PSYCH Exam 1

Autism spectrum disorder now is diagnosed in _____ American children by 8 years of age.

1 in 68

According to the lecture, parents account for roughly ___% of differences in the personalities of children

10

Genetically speaking, fraternal twins (or dizygotic twins) have ____% similarity

50

Suppose it was found that X correlates with Y. How can we explain this?

All of these are valid explanations

A telltale sign of ________ consists of protein fragments that accumulate as plaque at neuron tips where synaptic communication usually occurs.

Alzheimer's disease

Which of the following is NOT one of the four parallel processes in visual processing?

Change

Evolutionary psychology developed from the work of

Charles Darwin

Chromosomes are threadlike structures made of

DNA molecules

Which major force in psychology emphasized unconscious thought processes?

Freudian psychology

The first person to suggest that the mind is located in the brain was

Herophilos

What is one way we could summarize the differences in mate selection between men and women?

Men reproduce widely, women reproduce wisely

Which of the following is NOT true of the brain's association areas?

More intelligent animals have smaller association areas.

Yusef is told by his psychiatrist that he has ADHD. The psychiatrist explains to him that "ADHD is the result of deficient activity in the frontal lobes of the brain." What kind of explanation of ADHD did Yusef's psychiatrist use?

Neuroscience

Prof. Hayes has just heard about a new study that shows a correlation between authoritarian parenting and lower grades among high school students. Hayes is skeptical about this conclusion. What could he do about this?

Perform the same study to see if they can replicate the findings

Which of the following is the correct order of the stages of Piaget's theory of cognitive development?

Sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, formal operational

Which structure activates when we feel fear?

The amygdala

The first psychology experiment to be performed in a laboratory was done by

Wilhelm Wundt.

Who developed the first psychological laboratory?

Wundt

A type of descriptive research that looks intimately at one person with a unique condition or situation is called

a case study

Professor Delano suggests that because people are especially attracted to those who are good-looking, handsome men will be more successful than average-looking men in getting a job. The professor's prediction regarding employment success is an example of

a hypothesis

For those who report experiencing a life crisis, the trigger is usually

a major event

A gender role refers to

a set of expected behaviors and traits for males or for females.

The case study is a research method in which

a single individual or group is studied in great depth.

Figure is to ground as ________ is to ________.

a white cloud; blue sky

The pupil is the

adjustable opening in the center of the eye through which light enters.

According to Erikson, achieving a sense of identity is the special task of the

adolescent

A light wave's intensity is determined by its

amplitude

Any drug molecule that occupies a neurotransmitter receptor site and blocks the neurotransmitter's effect is a(n)

antagonist

The first time that 4-year-old Sarah saw her older brother play a flute, she thought it was simply a large whistle. Sarah's initial understanding of the flute best illustrates the process of

assimilation

"I don't care whether you want to wash the dishes, you will do so because I said so!" This statement is most representative of a(n) ________ parenting style.

authoritarian

From age 2 months on, as other children spend more and more time looking in others' eyes, those who later develop ________ do so less and less.

autism spectrum disorder

Neurotransmitters are released from knob-like terminals at the end of the

axon

Compared with women, men are likely to

behave in all of these ways: (initiate more sex think more about sex view more pornography)

Observing and recording people's behavior as they are conditioned was of most central interest to

behaviorism

A subliminal message is one that is presented

below one's absolute threshold for conscious awareness.

If the correlation between the physical weight and reading ability of children is +0.85, this would indicate that

better reading ability is associated with greater physical weight among children.

Unlike the concept of gender, the definition of people's sex is based only on

biological traits

The young science of psychology developed from the more established fields of philosophy and

biology

Certain stroke victims report seeing nothing when shown a series of sticks, yet they are able to correctly report whether the sticks are vertical or horizontal. This best illustrates

blindsight.

The central nervous system consists of

brain and spinal cord

The brain and spinal cord are a part of the

central nervous system

Along with the basal ganglia, the ________ enables nonverbal learning and skill memory.

cerebellum

____ react to detail and color, while ____ are sensitive to faint light.

cones; rods

In one study, a pictured woman was perceived by some as balancing a box on her head and by others as sitting under a window. The study best illustrated that perceptions are influenced by

context effects

Professor Kuilema compared the moral intuitions of one group of children, a second group of adolescents, and a third group of adults by assessing their reactions to a variety of moral dilemmas. Professor Kuilema conducted a ________ study.

cross-sectional

The transmission of shared knowledge and customs across generations is an indication of

culture

Dr. Matsuko's major research interest is the long-term effects of child-raising practices on the psychological adjustment of offspring. It is most likely that Dr. Matsuko is a ________ psychologist.

developmental

Weber's law is relevant to an understanding of

difference thresholds

Adolescence is typically a time of

diminishing parental influence and growing peer influence.

Which neurotransmitter influences movement, learning, attention, and emotion?

dopamine

Compared to individualist cultures, collectivist cultures tend to value

duties and tradition

Brenda is 29 years old. She recently graduated from college and now has a full-time job and lives independently. She is in the ________ years.

early adulthood

The gap between adolescence and independence is referred to as

emerging adulthood

The amygdala is responsible for the regulation of

emotion

Scary-sounding music accompanied a movie scene in which mountain climbers scaled a steep slope. The fact that the music made the climbing appear more dangerous to viewers illustrates that perceptions are influenced by

emotion.

The study of influences on gene expression that occur without a DNA change is called

epigenetics

One of the key differences between an experiment and other kinds of research is that

experiments will manipulate one or more of the variables to see its effect on another variable.

A critical period is a phase during which

exposure to certain experiences is needed for proper development.

Bree has been raised in an individualist society. Which of the following is best associated with her upbringing?

express one's uniqueness

Which method of neuroimagery lets us see the brain's activity over a period of time?

fMRI

Which of the following body parts is associated with the greatest amount of brain tissue in the motor cortex?

face

Newborns tend to prefer the sight of

face-like images

Elaina is in the fourth month of her pregnancy. At this point, her developing baby would be referred to as a(n)

fetus

The point of central focus in the eye, where there are the most nerve cells for transducing light, is called the

fovea

Twins who develop from separate fertilized eggs are called ________ twins.

fraternal

According to Paul MacLean's "Triune Model", the human brain has evolved in three successive stages that have moved

from the inside, out

Phineas Gage's personality turned towards being much more aggressive and unfriendly. This was most likely caused by the large rail spike that pierced his

frontal lobes

During adolescence, maturation of the ________ lags behind maturation of the ________, which might help explain the sometimes-impulsive actions of teenagers.

frontal lobes; limbic system

Which of the following terms refers to the socially influenced characteristics by which people define boy, girl, man, and woman?

gender

The belief that boys are more independent than girls is a

gender schema.

The nature-nurture issue refers to the debate over the relative contributions that ________ make to the development of psychological traits.

genes and experience

Early in the twentieth century, a group of German psychologists noticed that people tend to organize a cluster of sensations into a(n)

gestalt

Joe's corpus callosum was severed in surgery. One of the most notable symptoms of this was

he could draw two shapes simultaneously with different hands

Professor Smith told one class that drinking alcohol has been found to increase sexual desire. He informed another class that drinking alcohol has been found to reduce sexual appetite. The fact that neither class was surprised by the information they received best illustrates the power of

hindsight bias

Some people believe after watching a sports competition that they could have easily predicted who the winner was going to be, even though they didn't. This phenomenon is known as

hindsight bias

Critics of evolutionary psychology are most likely to suggest that it underestimates the

impact of cultural expectations on human sexual behavior.

Molly has been diagnosed with ADHD, which she is told is a dopamine agonist. This means that it will likely

increase the activity of dopamine

In an experimental study of the impact of exposure to criticism on self-esteem, exposure to criticism would be the ________ variable.

independent

The unique genetically influenced traits of children often evoke predictable responses from their caregivers. This best illustrates the ________ of nature and nurture.

interaction

Two babies may be born with the same genetic predisposition to be happier than average. However, if one of them is raised by loving and interactive parents, while the other is raised in a crowded orphanage where they rarely get attention, then the second one likely won't grow up to be as happy. This underlines the importance of ____ on our personalities.

interaction between the genes and the environment

The monocular depth cue in which an object blocking another object is perceived as closer is

interposition

The left hemisphere of the brain is best at

interpreting language

Looking inward and reporting your immediate sensations, images, and feelings is called

introspection

A synapse is a(n)

junction between a sending neuron and a receiving neuron.

Severing a cat's reticular formation from higher brain regions causes the cat to

lapse into a coma

A tendency for the brain's left and right hemispheres to serve different functions is called

lateralization

Surgical destruction of brain tissue is called a(n)

lesion

Compared with men, women are ________ likely to desire more frequent sex and ________ likely to misperceive simple friendliness as a sexual come-on.

less; less

Substance use disorders may stem from malfunctioning reward centers in the

limbic system

As the farmer looked across her field, the parallel rows of young corn plants appeared to converge in the distance. This provided her with a distance cue known as

linear perspective

As you look down the highway in front of you, the edges of the road seem to converge in the distance. This is an example of the monocular cue

linear perspective

Which of the following is an example of a secondary sex characteristic?

male facial hair

The sequence in which babies master the skills of rolling over, sitting, crawling, and walking is the same around the world. This best illustrates the importance of ________ in motor development.

maturation

Heterosexual women are most likely to be sexually attracted to men who appear to be

mature and affluent

The part of the brainstem that controls heartbeat and breathing is called the

medulla

Compared with women, men are ________ likely to feel comfortable about having casual sex with different partners and ________ likely to cite affection as a reason for their first sexual intercourse.

more; less

A random error in gene replication is known as a(n)

mutation

If a genetically based attraction to beautiful people contributes to survival, that trait will likely be passed on to subsequent generations. This best illustrates

natural selection

Twin and adoption studies have been most helpful for teasing apart the influences of

nature and nurture

It has been suggested that humans share a general aversion, or disliking, to hurting each other. This suggests that

nature selected humans with a "universal moral grammar" to pass on their genes.

Research has repeatedly shown that, the more you smoke cigarettes, the shorter your lifespan will likely be. This is an example of a _________ correlation.

negative

If psychologists discovered that wealthy people are less satisfied with their marriages than poor people are, this would indicate that wealth and marital satisfaction are

negatively correlated

Neurons are best described as

nerve cells that function as the building blocks of the nervous system.

The process of forming new neurons within the brain is called

neurogenesis

Professor Lopez believes that severe depression results primarily from an imbalanced diet and abnormal brain chemistry. Professor Lopez favors a ________ perspective on depression.

neuroscience

The cognitive revolution of the 1960s is said to have been aided by

new technology

Our tendency to believe we know more than we do best illustrates

overconfidence

Which lobes of the brain receive the input that enables you to feel someone scratching your back?

parietal

Retinal disparity is an important cue for

perceiving distance.

After learning that her new college roommate had experienced several depressive episodes during her high school years, Erin incorrectly perceived her roommate's laughter as artificial and phony. This best illustrates the impact of

perceptual set.

Psychology can be considered to be a combination of biology and

philosophy

The hypothalamus influences the ________ to send messages to the ________.

pituitary; endocrine glands

Terri was in a serious car accident when she was only 13 months old and suffered brain damage. Her brain recovered because of the aspect of early brain development referred to as

plasticity

The reorganization of neural tissue in response to new experiences is referred to as

plasticity

Mark believes that choosing to violate government laws is morally justifiable if it is done to protect the lives of innocent people. Kohlberg would suggest that this illustrates ________ morality.

postconventional

Lacking exposure to spoken, written, or signed language before adolescence, a person will never master any language. This indicates that infancy and childhood represent a(n) ________ for language development.

preoperational stage

According to Piaget, egocentrism is to conservation as the ________ stage is to the ________ stage.

preoperational; concrete operational

Carmella, Jorge, and Gail were all sitting behind the same bowling lane, so Ruth perceived that they were all members of the same

proximity

Much like trimming the branches off a bush, our brain _________ unused neural connections to allow those we use more frequently to grow stronger.

prunes

The period of sexual maturation, during which a person becomes capable of reproducing, is called

puberty

To assess reactions to a proposed tuition hike at her school, Ariana sent a questionnaire to every fifteenth person in the registrar's alphabetical listing of all currently enrolled students. Ariana is ensuring that her survey results are accurate by using

random sampling

Humans experience the longest visible electromagnetic waves as the color ________ and the shortest visible waves as ________.

red; blue-violet

Infants who were exposed to the visual cliff

refused to cross over onto the glass over the cliff to their mother

Glenda has spread false rumors about a classmate in order to ruin his reputation. Her behavior best illustrates

relational aggression.

Those who survive a hippocampal brain tumor in childhood are likely to have difficulty ________ in their adulthood.

remembering new information

The occipital lobes are to ________ as the temporal lobes are to ________.

seeing; hearing

During Piaget's sensorimotor stage, children acquire a

sense of object permanence

Which of the following is the correct order of Piaget's stages of cognitive development?

sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, formal operational

If you move your watchband up your wrist an inch or so, you will feel it for only a few moments. This best illustrates

sensory adaptation

Rodesia insists that Dr. Phillips' theory of aggression be checked against observable evidence. She is demonstrating the scientific attitude of

skepticism.

A collectivist culture is especially likely to emphasize the importance of

social harmony

Questions about the extent to which maladaptive habits learned in childhood can be overcome in adulthood are most directly relevant to the issue of

stability and change

A stimulus that falls below our absolute threshold for perception is said to be

subliminal

Under certain conditions, people are affected by stimuli so weak that they fail to consciously notice them. This is best illustrated by experiments involving

subliminal priming.

Compared with environmentally impoverished rats, those rats housed in enriched environments experienced a dramatic increase in the number of their

synapses

Because of the shortening of ________, aging cells may die without being replaced.

telomeres

If research suggested that a pregnant mother's use of an artificial sweetener caused harm to the fetus, the artificial sweetener would be considered a(n)

teratogen

The brain structure that acts as a sensory control center, and is the inspiration for Prof. Rickgauer's jazz funk band "The Grand Central Station of Sensation," is the

thalamus

There has been a lot of wonder and amazement at the similarities found between the Jim twins, a set of twins separated at birth who only met at the age of 29. However, before we get too excited it should be important to remember that

the Jims have a strong cultural similarity, since they were both raised in Ohio.

Evidence that some cones are especially sensitive to red light, others to green light, and still others to blue light is most directly supportive of

the Young-Helmholtz theory.

The fovea refers to

the central focal point in the retina.

One's sexual orientation refers to

the direction of one's sexual attraction.

Four-year-old Karen can't remember anything of the first few months of her life. This is best explained by the fact that

the hippocampus and frontal lobes are immature during early infancy.

The ongoing debate that asks how much of who we are comes from the contributions of genetic endowments or personal experiences is called

the nature-nurture debate.

The fact that people diagnosed with specific learning disorder exhibit the same brain malfunctions whether they are Italian, French, or British demonstrates that

the same underlying processes guide people everywhere.

Which division of the autonomic nervous system arouses the body and mobilizes its energy in stressful situations?

the sympathetic nervous system

David asked Cheryl, his girlfriend, if he could go hang out with his friends instead of make dinner for her. She glared at him and said "I don't care what you do!" David interpreted this as meaning she was OK with leaving her to be with his friends. David was unable to use ____________ to process that she was actually very angry with him.

top-down processing

Information processing guided by higher-level mental processes is called

top-down processing.

The conversion of a fresh coffee aroma into neural impulses by sensory receptor cells best illustrates

transduction

The local fire department sounds the 12 o'clock whistle. The process by which your ears transform the sound waves from the siren into neural impulses is an example of

transduction.

Professor X is studying the effect of exposure to sexual content on sexual thoughts. She assigns students to one of two conditions. In the first condition, participants are exposed to explicit sexual content and then given a word-completion task, which involves filling in the letter missing from each word. Based on the letter added, the word could be of a sexual nature or not. For instance, b_d could be completed as "bed," indicating sexual thought, or as "bad," which has no sexual connotation. In the second condition, participants are not exposed to explicit sexual content but are assigned the same word-completion task. The experimental group consisted of the students who

were exposed to explicit sexual content.

It can be said that evolutionary psychologists mostly focus on

what makes humans so alike

Surveys indicate that people are less likely to support "welfare" than "aid to the needy." These somewhat paradoxical survey results best illustrate the importance of

wording effects

During the course of successful prenatal development, a human organism begins as a(n) ______ and ends as a(n) ________.

zygote; fetus.