Psychology Test Final - Test #1

When a researcher testes his or her hypothesis, he or she is often hoping to gather information that is consistent with a particular theory. What, more specifically, allows a researcher to say that he or she has "proven" a theory? A. a researcher is never able to say that he or she has "proven" a theory B. any time a hypothesis confirms one theory and simultaneously disconfirms at least one other theory, a theory has been "proven." C. any time a hypothesis is confirmed, a theory is automatically "proven." D. any time a hypothesis confirms one theory and simultaneously disconfirms all other know theories, a theory has been "proven."

A. A researcher is never able to say that he or she has "proven" a theory.

What is the main difference between an experiment and a correlational study? A. an experiment involves the manipulation of variables, while a correlational study does not B. an experiment looks at the relationship between independent and dependent variables, while a correlational study looks at the relationship between within-group and between-group variables C. a correlational study involves the manipulation of variables, while an experiment does not D. a correlational study looks at the relationship between independent and dependent variables, while an experiment looks at the relationship between within-group and between-group variables

A. An experiment involves the manipulation of variables, while a correlational study does not.

A medical doctor believes that the presences of aromatherapy will reduce the anxiety of first-time mothers-to-be during labor and will increase their reported satisfaction with heir care at his hospital. He randomly assigns mothers to give birth in a room either with or without aromatherapy. What is the independent variable in this example? A. presence or absences of aromatherapy B. Anxiety level during labor C. Number of previous birthing experiences D. Satisfaction with hospital care

A. Presence or absence of aromatherapy

Professor Clark gives her students an assignment to develop hypotheses on global warming. To be consistent with a scientific method, students should develop their hypothesis based on A. a well-supported scientific theory B. untestable predictions C. their own existing beliefs about the issue D. reports discussed on television

A. a well-supported scientific theory

Drugs that decrease a neuron's receptor site activity are called A. antagonists B. reuptake blockers C. agonists D. excitatory

A. antagonists

Sarah, a graduate student in psychology, just heard about a five-year-old child who has already learned calculus. She is thinking about doing an in-depth study of the child for her dissertation because such early-life math skill is so rare. Sarah is considering which research method? A. case study B. experiment C. naturalistic observation D. independent study

A. case study

If Darren's brain is like that of most people, then fine-tuned language skills will be handled by his A. left cerebral hemisphere B. right cerebral hemisphere C. corpus callosum D. occipital lobe

A. left cerebral hemisphere

The brief storage of perceptual information before it is passed to short-term memory is called _____ memory. A. sensory B. working C. flashbulb D. long-term

A. sensory

As Molly is walking across campus, a car swerves toward her. Her heart races and sweat breaks out as she jumps out of harm's way. This mobilization of energy is due to the action of Molly's _____ A. sympathetic nervous system B. parasympathetic nervous system C. somatic nervous system D. skeletal nervous system

A. sympathetic nervous system

People report feeling better after taking medication even though it hasn't had time to be effective. They are experiencing A. the placebo effect B. low reliability C. the experimenter bias effect D. confirmation bias

A. the placebo effect

Bill was admitted to the hospital last week after he fell. When Bill's son visited, he found his father was unable to get words out in a smooth, connected fashion. If Bill's difficulty speaking is due to brain damage, what is the likely location of the damage? A. Wernicke's area B. Broca's area C. Gall's area D. Korsakoff's area

B. Broca's area

Which of the following situations is most likely to create a flashbulb memory? A. playing tennis with a friend B. finding out that one or one's partner is pregnant C. watching a favorite movie for the fifteenth time D. attending a basketball game with one's father and grandfather

B. Finding out that one or one's partner is pregnant

Who is most likely to obtain the top score on his or her vocabulary test? A. James, who made flash cards of all his words and is going over and over them B. Ryan, who has drawn a picture to illustrate each word C. Harriet, who says the words and definitions over and over to herself all day long D. Cynthia, who has written down each word and definition five times in her notebook

B. Ryan, who has drawn a picture to illustrate each word.

What is the purpose of an institutional review board? A. to help protect the university from lawsuits from unhappy research participants B. to help protect research participants from abuse C. to hinder the research process by placing unnecessary hurdles in the way of researchers D. to encourage the use of deception in medical and psychological research with humans

B. To help protect research participants from abuse

Correlational research designs are NOT appropriate for purposes of A. description B. causation C. prediction D. describing relationships

B. causation

Professor Wagner is explaining to his subjects the purpose behind the experiment they just participated in, along with a general description of the results. He is engaging in what aspect of a research study? A. informed consent B. debriefing C. ethical considerations D. ethical considerations

B. debriefing

When a teacher tells you to start studying weeks before the exam rather than waiting until the last minute, he or she is really advising you to use A. metamemory B. distributed practice C. overlearning D. semantic practice

B. distributed practice

Although both Clive Wearing and a patient known as H.M. had severely damaged hippocampi or removed hippocampi, they both showed evidence of ______ memory. A. declarative B. procedural C. episodic D. eidetic

B. procedural

After you finish reading this sentence, the information will remain in your ______ as you consider each of the answers below. A. long-term memory B. short-term memory C. sensory memory D. photographic memory

B. short-term memory

Sarula recently completed a compatibility "quiz" from one of her favorite magazines, and although she and her boyfriend have been dating for nearly two years, the "quiz" results suggested they are not compatible. Luckily, Riley, one of Sarula's friends, is a student of psychology and suggested that the "quiz" may not be valid. What is her friend suggesting? A. the "quiz" is going to give you similar results every time B. the "quiz" may not actually measure compatibility C. the "quiz" is not very scientific D. the "quiz" only gives you the answers you want

B. the "quiz" may not actually measure capability

Coach Ezell wants her players to relax before playing important conference games to help decrease anxiety. At the halfway point in the season, instead of the dance music she normally had playing in the locker room, she switches to classical music before the games. What is the dependent variable in this scenario? A. the new classical music B. the original dance music C. the players' anxiety level D. the coach

C. The players' anxiety level

Remembering that your father used to read The Cat in the Hat to you every night best illustrates which type of memory? A. semantic B. procedural C. episodic D. implicit

C. episodic

When information that you learned in your high school psychology class gets in the way of learning new information from your college-level psychology class, ______ has occurred. A. misinformation B. long-term blocking C. interference D. transience

C. interference

A science is defined by A. its popularity among the general public B. knowledge C. its approach to dealing with evidence D. its concern with solving real-life practical problems

C. its approach to dealing with evidence

A researcher is interested in determining how frequently bullying behavior occurs in real-life settings. This researcher would best be advised to use the A. experimental design B. correlational design C. naturalistic observation design D. case study design

C. naturalistic observation design

As the average daily temperature in Des Moines, Iowa, decreases the number of persons who are observed wearing sweaters in the workplace increases. This is an example of a ______ correlation. A. positive B. causal C. negative D. zero

C. negative

The state during which a neuron contains more negatively charged ions inside the cell than outside the cell and is not firing is referred to as the _______. A. action potential B. quiet potential C. resting potential D. synaptic potential

C. resting potential

As she walks out of the living room, Gloriann turns out the light. In this example, Gloriann's _____ nervous system is active. A. autonomic B. sympathetic C. somatic D. parasympathetic

C. somatic

Steve just joined a fraternity. He was introduced to 55 new "brothers." If asked to recall all of their names, which ones would he be most likely to struggle with? A. the names of brothers at the beginning of the group B. any names that were strange or peculiar C. the names of brothers in the middle of the group D. the names of brothers at the end of the group

C. the names of brothers in the middle of the group

Professor Golder is studying hyperactivity in preschool age children. She is concerned that differences in child rearing, diet, and so forth may affect her results. To minimize these potential preexisting variables, she should be sure to do which of the following? A. include a dependent variable B. assign boys to the experimental group and girls to the control group C. use random assignment when forming her groups D. include an independent variable

C. use random assignment when forming her groups.

Which of the following situations is most likely to lead to the misinformation effect? A. Jared's mother asks him about his day at school B. Danny asks his girlfriend if it was her idea to go to a movie last week C. The police detective asked the witness to describe what happened during the shooting in the cafeteria D. Professor Weiss asked his chemistry students how terrifying the explosion was

D. Professor Weiss asked his chemistry students how terrifying the explosion was.

The _____ nervous system is composed of the brain and the spinal cord. A. somatic B. peripheral C. autonomic D. central

D. central

Dr. James advises that if you study for your next psychology exam in the same room where you take the exam, your score will improve. He is basing this advice on A. familiarity schemas B. recognition specificity C. state-dependent learning D. context-dependent learning

D. context-dependent learning

If you are interested in examining the relationship between the number of class days missed and one's subsequent semester grade point average, you would be best served to use a(n) ______ to study this question A. naturalistic observation B. case study design C. experimental design D. correlational design

D. correlational design

Your teacher asks you to describe the sequence of parts of a neuron that the impulse travels during neural conduction. Which of the following sequences will you offer? A. axon, some, dendrites, synaptic knob B. terminal buttons, axon, soma dendrite C. dendrites, axon, soma, synaptic knob D. dendrites, soma, axon, axon terminal

D. dendrites, soma, axon, axon terminal

Which of the following would be best described as an "educated guess?" A. design B. theory C. method D. hypothesis

D. hypothesis

Following a car accident, Jane and Joan both suffer head injuries with resulting amnesia. Joan cannot remember events that occurred before the accident, while Jane cannot remember events that occurred after the accident. Joan suffers from ______ amnesia and Jane from ______ amnesia A. proactive; retroactive B. retroactive; proactive C. anterograde; retrograde D. retrograde; anterograde

D. retrograde; anterograde

Although you have never taken a class with Dr. Hua, you walk into class, sit down, open your notebook, and wait for the professor to begin his lecture. What concept is being illustrated? A. primacy effect B. priming C. storage D. schema

D. schema

This neurotransmitter could be thought of as a 'braking system' for the brain

GABA

On a hot day you are working outside and getting very thirsty. You find that you need to find something to drink right away. Which brain structure is likely guiding your behavior?

Hypothalamus

Steven has just experienced one of the scariest movies he's ever seen. Which brain structure was likely highly active during the movie?

amygdala

This structure is involved in muscle coordination and balance

cerebellum

This neurotransmitter is often increased when many recreational drugs are used. It is considered part of the pleasure pathway in the brain

dopamine

Our ability to have unique personalities and do complex problem solving and decision making are primarily due to this brain structure

frontal lobe

Damage to this structure of the brain could result in the inability to make new memories

hippocampus

Damage to this part of the brain would likely result in death because it controls vital life functions such as heart rate and respiration

medulla

This structure of the brain control many of the five motor movements that you make such as typing and writing

motor cortex

This neurotransmitter is related to the flight or fight response and may be involved in the experience of anxiety disorders

norepinephrine

Having a severe blow to the back of the head can result in cortical blindness. Which brain structure is damages when this occurs?

occipital lobe

The ability to be aware of your body position in space is often locate in this brain structure

parietal lobe

Cheryl is having difficulties with insomnia. Which brain structure might be involved in this problem?

pons

This neurotransmitter is highly related to the disorder of depression. Any antidepressant drugs work to increase this neurotransmitter

serotonin

This brain structure is specifically involved in interpreting our sense of touch

somatosensory cortex

When you are listening to your favorite music, this brain structure is highly activated

temporal lobe

This part of the brain might be seen as the "Traffic Officer" direction different types of neural information to the appropriate brain structure to process

thalamus