Psych 7a Midterm 1

A hypothesis is a) a testable prediction about the relationship between variables b) a simple explanation for a psychological finding c) an observed relationship between independent and dependent variables d) an unprovable assumption about psychological process

a) a testable prediction about the relationship between variables

The key role of the central nervous system is to a) analyze sensory information an control behavior b) transport sensory information to the spinal cord c) activate the fight-or-flight response d) gather information about internal processes

a) analyze sensory information and control behavior

What process involved in this neuronal activity generates an action potential? a) depolarization to a threshold b) conduction c) activation d) hyperpolarization

a) depolarization to a threshold

Jessie has taken a medication that interferes with her ability to feel pleasure. This medication is most likely a a) dopamine antagonist b) dopamine agonist c) norepinephrine antagonist d) norepinephrine agonist

a) dopamine antagonist

In a depression-treatment study, neither the participants nor the researcher know who is taking medication and who is taking a sugar pill. This is an example of a) double-blind trial b) cofound c) research design with low validity d) research design with low reliability

a) double blind trial

In taste tests, people prefer Coke to Pepsi when they drink labeled samples but prefer Pepsi to coke when they drink unlabeled samples. This is an example of a) explicit bias b) unconscious bias c) poor validity d) negative skew

a) explicit bias

The myelin sheath shown in the figure makes nerve impulses travel ________ because it forces electrical current to a) faster; flow down the interior of the axon b) faster; spread outside the axon c) slower; flow down the interior of the axon d) slower; spread outside the axon

a) faster; flow down the interior of the axon

What is a mainstream psychologist most likely to think about Sigmund Freud? a) freudian theory is untestable and not grounded in science b) freud was a great pioneer in psychology and discovered the unconscious c) freud was a complete fraud who barely rates a mention in psychology textbooks d) rigorous research has proven that most of freud's theories were correct

a) freudian theory is untestable and not grounded in science

In the homunculus that corresponds to the mapping of the somatosensory cortex, which body part occupies the largest area? a) hand b) trunk c) nose d) leg

a) hand

To test the impact of mood on generosity, a researcher has half of his participants watch a depressing movie and half watch a comedy. Then the researcher asks all participants for help moving boxes to another room. In this study, mood is the a) independent variable b) dependent variable c) cofound d) covariant

a) independent variable

A major difference between motor neurons and sensory neurons is that motor neurons a) more often release acetylcholine b) are more likely to be sending messages toward the brain c) are less likely to synapse on glands d) do not connect with interneurons

a) more often release acetylcholine

Complex behavior is controlled by a) neural networks b) sensory neurons c) the mind, rather than the brain d) degradative enzymes

a) neural networks

Otto Loewi electrically simulated a nerve in a frog heart. He then applied fluid surrounding that heart to a second heart. In this experiment, he found evidence that a) neurons communicate chemically b) neurons communicate electrically c) the speed of neural transmission differs across species d) his theory of saltatory conduction was correct

a) neurons communicate chemically

Cognitive psychologists became interested in how processing was done inside the brain, which led directly to the development of a) neuroscience b) Gestalt psychology c) behaviorism d) functionalism

a) neuroscience

To learn more about the gaming habits of teenage boys, a professor randomly selected fifty boys from various high schools for a video game study. In this study, "all teenage boys" make up the a) population b) representative sample c) independent variable d) control group

a) population

reliability refers to whether your measurement tool __________ and validity to whether it ________ a) produces repeatable results; measures what it is supposed to measure b) measures what it is supposed to measure; produces repeatable results c) produces statistically significant results; controls for cofounds d) controls for cofounds; produces statistically significant results

a) produces repeatable results; measures what it is supposed to measure

In Plato's cave allegory, a prisoner was temporarily unchained and allowed to see fire at the mouth of a cave. When he returned to the chains, the other prisoners: a) refused to believe him b) marveled at his great knowledge c) began to reconsider their own views d) immediately accepted his insight

a) refused to believe him

Which of the following research methods would be most appropriate for investigating the relationship between political orientation and belief in climate change? a) survey research b) case study research c) naturalistic observation d) experimental research

a) survey research

Which of the following factors best explains the cause of the onset of a period where the neuron shown will not fire? a) the channels at the region labeled 3 are closed b) the sodium ions at the region labeled 3 are depleted c) the channels at the region labeled 4 are open d) the sodium ions at the region labeled 4 are replenished

a) the channels at the region labeled 3 are closed

In which of the following distributions would the mean, median, and mode be most alike? a) the heights of all adult women in america b) the heights of six women sharing a house c) heights in a family with a mother, father, two elementary school kids, and a preschooler d) heights in a physical therapy course that includes several members of the basketball team

a) the heights of all adult women in america

Which of the following is an empirical statement? a) the temperature right now is higher than it was 24 hours ago b) the 1927 New York Yankees are the greatest baseball team of all time c) the social construction of gender in modern society imposes penalties on both men and women d) women are naturally better parents than men; it is just part of their nature

a) the temperature right now is higher than it was 24 hours ago

Your psychology professor tells the class, "Experience cannot be analyzed successfully into its elements." Your professor is most likely a) a behaviorist b) a Gestalt psychologist c) a structuralist d) an empiricist

b) a Gestalt psychologist

Neurons are more likely to fire when they a) lack nodes of Ranvier b) are depolarized c) are hyperpolarized d) have many dendrites

b) are depolarized

the technique that detects voltage changes in the brain is a) computed tomography (CT) b) electroencephalography (EEG) c) functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) d) positron emission tomography (PET)

b) electroencephalography (EEG)

Which of these events occurs first during an action potential? a) gated potassium channels close b) gated sodium channels open c) gated sodium channels close d) the inside of the neuron becomes negatively charged

b) gated sodium channels open

Compared to computed tomography (CT) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans a) tend to pose greater risks to patients b) generally provide more detailed structural information c) are usually less informative about blood flow and oxygen flow d) tend to be less reliable for measuring electrical activity

b) generally provide more detailed structural information

The primary type of neuron in neural networks is a a) motor neuron b) interneuron c) sensory neuron d) afferent neuron

b) interneuron

In a psychology experiment, subjects listen to a variety of tones presented at different frequencies and then reflect on the experience, describing what they heard as precisely as possible. These individuals would have been using a process called: a) behaviorism b) introspection c) hypnosis d) gestalt therapy

b) introspection

Brain plasticity a) is the ability of the brain to fully repair its damaged areas b) involves changes in the brain connected with storing memories c) is present only through the teen =years d) disappears around age 40

b) involves changes in the brain connected with storing memories

A recent study found that married people are less likely to have personality disorders than unmarried people. The news reporter covering the study advised people to get married to improve their personalities. You know this recommendation is not warranted because a) correlational research is invalid b) it is possible that personality disorders keep people from marrying c) these findings are unlikely to be replicated d) Occam's razor rules out a relationship between marriage and personality disordeers

b) it is possible that personality disorders keep people from marrying

A researcher is interested in understanding how the physical structure of the corpus callosum changes from childhood to adulthood. Which of the following would be the most useful brain imaging technique? a) electroencephalography (EEG) b) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) c) positron emission tomography (PET) d) transcranial magnetic simulation (TMS)

b) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)

In case study research a) researchers interview a representative sample of people about a topic of interest b) one or more individuals are studied in great detail c) people are carefully observed in real-world situation d) subjects are polled about their beliefs and opinions

b) one or more individuals are studied in great detail

Ethical principles require researchers to a) explain the hypothesis they will be testing before participants begin a study b) provide information about potential risks to participants before they begin a study c) refrain from conducting research on animals d) have their research design approved by a group of people similar to the proposed participants

b) provide information about potential risks to participants before they begin a study

In a behaviorist approach to treatment for a patient with a fear of rats, the patient is a) urged to talk about this fear to determine why he feels this way b) repeatedly exposed to stimuli that are gradually more and more like rats c) asked to observe other people who are handling rats in a calm, relaxed manner d) given medication to help reduce his anxiety

b) repeatedly exposed to stimuli that are gradually more and more like rats

Collecting fMRI data a) begins with the injection of a radioactive marker b) requires control scans and task-specified scans c) starts with capturing x-ray data from all possible angles d) begins with the placement of sensors on the scalp to detect electrical activity

b) requires control scans and task-specified scans

If you and your sibling share a trait, then by definition you a) have the same goals b) share a particular genotype c) inherited the same dominant gene d) share a physical or behavioral characteristic feature

b) share a particular genotype

Random assignment to experimental and control conditions involves being assigned to a) to your condition based on your position on the normal distribution b) to your condition by pure change c) in a way that guarantees no cognitive differences between groups d) in a way that guarantees no personality differences between groups

b) to your condition by pure change

__________ temporarily disrupts brain activity a) functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) b) transcranial magnetic simulation (TMS) c) computed tomography (CT) d) positron emission tomography (PET)

b) transcranial magnetic simulation (TMS)

Although very few people would admit to a belief that men make better hires than women, several experiments show that men are more likely to be hired than women with identical resumes. this is an example of a) explicit bias b) unconscious bias c) poor validity d) negative skew

b) unconscious bias

Your uncle tells your uncle tells you about an interesting magazine article explaining that humans only use 10 percent of their brains. As a student of psychology, your response should be: a) i know, isn't it astonishing? b) well, research actually shows that almost all of the brain is continually active c) the data aren't conclusive on that yet, but most psychologists would agree with you d) in fact, most neuroscientists would say that the figure is closer to 5 percent

b) well, research actually shows that almost all of the brain is continually active

As you and your roommate watch a news report about a big fight that broke out at a local club, he turns to you and says that he's not surprised because people always go crazy around the full moon. As a student of psychology, your response should be: a) no wonder I was feeling so weird b) when you look at the police records, the actual data does not support that idea c) well, people tend to be more accident-prone around the full moon, but the crime rate doesn't really go up d) i don't think the moon has anything to do with this. it is too cloudy and you can't even see the moon tonight

b) when you look at the police records, the actual data does not support that idea

Myelinated axons are useful because they a) prevent saltatory conduction b) decrease the number of nodes of Ranvier c) allow action potentials to travel more quickly d) are less likely to reach the firing threshold

c) allow action potentials to travel more quickly

What is the nipple looking ball called? a) glial cell b) basal ganglia c) cell body d) nucleic membrane

c) cell body

Which term refers to the branchlike extensions of the neuron that receive signals from other neurons? a) axons b) glia c) dendrites d) synapses

c) dendrites

In the case of Deidre, a woman with epilepsy, doctors simulated different regions of her brain to a) train her brain to transmit electrical signals normally b) find the tumor causing her epilepsy c) determine which brain functions were located in the area causing her seizures d) cause her brain to produce higher levels of endorphins

c) determine which brain functions were located in the area causing her seizures

A research team wants to know if sugar consumption is related to hyperactivity. Researchers give fifty children cupcakes made with real sugar and another fifty children cupcakes made with zero-calorie substitutes. They then observe each child individually to assess his or her level of activity after eating the cupcakes. This is an example of a) a case study b) naturalistic observation c) experimental research d) correlational research

c) experimental research

The goal of psychology is to a) develop ways to treat the mentally ill b) control human behavior c) explain human thought and behavior d) determine the causes of mental illness

c) explain human thought and behavior

Which of the following samples would produce a nearly normal distribution? a) the number of men and women in the country b) incomes in a small company with many low-level employees and two high-paid executives c) heights of all adult men in america d) scores on a very easy test

c) heights of all adult men in america

Which of the following is a myth of psychology? a) experience physically alters the structure of the brain b) we are consciously aware of only a small part of our mental activity c) heritable traits, such as IQ, cannot be altered by experience d) the mind is a product of a physical machine, the brain

c) heritable traits, such as IQ, cannot be altered by experience

Scientific investigation of Clever Hands revealed that a) Han's owner was a con artist b) Occam's razor is far from infalliable c) horses respond to unintended cues from their owners d) horses are capable of simple arithmetic

c) horses respond to unintended cues from their owners

Which brain region regulates hunger and thirst? a) corpus callosum b) basal ganglia c) hypothalamus d) limbic system

c) hypothalamus

Which is the most consistent with the textbook's characterization of how nurture influences behavior? a) nurture provides all of the necessary elements for determining our behaviors b) genes activate our behaviors c) learning experiences and social interactions affect how we use the genes that we inherited d) we learn most of our behaviors from social interactions

c) learning experiences and social interactions affect how we use the genes that we inherited

Scientific investigation has revealed that the Mozart Effect is a) a question that cannot be answered through science b) dependent on the gender of the child c) not sustained through research d) supported by findings from numerous studies

c) not sustained through research

The foundations of psychology are most closely related to which of the following disciplines? a) chemistry b) philosophy c) political science d) astrology

c) political science

The Tuskegee syphilis study is famous because a) it was the first use of randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled research b) it demonstrated the psychological effects of syphilis infection c) researchers failed to inform participants that they had a treatable disease d) measures were so low in reliability and validity that the data had no value

c) researchers failed to inform participants that they had a treatable disease

Results from a recent experiment are consistent with a researcher's expectation that exposing people to unfamiliar groups reduces prejudice. This means that the researcher a) has proven her theory b) has proven her hypothesis c) should retain her hypothesis for now d) needs to follow up with correlational studies

c) should retain her hypothesis for now

The nodes shown in the figure play a key role in saltatory conduction as a) locations of axon hillocks b) initiators of reputake c) sites of action potentials d) receptors for neurotransmitters

c) sites of action potentials

Interneurons in the ________ play an important role in the reflexive action of jerking one's hand away from a very hot surface a) hand muscle b) adrenal glands c) spinal cord d) hypothalamus

c) spinal cord

Which of the following statements best differentiates structuralism from functionalism? a) structuralism was interested in observable behavior only, while functionalism was interested in the mental process b) structuralism was more scientific in its approach, while functionalism was more philosophical c) structuralism asked what happens when an organism does something, while functionalism asked how and why d) structuralism was interested in the most practical consequences of behavior, while functionalism was interested in describing experience in its most basic terms

c) structuralism asked what happens when an organism does something, while functionalism asked how and why

You are home alone when you hear strange noises in your house. This causes your __________ to trigger your heart to race a) somatic nervous b) limbic c) sympathetic nervous d) parasympathetic nervous

c) sympathetic nervous

Which statement about vesicles is accurate? a) they are responsible for the breakdown of used neurotransmitters b) they bind neurotransmitters released by axon terminals c) they empty neurotransmitters into the synaptic cleft d) they are the only places where two neurons touch

c) they empty neurotransmitters into the synaptic cleft

A research team is investigating the impact of stereotypes on performance. In one group, women read an article about why the structure of men's brains makes them better at math. In the second group, women read an article saying there are no biological differences in the mathematical abilities of men and women. Then all women in the study take a challenging math test. Researchers time the test and score the number of items women answered correctly. In this study, which of the following is the independent variable? a) women's scores on the math test b) women's beliefs about their math abilities c) which article the women read d) how long it takes women to complete the math test

c) which article the women read

Which of the following would be evidence against the social brain hypothesis? a) students working in a group are better able to grasp a subject than students working individually b) a quiet co-worker prefers to eat lunch at his desk every day instead of socializing with others in the company cafeteria c) your sister is clearly able to engage in meaningful social interactions with all of her 500 friends on tumblr d) you regularly strike up friendly conversations with the cashiers at your local grocery store

c) your sister is clearly able to engage in meaningful social interactions with all of her 500 friends on tumblr

A meta-analysis of published and unpublished tests of SSRI medications revealed that a) SSRIs are effective for all levels of depression b) published and unpublished trials have similar findings c) people in placebo groups become even more severely depressed d) SSRIs beat placebos only for severe levels of depression

d) SSRIs beat placebos only for severe levels of depression

Axons differ from dendrites in that a) axons branch far more than dendrites b) neurons typically have more axons than dendrites c) axons are always much shorter than dendrites d) axons transmit information and dendrites receive information

d) axons transmit information and dendrites receive information

Which function is most directly controlled by the brainstem a) memory formation b) balance c) language d) breathing

d) breathing

After surgery to control epilepsy, Miguel could understand people but lost his ability to speak. It is most likely that the surgery impacted his a) basal ganglia b) somatosensory cortex c) cerebellum d) broca's area

d) broca's area

The figure illustrates a typical experiment in a) gestalt psychology b) evolutionary psychology c) functionalism d) cognitive psychology

d) cognitive psychology

The institutional Animal Care and Use Committee is responsible for all of the following except a) evaluating the rationale for a proposed study b) ensuring researchers have minimized animal stress and pain c) inspecting animal care facilities d) collecting blood and tissue samples from research animals

d) collecting blood and tissue samples from research animals

Must of the information about psychology portrayed in the popular media is a) a close match to the findings of psychological researchers b) not able to be studied empirically c) just basic common sense d) contradicted by what psychological research has demonstrated

d) contradicted by what psychological research has demonstrated

Giving a person a drug very similar in molecular shape to GABA would likely result in a) increased sensitivity to pain b) improved coordination c) increased heart rate d) decreased neural activity

d) decreased neural activity

In the neuron shown, the numbers 1 and 2 correspond to _________ and __________, respectively a) axon terminals; dendrites b) synapses; axon terminals c) synapses; dendrites d) dendrites; axon terminals

d) dendrites; axon terminals

A study that looked at the hiring of male and female musicians who sat behind a screen when auditioning for an orchestra is an example of _______________ research and revealed ________________ a) experimental; no change in hiring rates for women b) experimental; an increase in hiring rates for women c) descriptive; no change in hiring rates for women d) descriptive; an increase in hiring rates for women

d) descriptive; an increase in hiring rates for women

The thyroid and the pituitary gland are part of the a) somatosensory cortex b) limbic system c) central nervous system d) endocrine system

d) endocrine system

Psychologists Kenneth and Mamie Phipps Clark found that doll tests a) demonstrated that observational learning can promote aggressive as well as nurturing behavior in children b) shows that most people are willing to obey authority figures, even if those orders conflict with their own personal values c) confirmed that behavior can be modified based on a system of positive or negative reinforcements d) exposed internalized racism in African-American children, particularly among children attending segregated schools.

d) exposed internalized racism in African-American children, particularly among children attending segregated schools

When he is in a casino, Albert is unable to control himself. He does not stop gambling until all of his money is gone. The _______ lobe of Albert's brain is most likely to be affecting this behavior a) parietal b) occipital c) temporal d) frontal

d) frontal

On an intelligence test, group 1 has a mean score of 96 with a standard deviation of 13. Group 2 has a mean score of 105 with a standard deviation of 8. On this test, __________ scores were higher on average and ________ spread out than __________ scores. a) group 1; more; group 2 b) group 1; less; group 2 c) group 2; more; group 1 d) group 2; less; group 1

d) group 2; less; group 1

A researcher would be most likely to find a positive correlation between a) optimism and depression b) ocean temperature and auto sales c) illness and school attendance d) height and weight

d) height and weight

Deception in psychological research a) has never been considered ethical b) has not been allowed since the Tuskegee study c) is not possible because it interferes with the legal requirement of informed consent d) is occasionally allowed but must be followed by a thorough debriefing

d) is occasionally allowed but must be followed by a thorough debriefing

If a doctor simulated your occipital lobe, which would you be most likely to experience? a) buzzing sounds b) odors c) tickling sensations d) lights and colors

d) lights and colors

This mean difference image shows the most active brain areas across participants when they are completing a specific task. If lighter areas mean greater brain activity, what task were participants most likely completing? a) speaking b) listening to music c) touching something with a rough texture d) looking at an image

d) looking at an image

Messages from the central nervous system are carried to muscles by a) sensory neurons b) the sympathetic nervous system c) the hypothalamus d) motor neurons

d) motor neurons

When psychologists use the term "nature" to refer to causes of behaviors, they mean a) the external environment around our homes b) the extent to which we are raised in rural areas c) exposure to plant and animal life d) our genes and strictly biological influences

d) our genes and strictly biological influences

Positron emission tomography (PET) uses _______ to show how the brain works a) x-ray emissions b) magnetic fields c) ultrasound pulses d) radioactive markers

d) radioactive markers

A meta-analysis most typically focuses on a multitude of a) theories b) hypotheses c) phenomena d) studies

d) studies

Scientists use laboratory experiments primarily to a) create the most naturalistic conditions possible b) generate initial information about whether two variables are related c) replicate case studies d) test cause-and-effect relationships

d) test cause-and-effect relationships

Which statement most accurately describes the brain? a) the function of identical brain regions differ greatly across individuals b) external brain simulation cannot reproduce feelings or sensations c) the mind is independent of the brain d) the brain is like a machine with electrical and chemical components

d) the brain is like a machine with electrical and chemical components

Which of the following is true about the strength of a correlation? a) positive correlations are stronger than negative correlations b) negative correlations are stronger than positive correlations c) the closer a correlation is to 1.00, the weaker the relationship d) the closer a relationship is to 0.00, the weaker the relationship

d) the closer a relationship is to 0.00, the weaker the relationship

Which of the following statements is the best interpretation of the ideas of Rene Descartes? a) learning and observable behaviors are the only important scientific phenomena b) we must rely on our senses alone to acquire knowledge c) we can ultimately be sure of absolutely nothing d) the only true knowledge comes from within

d) the only true knowledge comes form within