Questions - Chapter 1

A study finds that the more childbirth training classes women attend, the less pain medication they require during childbirth. This finding can be stated as a __________ correlation.

negative

In a double-blind procedure....

neither the participants nor the researchers know who is in the experimental group or control group

The empirical approach relies on...

observation and experimentation

A psychologist conducting basic research to expand psychology's knowledge base may....

observe three and six year olds solving puzzles and analyze differences in their abilities

A scientist who begins by doubting and who analyzes all scientific claims while asking "how does it work?" is exemplifying which scientific attitude?

skepticism

A focus on the different marriage rituals practiced by members of different ethnic groups is most relevant to the ______________ perspective.

social-cultural

The early school of psychology that employed the method of introspection was known as:

structuralism

According to evolutionary psychologists, males today prefer young, attractive female partners because those males have been influenced by images in the media (T/F)

False

Evolutionary psychologists claim that all genetic mutations confer benefits for survival and reproduction (T/F)

False

Experimentation is the only appropriate way to conduct research (T/F)

False

In the early twentieth century, _________ redefined psychology as "the science of observable behavior"

John B. Watson

Case studies provide an in-depth view of one person's behavior, but the results might not generalize to others (T/F)

True

Evolutionary psychologists propose that infant tase preferences are universal because taste sensations are related to the nutritional value of the food (T/F)

True

Naturalistic observation is time-consuming and could invade a person's privacy (T/F)

True

One disadvantage of a survey is the possibility that participants might not answer the questions truthfully (T/F)

True

Knowing that two events are correlated provides...

a basis for prediction

In defending their experimental research with animals, psychologists have noted that....

animals' physiology and behavior can tell us much about our own; animal experimentation sometimes help animals as well as humans; animals are fascinating creatures and worthy of study

As scientists, psychologists...

are willing to ask questions and to reject claims that cannot be verified by research

Dr. McDougal decides to publish a paper based on a patient who presented her with a complicated case of depression and anxiety. Her hope is to share universal principles with the psychological community. This is an example of a(n)...

case study

Margaret Floy Washburn was the first woman to...

be granted a PhD in psychology

What is the study of the relative power and limits of genetic and environmental influences on behavior?

behavior genetic

Nature is to nurture as...

biology is to experience

A psychologist treating emotionally troubled adolescents as a local mental health agency is most likely to be a(n)....

clinical psychologist

Pharmaceutical studies sometimes test their experimental drugs against an already available medication to see if the experimental drug works the same or better than the existing medication. Those participants who get assigned to the existing-medication group would be in the:

control condition

Which is NOT a descriptive method psychologists use to observe and describe behavior?

correlational research

In an experiment that examines the effect of sleep deprivation on mental alertness, mental alertness is the:

dependent variable

What is true regarding gender differences and similarities?

despite some gender differences, the underlying processes of human behavior are the same

In science, the clearest way to isolate cause and effect is to conduct a(n):

experiment

To explain behaviors and clarify cause and effect, psychologists use ___________

experiments

William James would be considered an _________ Wilhelm Wundt and Edward Titchener would be considered _____________

functionalist; structuralist

_____________ ______________ refers to our tendency to perceive events as obvious or inevitable after the fact.

hindsight bias

The influence of the current environment on one's growth potential is emphasized by...

humanistic psychology

Professor Jamison is a scientist who maintains an awareness of her own vulnerability to error and openness to surprises and new perspectives. She is exemplifying which scientific attitude?

humility

Theory-based predictions are called ________

hypotheses

Studies examining certain traits are helping to clarify our understanding of the effects of nature and nurture. For example, because ______________ have the same genes, researchers often use them in studies that examine the relative influence of environment and heredity on these traits.

identical twins

A researcher wants to determine whether noise level affects workers' blood pressure. In one group, she varies the level of noise in the environment and records participants' blood pressure. In this experiment, the level of noise is the _____________ _________________

independent variable

One strength of the case study method is that:

it suggests hypotheses for future study

Martin Seligman and other researchers who explore various aspects of human flourishing refer to their field of study as ____________ ______________

positive psychology

A mental health professional with a medical degree who can prescribe medication is a _____________

psychiatrist

What technique is used to minimize preexisting differences between the treatment group and the control group?

random assignment

The laboratory environment is designed to...

re-create psychological forces under controlled conditions

For your survey, you need to establish a group of people who represent the country's entire adult population. To do this, you will need to question a _______ sample of the population.

representative

This technique, when done scientifically, gathers self-reported attitudes or behaviors of people by questioning them randomly and representatively...

survey

A hypothesis is a prediction that is...

testable