Exam 1 Practice Questions

Assume that trait X is primarily an inherited characteristic. Imagine that trait X is investigated using family studies, twin studies, and adoption studies. Briefly describe each of these three methods and indicate what information each would be expected to yield regarding trait X.

-Family studies: there should be more similarity on trait X among relatives who share a greater percentage of genes. For example, there should be more similarity on trait X between identical twins than among siblings, who in turn should exhibit more similarity than cousins. -Twin studies: identical twins should exhibit more similarity on trait X than fraternal twins. -Adoption studies: children adopted in early infancy should more closely resemble their biological parents on trait X than they do their adoptive parents.

Discuss the major theories of dreaming and explain the significance that each theory attaches to dreams.

-Freud's wish fulfillment theory states that people dream to satisfy unmet needs from their waking lives. For Freud, dreams reveal many of our unconscious needs. -According to the problem-solving view, dreams allow people to engage in creative thinking to solve everyday problems. Since dreams are not constrained by logic, they can help people come up with novel solutions. -According to the activation-synthesis model, dreams are side effects of neuronal activity that occurs during sleep. According to this view, neurons from the lower brain centers send periodic random messages to the cortex, and dreams emerge from the cortex's efforts to synthesize these messages into a coherent story.

Briefly summarize what is known about our biological clocks and their relationship to sleep.

-Humans and other animals operate on a 24-hour biological cycle. These daily cycles are particularly important in the regulation of sleep, but also in the regulation of temperature, urine production, hormonal secretions, and other bodily processes. -Circadian rhythms vary from person to person, and different people may have different optimal times to fall asleep, have a good night's sleep, etc. -The pathway for regulation of the human biological clock appears to be based on light levels, which go from the eye to an area of the brain called the suprachiasmatic nucleus (in the hypothalamus). This nucleus tells the pineal gland to secrete melatonin, a hormone that adjusts biological clocks.

. In general, as the cycle of sleep recurs through the night, it tends to contain a. more Stage 4 and less REM. b. more Stage 4 and more REM. c. less Stage 4 and less REM. d. less Stage 4 and more REM.

D

. In descriptive/correlational research, the investigator a. systematically observes two variables to see whether there is an association between them. b. manipulates a variable under carefully controlled conditions and observes whether there are changes in a second variable as a result. c. exposes subjects to two closely related treatment conditions. d. simultaneously manipulates two or more independent variables.

A

Donavon was adopted at birth by Mr. and Mrs. Erndt. Although neither of his biological parents had much musical ability, Donavon has become an excellent pianist, just like Mr. Erndt. This information could be used as evidence to suggest that a. environmental factors have more influence than genetic factors in musical talent. b. both genetic and environmental factors contribute equally to musical talent. c. genetic factors have more influence than environmental factors in musical talent. d. neither genetic nor environmental factors contribute to musical talent.

A

Dr. Seelig has just discovered a new drug that produces schizophrenic-like side effects. Based on this information, Dr. Seelig's drug may be acting on which neurotransmitter? a. dopamine b. GABA c. serotonin d. endorphins

A

Humanists believe that people's behavior is governed by a. their self-concepts. b. unconscious sexual urges. c. the outcomes of their responses. d. biochemical processes.

A

If you were to lie down under a tree and relax but not fall asleep, your dominant brain-wave pattern would MOST likely consist of a. alpha waves. b. beta waves. c. delta waves. d. theta waves.

A

People sometimes report a feeling of euphoria following a period of vigorous exercise. This is MOST likely due to the effects of a. endorphins. b. dopamine. c. acetylcholine. d. norepinephrine.

A

Publication of research findings is extremely important to the scientific method because a. it allows for critique and self-correction. b. it brings recognition to the research worker. c. it forces the writer to be clear. d. the royalties help the researcher pay for the research.

A

The school of psychology that emphasizes the unique qualities of humans, and suggests that we have a drive for personal growth is a. humanism. b. psychoanalysis. c. behaviorism. d. functionalism.

A

The two main types of research methods used in psychology are the a. experimental and descriptive/correlational research methods. b. experimental and case study research methods. c. descriptive and correlational research methods. d. descriptive/correlational and case study research methods.

A

. Signals sent from the suprachiasmatic nucleus to the pineal gland have been implicated in a. inducing sleep. b. causing one to dream. c. alpha rhythm generation. d. adjusting one's biological clock.

D

A researcher who wants to get a broad perspective on an area of research by combining the results from a large number of existing studies would be MOST likely to use which statistical technique? a. standard deviation b. meta-analysis c. correlation d. means analysis

B

A tentative statement about the relationship between two or more variables is a(n) a. variable. b. hypothesis. c. theory. d. operational definition.

B

According to Wilhelm Wundt, the focus of psychology was on the scientific study of a. observable behavior. b. conscious experience. c. unconscious motivation. d. the functions of behavior.

B

An action potential is a. the tiny electrical charge that exists when a neuron is neither receiving nor sending information. b. an electrical signal that travels along the axon of a neuron. c. the small gap that exists between adjacent neurons. d. an electrical signal that travels along the dendrites of a neuron.

B

As interest rates increase, house sales decline, indicating a. a direct correlation between the two variables. b. a negative correlation between the two variables. c. a positive correlation between the two variables. d. no correlation between the two variables.

B

Information is received by a neuron through the ____ and is transmitted toward other neurons through the ____. a. dendrites; soma b. dendrites; axon c. axon; dendrites d. soma; axon

B

Mark is meditating by attending to his immediate experience in a non-judgmental way. Mark is using which style of meditation? a. focused attention b. open monitoring c. hypnotic induction d. dissociation

B

One of the disadvantages of the experimental method is a. the inability to generate cause-and-effect conclusions. b. the artificial, contrived situations in which experiments are often conducted. c. the length of time necessary to complete the study. d. the fact that only one variable can be studied at a time.

B

The cognitive perspective contends that to fully understand human behavior, psychologists need to focus attention on a. the role of the unconscious. b. internal mental events. c. the interrelations among the mind, body, and behavior. d. the adaptive value of a behavior.

B

The school of psychology that suggests psychologists should study only what can be objectively observed is a. humanism. b. behaviorism. c. structuralism. d. functionalism.

B

Which of the following questions would a social psychologist be MOST likely to ask? a. How stable is personality over the 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?

B

. The part of the nervous system that controls digestion and blood flow is the a. somatic nervous system. b. motor nervous system. c. sensory nervous system. d. autonomic nervous system.

D

Discuss the contributions of structuralism and functionalism to the evolution of psychology as a discipline.

Both perspectives reflect the early view that consciousness is the appropriate subject matter for the new science, but they differed in regard to how consciousness should be studied. With Wilhelm Wundt and Edward Titchener, the structuralists believed that consciousness should be broken down into its basic elements through introspection. Led by William James, the functionalists emphasized the adaptive purposes of consciousness, arguing that psychologists should look at the continuous flow of thought rather than its static elements. Functionalism helped generated advances in the study of mental testing, child development, and gender differences. Functionalism, too, gradually faded away, but left applied psychology and behaviorism as its enduring descendants.

A progressive decrease in one's response to a drug with repeated and prolonged use is called a. withdrawal. b. habituation. c. dependency. d. tolerance.

D

A group of researchers wanted to determine if people will eat more food in a room with red paint than in a room that is decorated blue. Half the participants in this study ate in a red room and half ate in a blue room. The researchers then measured how much food was consumed in each of the two rooms. In this study, the independent variable was a. the type of food that was available during the study. b. the amount of food that was consumed. c. the color of the room. d. how hungry the participants were at the end of the study.

C

A postsynaptic potential occurs when a. neurotransmitters are released into the synaptic cleft. b. neurotransmitters are reabsorbed into the terminal buttons. c. neurotransmitters bind or attach to receptor sites on the postsynaptic neuron. d. neurotransmitters bind or attach to receptor sites on the presynaptic neuron.

C

A researcher wants to see if a protein-enriched diet will enhance the maze-running performance of rats. One group of rats is fed the high-protein diet for the duration of the study; the other group continues to receive ordinary rat chow. In this experiment, the rats' maze-running performance is the a. correlated variable. b. control variable. c. dependent variable. d. independent variable.

C

Denise is unemployed. Over the past three years, she has been fired from 10 different positions. If you interpreted Denise's dream of being the CEO of a Fortune 500 company as an attempt for Denise to fulfill ungratified needs from her waking life, you would be subscribing to the a. problem-solving theory of dreams. b. activation-synthesis theory of dreams. c. wish-fulfillment theory of dreams. d. neural overflow hypothesis of dreams.

C

Donald and Ronald are identical twins who have been raised apart, in separate adoptive homes. However, both brothers have developed the same psychological disorder. This information could be used as evidence to suggest that a. environmental factors have more influence than genetic factors in this disorder. b. both genetic and environmental factors contribute equally to this disorder. c. genetic factors have more influence than environmental factors in this disorder. d. neither genetic nor environmental factors contribute to this disorder.

C

Psychoanalytic theory attempts to explain personality, motivation, and mental disorders by a. studying observable behavior. b. analyzing conscious experience into its basic elements. c. focusing on unconscious determinants of behavior. d. studying the function or purpose of consciousness.

C

Psychology is based on systematic observation rather than pure reasoning or common sense. We can say, therefore, that psychology is a. behavioral. b. speculative. c. empirical. d. rational.

C

The "fight or flight" response is a direct result of activation of the a. afferent nervous system. b. efferent nervous system. c. sympathetic nervous system. d. parasympathetic nervous system.

C

The "master gland" of the endocrine system is the a. hypothalamus. b. adrenal gland. c. pituitary gland. d. gonads.

C

The most common known sleep disorder is a. sleep apnea. b. night terrors. c. insomnia. d. somnambulism.

C

Judy feels that she needs her can of Diet Coke every morning to wake her up and satisfy her cravings. She doubts that she could ever give up drinking Diet Coke. Judy is demonstrating a. physical dependence. b. psychological tolerance. c. physical tolerance. d. psychological dependence.

D

Which of the following is NOT a common effect of hypnosis? a. auditory and visual hallucinations b. the reduction of inhibitions c. some resistance to pain d. total loss of personal control

D

Which of the following is a recent movement in psychology that has revived the old interest in mental and conscious events? a. physiological psychology b. psychoanalysis c. behavioral psychology d. cognitive psychology

D

Which of the following statements BEST reflects the main advantage of conducting psychological research with animals? a. It is much cheaper to conduct research on animals than on humans. b. In their biological makeup, animals are fundamentally similar to humans. c. With research on animals, there are no ethical issues with which to be concerned. d. A researcher can exert more control over an animal than over a human subject.

D

While a(n) ____ is the group of individuals actually observed in a research study, the ____ is the group of individuals that researchers want to generalize or extend their findings to describe. a. experimental group; control group b. control group; experimental group c. population; sample d. sample; population

D

William James proposed the concept ____ to describe the continually changing aspect of consciousness. a. circadian consciousness b. flow of consciousness c. stream of unconsciousness d. stream of consciousness

D

What are the relative weaknesses and strengths of descriptive/correlational research as compared to experimental research? Under what conditions would a psychologist choose one method as opposed to the other?

Experimental research is the more powerful of the two methods, in that it allows precise control over the independent variable and therefore yields cause-and-effect conclusions. On the other hand, experiments may be somewhat artificial and often cannot be done for ethical reasons. Descriptive/correlational studies are conducted in the subjects' natural environment, they are easier and faster to do than experiments, and they can be done ethically in many circumstances in which experiments cannot. However, the researcher has little control over extraneous variables, so cause-and-effect conclusions cannot be drawn. The choice between the two methods is a function of practical and ethical considerations.

A correlational research study found that adults who ate oatmeal as children were four times more likely to develop cancer than those who did not. Can the authors of this correlational study conclude that oatmeal causes cancer? Why or why not?

No, the authors cannot conclude causality from a correlational study. Correlations show relationships but cannot demonstrate cause-and-effect relationships. To draw a causal conclusion, the researchers need to conduct an experiment.

Compare and contrast the psychoanalytic, behaviorist, and humanist assumptions about psychology and human behavior

Psychoanalysts focus on unconscious drives when trying to explain human personality, motivation, and behavior. This rather pessimistic view of humanity places people at the mercy of primitive drives of which they are often unaware. Behaviorists argued that psychologists should only study what can be directly observed (i.e. behavior) and should abandon any attempt to study consciousness. Behaviorists argue that behavior develops under the control of the environment and that humans therefore do not have free will. Humanists emphasize unique human qualities such as self-concept, freedom, and potential for personal growth. This is an optimistic view of humanity.

Neuronal communication involves two mechanisms: a chemical one and an electrical one. Explain how they combine to produce electro-chemical neuronal communication.

The neural impulse, or the action potential, is a brief exchange in a neuron's electrical charge that moves along an axon. The action potential, an electrical mechanism, triggers the release of chemicals called neurotransmitters that diffuse across a synapse to communicate with other neurons. The neurotransmitters bind with receptors in the postsynaptic cell membrane, causing graded electrical potentials called postsynaptic potentials. Patterns of excitatory and inhibitory postsynaptic potentials combine to produce (or not produce) an action potential in the second cell.