Intro to Psych Quiz Chapter 1

According to astronomer Carl Sagan, scientific skepticism includes (1) a willingness to keep an open mind to all claims, and (2) a willingness to __________. A. accept claims only after researchers have subjected them to careful scientific tests B. change our minds when we encounter persuasive people C. believe in the possibility of life existing throughout the universe D. read and learn more about scientific subjects

A. accept claims only after researchers have subjected them to careful scientific tests

The phrase "don't confuse me with the facts" would best describe which self-deception trap? A. belief perseverance B. confirmation bias C. individualism D. naive realism

A. belief perseverance

Which type of psychologist is most likely to work with patients who have serious mental disorders such as major depression? A. clinical psychologist B. developmental psychologist C. counseling psychologist D. forensic psychologist

A. clinical psychologist

The outgoing behavior of other people can make an extraverted person act even more extraverted. Bandura called this mutual influence on one another's behavior __________. A. reciprocal determinism B. reactivity C. reflexivity D. operant conditioning

A. reciprocal determinism

An approach to psychology that relied heavily on dream interpretation, symbolism, unconscious motives, and the suppression of sexual and aggressive urges was developed by __________. A. William James B. Sigmund Freud C. Jean Piaget D. Rene Descartes

B. Sigmund Freud

Psychics who perform poorly in laboratory tests and then blame their poor performance on "bad vibes" from skeptical researchers are displaying which sign of pseudoscience? A. lack of self-correction when contrary evidence is presented B. ad hoc immunizing hypotheses C. insisting on evidence rather than proof D. overreliance on anecdotes

B. ad hoc immunizing hypotheses

The idea of placing a third brake light at the base of a car's back windshield and changing the color of fire engines from red to yellow are examples of __________. A. critical multiplism B. applied psychological research C. psychoanalysis D. basic psychological research

B. applied psychological research

One reason that intuition and common sense are not a good basis for scientific psychology is that we often do not notice __________. A. when we are in a dangerous situation B. contradictions between our views C. universal traits across individuals D. empirical findings in non-standard forms

B. contradictions between our views

A friend says he will not have his new baby inoculated against any childhood diseases because he is afraid the shots will cause autism. You point out that there is no scientific evidence to support that idea. He says he knows that, but he just feels that it is true. What logical fallacy is at work? A. bandwagon fallacy B. emotional reasoning fallacy C. argument from adverse consequences fallacy D. appeal to authority fallacy

B. emotional reasoning fallacy

Ways of thinking that appear to make intuitive sense but are actually traps that lead to mistaken conclusions are called __________. A. confirmation biases B. logical fallacies C. patternicity D. ad hoc immunizing hypotheses

B. logical fallacies

According to David Hume, an eighteenth-century Scottish philosopher, the more a claim contradicts what we already know, the more __________ must be the evidence for the claim. A. unusual B. persuasive C. interesting D. recent

B. persuasive

British philosopher John Locke stood on the nurture side of the nature-nurture debate, comparing the mind of a newborn to a sheet of paper that had yet to be written on. Others later used which term to describe the same idea? A. genetic inheritance B. tabula rasa C. free will D. determinism

B. tabula rasa

Of the 3,500 or so self-help books published every year, what percentage are scientifically tested? A. up to 95 percent B. 25 percent C. about 5 percent D. 40 percent

C. about 5 percent

Georgio does not want to take the SAT or ACT exams because he thinks they will not accurately reflect his ability to succeed in college and are no more useful than flipping a coin. His guidance counselor explains that psychologists have determined that, although not perfect, these tests are significantly better than chance at predicting college success. These psychologists are sharing some __________ with Georgio. A. fallacies B. clinical psychology C. applied research D. hasty generalizations

C. applied research

One of the great debates that has shaped the field of psychology is the question of whether people choose their behaviors or are obliged to act in certain ways by factors beyond their control. This is known as the __________ debate. A. evolutionary psychology B. good vs. evil C. free will-determinism D. nature-nurture

C. free will-determinism

The theoretical framework of psychology known as structuralism had two major problems. One was that highly trained introspectionists often disagreed on subjective reports. The other was the discovery of __________. A. systematic observation B. natural selection C. imageless thought D. psychoanalysis

C. imageless thought

Wilhelm Wundt developed the first full-fledged psychological laboratory in 1879 in Leipzig, Germany. He pioneered the technique of __________, in which trained observers reflected on and reported on their own mental experiences. A. insight analysis B. behaviorism C. introspection D. heuristics

C. introspection

Because religious concepts cannot be tested scientifically, we should consider that __________. A. religion is a pseudoscience B. science is inadequate to explain the physical world C. science and religion are nonoverlapping realms of understanding the world D. moral values are unimportant because there is no data about them

C. science and religion are nonoverlapping realms of understanding the world

In thinking of the multiple levels of analysis in psychology, the neurochemical level is considered to be __________ because this level is more closely tied to biological influences. A. near the top of the ladder B. on the same rung of the ladder as personal relationships C. toward the lower end of the ladder D. at the top of the ladder

C. toward the lower end of the ladder

Twin and adoption studies addressing the nature-nurture debate are typically conducted by __________. A. cognitive behaviorists B. developmental psychologists C. forensic psychologists D. behavior geneticists

D. behavior geneticists

In the 1950s and 1960s, many psychologists were disillusioned with behaviorism's neglect of the mental processes involved in different aspects of thinking. Arguing that thinking has a powerful effect on behavior, psychologists such as Jean Piaget began to develop the field of __________. A. psychotherapy B. functionalism C. structuralism D. cognitivism

D. cognitivism

Your friend is an emergency room nurse. He tells you the ER is always busier when there is a full moon; he claims it is because unstable people are more affected by the moon's gravitational pull. To evaluate his claim, you should understand that __________. A. the moon has more gravity when it is full B. it is the quality of moonlight that affects unstable people, not the increased gravity C. his direct experience of the phenomenon is important evidence D. correlation is not causation

D. correlation is not causation

Research has shown that people are especially prone to find patterns of meaning in meaningless stimuli when they __________. A. have a lot of life experience B. are under 18 C. are psychic D. do not feel a sense of control

D. do not feel a sense of control

Science begins with the premise that knowledge should first be acquired through observation. This premise is called __________. A. intuition B.structuralism C. rationalism D. empiricism

D. empiricism

According to philosopher of science Sir Karl Popper, for a scientific claim to be meaningful, it must be falsifiable, which means __________. A. it has been proven to be false B. it is inconsistent with any conceivable body of evidence C. it predicts every possible outcome D. it can be tested to determine if it is false

D. it can be tested to determine if it is false