PSYCH 7A Midterm 1 Ch 1

Gestalt psychologists such as Max Wertheimer and Wolfgang Köhler A) Argue that the overall experience of human perception is greater than the sum of its parts B) Believe that behaviors have an adaptive function that helps humans survive C) Claim that emotions and consciousness should be kept outside the realm of psychology as a science D) Insist that only readily measured, observable behaviors are worthy of study

A) Argue that the overall experience of human perception is greater than the sum of its parts

A _______ is most likely to study the brain activities that underlie human behavior. A) Neuroscientist B) Structuralist C) Behaviorist D) Functionalist

A) Neuroscientist

The hallmarks of psychology as a science are A) Careful experimentation and the application of critical thinking B) Adherence to conventional morality and deductive reasoning C) Reliance on authority and cautious measurement of data D) The use of informal data and the belief perseverance in all research

A) careful experimentation and the application of critical thinking

Cognitive psychology A) focuses on how people think, remember, store, and use information. B) attempts to explain reality in a way that does not rely on our fallible senses. C) studies the nervous system, including the brain and spinal cord and all of their connections to the body. D) focuses exclusively on externally visible behavior and ignores internal mental processes.

A) focuses on how people think, remember, store, and use information.

According to René Descartes, the very fact that he is thinking proves that A) he exists B) knowledge relies on our senses alone C) the brain is nothing like a machine D) he cannot be deceived by his senses

A) he exists

One of the goals of studying psychology is to A) learn to sort out fact from fiction about ideas in popular psychology. B) completely understand and predict human behavior. C) learn how to become happy. D) find the answers to all of life's questions.

A) learn to sort out fact from fiction about ideas in popular psychology.

A behaviorist is helping a special-needs child complete a number of target behaviors. These behaviors may include all of the following except A) understanding the value of coins B) pointing to the correct algebraic formula C) increasing the number of times the child raises her hand in class D) independently operating a microwave oven

A) understanding the value of coins.

A researcher presents his participant with a series of flashing lights at varying intervals. After each presentation of a light, he asks the participant to fully describe her internal experiences, a method known as A) functionalism B) introspection C) behaviorism D) psychoanalysis

B) introspection

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, "I'm not surprised. It's a full moon, after all. People always go crazy around the full moon." As a student of psychology, your response should be: A) "Is it a full moon tonight? No wonder I was feeling so weird!" B) "When you look at police records, the actual data do not really 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's too cloudy. You can't even see the moon tonight."

B) "When you look at police records, the actual data do not really support that idea."

Parents who agree with John Locke's notion of tabula rasa would most likely A) View their children as their intellectual equals B) Expose their children to a rich variety of sensory experiences C) Believe that their children will develop adequately with little parental support D) Reject the notion that they need to "teach" their children, since all knowledge is innate

B) Expose their children to a rich variety of sensory experiences

The foundations of psychology are most closely related to which of the following disciplines? A) Chemistry B) Philosophy C) Political Science D) Astrology

B) Philosophy

Plato's allegory of the cave indicates that A) When we seek the truth, we must always trust our senses B) Truths about reality are not always obvious C) Majority opinion is almost always correct D) Imagination is a more reliable guide than objective reality

B) Truths about reality are not always obvious

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

An empiricist believes that the only source of knowledge about the external world is A) logic. B) intuition. C) reason. D) sensory experience.

B) intuition.

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.

C) asked to observe other people who are handling rats in a calm, relaxed manner.

A classmate tells you that she has over 700 Facebook friends. As a proponent of the social brain hypothesis, you will most likely A) approve of her attempt to promote her "survival" by forming attachments to a large group. B) conclude that she is more sociable and mentally healthy than the average person. C) be skeptical of her ability to interact meaningfully with so many people. D) recognize that she is using these "friendships" to mask her deep loneliness.

C) be skeptical of her ability to interact meaningfully with so many people

Scientific investigation has revealed that the "Mozart Effect" (the notion that children become smarter from listening to the music of Mozart) is A) a question that cannot be answered through science. B) dependent on the gender of the child. C) not substantiated through research. D) supported by findings from numerous studies.

C) not substantiated through research.

Plato's cave analogy illustrates that A) our nervous system operates much like a machine. B) we cannot necessarily rely on our senses to learn the truth. C) objective reality can be perceived only through logic. D) animal behavior is very similar to human behavior.

C) objective reality can be perceived only through logic.

The idea that children are born with no knowledge or "content" whatsoever and are "filled" by life experiences is called A) rationalism B) determinism C) tabula rasa D) nature vs. nurture

C) tabula rasa

Psychology is best defined as the study of A) mental health. B) consciousness and intuition. C) the mind and behavior. D) learning and developmental delay.

C) the mind and behavior

Which statement reflects a reasonable attitude for a good student of psychology to have toward any claim about human behavior? A) The older an idea is, the more likely it is to be correct. B) It is fine to accept an idea until it is proven wrong. C) The more popular an idea is, the more likely it is to be correct. D) Skepticism is advisable until an idea is proven right.

D) Skepticism is advisable until an idea is proven right.

_______ is often credited with establishing the first psychological laboratory, thus establishing psychology as an experimental science. A) Margaret Floy Washburn B) Max Wertheimer C) William James D) Wilhelm Wundt

D) Wilhelm Wundt

sensory input --> participant processing information --> report, press button, etc. The figure illustrates a typical experiment in A) Gestalt psychology B) evolutionary psychology C) functionalism D) cognitive psychology

D) cognitive psychology

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) showed 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.

Psychologists now believe that subliminal advertising A) is a powerful influence on consumers that should be regulated by government. B) is effective only on young people, whose brains are still developing. C) succeeds because the messages register unconsciously. D) has a weak effect on consumers, if any at all.

D) has a weak effect on consumers, if any at all.

One of the most pervasive psychological myths is that A) one side of the brain controls most of our language ability. B) dogs can be taught to salivate in response to the sound of a bell. C) mental disorders and IQ can be altered by life experiences. D) humans use only 10 percent of their brains.

D) humans use only 10 percent of their brains.