Psychology Chapter 1

What challenges can arise from relying on the media for information about psychological research? (Select all that apply.)

1. Due to time and space limitations, media reports frequently omit important details about research studies. 2. Journalists frequently lack the knowledge to evaluate psychological research.

Which of the following are examples of the areas in which psychological animal research has provided benefits to human populations? (Select all that apply.)

1. Psychotherapy techniques and behavioral medicine 2. Rehabilitation of neuromuscular disorders 3. Alleviation of the effects of stress and pain 4. Drugs to treat anxiety and severe mental illness 5. Methods for avoiding drug addiction and relapse 6. Treatments to help premature infants gain weight so they can leave the hospital sooner 7. Methods used to alleviate memory deficits in old age

A researcher wants to know if giving students chocolate before an exam will improve their scores. Two groups of students take the exam, but only one group gets chocolate first. What is the independent variable in this experiment?

Chocolate

Which psychological perspective focuses on the mental processes involved in knowing: how we direct our attention, perceive, remember, think, and solve problems?

Cognitive approach

Which of these are types of psychological research? (Select all that apply.)

Correlational Experimental Descriptive

In an experiment, which variable is measured by the experimenter?

Dependent

______ research serves the purpose of determining the basic dimensions of a phenomenon and defining what it is or how often it occurs, but it cannot provide causal information.

Descriptive

______ was the founder of the psychodynamic approach.

Freud

Functionalism

James's approach to mental processes, emphasizing the functions and purposes of the mind and behavior in the individual's adaptation to the environment.

Two key early proponents of the behavioral approach.

John B. Watson (1878-1958) and B. F. Skinner (1904-1990)

What setting would a researcher choose if they needed to remove the complex factors of the real world to conduct their research?

Lab

Unlike early behaviorists, many contemporary behaviorists _____.

are interested in the role of cognitive thought processes in shaping behavior.

Mental processes

are the thoughts, feelings, and motives that each of us experiences privately but that cannot be observed directly.

seven different approaches that represent the intellectual backdrop of psychological science:

biological, behavioral, psychodynamic, humanistic, cognitive, evolutionary, and sociocultural

Natural selection is the process

by which the environment determines who wins that competition.

Journalists are often not trained in psychological research; therefore, they frequently will have issues presenting material appropriately. One of the better sources to learn about research would be from _______.

college professionals

The scientific study of the nervous system's structure, function, development, and biochemistry is known as ______.

Neuroscience

Which psychological perspective emphasizes unconscious thought, the conflict between the biological instincts and society's demands, and early family experiences?

Psychodynamic approach

Some psychologists argue that psychology should be value-free and morally neutral. Why do some psychologists think this would this be difficult to do?

Psychologists are human and, therefore, cannot be value-free, even if they try.

What is random assignment?

researchers assign participants to groups by chance.

The five steps of the ____ method are reflected differently in three types of research commonly used in psychology.

scientific

The _____ approach specifically examines the ways in which social and cultural environments influence behavior.

sociocultural

In psychological research, the population is _____.

the group about which the researcher would like to draw conclusions

Overall, psychology may be about the nervous system, emotion and motivation, and mind and body. However, it is essentially all about _____.

the individual/ you

Critical thinking

the process of thinking deeply and actively, asking questions, and evaluating the evidence. Critical thinkers question and test what some people say are facts. They examine research to see how soundly it supports an idea. Critical thinking reduces the likelihood that conclusions will be based on unreliable personal beliefs, opinions, and emotions. Critical thinking also comes into play when scientists consider the conclusions they draw from research. As critical thinkers who are open to new information, scientists must tolerate uncertainty, knowing that even long-held views are subject to revision.

Psychology

the scientific study of behavior and mental processes. Let's consider the three key terms in this definition: science, behavior, and mental processes.

Goals of Psychological Science

to describe, predict, and explain behavior.

Correlational research involves gathering data on _____.

two sets of variables

____ is the soundness of the conclusions that can be drawn from an experiment.

validity

Psychologists are human, therefore they cannot be ______ even if they tried.

value-free

Correlational research involves studies that are concerned with identifying the relationships between two or more _____ in order to describe how they change together.

variables

Objectivity means

waiting to see what the evidence tells them rather than going with their hunches.

Introspection

which literally means "looking inside".

Which statement about the seven contemporary approaches is most accurate?

They all provide different lenses for studying human behavior.

Which of the following statements is correct? A) There are many controversies in the field of psychology. B) Psychologists on the whole agree among themselves on most aspects of the field. C) Psychologists do not engage in critical thinking. D) There are few controversies in the field of psychology.

A

Charles Darwin's work is relevant to psychology because: A) Darwin's research demonstrated that there are few differences between humans and animals. B) Darwin's principle of natural selection suggests that human behavior is partially a result of efforts to survive. C) Darwin stated that humans descended from apes, a principle that allows psychologists to understand human behavior. D) Darwin created functionalism.

B

Two psychologists, Clayton and Sam, are interested in studying emotional expressions. Clayton wants to determine whether emotional expression is healthy and if it has an influence on well-being. Sam is interested in describing the types of emotions people express and building a catalog of all the emotions and emotional expressions that exist. In this example, Clayton is most like _____and Sam is most like _____. A) Wilhelm Wundt; William James B) William James; Wilhelm Wundt C) Wilhelm Wundt; Sigmund Freud D) Sigmund Freud; Wilhelm Wundt

B

Which approach to psychology emphasizes the role of the physical processes, such as brain and nervous system functioning?

Biological

Of the following, the characteristic that is not at the heart of the scientific approach is: A) skepticism. B) critical thinking. C) prejudging. D) curiosity.

C

Which statement about the seven contemporary approaches is most accurate?

Each perspective provides some insight into human behavior and mental processes.

What is a psychological perspective that uses concepts such as adaptation, reproduction, and "survival of the fittest" as the basis for explaining specific human behaviors?

Evolutionary

Which of the following are the three basic types of research used in psychology?

Experimental Descriptive Correlational

True or false: Animal research has provided no benefit to humans.

False

Psychology seeks to answer questions like

How do we learn? What is memory? Why does one person grow and flourish while another struggles?

The ____ approach to psychology emphasizes a person's qualities, capability for growth, and the freedom to choose any destiny.

Humanistic

In an experiment, which variable is manipulated by the experimenter?

Independent

Which of the following is NOT one of the three basic types of research used in psychology?

Inferential

Which of these represent approaches to psychological science?

Sociocultural Behavioral Cognitive Humanistic

Which psychological perspective examines the ways in which the social and cultural environments influence behavior?

Sociocultural approach

Called counterintuitive because they contradict our intuitive impressions of how the world works.

Such results are called counterintuitive because they contradict our intuitive impressions of how the world works.

The soundness of conclusions that can be drawn from an experiment is known as _____.

Validity

____ is a broad term for any characteristic that can change in some way.

Variable

Psychology is

a rigorous discipline that tests assumptions, bringing scientific data to bear on the questions of central interest to human beings

The behavioral perspective _____.

a) suggests that observable, measurable behavior should be the focus of study

Most psychologists work in ______.

academic settings

Critical thinking is a(n) ___ process involving engaging with ideas and not settling for simple answers.

active

Natural selection

an evolutionary process in which organisms that are best adapted to their environment will survive and, importantly, produce offspring.

Before it can be conducted, all psychological research is subject to review by _____.

an institutional review board

variable

anything that can change

Psychologists conduct

conduct research and rely on that research to provide evidence for their conclusions. They examine the available evidence about some aspect of mind and behavior, evaluate how strongly the data (information) support their hunches, analyze disconfirming evidence, and carefully consider whether they have explored all possible factors and explanations.

In an experiment, the group that receives no treatment is referred to as the ____ group.

control

In an experiment, the group that receives no treatment is referred to as the ________ group.

control

Laboratory research is conducted in a(n) ____ setting.

controlled

Scientific approach are four attitudes

critical thinking, curiosity, skepticism, and objectivity.

In an experiment, the ____ variable is expected to change as a result of the experimental manipulation.

dependent

Behavior

everything we do that can be directly observed—two people kissing, a baby crying, a college student riding a motorcycle to campus.

The _____ perspective uses concepts such as adaptation, reproduction, and "survival of the fittest" as the basis for explaining specific human behaviors.

evolutionary

A(n) ______ is a carefully regulated procedure in which one or more variables believed to influence the behavior being studied are manipulated while all other variables are held constant.

experiment

In an experiment, the group that receives the treatment the researchers want to study is known as the ___ group.

experimental

In an experiment, the group that receives the treatment the researchers want to study is known as the _____ group.

experimental

In an experiment, the group that receives the treatment the researchers want to study is known as the ______ group.

experimental

If structuralism is about the "what" of the mind, functionalism is about the "why."

functionalism is about the "why."

Psychology has roots in

in philosophy and in the natural sciences of biology and physiology.

A(n) ____ variable is the manipulated experimental factor in an experiment.

independent

Researchers must submit their research proposal to an ______ review board that evaluates the ethical nature of research conducted at their college or university.

institutional

Empirical method

involves gaining knowledge by observing events, collecting data, and reasoning logically. For scientists, objectivity means waiting to see what the evidence tells them rather than going with their hunches.

Structuralism

its focus on identifying the elemental parts or structures of the human mind

A behaviorist might study _____.

learning through environmental determinants

An experiment involves ______ one variable and observing the effect on another variable.

manipulating

Psychologists are often interested in

or changing behavior, and they use scientific methods to examine interventions that might, for example, help to reduce violence or promote happiness.

Random assignment is a procedure in which ____ are assigned to either the treatment or control group on the basis of chance.

participants

The entire group about which the investigator draws conclusions is known as a ______.

population

Sigmund Freud founded the ______ approach to psychology.

psychoanalysis

The technique that Freud developed is called _____.

psychoanalysis

Psychology uses

psychology uses systematic methods to observe human behavior and draw conclusions.