psy2012 ch 1 quizzs

The "third variable problem" is associated with which scientific thinking principle?

Correlation is not causation. Correct! Just because two variables are correlated with one another does not mean either necessarily plays a causal role in the relationship. LO 1.3b Identify and explain the text's six principles of scientific thinking.

The idea that we can dismiss scientific theories (such as Darwinian evolution) from serious consideration because a theory "is just an educated guess" is __________.

a misconception Correct! People often misunderstand the definition and function of scientific theories; they are more than just "hunches" or "educated guesses" about the world. LO 1.1b Explain the importance of science as a set of safeguards against biases.

An important principle of scientific thinking states that if two explanations account equally well for a phenomenon, we should generally select the simpler one. This principle is known as __________.

Occam's Razor Correct! Sir William of Occam advocated a parsimonious approach to explaining the world around him. LO 1.3b Identify and explain the text's six principles of scientific thinking.

According to astronomer Carl Sagan, scientific skepticism includes (1) a willingness to keep an open mind to all claims, and (2) a willingness to __________.

accept claims only after researchers have subjected them to careful scientific tests Correct! Sagan's observations, although based in his astrophysics work, apply generally to all sciences. LO 1.3a Identify the key features of scientific skepticism.

Psychics who perform poorly in laboratory tests and then blame their poor performance on "bad vibes" from skeptical researchers are displaying which sign of pseudoscience?

ad hoc immunizing hypotheses Correct! Pat yourself on the back, old bean! LO 1.2a Describe psychological pseudoscience and distinguish it from psychological science.

Wilhelm Wundt developed the first full-fledged psychological laboratory in 1879 in Leipzig, Germany. He pioneered the technique of __________, in which trained observers reflected on and reported on their own mental experiences.

introspection Correct! Wundt believed that his method could help reveal the mechanics of mental processes. Turns out it could not—at least not very reliably. LO 1.4a Identify the major theoretical frameworks of psychology.

Because religious concepts cannot be tested scientifically, we should consider that __________.

science and religion are nonoverlapping realms of understanding the world Correct! There are many ways of explaining the world; science is one of them. LO 1.1b Explain the importance of science as a set of safeguards against biases.

Some main warning signs of pseudoscientific claims include overreliance on anecdotes, exaggerated claims, absence of connectivity to other research, lack of peer review, and __________.

use of scientific-sounding terms that make little sense Correct! Psychobabble sounds like it should be important although it really is not. LO 1.2a Describe psychological pseudoscience and distinguish it from psychological science.

Alice is looking for an effective diet program. She is able to evaluate the claims of competing programs in an open-minded and careful fashion by __________, the hallmark of scientific skepticism.

using her critical thinking skills Correct! Remember that "critical" does not mean "negative" or "dismissive," but rather an approach to evaluating evidence and thinking about the world. LO 1.3a Identify the key features of scientific skepticism.

The idea of placing a third brake light at the base of a car's back windshield and changing the color of fire engines from red to yellow are examples of __________.

applied psychological research Correct! Applied psychologists discovered these important modifications and ushered them into common usage. LO 1.4d Describe how psychological research affects our daily lives.

Which type of psychologist is most likely to work with patients who have serious mental disorders such as major depression?

clinical psychologist Correct! Although areas of specialization may overlap, this type of psychologist would probably address these kinds of issues. LO 1.4a Identify the major theoretical frameworks of psychology.

In the 1950s and 1960s, many psychologists were disillusioned with behaviorism's neglect of the mental processes involved in different aspects of thinking. Arguing that thinking has a powerful effect on behavior, psychologists such as Jean Piaget began to develop the field of __________.

cognitivism Correct! A "cognitive revolution" was in the making starting in the 1950s and 1960s. LO 1.4b Describe different types of psychologists and identify what each of them does.

Ten-year-old Candace Newmaker died as a result of a pseudoscientific treatment called "rebirthing therapy." This is an example of pseudoscience causing __________.

direct harm Correct! Tragically, Candace's life was cut short by the actions of unqualified "professionals." LO 1.2b Identify reasons we are drawn to pseudoscience.

Research has shown that people are especially prone to find patterns of meaning in meaningless stimuli when they __________.

do not feel a sense of control Correct! We all want to make sense out of our environments, even if we are the ones supplying the supposed pattern to events. LO 1.2b Identify reasons we are drawn to pseudoscience.

ne reason people are drawn to believing in pseudoscience is that we use our emotions as guides to evaluate the validity of claims. This is known as the affect heuristic or the __________.

emotional reasoning fallacy Correct! Both of these terms describe this tendency. LO 1.2b Identify reasons we are drawn to pseudoscience.

One of the great debates that has shaped the field of psychology is the question of whether people choose their behaviors or are obliged to act in certain ways by factors beyond their control. This is known as the __________ debate.

free will-determinism Correct! Do we do what we do because we want to do it, or do we do what we do because we just do what we do? LO 1.4d Describe how psychological research affects our daily lives.

Evolutionary psychology has been criticized because __________.

its predictions are difficult to falsify Correct! The behavioral record is not nearly as complete as the fossil record; bones can be unearthed after millenia, but not so with behaviors. LO 1.4c Describe two great debates that have shaped the field of psychology.

Bud and Sandy are discussing the merits of new automobiles. Bud noted, "This car model has been tested by four different consumer agencies in hundreds of tests with virtually the same outcomes each time; it is very reliable." Sandy countered, "Yeah, but my neighbor down the street bought that car, and he has had nothing but problems. I would stay away from it." Which hallmark of pseudoscience has Sandy fallen prey to?

overreliance on anecdotes Correct! One anecdote here or there does not carry the same evidentiary weight as the outcomes of multiple, well-controlled, scientific tests. LO 1.2a Describe psychological pseudoscience and distinguish it from psychological science.

According to David Hume, an eighteenth-century Scottish philosopher, the more a claim contradicts what we already know, the more __________ must be the evidence for the claim.

persuasive Correct! When our attitudes are discrepant with an attitude change message, we need powerful evidence to sway us. LO 1.3b Identify and explain the text's six principles of scientific thinking.

Just as behaviorism was gaining popularity in the United States, Sigmund Freud was founding a new field of psychology, one that focused on internal psychological processes such as unconscious impulses, thoughts, and memories. This approach is called __________.

psychoanalysis Correct! Psychoanalytic theory represented Freud's view of the mind and its functioning. LO 1.4a Identify the major theoretical frameworks of psychology.

The outgoing behavior of other people can make an extraverted person act even more extraverted. Bandura called this mutual influence on one another's behavior __________.

reciprocal determinism Correct! Disentangling specific, isolated causes of a given behavior can be difficult, because behaviors are often multiply determined and subject to the reciprocal influences of others and environmental factors. LO 1.1a Explain why psychology is more than just common sense. operant conditioning

The police have arrested a suspect in an assault case and the victim has agreed to look at a lineup to see if he can identify the person who attacked him. Gary, a police psychologist, is advising the detectives on the most accurate way to put together a lineup. What should he recommend that they use?

sequential lineup Correct! Many police departments are now adopting this approach. LO 1.4d Describe how psychological research affects our daily lives.

Science writer Michael Shermer coined the termed "patternicity" to refer to __________.

the human tendency to see patterns in meaningless data Correct! Although this is generally an adaptive tendency it can lead to trouble when over-applied. LO 1.2b Identify reasons we are drawn to pseudoscience.

In thinking of the multiple levels of analysis in psychology, the neurochemical level is considered to be __________ because this level is more closely tied to biological influences.

toward the lower end of the ladder Correct! Neurochemical explanations are about as down and dirty as you can get—right there in the brain itself. LO 1.1a Explain why psychology is more than just common sense.

An approach to psychology that relied heavily on dream interpretation, symbolism, unconscious motives, and the suppression of sexual and aggressive urges was developed by __________.

Sigmund Freud Correct! Psychoanalytic theory incorporates all these elements. LO 1.4a Identify the major theoretical frameworks of psychology.

Of the 3,500 or so self-help books published every year, what percentage are scientifically tested?

about 5 percent Correct! Those are not very good odds for effectively helping oneself. LO 1.2a Describe psychological pseudoscience and distinguish it from psychological science.

Georgio does not want to take the SAT or ACT exams because he thinks they will not accurately reflect his ability to succeed in college and are no more useful than flipping a coin. His guidance counselor explains that psychologists have determined that, although not perfect, these tests are significantly better than chance at predicting college success. These psychologists are sharing some __________ with Georgio.

applied research Correct! The application of basic research findings can help improve our lives. LO 1.4d Describe how psychological research affects our daily lives.

Twin and adoption studies addressing the nature-nurture debate are typically conducted by __________.

behavior geneticists Correct! Researchers in this area know how to design and analyze such studies. LO 1.4c Describe two great debates that have shaped the field of psychology.

People have a tendency to continue holding on to their beliefs even when those beliefs have been shown to be wrong. This phenomenon is known as __________.

belief perseverance Correct! Even in the face of directly contradictory evidence, people will often cling to their existing beliefs about the world. LO 1.1b Explain the importance of science as a set of safeguards against biases.

The phrase "don't confuse me with the facts" would best describe which self-deception trap?

belief perseverance Correct! People often cling to their initial beliefs even in the face of directly disconfirming evidence. LO 1.1b Explain the importance of science as a set of safeguards against biases.

One reason that intuition and common sense are not a good basis for scientific psychology is that we often do not notice __________.

contradictions between our views Correct! Contradictions usually need to be pointed out to us by others. LO 1.1a Explain why psychology is more than just common sense.

Your friend is an emergency room nurse. He tells you the ER is always busier when there is a full moon; he claims it is because unstable people are more affected by the moon's gravitational pull. To evaluate his claim, you should understand that __________.

correlation is not causation Correct! Perhaps there are more admittances during a full moon; that does not indicate the full moon is causing that increase. LO 1.3b Identify and explain the text's six principles of scientific thinking.

Psychological researchers have become more aware of the importance of replicating research results. Part of this awareness is driven by the observation that the size of certain psychological findings appears to be shrinking over time. This phenomenon is known as the __________.

decline effect Correct! In some areas of study it can be demonstrated that the size of an effect gets smaller over time. LO 1.3b Identify and explain the text's six principles of scientific thinking.

You meet a psychologist who tells you that she conducts research on children to determine how their cognitive processes differ as the child gets older. You recognize that this person is most likely a(n) __________.

developmental psychologist Correct! Psychologists who specialize in this subfield would be likely to study these kinds of questions. LO 1.4b Describe different types of psychologists, and identify what each of them does.

A friend says he will not have his new baby inoculated against any childhood diseases because he is afraid the shots will cause autism. You point out that there is no scientific evidence to support that idea. He says he knows that, but he just feels that it is true. What logical fallacy is at work?

emotional reasoning fallacy Correct! Feeling is no replacement for evidence. LO 1.2a Describe psychological pseudoscience and distinguish it from psychological science.

Science begins with the premise that knowledge should first be acquired through observation. This premise is called __________.

empiricism Correct! Sciences are empirical in their approach to understanding the world. LO 1.1b Explain the importance of science as a set of safeguards against biases.

Dr. Frohardt is a psychology professor who has been asked to explain what all people will look at first when they view photographs of dangerous animals. Dr. Frohardt will find this task difficult because __________.

eye-tracking studies show differences between cultures when inspecting visual materials Correct! People from different cultural backgrounds focus on different aspects of a depicted scene, even one showing a potentially dangerous threat. LO 1.1a Explain why psychology is more than just common sense.

The theoretical framework of psychology known as structuralism had two major problems. One was that highly trained introspectionists often disagreed on subjective reports. The other was the discovery of __________.

imageless thought Correct! Oswald Kulpe introduced evidence for this kind of "content-less" thinking. LO 1.4a Identify the major theoretical frameworks of psychology.

According to philosopher of science Sir Karl Popper, for a scientific claim to be meaningful, it must be falsifiable, which means __________.

it can be tested to determine if it is false Correct! Finding the 1001st white swan is not as compelling as finding a single black swan. LO 1.3b Identify and explain the text's six principles of scientific thinking.

As a discipline, psychology spans multiple __________, which can be thought of as the rungs on a ladder.

levels of analysis Correct! Psychologists adopt many different levels of analysis when understanding the mind, brain, and behavior. LO 1.1a Explain why psychology is more than just common sense.

Ways of thinking that appear to make intuitive sense but are actually traps that lead to mistaken conclusions are called __________.

logical fallacies Correct! Fallacious thinking is no way to stumble through life. LO 1.2b Identify reasons we are drawn to pseudoscience.

Which term describes the common sense belief that we see the world as it really is?

naive realism Correct! Many times our perceptions of the world are correct, but not all the time. LO 1.1a Explain why psychology is more than just common sense.

Laurie told her friend Sandi, "I had a headache this morning so I used an old family cure: Three sips of ginger ale, and an hour later my head felt better." Sandi replied, "I am glad you are feeling more comfortable now, but maybe the sheer passage of time made your headache go away." Sandi is offering a(n) __________ in response to Laurie's explanation.

rival hypothesis Correct! When there is more than one way to explain an event, it can be difficult to identify which is the correct explanation. LO 1.3b Identify and explain the text's six principles of scientific thinking.

E.B. Titchener was a leading figure in which framework of psychology, which advocated the use of introspection to identify basic elements of experience?

structuralism Correct! Titchener was the main proponent of this approach to psychology. LO 1.4a Identify the major theoretical frameworks of psychology.

British philosopher John Locke stood on the nurture side of the nature-nurture debate, comparing the mind of a newborn to a sheet of paper that had yet to be written on. Others later used which term to describe the same idea?

tabula rasa Correct! Your Latin teacher—if you had actually taken Latin—would be quite proud. LO 1.4c Describe two great debates that have shaped the field of psychology.