psych ch2
Which of the following statements is true about the use of surveys in gathering data related to human sexuality?
It is seldom easy to obtain a true random sample representative of a large population.
Which of the following suggests that individuals possessing traits that are better fitted to the environment are more likely to survive and reproduce, passing those traits on, whereas those who do not fit the environment well are more likely to die off?
Natural selection
In a true experiment, which of the following is a condition that is necessary for a sample to be generalizable?
Participants should be representative of the broader population.
Which of the following is a condition for conducting a true experiment?
Random assignment of participants to groups is necessary.
_____ involves building theories to explain observations of the natural world that are sufficiently specific so that they lead to testable predictions, or hypotheses.
The scientific method
Which of the following statements is true of experimental designs?
To be a true experiment, participants cannot choose whether they receive one type of material or another.
Sexuality research is as worthy as research in physics, medicine, or any other area of science because it:
affects wellness and happiness, including psychological and emotional satisfaction in life relationships.
Which of the following nonexperimental methods describe in detail the experiences of a small number of individual(s)?
case studies
_____ are factors that can cause a difference in an experiment other than what one is measuring.
confounds
_____ is a measure of the strength of the relationship between two already existing factors that each have a range of values.
correlation
_____ frequently produces species so well fitted for their current environment that the species then goes extinct when the environment changes rapidly.
evolution
The _____ notes that the average time from the commencement of intercourse to ejaculation in mammals is highly variable, tending to be shorter in mammals that are subject to predation or where females mate with multiple males.
evolutionary perspective
Anthropologists follow a similar methodology to most psychologists who research culture, using surveys and laboratory-based studies.
false
Evolution fails to provide a useful unifying framework in studying sexuality and understanding the origins and function of sexual behavior in any particular species.
false
Experts trained in the biological perspective are likely to provide treatment for premature ejaculation in the form of helping a couple adjust expectations and learn other forms of sexual contact that allows both partners to be equally satisfied.
false
Focus on individual psychology is a perspective in sexology that places emphasis on similarities and differences across species, including the biological origins of sexuality and differences between the sexes.
false
In the example of premature ejaculation, an evolutionary perspective explains that there is a normal distribution of many characteristics and that people with rapid ejaculation are merely typical of humans.
false
Natural selection refers to traits and adaptations in one sex that, through competition or a preference for these traits in the other sex, leads to a greater likelihood of reproduction.
false
Radical advocates of constructionism suggest that intellectual concepts and people's own experiences of gender and sexual orientation are seldom social constructions of a particular cultural environment.
false
Sexologists seldom produce scholarly research and writing on sexuality.
false
Sexperts are primarily academic researchers and writers who produce scholarly research and writing on sexuality.
false
Sexuality research is less important in comparison to research in physics, medicine, or any other area of science.
false
The cultural perspective on sexuality typically excludes considering religious beliefs and practices.
false
The lack of formal training of many media experts negates their value: nonexperts can seldom be self-taught, and formal training and credentialing solely guarantee skill.
false
The social constructionism perspective on the origins of sexual jealousy suggests that blocking a rival male's ability to mate would increase the chances that the female might remain fertile and potentially mate with the blocking male.
false
The social learning perspective focuses on the specific biological mechanisms underlying sexuality or sex differences.
false
According to institutional review boards, which of the following should researchers obtain from participants prior to conducting research with those participants?
informed consent
Species that have more than two sexes or mating types, where all the types involve similarly sized and shaped reproductive cells are known as _____.
isogamous
An advantage of measuring sexual arousal in people through pupil dilation in response to erotic stimuli is that:
it is appealing to participants uncomfortable with genital measures of arousal.
Which of the following statements is true of sexual orientation
it is hardwired by DNA
Identify a common misunderstanding of evolution.
it suggests that species always evolve into "higher" or more perfect forms
In a true experiment, an independent variable is _____.
manipulated
A dependent variable is _____ in a true experiment.
measured
A _____ is a collection of questions designed to assess an underlying construct—that is, a theoretical idea.
measurement scale
People who study sexuality:
often pursue graduate degree in another academic discipline.
The _____ is a commonly used instrument to measure sexual response in males by looking at the blood flow to their genitalia.
penile plethysmograph
A theoretical perspective is different from the academic discipline utilizing that perspective in that the theoretical perspective:
refers to the broad explanatory framework that a researcher uses as well as the types of data that are gathered.
One of the challenges of a survey that is likely to lead to non-representative results for sexuality research is that:
respondents may not respond honestly to certain questions about sex.
Which of the following is most likely to be true about journalists who report about sexuality in media?
they tend to focus on the results of a single study about sexuality research
A common issue with practitioners who are not certified as sex therapists is that they are less likely to recommend a multimodal approach to treatment and that they only consider their own field.
true
A social constructionism perspective suggests that all observable aspects of sexuality and sexual difference in humans result from the social environment and the meanings that individuals give to concepts.
true
Basic research in many fields is publicly funded, and in sexuality such funding often comes as part of behavioral science or health research funding.
true
In the example of premature ejaculation, the social constructionism perspective might describe how pornography rarely illustrates sexual behavior other than intercourse and is edited to give unrealistic expectations of sexual functioning.
true
Media figures often have far more impact on public knowledge about sexuality than all the researchers and those with professional training combined.
true
One benefit of sexual reproduction is that it generates greater resistance to disease in offspring.
true
Research from the cultural perspective has shown that many aspects of human nature that one might think are universal or innate turn out to be a result of learning.
true
Sexperts are individuals who speak in the media, on television, and the web.
true
Sexual selection may be thought of as a special consequence of natural selection that arises in species that reproduce sexually.
true
Treatment from a therapist informed by social constructionism might shun medications or attempts to "fix" the premature ejaculation, instead seeing the problem as a symptom of a medical system that profits from calling normal variations disordered.
true
Psychology is the academic field most associated with the social learning perspective.
ture
