Test bank for THINK psychology 1st canadian edition by baird

Luther is a graduate student in clinical psychology, and his thesis research centres around uncovering the precursors of generalized anxiety disorder in university undergraduates.. The

THINK Psychology Ce / Baird, McCarthy

Chapter 1 – Introduction: What Can Psychology Teach Us?

Multiple Choice Questions

1 Which of the following is not found in the definition of the term Psychology?

3 Maggie was sent to the school psychologist for an intelligence test Based on the results of that test, it was

decided that she would do well in the gifted child program This is an example of which goal of psychology?

4 Luther is a graduate student in clinical psychology, and his thesis research centres around uncovering the

precursors of generalized anxiety disorder in university undergraduates The main question he is asking is, “Why

do undergraduate students seem more susceptible to the symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder than students of the same age?” Which goal of psychology is Luther’s research exploring?

5 Luther is a graduate student in clinical psychology, and his thesis research centers around uncovering useful

treatments for generalized anxiety disorder in university undergraduates The main question he is asking is, “What are the most effective treatments for reducing the symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder in undergraduate students.” Which goal of psychology is Luther’s research exploring?

7 Many people do not believe that psychology is a science because

a Much of what psychologists study may be personally experienced

b Much of what psychologists study is related to abstract concepts that have no bearing on the real world

c Psychology does not use the rigorous research methodologies of the ‘hard sciences’ like physics and chemistry

d The uniqueness and individuality of every human being makes it truly impossible to generate any scientifically based theories that apply to larger groups of people

9 Lizette is having a conversation with her sister, Drew, who happens to be a psychology researcher “You know, I

really don’t understand how you can claim that psychology is a science,” Lizette says “You just ask questions and guess as to what the right answer is!” Drew smiles at Lizette and says “Well, I don’t think that you understand much about psychology, sis! We believe in empiricism, which means that:

a “the use of logic is an adequate means with which to draw conclusions to problems.”

b “new knowledge comes from our experiences.”

c “there really is no right or wrong, just individual perspectives.”

d “as long as you cannot disprove a researcher’s findings, that research is valid.”

11 Once you have established a problem that can be studied empirically the next step is to identify the variables

that will be investigated How many variables that can change throughout an experiment should a researcher seek

to establish?

a Only one variable should change throughout the experiment

b There are exactly three variables that should change throughout the experiment

c The number of variables that change can differ based on the particular research question

d It is impossible to limit the number of variables that can change throughout an experiment.Answer: A

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Skill: Conceptual

Difficult

12 Why is it optimal for a researcher to ensure that only one variable changes throughout an experiment?

a Because more than one variable creates a statistical nightmare that is exceedingly difficult to interpret

b Because multiple variables will require more research participants, and thus more funding

c Because more than one variable changing can influence our results and lead to incorrect

15 After a researcher has identified a problem that (s)he would like to explore, what is the next step in the

scientific method?

a Report the question to established professional journals so that other researchers can get to work trying to find an answer

b Gather data that can be used to generate a hypothesis about the research question

c Formulate a hypothesis, or an educated guess, as to what the answer to the research question will be

d Conduct background research to see what others have found about the question being explored.Answer: D

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Skill: Applied

Moderate

16 The very last step of the scientific method is to:

a Conduct background research

b Test your hypothesis

17 Dr Hendricks conducts a thorough experimental investigation into the effects of alcohol consumption on the

driving ability of college students He concludes that even small amounts of alcohol – less than would make a person legally intoxicated – can still have very serious effects on one’s ability to safely operate a motor vehicle According to the scientific method, what should Dr Hendricks do with his conclusions?

a Report the findings by publishing in a scholarly journal or presenting at a research conference

b Make sure to tell his students that alcohol is not safe, so that his research can potentially save lives

c Hold onto his findings until he has conducted the same experiment several more times to verify his findings

d Contact the local newspaper so that he can let the general public know what he found

19 Dr Esterson is studying the effect of caffeine on laboratory rats He has decided that he will give the rats 100

milligrams of caffeine three times a day, and then run them through mazes at various points to see if there is any change in the time it takes to complete the maze Dr Esterson believes that the rats will complete the maze the fastest immediately after they ingest the caffeine Dr Esterson’s belief about the results he will find is called a(n):

a covariate

b construct

c theory

b A conclusion based on gathered data.

c An answer to a question that is based on logic

21 “I wonder why Jim is so mean to Louise,” Mary commented to Sheila over coffee “Maybe other people have

always been mean to him, and so he is really angry all of the time Maybe that makes him treat Louise badly, even though they are supposed to be in love,” replies Sheila According to the scientific method, Sheila has just

22 After reading about the possible causes of schizophrenia, a scientist thinks that a virus is the most likely cause

What term most accurately describes the scientist’s idea?

23 Dr Llewellyn conducted research into the effects of classroom temperature on exam score, and hypothesized

that subjects who took a test in a colder room would do better on that test than subjects who took a test in a warmer room After he gathered his data, he found exactly the opposite of what he hypothesized What should Dr Llewellyn do now?

a He should use a different research method so that he can find ways of proving his hypothesis

b He should look for other explanations for his observations and construct a new hypothesis

c He should find a new research question, because research is not valuable when our hypotheses are disproven by the data

d He should conduct his research again repeatedly until he gets the data that he was expecting.Answer: B

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Skill: Applied

Moderate

24 Which of the following is the most important reason why researchers should report their results?

a So that other researchers can use those findings as the basis for future investigation

will probably lose your job.

c Because research is not considered valuable until others have lent their support to it

d So that the subjects who were investigated can go to professional journals and read the findings.Answer: A

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Skill: Conceptual

Easy

25 “People who have relationship difficulties clearly have unresolved unconscious issues that remain from

difficult experiences during childhood,” a researcher hypothesizes What is the basic error of this hypothetical statement?

a It is too subjective, and may be based on the researcher’s own personal issues

b It is not based on any specific, clearly stated problem

c The researcher’s hypothesis cannot be proven or disproven and thus is not open to scientific inquiry

d The hypothesis has been presented before any empirical data was collected to verify it

Answer: C

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Skill: Conceptual

Difficult

26 thinking is a way of processing information in which a person examines assumptions, evaluates

evidence, looks for hidden agendas, and assesses conclusions

27 Byron was reading an article in the New York Times that discussed the effectiveness of a new medication for

those suffering from scleroderma The article interviewed the medicine’s inventor, who gave a plethora of

information as to why this medication is safe, effective, and economical Because Byron is a critical thinker, he is cautious in his acceptance of the article’s claims Why?

a Byron understands that anything printed in a newspaper should be viewed with caution because it

is not a scholarly journal

b Byron knows that medical science cannot possibly produce a medication that can be both effectiveand safe while also being economical

c The article does not actually report on the methods used in the research, so the methods must have something wrong with them

d Byron knows that the medicine’s inventor may have an agenda that influences his interpretation ofthe research into the safety and effectiveness of the new medicine

Answer: D

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Skill: Applied

Difficult

28 Which of the following statements best summarizes the concept known as dualism?

a We are all alone in the world until we found a person with whom we can share our innermost secrets

b The mind exists as an entity that is separate from the body

c All research requires the presents of exactly two variables – one independent and one dependent variable

d Psychology is the result of the merging of two disciplines – biology and philosophy.

31 What did John Locke mean when he stated that the human mind is a tabula rasa?

a Human beings are naturally evil

b We are like sponges that can only hold a specific amount of information

c We are born with no innate knowledge

d We are nothing more than the sum of our chromosomes, and we can never exceed the restrictions

34 Titchener believed psychologists should analyze complex experiences in terms of .

a individual emotions and sensations

36 The structuralists believed that elements of consciousness could be studied through a method called

“introspection,” which means:

37 The school of psychology called structuralism used a technique called , which involved reporting

the contents of consciousness to study a person’s experiences

38 What is the best analogy for Wundt’s and Titchener’s goals for the scientific discipline of psychology?

a A musical score with many notes on it

b An artist’s palette with various colors at different locations

c A list of the types of clothing sold at all of the stores in a shopping mall

d A chart listing the basic chemical elements and their various physical properties

Answer: D

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Skill: Conceptual

Difficult

39 Which of the following terms do NOT belong together?

a structuralism; observable behaviour

40 A psychologist who adheres to the functionalist school of thought is staring at a banana Which of the

following statements is she most likely to make?

a I see a long, curved, yellow object with a dark stem at one end

b I think that banana would really take the edge off of my hunger right now

c I see a banana

d I see a series of curved lines converging at two points, with the color yellow in between them There is also a small “u”-shaped line connected to one conversion point for the other lines The color brown is inside of it

Answer: B

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Skill: Applied

Difficult

41 The ideas that mental associations allow us to benefit from experiences, and that consciousness should be

studied in terms of how it allows us to adapt to our environments are central to

44 William James is to functionalism as is to Gestalt psychology.

46 A psychologist who adheres to the Gestalt school is staring at a banana Which of the following statements is

she most likely to make?

a I see a long, curved, yellow object with a dark stem at one end

b I think that banana would really take the edge off of my hunger right now

c I see a banana

d I see a series of curved lines converging at two points, with the color yellow in between them There is also a small “u”-shaped line connected to one conversion point for the other lines The color brown is inside of it

48 You are trying to convince a friend to go out for a night on the town, but she refuses, saying “I just have so

much to get done and I don’t want to leave it until the last minute.” You try to convince her to stop being so responsible and to have some fun, but she refuses Finally, in a fit of frustration, you yell “Why are you so anal all

of the time?” Your friend, a psychology major, laughs at you and says “Gee, I didn’t know that you believed in the psychological theories of .:

49 According to Freud, human beings are motivated primarily by drives, forbidden desires, and

traumatic childhood memories

52 The class is playing a game of Jeopardy! and it is your turn “I’ll take Pioneers in Psychology for $50.” The

revealed answer is “Gave great attention to the primary sexual drives of human beings as a main tenet of histheory.” Just before the buzzer sounds, what would you say?

a “Who is B.F Skinner?”

b “Who are the humanists?”

c “Who is Sigmund Freud?”

d “Who are the behaviourists?”

Answer: C

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Skill: Conceptual

Moderate

53 What scientific limitation was shared by structuralism, functionalism, and psychoanalytic theory?

a All three theories proposed that women were naturally inferior to men

b All three theories were difficult, if not impossible, to test scientifically

c All three theories were developed in Europe, and therefore do not apply to people from other continents

d All three theories opposed the prevailing religious views of their times

Answer: B

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Skill: Factual

Moderate

54 Proponents of the school of thought felt that psychology should concentrate on observable

behaviour that can be directly measured and recorded

55 What would have been John B Watson’s biggest objection to the theories of Sigmund Freud and the

psychodynamic school of thought?

a The unconscious is not the same in every human being, and so it is not a stable concept that can beexplored scientifically

b Freud’s theories do not acknowledge that there is any influence of our environment upon our psychological development

c Freud’s theories, and the psychodynamic approach that followed, were far too conservative and limited by the Victorian times in which he lived

d Freud’s main concept, the unconscious, was an internal process that could not be observed, measured, or validated

57 You are a psychologist who is a devout follower of the work of B.F Skinner Your young child is trying to

learn how to tie her shoes, and in order to help her you give her an M&M every time she gets one step closer to hergoal This strategy – the use of - is the basis of Skinner’s theory

58 In order to demonstrate the principles of behaviourism, John B Watson and Rosalie Rayner famously proved

that they could teach an 11-year old child to be afraid of a

a black spider

b white rat

c loud bell

d strange man

Answer: B

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Skill: Applied

Easy

59 Suppose you were a graduate student studying for a Ph.D in psychology in the 1920s Your advisor was John

B Watson Which of the following might your advisor consider an acceptable choice for your research?

a A survey of daydreams

b An analysis of how specific behaviours are acquired

c The mighty unconscious: How we can learn to control it

d I’m okay, you’re okay Why we are all okay

Answer: B

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Skill: Applied

Moderate

60 Which pair of scientists shared the most similar views of behaviour?

a William James and Wilhelm Wundt

b B.F Skinner and Max Wertheimer

c Carl Rogers and Edward Titchener

d Ivan Pavlov and John B Watson

a Evolutionary psychology has given us an innate resistance to the fear of harmless animals

b Behaviourism, which formed the basis of Watson and Rayner’s theory, is no longer a viable psychological perspective

c There are serious questions about the ethics of inducing fear in a child for research purposes

d The child in the initial study was irreversibly damaged from the experiment, and Watson and Rayner recanted their own findings as a result of that damage

64 You attend a lecture by a psychologist who keeps using terms like free will, expression, and

self-actualization This psychologist has been most influenced by the theories of ?

65 John B Watson was to as Carl Rogers was to .

a psychodynamic theory; behaviourism

b evolutionary psychology; cognitive psychology

c humanistic psychology; cognitive psychology

d behaviourism; humanistic psychology

67 The development of stimulated new insight and inquiry about the workings of human thought

processes This is the basis of cognitive psychology

69 In the early part of the 1900s, psychologists who broke down thought processes into their basic elements or

functions were called structuralists or functionalists What term might we use to describe psychologists in today’s world who are similarly interested in understanding human thought processes?

70 A noted scientist argues that psychology should scientifically study how people receive, process, and interpret

information, and then use that information to solve problems This scientist is probably a(n)

73 “Men are more likely to cheat on their partners because of a biologically wired need to increase their chance of

creating offspring to pass along their genetic code.” This statement would most likely be uttered by a(n)