Psychology Exam #1 Study Guide

Which of the following correlation coefficients indicates the strongest relationship between two variables?

-0.9

Which of the following correlation coefficients indicates the weakest relationship between two variables?

0.5 -0.7 -0.5 Correct! 0.25

What was the primary conclusion of Stanley Milgram's obedience research?

Average people will harm others if told to do so by an authority figure.

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

If the postsynaptic potential is ______, then the cell is ______ likely to fire an action potential

Excitatory; more

This type of study includes a manipulation:

Experiment

A theory is best described as a (an):

Explanation

One identical twin has schizophrenia, while the other does not have schizophrenia. The twins share the same ____ but have a different _____

Genotype; phenotype

The benefit of naturalistic observation studies is ________.

Honesty of the data

I have noticed that when I eat pop tarts I feel sluggish. I predict that a group of people who eat pop tarts for breakfast will run slower than those who eat eggs for breakfast. I have just made a/an:

Hypothesis

Which of the following is a consequence of sympathetic activation?

Increased heart rate

Before participating in an experiment, individuals should read and sign the ___ form

Informed consent

Guillermo spends some time each day applying the principles of structuralism to examine his own conscious experience as carefully as possible. Guillermo is engaged in ________.

Introspection

Andy is consistently organized, in both his work life and home life. This consistent pattern of thought and behavior is known as a(n) ________.

Personality trait

Which of the following is/are true of psychology?

Psychology has been established and will not change Psychology is common sense Psychology employs different perspectives and methods Psychologists are not interested in normal behaviors Psychology employs different perspectives and methods

Which of the following is a myth about psychology?

Psychology is non-scientific

Which of the following statements about sleep deprivation is false?

Sleep deprivation often causes ADHD.

In order to assess whether viewpoints on decriminalization of marijuana for medical purposes change with age, four groups of participants, ages 20, 30, 40, and 50, are asked whether they support this issue. What is one flaw of this design?

Social or cultural factors may influence the results, rather than age.

Susanna suffers damage to her hypothalamus. What is a possible result?

Susanna no longer has a functional circadian biological clock

Sandra read an article about how you can drink as much caffeine as you want without any health consequences. The article states that any sleep issues people experience are due to other factors, never caffeine. Sandra loves coffee, so she read the whole article. However, she questions the credentials and motivation of the author of the article, whether the information is based on scientific studies, etc. Sandra is:

Thinking critically

A(n) ________ facilitates or mimics the activity of a given neurotransmitter system, such as when LSD binds to and activates serotonin receptors.

agonist

A(n) ________ opposes or blocks the activity of a given neurotransmitter system.

antagonist

If a newly developed drug is found to bind to serotonin receptors and NOT activate them, the drug is classified as a(n)

antagonist.

Critical thinking is ________.

applying a set of skills to understand and evaluate information

Penelope studies how the structure and function of the nervous system is related to behavior. She is a ________.

biological psychologist

The chemical THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, binds to _____ receptors and is a (an) ______.

cannabinoid; agonist

Most people are awake during the day and asleep at night because their ________ cycles are aligned with the outside world.

circadian

Ashya wants to focus on the diagnosis and treatment of major depressive disorder, a psychological disorder. What area of psychology should she work in?

clinical psychology

Ali is aware of his feelings, emotions, and thoughts. He is also aware of his surroundings, the warmth of the sun, and the sound of nearby traffic. Ali is in a state of ________.

consciousness

The ________ variable measures effects of the independent variable.

dependent

If the postsynaptic potential is ______, then the cell is ______ likely to fire an action potential

depolarizing; more

Alcohol is considered a ________ because it tends to suppress central nervous system activity.

depressant

Rats show a behavior where they will keep pressing a lever in order to receive stimulation that will release _____ into the _____.

dopamine; nucleus accumbens

Devine et al. are interested in assessing whether coffee versus tea causes a difference in running speed. They assign groups of people to either drink tea or drink coffee and then record their running speed in the 100 meter sprint. In this study, ________ is the independent variable and ________ is the dependent variable.

drink type; running time

Which of the following research designs will allow cause-and-effect conclusions?

experimental

Which of the following is not part of obtaining informed consent?

explaining the hypothesis to the participants

An intelligence test yields the same results when administered on three separate occasions. However, the test's results are more strongly correlated with hours spent doing homework than they are with other standardized intelligence tests. This test has________ reliability and ________ validity.

high; low

Which of the following is NOT associated with sleep deprivation?

increased immune function

Which of the following is not a characteristic of a good hypothesis?

it is falsifiable Correct! it is complex it can be tested it is a prediction

Behaviorists study ________.

learned behavior

Rachelle suffers a head injury, and can no longer move her right hand. What area is likely affected?

left motor cortex

Sunil suffers a stroke and loses the ability to manipulate objects with his left hand. However, after rehabilitation he can now use his left hand to write with a pen. What concept does this exemplify?

neuroplasticity

Researchers must ________ important concepts in their studies so that others have a clear understanding of exactly how those concepts are being assessed. (example: I ________ happiness as the number of times a person smiles).

operationalize

Dr. Bogdarian noticed that one of her students addresses her with the word mother instead of the word professor or doctor. Dr. Bogdarian applies the principles of ________, and hypothesizes the student misspeaks because he is unconsciously associating her with his mother.

psychoanalytic theory

An action potential leads to:

release of neurotransmitter

Cocaine blocks the ________ of dopamine, resulting in increased dopamine in the synapse. This results in increased activity of the nervous system, therefore cocaine is a _________.

reuptake; stimulant

Psychology refers to the ________.

scientific study of the mind and behavior

Drugs that are agonists to GABA receptors tend to cause

sedation

Susan wants to study prejudice, attraction, and how we resolve interpersonal conflicts. Susan should conduct research in the area of ________.

social psychology

Sensory and motor neurons of the ________ nervous system are associated with activities traditionally thought of as conscious or voluntary.

somatic

According to William James, the purpose of psychology was to ________.

study the function of behavior

Behaviorism focuses on _____

studying overt behavior and deemphasizing the importance of unobservable mental processes

Liam sees a giant spider. This is likely a result:

sympathetic nervous system activation

The space between two neurons (where they connect) is called the _________.

synapse

Dendrites are

the input zone of a nerve cell.

A(n) ________ is a well-developed set of ideas that proposes an explanation for observed phenomena.

theory

Danielle smokes marijuana. At first, just a few inhalations were enough to feel alterations to her senses. Over time, she needs to smoke more and more to achieve the same effect. This is an example of ________.

tolerance

Zheng et al. are interested in assessing whether active versus passive play causes a preference for sweet or salty foods in toddlers. They assign groups of children to either an active play, passive play, or no play group and record their food choices when presented with a variety of sweet and salty foods. In this study, ________ is the independent variable and ________ is the dependent variable.

type of play; food choice

A particular electrical signal being transmitted to a neuron is sufficient to generate an action potential. If the magnitude of the incoming electrical signal is doubled, the action potential will ________.

undergo no changes in strength, speed, or duration

The occipital lobe is responsible for processing

vision