Psychology Chapter 1

Psychology

scientific study of the mind and behavior

Which quote can be best attributed to Gestalt Psychology?

"The whole is other than the sum of it's parts" -Koffka

PhD

(doctor of philosophy) doctoral degree conferred in many disciplinary perspectives housed in a traditional college of liberal arts and sciences

PsyD

(doctor of psychology) doctoral degree that places less emphasis on research-oriented skills and focuses more on application of psychological principles in the clinical context

In Milgram's controversial study on obedience, nearly ________ of the participants were willing to administer what appeared to be lethal electrical shocks to another person because they were told to do so by an authority figure.

2/3

________ focused on the potential of humans to be creative, have a positive outlook and pursue higher values through a process of self-actualization.

Abraham Maslow

________ is most well-known for proposing his hierarchy of needs.

Abraham Maslow

. Which of the following was mentioned as a skill to which psychology students would be exposed?

All of the above

Given the incredible diversity among the various areas of psychology that were described on this page and the previous pages, how do they all fit together?

Although the different perspectives all operate on different levels of analyses, have different foci of interests, and different methodological approaches, all of these areas share a focus on understanding and/or correcting patterns of thought and/or behavior.

Why is an undergraduate education in psychology so helpful in a number of different lines of work?

An undergraduate education in psychology hones critical thinking skills. These skills are useful in many different work settings.

________ presented ideas and techniques for rewarding and punishing behavior.

B.F. Skinner

Which of the following degrees would be the minimum required to teach psychology courses in high school?

Bachelor's degree

The behaviorist approach to psychology emerged as a response to what practices by other psychologists of that era?

Behaviorists studied objectively observable behavior partly in reaction to the psychologists of the mind who were studying things that were not directly observable.

Which psychological domain would include a study of neuroscience?

Biological

________ psychology focuses on the causes, diagnosis, treatment and prevention of different types of behavioral and emotional disorders.

Clinical

This school of thought studies the mental processes of thinking, memory, and judgment.

Cognitive

A psychologist is interested in observing and recording infants' temperaments for changes and stability as the children age to young adulthood. He plans to study these children's temperaments as they evolve into personalities for 18 years. This psychologist's perspective is most likely the ________ perspective of psychology.

Developmental

Which of these groups of questions would a biopsychologist most likely address when studying Alzheimer's disease?

Does stress or lack of exercise affect the nervous system and hormones to activate or progress Alzheimer's disease? What medications could influence the chemicals in the brain to slow down the progressive lots of memory, mood, and bodily functions?

________ psychology seeks to study the ultimate biological causes of a behavior.

Evolutionary

________ psychologists might help a judge decide which parent should have custody of a child or evaluate a defendant's mental competence to stand trial.

Forensic

In the late 19th century, the early school of psychology that was heavily influenced by biology was ________.

Functionalism

Which questions would a social psychologist most likely address when studying Alzheimer's disease?

How does caring for a person with Alzheimer's disease affect family members? How does it affect family members? How does it affect family members financially, physically, and emotionally? How do societies in other cultures provide care for persons with Alzheimer's disease?

How did the object of study in psychology change over the history of the field since the 19th century?

In its early days, psychology could be defined as the scientific study of mind or mental processes. Over time, psychology began to shift more towards the scientific study of behavior. However, as the cognitive revolution took hold, psychology once again began to focus on mental processes as necessary to the understanding of behavior.

Cognitive psychology is characterized by all of the following EXCEPT

It emphasizes introspection

What are the potential ethical concerns associated with Milgram's research on obedience?

Many people have questioned how ethical this particular research was. Although no one was actually harmed in Milgram's study, many people have questioned how the knowledge that you would be willing to inflict incredible pain and/or death to another person, simply because someone in authority told you to do so, would affect someone's self-concept and psychological health. Furthermore, the degree to which deception was used in this particular study raises a few eyebrows.

One would need at least a(n) ________ degree to serve as a school psychologist.

Masters

Typically, an adjunct psychology professor will have a

Masters degree in psychology

Which researcher studied types of conditioned reflexes?

Pavlov

An individual's consistent pattern of thought and behavior is known as a(n) ________.

Personality

If someone wanted to become a psychology professor at a 4-year college, then they would probably need a ________ degree in psychology.

PhD

Before psychology became a recognized academic discipline, matters of the mind were undertaken by those in ________.

Philosophy

The ________ places less emphasis on research and more emphasis on application of therapeutic skills.

PsyD

Which type of psychology degree focuses more on the clinical practice and less on research?

PsyD

Which statement below is true about psychoanalytical psychology?

Sigmund Freud believed that understanding a persons unconscious or early childhood memories could help a person experiencing anxiety and depression

The operant conditioning chamber (a.k.a. ________ box) is a device used to study the principles of operant conditioning.

Skinner

In the late 19th century, this approach to psychology measured basic elements of conscious experiences to provide scientific evidence to understand the mind.

Structuralism

Wilhelm Wundt and Edward Titchener's approach to asking patients to look inward and describe their feelings was a part of their broader strategy to understand consciousness. This was called:

Structuralism

Other than a potentially greater salary, what would be the reasons an individual would continue on to get a graduate degree in psychology?

The graduate degree would be a stronger guarantee of working in a psychology-related field and one would have greater control over the specialty of that work. It would allow one to practice in a clinical setting. In general, it would allow someone to work in a more independent or supervisory capacity.

Which questions would a cognitive psychologist most likely address when studying Alzheimer's disease?

To what extent do Alzheimer's disease affect ones thinking, memory, and language abilities? How does ones memory, decision-making and language usage skills change as Alzheimer's disease progresses?

Rogers believed that providing genuineness, empathy, and ________ in the therapeutic environment for his clients was critical to their being able to deal with their problems.

Unconditional positive regard

Which questions would a personality psychologist most likely address when studying Alzheimer's disease?

What are the personality characteristics that are displayed by a person with Alzheimer's disease?

Which questions would a clinical psychologist most likely address when studying Alzheimer's disease?

Who gets Alzheimer's disease? What are the chances of a person developing Alzheimer's disease based on gender, age, and ethnicity? what kind of therapeutic support is needed for family members of a person with Alzheimer's disease?

This psychologist argued that psychology is independent from philosophy. He believed that the conscious elements of the mind should be scientifically studied and classified.

Wilhelm Wundt

________ focused on examining the physiology of one's behavior and other psychological aspects of the mind.

William James

postdoctoral training program

allows young scientists to further develop their research programs and broaden their research skills under the supervision of other professionals in the field

Forensic Psychology

area of psychology that applies the science and practice of psychology to issues within and related to the justice system

counseling psychology

area of psychology that focuses on improving emotional, social, vocational, and other aspects of the lives of psychologically healthy individuals

clinical psychology

area of psychology that focuses on the diagnosis and treatment of psychological disorders and other problematic patterns of behavior

sport and exercise psychology

area of psychology that focuses on the interactions between mental and emotional factors and physical performance in sports, exercise, and other activities

Proponents of the early school of ________ psychology argue that our thoughts, feelings, and motive are unimportant in understanding human behavior and that only observable actions should be studied.

behaviorism

Which school of thought in the early 20th century focused on observable behavior and relationships between stimuli and responses?

behaviorism

A researcher interested in how changes in the cells of the hippocampus (a structure in the brain related to learning and memory) are related to memory formation would be most likely to identify as a(n) ________ psychologist.

biological

Which psychological domain would include a study of memory and intelligence?

cognitive

personality trait

consistent pattern of thought and behavior

According to the text, psychology students are most likely to benefit from exposure to

critical thinking skills and the scientific method

Which psychological domain would include a study of learning and conditioning?

developmental

Which of the following are the best examples of skills that psychology students will develop during their course of study?

evaluating information and using the scientific method

Behaviorism

focus on observing and controlling behavior

psychoanalytic theory

focus on the role of the unconscious in affecting conscious behavior

functionalism

focused on how mental activities helped an organism adapt to its environment

Which type of psychologist would most likely be asked to serve as an expert witness during a court case?

forensic psychologist

In the late 1800s, this approach examined how the mind operates and how conscious thoughts in the mind have continually evolved since the beginning of time.

functionalism

The focus on how mental activities help a person adapt to his or her environment is known as

functionalism

Which school of psychology was more likely to focus on the operation of the entire mind instead of specific parts?

functionalism

William James's focus on how mental activities help a person adapt to his or her environment is known as

functionalism

This school of thought, developed in the 1950s and 1960s, focuses on the potential of individuals and each person's unique viewpoint.

humanistic

________ psychologist may serve as a human resources specialist, helping organizations with staffing, training and employee development.

industrial-organizational

Dissertation

long research paper about research that was conducted as a part of the candidate's doctoral training

If Kayla is interested in personality psychology, she is most likely to study

long-standing traits and patterns that propel behavior

Which psychological domain would include a study of abnormal psychology?

mental and physical health

empirical method

method of acquiring knowledge based on observation, including experimentation, rather than a method based only on forms of logical argument or previous authorities

Which of the following topics are included in the biological domain of psychology?

neuroscience

biopsychosocial model

perspective that asserts that biology, psychology, and social factors interact to determine an individual's health

humanism

perspective within psychology that emphasizes the potential for good that is innate to all humans

Psychologist Abraham Maslow introduced the concept of a hierarchy of needs, which suggests that people are motivated to fulfill basic needs before moving on to other, more advanced needs. Consider how this may influence our development, motivation, and accomplishments. Choose which level of needs would best explain the following scenario. Mario has not been doing well in his third grade classroom. His teacher noticed that he wasn't focusing in class and mistakenly thought he was being lazy. In fact, the truth was that Mario's family couldn't afford enough food to feed their family and therefore, he regularly goes to school without any breakfast. Which level of need would best describe what is going on with Mario?

physiological

introspection

process by which someone examines their own conscious experience in an attempt to break it into its component parts

American Psychological Association (APA)

professional organization representing psychologists in the United States

In the scientific method, a hypothesis is a(n) ________.

proposed explanation

Which school of thought examined mental processes that are in the unconscious mind to explain behavior?

psychodynamic

developmental psychology

scientific study of development across a lifespan

Which psychological domain would include a study of motivation and gender?

social and personality

Psyche is a Greek word meaning

soul

Cognitive Psychology

study of cognitions, or thoughts, and their relationship to experiences and actions

Biopsychology

study of how biology influences behavior

personality psychology

study of patterns of thoughts and behaviors that make each individual unique

-ology

suffix that denotes "scientific study of"

Structuralism

understanding the conscious experience through introspection