(n) ________ perspective.
social-cultural
To understand the unusual behavior of an adult client, a clinical psychologist carefully investigates the client's current life situation and his physical, social-cultural, and educational history. Which research method has the psychologist used?
the case study
Both the researchers and the participants in a memory study are ignorant about which participants have actually received a potentially memory-enhancing drug and which have received a placebo. This investigation involves the use of
the double-blind procedure.
Which of the following methods is most helpful for clarifying cause-effect relationships?
the experiment