Psychology Prologue Practice Quiz

The scientific study that aims to solve practical problems is called:

Applied research

Researchers continue to debate the origin of knowledge. Some believe that we are born with certain types of knowledge, while others believe that knowledge is gained through experience. Professor Risotto believes that children learn language through experiences. This approach is most similar to the ideas of:

Aristotle

Pure science that aims to increase the scientific knowledge base is called:

Basic research

Which of the following perspectives examines the degree to which genes and environment determine individual differences such as personality traits, intelligence, and sexual orientation?

Behavior genetics

The view that psychology (1) should be an objective science that (2) studies behavior without reference to mental processes is called:

Behaviorism

An integrated approach that incorporates biological, psychological, and social-cultural levels of analysis is

Biopsychosocial Approach

One way to develop a complete picture of any given behavior or mental process is to incorporate an integrated viewpoint that examines biological, psychological, and social-cultural factors. This is also known as:

Biopsychosocial approach

Dr. Stevens provides psychotherapy to people who suffer from excessive anxiety. Dr. Stevens is most likely a:

Clinical psychologist

A branch of psychology that studies, assesses, and treats people with psychological disorders is called:

Clinical psychology

Which perspective would be most relevant to understanding the role of spaced practice on long-term memory of information?

Cognitive

The interdisciplinary study of the brain activity linked with cognition (including perception, thinking memory, and language) is called:

Cognitive neuroscience

A focus on how we encode, process, store, and retrieve information is most relevant to the:

Cognitive perspective

A branch of psychology that studies how people interact with their social environments and how social institutions affect individuals and groups is called:

Community psychology

A branch of psychology that assists people with problems in living (often related to school, work, or marriage) and in achieving greater well-being is called:

Counseling psychology

Which school of psychology was most clearly concerned with the adaptive value of complex mental processes?

Functionalism

A historically significant perspective that emphasized the growth potential of healthy people and the individual's potential for personal growth is called:

Humanistic psychology

You begin seeing a therapist to cope with a number of stressful life events. The therapist does not focus on your childhood or on any learned behaviors, but rather she emphasizes the importance of your need for love and acceptance. Which school of thought does she belong to?

Humanistic psychology

Which school of psychology was most clearly concerned with the adaptive value of complex mental processes?

Introspection

Who was the functionalist who authored the textbook Principles of Psychology for the emerging discipline of psychology?

James

Who rejected the notion of inborn ideas, offering his notion that the mind is a blank sheet on which experience writes?

John Locke

The differing complementary views, from biological, to psychological to social-cultural, for analyzing any given phenomenon are referred to as:

Levels of analysis

The principle that, among the range of inherited trait variations, those contributing to reproduction and survival will most likely be passed on to succeeding generations is called:

Natural selection

The longstanding controversy over the relative contributions that genes and experience make to the development of psychological traits and behaviors is called:

Nature-nurture issues

Basic research on persistent human traits, such as optimism and pessimism, is most characteristic of the specialty known as:

Personality psychology

Professor Boyd believes that children in every culture can distinguish between costs and benefits because humans have an inborn understanding of economics. This belief is most consistent with the views of:

Plato

The scientific study of human functioning, with the goals of discovering and promoting strengths and virtues that help individuals and communities thrive is called:

Positive Psychology

A branch of medicine dealing with psychological disorders; practiced by physicians who sometimes provide medical treatments as well as psychological therapy is called:

Psychiatry

If a researcher focuses primarily on emotional responses, learned fears and other learned expectations, they are focusing on:

Psychological influences

The science of behavior and mental processes is called:

Psychology

If a clinician focuses primarily on the presence of others and peer and other group influences, they are focusing on:

Social-cultural influences

The enhanced memory after retrieving, rather than simply reading, information is called:

Testing effect

Who was the first woman to earn a Ph.D. in psychology?

Washburn

In an experiment conducted by Professor Costa, the participants' first task is to press any button if they see a red light blink. For the second task, they press the rightmost button if they see a red light blink and the leftmost button if they see a green light blink. Professor Costa is studying the difference in the average lag times of these two tasks. This is similar to experiments conducted by which of the following early psychologists?

Wilhelm Wundt

In December of 1879, he created the very first psychology laboratory in Germany.

Wundt

Your professor directs a child and adolescent clinic that specializes in shaping behavior through rewards and consequences. Which of the following branches of psychology does this clinic support?

behaviorism

A unified understanding of explanations provided by the neuroscience, cognitive, social-cultural, and other psychological perspectives is most clearly provided by:

biopsychosocial approach

Professor Bernstein conducts basic research on the progressive changes in infants' perceptual skills during the first year of life. Professor Bernstein is most likely a:

developmental psychologist

Understanding why a fear of darkness may have contributed to the survival of our human ancestors is most relevant to the:

evolutionary perspective

The leader of a self-help group has asked you to recommend an approach to psychology that emphasizes personal growth and people's need for love and acceptance. Which of the following branches of psychology would you recommend for this group?

humanistic psychology

Structuralists introduced which research method to identify basic elements of the human mind?

introspection

If you were taking psychology prior to 1920, psychology was defined as "the science of:

mental life

A focus on the extent to which behaviors and personality spring from drives and conflicts outside one's own awareness is most relevant to the:

psychodynamic perspective

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

structuralism

Edward Titchener was concerned primarily with the discovery of:

the elements of mind

Compared with the structuralists, early behaviorists were much LESS likely to focus on the study of:

thinking