Chapter 1 Psychology quiz ANSWERS

Suppose you are watching a move on a large screen. For a fraction of a second, the words "Drink Cola" flash on the screen. You do not perceive the words "Drink Cola" because it is beyond your absolute threshold. In this example, the message "Drink Cola" is an example of _________. A. a subliminal message B. bottom-up processing C. sensory adaption D. top-down processing

A. a subliminal message

____________ is the electrical signal that typically moves from the cell body down the axon to the axon terminals. A. action potential B. depolarization C. hyperpolarization D. threshold of excitation

A. action potential

____________ research uses past records or data sets to investigate research questions or to look for patterns or relationships. A. archival B. correlational C. experimental D. survey

A. archival

Trephination is the _____________. A. method that supposedly proved that the world is flat B. procedure where a large hole is created in the forehead so that evil spirits can escape C. technique that helps ensure the validity of experimental results D. theory that mental illness is caused by demonic possession

B. procedure where a large hole is created in the forehead so that evil spirits can escape

__________ refers to the ability to consistently produce a given result. A. generalizability B. reliability C. statistical significance D. validity

B. reliability

The space between two neurons is called the _________. A. soma B. synapse C. terminal button D. vesicle

B. synapse

A(n) ______________ is a chamber that isolates the subject from the external environment. A. gestaltlaten B. isolate C. Skinner box D. Watson manipulator

C. Skinner box

Which of the following is NOT a potential problem associated with relying on college students as participants in psychological research? A. It may be difficult to generalize findings to other groups. B. They are more educated than the general public. C. They have higher attrition rates than other populations. D. They tend to be more liberal than the general public.

C. They have higher attrition rates than other populations.

A difference in _____________ can explain why one person dies from a disease and another person survives. A. behavior B. evolution C. genetics D. nurture

C. genetics

The belief that strange behavior is linked to the occurrence of a full moon is an example of a(n) ____________. A. correlation B. fact C. illusory correlation D. opinion

C. illusory correlation

Oona wants to conduct research on personnel management, workplace environment, and what type of environment results in high levels of employee productivity and efficiency. Oona should conduct research in the area of ____________ psychology. A. biological B. Gestalt C. industrial-organizational D. social

C. industrial-organizational

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 ___________. A. behaviorism B. client-centered therapy C. introspection D. psychoanalysis

C. introspection

Patwardhan et al. report data from a study where they hired experimental confederates to attend speed dating events, posing as daters, and carefully take notes on the behaviors of the daters. What type of research design did they use? A. case study B. experiment C. naturalistic observation D. survey

C. naturalistic observation

Which nerve carries visual information from the retina to the brain? A. cornea B. linear C. optic D. photoreceptor

C. optic

__________ is one of a group of sleep disorders in which unwanted, disruptive motor activity and/or experiences during sleep play a role. A. insomnia B. NREM phase C. parasomnia D. REM phase

C. parasomnia

Stan and Jenny are in a psychology course that requires them to repeat an experiment that researchers have conducted in the past, in order to determine whether they produce the same results. This is called ___________. A. inter-rater reliability B. reliability C. replication D. validity

C. replication

Psychology refers to the _____________. A. empirical study of humanity B. experimental study of individuals C. scientific study of the mind D. systematic study of human interaction

C. scientific study of the mind

Cognitive-behavioral therapy

psychotherapy that focuses on cognitive processes and problem behaviors that sometimes is used to treat sleep disorders such as insomnia.

Replicate

repeating an experiment using different samples to determine the research's reliability.

Control group

serves as a basis for comparison and controls for chance factors that might influence the results of the study—by holding such factors constant across groups so that the experimental manipulation is the only difference between groups.

Synapse

small gap between two neurons where communication occurs.

Longitudinal research

studies in which the same group of individuals is surveyed or measured repeatedly over an extended period of time.

According to William James, the purpose of psychology was to

study the function of behavior

Confirmation bias

tendency to ignore evidence that disproves ideas or beliefs.

Functionalist psychologists focus on the function of behavior and

the operation of the whole mind rather than the individual parts

Confounding variable

unanticipated outside factor that affects both variables of interest, often giving the false impression that changes in one variable causes changes in the other variable, when, in actuality, the outside factor causes change in both variables.

Independent variable

variable that is influenced or controlled by the experimenter; in a sound experimental study, the independent variable is the only important difference between the experimental and control group.

Dependent variable

variable that the researcher measures to see how much effect the independent variable had.

Observer bias

when observations may be skewed to align with observer expectations.

Which of the following is an example of research someone might conduct in the area of health psychology?

whether people working at a desk are more likely to be obese

The empirical method of study is based on _________. A. guesswork B. observation C. practice D. statistics

B. observation

Which of the following is NOT a disadvantage of PET scanning? A. An alternative diagnostic tool is fMRI. B. It is unable to pinpoint events in time. C. There is a low level of detail. D. There is radiation exposure.

A. An alternative diagnostic tool is fMRI.

Sarit is at a bar full of music, chatter, and laughter. He gets involved in an interesting conversation with a woman named Mona, and he tunes out all the background noise. Sarit's friend, Karen, taps him on the shoulder and asks what song just played on the jukebox. Sarit says he doesn't know, even though he is sitting right next to the jukebox and is familiar with popular music. This illustrates the role that __________ plays in what is sensed versus what is perceived. A. attention B. friendship C. habit D. mood

A. attention

In Maslow's hierarchy of needs, the ___________ include food, water, and shelter. A. basic survival needs B. comfort objects C. higher-level needs D. wants

A. basic survival needs

Psychological researchers study genetics in order to better understand the __________ that contributes to certain behaviors. A. biology B. neurology C. psychology D. physiology

A. biology

The _________ rhythm is the biological rhythm that occurs over approximately 24 hours. A. circadian B. homeostatic C. meta D. pineal

A. circadian

Sandra strongly believes that attending daycare is detrimental to children's development so she decides to write her psychology term paper on this topic. She does a literature search and finds several sources supporting her opinion, but she finds that the majority of research indicates that children attending daycare experience healthy development. She writes a paper using the sources that find negative associations with daycare attendance. This is an example. of ___________. A. confirmation bias B. confounding variable C. correlational research D. observer bias

A. confirmation bias

Ronaldo was born without the ability to experience pain, though he can perceive temperature differences and changes in pressure. What is his condition called? A. congenital analgesia B. inherited numbness C. nociception D. Pacinian Syndrome

A. congenital analgesia

Harrison et al. are conducting a study assessing the ability of depressed versus non-depressed participants to remember negative emotions in a short story about a family whose car breaks down. They plan to ask participants to read the story and then make a list of the emotions expressed in the story. Before beginning the study, they make a list of negative emotions (e.g., sadness and anger) that they will record from the participants' responses. In this example, negative emotions are the ___________. A. dependent variable B. independent variable C. operational definition D. significant variable

A. dependent variable

Marta is pursuing a graduate degree in psychology. As part of her program she must write a long research paper based on the data she spent the last year gathering. What is the long research paper called? A. dissertation B. PhD C. postdoctoral D. PsyD

A. dissertation

Naturalistic observation

observation of behavior in its natural setting.

Read the following two sentences: (1) Gre eng rass gr ow son themoun tain. (2) Green grass grows on the the mountain. How does the principle of proximity explain why the second sentence makes sense immediately, but the first sentence does not? A. The first sentence is encoded, and the second sentence is decoded. B. We group letters of a given word together because there are no spaces between the letters, and we perceive words because there are spaced between each word. C. We learn the first sentence subliminally which lets us translate the meaning of the second sentence more quickly. D. We read the first sentence as practice and the second sentence as real.

B. We group letters of a given word together because there are no spaces between the letters, and we perceive words because there are spaced between each word.

Psychoanalytic theory focuses on __________ and early childhood experiences. A. a person's consciousness B. a person's unconscious C. fetal development D. sexual identity

B. a person's unconscious

Critical thinking is ___________. A. applying a set of skills to find information about a controversial topic B. applying a set of skills to understand and evaluate information C. applying information to understand and evaluate social phenomena D. reviewing information on the Internet to develop a critical opinion on it

B. applying a set of skills to understand and evaluate information

___________ means that there is a relationship between two or more variables. A. cause-and-effect B. correlation C. reliability D. validity

B. correlation

___________ theory suggests that when people are hypnotized they have voluntarily divided their conscious: one half aware of reality and the other half tuned in to the hypnotist. A. cognitive behavioral B. dissociative C. Jungian D. social-cognitive

B. dissociative

__________ is a neurotransmitter involved in mood, reward, addiction, and motor behavior. A. acetylcholine B. dopamine C. glutamate D. serotonin

B. dopamine

Sleep apnea is defined by _________________. A. a sense of panic in the sufferer often accompanied by screams and attempts to escape B. episodes during which a sleeper's breathing stops C. uncomfortable sensations in the legs during periods of inactivity or when trying to fall asleep D. unwanted, disruptive motor activity and/or experiences during sleep

B. episodes during which a sleeper's breathing stops

The theory of _________ states that organisms that are better suited for their environment will survive and reproduce, while those that are poorly suited for their environment will die off. A. behavioral genetics B. evolution by natural selection C. genetic mutation D. survivalism

B. evolution by natural selection

Which part of the eye holds eye color? A. cornea B. iris C. lens D. retina

B. iris

Behaviorism focuses on making psychology an objective science by ___________. A. studying how emotional responses influence behavior while deemphasizing the importance of the subconscious B. studying implicit motivations for behavior through the use of implicit association tests C. studying overt behavior and deemphasizing the importance of unobservable mental processes D. studying the genetic basis for behavior and theorizing how instincts influence behavior

C. studying overt behavior and deemphasizing the importance of unobservable mental processes

Studying close relatives allows behavioral geneticists to determine ___________. A. how behaviors have changed over time. B. the contribution of genes or environment to the behavior in the individuals studied C. the relative contributions of genes and environment in a population D. whether genes or environment cause a behavior or trait

C. the relative contributions of genes and environment in a population

Tayla smokes marijuana. At first, just a few inhalations were enough to cloud her mind. Over time, she needs to smoke more and more to achieve the same affect. this is an example of ____________. A. physical dependence B. psychological dependence C. tolerance D. withdrawal

C. tolerance

Which theorist had the most influence in shaping how clinicians interact with people seeking psychotherapy?

Carl Rogers

Which of the following statements about rotating shift work is false? A. It can result in sleeping problems. B. It refers to a work schedule that changes from early to late on a regular basis. C. It renders the maintenance of a normal circadian cycle difficult. D. It will probably lead to substance abuse.

D. It will probably lead to substance abuse.

Which theorist described dreams as having manifest and latent content? A. Carl Jung B. John Hobson C. Rosalind Cartwright D. Sigmund Freud

D. Sigmund Freud

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? A. Longitudinal research is time consuming. B. Marijuana has already been decriminalized in some places. C. Recruitment could be a challenge because people of different ages are difficult to sample. D. Social or cultural factors may influence the results, not age.

D. Social or cultural factors may influence the results, not age.

In a study of mate preference differences between men and women that spanned 37 cultures, Buss (1989) found that men value youthful appearance more than women. Why? A. Men are more sexually responsive with younger women. B. Men need to display their mates as a trophy. C. Women are not as superficial as men. D. Youthful looks provide fertility clues.

D. Youthful looks provide fertility clues.

Behaviorists study __________. A. a person's unconscious mind B. chemical and hormonal changes C. dreams D. learned behavior

D. learned behavior

___________ research studies the same groups of participants over time. A. archival B. correlational C. cross-sectional D. longitudinal

D. longitudinal

When studying personality traits, someone who is practical, conventional, and prefers routine will score low on the ___________ trait. A. agreeableness B. extroversion C. neuroticism D. openness

D. openness

Which of the following refers to a broad explanation or group of explanations for some aspect of the natural world that is consistently supported by evidence over time? A. -ology B. hypothesis C. pseudoscience D. scientific theory

D. scientific theory

Congenital deafness refers to deafness __________. A. as a result of disease B. as a result of old age C. due to deliberate damage D. since birth

D. since birth

Which state is marked by relatively low levels of physical activity and reduced sensory awareness that is distinct from periods of rest while awake? A. circadian rhythm B. consciousness C. jet lag D. sleep

D. sleep

What is a limitation that affects the generalization of research results? A. control groups B. operational definitions C. random assignment D. small sample size

D. small sample size

The auditory cortex is located in which lobe of the brain? A. frontal B. occipital C. parietal D. temporal

D. temporal

Honeybees can see light in the _________ range of the electromagnetic spectrum. A. beta B. gamma C. infrared D. ultraviolet

D. ultraviolet

What is a PsyD

Doctor of Psychology

Which of the following does not influence perception?

Gestalt

A series of dots arranged in the shape of a face will be perceived as a face, not a series of dots. A psychologist studying this phenomenon is applying the principals of

Gestalt psychology

Parasomnia

one of a group of sleep disorders characterized by unwanted, disruptive motor activity and/or experiences during sleep.

When studying personality traits, someone who is practical, conventional, and prefers routine will score low on the ________ trait

openness

Temporal lobe

part of cerebral cortex associated with hearing, memory, emotion, and some aspects of language; contains primary auditory cortex.

Occipital lobe

part of the cerebral cortex associated with visual processing; contains the primary visual cortex.

Parietal lobe

part of the cerebral cortex involved in processing various sensory and perceptual information; contains the primary somatosensory cortex.

Who started the feminist revolution in psychology?

Naomi Weisstein

Frontal lobe

part of the cerebral cortex involved in reasoning, motor control, emotion, and language; contains motor cortex.

For a scientific explanation to be testable, it must also be

perceivable and measurable

What should be changed to make the following statement true? Jean Piaget is famous for his theories regarding changes in emotional ability that occur as we move from infancy to adulthood

The word "emotional" should be changed to the word "cognitive."

What do structuralism, Gestalt psychology, and Sigmund Freud all have in common

They were all concerned with describing and understanding the inner experience

Who was the first person referred to as a psychologist?

Wilhelm Wundt

Validity

accuracy of a given result in measuring what is designed to measure.

Terminal button

axon terminal containing synaptic vesicles.

Congenital

been since birth

Soma

cell body

Cross-sectional research

compares multiple segments of a population at a single time.

Reliability

consistency and reproducibility of a given result.

Insomnia

consistent difficulty in falling or staying asleep for at least three nights a week over a month's time.

Operational definition

description of what actions and operations will be used to measure the dependent variables and manipulate the independent variables.

Action potential

electrical signal that moves down the neuron's axon.

Which of the following is not part of feminist psychology?

favoring women over men

Experimental group

group designed to answer the research question; experimental manipulation is the only difference between the experimental and control groups, so any differences between the two are due to experimental manipulation rather than chance.

Behaviorists study

learned behavior

Threshold of excitation

level of charge in the membrane that causes the neuron to become active.

Survey

list of questions to be answered by research participants—given as paper-and-pencil questionnaires, administered electronically, or conducted verbally—allowing researchers to collect data from a large number of people.

Inter-rater reliability

measure of agreement among observers on how they record and classify a particular event.

Random assignment

method of experimental group assignment in which all participants have an equal chance of being assigned to either group.

Archival research

method of research using past records or data sets to answer various research questions, or to search for interesting patterns or relationships.

What is the number one occupation employing graduates with a BA in psychology?

mid- and top-level management

The empirical method of study is based on

observation