Psychology Semester Exam study guide

Sleep and meditation are examples of a. altered states of consciousness b. circadian rhythms c. meditation d. hallucinations

a. altered states of consciousness

The behavioral method that has been used to treat migraine headaches includes a. biofeedback training b. reinforcement c. regression d. none of the above

a. biofeedback training

The largest part of the brain is the a. cerebrum b. cerebellum c. thalamus d. hypothalamus

a. cerebrum

After making their observations, scientists study their data using a. correlation b. the cross-sectional method c. the longitudinal method d. laboratory observation

a. correlation

Electroencephalograms have been used by researchers to a. diagnose certain kinds of psychological disorders b. identify specific areas of the brain that are associated with certain sensations c. generate a three-dimensional image of the brain d. do all of the above

a. diagnose certain kinds of psychological disorders

Psychologists keep the records of their research participants confidential to a. encourage participants to tell the truth b. make double-blind studies more effective c. make single-blind studies more effective d. avoid the placebo effect

a. encourage participants to tell the truth

Social psychologists differ from personality psychologists in their focus on a. external rather than internal influences b. behavior rather than cognitive activity c. heredity rather than environmental causes for behavior d. all of the above.

a. external rather than internal influences

Biofeedback has been used successfully to treat a. high blood pressure b. cancer c. eating disorders d. all of the above

a. high blood pressure

Unusual drinking and eating behaviors can be caused by damage to the a. hypothalamus b. reticular activating system c. cerebellum d. pons

a. hypothalamus

The skills needed for riding a bicycle are stored as a. implicit memories b. episodic memories c. semantic memories d. echoic memories

a. implicit memories

Psychologist William James believed that human behavior is motivated by a. instinct b. homeostasis c. self-actualization d. all of the above

a. instinct

The basic building blocks of the nervous system are a. neurons b. medullas c. pons d. glands

a. neurons

People who watch a lot of violence on television are more likely to be violent in part because of a. observational learning b. classical conditioning c. negative reinforcement d. systematic desensitization

a. observational learning

Men have traditionally taken part in psychological studies more often than women because a. older studies drew participants from the military and universities b. they were offered higher fees for participating c. women distrusted the early schools of psychology d. all of the above

a. older studies drew participants from the military and universities

According to Sigmund Freud, repression is a reaction to a. painful and unpleasant memories b. a head injury c. illness d. all of the above

a. painful and unpleasant memories

To ensure that a sample represents a target population, researchers select a. people at random from the target population b. a large number of people from one subgroup c. a slightly larger percentage of people from certain subgroups d. all of the above

a. people at random from the target population

According to the biopsychological approach, dreaming occurs because of the a. random firing of neurons b. dreamer's unconscious wishes or urges c. effects of sleep disorders d. dreamer's circadian rhythms

a. random firing of neurons

Flashbulb memories are so vivid because they a. recall events with special meanings b. are not recalled very often c. involve learning skills that are never forgotten d. do all of the above

a. recall events with special meanings

Information in short-term memory lasts for a. several seconds b. several minutes c. several hours d. several days

a. several seconds

Many older people become farsighted as a. the lenses in their eyes become more brittle b. their pupils respond more slowly to light c. they lose photoreceptors d. all of the above

a. the lenses in their eyes become more brittle

Abraham Maslow argued that differences in personality are linked to a. the search for self-actualization b. hereditary factors c. the inferiority complex d. fixations at early stages of development

a. the search for self-actualization

The longitudinal method is concerned with observing a. the ways in which people change over time b. how people behave under controlled conditions c. people's views on a particular subject d. peoples character traits and temperament

a. the ways in which people change over time

Through operant conditioning, people learn to control a. voluntary responses b. involuntary biological behaviors c. unconditioned responses d. unconditioned stimuli

a. voluntary responses

Modern psychology was born in the a. 4th centrury B.C., with the Greek philosophers b. 1800s, after the birth of modern science c. 1900s, with the founding of psychoanalysis d. Middle Ages, with tests to determine if a person was possessed.

b. 1800s, after the birth of modern science

The need for self-actualization is part of the theory proposed by a. William James b. Abraham Maslow c. Karl G. Lange d. Clark Hull

b. Abraham Maslow

One method that helps researchers gather information from many people is a. a case study b. a survey c. a replication d. a correlation

b. a survey

The least stressful type of conflict is the a. avoidance-avoidance conflict b. approach-approach conflict c. approach-avoidance conflict d. multiple approach-avoidance conflict

b. approach-approach conflict

The young hero, the fertile and nurturing mother, and the wise old man are examples of a. source traits b. archetypes c. congruences d. acculturation

b. archetypes

Socialization is a process described by a. humanistic psychologists b. behavioral psychologist c. trait theories d. psychoanalytic theorists

b. behavioral psychologist

Sleep researchers define our sleep stages in terms of a. the length of time each takes b. brain wave patterns c. the time of night each occurs d. the number of times we wake up

b. brain wave patterns

Scientists are cautious about making generalizations from case studies because a. such observations occur in a controlled laboratory setting b. case studies cannot always be replicated c. case studies do not include information from other sources d. all of the above

b. case studies cannot always be replicated

The gateway from the outer ear to the middle ear is the a. stirrup b. eardrum c. cochlea d. auditory nerve

b. eardrum

In contrast to other early psychologists, Sigmund Freud gained his understanding of human behavior a. in a laboratory b. in consultations with patients c. through systematic surveys d. through studies of the nervous system

b. in consultations with patients

Most people forget things because of the normal processes of a. maintenance and elaborative rehearsals b. interference and decay c. repression and amnesia d. chunking and schema

b. interference and decay

"Skinner boxes" are examples of a. naturalistic observation b. laboratory observation c. stratified samples d. random samples

b. laboratory observation

Conductive deafness occurs because of damage to the a. inner ear b. middle ear c. cochlea d. auditory nerve

b. middle ear

Cognitive psychologists view learning as a. mechanical b. purposeful c. involuntary d. all of the above

b. purposeful

The easiest of the three basic memory tasks is a. recall b. recognition c. relearning d. chunking

b. recognition

The main colors of the visible spectrum are a. red, green, black, white, orange, and brown b. red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet c red, blue and green d. yellow, orange, blue, black and purple

b. red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet

Progressive relaxation helps lower stress in the body by a. changing stressful thoughts b. reducing muscle tension c. identifying self-defeating thoughts d. doing all of the above

b. reducing muscle tension

The pituitary gland is know as the "master gland" because it a. is the largest gland b. secretes many hormones that affect a wide range of behaviors c. controls which information travels between the brain's hemispheres d. does all of the above

b. secretes many hormones that affect a wide range of behaviors

The average person can hold in short-term memory a list of a. five items b. seven items c. eight items d. nine items

b. seven items

Two research methods widely used by psychologists are a. precognition and the Ganzfeld procedure b. surveys and experiments c. water-float tests and lie-detector tests. d. introspection and reinforcement

b. surveys and experiments

The modern biological perspective of psychology studies a. only the behavior of animals b. the effects of biological factors on our behavior c. the effects of the environment on human behavior d. the impact people have had on their environment

b. the effects of biological factors on our behavior

The main function of the peripheral nervous system is to a. relay messages between the brain's right and left hemispheres b. transmit information from the central nervous system to other parts of the body c. speed up respiration and heart rate to increase alertness d. produce growth hormones

b. transmit information from the central nervous system to other parts of the body

A person with dissociative identity disorder has a. frequent panic attacks b. two or more personalities c. impulses to commit socially unacceptable behavior d. amnesia about personal information and past events

b. two or more personalities

Convergence is an example of a. shape constancy b. brightness constancy c. a binocular cue d. a monocular cue

c. a binocular cue

A placebo is often as effective as taking a medication because a. it is given under laboratory conditions b. neither the researcher nor the participant knows about it c. a person's expectations affect the results of a treatment d. it has a negative correlation with health

c. a person's expectations affect the results of a treatment

"Role theory" suggests that people who are hypnotized a. revert to childish behaviors b. are faking it to please other observers c. believe what they are doing is real d. alter their state of consciousness through stimulants

c. believe what they are doing is real

The cones in the retina are sensitive to a. yellow and orange light b. black and white c. blue, green and red light d. all of the above

c. blue, green and red light

Developmental psychologists are especially concerned with a. testifying at legal trials b. developing aptitude tests for students c. changes that occur throughout the life span d. all of the above

c. changes that occur throughout the life span

Ivan Pavlov's experiments with dogs yielded information about a. operant conditioning b. counter conditioning c. classical conditioning d. all of the above

c. classical conditioning

A conditioned response may be extinguished when a. similar stimuli cause the same response b. stimuli that are not similar to each other cause a different response c. conditioned stimulus is no longer followed by an unconditioned stimulus d. the conditioned response is no longer paired with an unconditioned response

c. conditioned stimulus is no longer followed by an unconditioned stimulus

Studying for a test in the same room in which it will be held may result in a better grade because of a. iconic memory b. state-dependent memory c. context-dependent memory d. eidetic memory

c. context-dependent memory

Researchers found that people who experienced many life changes within a year's time a. adjusted easily if the changes were positive b. put off making even minor decisions c. developed medical problems d. became suicidal

c. developed medical problems

Personality theorist Alfred Adler believed that people are motivated by a. the collective unconscious b. external forces and influences c. feelings of inferiority d. a desire for consistency

c. feelings of inferiority

Instincts are also known as a. motives b. needs c. fixed-action patterns d. emotions

c. fixed-action patterns

An eyewitness' memory of a crime can be distorted by a. returning to the scene of the crime b. describing the scene of the crime in his or her own words c. hypnosis d. all of the above

c. hypnosis

According to the American Psychological Association, psychologists can deceive participants in an experiment a. in all cases b. only in tests for experimental drugs c. if there will be no harmful effects from the study d. to get enough participants in a dangerous study

c. if there will be no harmful effects from the study

The method of learning that stresses examining one's own thoughts and feeling is a. positive visualization b. Gestalt psychology c. introspection d. reinforcement

c. introspection

During NREM sleep, dreaming a. never occurs b. is the most vivid c. is usually vague and fleeting d. usually involves clear, realistic plots

c. is usually vague and fleeting

The lens of the eye is responsible for a. allowing enough light to enter the eye b. processing an image c. keeping objects in focus d. carrying visual input to the brain

c. keeping objects in focus

Scientists sometimes replicate a study using different participants in order to a. test whether or not there was volunteer bias b. study changes over time c. make sure the findings are true for different groups of people d. prove a positive correlation between two factors d.

c. make sure the findings are true for different groups of people

The corpus callosum is responsible for a. regulating body temperature b. storing nutrients c. moving information from one hemisphere of the brain to the other d. all of the above

c. moving information from one hemisphere of the brain to the other

Observing the way people eat in restaurants is an example of a. laboratory observation b. a survey c. naturalistic observation d. the longitudinal method

c. naturalistic observation

Many of our basic biological functions, such as breathing, exist at the a. preconscious level b. unconscious level c. nonconscious level d. conscious level

c. nonconscious level

The part of the reticular activating system that helps regulate sleep and alertness is the a. medulla b. cerebellum c. pons d. thalamus

c. pons

Psychology is defined as the a. humanistic study of emotions and feelings b. sociological study of individual and group dynamics c. scientific study of behavior and mental processes d. study of supernatural phenomena

c. scientific study of behavior and mental processes

Facts learned in classes at school become part of the a. implicit memory b. episodic memory c. semantic memory d. iconic memory

c. semantic memory

Sensorineural deafness prevents people from hearing a. very quiet sounds b. anything but the loudest sounds c. sounds of certain frequencies d. any sound at all

c. sounds of certain frequencies

According to Freud, the part of the mind that functions according to the moral principle is the a. id b. ego c. superego d. collective unconscious

c. superego

The "fight-or-flight" response to a stressful event is activated by the a. thyroid gland b. hypothalamus c. sympathetic nervous system d. parasympathetic nervous system

c. sympathetic nervous system

Human consciousness, experience, and self-awareness are the main concerns of a. the school of behaviorism b. Freudian psychoanalysis c. the humanistic perspective d. the school of functionalism

c. the humanistic perspective

In order to remember information for a long period of time, facts must be a. stored as echoes b. stored as icons c. transferred from short-term memory to long-term memory d. moved from short-term memory to sensory memory

c. transferred from short-term memory to long-term memory

In its early days, the school of psychoanalysis stressed that behavior was caused by a. heredity rather than environment b. environment rather than heredity c. unconscious motives and conflicts d. conscious choice and self-direction

c. unconscious motives and conflicts

Classical conditioning can be applied to help overcome fears using the method of a. flooding b. systematic desensitization c. counterconditioning d. all of the above

d. all of the above

Counseling psychologists encourage their clients to a. clarify their goals b. overcome adjustment problems c. meet challenges d. all of the above

d. all of the above

Psychologists describe stress as a. a person's perception of an event b. a person's response to a disturbing event c. an event that causes tension d. all of the above

d. all of the above

Researchers have discovered that certain psychological disorders can be inherited, including a. alcoholism b. schizophrenia c. anxiety and depression d. all of the above

d. all of the above

Researchers learn about the brain by studying a. images of the brain created by computers b. people with head injuries c. the effects of electrical stimulation on the brain d. all of the above

d. all of the above

The functioning of the immune system can be improved by a. having many friends b. reducing stress c. relaxation techniques d. all of the above

d. all of the above

The sociocultural perspective focuses on the role of a. ethnicity b. gender c. culture d. all of the above

d. all of the above

The testing method of observation investigates human behavior through a. personality tests b. aptitude tests c. intelligence tests d. all of the above

d. all of the above

The practice of psychology is closely related to the natural sciences by a. its concern with the biological functions of the brain b. the way it conducts experiments c the way it analyzes data and draws conclusions. d. all of the above.

d. all of the above.

The two main divisions of the central nervous system are the a. somatic and autonomic nervous system b. right and left hemispheres c. sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems d. brain and the spinal cord

d. brain and the spinal cord

The cross-sectional method charts changes over time by a. observing one group of participants over a certain period of time b. surveying people who are the same age about their personal histories c. manipulating the independent variable d. comparing participants from different age groups

d. comparing participants from different age groups

Recent research suggests that the "big five" personality dimensions a. define a person's psychological makeup b. tend to be established at an early age c. remain stable throughout life d. do all of the above

d. do all of the above

Most psychologists suggest that punishment is not the best way to deal with a problem because it a. may cause children to learn to hit b. may cause a child to run away c. does not teach the correct way to act d. does all of the above

d. does all of the above

Sleep is considered a necessary vital function because it a. helps people recover from stress b. builds up a person's resistance to infection c. maintains the brain's proper functioning d. does all of the above

d. does all of the above.

Course planning and instructional methods for school districts are usually handled by a. school psychologists b. developmental psychologists c. personality psychologists d. educational psychologists

d. educational psychologists

Computers and people both handle information using the processes of a. implicit, semantic, and episodic memories b. maintenance and elaborative rehearsals c. sensory, short-term, and long-term memories d. encoding, storage, and retrieval

d. encoding, storage, and retrieval

Abraham Maslow pioneered the study of a. behavioral psychology b. developmental psychology c. forensic psychology d. humanistic psychology

d. humanistic psychology

When you touch a hot object with your right hand, that information is sent to the a. limbic system b. pituitary gland c. right hemisphere of the brain d. left hemisphere of the brain

d. left hemisphere of the brain

The first stage of memory is a. long-term memory b. short-term memory c. context-dependent memory d. sensory memory

d. sensory memory

Stress eventually exhausts people because it causes the body to produce a. white blood cells b. red blood cells c. adrenaline d. steroids

d. steroids

The school of behaviorism defined psychology as a. the scientific study of behavior and mental processes b. the biological study of the brain and its behavior c. the sociological study of group behavior d. the scientific study of observable behavior

d. the scientific study of observable behavior

Psychologists suggest that people try to combat insomnia by a. taking sleeping pills b. drinking coffee or another kind of stimulant c. trying harder to fall asleep d. using daydreams to relax

d. using daydreams to relax

Sounds are caused by a. electromagnetic energy b. the release of sensory neurons c. motion parallax d. vibrations that cause changes in air pressure

d. vibrations that cause changes in air pressure

Sharpness of vision is know as a. retinal disparity b. retinal convergence c. visual continuity d. visual acuity

d. visual acuity