Psychology Quizzes

Natural selection is MOST accurately summarized by the saying ________.

"reproduction of the fittest"

______________ is associated with Parkinson's disease, whereas __________ is associated with certain forms of schizophrenia.

Too little dopamine; too much dopamine

______ area is found in the temporal lobe and is involved with language comprehension.

Wernicke's

The father of psychology is ______________.

Wilhelm Wundt

Someone interested in studying the effects of text-messaging rather than talking on the phone on the quality of friendships would perform ____________ as the first step in order to follow the scientific method.

a literature review

Which scientific method of research would be used if a college student running for student body president was trying to determine whether to emphasize campus security, improved parking facilities, or increased health services in their campaign?

a survey

A mind-altering drug that mimics or enhances the action of neurotransmitters is called an ___________.

agonist

Behaviorists have been most successful in treating people with problems such as ____________.

alcoholism

What type of research would study ways to enhance athletic performance?

applied

Neurotransmitters _________________.

are chemicals that cross the synaptic gap and bind to receptors on another neuron

If you wanted to study someone with a rare disorder such as photophobia (the fear of light), your BEST research option would be a(n) ________.

case study

The next time you see someone at a party who is having trouble walking properly, you might say, "He has had too much to drink, and it went right to his ______________."

cerebellum

The largest specialty area in the field of psychology is ________________.

clinical psychology

The psychological perspective that studies how we gather, encode, and store information is the __________ perspective.

cognitive

Your left brain doesn't know what your right brain is doing. It is MOST likely that your __________ has severed.

corpus callosum

The three basic parts of the neuron can be likened to an arm, where the fingers represent the _______; the palm of the hand represents the ______; and the forearm represents the _______.

dendrites; cell body; axon

Which neurotransmitter is involved in drug addiction?

dopamine

Communication within neurons is ________, whereas communication between neurons is __________.

electrical; chemical

If you run a marathon, your body will release ___________ to elevate your mood and reduce your pain.

endorphins

This neurotransmitter is involved in the metabolism of glucose necessary for energy release.

epinephrine

Because research in the United States has demonstrated that adolescents are not very respectful to the elderly, Sara concludes that all adolescents everywhere in the world are disrespectful to the elderly. This is an example of _________________.

ethnocentrism

If a researcher is interested in studying the effects of administering different dosages of cocaine on rats, then he is MOST likely going to be concerned with __________ during his research.

guidelines for the ethical care of animals

Chemicals that are manufactured by endocrine glands and circulated in the bloodstream to change or maintain bodily functions are called

hormones

________ are manipulated; _________ are measured.

independent variables; dependent variables

In an experiment to determine if listening to music affects how well students perform on a test, the independent variable of this study is ____________.

music

We are able to learn a new language or a new sport because of the brain's _______________.

neuroplasticity

In a naturalistic observation, a researcher would be most likely to do which of the following?

observe and systematically record behavior in a participant's natural state or habitat

The ____________ is involved in regulating blood sugar levels.

pancreas

Modern psychologists believe that many human characteristics such as eye color, hair color, or height are _____________.

polygenic

Identical twin boys raised in different households demonstrated great similarity in their personalities when reunited 20 years later. This is evidence for the _______________.

predominance of "nature"

The control group in an experiment is the group in which participants ______________.

receive no treatment

Before you attempt to change your time management skills, you should ________.

record current activities

The first step in the scientific method is _________.

reviewing the literature of existing theories

The reflex involved when you stroke an infant's cheek and she/he turns toward the stimulator and begins to suck is called the _______ reflex.

rooting

This neurotransmitter affects sleep, appetite, and emotional states, among other behaviors.

serotonin

A hypothesis is a ________.

specific prediction about how one variable is related to another

SQ4R stands for ____________.

survey, question, read, recite, review, write

Many symptoms of schizophrenia, such as hearing voices, misunderstanding social cues, and misinterpreting sensory information, could be due to abnormalities in the __________________.

thalamus

Which one of the following parts of Freudian theory is still accepted by many psychotherapists today?

the influence of the unconscious mind on behavior

An example of __________ would be if you argue that most behaviors are a product of your environment and your friend argues that behaviors are a result of heredity.

the nature-nurture controversy

Psychology is defined as the ___________.

the scientific study of behavior and mental processes

Which of the following is a mental process?

thinking and feeling

A synaptic gap is the __________.

tiny opening between the sending and receiving neuron

What is the major function of our nervous system?

to convey information

What are the goals of psychology?

to describe, explain, predict, and change behavior

What is the basic function of a neuron?

to transmit information throughout the nervous system

What does APA stand for?

American Psychological Association

Lightly stroking the bottom of a baby's foot causes the toes to fan out. This is known as the ___________.

Babinski reflex

_________ is information acquired by direct observation and measurement using systematic scientific methods.

Empirical evidence

________ are suspected causes in disorders such as Alzheimer's disease and schizophrenia.

Genetic abnormalities