Ap psych chapter 1

Which of the following is an advantage of case studies? a. Case studies produce a more detailed picture of an individual than other methods. b. The information produced in a case study is easy to interpret. c. Data collected during a case study can be easily generalized to other individuals. d. Case studies are less susceptible to researcher bias than other methods.

a. Case studies produce a more detailed picture of an individual than other methods.

Andie claims that phrenology is a pseudoscience and not a true science. Which of the following statements supports her claim? a. When phrenologists found large "stealing" bumps on the head of a person who was not a thief, they concluded that other positive bumps held this characteristic in check. b. Most of the phrenologists received inadequate training in the analysis of head bumps and so there were variations in their predictions. c. Phrenologists relied heavily on the theories of Charles Darwin, and yet they could not link the bumps to evolutionary adaptation. d. When "bumps" did not accurately explain a person's characteristics, the phrenologists explained the contradiction by hypothesizing traumatic childhood experiences.

a. When phrenologists found large "stealing" bumps on the head of a person who was not a thief, they concluded that other positive bumps held this characteristic in check.

A statistician adds all of the test scores for a group of participants and then divides the sum by the number of participants. The result of his calculation is the ____________ of the test scores. a. arithmetic mean b. effect size c. p value d. standard deviation

a. arithmetic mean

Older adults with low levels of the chemical acetylcholine in their brains may develop memory loss. Which of the following psychological perspectives does this best relate to? a. biological b. cognitive c. sociocultural d. learning

a. biological

A _______________ is an experiment in which neither the participants nor the individuals running the experiment know if a given participant is in the experimental or the control group until after the results are tallied. a. double-blind study b. single-blind study c. meta-analysis d. correlational study

a. double-blind study

The first step in conducting an experimental study is to a. formulate a research hypothesis b. randomly assign subjects to different conditions c. measure the effects of the independent variable d. state what the final outcome of the experiment will be

a. formulate a research hypothesis

Apparent associations between two things that are not really related are called _______________ correlations. a. illusory b. positive c. negative d. multiple

a. illusory

The mean for a distribution of scores a. is the arithmetic average of the scores b. is the score that occurs most frequently c. is the score that falls at the center of the distribution d. indicates how much variability there is in the data set

a. is the arithmetic average of the scores

Dr. Nimmo studies the impact of societal norms and values on human decision-making behavior. It is most likely that she endorses which of the following psychological approaches? a. sociocultural b. learning c. cognitive d. biological

a. sociocultural

Inferential statistics are: a. statistical procedures that allow researchers to draw inferences about how statistically meaningful a study's results are. b. statistical procedures that organize and summarize research data. c. averages that are calculated by adding up a set of quantities and multiplying the sum by the total number of quantities in the set. d. A set of techniques for combining data from a number of related studies to determine the explanatory strength of a particular independent variable.

a. statistical procedures that allow researchers to draw inferences about how statistically meaningful a study's results are.

A correlation coefficient is a numerical index of a. the degree of relationship between two variables b. the amount of variability in a data set c. the amount of skew in a data set d. the degree to which one variable will cause a change in an unrelated variable

a. the degree of relationship between two variables

An operational definition is: a. the precise meaning of a term, which specifies the processes required for observing and measuring the phenomenon being investigated. b. an organized system of assumptions and principles that purports to explain a specified set of phenomena and their interrelationships. c. a statement that attempts to describe or explain a given behavior. d. a statement that is accepted without proof and regarded as fundamental to a subject.

a. the precise meaning of a term, which specifies the processes required for observing and measuring the phenomenon being investigated.

The independent variable in an experiment is a. the variable that the researcher varies systematically in order to determine its impact on another variable b. the variable that is thought to be affected or changed by the experimental manipulation c. any variable that changes randomly during the course of an experiment d. any variable that is held constant or doesn't change during an experiment

a. the variable that the researcher varies systematically in order to determine its impact on another variable

When two variables have a strong negative correlation, the correlation coefficient will be close to: a. .00. b. -1.00. c. +1.00. d. .50.

b. -1.00.

_______________ involved the analysis of the basic elements or building blocks of the mind. a. Functionalism b. Structuralism c. Humanism d. Behaviorism

b. Structuralism

Psychology is defined as the discipline concerned with: a. the study of all physical stimuli that affect human sensations and perceptions. b. behavior and mental processes and how they are affected by an organism's physical state, mental state, and external environment. c. the study of humankind and the importance of culture in explaining the diversity in human behavior. d. maladaptive human behaviors and cognitions that are incorporated into a person's self-worth during childhood.

b. behavior and mental processes and how they are affected by an organism's physical state, mental state, and external environment.

Jacob studies how people change and grow over time physically, mentally, and socially. He is a(n) _______________ psychologist. a. industrial/organizational b. developmental c. educational d. psychometric

b. developmental

Unintended changes in subjects' behavior due to cues inadvertently given by the experimenter in an experimental study are called: a. conformation biases. b. experimenter bias. c. reifications. d. volunteer biases.

b. experimenter bias.

Professor Erik Anderson approaches questions about human behavior from a perspective that emphasizes the rewards and punishments that maintain certain specific behaviors. He does not invoke the mind to explain behavior but sticks to what he can observe and measure directly. It is most likely that he accepts which of the following psychological approaches? a. sociocultural b. learning c. cognitive d. psychodynamic

b. learning

The _______________ perspective of psychology focuses on the environmental rewards and punishers that maintain or discourage specific behaviors. a. cognitive b. learning c. sociocultural d. psychodynamic

b. learning

Dr. Mannisto is a behaviorist who is studying the causes of excessive violence among some hockey players. She is likely to consider whether: a. the more aggressive players have experienced brain injuries. b. players who engage in excessive violence are rewarded in some way. c. the more aggressive players experienced emotional abuse in childhood. d. cultural change has shaped hockey players to become more violent than in the past.

b. players who engage in excessive violence are rewarded in some way.

Which school of thought in psychology hoped to analyze sensations, images, and feelings into basic elements? a. phrenology b. structuralism c. functionalism d. psychoanalysis

b. structuralism

The research method used by Wilhelm Wundt in which volunteers were taught to carefully observe, analyze, and describe their own sensations, mental images, and emotional reactions is called _______________. a. critical thinking b. trained introspection c. experimentation d. conceptual proliferation

b. trained introspection

_______________ concluded that his patients' distress was due to conflicts and emotional traumas that had occurred in their early childhood and that were too threatening to be remembered consciously. a. Wilhelm Wundt b. William James c. Sigmund Freud d. E. B. Titchener

c. Sigmund Freud

Dr. Dahlman believes that to truly understand emotional responses, we must understand what purpose emotional responses serve. Dr. Dahlman's views most clearly mirror those of a. structuralism b. behaviorism c. functionalism d. humanism

c. functionalism

Which school of thought in psychology tried to explain how specific behaviors and mental processes help a person adapt to the environment? a. phrenology b. structuralism c. functionalism d. psychiatry

c. functionalism

Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow are most closely associated with a. behavioral psychology b. psychoanalysis c. humanism d. structuralism

c. humanism

In a negatively skewed distribution, most of the scores a. pile up at the low end of the distribution b. are less than the mean for the distribution c. pile up at the high end of the distribution d. pile up above the standard deviation for the distribution

c. pile up at the high end of the distribution

Which descriptive method would be most appropriate for studying a random sample of people's attitudes toward stem cell research? a. observation b. case study c. survey d. test

c. survey

_______________ wanted to know how specific behaviors and mental processes help a person or animal adapt to the environment, so they looked for the underlying causes and practical consequences of these behaviors and processes. a. Rationalists b. Structuralists c. Fundamentalists d. Functionalists

d. Functionalists

_______________ combine elements of behaviorism with research on thoughts, values, expectations, and intentions and believe that people learn not only by adapting their behavior to the environment, but also by observing and imitating others. a. Cognitive researchers b. Sociocultural psychologists c. Biological psychologists d. Social-cognitive learning theorists

d. Social-cognitive learning theorists

One of the most important contributions of the _______________ perspective of psychology has been to show how people's thoughts and explanations affect their actions, feelings, and choices. a. sociocultural b. learning c. biological d. cognitive

d. cognitive