Chapter One; The Science of Psychology

What are the steps of the scientific approach?

1. observation 2. hypothesis 3. testing hypothesis 4. drawing conclusions 5. report results

As a project for a psychology course, a student correlated weight and intelligence scores for 250 students. The computed correlation coefficient was .00. What did the scatter plot look like?

A random distribution of points/ no correlation

Functionalism

A school of psychology that focused on how our mental and behavioral processes function - how they enable us to adapt, survive, and flourish.

double-blind study

An experiment in which neither the participant nor the researcher knows whether the participant has received the treatment or the placebo

psychodynamic perspective

Focuses on a person or animals development of sense of self and motivations for their behavior

experimental group

In an experiment, the group that is exposed to the independent variable.

control group

In an experiment, the group that is not exposed to the treatment and serves as a comparison for evaluating the effect of the treatment.

Evolutionary psychology might suggest that certain cognitive strategies and goals are built into the brain because:

They help humans adapt to their natural environment

Observing behavior as it happens without manipulating anything in the environment is an example of _______.

naturalistic study design

cons of using naturalistic observation

observer effect, observer bias, every setting is unique and can't really be compared

biopsychological perspective

perspective that attributes human and animal behavior to biological events occurring in the body, such as genetic influences, hormones, and the activity of the nervous system

evolutionary perspective

perspective that focuses on the biological bases of universal mental characteristics that all humans share (Examples: why the majority of people don't like bitter foods, why the fear of snakes is so common, etc.)

Psychologists who give potential employees tests that determine what kind of job those employees might best perform are interested in the goal of ________.

prediction

A correlation coefficient represents two things: ________ and ________.

strength; direction of relationship

single-blind study

study in which the subjects do not know if they are in the experimental or the control group

A researcher stops people at the mall and asks them questions about their attitudes toward gun control. Which research technique is being used?

survey

observer bias

tendency of observers to see what they expect to see

observer effect

tendency of people or animals to behave differently from normal when they know they are being observed

Humanistic Perspective

the "third force" in psychology that focuses on those aspects of personality that make people uniquely human, such as subjective feelings and freedom of choice

behavioral perspective

how voluntary behavior is learned

cognitive perspective

how we encode, process, store, and retrieve information

naturalistic observation

watching behavior in natural environment

A negative correlation means that ________. Answers: A. high values of one variable are associated with low values of the other B. high values of one variable are associated with high values of the other C. low values of one variable are associated with low values of the other D. there is no relationship between the two variables

A. high values of one variable are associated with low values of the other

A correlation coefficient shows that alcohol consumption and driving accidents are indeed related. As a result, a researcher could predict ________ if the direction of the relationship is known. Answers: A. the number of arrests a person has will go up or down based on the type of car an individual drives B. the number of driving accidents a person has will go up or down based on the number of alcoholic drinks consumed C. the number of driving accidents will increase based on the amount of rain on the day of the accidents. D. the number of driving accidents will decrease based on the number of days spent in jail

B. the number of driving accidents a person has will go up or down based on the number of alcoholic drinks consumed

All of the following are accurate statements regarding random assignment EXCEPT _________. Answers: A. it is a procedure for assigning people to experimental and control groups B. it is a procedure in which each subject has the same possibility of being assigned to a given group C. it is a procedure in which subjects are assigned to a positive correlation or a negative correlation condition D. it is a procedure that allows individual characteristics to be roughly balanced between groups

C. it is a procedure in which subjects are assigned to a positive correlation or a negative correlation condition

Dependent variable is to independent variable as ________. Answers: A. effect is to confound B. experimental is to correlation C. measure is to manipulate D. manipulate is to measure

C. measure is to manipulate

The belief that the unconscious mind has an influence on one's behavior is part of what early field of psychology? A. structuralism B. functionalism C. psychoanalysis D. behaviorism

C. psychoanalysis

A correlation coefficient is a numerical measure of the ________. A. causes of human behavior B. proof of causation between two variables C. proof that the dependent variable in normally distributed D. None of the above is a correct choice.

D

Which of the following is NOT an empirical question? A. "Will you get an A in this class?" B. "Is there life on Mars?" C. Will the US stop exporting oil. D. "Would Hillary Clinton have been a good president?"

D

The professor is studying the relationship of classroom temperature on student participation. What would be a good operational definition of the dependent variable for this study? A. number of students in the class B. ratio of male to female students C. arrangement of desks ( in a large circle or in rows) D. frequency with which students ask questions during the class

D. frequency with which students ask questions during the class

A perfect correlation, whether positive or negative, is ________ in the real world. Answers: A. found in most human studies B. zero C. found in most animal studies D. very unlikely to occur

D. very unlikely to occur

What was functionalism inspired by?

Darwin, natural selection, and evolutionary psychology

Who created structuralism?

Edward Titchener

Who created behaviorism?

John B. Watson

Behaviorism

Studying the mind through observable behavior

independent variable

The experimental factor that is manipulated; the variable whose effect is being studied.

Who created functionalism?

William James

Gestalt Psychology

a psychological approach that emphasizes that we often perceive the whole rather than the sum of the parts

The tendency to look for information that supports one's own belief is called ________.

confirmation bias

What are the four goals of psychology?

description, explanation, prediction, control

Freud stressed the importance of

early childhood experiences

structuralism

every experience can be broken down into individual emotions and sensations

objective introspection

the process of examining and measuring one's own thoughts and mental activities

Dr. Keller has individuals run on a treadmill for 0, 15, or 30 minutes and then measures their self-reported mood. In this hypothetical study, the dependent variable is:

the self reported mood

dependent variable

the variable that may change in response to manipulations of the independent variable.

sociocultural perspective

the way in which social and cultural factors effect our behavior (diffusion of responsibility/the bystander effect)

Freudian Psychoanalysis

theoretical approach that seeks to explain behavior by looking at the deep unconscious forces inside the person - suggests that repressed urges and emotions can cause nervous disorders

empirical

verifiable through observation rather than through logic or theory