Exam: Chapter 1
cognitive
A concern with the reasoning processes that contribute to effective problem solving is most characteristic of the ________ perspective. cognitive social-cultural evolutionary behavioral
less frequent dating is associated with lower levels of physical attractiveness.
A correlation between physical attractiveness and dating frequency of +0.60 would indicate that less frequent dating is associated with lower levels of physical attractiveness. it is impossible to predict levels of physical attractiveness based on knowledge of dating frequency. more frequent dating is associated with lower levels of physical attractiveness. physical attractiveness has no causal influence on dating frequency.
testable prediction that gives direction to research.
A hypothesis is a(n) testable prediction that gives direction to research. set of principles that organizes observations and explains newly discovered facts. observable relationship between specific independent and dependent variables. unprovable assumption about the unobservable processes that underlie psychological functioning.
skewed.
A lopsided distribution of scores in which the mean is much larger than both the mode and median is said to be extrapolated. skewed. statistically significant. a standard deviation.
cognitive neuroscience.
A study of the relationship between reasoning capacities and brain functions would be of most direct interest to the psychodynamic perspective. behaviorism. humanistic psychology. cognitive neuroscience.
organizes; predicts
A theory is an explanation using an integrated set of principles that ________ observations and ________ behaviors or events. questions; surveys replicates; controls organizes; predicts randomly samples; randomly assigns
debriefing.
After an experiment, research participants are told its purpose and about any deception they may have experienced. This is called the double-blind procedure. informed consent. debriefing. replication.
a negative correlation.
An inverse relationship in which scores for one variable increase as scores for another variable decrease represents a negative correlation. replication. random assignment. a confounding variable.
95
Approximately what percentage of the cases represented by the normal curve fall between -2 and +2 standard deviations from the mean? 100 95 68 34
a case study
By revealing what can happen through an in-depth examination of an atypical individual, ________ often suggests directions for future research. the double-blind procedure a survey a case study random assignment
humanistic psychology.
Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow promoted a historically significant approach known as cognitive neuroscience. humanistic psychology. behavior genetics. behaviorism.
explaining a research study to participants after the study is completed.
Debriefing refers to a procedure designed to inhibit the placebo effect. a technique for assessing the attitudes of those who respond to a survey. repeating a research study with a different set of participants than those in the original study. explaining a research study to participants after the study is completed.
critical thinking
Discerning the unstated assumptions and values that underlie conclusions best illustrates ________, which is an important learning tool.
hypothesis.
Dr. Masterson is studying the relationship between media exposure to sexual content and sexual behavior. Dr. Masterson predicts that those who view more sexual content are more likely to practice risky sexual behaviors. This idea is a(n) hypothesis. theory. hunch. operational definition.
social psychology
Dr. Mills conducts research on why individuals conform to the behaviors and opinions of others. Which specialty area does his research best represent? clinical psychology cognitive psychology developmental psychology social psychology
replicating
Dr. Smith just reviewed an article that found a relationship between playing violent video games and childhood aggression. Dr. Smith would like to conduct a similar study to see if he obtains the same results. Dr. Smith is planning on ________ this study. copying replicating plagiarizing operationalizing
9.
During the past year, Zara and Ivan each read 2 books, but George read 9, Ali read 12, and Marsha read 25. The median number of books read by these individuals was 9. 12. 2. 10.
behavior genetics
Exploring how we humans are diverse because of our differing genes and environments is the focus of behavior genetics. evolutionary psychology. humanistic psychology. cognitive psychology.
negatively correlated.
If psychologists discovered that wealthy people are less satisfied with their marriages than poor people are, this would indicate that wealth and marital satisfaction are negatively correlated. positively correlated. independent variables. causally related.
negatively correlated.
If the points on a scatterplot are clustered in a pattern that extends from the upper left to the lower right, this would suggest that the two variables depicted are negatively correlated. not correlated. operationally defined. positively correlated.
the perception of a relationship between two variables that does not exist.
Illusory correlation refers to the perception of a relationship between two variables that does not exist. the belief that the correlation of two variables proves causation. a correlation that exceeds the value of +1.00. a random cluster of points on a scatterplot.
$10,000.
In a group of five individuals, two report annual incomes of $10,000, and the other three report incomes of $14,000, $15,000, and $31,000, respectively. The mode of this group's distribution of annual incomes is $31,000. $16,000. $15,000. $10,000.
confounding variables.
In a well-controlled experiment, researchers seek to minimize random assignment. replication. confounding variables. informed consent.
control
In an experiment, the group that is not exposed to the treatment being tested is called the ________ group. naturalistic control placebo standardized
the testing effect.
Many studies, including those conducted in college classrooms, confirm that frequent quizzing and self-testing boost students' retention. This provides support for the SQ3R method. the benefit of introspection. the testing effect. the effectiveness of cramming.
social
Professor Thurstone investigates whether a teacher's negative perceptions of some students can affect the students' test scores. Professor Thurstone is most likely a ________ psychologist. biological personality social clinical
the same underlying processes guide people everywhere.
People from around the world are able to communicate through facial expressions, such as a smile or a frown. This demonstrates that people are heavily influenced by their society and culture. genetics and biology are more influential on developmental outcomes than one's environment. the same underlying processes guide people everywhere. there are cultural variations in the expression of developmental commonalities.
hindsight bias.
Professor Smith told one class that drinking alcohol has been found to increase sexual desire. He informed another class that drinking alcohol has been found to reduce sexual appetite. The fact that neither class was surprised by the information they received best illustrates the power of cause-effect conclusions. replication. the placebo effect. hindsight bias.
far outweighed by gender similarities.
Psychological differences between the genders are no longer evident in contemporary Western societies. far outweighed by gender similarities. of little interest to contemporary psychologists. simply reflections of biological differences between the sexes.
trying to confirm the experimenters' predictions.
Psychologists occasionally deceive research participants about the true purpose of an experiment in order to prevent them from trying to confirm the experimenters' predictions. deciding that they really don't want to take part in the experiment. realizing that their privacy is being violated. worrying about the potential harm or discomfort they may experience.
similar processes often underlie animal and human behavior.
Psychologists study animals because animal behavior is just as complex as human behavior. the ethical treatment of animals is not mandated by professional guidelines. similar processes often underlie animal and human behavior. experiments on people are generally considered to be unethical.
community psychologists
Rather than seeking to change people to fit their environment, ________ work to create social and physical environments that are healthy for all. community psychologists clinical psychologists counseling psychologists cognitive psychologists
minimize any differences between groups of participants.
Research participants are randomly assigned to different groups in an experiment in order to increase chances that participants are representative of people in general. minimize chances that participants in any group know each other. increase chances that the different groups have the same number of participants. minimize any differences between groups of participants.
process information actively.
Students learn and remember course materials best when they process information actively. engage in massed practice. avoid multiple levels of analysis. practice introspection.
survey a large representative sample of the college student population
Suppose you want to find out which candidate college students will vote for in an upcoming national election. To be sure the sample of college students you survey is representative of the college student population, you should survey a large representative sample of the college student population. survey every college student on your own campus. survey only politically informed college students. survey only a small sample of college students.
Variation
The standard deviation is a measure of variation. statistical significance. central tendency. skewness.
range.
The difference between the highest and lowest scores in a distribution is the median. mean. range. standard deviation.
explain the research to the participants after the study has been completed.
The ethics codes of the American Psychological Association and the British Psychological Society urge researchers to explain the research to the participants after the study has been completed. avoid the manipulation of independent variables in research involving human participants. forewarn potential research participants of the exact hypotheses that the research will test. avoid the use of monetary incentives in recruiting people to participate in research.
central tendency.
The mode, median, and mean are measures of correlation. central tendency. statistical significance. variation.
correlational research.
To determine whether the strength of people's self-esteem is related to their income levels, researchers would most likely make use of correlational research. experimentation. naturalistic observation. case studies.
consider whether it is distorted by a few extreme cases.
When an arithmetic average is reported in the news, it is most important for readers to consider whether it is distorted by a few extreme cases. assume that it is the midpoint of a normal curve. be sure that it represents a standard deviation. determine whether it is statistically significant.
random sampling.
When every individual in a large population has a small but equal chance of being included in a survey, researchers are using a procedure known as the case study. random sampling. the double-blind procedure. naturalistic observation.
note the range and size of the scale values.
When you read a bar graph, it is most important for you to identify the correct measure of central tendency. note the range and size of the scale values. identify the value of the standard deviation. mentally transform the data into a normal curve.
+0.60
Which of the following correlations between self-esteem and body weight would enable you to most accurately predict body weight from knowledge of level of self-esteem? -0.06 +0.60 -0.10 +0.01
cognitive processing
Which of the following is NOT a biological influence on behavior or mental processes, according to the biopsychosocial approach? cognitive processing genetic predispositions natural selection genetic mutations
a correlation coefficient
Which of the following is a statistical measure of both the direction and the strength of a relationship between two variables? the descriptive method an operational definition a correlation coefficient a theory
overconfidence
Which of the following is most likely to inhibit critical thinking? overconfidence hindsight bias creativity discerning hidden values
Margaret Floy Washburn
Which woman psychologist was the first to officially earn a doctorate degree? Margaret Floy Washburn Marla Wundt Mary Whiton Calkins Anna Freud
Mary Whiton Calkins
Who was a student of William James and the first female president of the American Psychological Association? Margaret Floy Washburn Rosalie Rayner Jean Piaget Mary Whiton Calkins
Statistical significance
________ means that the observed differences between scores is probably not due to chance variation between the samples. The range Statistical significance Standard deviation The normal curve
effect size
used to measure strength of result: a number indicating the difference between 2 values not affected by sample size