Chapter 1 Book Practice Questions

In Plato's cave allegory, a prisoner was temporarily unchained and allowed to see the fire at the mouth of the 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.

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.

The study of the nervous system is called a. cognitive science. b. psychopathology. c. psychophysics. d. neuroscience.

d. neuroscience.

Your uncle tells you about an interesting magazine article explaining that humans use only 10 percent of their brains. As a student of psychology, your response should be: a. "I know! Isn't that just 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 the figure is closer to 5 percent."

b. "Well, research actually shows that almost all of the brain is continually active."

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.

What is a mainstream psychologist most likely to think about Sigmund Freud? a. Freudian theory is untestable and not grounded in science. b. Freud, a great pioneer in psychology, 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.

A quarter in your hand casts a different image on your retina than a quarter taped to the wall across the room, yet you know that the quarters have exactly the same dimensions. This phenomenon would be best explained by a a. behaviorist. b. Gestalt psychologist. c. evolutionary psychologist. d. structuralist.

b. Gestalt psychologist.

How is natural selection related to psychology? a. All organisms have been shown to be capable of learning. b. Humans behave as they do in part because that behavior promotes survival. c. Survival depends on environment just as much as it depends on genes. d. Animals share many genes with human beings.

b. Humans behave as they do in part because that behavior promotes survival.

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.

According to the social brain hypothesis, each of us can deal effectively with social interactions with roughly 150 people. This implies that a. most of us are able to maintain close, lifelong friendships with about 150 people. b. we are capable of maintaining social networks of up to 150 people throughout our lives. c. most of us cannot recognize more than 150 people at any given time in our lives. d. we function best in groups of roughly 150 people, whether all are friends or strangers.

b. we are capable of maintaining social networks of up to 150 people throughout our lives.

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.

When the U.S. Supreme Court was deliberating on whether to require schools to integrate black children and white children, their decision to strike down laws permitting segregated schools was greatly influenced by the "Doll Test," conducted by a. Francis Sumner. b. B. F. Skinner. c. Kenneth Clark and Mamie Phipps Clark. d. Mary Cover Jones.

c. Kenneth Clark and Mamie Phipps Clark.

Which of the following perspectives argues that human behavior develops in certain ways because it serves a useful purpose? a. Psychoanalysis b. Cognitive psychology c. Behaviorism d. Functionalism

d. Functionalism

Which of the following approaches to psychology did Edward Titchener advocate in the late 1800s? a. Humanistic psychology b. Psychoanalysis c. Functionalism d. Structuralism

d. Structuralism

The year 1879 might be thought of as the beginning of psychology as a science because that is the year a. Edward Thorndike conducted his first puzzle box experiments. b. Margaret Floy Washburn wrote The Animal Mind. c. Charles Darwin published On the Origin of Species. d. Wilhelm Wundt developed and opened the first psychology laboratory.

d. Wilhelm Wundt developed and opened the first psychology laboratory.

The following illustrates a typical experiment in Sensory Input --> Participant Processing Information --> Report, Press Button, etc. a. Gestalt psychology. b. evolutionary psychology. c. functionalism. d. cognitive psychology.

d. cognitive psychology.