Natalie Ceballos

Texas State University, San Marcos

STUDENT STUDY GUIDE

FOR

Psychology
Third Edition

Saundra K. Ciccarelli
Gulf Coast Community College

J. Noland White
Georgia College and State University

Prentice Hall
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ISBN-10: 0-205-15346-1
www.pearsonhighered.com ISBN-13: 978-0-205-15346-6
 Contents

1. The Science of Psychology 1

2. The Biological Perspective 13
3. Sensation and Perception 27
4. Consciousness: Sleep, Dreams, Hypnosis, and Drugs 43
5. Learning 57
6. Memory 75
7. Cognition: Thinking, Intelligence, and Language 87
8. Development Across the Life Span 99
9. Motivation and Emotion 115
10. Sexuality and Gender 131
11. Stress and Health 143
12. Social Psychology 155
13. Theories of Personality 169
14. Psychological Disorders 183
15. Psychological Therapies 197
 CHAPTER 1 – THE SCIENCE OF PSYCHOLOGY

YOU KNOW YOU ARE READY FOR THE TEST IF YOU ARE ABLE TO…
• Define psychology and describe the goals that psychologists hope to achieve.
• Describe the history of psychology.
• Discuss the current state of psychology, including the most common perspectives and major
professions in the field.
• Describe the scientific method and discuss its strengths and weaknesses.
• Explain the basic guidelines and ethical concerns of psychological research.
• Introduce the criteria for critical thinking and its application in psychology.

RAPID REVIEW
Psychology is defined as the scientific study of behavior and mental processes. The goals of
psychology are to describe, explain, predict, and control the behaviors and mental process of both humans
and animals. The goals of psychology can be thought of in terms of what, why, when, and how behaviors
and mental processes occur.
The field of psychology is relatively new (about 130 years old) but has its origins in the much
older fields of physiology and philosophy. Wilhelm Wundt formed the first psychology laboratory in
Germany in 1879. Wundt used the method of objective introspection in an attempt to study human
thought processes. Because of his innovative efforts to bring objectivity and measurement to the concept
of psychology, Wundt is often referred to as the father of psychology. The reality, however, is that
multiple people in multiple locations began studying psychology and promoting their particular
perspective around the same time. Five historical perspectives are discussed in the text.
Edward Titchener, a student of Wundt’s, expanded on Wundt’s ideas and brought the method of
introspection to the United States. Titchener believed that introspection could be used on thoughts as well as
physical sensations. He called his approach structuralism because his ultimate goal was to describe the precise
structure of our mental processes. At the same time in the United States, William James was focused on
discovering how our mental processes help us to function in our daily lives and began to promote his viewpoint
known as functionalism. The terms structuralism and functionalism are no longer used to describe specific
viewpoints in the field of psychology. Meanwhile, back in Germany, the Gestalt psychologists were studying
how sensation and perception create a whole pattern that is greater than the sum of the individual components.
Max Wertheimer was a major proponent of Gestalt psychology. In neighboring Austria, Sigmund Freud
developed his theory of psychoanalysis based on the concept of the unconscious. Freud believed the
unconscious played an important role in controlling our day-to-day behaviors and thoughts. Freud’s theory is
also referred to as the psychodynamic perspective. On the opposite end of the spectrum, and back in the United
States, was John Watson. Watson expanded the findings of Russian physiologist Ivan Pavlov, to promote the
perspective of behaviorism. The behaviorists believed that psychology should focus on concepts that could be
studied scientifically, and they felt that the only area of psychology that could be approached scientifically was
observable behavior.
Today seven major perspectives make up the field of psychology. The psychodynamic
perspective focuses on the role of the unconscious. Behaviorism attempts to study psychology by
focusing on observable actions and events. The humanistic perspective emphasizes human potential and
free will; in other words, it focuses on people’s abilities to direct their own lives. Biopsychology focuses
on the biology underlying our behavior and thoughts, while the cognitive perspective focuses on the
thoughts or “cognitions” themselves. Cognitive neuroscience is a specific area of the cognitive
perspective that focuses on the physical changes in the brain that occur when we think, remember, or
engage in other mental processes. The sociocultural perspective explores the role of social and cultural
factors on our behaviors and thoughts, while evolutionary psychologists attempt to explain behavior and
thoughts in terms of their adaptive or “survival” qualities.
The field of psychology offers many professional opportunities. Psychiatrists receive a medical
degree (M.D.), treat serious psychological disorders, and can prescribe medication for their patients. A

The Science of Psychology -1- CHAPTER 1

psychologist attends graduate school to obtain a doctorate degree (either a Ph.D., Ed.D. or Psy.D.) and
can select one of many career options from research to counseling to consulting for a business. A
psychoanalyst is a psychiatrist or psychologist who has received special training in Freud’s method of
psychoanalysis. A psychiatric social worker receives a Master of Social Work degree (M.S.W.) and
provides counseling to patients or possibly conducts research.
Psychologists use the scientific method to reduce bias and error in their observations. The steps
of the scientific method include asking a question, turning that question into a hypothesis—a statement
about what you believe the actual answer is—testing your hypothesis, drawing a conclusion, and
reporting your findings. Your findings can then be further strengthened if other researchers conduct a
study and draw the same conclusions as you did, or in other words if other researchers replicate your
findings. The method you use to test your hypothesis depends on which of the four goals of psychology
you are attempting to achieve. If you would like to answer the question of “what” (goal = describe), you
would use a descriptive method. Naturalistic observation provides a realistic picture of behavior but can
become biased through the observer effect (research participants behave differently when they know they
are being watched) and observer bias (the researcher only sees what he or she wants to see). Laboratory
observation is similar to naturalistic observation but the participants are observed in a laboratory setting
instead of “out in nature.” Sometimes a researcher will disguise himself or herself as an actual participant
in order to reduce the observer effect. This approach is called participant observation. A case study is a
detailed investigation of one individual, or case, and can provide a great deal of information about that
one person. However, case studies are hard to generalize to a larger population. For a survey, researchers
ask a group of participants a series of questions. Surveys allow researchers to gather a lot of information
quickly. However, a survey offers no guarantee that the participants will answer the questions truthfully.
Also, researchers must be sure to take a representative sample of the population in which they are
interested. A researcher interested in discovering the relationship between two variables would use the
correlational method. A correlation coefficient tells the researcher the direction and strength of the
relationship. The coefficient will always be a number between –1.00 and +1.00. A correlation shows that
a relationship between two variables exists, but cannot explain the cause of the relationship. In other
words, correlation does not prove causation. In order to answer the question of “why,” a researcher must
conduct an experiment. A true experiment differs from a quasi-experiment in that true experiments use
random assignment to sort participants into groups. In a quasi-experimental design, the groups are already
in place when the participants are recruited for the study (for example, smokers vs. nonsmokers). In an
experiment, the researcher manipulates a variable (the independent variable) and measures some
response from the participants (the dependent variable). In order to measure the dependent variable, the
researcher must come up with an operational definition for the variable. An operational definition is a
set of instructions that explains exactly how to measure the variable. For example, aggressive behavior
could be operationally defined as the number of times a participant swings a toy sword in a five-minute
observation period. The overall goal of the experiment is to keep everything the same except for the
independent variable. In order to accomplish this, the researcher usually observes two groups: an
experimental group and a control group. The researcher will most likely use random assignment to
determine which participants will go into which group. Often, the control group receives a fake treatment
in order to control for the placebo effect in which the participant’s expectations actually influence the
results of the experiment. Normally, the participants are not told which group they are in (single-blind
study). In order to control for any expectations the experimenter might have (the experimenter effect)
the study is often designed so that neither the participants nor the experimenter know who is in which
group (double-blind study). All psychological research must follow the ethical guidelines specified by
the American Psychological Association.
Understanding the scientific method can help you in your daily life as you apply the four
principles of critical thinking to problems you face on a day-to-day basis. The four criteria are as
follows: (1) most truths need to be tested, (2) all evidence is not equal, (3) authorities are not always right,
and (4) an open mind is still important.

The Science of Psychology -2- CHAPTER 1

STUDY HINTS
1. Be careful not to confuse the independent variable (i.v.) with the dependent variable (d.v.). The
independent variable is the variable the researcher manipulates her or himself. If you think about
it as if you were the researcher conducting the experiment, the independent variable is the one
that I control. Another way to make sure you have correctly labeled the variables in an
experiment is to insert the variable names into the following phrase and make sure it still makes
sense. The test phrase is:
How __________ affects ___________ .
(i.v.) (d.v.)

Here is an example for you to practice using the test phrase.

A researcher conducts a study looking at the color of different rooms and aggressiveness.
She takes a group of 40 college students and randomly assigns 20 to the red room and 20
to the blue room. After the students have been in the rooms for 30 minutes, she measures
each person’s aggressiveness level on a scale of 1 to 10. In this experiment, which
variable is the independent variable and which is the dependent? Try inserting the
variable names into the phrase above.

You can see that “How aggressiveness affects room color” does not make sense and is not what
the researcher is interested in. However, “How room color affects aggressiveness” does
correspond to the researchers’ goals. So in this case, the room color is the independent variable
and aggressiveness is the dependent variable.

Try one more example.

A researcher conducts an experiment to study memory skills and caffeine intake.
The researcher has a total of 20 volunteer subjects. He gives 10 subjects a can of
caffeinated soda and the other 10 subjects receive a can of decaffeinated soda.
He then has all the subjects complete a memory task. What are his independent
and dependent variables? Try inserting the variable names into the phrase
above.

Again, you can see that “How memory skills affect caffeine intake” does not make sense and is
not what the researcher is interested in. However, “How caffeine intake affects memory skills”
does correspond to the researcher’s goals. So in this case, the caffeine intake is the independent
variable and memory skill is the dependent variable.

2. The concept of operational definitions is introduced in this chapter. An operational definition can
be thought of as a recipe telling a researcher precisely how to make her observations. In other
words, they define the operations or procedures the researcher should go through in order to
record her data. Operational definitions are based on behaviors and actions that can be observed
and they are much different from the definitions given in a standard dictionary. For example, the
dictionary might define fear as feeling anxious or apprehensive about a possible situation.
However, that definition does not tell the researcher how to measure one individual’s level of
fear. On the other hand, the researcher might operationally define fear as the percent increase in
heart rate from a baseline level during a two-minute observation period.

Try this example yourself.

Dictionary definition of anger: ____________________________________

The Science of Psychology -3- CHAPTER 1

 Operational definition of anger: ___________________________________

The dictionary might define anger as a strong feeling of displeasure. However, an operational
definition of anger might be something like the number of times an adult slams his or her fists
on the table.

Now, try to figure out what variable is being operationally defined below.

The number of times a person laughs within a five-minute period.

Operational Definition of ___________________:

The score an individual receives on an IQ test.

Operational Definition of ___________________:

The first example is operationally defining the variable of happiness and the second example
gives an operational definition for intelligence.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
1.1 What defines psychology as a field of 1.8 How are case studies and surveys used to
study, and what are psychology’s four describe behavior, and what are some
primary goals? drawbacks to each of these methods?
1.2 How did structuralism and functionalism 1.9 What is the correlational technique, and
differ, and who were the important people what does it tell researchers about
in those early fields? relationships?
1.3 What were the basic ideas and who were 1.10 How are operational definitions,
the important people behind the early independent and dependent variables,
approaches known as Gestalt, experimental and control groups, and
psychoanalysis, and behaviorism? random assignment used in designing an
1.4 What are the basic ideas behind the seven experiment?
modern perspectives, as well as the 1.11 Why are the placebo and the experimenter
important contributions of Skinner, effects problems for an experiment, and
Maslow, and Rogers? how can single-blind and double-blind
1.5 How does a psychiatrist differ from a studies control for these effects?
psychologist, and what are the other types 1.12 What are the basic elements of a real-
of professionals who work in the various world experiment?
areas of psychology? 1.13 What are some ethical concerns that can
1.6 Why is psychology considered a science, occur when conducting research with
and what are the steps in using the people and animals?
scientific method? 1.14 What are the basic principles of critical
1.7 How are naturalistic and laboratory thinking, and how can critical thinking be
settings used to describe behavior, and useful in everyday life?
what are some of the advantages and
disadvantages associated with these
settings?

The Science of Psychology -4- CHAPTER 1

PRACTICE EXAM
For the following multiple choice questions, select the option you feel best answers the question or
completes the sentence.

1. How is psychology different from philosophy?

a) Psychology uses the scientific method to answer questions.
b) Psychology is interested in questions related to human behavior.
c) There is no difference between philosophy and psychology.
d) The field of psychology is much older than the field of philosophy.

2. The first psychology laboratory was opened in ________ in order to study ___________.
a) 1865; psychological disorders
b) 1946; learning
c) 1879; introspection
d) 1809; biopsychology

3. The psychological perspective of structuralism focused on

a) how the whole structure is bigger than the individual parts.
b) understanding each individual structure of human thought.
c) how mental thought helps us structure our daily activities.
d) the structure of society at large.

4. The school of psychology called structuralism used a technique called _____, which involved
reporting the contents of consciousness to study a person's experiences.
a) intervention
b) introspection
c) insight inventory
d) induction

5. William James believed that mental processes could not be studied as isolated, static events but
instead needed to be viewed in terms of how they helped people perform in their daily lives. James
was a strong proponent for
a) structuralism.
b) functionalism.
c) behaviorism.
d) the humanistic perspective.

6. Gestalt psychologists are associated with which of the following sayings?

a) The pineal gland is the seat of the human soul.
b) Psychology should reach into the soul of mankind.
c) Behavior should be broken down into its individual components.
d) The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

7. Freud said phobias were ____________ whereas Watson said phobias were __________.
a) learned; inherited
b) repressed conflicts; learned
c) sexual; unconscious
d) conditioned; unconditioned

The Science of Psychology -5- CHAPTER 1

8. A researcher who studies the chemical changes in the brains of patients with depression would be
approaching psychology from which perspective?
a) behaviorist
b) psychodynamic
c) cognitive
d) biopsychological

9. One of the reasons psychodynamic theories have persisted over the years is that they are
a) supported by significant scientific research.
b) based on facts.
c) difficult to scientifically test and, thus, difficult to disprove.
d) used by the majority of psychologists.

10. A humanistic psychologist would be interested in which of the following research studies?
a) describing a group of people who claim to have reached their full potential
b) understanding the role of the unconscious in a child’s decision to disobey her parents
c) investigating the role of hormones in the mating behavior of birds
d) figuring out visual illusions are possible

11. Taylor received her degree from a medical school and now meets with patients on a daily basis. Most of her
patients have a serious psychological disorder and often Taylor will prescribe medication to treat the
disorder. Taylor is a
a) psychologist.
b) psychiatrist.
c) psychiatric social worker.
d) school nurse.

12. Vido has an M.S.W. and is interested in working on the causes of poverty. What type of
professional is Vido most likely to become?
a) educational psychologist
b) psychiatrist
c) school psychologist
d) psychiatric social worker

13. Why do psychologists use the scientific method?

a) It is easier to use than other methods.
b) All academic fields must use the scientific method.
c) It is the only method available to answer questions.
d) It reduces bias and error in measurement.

14. Deb spent the entire day at the park observing children with their parents to see whether fathers or
mothers spent more time playing with their kids. Deb used the method of
a) naturalistic observation.
b) laboratory observation.
c) survey.
d) case study.

The Science of Psychology -6- CHAPTER 1

15. Which of the following topics would be best studied using the case study method?
a) the reaction times of adults in a stressful situation
b) the sleep pattern of adolescents
c) the impact of club sports involvement on female adolescent self-esteem
d) the personality characteristics of a man accused of killing five people
16. A group of randomly selected subjects that matches the population on important characteristics such
as age and sex is called
a) volunteer bias.
b) a representative sample.
c) the experimental group.
d) the control group.

17. Which of the following correlation coefficients represents the strongest relationship between two
variables?
a) +0.62
b) -0.98
c) +0.01
d) +1.24

18. A researcher finds that as the number of classes missed increases, the students’ grades decrease. This is an
example of a
a) positive correlation.
b) negative correlation.
c) zero correlation.
d) case study.

19. Marcy is trying to define anxiety in a way that can be empirically tested. She is attempting to find an
appropriate
a) hypothesis.
b) operational definition.
c) double-blind study.
d) theory.

20. A researcher is investigating the effects of exercise on weight. What are the independent and dependent
variables in this experiment?
a) The dependent variable is weight; the independent variable is exercise.
b) The independent variable is calories consumed; the dependent variable is diet.
c) The independent variable is weight; the dependent variable is calories consumed.
d) The dependent variable is amount of exercise; the independent variable is calories consumed.

21. In a laboratory, smokers are asked to "drive" using a computerized driving simulator equipped with a stick
shift and a gas pedal. The object is to maximize the distance covered by driving as fast as possible on a
winding road while avoiding rear-end collisions. Some of the participants smoke a real cigarette
immediately before climbing into the driver's seat. Others smoke a fake cigarette without nicotine. You are
interested in comparing how many collisions the two groups have. In this study, the group that smokes the
cigarette without nicotine is
a) the control group.
b) the driving simulator.
c) the experimental group.
d) the no-control group.

The Science of Psychology -7- CHAPTER 1

22. A psychology professor feels that her students will do better on her exams if music is playing while they
take their exams. To test her hypothesis she divides her class in half. One half takes the exam in a room with
music playing and the other half takes the exam in a similar room but without the music playing. In this
case, the independent variable is
a) the time of day when the exam is taken.
b) the absence or presence of music playing.
c) the exam.
d) the students’ scores on the exam.

23. For the experiment described in Question 22, the dependent variable is
a) the room the exam is taken in.
b) the absence or presence of music playing.
c) the exam.
d) the students’ scores on the exam.

24. Twenty volunteers are brought into a sleep laboratory in the evening. Ten are allowed eight hours of sleep
while the other ten are only allowed two hours of sleep. In the morning, all 20 subjects are tested for their
reaction time in a driving simulation program. For this experiment, the reaction time in the simulation
program is the
a) independent variable.
b) dependent variable.
c) confounding variable.
d) random variable.

25. For the experiment described in Question 24, the amount of sleep allowed is the
a) independent variable.
b) dependent variable.
c) confounding variable.
d) random variable.

26. Which of the following situations best illustrates the placebo effect?
a) You sleep because you are tired.
b) You throw up after eating bad meat.
c) You have surgery to repair a defective heart valve.
d) You drink a nonalcoholic drink and become "intoxicated" because you think it contains
alcohol.

27. ______________________ is an experiment in which neither the participants nor the individuals running
the experiment know whether participants are in the experimental or the control group until after the results
are tallied.
a) The double-blind study
b) Field research
c) The single-blind study
d) Correlational research

The Science of Psychology -8- CHAPTER 1

PRACTICE EXAM ANSWERS
1. a Psychology bases its answers on observations, while philosophy answers its questions using
logic and reasoning. Both fields are interested in human behavior. The field of psychology
is only 125 years old, while philosophy is much older.
2. c Wilhelm Wundt opened his laboratory in Germany in 1879 and used the method of
introspection to study the basic elements of mental processes.
3. b Structuralists felt that mental processes had to be broken down into their most basic or
elemental form in order to be understood.
4. b Introspection was used in an attempt to self-examine the structure of the mind. Although
the word intervention looks similar, it has a completely different meaning.
5. b James believed we need to understand the function of mental processes.
6. d Gestalt psychologists believed that you had to look at the whole picture in order to
understand the larger processes of perception and sensation and that it could not be broken
down into its smaller components without losing its essence.
7. b Freud studied repressed (unconscious) conflict and Watson studied observable behavior.
Watson did not believe that the unconscious could be studied scientifically.
8. d The biopsychological perspective focuses on studying the biological changes that underlie
behavior and mental processes.
9. c Since it is very hard to scientifically test the psychodynamic theories there is little scientific
data to support the theories.
10. a The humanistic perspective focuses on the uniqueness and potential of human beings and
tries to suggest ways for humans to maximize their potential.
11. b Psychiatrists have M.D.s, counsel patients with serious disorders, and can prescribe
medications.
12. d Psychiatric social workers typically have their Masters of Social Work (M.S.W.) and
counsel patients with less severe disorders or focus on social issues such as poverty.
13. d The scientific method is based on observations so that the influence of the researcher’s bias
is minimized.
14. a Naturalistic observation consists of recording behaviors as they occur in their normal
settings.
15. d A case study focuses on one individual (or “case”) and provides a detailed description of
that individual.
16. b A representative sample is a randomly selected group that matches the population on
important characteristics. An experimental group is not necessarily representative of the
population.
17. b The correlation coefficient must be between +1.00 and -1.00. The sign of the coefficient
indicates the direction of the relationship and the absolute value of the coefficient indicates
the strength; therefore, 0.98 is the largest absolute value listed between 0 and 1.
18. b For a negative correlation, the variables move in the opposite direction. As one variable
increases the other one decreases. In this case, as the number of absences increase the grade
in class decreases.
19. b An operational definition defines responses in terms that allow them to be measured, while
a hypothesis is an educated guess, not a definition.
20. a The exercise is controlled by the experimenter and is, therefore, independent of anything
the participants do, while the participants’ weight is expected to depend on the amount of
exercise.
21. a A control group gets either no treatment or treatment that has no effect (in this case,
experimenters are controlling for the possibility that the cigarette itself, and not the
nicotine, might cause people to get into collisions).
22. b The independent variable is the variable the researcher manipulates. In this case, the
instructor manipulated whether music was playing.

The Science of Psychology -9- CHAPTER 1

23. d Recall the test phrase, “How ________(i.v.) affects __________ (d.v.). The professor is
testing “How music affects student test scores.” The dependent variable is the subjects’
responses. The room the test is taken in and the test itself should be the same for both
groups.
24. b The reaction time is the response observed in the subject. It is not manipulated by the
experimenter.
25. a Recall the test phrase, “How hours slept affect driving reaction time.”
26. d The placebo effect is brought on by expectations, and in this case you felt drunk only
because you believed you were drinking alcohol.
27. a The double-blind study is an experiment in which neither the participants nor the
individuals running the experiment know whether the participants are in the experimental
or control group. In a single-blind study, only the participants are “blind.”

CHAPTER GLOSSARY
behaviorism the science of behavior that focuses on observable behavior only.
biopsychological perspective that attributes human and animal behavior to biological events
perspective occurring in the body, such as genetic influences, hormones, and the activity
of the nervous system.
case study study of one individual in great detail.

cognitive neuroscience study of the physical changes in the brain and nervous system during
thinking.
cognitive perspective modern perspective that focuses on memory, intelligence, perception,
problem solving, and learning.
control group subjects in an experiment who are not subjected to the independent variable
and who may receive a placebo treatment.
correlation a measure of the relationship between two variables.
correlation coefficient a number derived from the formula for measuring a correlation and
indicating the strength and the direction of a correlation.
critical thinking making reasoned judgments about claims.
dependent variable variable in an experiment that represents the measurable response or
behavior of the subjects in the experiment.
double-blind study study in which neither the experimenter nor the subjects know if the subjects
are in the experimental or control group.
evolutionary perspective perspective that focuses on the biological bases of universal mental
characteristics that all humans share.
experiment a deliberate manipulation of a variable to see if corresponding changes in
behavior result, allowing the determination of cause-and-effect relationships.
experimental group subjects in an experiment who are subjected to the independent variable.
experimenter effect tendency of the experimenter’s expectations for a study to unintentionally
influence the results of the study.
functionalism early perspective in psychology associated with William James, in which the
focus of study is how the mind allows people to adapt, live, work, and play.
Gestalt psychology early perspective in psychology focusing on perception and sensation,
particularly the perception of patterns and whole figures.
humanistic perspective perspective that emphasizes human potential and the idea that people have
the freedom to choose their own destiny.
hypothesis tentative explanation of a phenomenon based on observations.
independent variable variable in an experiment that is manipulated by the experimenter.

The Science of Psychology -10- CHAPTER 1

naturalistic observation study in which the researcher observes people or animals in their normal
environment.
objective introspection the process of examining and measuring one’s own thoughts and mental
activities.
observer bias tendency of observers to see what they expect to see.
observer effect tendency of people or animals to behave differently from normal when they
know they are being observed.
operational definition definition of a variable of interest that allows it to be directly measured.
participant observation a naturalistic observation in which the observer becomes a participant in the
group being observed.
placebo effect the phenomenon in which the expectations of the participants in a study can
influence their behavior.
population the entire group of people or animals in which the researcher is interested.
psychiatric social worker a social worker with some training in therapy methods who focuses on the
environmental conditions that can have an impact on mental disorders, such
as poverty, overcrowding, stress, and drug abuse.
psychiatrist a medical doctor who has specialized in the diagnosis and treatment of
psychological disorders.
psychoanalysis the theory and therapy based on the work of Sigmund Freud.
psychoanalyst either a psychiatrist or a psychologist who has special training in the theories
of Sigmund Freud and his method of psychoanalysis.
psychodynamic modern version of psychoanalysis that is more focused on the development
perspective of a sense of self and the discovery of other motivations behind a person’s
behavior than sexual motivations.
psychologist a professional with an academic degree and specialized training in one or
more areas of psychology.
psychology the scientific study of behavior and mental processes.
random assignment process of assigning subjects to the experimental or control groups
randomly, so that each subject has an equal chance of being in either group.
replicate in research, repeating a study or experiment to see if the same results will be
obtained in an effort to demonstrate reliability of results.
representative sample randomly selected sample of subjects from a larger population of subjects.
scientific method system of gathering data so that bias and error in measurement are reduced.
single-blind study study in which the subjects do not know if they are in the experimental or the
control group.
sociocultural perspective perspective that focuses on the relationship between social behavior and culture.
structuralism early perspective in psychology associated with Wilhelm Wundt and Edward
Titchener, in which the focus of study is the structure or basic elements of
the mind.
survey study conducted by asking a series of questions to a group of people.

The Science of Psychology -11- CHAPTER 1

The Science of Psychology -12- CHAPTER 1
 CHAPTER 2 – THE BIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE

YOU KNOW YOU ARE READY FOR THE TEST IF YOU ARE ABLE TO…
• Explain what neurons are and how they work to transfer and process information.
• Introduce the peripheral nervous system and describe its role in the body.
• Discuss the role of the endocrine system.
• Describe the methods used to observe the structure and function of the brain.
• Identify the basic structures of the brain and explain their functions.

RAPID REVIEW
The nervous system is made up of a complex network of cells throughout your body. Because
psychology is the study of behavior and mental processes, understanding how the nervous system works
provides fundamental information about what is going on inside your body when you engage in a specific
behavior, feel a particular emotion, or have an abstract thought. The field of study that deals with these
types of questions is called biological psychology or behavioral neuroscience. The role of the nervous
system is to carry information. Without your nervous system, you would not be able to think, feel, or act.
The cells in the nervous system that carry information are called neurons. Information enters a neuron at
the dendrites, flows through the cell body (or soma) and down the axon in order to pass the information
on to the next cell. Although neurons are the cells that carry the information, most of the nervous system
(about 90%) consists of glial cells. Glial cells provide food, support, and insulation to the neurons. The
insulation around the neuron is called myelin and works in a way similar to the plastic coating of an
electrical wire. Bundles of myelin-coated axons are wrapped together in cable like structures called
nerves.
Neurons use an electrical signal to send information from one end of its cell to the other. At rest, a
neuron has a negative charge inside and a positive charge outside. When a signal arrives, gates in the cell
wall next to the signal open and the positive charge moves inside. The positive charge inside the cell
causes the next set of gates to open and those positive charges move inside. In this way, the electrical
signal makes its way down the length of the cell. The movement of the electrical signal is called an action
potential. After the action potential is over, the positive charges get pumped back out of the cell and the
neuron returns to its negatively charged state. This condition is called the resting potential. A neuron
acts in an all-or-none manner, which means the neuron either has an action potential or it does not. The
neuron indicates the strength of the signal by how many action potentials are produced or “fired” within a
certain amount of time.
Neurons pass information on to target cells using a chemical signal. When the electrical signal travels
down the axon and reaches the other end of the neuron called the axon terminal, it enters the very tip of
the terminal called the synaptic knob. At this point, the electrical signal triggers a cascade of events that
cause the neurotransmitters in the synaptic vesicles to be released into the fluid-filled space between
the two cells. This fluid-filled space is called the synapse or the synaptic gap. The neurotransmitters are
the chemical signals the neuron uses to communicate with its target cell. The neurotransmitters fit into the
receptor sites of the target cell and create a new electrical signal that then can be transmitted down the
length of the target cell.
Neurotransmitters can have two different effects on the target cell. If the neurotransmitter increases
the likelihood of an action potential in the target cell, the connection is called an excitatory synapse. If
the neurotransmitter decreases the likelihood of an action potential, the connection is called an inhibitory
synapse. There are at least 50–100 different types of neurotransmitters in the human body. Acetylcholine
was the first to be discovered; it is an excitatory neurotransmitter that causes your muscles to contract and
has a role in cognition, particularly memory. Gamma amino butyric acid (GABA) is an inhibitory
neurotransmitter that decreases the activity level of neurons in your brain. Serotonin can function as both
an excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitter and has been linked with sleep, mood, and appetite. Low
levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine have been found to cause Parkinson’s disease, and increased
levels of dopamine have been linked to the psychological disorder known as schizophrenia. Endorphins

The Biological Perspective 13 CHAPTER 2

are a special neurotransmitter called a neural regulator that controls the release of other neurotransmitters.
When endorphins are released in the body, the neurons transmitting information about pain are not able to
fire action potentials. The different types of neurotransmitters are cleared out of the synaptic gap through
the processes of reuptake, diffusion, or enzymatic degradation.
Agonists and antagonists are chemicals that are not naturally found in your body. However, when
they get into your nervous system, these chemicals can fit into the receptor sites of target cells. Agonists
lead to a similar response in the target cell as the neurotransmitter itself, while antagonists block or reduce
the action of the neurotransmitter on the target cell. Valium, a benzodiazepine, is an example of an
agonist for the GABA system. It binds to GABA receptors and causes a calming effect in the central
nervous system. Drugs may also interact with the mechanisms for clearing the synaptic gap. For instance,
selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), which are sometimes used to treat depression, block the
reuptake of serotonin at the synapse, making more serotonin available to bind to post-synaptic receptors.
The central nervous system (CNS) is made up of the brain and the spinal cord. The spinal cord is a
long bundle of neurons that transmits messages between the brain and the body. The cell bodies or somas
of the neurons are located along the inside of the spinal cord and the cell axons run along the outside of
the spinal cord. Afferent (sensory) neurons send information from your senses to the spinal cord. For
example, sensory neurons would relay information about a sharp pain in your finger. Efferent (motor)
neurons send commands from the spinal cord to your muscles, such as a command to pull your finger
back from a painful stimulus. Interneurons connect sensory and motor neurons and help to coordinate
the signals. All three of these neurons act together in the spinal cord to form a reflex arc. The ability of
the brain and spinal cord to change both in structure and function is referred to as neuroplasticity. Stem
cells are one type of cell that facilitates these changes.
The peripheral nervous system (PNS) is made up of all the nerves and neurons that are NOT in the
brain or spinal cord. It includes all the nerves that connect to your eyes, ears, skin, mouth, and muscles.
The PNS is divided into two parts, the somatic nervous system and the autonomic nervous system. The
somatic nervous system consists of all the nerves coming from your sensory systems, called the sensory
pathway, and all the nerves going to the skeletal muscles that control your voluntary movements, called
the motor pathway. The autonomic nervous system is made up of the nerves going to and from your
organs, glands, and involuntary muscles and is divided into two parts: the sympathetic division and the
parasympathetic division. The sympathetic division turns on the body’s fight-or-flight reactions, which
include responses such as increased heart rate, increased breathing, and dilation of your pupils. The
parasympathetic division controls your body when you are in a state of rest to keep the heart beating
regularly, to control normal breathing, and to coordinate digestion. The parasympathetic division is active
most of the time.
The endocrine glands represent a second communication system in the body. The endocrine glands
lack ducts and secrete chemicals called hormones directly into the bloodstream. Compared to neuronal
communication, the hormonal system generally results in slower, more widespread effects on the body
and/or behavior. The pituitary gland is located in the brain and secretes the hormones that control milk
production, salt levels, and the activity of other glands. The pineal gland is also located in the brain and
secretes melatonin. This hormone helps to track day length and contributes to the regulation of the sleep
cycle in humans. The thyroid gland is located in the neck and releases a hormone that regulates
metabolism. The pancreas controls the level of blood sugar in the body, while the gonad sex glands—
called the ovaries in females and the testes in males—regulate sexual behavior and reproduction. The
adrenal glands are divided into two sections that play a critical role in regulating the body’s response to
stress. The adrenal medulla releases epinephrine and norepinephrine, whereas the adrenal cortex releases
stress hormones such as cortisol.
Researchers have used animal models to learn a great deal about the human brain. Two of the most
common techniques used in animals involve either destroying a specific area of the brain (deep lesioning)
or stimulating a specific brain area (electrical stimulation of the brain or ESB) to see the effect.
Researchers have applied both invasive and noninvasive forms of ESB to treat human conditions. For
instance, deep brain stimulation (DBS) has been used in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease.
Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) has been applied to the treatment of posttraumatic stress

The Biological Perspective 14 CHAPTER 2

disorder (PSTD). In work with humans, researchers have also developed several imaging methods to
observe the structure and function of a living brain. If a researcher wants a picture of the structure of the
brain, he or she might choose a CT scan or an MRI. Computed tomography (CT) scans use X-rays to
create images of the structures within the brain. Magnetic resonance images (MRIs) use a magnetic field
to “take a picture” of the brain. MRIs provide much greater detail than CT scans. On the other hand, if a
researcher wanted to record the activity of the brain, he or she might select an EEG, fMRI, PET scan, or
SPECT scan. An electroencephalogram (EEG) provides a record of the electrical activity of groups of
neurons just below the surface of the skull. A functional magnetic resonance image (fMRI) uses magnetic
fields in the same way as an MRI, but goes a step further and pieces the pictures together to show changes
over a short period of time. A positron emission tomography (PET) scan involves injecting a person with
a low dose of a radioactive substance and then recording the activity of that substance in the person’s
brain. The single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) scan functions similarly to the PET
scan but uses a somewhat different radiotracer technique.
The brain can be roughly divided into three sections: the brainstem, the cortex, and the structures
under the cortex. The brainstem is the lowest part of the brain that connects to the spinal cord. The outer
wrinkled covering of the brain is the cortex, and the structures under the cortex are essentially everything
between the brainstem and the cortex. The brainstem contains four important structures. The medulla
controls life-sustaining functions such as heart beat, breathing, and swallowing. The pons influences
sleep, dreaming, and coordination of movements. The reticular formation plays a crucial role in
attention and arousal, and the cerebellum controls all of the movements you make without really
“thinking” about it.
One main group of structures under the cortex is the limbic system. The limbic system includes the
thalamus, hypothalamus, hippocampus, amygdala, and cingulate cortex. The thalamus receives input
from your sensory systems, processes it, and then passes it on to the appropriate area of the cortex. The
hypothalamus interacts with the endocrine system to regulate body temperature, thirst, hunger, sleeping,
sexual activity, and mood. It appears that the hippocampus is critical for the formation of long-term
memories and for memories of the locations of objects. The amygdala is a small almond-shaped structure
that is involved in your response to fear. The cingulate cortex plays an important role in both emotion and
cognition.
In a process referred to as “corticalization,” the outer part of the brain, or cortex, is wrinkled to
increase its surface area within the bony skull. The cortex is divided into right and left sections called
cerebral hemispheres. The two hemispheres communicate with each other through a thick band of
neurons called the corpus callosum, which is located immediately below the cingulate cortex. Each
cerebral hemisphere can be roughly divided into four sections. These sections are called lobes. The
occipital lobes are at the back of the brain and process visual information. The parietal lobes are located
at the top and back half of the brain and deal with information regarding touch, temperature, body
position, and possibly taste. The temporal lobes are just behind your temples and process auditory
information. The frontal lobes are located at the front of your head and are responsible for higher mental
functions such as planning, personality, and decision making, as well as language and motor movements.
Motor movements are controlled by a band of neurons called the motor cortex, which is located at the
back of the frontal lobe. Mirror neurons, neurons that fire when you perform an action and also when
you see someone else perform that action, may explain a great deal of the social learning that takes place
in humans from infancy on. Recent studies suggest that humans have mirror neurons in areas of the brain
associated with movement, vision, and memory.
Association areas are the areas within each of the lobes that are responsible for “making sense” of all
the incoming information. Broca’s area is located in the left frontal lobe in most people and is
responsible for language production. A person with damage to this area would have trouble producing the
words that he or she wants to speak. This condition is referred to as Broca’s aphasia. The comprehension
of language takes place in Wernicke’s area located in the left temporal lobe. If this area of the brain is
damaged, individuals are often still able to speak fluently, but their words do not make sense. This type of
language disorder is referred to as Wernicke’s aphasia. Damage to the right parietal and occipital lobes

The Biological Perspective 15 CHAPTER 2

can cause a condition known as spatial neglect in which the individual ignores objects or body parts in
their left visual field.
The cerebrum is made up of the two cerebral hemispheres and the structures connecting them. The
split-brain research studies of Roger Sperry helped scientists to figure out that the two cerebral
hemispheres are not identical. The left hemisphere is typically more active when a person is using
language, math, and other analytical skills, while the right hemisphere shows more activity during tasks
of perception, recognition, and expression of emotions. This split in the tasks of the brain is referred to as
lateralization.

STUDY HINTS
3. You will need to know the different functions of the peripheral nervous system (PNS). Recall
that the PNS is divided into two main sections: the somatic nervous system and the autonomic
nervous system. The somatic nervous system deals with the senses and the skeletal muscles (all
“S’s”) and is fairly straightforward to understand. The autonomic nervous system is slightly
more complicated. First, understand that the autonomic nervous system deals with all the
automatic functions of your body. What are some functions that are controlled automatically in
your body? List them here:

______________, ______________, ______________, ______________,

You probably mentioned functions such as digestion, heart rate, pupil dilation, breathing, salivation,
or perspiration, to name a few. These are the functions controlled by the autonomic system.

The two components of the autonomic system balance each other out. The two divisions are the
sympathetic and parasympathetic divisions. Most of the time, the parasympathetic division is in
control. Some people have called the parasympathetic division the rest-and-digest system because it
controls the digestive processes, maintains a resting heart and breathing rate, and in general keeps your
body in its normal relaxed state. The sympathetic division goes into action when your body needs to
react to some type of threat. It might be helpful to associate sympathetic with surprise, since the
sympathetic division is the part of your nervous system that responds when you are surprised. This
system is often referred to as the fight-or flight system. What happens to your body when you are
surprised? List some of the responses here:

______________, ______________, ______________, ______________,

You probably mentioned responses such as your heart rate increases, you breathe faster, your
pupils dilate, you begin to sweat, to name a few. All of these responses are “turned on” by the
sympathetic division of your autonomic nervous system and aid in your survival by allowing you
to respond quickly to a threat.

4. Two of the brain structures most commonly confused with each other are the hippocampus and the
hypothalamus. Both of the structures are located in the limbic system in the area of your brain above
your brainstem and below the outer surface. The hippocampus has been found to be important in
helping us form memories that last more than just a few seconds. Patients with damage to the
hippocampus often cannot remember information for longer than a few seconds. The hippocampus
is also important in storing memories of where things are located, a spatial map. On the other hand,
the hypothalamus is important in controlling many of your basic bodily functions such as sleeping,
drinking, eating, and sexual activities. The structures are often confused because the two words
sound so similar to each other. Can you think of any memory device or “trick” to help you keep
these two brain structures separate? List your idea in the following space:

The Biological Perspective 16 CHAPTER 2

 hippocampus: ________________________________________________________________

hypothalamus: ________________________________________________________________

One suggestion might be as follows. If you look at the word hippocampus you can think of the
last part of the word—campus. In order to get around on your college campus, you need to
keep in mind where certain buildings and areas are located. This is exactly what your
hippocampus is involved in. Without your hippo-campus, you would have a very hard time
finding your way around your college campus.

To remember the hypothalamus, first it might help to understand how the name came about.
“Hypo” means under or below. For example, if someone has “hypothermia” their body
temperature is under the normal amount and the person is probably feeling very cold. If
someone has “hypoglycemia” they have under or lower than the normal amount of blood sugar
(glycemia is referring to the sugar found in your blood). What do you think “hypothalamus”
means?

________________________________________________________________

If you wrote “under the thalamus,” then you are correct. The hypothalamus is located directly
underneath the thalamus. You might also look at the name to try to remember some of the
activities the hypothalamus regulates. Recall that we said the hypothalamus plays a role in
hunger, sleep, thirst, and sex. If you look at the “hypo” of hypothalamus you might memorize
“h” – hunger, “y” – yawning, “p” – parched (or very, very thirsty), and “o” – overly excited.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
2.1 What are the nervous system, neurons, and 2.6 How do psychologists study the structure
nerves, and how do they relate to one and function of the brain?
another? 2.7 What are the different structures of the
2.2 How do neurons use neurotransmitters to bottom part of the brain and what do they
communicate with each other and with the do?
body? 2.8 What are the structures of the brain that
2.3 How do the brain and spinal cord interact? control emotion, learning, memory, and
2.4 How do the somatic and autonomic nervous motivation?
systems allow people and animals to 2.9 What parts of the cortex control the different
interact with their surroundings and control senses and the movement of the body?
the body’s automatic functions? 2.10 What parts of the cortex are responsible for
2.5 How do the hormones released by glands higher forms of thought, such as language?
interact with the nervous system and affect 2.11 How does the left side of the brain differ
behavior? from the right side?

The Biological Perspective 17 CHAPTER 2

PRACTICE EXAM
For the following multiple choice questions, select the option you feel best answers the question or
completes the sentence.

1. Which of the following terms refers to a group of specialized cells that carry information to and from
all parts of the body?
a) Soma
b) Synapse
c) nervous system
d) Endorphins

2. The central nervous system is made of which two components?

a) the somatic and autonomic systems
b) the brain and the spinal cord
c) the sympathetic and parasympathetic divisions
d) Neurotransmitters and hormones

3. Located within the nervous system, the function of the _____ is to send and receive messages.
a) glial cell
b) neuron
c) Schwann cell
d) oligodendrocyte

4. What type of signal is used to relay a message from one end of a neuron to the other end?
a) chemical
b) hormonal
c) biochemical
d) electrical

5. When _______, a chemical found in the synaptic vesicles, is released, it affects the next cell.
a) glial cell
b) neurotransmitter
c) precursor cell
d) synapse

6. Which specific event causes the release of chemicals into the synaptic gap?
a) an agonist binding to the dendrites
b) an action potential reaching the axon terminal
c) the reuptake of neurotransmitters
d) excitation of the glial cells

7. Sara has been experiencing a serious memory problem. An interdisciplinary team has ruled out a
range of causes and believes that a neurotransmitter is involved. Based on the information presented
in Chapter 2, which neurotransmitter is most likely involved in this problem?
a) GABA
b) dopamine
c) serotonin
d) acetylcholine

The Biological Perspective 18 CHAPTER 2

8. Neuron A releases a neurotransmitter into the synaptic gap. As a result, the frequency of action
potentials in Neuron B (the receptor cell) is reduced. Which of the following neurotransmitters is
most likely to have been released by Neuron A?
a) an inhibitory neurotransmitter
b) an excitatory neurotransmitter
c) glutamate
d) an agonist

9. Which part of the nervous system takes the information received from the senses, makes sense out of
it, makes decisions, and sends commands out to the muscles and the rest of the body?
a) spinal cord
b) brain
c) reflexes
d) interneurons

10. Every deliberate action you make, such as pedaling a bike, walking, scratching, or smelling a
flower, involves neurons in the ____ nervous system.
a) sympathetic
b) somatic
c) parasympathetic
d) autonomic

11. The heart and the intestines are composed of _____muscles and are controlled by _____.
a) involuntary; the somatic nervous system
b) involuntary; the autonomic nervous system
c) voluntary; the sympathetic nervous system
d) voluntary; the parasympathetic nervous system

12. Which of the following responses would occur if your sympathetic nervous system has been
activated?
a) increased heart rate
b) pupil constriction
c) slowed breathing
d) increased digestion

13. Small metal disks are pasted onto Miranda's scalp and they are connected by wire to a machine that
translates the electrical energy from her brain into wavy lines on a moving piece of paper. From this
description, it is evident that Miranda's brain is being studied through the use of
a) a CT scan.
b) functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).
c) a microelectrode.
d) an electroencephalograph.

14. Which method would a researcher select if she wanted to determine whether her patient’s right
hemisphere was the same size as his left hemisphere?
a) EEG
b) deep lesioning
c) CT scan
d) PET scan

The Biological Perspective 19 CHAPTER 2

15. Which of the following is responsible for the ability to selectively attend to certain kinds of
information in one's surroundings and become alert to changes in information?
a) reticular formation
b) pons
c) medulla
d) cerebellum

16. When a professional baseball player swings a bat and hits a home run, he is relying on his ________
to coordinate the practiced movements of his body.
a) pons
b) medulla
c) cerebellum
d) reticular formation

17. Eating, drinking, sexual behavior, sleeping, and temperature control are most strongly influenced by
the
a) hippocampus.
b) thalamus.
c) hypothalamus.
d) amygdala.

18. After a brain operation, a laboratory rat no longer displays any fear when placed into a cage with a
snake. Which part of the rat's brain was most likely damaged during the operation?
a) amygdala
b) hypothalamus
c) cerebellum
d) hippocampus

19. Darla was in an automobile accident that resulted in an injury to her brain. Her sense of touch has
been affected. Which part of the brain is the most likely site of the damage?
a) frontal lobes
b) temporal lobes
c) occipital lobes
d) parietal lobes

20. If an individual damages his occipital lobes, which would be the most likely problem he would
report to his doctor?
a) trouble hearing
b) problems with his vision
c) decreased sense of taste
d) numbness on the right side of his body

21. Damage to what area of the brain would result in an inability to comprehend language?
a) occipital lobes
b) Broca's area
c) Wernicke's area
d) parietal lobe

The Biological Perspective 20 CHAPTER 2

22. If Darren's brain is like that of most people, then language will be handled by his
a) corpus callosum.
b) occipital lobe.
c) right hemisphere.
d) left hemisphere.

23. The two hemispheres of the brain are identical copies of each other.
a) true
b) false

24. Which of the following hormones is released by the pineal gland and prepares you for sleep?
a) melatonin
b) DHEA
c) parathormone
d) thyroxin

25. Which endocrine gland regulates your body's response to stress?

a) pancreas
b) thyroid gland
c) pineal gland
d) adrenal gland

PRACTICE EXAM ANSWERS

1. c The nervous system is the correct answer because it is composed of a group of specialized
cells that send information to and from all parts of the body. The soma and the synapse are
both parts of an individual neuron (not a group of cells), and endorphins are one type of
neurotransmitter found in the body.
2. b The central nervous system is composed of the nerves and neurons in the center of your
body. The somatic and autonomic systems, as well as the sympathetic and parasympathetic
divisions, are components of the peripheral nervous system. Hormones are the chemical
messengers for the endocrine system.
3. b Neurons are specialized cells within the nervous system that receive and send messages.
Glial cells serve as a structure for neurons. Schwann cells and oligodendrocytes are special
types of glial cells that generate myelin.
4. d Neurons use electrical signals to communicate within their own cell. The electrical signal is
called an action potential.
5. b Neurotransmitters are stored in the synaptic vesicles. The synapse is the space between the
synaptic knob of one cell and the dendrites. Glial cells provide structure for neurons, and
precursor cells are not relevant to this question.
6. b When the electrical signal (called an action potential) reaches the axon terminal, the
synaptic vesicles release their contents into the synaptic gap. Agonists binding to
dendrites and the reuptake of neurotransmitters are activities that can occur in a neuron,
but do not directly result in neurotransmitter release. Glial cells function as a support
structure.
7. d Acetylcholine is found in a part of the brain responsible for forming new memories.
8. a Inhibitory neurotransmitters from Neuron A inhibit the electrical activity of Neuron B
(receptor cell). The other answer choices would result in the opposite effect; for
example, glutamate is a major excitatory neurotransmitter in the central nervous
system.

The Biological Perspective 21 CHAPTER 2

9. b The spinal cord carries messages to and from the body to the brain, but it is the job of
the brain to make sense of all the information. Reflexes are an action rather than a
structure, and interneurons were only discussed in terms of their role in spinal cord
reflexes.
10. b The somatic nervous system controls voluntary muscle movement, whereas the
autonomic nervous system consists of nerves that control all of the involuntary muscles,
organs, and glands. The sympathetic and parasympathetic systems are merely divisions
of the autonomic nervous system.
11. b The autonomic nervous system controls involuntary muscles like the heart and
intestines. The somatic nervous system controls voluntary muscles. The heart and
intestines are involuntary rather than voluntary muscles.
12. a The sympathetic division is responsible for controlling your body's fight-or-flight
response, which prepares your body to deal with a potential threat. The responses
include increased heart rate and breathing, pupil dilation, decreased digestion, among
others.
13. d An electroencephalograph or EEG records brain wave patterns. CT scans take
computer-controlled X-rays of the brain. Microelectrodes were not mentioned in this
context in Chapter 2. fMRI does not record electrical activity of the brain.
14. c A CT scan is the only selection among these options that would allow the researcher to
take a picture of the structure of the brain. The other options listed provide information
about the function of the brain.
15. b The reticular formation plays a role in selective attention.
16. c The cerebellum is responsible for controlling the movements that you have practiced
repeatedly, the movements that you don't have to really “think about.”
17. c The hypothalamus regulates sleep, hunger, thirst, and sex.
18. a The amygdala—located within the limbic system, a part of your brain responsible for
regulating emotions and memories—has been found to regulate the fear response.
19. d The parietal lobes contain the centers for touch, taste, and temperature.
20. b The occipital lobes are responsible for processing visual information.
21. c Wernicke's area is located in the temporal lobe and is important in the comprehension
of language. Broca's area is located in the frontal lobe and plays a role in the production
of language. The occipital and parietal lobes are not specialized language areas.
22. d For most people the left hemisphere specializes in language.
23. b The left hemisphere is more active during language and math problems, while the right
hemisphere appears to play a larger role in nonverbal and perception based tasks.
24. a The pineal gland secretes melatonin.
25. d The adrenal glands secrete several hormones in response to stress.

CHAPTER GLOSSARY
agonists chemical substances that mimic or enhance the effects of a neurotransmitter on the
receptor sites of the next cell, increasing or decreasing the activity of that cell.
acetylcholine the first neurotransmitter to be discovered. Found to regulate memories in the CNS
and the action of skeletal and smooth muscles in the PNS.
action potential the release of the neural impulse consisting of a reversal of the electrical charge
within the axon.
adrenal glands endocrine glands located on top of each kidney that secrete over 30 different
hormones to deal with stress, regulate salt intake, and provide a secondary source of
sex hormones affecting the sexual changes that occur during adolescence.

The Biological Perspective 22 CHAPTER 2

afferent (sensory) a neuron that carries information from the senses to the central nervous system.
neuron
all-or-none referring to the fact that a neuron either fires completely or does not fire at all.
amygdala brain structure located near the hippocampus, responsible for fear responses and
memory of fear.
antagonists chemical substances that block or reduce a cell’s response to the action of other
chemicals or neurotransmitters.
association areas areas within each lobe of the cortex responsible for the coordination and
interpretation of information, as well as higher mental processing.
autonomic nervous division of the PNS consisting of nerves that control all of the involuntary muscles,
system organs, and glands.
axon tubelike structure that carries the neural message to other cells.
axon terminals branches at the end of the axon.
biological psychology branch of neuroscience that focuses on the biological bases of psychological
or behavioral processes, behavior, and learning.
neuroscience
brainstem section of the brain that connects directly to the spinal cord and regulates vital
functions such as breathing, the heart, reflexes, and level of alertness.
Broca’s aphasia condition resulting from damage to Broca’s area, causing the affected person to be
unable to speak fluently, to mispronounce words, and to speak haltingly.
central nervous part of the nervous system consisting of the brain and spinal cord.
system (CNS)
cerebellum part of the lower brain located behind the pons that controls and coordinates
involuntary, rapid, fine motor movement.
cerebral hemispheres the two sections of the cortex on the left and right sides of the brain.
cerebrum the upper part of the brain consisting of two hemispheres and the structures that
connect them.
cingulate cortex primary cortical component of the limbic system, involved in emotional and
cognitive processing.
computed tomography brain-imaging method using computer-controlled X-rays of the brain.
(CT)
corpus callosum thick band of neurons that connects the right and left cerebral hemispheres.
cortex outermost covering of the brain consisting of densely packed neurons, responsible
for higher thought processes and interpretation of sensory input.
deep lesioning insertion of a thin, insulated wire into the brain through which an electrical current is
sent that destroys the brain cells at the tip of the wire.
dendrites branchlike structures that receive messages from other neurons.
diffusion process of molecules moving from areas of high concentration to areas of low
concentration.
dopamine neurotransmitter that regulates movement, balance, and walking and is involved in
the disorders of schizophrenia and Parkinson’s disease.
efferent (motor) a neuron that carries messages from the central nervous system to the muscles of the
neuron body.
electroencephalograph machine designed to record the electroencephalogram.
electroencephalogram a recording of the electrical activity of large groups of cortical neurons just below the
(EEG) skull, most often using scalp electrodes.
endocrine glands glands that secrete chemicals called hormones directly into the bloodstream.

The Biological Perspective 23 CHAPTER 2

endorphin neurotransmitter that is found naturally in the body and works to block pain and
elevate mood. It is chemically similar to morphine and its name is short for
“endogenous morphine.”
enzymatic process by which structure of neurotransmitters is altered so it can no longer act on a
degradation receptor.
excitatory synapse synapse at which a neurotransmitter causes the receiving cell to fire.
frontal lobes areas of the cortex located in the front and top of the brain, responsible for higher
mental processes and decision making as well as the production of fluent speech.
functional magnetic MRI-based brain-imaging method that allows for a functional examination of brain
resonance imaging areas through changes in brain oxygenation.
(fMRI)
GABA abbreviation for gamma-aminobutyric acid, the major inhibitory neurotransmitter in
the brain.
glial cells cells that provide support for the neurons to grow on and around, deliver nutrients to
neurons, produce myelin to coat axons, clean up waste products and dead neurons,
influence information processing, and during prenatal development, influence the
generation of new neurons.
gonads sex glands; secrete hormones that regulate sexual development and behavior as well
as reproduction.
hippocampus curved structure located within each temporal lobe, responsible for the formation of
long-term memories and the storage of memory for location of objects.
hormones chemicals released into the bloodstream by endocrine glands.
hypothalamus small structure in the brain located below the thalamus and directly above the
pituitary gland, responsible for motivational behavior such as sleep, hunger, thirst,
and sex.
inhibitory synapse synapse at which a neurotransmitter causes the receiving cell to stop firing.
interneuron a neuron found in the center of the spinal cord that receives information from the
afferent neurons and sends commands to the muscles through the efferent neurons.
Interneurons also make up the bulk of the neurons in the brain.
limbic system a group of several brain structures located under the cortex and involved in learning,
emotion, memory, and motivation.
magnetic resonance brain-imaging method using radio waves and magnetic fields of the body to produce
imaging (MRI) detailed images of the brain.
medulla the first large swelling at the top of the spinal cord, forming the lowest part of the
brain, which is responsible for life-sustaining functions such as breathing,
swallowing, and heart rate.
mirror neurons neurons that fire when an animal or person performs an action and also when an
animal or person observes that same action being performed by another.
motor cortex section of the frontal lobe located at the back, responsible for sending motor
commands to the muscles of the somatic nervous system.
motor neuron a neuron that carries messages from the central nervous system to the muscles of the
body. Also called efferent neuron.
motor pathway nerves coming from the CNS to the voluntary muscles, consisting of efferent
neurons.
myelin fatty substances produced by certain glial cells that coat the axons of neurons to
insulate, protect, and speed up the neural impulse.
nerves bundles of axons coated in myelin that travel together through the body.
nervous system an extensive network of specialized cells that carry information to and from all parts
of the body.

The Biological Perspective 24 CHAPTER 2

neuron the basic cell that makes up the nervous system and which receives and sends
messages within that system.
neuroplasticity the ability within the brain to constantly change both the structure and function of
many cells in response to experience or trauma.
neuroscience a branch of the life sciences that deals with the structure and function of neurons,
nerves and nervous tissue.
neurotransmitter chemical found in the synaptic vesicles that, when released, has an effect on the next
cell.
occipital lobes sections of the brain located at the rear and bottom of each cerebral hemisphere
containing the visual centers of the brain.
olfactory bulbs two bulb-like projections just under the front of the brain that receives information
from the receptors in the nose.
ovaries the female gonads.
pancreas endocrine gland; controls the levels of sugar in the blood.
parasympathetic part of the ANS that restores the body to normal functioning after arousal and is
division responsible for the day-to-day functioning of the organs and glands.
parietal lobes sections of the brain located at the top and back of each cerebral hemisphere
containing the centers for touch, taste, and temperature sensations.
peripheral nervous all nerves and neurons that are not contained in the brain and spinal cord but that run
system (PNS) through the body itself.
pineal gland endocrine gland located near the base of the cerebrum; secretes melatonin.
pituitary gland gland located in the brain that secretes human growth hormone and influences all
other hormone-secreting glands (also known as the master gland).
pons the larger swelling above the medulla that connects the top of the brain to the bottom
and that plays a part in sleep, dreaming, left–right body coordination, and arousal.
positron emission brain-imaging method in which a radioactive sugar is injected into the subject and a
tomography (PET) computer compiles a color-coded image of the activity of the brain.
receptor sites 3-dimensional proteins on the surface of the dendrites or certain cells of the muscles
and glands, which are shaped to fit only certain neurotransmitters.
reflex arc the connection of the afferent neurons to the interneurons to the efferent neurons,
resulting in a reflex action.
resting potential the state of the neuron when not firing a neural impulse.
reticular formation an area of neurons running through the middle of the medulla and the pons and
(RF) slightly beyond that is responsible for general attention, alertness, and arousal.
reuptake process by which neurotransmitters are taken back into the synaptic vesicles.
sensory neuron a neuron that carries information from the senses to the central nervous system. Also
called afferent neuron.
sensory pathway nerves coming from the sensory organs to the CNS consisting of afferent neurons.
serotonin neurotransmitter involved in pain disorders and emotional perceptions. Is also known
as 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT).
single photon emission neuroimaging method that is similar to PET but uses a different radioactive tracer
tomography (SPECT) and can be used to examine brain blood flow.
soma the cell body of the neuron responsible for maintaining the life of the cell.
somatic nervous division of the PNS consisting of nerves that carry information from the senses to the
system CNS and from the CNS to the voluntary muscles of the body.
somatosensory cortex area of neurons running down the front of the parietal lobes responsible for
processing information from the skin and internal body receptors for touch,
temperature, body position, and possibly taste.

The Biological Perspective 25 CHAPTER 2

spatial neglect condition produced by damage to the association areas of the right hemisphere
resulting in an inability to recognize objects or body parts in the left visual field.
spinal cord a long bundle of neurons that carries messages between the body and the brain and is
responsible for very fast, lifesaving reflexes.
stem cells special cells found in all the tissues of the body that are capable of becoming other
cell types when those cells need to be replaced due to damage or wear and tear.
sympathetic division part of the ANS that is responsible for reacting to stressful events and bodily arousal.
(fight-or-flight system)
synapse (synaptic gap) microscopic fluid-filled space between the synaptic knob of one cell and the
dendrites or surface of the next cell.
synaptic knob rounded areas on the end of the axon terminal.
synaptic vesicles saclike structures found inside the synaptic knob containing chemicals.
temporal lobes areas of the cortex located just behind the temples containing the neurons responsible
for the sense of hearing and meaningful speech.
testes the male gonads.
thalamus part of the limbic system located in the center of the brain, this structure relays
sensory information from the lower part of the brain to the proper areas of the cortex
and processes some sensory information before sending it to its proper area.
thyroid gland endocrine gland found in the neck; regulates metabolism.
Wernicke’s aphasia condition resulting from damage to Wernicke’s area, causing the affected person to
be unable to understand or produce meaningful language.

The Biological Perspective 26 CHAPTER 2

 CHAPTER 3 – SENSATION AND PERCEPTION

YOU KNOW YOU ARE READY FOR THE TEST IF YOU ARE ABLE TO…
• Define sensation and introduce some of the key concepts developed by researchers in the study of
sensation.
• Explain in detail how our sense of sight and our sense of hearing work and discuss some causes
for impairments in these senses.
• Discuss the chemical senses of taste and smell and the lesser known somesthetic senses of touch,
body position, and balance.
• Describe our experience of perception, especially in relation to visual stimuli.
• Understand depth perception and the cues that facilitate this function.

RAPID REVIEW
Sensation allows us to receive information from the world around us. Synesthesia is the rare
condition in which a person experiences more than one sensation from a single stimulus, for example the
person who can hear and see a sound. The process of converting an outside stimulus into the electrical-
chemical signal of the nervous system is called sensory transduction. Outside stimuli (such as the sound
of your mother’s voice) activate sensory receptors, which convert the outside stimulus into a message
that our nervous system can understand—electrical and chemical signals. The sensory receptors are
specialized forms of neurons and make up part of our somatic nervous system. Ernst Weber and Gustav
Fechner were two pioneers in the study of sensory thresholds. Weber studied the smallest difference
between two stimuli that a person could detect 50 percent of the time. He called this difference a just
noticeable difference (jnd), and he discovered that the jnd is always a constant. For instance, if a person
needs to add 5 percent more weight to notice the difference in the heaviness of a package, then this
person’s jnd is 5 percent. If the initial weight of the package is 10 lbs., then 0.5 lb. would need to be
added to detect a difference (5 percent of 10 lbs. = 0.5 lb). If the initial weight is 100 lbs., then 5 lbs.
would need to be added in order for the person to detect a difference in weight (5 percent of 100 lbs. = 5
lbs.). The fact that the jnd is always a constant is known as Weber’s law. Fechner investigated the lowest
level of a stimulus that a person could detect 50 percent of the time. He called this level the absolute
threshold. The ability to see a candle flame from 30 miles away on a clear dark night is an example of
the absolute threshold for human sight. In general, the body is interested in detecting changes in
environmental information; constant stimuli tend to be ignored. Habituation and sensory adaptation are
two methods our body uses to ignore unchanging information. Habituation takes place when the lower
centers of the brain prevent conscious attention to a constant stimulus, such as the humming of a desktop
computer. Sensory adaptation occurs in the sensory receptors themselves when the receptors stop
responding to a constant stimulus, such as the feeling of your shirt on your skin. The visual system does
not adapt in this way, but rather, uses saccadic eye movements, tiny vibrations below the level of our
conscious awareness, to allow the viewing of unchanging stimuli.
The visual sensory system is activated by photons of light that have specific wavelengths associated
with them. The three psychological aspects to our experience of light are brightness, determined by the
height, or amplitude, of the light wave; color, or hue, determined by the length of the light wave; and
saturation, or purity, determined by the mixture of wavelengths of varying heights and lengths that make
up light. Light enters your eye through the cornea that protects your eye and helps to focus the light, and
then travels through a hole in your iris, called your pupil. The iris is a group of muscles that control the
size of the pupil; this is also the structure that gives us eye color. The light then passes through the lens,
which focuses the light and allows you to focus on objects that are close or far away. This process is
known as visual accommodation, the efficiency of which typically decreases with age. The light then
travels through the vitreous humor in the middle of your eyeball to reach the retina at the very back of
your eye. The retina is approximately the size of a postage stamp and contains the sensory receptor
neurons that convert the incoming light waves in to an electrical-chemical signal that the nervous system
can understand. Your eye contains two types of sensory receptors, rods and cones. About 70 percent of

Sensation and Perception -27- CHAPTER 3

the sensory receptors in your eyes are rods. Rods detect the brightness of light and send information about
the levels of black, white, and shades of gray. The rods are located in the periphery of the retina; that is,
almost everywhere except the very center. Rods are extremely sensitive to light but produce images with
low acuity, or sharpness. Our eyes’ ability to adapt to a dark room and eventually see objects is mediated
by the rods in our eyes and is called dark adaptation. Cones make up the remaining 30 percent of the
sensory receptors in your eyes and are located mainly in the center of the retina. Cones transmit
information about color and produce images with very high acuity. Our ability to quickly adapt when we
enter a bright room is called light adaptation and is accomplished by the cones. The place where the
information from the rods and cones leaves the eye is called the blind spot because it contains no visual
receptors to receive information.
After light is converted to an electrical-chemical signal by the rods and cones, the message passes
through the bipolar cells, to the ganglion cells, the axons of which travel out of the eye as the optic nerve.
At the optic chiasm, about 50 percent of these axons, those associated with the half of the eye closest to
the nose, cross over and travel toward the visual cortex on the opposite side of the brain. The remaining
50 percent of the axons, those associated with the half of the eye closest to the ear, project to the visual
cortex on the same side of the brain. From that point, the axons forming the optic nerve synapse at the
lateral geniculate nucleus of the thalamus. From the thalamus the signal is sent to the occipital lobes,
which, if you recall from the previous chapter, are responsible for processing visual information.
The exact method the cones use to transmit information about color is still unknown. Two theories
are currently proposed. The trichromatic theory was originally proposed by Thomas Young and later
modified by Hermann Helmholtz. The theory suggests the three types of cones—red, green, and blue—
combine to produce sensation of color much like three spotlights would combine to produce the full
spectrum of colors. The trichromatic theory most likely is an accurate description of the cones but cannot
explain certain visual phenomena such as the afterimage. The afterimage is the image you see after
staring at something and then looking away. For example, stare at something red, then look away and you
see a green afterimage. A different theory of color perception known as the opponent-process theory
was developed to explain phenomena such as the afterimage. The theory states that cones are arranged in
pairs with a red-green pair and a blue-yellow pair. If one member of the pair is firing then the other
member cannot. When you stare at something red, the red member sends information and the green
member is inhibited. When you look away, the green member is no longer inhibited and sends
information even though you are not looking at anything green. Both the trichromatic theory and the
opponent-process theory are probably correct. The trichromatic theory most likely explains the actions of
cones in the retina, while the opponent-process theory explains the actions higher up in the visual system
in the lateral geniculate nucleus of the thalamus.
Color blindness is caused by defective cones in the retina. Monochromatic color blindness occurs
when a person has no cones or no functional cones; whereas, dichromatic color blindness exists when
only one cone is not working properly. Two types of red-green colorblindness are common. A lack of
functioning red cones is called protanopia, and deficient green cones result in deuteranopia. Blue-
yellow color deficiency, tritanopia, is less common and is seen in individuals with nonfunctional blue
cones. The gene for color-deficient vision is sex-linked and thus, more prevalent among males.
Our sense of hearing, the auditory system, is activated by the vibrations of molecules in the air that
surrounds us. These vibrations are called sound waves, and like light waves, we respond to three features
of sound waves. Pitch corresponds to the frequency of the wave, volume is determined by the amplitude
of the wave, and timbre relates to the purity of the wavelengths. Humans can only respond to
wavelengths of a certain frequency. The average range for humans is between 20 and 20,000 Hertz (Hz)
or waves per second. Sound waves enter our auditory system through the pinna, travel down the ear
canal—also known as the auditory canal—and then vibrate the eardrum, which causes the hammer,
anvil, and stirrup to vibrate. The vibrations of the stirrup cause the oval window to move back and forth,
which causes the fluid in the cochlea to vibrate. The fluid causes the basilar membrane to vibrate, which
causes the organ of Corti to brush against the membrane above it, and this causes the hair cells to bend.
The hair cells are the sensory receptors of the auditory system, and the movement of the hair cells triggers

Sensation and Perception -28- CHAPTER 3

an action potential in axons, which travel to the brain in a bundle called the auditory nerve. A louder
noise causes the hair cells to fire more action potentials.
Three theories explain how the brain receives information about pitch. Different areas of the basilar
membrane vibrate in response to different frequencies of sound waves. Place theory states that pitch is
determined by the place on the organ of Corti that is stimulated. The frequency theory suggests that the
speed of vibrations of the basilar membrane determine the pitch heard by the person. The volley principle
suggests that hair cells take turns firing in a process called volleying. All three theories are correct.
Frequency theory holds true for wavelengths of 100 Hz or less, volley theory covers the wavelengths
from 100 to 1000 Hz, and place theory seems to account for the wavelengths faster than 1000 Hz. Hearing
impairment is the term used to describe difficulties in hearing. Conduction hearing impairment occurs
from damage to the eardrum or the bones of the middle ear. Nerve hearing impairment is caused by
problems in the inner ear or in the auditory pathways and cortical areas of the brain. Ordinary hearing aids
are designed to assist with conduction hearing impairment, whereas cochlear implants can be used to
restore some hearing for people with nerve hearing impairment.
The sense of taste, or gustation, is activated by chemicals that dissolve in the mouth. The sensory
receptors are receptor cells found within the taste buds that are located on the little bumps on the tongue,
cheek, and roof of your mouth. The little bumps that you can actually see with your eye are called
papillae. The average person has about 500 taste buds on his or her tongue. Five basic tastes have been
proposed; they are sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and umami. Umami is the newest taste and corresponds to a
“brothy” taste like the taste from chicken soup. Some people, called “supertasters,” have 20 times the
typical number of taste buds and are more sensitive to various flavors. Other research suggests that obese
individuals, as compared to those individuals who are not obese, might be less sensitive to sweet flavors.
For this reason, obese people might be particularly drawn to foods that are very sweet and high in fat.
The sense of smell, or olfaction, is also a chemical sense. Humans have about 10 million olfactory
receptor cells located in a 1 square inch area at the top of the nasal passage. Olfactory receptor cells send
their axons directly to the olfactory bulbs, located right under the frontal lobes. This pathway is unique in
that it bypasses the thalamus and instead goes directly to the olfactory bulbs, which are a part of the brain.
From the olfactory bulbs, information is sent to the primary olfactory cortex (also called the piriform
cortex), as well as brain areas associated with emotion (the orbitofrontal cortex and amygdala).
The sense of touch is actually composed of several sensations and is more accurately referred to as
somesthetic senses. The three somesthetic senses are skin, kinesthetic, and vestibular. The skin contains
at least six different types of sensory receptors and transmits information about touch, pressure,
temperature, and pain. The currently accepted theory about pain is called gate-control theory and
suggests that pain information is regulated by a number of factors in the brain and spinal cord. Two
chemicals involved with pain messages are substance P and endorphins. Substance P transmits
information about pain to the brain and spinal cord, while endorphins inhibit the transmission of signals
of pain. The kinesthetic sense relays information about your body’s sense of position in space. The
information comes from sensory receptors called proprioceptive receptors located in your skin, joints,
muscles, and tendons. Our sense of balance, or vestibular sense, is regulated by receptor cells in the
otolith organs and the semicircular canals. Both structures are located near the cochlea of the inner ear.
The otolith organs contain small crystals suspended in fluid. Movement of the body causes the crystals to
move and activates the sensory receptors. Similarly, the semicircular canals are three fluid-filled cavities
located in three different planes (x, y and z) through which the body can rotate. When the body moves, it
sets off hair-like receptors in these canals. Sensory conflict theory describes a phenomenon by which
information from the eyes may conflict with information from the vestibular system, causing dizziness.
Riding in a moving vehicle causes this type of response in some people. Research suggests that these
symptoms may decrease following repeated exposure to the environment that causes motion sickness.
Perception is the interpretation of sensation and seems to follow some basic principles, although
individual and cultural differences in perception have been recorded. One principle is that of perceptual
constancy. We tend to view objects as the same size, shape, and brightness even if the sensations we are
receiving from our sensory systems are not constant in size, shape, or brightness. An example of
perceptual constancy is our perception of the size and shape of a door as it is opened and closed. Gestalt

Sensation and Perception -29- CHAPTER 3

psychologists believe that when people are presented with visual information, they interpret the
information according to certain expected patterns or rules. The patterns are called the Gestalt principles
of perception, and they include the following seven rules: figure-ground relationships, closure,
similarity, continuity, contiguity, proximity, and common region. The principle of figure-ground
relationships can be illustrated by looking at reversible figures, which are visual illusions in which the
figure and ground seem to switch back and forth.
Visual perception of depth, called depth perception, appears to be present at a very early age. Visual
cues for depth that require the use of one eye are referred to as monocular cues and include linear
perspective, relative size, overlap or interposition, aerial perspective, texture gradient, motion
parallax, and accommodation. Visual cues that use two eyes are called binocular cues and include
convergence and binocular disparity. An illusion is a perception that does not correspond to reality.
Illusions differ from hallucinations in that a hallucination’s origin is in the brain itself; whereas, an
illusion is a distorted perception of what’s really there. Some famous visual illusions include the
Hermann Grid, the Müller-Lyer illusion, the moon illusion, and illusions of motion. The Rotating
Snakes illusion and the Enigma are two popular motion illusions. Research suggests that eye movements
called microsaccades might partially explain how motion illusions work.
In addition to cultural and individual differences, perceptions can be influenced by perceptual sets or
expectancies. One example of perceptual expectancy is top-down processing and occurs when a person
uses preexisting knowledge to fit individual features into an organized whole. If there is no expectancy to
help organize information, a person might use bottom-up processing to build a complete perception by
making sense of the smaller features piece by piece. Magic acts are one familiar application of perceptual
principles, in which magicians use visual and cognitive illusions to “fool” their audiences.

Sensation and Perception -30- CHAPTER 3

STUDY HINTS
5. Chapter 3 presented information about seven different sensory systems. A chart can be
extremely helpful in organizing these various components. See how much of the information you
can fill in below and go to the textbook to find the remaining answers. The first row is filled in
for you. A complete table can be found at the end of the Study Hints section.

Sensory External Sensory Sensory Proposed

System Stimulus Organ Receptor Theories

trichromatic theory
visual system light waves eyes rods and cones opponent-process
theory

Sensation and Perception -31- CHAPTER 3

6. Many students confuse the Gestalt principles of perception with the monocular cues for depth
perception. The two lists are given here. The principles of perception deal with the rules we
use to decide which objects should be grouped together, while the monocular depth cues are
used to determine how far away objects are.

Gestalt principles of perception Monocular depth cues

closure linear perspective
similarity texture gradient
contiguity aerial position
continuity interposition
figure-ground relationship motion parallax
proximity relative size

In order to help clarify the difference, use these cues to draw two separate pictures.

Use one or more of the monocular depth

Use one or more of the Gestalt principles to
cues to draw a picture of a tree, house and a
create a picture with at least two separate
person. Make sure the tree is the farthest
groups of objects.
object and the person is the closest object.

Sensation and Perception -32- CHAPTER 3

 Completed Sensory System Chart
Sensory External Sensory Sensory Proposed
System Stimulus Organ Receptor Theories

trichromatic theory
visual system light waves eyes rods and cones opponent-process
theory
place theory
hair cells in the
auditory system sound waves ears frequency theory
organ of Corti
volley theory
tongue,
gustatory system soluble taste cells in the
cheeks,
(taste) chemicals taste buds
mouth

olfactory system air-borne olfactory

nose
(smell) chemicals receptors

six different
types including
pressure,
free nerve gate-control theory
skin senses temperature, skin
endings and of pain
pain
pacinian
corpuscles
skin, joints,
proprioceptive
kinesthetic body position muscles, and
receptors
tendons
semicircular
acceleration and canals and
vestibular hair cells
tilt otolith
organs

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
3.1 How does sensation travel through the 3.7 What allows people to experience the sense
central nervous system, and why are some of touch, pain, motion, and balance?
sensations ignored? 3.8 What are perception and perceptual
3.2 What is light, and how does it travel constancies?
through the various parts of the eye? 3.9 What are the Gestalt principles of
3.3 How do the eyes see, and how do the eyes perception?
see different colors? 3.10 How do infants develop perceptual
3.4 What is sound, and how does it travel abilities, including the perception of depth
through the various parts of the ear? and its cues?
3.5 Why are some people unable to hear, and 3.11 What are visual illusions, and how can they
how can their hearing be improved? and other factors influence and alter
3.6 How do the senses of taste and smell work, perception?
and how are they alike?

Sensation and Perception -33- CHAPTER 3

PRACTICE EXAM
For the following multiple choice questions, select the option you feel best answers the question or
completes the sentence.

1. The most important role of sensory receptors is to

a) coordinate communications within the body.
b) regulate the body’s response to pain.
c) control skeletal muscle contractions.
d) convert an external stimulus into an electrical-chemical message the nervous system can use.

2. The point at which a person can detect a stimulus 50 percent of the time it is presented is called the
a) absolute threshold.
b) range threshold.
c) differential threshold.
d) noticeable threshold.

3. An automobile manufacturer has decided to add a little bit of horsepower to its cars. They have a
device that alters horsepower one unit at a time. Suppose drivers first notice the increase on a 200
horsepower car when it reaches 220 horsepower. How much horsepower must be added to a 150
horsepower car for drivers to notice the difference?
a) 5
b) 10
c) 15
d) 25

4. If you stared at a picture for a long period of time, you might think the image of the picture would fade
due to sensory adaptation. This would be the case except for the tiny vibrations of your eye called
a) glissades.
b) saccades.
c) habituation movements.
d) light wave responses.

5. Light is said to have a dual nature, meaning it can be thought of in two different ways. These two
ways are
a) particles and photons.
b) waves and frequencies.
c) photons and waves.
d) dark light and daylight.

6. When light waves enter the eye, they first pass through the
a) iris.
b) lens.
c) pupil.
d) cornea.

7. Which of the following is true about cones?

a) They are more sensitive to light than rods.
b) They are found mainly in the center of the eye.
c) They operate mainly at night.
d) They respond only to black and white.

Sensation and Perception -34- CHAPTER 3

8. The existence of afterimages in complementary colors best supports the ______ theory of color vision.
a) opponent-process
b) place
c) vibrational
d) Hering trichromatic

9. Which of the following properties of sound would be the most similar to the color or hue of light?
a) pitch
b) loudness
c) purity
d) timbre

10. Vibrating molecules in the air are called

a) light waves.
b) sound waves.
c) odor waves.
d) taste sensations.

11. The membrane stretched over the opening to the middle ear is the
a) pinna.
b) oval window.
c) tympanic membrane.
d) cochlea.

12. Which is the correct order of the three bones of the middle ear, from the outside in?
a) anvil, hammer, stirrup
b) hammer, anvil, stirrup
c) stirrup, anvil, hammer
d) stirrup, hammer, anvil

13. Which theory proposes that above 100 Hz but below 1000Hz, auditory neurons do not fire all at
once but in rotation?
a) place theory
b) volley theory
c) frequency theory
d) rotational theory

14. The _________ theory explains how we hear sounds above 1,000 Hz.
a) place
b) frequency
c) volley
d) adaptive

15. In the auditory system, transduction occurs in the

a) hair cells of the cochlea.
b) hair cells of the semicircular canals.
c) hair cells of the olfactory epithelium
d) hair cells of the papillae.

Sensation and Perception -35- CHAPTER 3

16. Which of the following items describes a function of the bones of the middle ear?
a) They transform sound waves to into an electrical signal.
b) They amplify the vibrations of the ear drum.
c) They funnel sound waves from the outside world into the ear.
d) They provide information about movement in three planes (x, y and z).

17. If a severe ear infection damages the bones of the middle ear, you may develop _______ hearing
impairment.
a) nerve
b) stimulation
c) brain pathway
d) conduction

18. Cochlear implants bypass the

a) outer ear.
b) outer and middle ear.
c) outer, middle, and inner ear.
d) auditory nerve.

19. The “bumps” on the tongue that are visible to the eye are the
a) olfactory receptors.
b) taste buds.
c) papillae.
d) taste receptors.

20. An olfactory stimulus travels from receptor to

a) olfactory bulb.
b) thalamus.
c) amygdala.
d) pons.

21. According to your textbook, what is the best current explanation for how the sensation of pain
works?
a) the sensory conflict theory
b) the gate control theory
c) the volley principle
d) congenital analgesia

22. Which is the best description of the vestibular senses?

a) having to do with touch, pressure, temperature, and pain
b) having to do with the location of body parts in relation to each other
c) having to do with movement and body position
d) having to do with your location as compared to the position of the sun

23. We know when we are moving up and down in an elevator because of the movement of tiny
crystals in the
a) outer ear.
b) inner ear.
c) otolith organs.
d) middle ear.

Sensation and Perception -36- CHAPTER 3

24. Proprioceptors aid in the process of
a) perception of visceral pain.
b) perception of the spatial location of body parts in relation to one another.
c) perception of odor molecules in the air.
d) perception of somatic pain.

25. The tendency to interpret an object as always being the same size, regardless of its distance from
the viewer, is known as
a) size constancy.
b) shape constancy.
c) brightness constancy.
d) color constancy.

26. Closure is the tendency

a) to perceive objects, or figures, on some background.
b) to complete figures that are incomplete.
c) to perceive objects that are close to each other as part of the same grouping.
d) to perceive things with a continuous pattern rather than with a complex, broken-up
pattern.

27. Which Gestalt principle is at work in the old phrase, “birds of a feather flock together”?
a) closure
b) similarity
c) expectancy
d) continuity

28. Visual distance and depth cues that require the use of both eyes are called
a) monocular cues.
b) diocular cues.
c) binocular cues.
d) dichromatic cues.

29. The Müller-Lyer illusion exists in cultures with

a) more men than women.
b) more women than men.
c) few buildings.
d) buildings with lots of corners.

30. People’s tendency to perceive things a certain way because their previous experiences or
expectations influence them is called
a) a perceptual set.
b) binocular disparity.
c) motion parallax.
d) accommodation.

31. When you look at a flowing river, the width of the river seems to converge into a point in the
distance. This phenomenon is called
a) a monocular cue.
b) a pictorial depth cue.
c) linear perspective.
d) all of the above are correct.
PRACTICE EXAM ANSWERS

Sensation and Perception -37- CHAPTER 3

1. d Sensory receptors are the body’s “antennae” to the outside world. Each sensory
receptor type is specially designed to receive a specific external signal and convert
it to an electrical-chemical signal that the brain can understand.
2. a Gustav Fechner investigated the sensitivity of the human sensory systems and
called the lowest level of a stimulus that a person could detect half of the time the
absolute threshold.
3. c According to Weber’s law, the just noticeable difference (jnd) is a constant
proportion. A change from 200 to 220 represents an increase of 20 units and a jnd of
20/200 or 0.10, which is 10 percent. If the company starts with 150 horsepower,
they will need to increase it by 10 percent in order for the driver to notice a
difference. Ten percent of 150 is 15.
4. b Saccades are the small quick movements your eye makes in order to keep the visual
stimuli changing. When our sensory receptors receive unchanging, constant stimuli,
they eventually stop responding to the stimulus. This process is known as sensory
adaptation.
5. c Light can be thought of as a wave and as particles. Photons are the specific type of
particles of which light is composed.
6. d The cornea is the outermost coating of the eye. It is transparent and serves to protect
the eye and to help focus the light coming in to the eye.
7. b Cones are the sensory receptors that respond to color and send visual information of
high acuity or visual sharpness. The cones are located primarily in the center of the
retina. Rods are more sensitive than cones to light, and they respond only to black
and white.
8. a The opponent process theory of color vision was introduced, in part, to explain the
phenomenon of the afterimage.
9. a Both light and sound travel in waves. Pitch is determined by the length of the sound
wave just as color is determined by the length of the light wave. Both brightness
and loudness are determined by the height of their respective waves.
10. b The outer and middle parts of the ear are designed to funnel the vibrating air
molecules to the inner ear where they are translated into an electrical signal and sent
to the brain.
11. c The tympanic membrane is also known as the eardrum. Sound waves cause the
tympanic membrane to vibrate, which then causes the bones of the middle ear to
move back and forth.
12. b The order of the bones is hammer, anvil, stirrup which spells “has.”
13. b Volley theory describes the perception of pitch for the middle frequencies (100 –
1000 Hz). Frequency theory describes the low frequencies (100 Hz and less), and
place theory describes the fastest frequencies (1000 Hz and higher).
14. a The idea is that at very high sound frequencies, the action potential frequency can’t
keep up, so pitch has to be coded by the place on the basilar membrane that is
activated.
15. a Sound waves result in the vibration of the basilar membrane, which causes the hair
cells of the cochlea to brush against the membrane above them. In this way, sound
waves are transformed into an electrical signal (action potential) that the brain can
understand. Although hair cells exist in the vestibular system and hair-like cilia
exist in the olfactory system, neither are involved in auditory transduction. The
papillae are visible components of the gustatory system and contain the taste buds
rather than hair cells.

Sensation and Perception -38- CHAPTER 3

16. b The vibration of the three bones of the middle ear, the hammer, anvil and stirrup,
amplify the vibrations from the ear drum. The hair cells of the cochlear transform
sound waves into an electrical signal. The pinna funnels sound waves from the
outside world into the inner ear. The semicircular canals provide information about
movement in the x, y and z planes.
17. d Conduction hearing impairment is caused by damage to the outer or middle ear.
18. b Cochlear implants use an electronic device instead of the movements of the bones in
the middle ear to convert the sound wave into a signal that is then sent to the
auditory nerve in the inner ear.
19. c The bumps you can see with your eye are the papillae. The taste buds are located
along the sides of the papillae. Each taste bud contains 10–20 taste receptors.
20. a The olfactory system is the only system in which the receptors send their signal
directly to the higher brain and bypass the thalamus, which normally acts as a filter
for the processes of the lower brain.
21. b According to your textbook, the gate-control theory of pain is the best current
explanation for how pain works. The sensory conflict theory applies to motion
sickness; the volley principle explains the perception of sound rather than pain.
Although congenital analgesia is related to pain, it refers to a condition in which
people cannot feel pain.
22. c The vestibular sense provides you with a sense of balance and sends your brain
information about acceleration and tilt.
23. d Although the otolith organs are located in the inner ear, the inner ear is a more
precise answer.
24. b Proprioceptors aid in the perception of the spatial location of body parts in relation
to one another. The term referring to the perception of smell is olfaction.
25. a Size constancy refers to the fact that our perception of the size of an object tends to
remain constant.
26. b Closure is one of the Gestalt principles of perception and refers to our tendency to
“close” objects to form a complete picture.
27. b The saying is emphasizing that objects with similar characteristics (“birds of a
feather”) tend to be grouped together (“flock together”). This is the principle of
similarity.
28. c The phrase “ocular” means having to do with the eyes. “Mono” refers to one and
“bi” refers to two. Therefore, the term binocular means seeing depth with two eyes.
29. d The carpentered-world theory states that the Müller-Lyer illusion does not exist in
certain “primitive” cultures because they are not surrounded by straight lines and
corners.
30. a An individual’s expectations or perceptual set often influence perception of objects.
31. d All of the answers are correct. Linear perspective is a type of monocular cue that
can be used to add depth to pictures; thus, it is also a pictorial depth cue.

CHAPTER GLOSSARY
absolute threshold the lowest level of stimulation that a person can consciously detect 50
percent of the time the stimulation is present.
accommodation as a monocular clue, the brain’s use of information about the changing
thickness of the lens of the eye in response to looking at objects that are
close or far away.
aerial (atmospheric) the haziness that surrounds objects that are farther away from the viewer,
perspective causing the distance to be perceived as greater.
afterimages images that occur when a visual sensation persists for a brief time even
after the original stimulus is removed.

Sensation and Perception -39- CHAPTER 3

auditory canal short tunnel that runs from the pinna to the eardrum.
auditory nerve bundle of axons from the hair cells in the inner ear.
binocular cues cues for perceiving depth based on both eyes.
binocular disparity the difference in images between the two eyes, which is greater for objects
that are close and smaller for distant objects.
blind spot area in the retina where the axons of three layers of retinal cells exit the eye
to form the optic nerve.
bottom-up processing the analysis of the smaller features to build up to a complete perception.
brightness constancy the tendency to perceive the apparent brightness of an object as the same
even when the light conditions change.
closure the tendency to complete figures that are incomplete.
cochlea snail-shaped structure of the inner ear that is filled with fluid.
cones visual sensory receptor found at the back of the retina, responsible for color
vision and sharpness of vision.
contiguity the tendency to perceive two things that happen close together in time as
being related.
continuity the tendency to perceive things as simply as possible with a continuous
pattern rather than with a complex, broken-up pattern.
convergence the rotation of the two eyes in their sockets to focus on a single object,
resulting in greater convergence for closer objects and less convergence if
objects are distant.
dark adaptation the recovery of the eye’s sensitivity to visual stimuli in darkness after
exposure to bright lights.
depth perception the ability to perceive the world in three dimensions.
figure–ground the tendency to perceive objects, or figures, as existing on a background.
frequency theory theory of pitch that states that pitch is related to the speed of vibrations in
the basilar membrane.
gustation (gustatory system) the sensation of taste.
habituation tendency of the brain to stop attending to constant, unchanging information.
hertz (Hz) cycles or waves per second, a measurement of frequency.
just noticeable difference the smallest difference between two stimuli that is detectable 50 percent of
(difference threshold) the time.
kinesthetic senses sense of the location of body parts in relation to the ground and each other.
light adaptation the recovery of the eye’s sensitivity to visual stimuli in light after exposure
to darkness.
linear perspective the tendency for parallel lines to appear to converge on each other.
monocular cues (pictorial cues for perceiving depth based on one eye only.
depth cues)
motion parallax the perception of motion of objects in which close objects appear to move
more quickly than objects farther away.
Müller-Lyer illusion illusion of line length that is distorted by inward-turning or outward-turning
corners on the ends of the lines, causing lines of equal length to appear to
be different.
olfaction (olfactory system) the sensation of smell.
olfactory bulbs areas of the brain located just above the sinus cavity and just below the
frontal lobes that receive information from the olfactory receptor cells.
opponent-process theory theory of color vision that proposes visual neurons (or groups of neurons)
are stimulated by light of one color and inhibited by light of another color.
overlap (interposition) the assumption that an object that appears to be blocking part of another
object is in front of the second object and closer to the viewer.

Sensation and Perception -40- CHAPTER 3

perception the method by which the sensations experienced at any given moment are
interpreted and organized in some meaningful fashion.
perceptual set (perceptual the tendency to perceive things a certain way because previous experiences
expectancy) or expectations influence those perceptions.
pinna the visible part of the ear.
pitch psychological experience of sound that corresponds to the frequency of the
sound waves; higher frequencies are perceived as higher pitches.
place theory theory of pitch that states that different pitches are experienced by the
stimulation of hair cells in different locations on the organ of Corti.
proximity the tendency to perceive objects that are close to each other as part of the
same grouping.
relative size perception that occurs when objects that a person expects to be of a certain
size appear to be small and are, therefore, assumed to be much farther
away.
reversible figures visual illusions in which the figure and ground can be reversed.
rods visual sensory receptor found at the back of the retina, responsible for
noncolor sensitivity to low levels of light.
sensation the process that occurs when special receptors in the sense organs are
activated, allowing various forms of outside stimuli to become neural
signals in the brain.
sensory adaptation tendency of sensory receptor cells to become less responsive to a stimulus
that is unchanging.
sensory conflict theory an explanation of motion sickness in which the information from the eyes
conflicts with the information from the vestibular senses, resulting in
dizziness, nausea, and other physical discomfort.
shape constancy the tendency to interpret the shape of an object as being constant, even
when its shape changes on the retina.
similarity the tendency to perceive things that look similar to each other as being part
of the same group.
size constancy the tendency to interpret an object as always being the same actual size,
regardless of its distance.
skin senses the sensations of touch, pressure, temperature, and pain.
somesthetic senses the body senses consisting of the skin senses, the kinesthetic sense, and the
vestibular senses.
synesthesia disorder in which the signals from various sensory organs are processed in
the wrong cortical areas, resulting in the sense information being
interpreted as more than one sensation.
texture gradient the tendency for textured surfaces to appear to become smaller and finer as
distance from the viewer increases.
top-down processing the use of preexisting knowledge to organize individual features into a
unified whole.
transduction the process of converting outside stimuli, such as light, into neural activity.
trichromatic theory theory of color vision that proposes three types of cones: red, blue, and
green.
vestibular senses the sensations of movement, balance, and body position.
visual accommodation the change in the thickness of the lens as the eye focuses on objects that are
far away or close.
volley principle theory of pitch that states that frequencies about 400 Hz to 4000 Hz cause
the hair cells (auditory neurons) to fire in a volley pattern, or taking turns in
firing.

Sensation and Perception -41- CHAPTER 3

Sensation and Perception -42- CHAPTER 3
 CHAPTER 4 – CONSCIOUSNESS: SLEEP, DREAMS, HYPNOSIS, AND DRUGS

YOU KNOW YOU ARE READY FOR THE TEST IF YOU ARE ABLE TO…
• Define consciousness and discuss the different levels of consciousness.
• Explain the factors that control sleep, theories on the purpose of sleep, the stages of sleep, and
disorders of sleep.
• Discuss dreams and three theories that attempt to explain the purpose of dreams.
• Introduce the phenomenon of hypnosis and theories suggesting the underlying mechanism.
• Describe properties and potential dangers of psychoactive drugs including stimulants,
depressants, narcotics, and hallucinogens.
• Understand how hypnogogic and hypnopompic hallucinations might be misinterpreted as
supernatural events.

RAPID REVIEW
Consciousness is defined as a person’s awareness of the world around him or her; this awareness
may be used to organize behavior. Waking consciousness is defined as the state of awareness where our
thoughts and feelings are clear and organized. Altered states of consciousness describe a shift in the
quality or pattern of a person’s awareness. Examples of altered states of consciousness include using
drugs, daydreaming, being hypnotized, or simply sleeping.
The sleep–wake cycle is a circadian rhythm, meaning one cycle takes about a day to complete. The
cycle is regulated by the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) located in the hypothalamus. The SCN
responds to changes in daylight and regulates body temperature and the release of melatonin from the
pineal gland. By the end of the day, lower body temperature and higher melatonin levels cause people to
feel sleepy. In addition, high levels of serotonin are believed to produce feelings of sleepiness. The sleep–
wake cycle tends to shift to a 25-hour cycle when subjects do not have access to the sun or clocks. Sleep
deprivation, or loss of sleep, results in an increase in microsleeps (brief periods of sleep lasting only a
few seconds), concentration problems, and an inability to perform simple tasks. Participants in a number
of sleep deprivation studies reported that they were unaware of their impaired functioning. Two theories
are currently proposed for why we sleep. The adaptive theory suggests that we sleep to avoid predators,
while the restorative theory states that sleep is needed to replenish chemicals and repair cellular damage.
Both theories are probably partially correct.
Based on brain wave activity recorded with the use of an EEG, sleep has been divided into two
different types, rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and non-REM sleep. Non-REM sleep is a deep,
restful sleep and consists of four stages. Stage 1 sleep is also called light sleep and occurs when brain
activity begins to shift from alpha to theta wave activity. Many people experience a hypnic jerk in this
stage when their body jerks suddenly and wakes them up. As body temperature continues to drop and
heart rate slows, sleep spindles begin to appear on the EEG recording, signaling Stage 2 of non-REM
sleep. Stage 3 occurs when the slow, large delta waves first appear. When delta waves account for more
than 50 percent of the total brain activity, the person is said to be in Stage 4, the deepest stage of sleep.
After a person cycles through Stages 1–4, instead of entering Stage 1, people experience REM sleep.
During this type of sleep, the brain is active and displays beta wave activity, the eye exhibits rapid
movements, and the skeletal muscles of the body are temporarily paralyzed. This paralysis is referred to
as REM paralysis. When a person is wakened from this type of sleep they often report being in a dream
state. Most likely, around 90 percent of dreams take place in REM sleep, although dreams also do occur
in non-REM sleep. Contrary to popular belief, people do not go crazy when deprived of REM sleep;
however, they do spend longer amounts of time in REM sleep when allowed to sleep normally again. This
phenomenon is known as REM rebound. Nightmares are bad dreams and typically occur in REM sleep.
REM behavior disorder is a rare disorder in which a person’s muscles are not paralyzed during REM
sleep, allowing them to thrash about and even get up and act out their dreams.
A large number of disorders are associated with sleep. Sleepwalking, or somnambulism, occurs in
Stage 4, as does the rare disorder of night terrors. Most people state that they are not aware of the actions

Consciousness -43- CHAPTER 4

they committed during a sleepwalking episode. The explanation of “sleepwalking” has been used as a
successful defense in several trials for murder, but in these cases, the term sleepwalking is more likely
referring to the condition known as REM behavior disorder. Insomnia is the inability to fall asleep, stay
asleep, or get a good night of quality sleep. Sleep apnea is a disorder in which a person actually stops
breathing for brief periods throughout the night. Narcolepsy is a genetic disorder in which a person
suddenly enters REM sleep during the day. Such attacks can occur many times throughout the day and
without warning. The attacks often occur with cataplexy, or a sudden loss of muscle tone.
Several theories have been proposed to explain why dreams occur. Sigmund Freud believed that dreams
represented our unconscious thoughts and desires. He called the actual content of a dream the manifest content
and the real meaning of the dream the latent content. The activation-synthesis hypothesis was originally
proposed by Hobson and McCarley and suggests that dreams occur when the cerebral cortex attempts to fit
together (or synthesize) random neural input from the lower brain structures. The activation-information mode
model (AIM) expands on the activation-synthesis model in an attempt to explain the meaningful, realistic, and
consistent nature of many dreams. AIM proposes that the cortex uses information from the previous days as it
pieces together the input coming from the lower brain structures. A considerable amount of information is
known about the content of dreams. Most dreams tend to reflect events in everyday life as well as the
“personality” of the dreamer’s culture. Men tend to dream about weapons, tools, cars, roads, and other males.
Further, their dreams tend to occur in outdoor or unfamiliar settings and contain more physical aggression as
compared to women’s dreams. Men also report more sexual dreams. Women tend to dream about men and
women equally, and they also are more likely to report dreams about people they know, family, home, concerns
about their appearances, and dreams in which they are the victims of aggressive acts. Dreams of being naked in
public appear to be common in many cultures.
Hypnosis is a state of consciousness in which a person is especially susceptive to suggestion.
Hypnosis can reduce the sensation of pain, create temporary states of amnesia, and affect sensory
perception. However, it cannot increase physical strength, enhance memory, or regress a person back to
their childhood. One theory of hypnosis proposed by Ernst Hilgard suggests that the hypnotized person is
in a state of dissociation with one part of the brain unaware of the activities happening under hypnosis
and another part aware and simply watching what is happening. Hilgard called the part of the
consciousness that was aware of the activities the hidden observer. The social-cognitive theory of
hypnosis states that people who are hypnotized are not in an altered state but are simply playing the role
they feel is expected of them in the situation.
A psychoactive drug is any drug that alters a person’s thinking, perception, or memory. Physical
dependence on a drug occurs when the user’s body does not function normally without the drug. Two
signs of physical dependence are drug tolerance and symptoms of withdrawal when deprived of the drug.
Psychological dependence occurs when a drug is needed to maintain a feeling of emotional or
psychological well-being. Psychoactive drugs can be classified into major categories including stimulants,
depressants, narcotics, and psychogenic drugs.
Stimulants are a class of drugs that increase the activity of the nervous system and the organs
connected to it. Specifically, stimulants activate the fight-or-flight response of the sympathetic nervous
system. Amphetamines are human-manufactured stimulants and include drugs such as benzedrine,
methedrine, and dexedrine. Large doses of amphetamines can lead to a severe mental disturbance and
paranoia called amphetamine psychosis. Cocaine is a naturally occurring stimulant found in the leaves of
the coca plant. Cocaine produces feelings of happiness, energy, power, and pleasure and also reduces pain
and suppresses appetite. Cocaine is highly addictive and can cause convulsions and death even in first-
time users. Signs of cocaine abuse include compulsive use, loss of control, and disregard for the
consequences of use. Nicotine is a mild yet toxic, naturally occurring stimulant that raises blood pressure,
accelerates the heart, and provides a rush of sugar into the bloodstream. Nicotine has been found to be
more addictive than heroin or alcohol and is linked to nearly 430,000 deaths in the United States each
year. Caffeine is a third naturally occurring stimulant that increases alertness and can enhance the
effectiveness of certain pain relievers.
Depressants are drugs that slow down the central nervous system and include barbiturates,
benzodiazepines, and alcohol. Barbiturates have a strong sedative, or sleep-inducing, effect and are

Consciousness -44- CHAPTER 4

known as the major tranquilizers. The minor tranquilizers, or benzodiazepines, have a relatively minor
depressant effect and are used to lower anxiety and reduce stress. Some common benzodiazepines include
Valium, Xanax, Halcion, Ativan, Librium, and Rohypnol (also known as the date rape drug). The most
commonly used and abused depressant is alcohol.
Narcotics reduce the sensation of pain by binding to and activating the receptor sites for endorphins. All
narcotics are at least partially derived from the plant-based substance of opium. Opium itself is made from
the opium poppy and reduces pain as well as increases feelings of well-being. Morphine is made from opium
and is used for the short-term relief of severe pain. Due to its highly addictive nature, the use of morphine is
carefully controlled. Heroin is also partially derived from opium but is not used as a medicine due to the fact
that it is more addictive than morphine or opium. Narcotics are thought to be so addictive because they mimic
the action of endorphins and subsequently cause the body to stop producing its own endorphins so that
without the drug, there is no protection from pain. Methadone is a synthetic opioid that does not produce the
feelings of euphoria produced by morphine and heroin. Methadone can be used to attempt to control heroin
dependency. In addition to methadone treatment, heroin addiction is treated with behavioral therapies such as
contingency management therapies and cognitive approaches such as cognitive-behavioral interventions.
Hallucinogens are psychogenic drugs that create false sensory perceptions, also known as
hallucinations. Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) is synthesized from a grain fungus and is one of the
most potent hallucinogens. Phenyl cyclohexyl piperdine or PCP is a synthesized drug that can act as a
hallucinogen, stimulant, depressant, or analgesic depending on the dosage. PCP has also been shown to
lead to acts of violence against others or suicide. MDMA or Ecstasy shares some chemical characteristics
with amphetamines and also produces hallucinations. Because of their stimulant and hallucinogenic
properties, PCP and MDMA are now classified as stimulatory hallucinogenics. Naturally occurring
hallucinogenics include mescaline, psilocybin, and marijuana. The physiological effects of marijuana
may be milder than other hallucinogens, yet marijuana use can lead to a powerful psychological
dependency.
Hypnogogic hallucinations may occur during Stage 1 sleep; whereas, hypnopompic hallucinations tend
to occur upon awakening from REM sleep. The vivid nature of these hallucinations may cause some people
to misinterpret such experiences as ghostly visitations or alien abductions.

STUDY HINTS
7. Use the space below to create a visual summary of the brain wave and physiological changes
that occur as your body moves from an awake state through the stages of sleep typical for one
night of sleep. Use arrows to indicate the progression through the stages throughout the course of
a night.
Stage Brain wave activity Other descriptions

Awake

non-REM Stage 1

non-REM Stage 2

non-REM Stage 3

non-REM Stage 4

REM

Consciousness -45- CHAPTER 4

8. The textbook introduces six different sleep disorders. Pretend that you have each of the sleep
disorders and write a brief description of a particular episode you experienced due to the
disorder.

sleepwalking I don’t remember anything that happened but in the morning my mother
told me that about 50 minutes after I had fallen asleep (right when I
would be in the deepest stage of sleep, Stage 4) I walked past her in the
kitchen and I was carrying a bath towel. I put the towel in the
refrigerator, looked right at her, and then went back to bed in my
bedroom. Supposedly I do this type of thing quite often.

night terrors __________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

REM behavior __________________________________________________________

disorder
__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

insomnia __________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

apnea __________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

narcolepsy __________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

Consciousness -46- CHAPTER 4

 Suggested solutions for Question 1

Stage Brain wave activity Other descriptions

Awake beta

non-REM Stage 1 alpha hypnic jerk occurs here

non-REM Stage 2 theta sleep spindles are seen in this stage

non-REM Stage 3 delta waves initial appearance of delta waves,

they make up minority of brain wave
activity
non-REM Stage 4 more than 50 percent deepest stage of sleep, hardest to
delta waves wake the person up, sleepwalking and
night terrors occur in this stage
REM beta skeletal muscles are paralyzed
(except for people with REM
behavior disorder), eyes dart back and
forth rapidly below the eyelids

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
4.1 What does it mean to be conscious, and are 4.7 What is the difference between a physical
there different levels of consciousness? dependence and a psychological dependence
4.2 Why do people need to sleep, and how does on a drug?
sleep work? 4.8 How do stimulants and depressants affect
4.3 What are the different stages of sleep, consciousness, and what are the dangers
including the stage of dreaming and its associated with taking them, particularly
importance? alcohol?
4.4 How do sleep disorders interfere with 4.9 What are some of the effects and dangers of
normal sleep? using narcotics and hallucinogens, including
4.5 Why do people dream, and what do they marijuana?
dream about? 4.10 What are hypnogogic and hypnopompic
4.6 How does hypnosis affect consciousness? hallucinations?

PRACTICE EXAM
For the following multiple choice questions, select the answer you feel best answers the question.

1. What term do psychologists use to designate our personal awareness of feelings, sensations, and
thoughts?
a) thinking
b) cognition
c) conscience
d) consciousness

2. A biological cycle, or rhythm, that is approximately 24 hours long is a(n) ______ cycle.
a) infradian
b) circadian
c) diurnal
d) ultradian

Consciousness -47- CHAPTER 4

3. The hormone melatonin reaches peak levels in the body during the
a) morning.
b) early evening.
c) afternoon.
d) night.

4. Sid is taking part in research on the effects of sleep deprivation; he has been without sleep
for 75 hours. Right now researchers have asked him to sit in front of a computer screen and hit
a button each time he sees the letter "S" on the screen. A few days ago, Sid was a whiz at this
task; however, he is doing very poorly today. How are sleep researchers likely to explain Sid's
poor performance?
a) Due to the sleep deprivation, Sid does not understand the task.
b) Microsleeps are occurring due to the sleep deprivation, and he is asleep for brief periods
of time.
c) He is determined to ruin the research because of the suffering he is enduring at the hands
of the researchers.
d) He is probably dreaming that he is somewhere else and has no interest in responding to the
"here and now."

5. According to this theory, sleep is a product of evolution.

a) restorative theory
b) adaptive theory
c) psychoanalytic theory
d) dream theory

6. If the EEG record reveals evidence of very small and very fast waves, you are likely to conclude
that the sleeping person is
a) really not sleeping and is awake.
b) in Stage 2.
c) in Stage 3.
d) in Stage 4.

7. Each of the following is true of sleepwalking EXCEPT

a) more boys than girls sleepwalk.
b) sleepwalking is more common among children than adults.
c) waking a sleepwalker is difficult.
d) waking a sleepwalker is dangerous.

8. For several months, Ted has been taking increasingly larger doses of barbiturate sleeping pills to
treat insomnia. He just decided to quit taking any barbiturate sleeping pills. What is likely to happen
to Ted when he stops taking the barbiturate sleeping pills?
a) He will become depressed.
b) He will experience the REM rebound.
c) He will increase his intake of caffeine.
d) He will suffer the symptoms of narcolepsy.

9. REM paralysis
a) is a myth.
b) only occurs in the elderly.
c) prevents the acting out of dreams.
d) may become permanent.

Consciousness -48- CHAPTER 4

10. REM behavior disorder results from
a) too much sleep.
b) not enough sleep.
c) failure of the pons to block brain signals to the muscles.
d) deterioration of the medial hypothalamus.

11. What is the rationale for the use of “sleepwalking” as a defense for committing a crime?
a) It was too dangerous to awaken the sleepwalking criminal.
b) The suspect actually suffers from REM behavior disorder and was unknowingly acting out
a dream.
c) High levels of anxiety and stress were created by the sleep deprivation caused by the
sleepwalking episodes.
d) The suspect was highly susceptible to suggestion at the time of the crime.

12. Mary is having insomnia. Which advice would you give to help her deal with it?
a) Take sleeping pills.
b) Have a cup of hot tea before going to bed.
c) Study in bed and then go immediately to sleep.
d) Don’t do anything but sleep in your bed.

13. Sleep apnea is a disorder characterized by

a) difficulty falling or remaining asleep.
b) episodes of unexplained cataplexy during the day.
c) difficulty breathing while asleep.
d) experiencing temporary paralysis immediately after waking up from sleep.

14. What two categories of dream content did Sigmund Freud describe?
a) poetic and realistic
b) literal and symbolic
c) latent and manifest
d) delusional and hallucinatory

15. The activation-information-mode model (AIM) suggests

a) events that occur during waking hours may influence dreams.
b) nothing influences dreams.
c) dreams are a neurological side effect of indigestion.
d) dreams have more latent content than once thought.

16. According to the textbook, girls and women tend to dream about
a) animals.
b) cars.
c) people they know.
d) strangers.

17. ____________ is a state of consciousness in which a person may be especially susceptible to

suggestion.
a) Hypnosis
b) Meditation
c) Truth induction
d) Extrasensory perception

Consciousness -49- CHAPTER 4

18. Tests of “hypnotic susceptibility” have been found to
a) be similar for almost everyone.
b) make use of a series of suggestions.
c) be almost completely inherited.
d) use deception.

19. Hypnosis can

a) give people superhuman strength.
b) reliably enhance accuracy of memory.
c) regress people back to childhood.
d) induce amnesia.

20. The idea of “hidden observer” was suggested by

a) Freud.
b) Watson.
c) Hilgard.
d) Kirsch.

21. Psychoactive drugs

a) speed up activity in the central nervous system.
b) are capable of influencing thinking, perception, and memory.
c) slow down activity in the central nervous system.
d) are derived from the opium poppy and relieve pain and produce euphoria.

22. Psychological dependence is best described as

a) a desire to take a drug.
b) drug tolerance and signs of withdrawal when deprived of the drug.
c) feelings of sadness when the drug is not available.
d) feelings of euphoria following the ingestion of a drug.

23. Drugs that speed up the functioning of the nervous system are called
a) stimulants.
b) depressants.
c) narcotics.
d) psychogenics.

24. The most addictive and dangerous (as defined by the number of deaths caused by the drug)
stimulant in use today is
a) alcohol.
b) amphetamine.
c) nicotine.
d) cocaine.

25. Cathy has just taken a drug that has caused her heart rate and breathing to slow down considerably.
Most likely, Cathy has taken
a) an amphetamine.
b) a barbiturate.
c) LSD.
d) MDMA.

Consciousness -50- CHAPTER 4

26. Your doctor has decided to give you a prescription for a drug to reduce your anxiety levels. Most
likely your doctor will prescribe a
a) narcotic.
b) hallucinogen.
c) depressant.
d) stimulant.

27. Which of the following is classified as a depressant?

a) cocaine
b) alcohol
c) heroin
d) marijuana

28. Jane has a loss of equilibrium, decreased sensory and motor capabilities, and double vision.
According to the table in the text, how many drinks has Jane had?
a) 1–2
b) 3–5
c) 6–7
d) 8–10

29. Morphine, heroin, and methadone

a) are stimulants.
b) are derived from opium.
c) are often used with ADHD.
d) increase the action of the central nervous system.

30. LSD is similar to which of the following drugs?

a) cocaine
b) methadone
c) PCP
d) CHT

31. Bill is taken to the emergency room of the hospital after he reports hearing dogs screaming and
seeing fire shooting across his shirt and pants. Assuming his condition is due to a drug overdose,
which type of drug did Bill most likely consume?
a) a depressant
b) a barbiturate
c) a narcotic
d) a hallucinogen

32. One of the greatest risks of using marijuana is

a) physical dependency.
b) psychological dependency.
c) weight gain.
d) heart attack.

Consciousness -51- CHAPTER 4

PRACTICE EXAM ANSWERS
1. D Consciousness is defined as personal awareness of feelings, sensation, and thoughts.
Your conscience is your sense of morality or right and wrong.
2. B If you break down the word, “circa” means about or around (such as circa 1960)
and “dia” means day. So circa-dia means about one day long.
3. D High melatonin level is one of the signals for our body that it is time to sleep. The
release of melatonin is controlled by signals coming from the suprachiasmatic
nucleus, which is light sensitive. In this way, the release of melatonin follows the
light-dark patterns of the day.
4. b Sleep deprivation often leads to decreased performance in simple tasks. Microsleeps
are a likely reason for a decrease in performance. These are brief episodes of sleep
that we enter and exit rapidly.
5. b Adaptive theory states that a species sleeps during the time when its predators are
most likely to be out hunting, thus increasing the likelihood of survival for that
species.
6. a The faster the brain wave activity, the more alert and awake the person is. Another
option would have been that the person was in REM sleep where fast small brain
wave activity is also seen.
7. d Waking the sleepwalker is not dangerous. However, it might be hard to do because
they are in Stage 4 deep sleep.
8. b Barbiturate sleeping pills interfere with REM sleep, so since Ted has been deprived
of REM he is likely to spend a longer than usual amount of time in REM for the
next few nights. This phenomenon is known as REM rebound.
9. c During REM sleep the pons sends messages to the spinal cord that inhibits the
movements of skeletal muscles.
10. c REM behavior disorder occurs when REM paralysis does not work and a person
acts out their dreams. The paralysis is mediated by the pons in the brainstem.
11. b The sleepwalking defense is actually referring to a suspect thought to have REM
behavior disorder.
12. d The idea is that the only association you should have with your bed is sleeping and
this will make it easier for you to fall asleep when you get in bed.
13. c Sleep apnea is a sleeping disorder in which a person actually stops breathing for
brief periods throughout the night.
14. c Freud thought dreams had two levels: the actual content that he called the manifest
content and then the real meaning which he called the latent content.
15. a The activation-information-mode model (AIM) proposes that content experienced
while an individual is awake may influence the synthesis of dreams.
16. c Women tend to dream about men and women as well as people they know, while
men tend to dream about other men.
17. a Hypnosis is a state of consciousness in which the person is especially susceptible to
suggestion.
18. b The tests used to determine how likely it is for a person to be hypnotized generally
include a list of suggestions.
19. d Hypnosis has only been found to induce temporary amnesia, reduce pain, and alter
sensory perceptions.
20. c Ernst Hilgard suggested that hypnosis was possible because the subject dissociates
himself into a part that is aware of what is going on (the hidden observer) and a part
that is unaware.
21. b Speeding up the central nervous system, slowing down the central nervous system,
and the derivatives of opium that relieve pain or produce euphoria all describe a
specific categories of psychoactive drugs rather than the overall definition.

Consciousness -52- CHAPTER 4

22. c Psychological dependence is the feeling that a drug is needed to continue a feeling
of emotional or psychological well-being.
23. a Stimulants speed up heart rate, blood pressure, breathing, among other activities.
24. c Nicotine has been linked to nearly 430,000 deaths per year in the United States
alone.
25. b Barbiturate is the only drug listed that is a depressant.
26. c The depressants known as the mild tranquilizers, or benzodiazepines, are often
prescribed to lower anxiety levels.
27. b Alcohol slows down the activity of the central nervous system; thus, it is classified
as a depressant.
28. d See the table in the textbook.
29. b All narcotics are derived from the opium poppy. All three of the drugs listed are
classified as narcotics.
30. c LSD and PCP are both hallucinogens.
31. d Hallucinogens produce false sensory perceptions.
32. b The effect of psychological dependence can be very powerful.

CHAPTER GLOSSARY
activation-information mode revised version of the activation-synthesis explanation of dreams in which
model (AIM) information that is accessed during waking hours can have an influence
on the synthesis of dreams.
activation-synthesis premise that states that dreams are created by the higher centers of the
hypothesis cortex to explain the activation by the brain stem of cortical cells during
REM sleep periods.
adaptive theory theory of sleep proposing that animals and humans evolved sleep patterns
to avoid predators by sleeping when predators are most active.
alcohol the chemical resulting from fermentation or distillation of various kinds
of vegetable matter.
alpha waves brain waves that indicate a state of relaxation or light sleep.
altered states of consciousness state in which there is a shift in the quality or pattern of mental activity as
compared to waking consciousness.
amphetamines stimulants that are synthesized (made) in laboratories rather than being
found in nature.
barbiturates depressant drugs that have a sedative effect.
benzodiazepines depressant drugs that lower anxiety and reduce stress.
beta waves smaller and faster brain waves, typically indicating mental activity.
caffeine a mild stimulant found in coffee, tea, and several other plant-based
substances.
circadian rhythm a cycle of bodily rhythm that occurs over a 24-hour period.
cocaine a natural drug derived from the leaves of the coca plant.
consciousness a person’s awareness of everything that is going on around him or her at
any given moment, which is used to organize behavior.
delta waves long, slow waves that indicate the deepest stage of sleep.
depressants drugs that decrease the functioning of the nervous system.
hallucinogens drugs that cause false sensory messages, altering the perception of reality.
hallucinogenics drugs including hallucinogens and marijuana that produces hallucinations
or increased feelings or relaxation and intoxication.
heroin narcotic drug derived from opium that is extremely addictive.
hypnosis state of consciousness in which the person is especially susceptible to
suggestion.

Consciousness -53- CHAPTER 4

insomnia the inability to get to sleep, stay asleep, or get a good quality of sleep.
LSD (lysergic acid powerful synthetic hallucinogen.
diethylamide)
marijuana mild hallucinogen (also known as “pot” or “weed”) derived from the
leaves and flowers of a particular type of hemp plant.
MDMA (Ecstasy or X) designer drug that can have both stimulant and hallucinatory effects.
mescaline natural hallucinogen derived from the peyote cactus buttons.
microsleeps brief sidesteps of sleep lasting only a few seconds.
morphine narcotic drug derived from opium, used to treat severe pain.
narcolepsy sleep disorder in which a person falls immediately into REM sleep during
the day, without warning.
narcotics a class of opium-related drugs that suppress the sensation of pain by
binding to and stimulating the nervous system’s natural receptor sites for
endorphins.
nicotine the active ingredient in tobacco.
night terrors relatively rare disorder in which the person experiences extreme fear and
screams or runs around during deep sleep without waking fully.
nightmares bad dreams occurring during REM sleep.
non-REM (NREM) sleep any of the stages of sleep that do not include REM.
opium substance derived from the opium poppy from which all narcotic drugs
are derived.
PCP synthesized drug now used as an animal tranquilizer that can cause
stimulant, depressant, narcotic, or hallucinogenic effects.
physical dependence condition occurring when a person’s body becomes unable to function
normally without a particular drug.
psilocybin natural hallucinogen found in certain mushrooms.
psychoactive drug drugs that alter thinking, perception, and memory.
psychological dependence the feeling that a drug is needed to continue a feeling of emotional or
psychological well-being.
rapid eye movement (REM) stage of sleep in which the eyes move rapidly under the eyelids and the
sleep person is typically experiencing a dream.
REM behavior disorder a rare disorder in which the mechanism that blocks the movement of the
voluntary muscles fails, allowing the person to thrash around and even
get up and act out nightmares.
REM paralysis the inability of the voluntary muscles to move during REM sleep.
REM rebound increased amounts of REM sleep after being deprived of REM sleep on
earlier nights.
restorative theory theory of sleep proposing that sleep is necessary to the physical health of
the body and serves to replenish chemicals and repair cellular damage.
sleep apnea disorder in which the person stops breathing for nearly half a minute or
more during sleep.
sleep deprivation any significant loss of sleep, resulting in problems in concentration and
irritability.
sleepwalking (somnambulism) occurring during deep sleep, an episode of moving around or walking
around in one’s sleep.
social-cognitive theory of theory that assumes that people who are hypnotized are not in an altered
hypnosis state but are merely playing the role expected of them in the situation.
stimulants drugs that increase the functioning of the nervous system.
stimulatory hallucinogenics drugs that produce a mixture of psychomotor stimulant and
hallucinogenic effects.
theta waves brain waves indicating the early stages of sleep.

Consciousness -54- CHAPTER 4

waking consciousness state in which thoughts, feelings, and sensations are clear, organized, and
the person feels alert.
withdrawal physical symptoms that can include nausea, pain, tremors, crankiness, and
high blood pressure, resulting from a lack of an addictive drug in the
body systems.

Consciousness -55- CHAPTER 4

Consciousness -56- CHAPTER 4
 CHAPTER 5 – LEARNING

YOU KNOW YOU ARE READY FOR THE TEST IF YOU ARE ABLE TO…
• Define learning.
• Explain what classical conditioning is, how it works, and how it was discovered.
• Describe the mechanisms of operant conditioning, its application in the real world, and the
researchers who contributed to our understanding of the process.
• Discuss cognitive learning theory and the phenomenon of learned helplessness.
• Define observational learning and describe Bandura’s classic experiments in the area of
observational learning.

RAPID REVIEW
Learning is the process that allows us to adapt to the changing conditions of the environment around
us and is defined as any relatively permanent change in behavior brought about by experience or practice
(as opposed to changes brought about by maturation). Ivan Pavlov, a Russian physiologist, discovered
one of the simplest forms of learning called classical conditioning. In his classic paradigm, Pavlov used
dogs as research subjects. Dogs like to eat meat, and when they are exposed to meat, they salivate. The
salivation is a reflex, or an involuntary response that is not under personal choice or control. In Pavlov’s
study, the presentation of meat was repeatedly paired with the ticking sound of a metronome. The dogs
heard the ticking sound and then they were presented with the meat. Eventually, the dogs began to
salivate when they heard the ticking sound alone. This process may be described using five important
terms. First, the meat is an unconditioned (or “unlearned”) stimulus (UCS), and salivation is a
reflexive unconditioned response (UCR). Dogs naturally salivate in response to the presence of meat,
without having to be trained to do so. A ticking sound does not normally cause dogs to salivate; thus, the
ticking sound is originally a neutral stimulus (NS) that does not cause a response on its own. After being
paired repeatedly with the meat, the ticking sound begins to produce the same type of reflexive response
as the meat. At that point, the ticking sound has become a conditioned stimulus (CS) and the salivation
in response to the ticking sound is a conditioned, or learned, response (CR).
The repeated pairing of the NS and UCS is known as acquisition. In order for classical conditioning
to occur, the CS must occur before the UCS, the CS and UCS must occur close together in time, the CS
and UCS must be paired together repeatedly, and the CS should be distinctive. Two other principles of
classical conditioning are stimulus generalization, the ability of a stimulus that resembles the CS to
produce a CR, and stimulus discrimination, learning to respond to different stimuli in different ways. In
classical conditioning, extinction occurs after the CS is repeatedly presented without the UCS, and the
CS no longer produces a CR. Spontaneous recovery occurs when the CS is presented after being absent
for a period of time and produces a mild CR. When a powerful conditioned stimulus is paired with a
neutral stimulus, the conditioned stimulus itself can function as a UCS and turn the neutral stimulus into a
second conditioned stimulus. This process is called higher-order conditioning.
John Watson demonstrated a particular type of classical conditioning called conditional emotional
response with Little Albert and his learned phobia of white rats. Vicarious conditioning occurs when a
person becomes classically conditioned simply by watching someone else respond to a stimulus.
Conditioned taste aversions are a unique form of classical conditioning that can occur with only one
neutral stimulus–unconditioned stimulus pairing. Conditioning is believed to occur so rapidly due to the
biological preparedness of most mammals. Pavlov suggested that classical conditioning works through
the process of stimulus substitution, in that the close pairing in time of the CS with the UCS eventually
leads to the CS serving as a substitute stimulus for the UCS and activating the same brain area as the
UCS. Psychologists who agree with the cognitive perspective, such as Robert Rescorla, have suggested
that the CS must provide some information about the upcoming UCS and that it is this expectancy that
causes the association to occur.

Learning -57- CHAPTER 5

 Operant conditioning is a type of learning more strongly associated with voluntary behavior and is
based on Edward Thorndike’s work with cats and the puzzle box. Based on his research, Thorndike
formulated the law of effect, which states that if a response is followed by a pleasurable consequence it
will tend to be repeated and if a response is followed by an unpleasant consequence it will tend not to be
repeated. B.F. Skinner expanded on Thorndike’s law of effect and coined the term operant conditioning
for this type of learning, since the term operant refers to any voluntary behavior. While classical
conditioning focuses on what happens before the response, the key to operant conditioning is what
happens after the response, or in other words, the consequence. Reinforcement is a consequence that is
pleasurable and strengthens the response that came before it. There are two types of reinforcers: primary
reinforcers satisfy basic needs and don’t need to be learned. Secondary reinforcers get their reinforcing
power through prior associations with a primary reinforcer and thus are learned. Reinforcement works by
adding a pleasurable consequence after a response occurs (positive reinforcement) or removing
something unpleasant after a response occurs (negative reinforcement). Both positive and negative
reinforcement increase the likelihood that the response will occur again.
An important principle that Skinner discovered is that the timing of reinforcement can make a
significant difference in how fast a response is learned. Continuous reinforcement occurs when a
reinforcer is presented after every response. Partial reinforcement occurs when a reinforcer is given
after some, but not all, of the correct responses. Partial reinforcement takes longer to go through
extinction, or in other words, is more resistant to extinction. This is known as the partial reinforcement
effect. The timing of partial reinforcement is referred to as the schedule of reinforcement. There are four
different schedules of reinforcement: fixed ratio, variable ratio, fixed interval, and variable interval. A
ratio schedule occurs when a reinforcer depends on the number of responses that are made. In an interval
schedule, reinforcers are presented after a certain period of time has passed. If the reinforcers are always
given after a set period of time or number of responses, the schedule is said to be fixed. If the reinforcer is
given after varying periods of time or numbers of responses, the schedule is labeled as variable.
Punishment, on the other hand, decreases the likelihood of a response. Punishment is any
consequence of a response that causes that response to be less likely to happen again. While
reinforcement strengthens a response that already exists, the goal of punishment is often to eliminate the
response, which is usually a much harder task. Typically punishment only temporarily suppresses the
response. Punishment by application describes the situation in which a response is followed by the
addition of something unpleasant. Punishment by application is not the most effective way to modify
behavior and has a number of serious drawbacks. For instance, rather than stopping the behavior that
elicited the punishment, severe punishment may cause the child (or animal) to simply avoid the punisher.
Similarly, severe punishment may encourage lying to avoid punishment, or it may create fear and anxiety,
which may actually have a negative effect on learning. In particular, hitting may provide a successful
model for aggression. Punishment by removal occurs when a response is followed by the removal of
something pleasant. Many parents and educators find this type of punishment to be less objectionable.
However, one limitation of this method is that it teachers the child what not to do but it does not teach the
child what he or she should do. Punishment can be made more effective if it is administered immediately
after the undesired behavior, is administered consistently, and is paired with reinforcement for the right
behavior.
Shaping involves the use of operant conditioning to reward successive approximations until the
desired response is obtained. Operant conditioning has several parallels with classical conditioning. For
instance, extinction involves the removal of reinforcement, and spontaneous recovery occurs when an
organism attempts a previously learned response in order to receive a reward. In addition, a
discriminative stimulus is defined as any stimulus that provides an organism with a signal or cue for
making a certain response in order to get reinforcement. In the lab, researchers found that even though
animals could be operantly conditioned to perform certain tasks, they often had a tendency to go back to
their genetic, or natural, way of doing things. This tendency to revert to genetically controlled patterns is
called instinctive drift.
The term behavior modification is used to describe the process of using operant conditioning to
change behavior. A token economy involves the use of tokens to modify behavior. Time-outs are an

Learning -58- CHAPTER 5

example of punishment by removal where the child is removed from a situation where they could get
attention from others. Applied behavior analysis, or ABA, uses shaping techniques to obtain a desired
behavior and is particularly successful with children with disorders such as autism. The technique called
biofeedback uses operant conditioning to modify involuntary behaviors such as blood pressure and heart
rate. When this technique is used to try to change brain activity, as observed using an
electroencephalogram or an fMRI machine, it is referred to as neurofeedback.
Cognitive learning theorists focus on the mental processes (or cognitions) that occur during learning.
Edward Tolman studied the phenomenon of latent learning in rats placed in a maze but not reinforced
for finding their way out. He found that when the rats were subsequently reinforced, learning occurred
much faster than for rats that had never been in the maze. Martin Seligman studied a phenomenon he
called learned helplessness in dogs. Two groups of dogs participated in this experiment. For one group,
the researchers paired a tone with a harmless but painful electric shock. The dogs were harnessed and not
allowed to escape the shock; that is, they heard the tone and knew the shock was coming, but there was
nothing they could do to prevent it. The researchers expected that, once the dogs had learned to associate
the tone with the shock, they would try to escape whenever they heard the tone. The second group of dogs
did not undergo conditioning; they were not exposed to the tone and the shock. In the next phase of the
experiment, dogs of both groups were placed individually in a two-sided box. The floor of one side of the
box featured an electrified grid that could be used to shock the dogs; whereas, the other side of the box
(the “safe side”) had no grid. The two sides of the box were separated by a hurdle. The dogs could jump
over the hurdle to safety whenever they heard the tone that signaled the impending shock. The researchers
found that, upon the sounding of the tone, the group of dogs that had not undergone conditioning quickly
jumped over the hurdle in the center of the box to land on the “safe side.” However, the conditioned dogs,
those that previously learned that escape was impossible, stayed on the side of the box in which the shock
occurred, not even trying to leap over the hurdle. The conditioned dogs had essentially learned to be
helpless, and rather than trying to escape, they merely sat down and endured the shock. Seligman
extended the concept of learned helplessness to humans in an attempt to explain depression. A third
cognitive psychologist, Wolfgang Köhler, studied the phenomenon of insight learning in animals.
Köhler believed insight learning involved a sudden perception of relationships that could not be gained
through trial-and-error learning. All three theories of learning are related in that they focus on what’s
going on inside the learner’s mind during the learning process as opposed to the external stimuli and
rewards of classical and operant conditioning.
A third category of learning is that of observational learning, or the learning of a new behavior by
observing someone else who is performing that behavior. The term learning/performance distinction
describes the fact that learning can take place without actual performance. Albert Bandura has been a
major contributor to the study of observational learning and conducted a series of classic studies
observing children’s learned behaviors with a blow-up “Bobo” doll. Bandura concluded that four
elements were needed for observational learning to occur, the four elements are attention, memory,
imitation, and motivation.

Learning -59- CHAPTER 5

STUDY HINTS
9. Many students get confused with the terms of classical conditioning. The four major components
to this type of learning include unconditioned stimulus (UCS), conditioned stimulus (CS),
unconditioned response (UCR) and conditioned response (CR). The best way to keep these terms
straight is to ask yourself two questions.

1. Is the event I am interested in a stimulus or a response?

2. Is the stimulus/response something that was learned or something that occurs

naturally, by instinct?

The first question is the easiest way to break down the information. If an event is a stimulus, it
will cause something else to happen. List some examples of stimuli here.

________________________________________________________________________

You might have mentioned any number of stimuli including events such as a bright light, a puff
of air, a loud siren, a soft whisper, a touch on your arm, the smell of cookies, a written word.
The list is quite large. A stimulus is any event that causes a response.

Now that you have a good feeling for what stimuli are, try listing some examples of some
possible responses.

________________________________________________________________________

You might have mentioned events such as blinking your eyes, laughing, crying, jumping up,
heart rate increasing, feeling scared, raising your hand, driving faster. A response is any
behavior (inside or outside of your body) that can be observed.

Once you determine whether your event is a stimulus or response, the second question is fairly
easy. Is the stimulus something the subject had to learn how to respond to? If so, then it would
be a learned or conditioned stimulus. If the stimulus is something that causes the response
automatically, then it is an unlearned or unconditioned stimulus. The same rule applies for the
responses. If this is a response that does not occur by instinct, but instead has been learned
through experience, then this is a learned or conditioned response. If the response happens the
first time you encounter the stimulus, as an instinct, then it is an unlearned or unconditioned
response. Now try some examples and see how you do.

A puff of air is aimed at your eye and you blink.

The event we are interested in is: the blink

Question 1: Is this a stimulus or a response?

________________________________________________________________

If you wrote response, then you are correct.

Blinking is a behavior that we can observe.

Question 2: Is this response learned or unlearned?

________________________________________________________________

Learning -60- CHAPTER 5

 If you wrote unlearned, then you are correct.
Blinking to a puff of air is an instinct.

Now you can fill in the blanks.

The first answer tells you this is a response, so it is either a CR or a UCR.
The second answer tells you this is unlearned or unconditioned, so it must be a UCR.

Now circle the right term:

Stimulus Response
Learned CS CR
Unlearned UCS UCR

Try some more on your own.

A picture of a piece of chocolate cake causes your mouth to water.

The event we are interested in is: the picture of the cake

Question 1: Is this a stimulus or a response?

________________________________________________________________

Question 2: Is this response learned or unlearned?

________________________________________________________________

Now circle the right term:

Stimulus Response
Learned CS CR
Unlearned UCS UCR

Your heart speeds up as you see a police car pull up behind you.
The event we are interested in is: your heart speeding up

Question 1: Is this a stimulus or a response?

________________________________________________________________

Question 2: Is this response learned or unlearned?

________________________________________________________________

Now select the right term:

Stimulus Response
Learned CS CR
Unlearned UCS UCR

Learning -61- CHAPTER 5

 A loud noise causes someone to jump.
The event we are interested in is: the loud noise

Question 1: Is this a stimulus or a response?

________________________________________________________________

Question 2: Is this response learned or unlearned?

________________________________________________________________

Now select the right term:

Stimulus Response
Learned CS CR
Unlearned UCS UCR

You should have selected the following:

blinking your eyes is a UCR
the piece of cake is a CS
your heart speeding up is a CR
the loud noise is a UCS

Learning -62- CHAPTER 5

10. Negative reinforcement and punishment are often confused. In negative reinforcement,
something bad is taken away. In punishment by removal, something good or desirable is taken
away. Most people would enjoy being negatively reinforced but would be upset about being
punished. Work through the following scenarios to determine whether the person is being
negatively reinforced or punished. The first one has been completed for you.

Will the
Is something Is this negative
behavior
Behavior Consequence good or bad reinforcement or
increase or
taken away? punishment?
decrease?
Taking an
Headache goes negative
aspirin for a bad increase
away. reinforcement
headache.
Running a red Driver’s license
light. is taken away.
Cleaning your
You are no
room so that you
longer
are no longer
grounded.
grounded.
Drinking coffee
in the morning You no longer
when you are feel tired.
very tired.
Staying out past Your parents
your curfew. ground you.
Getting in a Your friend will
fight with a not talk to you
friend. anymore.
Fastening your
seatbelt when The buzzer
the buzzer is stops.
making a noise.
Driving your car You can’t drive
until it runs out your car
of gas. anymore.
Your boyfriend
nags you until The nagging
you take him out stops.
to dinner.

Learning -63- CHAPTER 5

 Suggested answers
Will the
Is something Is this negative
behavior
Behavior Consequence good or bad reinforcement or
increase or
taken away? punishment?
decrease?
Taking an
Headache goes negative
aspirin for a bad increase
away reinforcement
headache.
Running a red Driver’s license
good punishment decrease
light. is taken away.
Cleaning your
You are no
room so that you negative
longer bad increase
are no longer reinforcement
grounded.
grounded.
Drinking coffee
in the morning You no longer negative
bad increase
when you are feel tired. reinforcement
very tired.
Staying out past Your parents
good punishment decrease
your curfew. ground you.
Getting in a Your friend will
fight with a not talk to you good punishment decrease
friend. anymore.
Fastening your
seatbelt when The buzzer negative
bad increase
the buzzer is stops. reinforcement
making a noise.
Driving your car You can’t drive
until it runs out your car good punishment decrease
of gas. anymore.
Your boyfriend
nags you until The nagging negative
bad increase
you take him out stops. reinforcement
to dinner.

Learning -64- CHAPTER 5

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
5.1 What does the term learning really mean? 5.9 How do operant stimuli control behavior,
5.2 How was classical conditioning first and what kind of behavior is resistant to
studied, and what are the important operant conditioning?
elements and characteristics of classical 5.10 What is behavior modification, and how can
conditioning? behavioral techniques be used to modify
5.3 What is a conditioned emotional response, involuntary biological responses?
and how do cognitive psychologists explain 5.11 How do latent learning, learned
classical conditioning? helplessness, and insight relate to cognitive
5.4 How does operant conditioning occur, and learning theory?
what were the contributions of Thorndike 5.12 What occurs in observational learning,
and Skinner? including findings from Bandura’s classic
5.5 What are the important concepts in operant Bobo doll study and the four elements of
conditioning? observational learning?
5.6 What are the schedules of reinforcement? 5.13 What is a real-world example of the use of
5.7 How does punishment differ from conditioning?
reinforcement?
5.8 What are some of the problems with using
punishment?

PRACTICE EXAM
For the following multiple choice questions, select the answer you feel best answers the questions.

1. __________ is any relatively permanent change in behavior brought about by experience or practice.

a) Learning
b) Adaptation
c) Memory enhancement
d) Muscle memory

2. The researcher responsible for discovering classical conditioning was

a) Skinner.
b) Tolman.
c) Kohler.
d) Pavlov.

3. Which of the following correctly describes the process of classical conditioning?

a) pairing a stimulus that naturally causes a certain response with a second stimulus that
naturally causes the same response
b) pairing a stimulus that naturally causes a certain response with a second stimulus that does
not naturally cause that response
c) presenting a pleasurable stimulus after the occurrence of a specific response
d) presenting an unpleasant stimulus after the occurrence of a specific response

4. When Pavlov placed meat powder or other food in the mouths of canine subjects, they began to
salivate. The salivation was a(n)
a) unconditioned response.
b) unconditioned stimulus.
c) conditioned response.
d) conditioned stimulus.

Learning -65- CHAPTER 5

5. Judy would sometimes discipline her puppy by swatting its nose with a rolled-up newspaper. One
day she brought the newspaper into the house still rolled up, and her puppy ran from her in fear. By
pairing the rolled paper with the swat, Judy’s puppy had developed a(n) ____________ response to
the rolled-up paper.
a) generalized
b) conditioned
c) unconditioned
d) discriminative

6. You decide you want to try to classically condition your pet dog. What is the correct order that you
should use to present the stimuli to your dog?
a) unconditioned stimulus – neutral stimulus
b) neutral stimulus – neutral stimulus
c) neutral stimulus – unconditioned stimulus
d) present the unconditioned stimulus only

7. After you successfully classically conditioned your pet dog, you repeatedly presented the
conditioned stimulus without ever pairing it with the unconditioned stimulus. Over time, your dog
stops performing the conditioned response. What has happened?
a) extinction
b) spontaneous recovery
c) generalization
d) stimulus discrimination

8. John Watson offered a live white rat to Little Albert and then made a loud noise behind his head by
striking a steel bar with a hammer. The white rat served as the ______________ in this study.
a) discriminative stimulus
b) counterconditioning stimulus
c) conditioned stimulus
d) unconditioned stimulus

9. Pavlov discovered classical conditioning through his study of

a) cats escaping from a puzzle box.
b) primate research into problem solving.
c) digestive secretions in dogs.
d) lever-pressing responses of rats.

10. Television advertisers have taken advantage of the fact that most people experience positive
emotions when they see an attractive, smiling person. This association is an example of
a) operant conditioning.
b) a conditioned emotional response.
c) negative reinforcement.
d) punishment.

11. The current view of why classical conditioning works the way it does, by cognitive theorists such as
Rescorla, adds the concept of _____________ to the conditioning process.
a) generalization
b) habituation
c) memory loss
d) expectancy

Learning -66- CHAPTER 5

12. “If a response is followed by a pleasurable consequence, it will tend to be repeated. If a response is
followed by an unpleasant consequence, it will tend not to be repeated.” This is a statement of
a) the law of positive reinforcement.
b) Rescorla’s cognitive perspective.
c) Thorndike’s law of effect.
d) Garcia’s conditional emotional response.

13. Kenra has a new pet cat and decides to modify her cat’s behavior by administering pleasant and
unpleasant consequences after her cat’s behaviors. Kenra is using the principles of
a) observational learning.
b) operant conditioning.
c) classical conditioning.
d) insight learning.

14. A box used in operant conditioning of animals, which limits the available responses and thus
increases the likelihood that the desired response will occur, is called a
a) trial box.
b) response box.
c) Watson box.
d) Skinner box.

15. A negative reinforcer is a stimulus that is ___________ and thus ________ the probability of a
response.
a) removed; increases
b) removed; decreases
c) presented; increases
d) presented; decreases

16. The partial reinforcement effect refers to a response that is reinforced after some, but not all, correct
responses will be
a) more resistant to extinction than a response receiving continuous reinforcement (a
reinforcer for each and every correct response).
b) less resistant to extinction than a response receiving continuous reinforcement (a
reinforcer for each and every correct response).
c) more variable in its resistance to extinction than a response receiving continuous
reinforcement (a reinforcer for each and every correct response).
d) totally resistant to extinction unlike a response receiving continuous reinforcement (a
reinforcer for each and every correct response).

17. Which example best describes the fixed interval schedule of reinforcement?
a) receiving a paycheck after two weeks of work
b) receiving a bonus after selling 20 cell phones
c) giving your dog a treat when he seems hungry
d) giving your dog a treat at least once a day when he comes when you call him

18. Which schedule of reinforcement should you select if you would like to produce the highest number
of responses with the least number of pauses between the responses?
a) fixed ratio
b) variable ratio
c) fixed interval
d) variable interval

Learning -67- CHAPTER 5

19. When a stimulus is removed from a person or animal and decreases the probability of response, it is
known as
a) positive punishment.
b) punishment by removal.
c) negative reinforcement.
d) negative punishment.

20. Your child has begun drawing on the walls of your house and you would like this activity to stop.
Which of the following actions would, at least temporarily, decrease the occurrence of the behavior
in your child?
a) use insight learning to get your child to stop drawing on the wall
b) use classical conditioning to create a positive association with drawing on the wall
c) negatively reinforce your child after she draws on the wall
d) punish your child after she draws on the wall

21. An example of a discriminative stimulus might be

a) a stop sign.
b) the stimulus that acts as a UCS in classical conditioning.
c) the white rat in Watson’s Little Albert study of producing phobias.
d) none of these.

22. In their 1961 paper on instinctive drift, the Brelands determined that three assumptions most
Skinnerian behaviorists believed in were not actually true. Which is one of the assumptions that
were NOT true?
a) The animal comes to the laboratory a tabula rasa, or “blank slate,” and can therefore be
taught anything with the right conditioning.
b) Differences between species of animals are insignificant.
c) All responses are equally able to be conditioned to any stimulus.
d) All of these were not true.

23. Applied behavior analysis or ABA has been used with autistic children. The basic principle of this
form of behavior modification is
a) partial reinforcement.
b) classical conditioning.
c) negative punishment.
d) shaping.

24. ___________ is a type of operant conditioning that is used by humans to bring involuntary
responses, such as heart rate and blood pressure, under their voluntary control.
a) Biofeedback
b) Social learning
c) Preparedness
d) Instinct drift

25. Cognition refers to

a) behavior that is observable and external.
b) behavior that is directly measurable.
c) the mental events that take place while a person is behaving.
d) memories.

Learning -68- CHAPTER 5

26. The idea that learning occurs, and is stored up, even when behaviors are not reinforced is called
a) insight.
b) latent learning.
c) placebo learning.
d) innate learning.

27. A researcher places dogs in a cage with metal bars on the floor. The dogs are randomly given
electric shocks and can do nothing to prevent them or stop them. Later, the same dogs are placed in
a cage where they can escape the shocks by jumping over a low hurdle. When the shocks are given,
the dogs do not even try to escape. They just sit and cower. This is an example of
a) learned helplessness.
b) stimulus discrimination.
c) aversive conditioning.
d) vicarious learning.

28. The "aha!" experience is known as

a) latent learning.
b) insight learning.
c) thoughtful learning.
d) serial enumeration.

29. If you learn how to fix your car by watching someone on TV demonstrate the technique, you are
acquiring that knowledge through
a) latent learning.
b) operant conditioning.
c) classical conditioning.
d) observational learning.

30. In Bandura’s study with the Bobo doll, the children in the group that saw the model punished did
not imitate the model at first. They would only imitate the model if given a reward for doing so. The
fact that these children had obviously learned the behavior without actually performing it is an
example of
a) latent learning.
b) operant conditioning.
c) classical conditioning.
d) insight learning.

31. In Bandura’s study of observational learning, the abbreviation AMIM stands for
a) attention, memory, imitation, motivation.
b) alertness, motivation, intent, monetary reward.
c) achievement, momentum, initiative, memory.
d) achievement, motivation, intellectual capacity, memory.

32. Which of the following real-world situations is using the principles of classical conditioning?
a) giving a child a star for completing her homework assignment
b) sending a child to time-out for stealing his friend’s toy truck
c) grounding a child until she gets her room cleaned
d) a hungry child smiling at the sight of the spoon her dad always uses to feed her lunch

Learning -69- CHAPTER 5

PRACTICE EXAM ANSWERS
1. a This is the definition of learning given in the textbook and restated in the summary.
2. d Skinner developed the theory of operant conditioning, and both Kohler and Tolman
focused on cognitive learning.
3. b Classical conditioning occurs when you pair a neutral stimulus (NS) with an
unconditioned stimulus (UCS). After repeated pairings, the NS now causes a
response similar to the naturally occurring response. The stimulus is now called a
conditioned stimulus and the response is the conditioned response.
4. a An unconditioned response is a response that occurs naturally and does not have to
be learned. When food is placed in a dog’s mouth, the dog will naturally begin to
salivate.
5. b A conditioned response is a response that has been learned through association.
Originally, the rolled-up newspaper did not cause a response of fear in the puppy,
but after repeated pairings with a swat, it now causes the fear response.
6. c For classical conditioning to occur, the neutral stimulus must be repeatedly paired
with an unconditioned stimulus. In addition, the neutral stimulus must be presented
before the unconditioned stimulus.
7. a Extinction occurs when the CS is continuously presented without the UCS.
8. c First, decide whether the rat is a stimulus or a response. Obviously, the rat is a
stimulus. Then figure out if the rat naturally, or instinctively, will cause the
response of fear or if the response needs to be learned. If it needs to be learned, then
the stimulus is a conditioned stimulus.
9. c Pavlov was a Russian physiologist who won a Nobel prize for his study of the
digestive system in dogs. It was during this research that he observed the
phenomenon of classical conditioning and devoted the rest of his years in research
to the study of classical conditioning.
10. b The association between attractive people and feelings of happiness is learned
through classical conditioning and is specifically referred to as a conditioned
emotional response because it deals with a response of emotion. Notice that all the
other choices were related to operant conditioning.
11. d Expectancy is the idea that the conditioned stimulus has to provide some
information about the upcoming unconditioned stimulus, so that we are expecting
the UCS to occur.
12. c Thorndike developed this principle through his study of animals escaping from
puzzle boxes.
13. b This is a modified form of the definition of operant conditioning.
14. d The Skinner box was designed by B. F. Skinner and typically included an apparatus
for the animal to move (such as a lever to press) and a mechanism for delivering a
reward to the animal.
15. a Always start with the fact that reinforcement always increases the response.
Negative reinforcement occurs when an unpleasant stimulus is removed, making a
the correct choice.
16. a A response that is resistant to extinction that means that the person will continue
making the response even when it is not followed by a reinforcer.
17. a Fixed means that the reinforcement will always be presented after the same period
of time or number of responses. Interval means that you are dealing with the
passage of time.
18. b The ratio schedule produces the most rapid responses because the reward depends
on making a certain number of responses. The variable schedule reduces the pauses
after receiving the reinforcer because the next reward could be given at any time.

Learning -70- CHAPTER 5

19. b Remember that punishment decreases behavior and reinforcement increases
behavior. The question is asking about a behavior decrease, so it must be talking
about punishment. Removing a stimulus is described as punishment by removal.
20. d Once again, you would like the behavior to decrease so you should select
punishment.
21. a A discriminative stimulus is defined as a stimulus that provides a cue that a
response might lead to reinforcement. It is a term used with operant conditioning.
22. d The Brelands questioned all three of these assumptions.
23. d ABA rewards closer and closer approximations to the desired behavior, which is the
definition of shaping.
24. a Biofeedback uses feedback about biological conditions to bring involuntary
responses under voluntary control. It is a type of operant conditioning. The change
in physiological state is the response and the light or tone serves as the
reinforcement.
25. c Cognitive psychologists focus on our thought process and mental activities.
26. b The word latent means something that’s present but not visible.
27. a Learned helplessness was studied by Seligman as a potential animal model of
depression.
28. b With this type of learning, you have a sudden realization or “insight.”
29. d Observational learning occurs when you learn a new behavior or new knowledge
through the observation of a model.
30. a Latent learning occurs when a new behavior has been acquired but the behavior is
not performed, as the children in Bandura’s experiment did not imitate the model
until they were encouraged and rewarded to do so.
31. a All the selections match the abbreviation, so try to think about what skills would be
needed to learn by observation. First of all, you need to watch the person you are
trying to learn from, and you realize that observational learning can occur without
any rewards being offered.
32. d Except for the hungry child, the examples are of operant conditioning, rather than
classical conditioning.

CHAPTER GLOSSARY
applied behavior analysis modern term for a form of functional analysis and behavior modification
(ABA) that uses a variety of behavioral techniques to mold a desired behavior or
response.
behavior modification the use of operant conditioning techniques to bring about desired
changes in behavior.
biofeedback using biofeedback about biological conditions to bring involuntary
responses, such as blood pressure and relaxation, under voluntary
control.
biological preparedness referring to the tendency of animals to learn certain associations, such as
taste and nausea, with only one or few pairings due to the survival value
of the learning.
classical conditioning learning to make an involuntary (reflex) response to a stimulus other
than the original, natural stimulus that normally produces the reflex.
cognitive perspective modern theory in which classical conditioning is seen to occur because
the conditioned stimulus provides information or an expectancy about
the coming of the unconditioned stimulus.
conditional emotional emotional response that has become classically conditioned to occur to
response (CER) learned stimuli, such as a fear of dogs or the emotional reaction that
occurs when seeing an attractive person.

Learning -71- CHAPTER 5

conditioned response (CR) learned reflex response to a conditioned stimulus.
conditioned stimulus (CS) stimulus that becomes able to produce a learned reflex response by being
paired with the original unconditioned stimulus.
conditioned taste aversions development of a nausea or aversive response to a particular taste
because that taste was followed by a nausea reaction, occurring after
only one association.
continuous reinforcement the reinforcement of each and every correct response.
discriminative stimulus any stimulus, such as a stop sign or a doorknob, that provides the
organism with a cue for making a certain response in order to obtain
reinforcement.
extinction the disappearance or weakening of a learned response following the
removal or absence of the unconditioned stimulus (in classical
conditioning) or the removal of a reinforcer (in operant conditioning).
fixed interval schedule of schedule of reinforcement in which the interval of time that must pass
reinforcement before reinforcement becomes possible is always the same.
fixed ratio schedule of schedule of reinforcement in which the number of responses required for
reinforcement reinforcement is always the same.
higher-order conditioning occurs when a strong conditioned stimulus is paired with a neutral
stimulus, causing the neutral stimulus to become a second conditioned
stimulus.
insight the sudden perception of relationships among various parts of a problem,
allowing the solution to the problem to come quickly.
instinctive drift tendency for an animal’s behavior to revert to genetically controlled
patterns.
latent learning learning that remains hidden until its application becomes useful.
law of effect law stating that if an action is followed by a pleasurable consequence, it
will tend to be repeated, and if followed by an unpleasant consequence,
it will tend to not be repeated.
learned helplessness the tendency to fail to act to escape from a situation because of a history
of repeated failures in the past.
learning/performance referring to the observation that learning can take place without actual
distinction performance of the learned behavior.

negative reinforcement the reinforcement of a response by the removal, escape from, or

avoidance of an unpleasant stimulus.
neurofeedback form of biofeedback using brain-scanning devices to provide feedback
about brain activity in an effort to modify behavior.
neutral stimulus (NS) stimulus that has no effect on the desired response.
observational learning learning new behavior by watching a model perform that behavior.
operant any behavior that is voluntary.
operant conditioning the learning of voluntary behavior through the effects of pleasant and
unpleasant consequences to responses.
partial reinforcement effect the tendency for a response that is reinforced after some, but not all,
correct responses to be very resistant to extinction.
positive reinforcement the reinforcement of a response by the addition or experiencing of a
pleasure stimulus.
primary reinforcer any reinforcer that is naturally reinforcing by meeting a basic biological
need, such as hunger, thirst, or touch.
punishment any event or object that, when following a response, makes that response
less likely to happen again.

Learning -72- CHAPTER 5

punishment by application the punishment of a response by the addition or experiencing of an
unpleasant stimulus.
punishment by removal the punishment of a response by the removal of a pleasurable stimulus.
reflex an involuntary response, one that is not under personal control or choice.
reinforcement any event or stimulus that, when following a response, increases the
probability that the response will occur again.
reinforcers any events or objects that, when following a response, increase the
likelihood of that response occurring again.
secondary reinforcer any reinforcer that becomes reinforcing after being paired with a primary
reinforcer, such as praise, tokens, or gold stars.
shaping the reinforcement of simple steps in behavior that lead to a desired, more
complex behavior.
spontaneous recovery the reappearance of a learned response after extinction has occurred.
stimulus discrimination the tendency to stop making a generalized response to a stimulus that is
similar to the original conditioned stimulus because the similar stimulus
is never paired with the unconditioned stimulus.
stimulus generalization the tendency to respond to a stimulus that is only similar to the original
conditioned stimulus with the conditioned response.
stimulus substitution original theory in which Pavlov stated that classical conditioning
occurred because the conditioned stimulus became a substitute for the
unconditioned stimulus by being paired closely together.
successive approximations small steps in behavior, one after the other, that lead to a particular goal
behavior.
token economy type of behavior modification in which desired behavior is rewarded
with tokens.
unconditioned response an involuntary (reflex) response to a naturally occurring or
(UCR) unconditioned stimulus.
unconditioned stimulus a naturally occurring stimulus that leads to an involuntary (reflex)
(UCS) response.
variable interval schedule of schedule of reinforcement in which the interval of time that must pass
reinforcement before reinforcement becomes possible is different for each trial or
event.
variable ratio schedule of schedule of reinforcement in which the number of responses required for
reinforcement reinforcement is different for each trial or event.
vicarious conditioning classical conditioning of a reflex response or emotion by watching the
reaction of another person.

Learning -73- CHAPTER 5

Learning -74- CHAPTER 5
 CHAPTER 6 – MEMORY

YOU KNOW YOU ARE READ FOR THE TEST IF YOU ARE ABLE TO…
• Introduce the study of memory including the basic processes of encoding, storage, and retrieval as
well as current theories of how memory works.
• Discuss the information-processing theory of memory in detail including the concepts of sensory,
short-term, and long-term memory.
• Identify the basic mechanisms and limitations in the retrieval of information including false
memories.
• Describe Ebbinghaus’s work on forgetting and proposed explanations for forgetting.
• Explain the biological processes thought to underlie memory and the deterioration of memory.
• Discuss Alzheimer’s disease and its effects on memory.

RAPID REVIEW
Memory can be thought of as an active system that receives information from the senses, organizes
and alters it as it stores it, and then retrieves information from storage. All the current models of memory
involve the three processes of encoding, storage, and retrieval.
Three models or theories about memory are discussed in the text. One is the levels-of-processing
model, which proposes that how long a memory will be remembered depends on the depth to which it
was processed. A second model is the parallel distributed processing model, which proposes that
memories are created and stored across a network of neural circuits simultaneously, or in other words, in
a parallel fashion. The third and currently most accepted model of memory is the information-
processing model, which proposes that memory is divided into three components: sensory, short term,
and long term. Sensory memory is the first stage of memory and involves information from our sensory
systems. Visual sensory memory is called iconic memory and was studied extensively by George
Sperling through the use of the partial report method. The capacity of iconic memory is everything that
can be seen at one time and the duration is around half a second. Eidetic imagery, also known as
photographic memory, is the ability to access visual sensory memory over a long period of time. Iconic
memory is useful for allowing the visual system to view the surroundings as continuous and stable.
Echoic memory is the memory of auditory information and has the capacity of what can be heard at any
one moment and has a duration of about two seconds.
The information-processing model proposes that information moves from sensory memory to short-
term memory through the process of selective attention. This process explains the phenomenon of the
cocktail party effect, when you are at a party and hear your name in a conversation across the room.
Another name for short-term memory is working memory, and some researchers propose that short-term
memory consists of a central control process along with a visual “sketch pad” and auditory “recorder.”
George Miller studied the capacity of short-term memory using the digit-span memory test and
discovered that people can store an average of seven chunks of information (plus or minus two) in their
short-term memory. More recently, researchers have found that younger adults can hold about 3 to 5
items of information at a time if a strategy of some type is not being used. Chunking is the process of
reorganizing the information into meaningful units. The duration of short-term memory is 10–30 seconds
without rehearsal. Maintenance rehearsal describes the process of continuing to pay attention to a piece
of information, such as reciting a name over and over again in your head.
Long-term memory is the third stage of memory proposed by the information-processing theory and
has an essentially unlimited capacity and duration. Information may by encoded into long-term memory
through elaborative rehearsal, a way of transferring information by making it meaningful. Long-term
memories can be divided into two types, procedural and declarative. Procedural, or nondeclarative,
memories are memories for skill and habits, in other words, memories for things people can do.
Declarative memories are memories of facts, or things people can know. There are two types of
declarative memories, semantic and episodic. Semantic memory is memory for the meanings of words

Memory -75- CHAPTER 6

and concepts while episodic memory is the memory of events or “episodes.” Procedural memories
appear to be stored in the cerebellum and amygdala, while declarative memories most likely involve the
frontal and temporal lobes. Procedural memory is sometimes referred to as implicit memory, and
declarative memory can be thought of as explicit memory. Explicit memories are easily verbalized, while
implicit memories are nearly impossible to state in words. It is not entirely clear how the brain organizes
information in long-term memory. The semantic network model suggests that information is stored in
the brain in a connected fashion with related concepts physically close to each other.
Retrieval describes the process of pulling memories out of long-term memory. A retrieval cue is a
stimulus that aids in the process of remembering. When the environment in which you learned an item
serves as a retrieval cue, it is referred to as encoding specificity. If an emotional state serves as a retrieval
cue, it is called state-dependent learning. Information can be retrieved through the process of recall,
such as filling in the blanks, or recognition, such as multiple choice questions in which the correct
answer only needs to be “recognized.” Not all information can be recalled equally well. The serial
position effect describes the finding that information at the beginning and end of a list is more likely to
be remembered than the information in the middle. The primacy effect proposes that the information at
the beginning of the list is remembered due to rehearsal, while the recency effect proposes that the
information at the end of the list is remembered due to the fact that it is still in short-term memory.
Recognition is usually a much easier task than recall because the retrieval cue is the actual piece of
information you are trying to remember, yet retrieval errors are still made when using recognition. A false
positive occurs when someone recognizes a piece of information as a memory even though it did not
happen. For example, a witness says they saw broken glass at the scene of an accident, when there was no
glass broken in the accident. Elizabeth Loftus spent more than 30 years investigating the reliability of
eyewitness memories and found that what people see and hear about an event after the fact can affect the
accuracy of their memories for that event. Automatic encoding is a term used to describe the memory
process when we aren’t actively paying attention to the information. A flashbulb memory is a specific
type of automatic encoding that occurs when an unexpected and often emotional event occurs. Flashbulb
memories typically contain a great deal of information including many details but might not be as
accurate as they appear.
The retrieval of memories is a much more constructive process than most people assume. Several
factors affect the accuracy of information retrieval. One factor is the misinformation effect in which
false information presented after an event influences the memory of that event. When suggestions from
others create inaccurate or false memories, this is referred to as the false memory syndrome. The false
memory syndrome has frequently been observed while people are under hypnosis. Research by Loftus has
suggested that in order for an individual to interpret a false event as a true memory, the event must seem
plausible and the individual should be given information that supports the belief that the event could have
happened to them personally. Hindsight bias is the tendency of people to falsely believe that they would
have been able to accurately predict a result.
Herman Ebbinghaus was one of the first scientists to systematically study the process of forgetting.
Using lists of nonsense syllables, he discovered that most forgetting occurs in the initial hour after the
material is learned. He presented his findings in a visual graph called the curve of forgetting. There are at
least four different causes for forgetting. Encoding failure occurs when the information does not make it
past the initial encoding process and never really becomes a memory. Another possible cause of
forgetting is the decay (or disuse) of the memory trace in short-term memory or the disuse of the
information in long-term memory. The final two causes of forgetting discussed in the textbook have to do
with interference. Proactive interference occurs when information from the past disrupts newly learned
information. Retroactive interference occurs when the newly learned information interferes with the
memories of the information from the past. Ebbinghaus found he could greatly improve memory if he
spaced out his study sessions, a technique called distributed practice, as opposed to “cramming” or
trying to learn all the information the night before the exam.
It is still unclear exactly how memories are physically stored in the brain. In general, strong evidence
suggests that long-term procedural memories are stored in the cerebellum, while long-term declarative
memories are stored in the frontal and temporal lobes. Storage of short-term memories has been

Memory -76- CHAPTER 6

associated with the prefrontal cortex and the temporal lobe. The process of physically storing a memory
in your brain is called consolidation and could consist of a number of changes including an increase in
receptor sites, increased sensitivity at the synapse through repeated stimulation (called long-term
potentiation), changes on the dendrites, or changes in proteins in the neuron. Recently, researchers have
identified a specific protein (4E-BP2), which may control the production of new proteins within the
mammalian nervous system. It is thought that this protein may play a role in memory consolidation.
The hippocampus has been found to play an important role in the formation of new memories. This
fact was mainly discovered by observing patients with damage to the hippocampus and noting their
inability to form any new memories. A man named H. M. was the most famous of these patients. H. M.’s
hippocampi were removed during a surgical procedure to reduce the severity of his epileptic seizures.
After the surgery, H. M. could not form any new declarative memories. H. M. could, however, still form
new procedural memories. Amnesia is a disorder characterized by severe memory loss, such as that of H.
M.’s and can take one of two forms. Retrograde amnesia is an inability to retrieve memories from the
past, while anterograde amnesia is an inability to form any new memories. An inability to remember
events from the first few years of life has been described as infantile amnesia and may be due to the
implicit, or nonverbal, nature of those memories.
Alzheimer’s disease is one type of dementia that is associated with severe memory loss. Anterograde
amnesia tends to be the primary memory problem in the beginning of the disease process. Memory loss
may be rather mild at first but becomes more pronounced over time. The cause for Alzheimer’s disease is
not completely understood, and there is currently no cure.

STUDY HINTS
11.Two of the most important concepts presented in this chapter consist of a three-part model. One
concept is the basic processes involved in memory: encoding, storage, and retrieval. The other
concept is the information-processing model of memory, which consists of sensory, short-term,
and long-term memory. Students often get these ideas confused. To help you clarify the
concepts, correctly identify the components of the information-processing model in the
following diagram. Remember that encoding, storage, and retrieval can happen at each of these
stages. List an example of encoding, storage, and retrieval for each stage.

Encoding: Encoding: Encoding:

Storage: Storage: Storage:

Retrieval: Retrieval: Retrieval:

Memory -77- CHAPTER 6

12. Long-term memory can be divided into two basic types of memory: procedural and declarative.
Declarative memories can be further broken down into episodic and semantic. To help you
understand the difference between these types of memories, come up with a specific memory
from your own life and write it in the appropriate box.

Long-Term Memories

Procedural Declarative

Procedural Memories Episodic Memories Semantic Memories

Suggested answers for Study Hint 1

Sensory Memory Short-Term Memory Long-Term Memory

Encoding: sensory Encoding: STM to

Encoding: input to
info to STM LTM
sensory systems
Storage: maintenance Storage: by level of
Storage: ½ second for
and elaborative processing
visual system, 2 sec.
rehearsal Retrieval: recall or
for auditory
Retrieval: recognition recognition
Retrieval: info to STM
or recall or to LTM

Suggested answers for Study Hint 2

Long-Term Memories

Procedural Declarative

Procedural Memories Episodic Memories Semantic Memories

Knowing how to The day that I went “Obrigado” is the

serve a tennis ball to pick up my dog word for “thank-
Ozzy you” in Portuguese

Memory -78- CHAPTER 6

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

5.14 What are the three processes of memory 5.20 How do the retrieval processes of recall and
and the different models of how memory recognition differ, and how reliable are our
works? memories of events?
5.15 How does sensory memory work? 5.21 How are long-term memories formed, and
5.16 What is short-term memory, and how does it how can this process lead to inaccuracies in
differ from working memory? memory?
5.17 How is long-term memory different from 5.22 What is false memory syndrome?
other types of memory? 5.23 Why do we forget?
5.18 What are the various types of long-term 5.24 How and where are memories formed in the
memory, and how is information stored in brain?
long-term memory organized? 5.25 How does amnesia occur?
5.19 What kinds of cues help people remember? 5.26 What are the facts about Alzheimer’s
disease?

PRACTICE EXAM
For the following multiple choice questions, select the answer you feel best answers the question.

1. ____________ is the active system that receives information from the senses, organizes and alters it
as it stores it away, and then retrieves the information from storage.
a) Classical conditioning
b) Operant conditioning
c) Learning
d) Memory

2. _____________ is retention of memory for some period of time.

a) Encoding
b) Storage
c) Retrieval
d) Evaluation

3. Janie is taking an exam in her history class. On the exam, a question asks her to state and discuss the
five major causes of the Trans-Caspian War (whatever that was!). Janie remembers four of them.
She knows there is a fifth but time is up. As Janie is walking down the stairs, all of a sudden, she
remembers that fifth point but it is too late. Janie had a problem with
a) encoding.
b) storage.
c) retrieval.
d) evaluation.

4. The processes of encoding, storage, and retrieval are seen as part of the ____________ model of
memory.
a) information-processing
b) levels-of-processing
c) parallel distributed processing
d) All of the above are correct.

Memory -79- CHAPTER 6

5. The levels-of-processing concept of Craik and Lockhart suggests that which of the following
questions would lead to better memory of the word frog?
a) “Does it rhyme with blog?”
b) “Is it in capital letters?”
c) “Is it written in cursive?”
d) “Would it be found in a pond?”

6. The three parts of the information-processing model of memory include

a) sensory memory, short-term memory, and long-term memory.
b) CS, UCS, UR, CR.
c) encoding, storage, retrieval.
d) shallow, medium, deep processing.

7. Which memory system provides us with a brief representation of all the stimuli present at a
particular moment?
a) primary memory
b) sensory memory
c) long-term memory
d) short-term memory

8. Your friend asks you a question, and just as you say “What?” you realize what the person said.
Which part of your memory was maintaining your friend’s words?
a) iconic sensory memory
b) echoic sensory memory
c) short-term memory
d) long-term memory

9. Someone a short distance away, to whom you have been paying no attention, quietly speaks your
name, and suddenly you are attending to that conversation. This is an
example of
a) Broadbent's process of selective memory.
b) the Phi phenomenon.
c) the cocktail party phenomenon.
d) cue-controlled inhibition.

10. Your professor asks you to get up in front of the class and repeat a long list of numbers that she
reads to you. If you are not given a chance to repeat the numbers to yourself as she reads them, what
is the longest list of numbers you will most likely to be able to remember, according to the classic
work of Dr. George Miller?
a) 2
b) 7
c) 12
d) 25

11. You try to remember a phone number by repeating it over and over to yourself. What type of
rehearsal are you using?
a) condensed
b) permanent
c) elaborative
d) maintenance

Memory -80- CHAPTER 6

12. Long-term memories are encoded in terms of
a) sounds.
b) visual images.
c) meanings of words and concepts.
d) all of the above.

13. Procedural memories are to __________ memories as declarative memories are to ________
memories.
a) implicit; explicit
b) explicit; implicit
c) general knowledge; personal facts
d) personal facts; general knowledge

14. Which of the following types of LTM are forms of explicit memory?
a) procedural
b) semantic
c) episodic
d) both semantic and episodic

15. As a young child, you spent hours on your skateboard. After several years of not skating, you jump
on your board as if you never missed a day. The long-term memory of how to skate is an example of
what type of memory?
a) explicit
b) episodic
c) semantic
d) procedural

16. As you are skating down the street on your skateboard, you think back to the day you accidentally
skated into a parked car and had to go the hospital to get stitches. The memory of this event would
be described as a(n) __________________ memory.
a) procedural
b) implicit
c) episodic
d) semantic

17. According to the semantic network model, it would take more time to answer “true” to which
sentence?
a) “A salmon is an animal.”
b) “A salmon is a fish.”
c) “A canary is a bird.”
d) All of these would take the same time.

18. Which of the following concepts describes why it is best to take a test in the same room in which
you learned the material?
a) state-dependent learning
b) encoding specificity
c) tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon
d) cocktail party effect

Memory -81- CHAPTER 6

19. While you were studying for your history final, you were angry at your roommate for playing her
music too loud. If you wanted to maximize your ability to remember the information on the final,
what mood should you be in while you are taking the final?
a) happy
b) sad
c) angry
d) surprised

20. Under most circumstances, when you are intentionally trying to remember an item of information,
_______________ is an easier task than _______________.
a) recognition; recall
b) recall; recognition
c) priming; the savings method
d) the savings method; priming

21. The test you are taking right now requires which type of memory retrieval process?
a) recall
b) recognition
c) encoding
d) echoic

22. Is eyewitness testimony usually accurate?

a) Yes, because seeing is believing.
b) No, because eyewitnesses are not usually honest.
c) Yes, because eyewitnesses are very confident about their testimony.
d) No, because there is a great possibility of a “false positive” identification.

23. In this view, memories are literally “built” from the pieces stored away at encoding. This view is
called
a) constructive processing.
b) hindsight bias.
c) adaptation of memory traces.
d) flashbulb integration.

24. Which of the following phenomena provides support for the concept that memories are
reconstructed as they are retrieved or remembered?
a) tip of the tongue
b) hindsight bias
c) cocktail party effect
d) retrograde amnesia

25. Which of the following is an example of the misinformation effect?

a) forgetting where you left your keys
b) falsely remembering that a friend was wearing a jacket after being asked what color your
friend’s jacket was
c) remembering a traumatic event from childhood
d) telling someone a lie

Memory -82- CHAPTER 6

26. Ebbinghaus found that information is forgotten
a) more rapidly as time goes by.
b) gradually at first, then increasing in speed of forgetting.
c) quickly at first, then tapering off gradually.
d) most quickly one day after learning.

27. Retroactive interference as used in the study of memory refers to when

a) older information already in memory interferes with the retrieval of newer information.
b) newer information interferes with the retrieval of older information.
c) the information is not attended to and fails to be encoded.
d) information that is not accessed decays from the storage system over time.

28. Shalissa has two exams today. One is in French and the other is in history. Last night she studied
French before history. When she gets to her history test, all she can remember is French! Shalissa’s
memory is suffering from
a) cue-dependent forgetting.
b) proactive interference.
c) decay.
d) retroactive interference.

29. In the famous case of H. M., after having part of his brain removed, he could no longer
a) pay attention to specific stimuli.
b) retrieve memories.
c) form new memories.
d) make sense of memories.

30. The physical processes that occur when a memory is formed are called
a) consolidation.
b) actuation.
c) potentiation.
d) depolarization.

31. When a person’s ____________is damaged or removed, anterograde amnesia results.

a) hippocampus
b) prefrontal lobe
c) amygdala
d) Cerebellum

PRACTICE EXAM ANSWERS

1. d Memory involves the three processes of encoding, storage, and retrieval. The other
choices deal with the process of learning.
2. b When you store something, you keep it (or retain it) for a certain period of time. In
the study of memory, the term storage involves keeping or retaining information for
a certain period of time.
3. c Retrieval is the process of pulling information back out of memory.
4. d Encoding, storage, and retrieval are the basic processes for memory and are a
component of ALL the theories on exactly how memory works.
5. d The levels-of-processing model proposes that the “deeper” the level of processing,
the more likely it is to be remembered. This means that the more meaning or
significance you can give to a piece of information, the better you remember it.
Associating a frog with the place it lives is the most meaningful association of the
four choices.

Memory -83- CHAPTER 6

6. a All models of memory include the concepts of encoding, storage, and retrieval. The
aspects of the information-processing model that make it unique are the concepts of
sensory, short-term, and long-term memory.
7. b Sensory memory is the briefest of all the memory stages proposed by the
information-processing model. Visual sensory memory lasts only about one-half a
second.
8. b Echoic memory is the memory of sounds. It should be easy to remember if you just
think of an “echo” for echoic.
9. c The cocktail party effect is a demonstration of our selective attention abilities.
Obviously, you are processing all of the information but you are only “attending to”
a small portion of it. One place this phenomenon is likely to occur is at a party, thus
the name “cocktail party effect.”
10. b The amount of information we can retain in short-term memory was studied by
George Miller and presented in a paper called “The magic number 7 plus or minus
two.”
11. d Maintenance rehearsal is one of the most basic methods to remember something and
involves simply repeating the information over and over. Elaborative rehearsal is
more complex and involves forming an association with the information.
12. d Memories are encoded in terms of all these components. One theory suggests that
each component of a memory is actually stored in a different place in the brain.
13. a Procedural memories (such as how to ride a bike) are hard to verbalize just as
implicit memories are hard to verbalize. If something is explicit, that means it is
very clear and obvious, just as declarative memories (like the memory of your first
kiss) are very easy to identify.
14. d Semantic memories are memories of facts such as the capital of the United States.
Episodic memories are memories of episodes, such as your last birthday celebration.
15. d Procedural memories are memories for procedures (or habits and skills).
16. c This is a memory of a specific episode.
17. a For this answer, you need to move across two categories: salmon to fish to animal.
18. b Encoding specificity refers to your physical surroundings and how they can act as
retrieval cues for information.
19. c State-dependent learning refers to your emotional state and how being in the same
mood during retrieval as you were during the encoding process can help you
remember more information.
20. a Recognition simply requires “recognizing” the right answer. This means you are
given all the options and you simply select the correct choice.
21. b You are given the right answer and you simply have to select it from choices a–d.
22. d Although eyewitness testimony can be accurate, there is always the possibility of
false positives.
23. a Constructive processing assumes that all the pieces of a memory are stored in
different locations and “re-assembled” every time the memory is retrieved.
24. b In hindsight bias, our memory of a past event is influenced by new information.
25. b The misinformation effect occurs when a leading question or statement actually
alters your memory of an event.
26. c Most forgetting occurs within the first hour after the material is learned.
27. B Retroactive interference occurs when the new information gets in the way or
“interferes” with the already learned material.
28. B Proactive interference occurs with the already learned material interferes with the
new information.
29. c After H. M’s hippocampus was removed, he lost the ability to move memories from
short-term to long-term memory.

Memory -84- CHAPTER 6

30. a The term consolidation refers to the physical basis of memories. Researchers are
still working to determine the precise details of consolidation.
31. a Anterograde amnesia is described as the inability to form any new memories. Just
like the case of H. M., when a person’s hippocampus is removed or damaged,
anterograde amnesia is often the result.

CHAPTER GLOSSARY
anterograde amnesia loss of memory from the point of injury or trauma forward, or the
inability to form new long-term memories.
autobiographical memory the memory for events and facts related to one’s personal life story.
automatic encoding tendency of certain kinds of information to enter long-term memory with
little or no effortful encoding.
consolidation the changes that take place in the structure and functioning of neurons
when an memory is formed.
constructive processing referring to the retrieval of memories in which those memories are
altered, revised, or influenced by newer information.
curve of forgetting a graph showing a distinct pattern in which forgetting is very fast within
the first hour after learning a list and then tapers off gradually.
decay loss of memory due to the passage of time, during which the memory
trace is not used.
declarative memory long-term memory containing information that is conscious and known.
distributed practice spacing the study of material to be remembered by including breaks
between study periods.
disuse another name for decay, assuming that memories that are not used will
eventually decay and disappear.
echoic memory the brief memory of something a person has just heard.
eidetic imagery the ability to access a visual memory for 30 seconds or more.
elaborative rehearsal a method of transferring information from STM into LTM by making that
information meaningful in some way.
encoding set of mental operations that people perform on sensory information to
convert it into a form that is usable in the brain’s storage systems.
encoding failure failure to process information into memory.
encoding specificity the tendency for memory to be improved if related information (such as
surroundings or physiological state) that is available when the memory is
first formed is also available when the memory is being retrieved.
episodic memory type of declarative memory containing personal information not readily
available to others, such as daily activities and events.
explicit memory memory that is consciously known, such as declarative memory.
false positive error of recognition in which people think that they recognize some
stimulus that is not actually in memory.
flashbulb memory type of automatic encoding that occurs because an unexpected event has
strong emotional associations for the person remembering it.
hindsight bias the tendency to falsely believe, through revision of older memories to
include newer information, that one could have correctly predicted the
outcome of an event.
iconic memory visual sensory memory, lasting only a fraction of a second.
implicit memory memory that is not easily brought into conscious awareness, such as
procedural memory.
infantile amnesia the inability to retrieve memories from much before age 3.
information-processing model of memory that assumes the processing of information for memory

Memory -85- CHAPTER 6

model storage is similar to the way a computer processes memory, in a series of
three stages.
levels-of-processing model model of memory that assumes information that is more “deeply
processed,” or processed according to its meaning rather than just the
sound or physical characteristics of the word or words, will be
remembered more efficiently and for a longer period of time.
long-term memory (LTM) the system of memory into which all the information is placed to be kept
more or less permanently.
maintenance rehearsal practice of saying some information to be remembered over and over in
one’s head in order to maintain it in short-term memory.
memory an active system that receives information from the senses, puts that
information into a usable form, and organizes it as it stores it away, and
then retrieves the information from storage.
memory trace physical change in the brain that occurs when a memory is formed.
misinformation effect the tendency of misleading information presented after an event to alter
the memories of the event itself.
parallel distributed a model of memory in which memory processes are proposed to take
processing (PDP) model place at the same time over a large network of neural connections.
primacy effect tendency to remember information at the beginning of a body of
information better than the information that follows.
proactive interference memory problem that occurs when older information prevents or
interferes with the learning or retrieval of newer information.
procedural (nondeclarative) type of long-term memory including memory for skills, procedures,
memory habits, and conditioned responses. These memories are not conscious but
are implied to exist because they affect conscious behavior.
recall type of memory retrieval in which the information to be retrieved must be
“pulled” from memory with very few external cues.
recency effect tendency to remember information at the end of a body of information
better than the information at the beginning of it.
recognition ability to match a piece of information or a stimulus to a stored image or
fact.
retrieval getting information that is in storage into a form that can be used.
retrieval cue a stimulus for remembering.
retroactive interference memory problem that occurs when newer information prevents or
interferes with the retrieval of older information.
retrograde amnesia loss of memory from the point of some injury or trauma backwards, or
loss of memory for the past.
selective attention the ability to focus on only one stimulus from among all sensory input.
semantic network model model of memory organization that assumes that information is stored in
the brain in an connected fashion, with concepts that are related stored
physically closer to each other than concepts that are not highly related.
sensory memory the very first stage of memory, the point at which information enters the
nervous system through the sensory systems.
serial position effect tendency of information at the beginning and end of a body of
information to be remembered more accurately than information in the
middle of the body of information.
short-term memory (STM) the memory system in which information is held for brief periods of time
while being used.
storage holding onto information for some period of time.
working memory an active system that processes the information in short-term memory.

Memory -86- CHAPTER 6

 CHAPTER 7 – COGNITION: THINKING, INTELLIGENCE, AND LANGUAGE

YOU KNOW YOU ARE READY FOR THE TEST IF YOU ARE ABLE TO…
• Introduce the concept of cognition, as it relates to mental images, concepts and problem solving.
• Describe creative thinking and the differences between convergent and divergent thinking.
• Discuss the measurement of intelligence including the Stanford-Binet and Wechsler intelligence
tests, test construction issues, and the determination of developmental delay.
• Describe several prominent theories of intelligence including the concepts of giftedness,
intellectual disability, heredity, and environment.
• Explain the basis of language and the relationship between language and thought processes.

RAPID REVIEW
Thinking, or cognition, can be defined as mental activity that goes on in the brain when a person is
processing information. Cognition includes both verbal and nonverbal processes. Two examples of
cognition are mental images, which are picture-like representations that stand in for objects or events,
and concepts, or ideas that represent a class of objects. Concepts can be ranked from general to specific
by applying the terms superordinate, basic level type, and subordinate. Formal concepts are defined
by specific rules, while natural concepts are formed as a result of experience. A prototype is a specific
example of a concept that closely resembles the defining features of a concept. Concepts are formed
through experience and culture and have an impact on our thinking.
Problem solving involves using our thoughts or cognitions to reach a goal and consists of at least four
different techniques. Trial-and-error problem solving makes use of mechanical solutions. When
someone uses algorithms to problem-solve they are following step-by-step procedures to solve the
problem. Heuristics are general “rules of thumb” that can be applied to many situations. Representative
heuristics are assumptions that any object (or person) that shares characteristics with the members of a
particular category is also a member of that category. Availability heuristics refer to the act of estimating
the frequency or likelihood of an event based on how easy it is to recall relevant information from
memory or how easy it is for us to think of related examples. Means–end analysis is an example of one
type of heuristic where the difference between where you are and where you want to be is determined and
then steps are taken to reduce that difference. Insight consists of solving the problem by having a sudden
moment of inspiration or “aha!” moment.
Some factors that interfere with problem solving include the following: Functional fixedness occurs
when a person thinks about objects only in terms of their typical uses. Mental sets are tendencies to use
the same problem-solving strategies that worked in the past. Confirmation bias refers to the act of
searching for evidence that fits your beliefs while ignoring any contradictory information. Creativity
occurs when a person solves a problem by combining ideas and behaviors in a new way. Many methods
of problem solving utilize convergent thinking, which assumes that one single answer exists for the
problem. Divergent thinking is the opposite process of convergent thinking. When an individual uses
divergent thinking, he or she starts from one point and comes up with many possibilities or ideas based on
that point.
Intelligence can be defined as the ability to learn from one’s experiences, acquire knowledge, and use
resources effectively in adapting to new situations or solving problems. Currently, there is still much
disagreement on exactly what is meant by the term intelligence. In 1904, Charles Spearman proposed
that intelligence was split between two abilities. The first ability was a general intelligence, labeled the g
factor, and the other was a specific intelligence referred to as the s factor. Spearman believed that both
the g and s factors could be measured using standardized intelligence tests. Howard Gardner, on the other
hand, proposed that at least nine different kinds of intelligence exist. Robert Sternberg proposed the
triarchic theory of intelligence, which states that intelligence can be divided into three types: analytical,
creative, and practical intelligence.

Cognition -87- CHAPTER 7

 In France in 1916, Alfred Binet and Theodore Simon developed the first formal test for intelligence in
order to determine a child’s mental age. The Stanford-Binet test used a ratio of mental age to
chronological age to determine an individual’s intelligence quotient or IQ. In the United States, the
Wechsler intelligence tests are now used more frequently that the Stanford-Binet, and IQ scores are now
based on individual deviation IQ scores rather than a ratio. The Wechsler tests are designed for specific
age groups and can be administered individually. To determine the quality of a psychological test, you
need to look at the test’s validity, reliability, and procedure used to obtain the norms. Validity refers to
how well the test measures what it claims to measure. Ecological validity is the extent to which an
obtained score accurately reflects the intended skill or outcome in real life situations, not just the testing
or assessment situation. Reliability indicates the test’s ability to produce the same result when given to the
same person under similar conditions. Norms are determined by the standardization group selected by
the researchers and should be a representative sample of the population who will be taking the test. All
psychological tests should also be examined for the cultural biases. Adrian Dove created an intelligence
test called the Dove Counterbalance General Intelligence Test (also known as the Chitling Test) to
demonstrate the cultural biases present in many of the intelligence tests currently in use.
Intellectual disability, which may also be referred to as developmental delay (formerly known as
mental retardation), occurs in about 3 percent of the U.S. population and is defined by an IQ score of 70
(two standard deviations below the mean on the normal curve) or lower along with adaptive behaviors
significantly below the expected level for the person’s age group. Diagnosis of intellectual disability is
determined by the person’s intellectual and adaptive behavior skills, psychological and emotional levels,
physical health considerations, and environmental factors. Recent recommendations from the American
Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities also require deficits in more than one of these
areas. Intellectual disability is classified from mild to moderate, severe, and profound. Environmental
conditions during a child’s development can affect brain function and may influence the development of
intellectual disability. The three most common biological causes of intellectual disability are Down
syndrome, fetal alcohol syndrome, and fragile X syndrome.
Individuals who receive scores of 130 or above on intelligence tests are referred to as gifted. Lewis
Terman conducted a longitudinal study of the traits and behaviors of more than 1,500 gifted children. The
children were known as Terman’s Termites and his findings showed that many of the common myths
about the “nutty genius” were unfounded.
More recently, the concept of emotional intelligence has been suggested as an important factor for
success in life. Further research in this area is still needed. The role of a person’s environment, or
nurture, and heredity, also referred to as nature, on the development of intelligence continues to be
debated. Studies of identical and fraternal twins raised together and apart have provided one method for
investigating the role of nature and nurture.
Language is defined as a system for combining symbols (such as words) so that an unlimited number
of meaningful statements can be made for the purpose of communicating with others. Language can be
analyzed at many levels. Semantics is the rules for determining the meaning of words and sentences.
Phonemes are the most basic units of sounds used in a specific language, and morphemes combine the
units of sound into the smallest units that have meaning. Grammar includes all the rules for combining
morphemes into words, and syntax is the rules for combining words into sentences. Pragmatics deals
with the practical aspects of communicating with others. The relationship between language and thought
has been studied extensively. The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, also known as the linguistic relativity
hypothesis, proposes that the words people use determine how they think about themselves and the
world. An opposing theory, known as cognitive universalism, proposes that certain ways of thinking are
shared among all groups of people and influence the development of language in similar ways. Animals
other than humans demonstrate a diverse ability to communicate but it is unclear whether they have the
capability for language as demonstrated by the ability to use abstract symbols to communicate. Kanzi, a
bonobo chimpanzee, has demonstrated an ability to understand about 150 spoken English words.
However, none of the animals studied to date appear to have been able to use and comprehend syntax.
In recent years, a number of computerized brain training programs and devices have been marketed to
the public as a means to improve cognitive function. However, the most recent research suggests that,

Cognition -88- CHAPTER 7

although practicing certain mental skills through cognitive exercises appears to help with those same
skills when tested later, these benefits don’t appear to transfer to untrained areas. In other words,
cognitive exercises may result in very specific improvements that do not necessarily translate to enhanced
cognitive performance in the real world.

STUDY HINTS
13. In this chapter, you were presented with four different approaches to problem solving. In order to
better understand how these approaches differ from each other, take the following problem and
come up with an example of how you could solve the problem using each of the four different
approaches.

Problem: You are packing up to move to college and you have one more box to fit in the trunk of
your car but it looks like there is simply no room left. You don’t want to leave the box behind.
How will you solve this problem?

Approach Solution

trial-and-error

algorithm

heuristics

insight

14. The two most commonly used methods to assess any psychological test are to determine the
validity and reliability of the test. Examine the following test descriptions and determine whether
the test has a potential problem with its reliability or validity.

Example Validity or Reliability Issue?

A personality test gives a very different score
for the same person when he retakes it six
months later.

An individual takes an online IQ test that

measures how long she can hold her breath.

A 5-year-old child is diagnosed as

developmentally delayed based on his IQ
scores, but when he is brought back and
given the same test, his scores fall in the
above average range.

Cognition -89- CHAPTER 7

 Suggested answers to Question 1

Approach Solution

Keep placing the box in various places and positions in your car until
trial-and-error
you find one that works.

Go online and find a website that deal with physics. Enter in the
dimensions of your car and the exact dimensions of every box and item
algorithm
that you are trying to fit in your car. Get a printout of the optimal
placement for each box and follow it step by step to fit everything in.
Think back to how your mom always told you to pack the big things first
heuristics and then squeeze the little ones in. Take your boxes out and pack them
again using this general rule of thumb to guide you.
Sit back with your friends for a few minutes and relax. As you are talking
with your friends, all of a sudden you remember that your family has a
insight
“Big Mac” container that will attach to the top of the car. Strap the
container on, place your box in the container, and take off for school.

Suggested answers to Question 2

Example Validity or Reliability Issue?

A personality test gives a very different score reliability – the scores are not consistent over
for the same person when he retakes it six time for the same person
months later.
An individual takes an online IQ test that validity – does holding your breath give a
measures how long she can hold her breath. very accurate assessment of your IQ?
A 5-year-old child is diagnosed as This question illustrates that without
developmentally delayed based on his IQ reliability a test will also lack validity. The
scores, but when he is brought back and test scores are inconsistent over time, which
given the same test, his scores fall in the indicates that the test is not really measuring
above average range. what it claims to measure when we assume
that intelligence is a fairly constant factor.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
5.27 How are mental images and concepts 5.33 What defines giftedness, and does being
involved in the process of thinking? intellectually gifted guarantee success in
5.28 What are the methods people use to solve life?
problems and make decisions? 5.34 What is the influence of heredity and
5.29 Why does problem solving sometimes fail, environment on the development of
and what is meant by creative thinking? intelligence?
5.30 How do psychologists define intelligence, 5.35 How is language defined, and what are its
and how do various theories of intelligence different elements and structure?
differ? 5.36 Does language influence the way people
5.31 How is intelligence measured, and how are think, and are animals capable of learning
intelligence tests constructed? language?
5.32 What is intellectual disability and what are 5.37 What are some ways to improve thinking?
its causes?

Cognition -90- CHAPTER 7

PRACTICE EXAM
For the following multiple choice questions, select the answer you feel best answers the question.

1. Mental images
a) represent abstract ideas.
b) have a picture-like quality.
c) consist entirely of unconscious information.
d) are always prototypes.

2. If three people used mental images to tell you how many windows they each had in their individual
houses, which person would take the longest to answer?
a) the person with two windows in his or her house
b) the person with eight windows in his or her house
c) the person with twelve windows in his or her house
d) They would all take the same amount of time to answer.

3. Concepts are ideas that represent

a) a class or category of objects, events, or activities.
b) thoughts, images, muscle patterns of behavior.
c) higher-order conditioning and secondary reinforcers.
d) representations that stand in for objects or events and have a picturelike quality

4. A very general form of a concept, such as “vegetable” represents which concept level?
a) subordinate
b) superordinate
c) basic level
d) hyperordinate

5. The trial-and-error method of solving problems is also known as

a) the use of a heuristic device.
b) the use of algorithms.
c) the mechanical solution.
d) the A.I. Solution.

6. Zach could not remember the four-digit combination needed to open the lock on his bicycle. After
struggling to figure out what to do, he turned to start the long walk home and all of a sudden he
remembered the combination to the lock. The problem-solving strategy Zach used would be best
described as
a) trial-and-error.
b) algorithm.
c) a heuristic.
d) insight.

7. The tendency for people to persist in using problem-solving patterns that have worked for them in
the past is known as
a) mental set.
b) confirmation bias.
c) creativity.
d) divergent thinking.

Cognition -91- CHAPTER 7

8. Luann needs to hammer a nail into the wall but the only tool she can find in the house is a
screwdriver. Luann’s inability to see how the handle of the screwdriver could be used as a hammer,
best represents the concept of
a) functional fixedness.
b) confirmation bias.
c) creativity.
d) artificial bias.

9. The ability to produce solutions to problems that are unusual, inventive, novel, and appropriate is
called
a) creativity.
b) insight.
c) heuristics.
d) latent learning.

10. Which of the following activities would not increase your creativity?
a) keeping a journal
b) brainstorming
c) subject mapping
d) convergent thinking

11. The ability to understand the world, think rationally or logically, and use resources effectively when
faced with challenges or problems, or the characteristics needed to succeed in one’s culture is the
psychologist’s working definition of
a) divergent problem solving.
b) creative thinking.
c) heuristic usage.
d) intelligence.

12. Measuring intelligence by testing is a rather new concept in the history of the world. It is
roughly____ years old.
a) 50
b) 100
c) 200
d) 500

13. An 8-year-old child who scored like an average 10-year-old on an intelligence test would have a
mental age of ________ and an IQ of ________.
a) 8; 80
b) 8; 125
c) 10; 100
d) 10; 125

14. Because of the need to measure the IQ of people of varying ages, newer IQ tests base their
evaluation of IQ on
a) mental age alone.
b) deviation scores from the mean of the normal distribution.
c) giving extra points for older folks to compensate for their slower processing times.
d) none of these.

Cognition -92- CHAPTER 7

15. If a test consistently produces the same score when administered to the same person under identical
conditions, that test can be said to be high in
a) reliability.
b) validity.
c) accuracy.
d) norms.

16. George is a successful organic farmer. On which of Gardner's nine types of intelligence would
George be most likely to have a high score?
a) Verbal/linguistic
b) Movement
c) Intrapersonal
d) Naturalist

17. Which two of the following aspects are included in the definition of intellectual disability?
a) IQ scores and adaptive behavior
b) age and socioeconomic status
c) race and country of origin
d) Only IQ scores are considered.

18. Which of the following statements about the gifted is true?

a) They are more likely to suffer from mental illnesses.
b) They are physically weaker than nongifted persons.
c) They are often skilled leaders.
d) They are socially unskilled.

19. Which was not a finding of the Terman and Oden (1974) study of gifted kids?
a) They were socially well-adjusted.
b) They were more resistant to mental illness.
c) They were clearly much more likely to be females.
d) They were average in weight, height, and physical attractiveness.

20. Sternberg has found that __________ intelligence is a good predictor of success in life, but has a
low relationship to ___________ intelligence.
a) practical; analytical
b) practical; creative
c) analytical; practical
d) academic; creative

21. What three types of intelligence constitute Sternberg's triarchic theory of intelligence?
a) global, intuitive, and special
b) general, global, and specific
c) analytical, creative, and practical
d) mathematical, reasoning, and verbal

22. The “g” in Spearman’s g factor of intelligence stands for

a) gifted intelligence.
b) general intelligence.
c) graded intelligence.
d) The g does not stand for anything.

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23. If intelligence is determined primarily by heredity, which pair should show the highest correlation
between IQ scores?
a) fraternal twins
b) identical twins
c) brothers and sisters
d) parents and children

24. If a researcher believed that nature was the most important factor in determining an individual’s
intelligence level, she would most closely agree with which of the following statements?
a) Intelligence is largely inherited from your parents.
b) Intelligence has no relationship to your biological family.
c) The environment is the most important factor in determining a child’s intelligence level.
d) A child’s intelligence can be greatly increased by providing stimulating toys throughout
infancy.

25. Language, by definition,

a) is symbolic.
b) can be written, spoken, or signed.
c) is capable of an infinite set of meaningful utterances.
d) includes all of these characteristics.

26. The basic units of sound are called

a) morphemes.
b) phonemes.
c) semantics.
d) syntax.

27. Syntax is
a) a system of rules for combining words and phrases to form sentences.
b) the smallest units of meaning within a language.
c) the basic units of sound.
d) the rules to determine the meaning of words.

28. The linguistic relativity hypothesis suggests that

a) one's language determines the pattern of one's thinking and view of the world.
b) one's thinking and view of the world determines the structure of one's language.
c) we decide which objects belong to a concept according to what is most probable or
sensible, given the facts at hand.
d) perception of surface structure precedes deep structure in understanding a sentence.

29. Which theory would support the idea that certain concepts are shared by all people regardless of the
language spoken?
a) Sapir-Whorf hypothesis
b) linguistic relativity hypothesis
c) cognitive universalism
d) heuristic theory

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30. Dolphins, according to TV and movies, are very intelligent and have strong language abilities. They
might even be able to talk! However, which statement is true from the research?
a) Dolphins have been shown to master syntax.
b) Dolphins have the language abilities of a 3-year-old.
c) Dolphin communication with parrots has been firmly established.
d) None of these are true.

PRACTICE EXAM ANSWERS

1. b Mental images are mental representations of objects that have a picture-like quality.
2. c Research has found that if the individuals used mental images to answer the
question, they would actualize visualize the house and have to count the windows,
so the person with the most windows would take the longest time to answer.
3. a The definition for concepts is that they are ideas that represent a class or category of
objects or events.
4. b Superordinate is the highest or most general level of a concept. Basic level is the
level most commonly used (such as potato or lettuce), subordinate is the most
specific such as a russet potato or romaine lettuce.
5. c Trial-and-error problem solving tries one solution after another until one that works
is found.
6. d Insight problem solving occurs when you get a sudden inspiration that leads you to
the solution to your problem.
7. a A mental set exists when someone continues to use the same approaches that
worked in the past. Confirmation bias occurs when someone pays attention to
information that confirms his ideas and ignores any contradictory input.
8. a Functional fixedness occurs when an individual is fixed on only one function of a
particular object.
9. a This is the definition of creativity.
10. d Convergent thinking occurs when you assume there is only one single answer or
solution to a problem. Typically, convergent thinking decreases creative ability.
11. d As can be seen, intelligence is a broad idea that can be difficult to define.
12. b Alfred Binet started testing children in France in 1916.
13. d The IQ is based on a mental age of 10 divided by a chronological age of 8 and
multiplied by 100. This gives an IQ = 125.
14. b Deviation IQ scores are based on the norms of a representative sample of the
population (also known as the standardization group).
15. a Reliability indicates a test consistency, while validity indicates accuracy, or how
well the test measures what it says it measures.
16. d Naturalist intelligence is the ability to recognize the patterns found in nature, which
would help to make George a successful organic farmer.
17. a The diagnosis of intellectual disability is based on IQ scores as well as how well the
individual is able to function in day-to-day life.
18. c Skilled leaders often are gifted individuals; the other three statements are myths that
have not been supported by research.
19. c Slightly more males than females were selected for the Terman study.
20. a Sternberg has found that practical intelligence is a good predictor of success in life,
but has a low relationship to analytical intelligence.
21. c Sternberg proposed that intelligence should actually be broken down into three
components that can be thought of as book smarts, street smarts, and creativity.
22. b Spearman proposed a two-factor theory of intelligence. The g factor was for general
intelligence and the s factor was for specific intelligence.
23. b Identical twins should show the strongest correlation since they share 100 percent of

Cognition -95- CHAPTER 7

 the same genes.
24. a Nature refers to the influence of heredity on behaviors and traits.
25. d The definition of language includes all three of these attributes.
26. b Phonemes are the basic units of sound.
27. a Syntax refers to the rules we use to form meaningful sentences.
28. a Linguistic relativity hypothesis (also referred to as the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis)
states that our thought processes are relative to the language (or linguistic setting)
in which we grew up.
29. c Cognitive universalism proposes that our basic thought processes, or cognitions, are
universally shared by all people.
30. d Chimpanzees have demonstrated a vocabulary equal to a 2-year-old child, but no
animal to date has demonstrated the ability to use and comprehend syntax.

CHAPTER GLOSSARY
algorithms very specific, step-by-step procedures for solving certain types of problems.
analytical intelligence the ability to break problems down into component parts, or analysis, for
problem solving.
availability heuristic estimating the frequency or likelihood of an event based on how easy it is to
recall relevant information from memory or how easy it is for us to think of
related examples.
basic level type an example of a type of concept around which other similar concepts are
organized, such as “dog,” “cat,” or “pear.”
cognition (thinking) mental activity that goes on in the brain when a person is organizing and
attempting to understand information, and communicating information to
others.
cognitive universalism theory that concepts are universal and influence the development of language.
concepts ideas that represent a class or category of objects, events, or activities.
confirmation bias the tendency to search for evidence that fits one’s beliefs while ignoring any
evidence that does not fit those beliefs.
convergent thinking type of thinking in which a problem is seen as having only one answer, and
all lines of thinking will eventually lead to that single answer, using previous
knowledge and logic
creative intelligence the ability to deal with new and different concepts and to come up with new
ways of solving problems.
creativity the process of solving problems by combining ideas or behavior in new ways.
deviation IQ score a type of intelligence measure that assumes that IQ is normally distributed
around a mean of 100 with a standard deviation of about 15.
divergent thinking type of thinking in which a person starts from one point and comes up with
many different ideas or possibilities based on that point.
emotional intelligence the awareness of and ability to manage one’s own emotions as well as the
ability to be self-motivated, able to feel what others feel, and socially skilled.
formal concepts concepts that are defined by specific rules or features.
functional fixedness a block to problem solving that comes from thinking about objects in terms of
only their typical functions.
g factor the ability to reason and solve problems, or general intelligence.
gifted the 2 percent of the population falling on the upper end of the normal curve
and typically possessing an IQ of 130 or above.
grammar the system of rules governing the structure and use of a language.
heuristic an educated guess based on experiences that help narrow down the possible
solutions for a problem. Also known as a “rule of thumb.”

Cognition -96- CHAPTER 7

intellectual disability condition in which a person’s behavioral and cognitive skills exist at an
earlier developmental stage than the skills of others who are the same
chronological age; may also be referred to as developmentally delayed. This
condition was formerly known as mental retardation.
intelligence the ability to learn from one’s experiences, acquire knowledge, and use
resources effectively in adapting to new situations or solving problems.
intelligence quotient a number representing a measure of intelligence, resulting from the division
(IQ) of one’s mental age by one’s chronological age and then multiplying that
quotient by 100.
language a system for combining symbols (such as words) so that an unlimited number
of meaningful statements can be made for the purpose of communicating with
others.
Lewis Terman 1877–1956. Cognitive psychologist well known for his longitudinal study of
gifted children, affectionately referred to as Terman’s Termites.
linguistic relativity the theory that thought processes and concepts are controlled by language.
hypothesis
means–end analysis heuristic in which the difference between the starting situation and the goal is
determined and then steps are taken to reduce that difference.
mental images mental representations that stand in for objects or events and have a
picturelike quality.
mental set the tendency for people to persist in using problem-solving patterns that have
worked for them in the past.
morphemes the smallest units of meaning within a language.
natural concepts concepts people form as a result of their experiences in the real world.
nurture the role a person’s environment plays in his or her development.
phonemes the basic units of sound in language.
practical intelligence the ability to use information to get along in life and become successful.
pragmatics aspects of language involving the practical ways of communicating with
others, or the social “niceties” of language.
problem solving process of cognition that occurs when a goal must be reached by thinking and
behaving in certain ways.
prototype an example of a concept that closely matches the defining characteristics of a
concept.
reliability the tendency of a test to produce the same scores again and again each time it
is given to the same people.
representative heuristic assumption that any object (or person) sharing characteristics with the
members of a particular category is also a member of that category.
s factor the ability to excel in certain areas, or specific intelligence.
semantics the rules for determining the meaning of words and sentences.
subordinate concept the most specific category of a concept, such as one’s pet dog or a pear in
one’s hand; subordinate refers to lowest in status or standing.
superordinate concept the most general form of a type of concept, such as “animal” or “fruit”;
superordinate refers to highest in status or standing.
syntax the system of rules for combining words and phrases to form grammatically
correct sentences.
thinking (cognition) mental activity that goes on in the brain when a person is organizing and
attempting to understand information, and communicating information to
others.

Cognition -97- CHAPTER 7

trial and error problem-solving method in which one possible solution after another is tried
(mechanical solution) until a successful one is found.
triarchic theory of Sternberg’s theory that there are three kinds of intelligences: analytical,
intelligence creative, and practical.
validity the degree to which a test actually measures what it’s supposed to measure.

Cognition -98- CHAPTER 7

 CHAPTER 8 – DEVELOPMENT ACROSS THE LIFE SPAN

YOU KNOW YOU ARE READY FOR THE TEST IF YOU ARE ABLE TO…
• Introduce the research methods and major issues in developmental psychology, including the
nature versus nurture controversy.
• Describe the stages of prenatal development and potential hazards.
• Discuss the theories of Piaget and Vygotsky with regards to cognitive development.
• Describe the physical and cognitive development in infancy and childhood including language
development.
• Explain the concept of personality including the idea of temperament, attachment theory, and
Erikson’s psychosocial model.
• Identify the major stages of development in adolescence and adulthood.
• Discuss three theories of aging and Kübler-Ross’s stages of dying.
• Understand cross-cultural views on death.

RAPID REVIEW
Human development is the scientific study of the changes that occur in people as they age from
conception to death. Because age cannot be directly manipulated by a researcher, developmental
psychologists have had to develop alternative methods to investigate the effects of aging on psychological
processes. Three common methods used are longitudinal, cross-sectional, and cross-sequential studies.
Longitudinal studies have the advantage of following the same subject across time but are limited due to
the amount of time and money required to complete the study and the problem of attrition. Cross-
sectional studies are cheaper, faster, and easier to conduct because they gather information from different
age groups at one particular period of time; however, results from these studies may be confounded due to
individual and history differences. Cross-sequential studies are a combination of longitudinal and cross-
sectional techniques and often represent an ideal compromise. One of the biggest debates among
developmental psychologists is the question of nature versus nurture. Nature refers to the influence of
everything you inherit genetically from your biological parents and nurture refers to the influence of your
environment on your development. More recently, the question of interest has switched from nature
versus nurture to the interaction of nature and nurture. Behavioral genetics is the field of science that
studies the interactions of nature, or genes, and nurture, or the environment.
Genetics is the science of heredity and involves the study of DNA, genes, and chromosomes. DNA
(deoxyribonucleic acid) is the smallest unit of the three and is composed of strands of molecules linked
together like a twisted ladder. The links are made up of amines and their names are abbreviated with the
letters A, T, G, and C. The next largest unit is the genes, which are sections of the ladder containing
instructions on how to make a specific protein. One way to think of genes is as individual recipes for
proteins. The biggest unit is the chromosomes, which are long strands of DNA twisted together and
wound up in coils. The chromosomes are found in the nucleus of all the cells of your body except red
blood cells. Humans have a total of 46 chromosomes, 23 from the mother’s egg and 23 from the father’s
sperm. Each chromosome from the mother matches a chromosome from the father to form 23 pairs. Both
chromosomes in the pair have the same genes (for example, each chromosome contains a gene for hair
color). Even though they contain the same gene, the instructions on that gene might be slightly different;
for example, one of the genes may have the instructions for blonde hair while the other gene may contain
the instructions for brown hair. The first 22 pairs of chromosomes are called autosomes, and the last pair
(the 23rd) is called the sex chromosomes and contains the instructions for determining sex. Dominant
genes are the genes that are more likely to influence the trait. Recessive genes are not as strong and will
only get their instructions carried out if the other chromosome in the pair also contains a recessive gene.
In reality, almost all traits are determined by multiple gene pairs. This is called polygenic inheritance.
Some diseases result from problems with recessive genes and are only expressed when both parents have
the recessive gene, while some disorders result from the wrong number of chromosomes in the fertilizing

Development -99- CHAPTER 8

egg or sperm. Some examples of chromosomal abnormalities include Down syndrome (e.g., Trisomy 21),
Klinefelter’s syndrome (e.g., XXY), and Turner’s syndrome (e.g., a single X chromosome).
Many people believe that conception represents the beginning of life. Fertilization occurs when the
sperm penetrates the egg (or ovum). The result is a single cell with 46 chromosomes (23 from the sperm
and 23 from the egg). This cell is called a zygote. Monozygotic (or identical) twins result from the
zygote splitting into two separate masses early in the division process. Dizygotic (or fraternal) twins
result from two eggs being fertilized by two separate sperm. Conjoined twins result from an incomplete
separation of the zygotic mass. Abby and Brittany Hensel are an example of conjoined twins.
The germinal period of pregnancy is the first two weeks after fertilization during which the zygote
migrates down to the uterus and attaches to the uterine wall. The placenta and umbilical cord both begin
to develop during this period. The embryonic period lasts from about 2 weeks to 8 weeks, after which
the embryo is about one inch long with primitive eyes, nose, lips, teeth, arms and legs. Critical periods
are times in development during which an environmental influence can impact the development of the
fetus. Different organs and structures have different critical periods. The environmental influences that
can negatively impact the development of the fetus are called teratogens. The fetal period lasts from the
eighth week after conception to the end of the pregnancy. Tremendous growth of the fetus occurs during
this time. A baby born before the 38th week of pregnancy is considered preterm and may need life
support to survive, especially if he or she weighs less than 5½ pounds. Most miscarriages, also called
spontaneous abortions, occur in the first three months of a pregnancy.
Infants have a large number of capabilities even immediately after birth. Most infants are able to
perform five innate reflexes: the grasping reflex, the startle reflex, the rooting reflex, the stepping reflex,
and the sucking reflex. In an infant, touch is the most well-developed sense, followed by smell and taste.
Vision is the least functional of the senses. In terms of photoreceptors, the rods are developed at birth but
cones must develop over a six-month time period. At birth, an infant’s vision is most clear seven to ten
inches from their face. Infants appear to show a preference for the human voice and human faces. The
visual cliff experiment provides evidence that infants may also possess depth perception.
The brain triples in weight during the first two years of life due to the expansion of existing cells not
the growth of new ones. Jean Piaget believed that the primary factor in the development of a child’s
cognitive abilities was the child’s interactions with objects in the environment. Piaget believed that
children form mental concepts or schemes as they experience new situations and events. He proposed
four stages of cognitive development from infancy to adolescence. The sensorimotor stage, lasting from
infancy to age 2, involves the use of the senses and muscles to learn about the environment and includes
the development of object permanence and symbolic thought. The preoperational stage lasts from age
2 to 7 and involves language and concept development through the process of asking questions. Children
in this stage display the ability of symbolic thought through make-believe play and also display
characteristics of egocentrism, centration, and irreversibility. The concrete operational stage lasts
from age 7 to 12 and includes the development of concepts such as conservation and reversible thinking.
However, children in this stage are still unable to deal with abstract concepts such as freedom. The
formal operational stage is the final stage of cognitive development, according to Piaget, and lasts from
the age of 12 on. During this stage abstract, hypothetical thinking develops. Research suggests that only
about one-half of the adults in the U.S. reach this stage of cognitive development. Piaget’s concepts have
been successfully applied in schools but have also been criticized for their emphasis on distinct stages of
development, overemphasis on egocentrism, and failure to mention the role of the family or social
environment in the child’s development.
Lev Vygotsky was a Russian psychologist who felt the primary factor in development was the social
environment. He proposed a concept called scaffolding in which a more highly skilled person gives the
learner help and then stops as the learner develops on his or her own. Vygotsky believed that each child
has a zone of proximal development or ZPD, which is the difference between what a child can do alone
and what he or she can do with the help of a teacher. Vygotsky’s principles have been applied in the
classroom through the use of cooperative learning and reciprocal teaching.
Psychologists interested in information-processing theory have investigated the memory capabilities
of the developing infant and have found that infants demonstrate memory from birth. Four- to 5-year-olds

Development -100- CHAPTER 8

appear to be able to store about three items in their short-term memory and have both episodic and
procedural components of long-term memory. Language development appears to be an important step in
cognitive development and facilitates the development of symbolic thinking. The stages of language
development experienced by all speakers include cooing around 2 months of age, babbling at 6 months
of age, one-word speech or holophrases around 1 year of age, telegraphic speech at around a year and a
half, and then whole sentences.
Temperament refers to the behavioral and emotional characteristics observed in infancy. Several
researchers have suggested the existence of three types of temperaments, easy, difficult, and slow to warm
up. Attachment is the emotional bond between an infant and caregiver. Mary Ainsworth and others
studied attachment using the Strange Situation and observed four attachment styles, secure, avoidant,
ambivalent, and disorganized/disoriented. Harry Harlow studied the nature of attachment behaviors by
observing Rhesus monkeys interact with two different “surrogate” mothers. He found that contact
comfort was an important factor in attachment.
Erik Erikson, who originally trained as a Freudian psychoanalyst, proposed an eight-stage theory of
development that occurred over the entire life span. Each stage involved an emotional crisis in the
individual’s social interactions. The first four stages occurred during infancy and childhood and consisted
of the crises of trust versus mistrust, autonomy versus shame and doubt, initiation versus guilt, and
industry versus inferiority. Most children begin to understand gender differences around the age of 2
and begin to develop their own gender identity. Although a person’s sex is defined by the physical
characteristic of being male or female, a person’s gender is the behavior associated with being male or
female. One’s gender identity is influenced by cultural expectations as well as biology.
Adolescence is the period of time from around age 14 to the early 20s and is most clearly identified
by the physical changes that occur in puberty. Mentally, many adolescents are moving into Piaget’s
formal operational stage of development, which includes the ability to think in the abstract and to
consider hypothetical situations. At the same time, adolescents still demonstrate a considerable amount of
egocentric thinking as can be seen in the thought processes of the personal fable, in which adolescents
feel they are different from all others, and the imaginary audience, where the adolescent is convinced
that everyone is looking at him or her.
Lawrence Kohlberg proposed a theory about the development of moral thinking and divided the
development into three levels, preconventional, during which the individual conforms to social norms;
conventional, during which time the consequences determine morality; and postconventional, during
which a person’s individual moral principles determine right and wrong. The social crisis proposed by
Erikson for the period of adolescence is that of identity versus role confusion.
Adulthood can be roughly identified as the time period from the early 20s until death. Middle age is
often associated with an increase in health problems and includes the events of menopause for women
and andropause for men. Cognitive abilities do not decline overall but the speed of processing does
appear to slow down and people tend to have greater difficulty retrieving specific information from their
memory. Erikson proposed three psychosocial developmental stages for adulthood. The stages are
intimacy versus isolation, generativity versus stagnation, and ego integrity versus despair. The term
ego integrity refers to a sense of wholeness that comes from having lived a full life and possessing the
ability to let go of regrets. Parenting is a significant part of many people’s adulthood. Diana Baumrind
proposed three basic parenting styles, authoritarian, permissive, and authoritative. Permissive parents
can either be permissive neglectful or permissive indulgent.
A number of theories explain why our bodies physically age. The cellular clock theory suggests that
cells are limited in the number of times they can reproduce. The wear-and-tear theory proposes that aging
is a result of outside stressors such as physical exertion and bodily damage. The free radical theory states
that as people get older, more and more free radicals accumulate in their bodies. Socially, the activity
theory suggests that elderly people adjust more positively to aging when they remain active in some way.
Elizabeth Kübler-Ross proposed a well-known theory of the dying process. Based on her work with
dying patients, Kübler-Ross felt that people experienced a series of five different emotions including
denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. Others see dying as more of a process rather than a
series of stages. In addition, different cultures may vary in the way that they deal with death. For instance,

Development -101- CHAPTER 8

within the Hindu culture in India, family members may have extensive contact with the deceased. In
contrast, the Navajo tribal culture dictates that Native Americans should severely limit their contact with
the dead and dying.

STUDY HINTS
15. Perhaps the most influential theory on cognitive development is Jean Piaget’s theory. He
proposed four stages of cognitive development. To enhance your learning of these stages, fill in
the following chart. Try to fill it in as much as possible without going back to your notes and/or
the textbook. The first stage has been filled in as an example.

How would you test to see if

Stage Age Characteristics
someone is in this stage?
Sensorimotor 0–2
years
• Children explore using Hide a toy under a blanket and see
if the child looks under the blanket
their sensory and
for the toy.
motor systems.
• Develop object
permanence.

Development -102- CHAPTER 8

2. Another major theory of development is the theory proposed by Erik Erikson. Erikson’s theory
focuses more on the development of personality, with each stage marked by a crisis that needs to
be resolved. The crisis typically involves the social interactions of the individual and is
represented by the two extremes of the possible outcomes (for example, industry versus
inferiority). One way to keep track of these stages is to realize that the labels follow a pattern of
“desirable outcome versus undesirable outcome.” Also, they reflect the social activities that are
typically going on at that age. Fill in the following chart to help you understand Erikson’s theory
of development.

Age Social Activities Desirable Outcome Undesirable Outcome

0–1 years being fed, taken care of by sense of trust sense of mistrust
someone else

Development -103- CHAPTER 8

 Suggested answers for Study Hint 1

How would you test to see

Stage Age Characteristics
if someone is in this stage?
Sensorimotor 0–2
years
• Explore using sensory and
Hide a toy under a blanket
and see if the child looks
motor systems.
under the blanket for the
• Develop object toy.
permanence.
Preoperational 2–7
years
• A lot of egocentric thinking. Ask the child if she would
rather have two quarters or
• Represent objects mentally. five pennies (she will
• Engage in make-believe play. probably want the five
pennies).
• Do not understand concepts See if the child can play a
of conservation. make-believe game.
• Tend to focus on one aspect
of an object.
Concrete
Operational
7–12
years
• Show an understanding for Divide a string of clay into
five pieces and see if the
the principles of
child thinks there is as much
conservation.
clay in the five pieces as
• Demonstrate logical thinking there was in the one string.
and can solve analogies.
• Focus mostly on concrete
objects and ideas.
Formal
Operational
12
years
• Can use abstract reasoning to Ask the child an abstract
question and see how he
solve problems.
and on responds. An example of a
• Able to consider hypothetical question could be “What if
situations. snow was black?”

Development -104- CHAPTER 8

 Suggested answers for Study Hint 2

Age Social Activities Desirable Outcome Undesirable Outcome

0–1 years being fed, taken care of by sense of trust sense of mistrust
someone else
1–3 years learning to walk, talk, dress sense of autonomy sense of shame and
yourself, etc. (feeling that you are in doubt
control of your own
body)
3–5 years going to preschool, being sense of initiative sense of guilt or
responsible to obey family irresponsibility
rules, learning your role as a
member of a family
5–12 going to school, completing sense of industry sense of inferiority or
years school assignments, (feeling capable of incompetence
participating in social completing your work)
activities with peers
12–18 deciding “what you want to sense of identity feeling of role
years be when you grow up,” confusion, unsure of
choosing a career path, who you are
selecting your own group of
friends
18–40 finding a partner to form a sense of intimacy, feel sense of isolation, not
years life-long commitment, comfortable forming able to form close ties
succeeding in a career close relationships with others
40–60 focusing on career and family sense of generativity, sense of stagnation, or
years (perhaps grandchildren begin or succeeding in feeling that you have
to enter the picture), begin creating something done nothing for the
thinking of the legacy that that will benefit others next generation
you will leave for your in the future
children and/or the future
generation
60 years dealing with retirement from sense of ego integrity, sense of despair about
and on your career, family might be or a sense of your life and a fear of
more involved in their own acceptance of your life your inevitable death
lives, facing the fact of death and acceptance of
among those in your social death
group

Development -105- CHAPTER 8

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
5.38 What are some of the special research 5.44 How do infants and children develop
methods used to study development? personalities and form relationships with
5.39 What is the relationship between heredity others, and what are Erikson’s stages of
and environmental factors in determining psychosocial development for children?
development? 5.45 What are the physical, cognitive, and
5.40 How do chromosomes, genes, and DNA personality changes that occur in
determine a person’s characteristics or adolescence, including concepts of morality
disorders, and what causes multiple births? and Erikson’s search for identity?
5.41 What happens during the germinal, 5.46 What are the physical, cognitive, and
embryonic, and fetal periods of pregnancy, personality changes that occur during
and what are some hazards in prenatal adulthood and aging, including Erikson’s
development? last three psychosocial stages and patterns
5.42 What kind of physical changes take place in of parenting?
infancy and childhood? 5.47 How do psychologists explain why aging
5.43 What are two ways of looking at cognitive occurs, and what are the stages of death and
development, and how does language help? dying?
5.48 What are some cross-cultural differences in
views of death and dying?

PRACTICE EXAM
For the following multiple choice questions, select the answer you feel best answers the question.

1. A researcher who selects a sample of people of varying ages and studies them at one point in time is,
by definition, using the ______ method.
a) cohort design
b) longitudinal design
c) behavior genetics design
d) cross-sectional design

2. Which of the following is an example of a longitudinal study?

a) observing three groups of children (ages 2, 6, and 12) for a two-hour period
b) observing three groups of children (ages 2, 6, and 12) for a two-week period
c) observing a group of 30 children at age 2 and again at age 6, and once more when the
children turn 12 years of age
d) surveying a group of middle-aged adults, half male and half female

3. What relatively new field investigates the influence of genes and heredity on behavior?
a) psychobiology
b) neuropsychology
c) behavioral genetics
d) psychoanalysis

4. When a researcher discusses the contributions of “nature” on development, she is referring to the
effects of
a) environment.
b) heredity.
c) social interactions.
d) teratogens.

Development -106- CHAPTER 8

5. Which of the following is a special molecule that contains the genetic material of the organism?
a) DNA
b) gene
c) chromosomes
d) amines

6. Which of the following is essentially a “recipe” or set of instructions for making a protein?
a) DNA
b) a chromosome
c) a gene
d) an enzyme

7. Dizygotic twins are formed from one egg and two sperm.
a) True
b) False

8. Monozygotic twins
a) are genetically identical.
b) are genetically different.
c) will be of a different sex.
d) are more likely to occur when a woman is taking fertility drugs.

9. Brittany and Abby Hensel are a type of twin referred to as

a) nonidentical.
b) dizygotic.
c) fraternal.
d) conjoined.

10. The specialized organ that provides nourishment and filters away waste products from the
developing baby is called the
a) placenta.
b) uterus.
c) umbilical cord.
d) embryo.

11. What are some of the common consequences to a child if the mother smoked while pregnant?
a) increased birth weight and lethargy
b) lower birth weight and short stature
c) severe hearing loss and heart defects
d) severely deformed limbs and muscle spasms

12. The longest prenatal period during which tremendous growth occurs and the organs continue to
develop and become functional is called
a) germinal.
b) embryonic.
c) fetal.
d) gestational.

Development -107- CHAPTER 8

13. In the ______ reflex, the baby moves its head toward any light touch to its face.
a) Sucking
b) Startle
c) rooting
d) grasping

14. Which sense is the most well developed at birth?

a) taste
b) touch
c) sight
d) hearing

15. Your little sister picks up objects, feels every part of them, and then puts them in her mouth. What
stage of Jean Piaget's model of cognitive development does this behavior suggest?
a) concrete operations
b) sensorimotor
c) preoperational
d) formal operations

16. A theory that looks at the way people deal with the information that comes in through the senses is
called
a) information-processing theory.
b) sensorimotor intelligence.
c) habituation.
d) metamemory.

17. Which of the following would a child in Piaget’s preoperational stage of cognitive development be
unable to do?
a) mentally represent an object
b) play make-believe
c) see the world from someone else’s perspective
d) use symbolic thought

18. Vygotsky’s idea that children develop cognitively when someone else helps them by asking leading
questions and providing examples is called
a) scaffolding.
b) centration.
c) conservation.
d) metamemory.

19. The first noticeable signs of language development in infants is

a) babbling.
b) cooing.
c) telegraphic speech.
d) holophrases.

20. By about 12 months, most infants

a) begin to use intonation in their language.
b) build a vocabulary of one-word phrases, or holophrases.
c) begin to distinguish, in their language, between themselves and others.
d) begin to form two- and three-word sentences.

Development -108- CHAPTER 8

21. Infants in different cultures and of different languages experience a different series of stages in
language development.
a) True
b) False

22. If an infant in Mary Ainsworth’s Strange Situation was unwilling to explore, became very upset by
the stranger, and demanded to be picked up by his mother but then kicked to get away, he would
most likely be classified as
a) secure.
b) avoidant.
c) ambivalent.
d) disorganized–disoriented.

23. Chester is irritable, loud, and negative most of the time. He really doesn't like when new
people pick him up and hold him, and he has irregular sleeping, eating, and waking schedules. What
temperament does he exhibit?
a) active
b) slow-to-warm-up
c) difficult
d) easy

24. Erikson’s theory of social development viewed the ages of 3 to 6, his third stage, as being
characterized by the major challenge of
a) identity versus role diffusion.
b) industry versus inferiority.
c) initiative versus guilt.
d) autonomy versus shame and doubt.

25. According to Erikson, when children between the ages of 5 and 12 succeed at learning new skills,
they develop a sense of _____________; and if they fail to develop new abilities, they feel
_____________.
a) shame; doubt
b) trust; guilt
c) industry; inferior
d) identity; despair

26. The growth spurt for boys typically begins at age

a) 9.
b) 12.
c) 10.
d) 15.

27. Fifteen-year-old Todd is writing an impassioned novel about growing up in America. In his novel he
describes his experiences in a way that portrays him as unique and special, such that no one has ever
thought such deep thoughts or experienced such ecstasy before. Todd’s writings most clearly reflect
a) his sense of autonomy.
b) the personal fable.
c) the period of rebellion common to all adolescents.
d) his developing sense of conscience.

Development -109- CHAPTER 8

28. Which of the following questions would an adolescent who has not reached Piaget’s stage of formal
operations have trouble thinking about?
a) What date did Columbus arrive in America?
b) How many 2-inch pieces can a 10-inch rope be cut into?
c) What if you had been born to different parents?
d) What is the definition of democracy?

29. Jeremy is 17 years old. According to Erikson, his chief task will be acquiring a sense of
a) identity.
b) intimacy.
c) generativity.
d) autonomy.

30. The cessation of menstruation and ovulation is called

a) climacteric.
b) perimenopause.
c) menopause.
d) andropause.

31. Which of the following reasons does not explain why middle adults experience changes in memory?
a) stress
b) more information to remember
c) more information stored in memory
d) hardening of the arteries

32. A young adult who is having difficulty trusting others is most likely still trying to resolve Erikson’s
stage of
a) autonomy versus shame and doubt.
b) ego integrity versus despair.
c) industry versus inferiority.
d) intimacy versus isolation.

33. Which of the following is an example of generativity?

a) completing a crossword puzzle
b) becoming a mentor
c) getting married
d) finding your own identity

34. The _______theory of aging suggests that unstable oxygen molecules cause damage to the structure
of cells, increasing with age.
a) wear-and-tear
b) cellular clock
c) disengagement
d) free radical

Development -110- CHAPTER 8

35. Several weeks of diagnostic tests revealed the cancer has spread throughout Barry's body. His
physician suggested that he "take care of important matters." Barry realizes his family's home needs
repairs, so he arranges to have that done right away. To relieve his family of the agony of planning
his funeral, he has made all the arrangements. Barry told his minister he has a good life and just
wants to make sure he provides for his family after his death. This description fits the stage Kübler-
Ross called
a) denial.
b) acceptance.
c) bargaining.
d) depression.

PRACTICE EXAM ANSWERS

1. d Cross-sectional design studies several different age groups at the same time.
2. b A longitudinal study involves the study of a group of individuals at two or more
time points in their lives. It may be helpful to remember that a longitudinal study
takes a long time to complete.
3. c Genetics is a field that investigates the effects of genes and environmental
influences on behavior, whereas psychobiology is the study of the biological bases
of behavior.
4. b Nature refers to everything a person inherits biologically. Nurture refers to the
effects of a person’s surroundings, or environment.
5. a DNA, genes, and chromosomes all contain the genetic material of an organism, but
DNA is the only molecule listed.
6. c A gene is a section of DNA that contains instructions for making proteins.
Chromosomes are large strands of DNA that contain many genes.
7. b “Di” means two, and zygotic is referring to the zygote, which is formed when the
egg and sperm unite. Dizygotic (or fraternal) twins are formed from two eggs and
two sperm.
8. a Monozygotic twins are formed from one egg and one sperm (“mono” means one).
After the egg and sperm unite they split to form two zygotes. Because all the DNA
comes from the same egg and sperm, monozygotic twins are genetically identical.
9. d Conjoined twins (commonly referred to as Siamese twins) are physically joined due
to the fact that the zygotes do not completely separate from each other.
10. a The placenta provides protection and nourishment to the fetus.
11. b Multiple studies have found that babies of mothers who smoked are smaller in
weight and height than babies from mothers who didn’t smoke.
12. c The fetal period is the longest and last stage of prenatal development and is when
the most growth occurs in the fetus.
13. c The rooting reflex is thought to help the baby with breast-feeding.
14. b Touch and taste are fairly well developed at birth, with touch being the most highly
developed. The sense of sight takes the longest to fully develop after birth.
15. b The sensorimotor stage involves exploring the world through the use of the sensory
and motor systems. During the sensorimotor stage infants interact deliberately with
objects by chewing, grasping, and tasting them It is the first of Piaget’s four stages
of cognitive development.
16. a Information-processing theory looks at the way in which people deal with the
information that comes in through the senses. Metamemory is one’s knowledge
about the workings of memory and memory strategies.
17. c In the preoperational stage of development, children are still very egocentric and
have a hard time seeing the world from someone else’s viewpoint.

Development -111- CHAPTER 8

18. a Scaffolding is the process of helping a child develop by providing the framework
for learning.
19. b Cooing is the first visible sign of language development in infants, followed by
babbling, holophrases, and then telegraphic speech.
20. b By about 1 year of age, children are communicating one-word “phrases.”
Telegraphic speech, which consists of two- or three-word sentences, usually
develops around 1½ to 2 years of age.
21. b It appears that all infants experience the same stages of language development.
22. c The ambivalent child exhibits ambivalent behaviors towards his or her mother. An
example is begging to be picked up by the mother and then struggling to get away
from the mother once he or she is picked up.
23. c Difficult babies tend to be irritable, are not comfortable with change, and have
irregular schedules.
24. c Initiative versus guilt is Erikson’s third stage of development. Autonomy versus
shame and doubt is the second stage, and industry versus inferiority is the fourth
stage.
25. c Industry versus inferiority is Erikson’s fourth stage of development and corresponds
closely with the primary school years.
26. b Boys show a growth spurt around age 12, whereas girls typically show a growth
spurt earlier, around age 10.
27. b The personal fable describes a phenomenon commonly seen in adolescents in which
they feel that no one else has experienced the emotions or thoughts that they are
currently experiencing.
28. c The key to Piaget’s fourth and final stage of cognitive development is the ability to
consider hypothetical and abstract situations.
29. a Erikson believed most of the adolescent years involved the crisis of identity versus
role confusion.
30. c Menopause is the correct answer. Perimenopause is the term used to describe the
period of 5–10 years during which a woman’s reproductive system begins to
decline.
31. d Memory changes during middle age have not been found to be associated with
physical decline.
32. d Erikson proposed the stage of intimacy versus isolation for young adults as they try
to form intimate relations with others and learn to trust in someone other than
themselves.
33. b Generativity involves helping a younger generation and engaging in activities that
will leave a legacy.
34. d Radicals are oxygen molecules in the cells that are thought to cause damage.
35. b Kübler-Ross described the stage of acceptance as an emotional state of
acknowledging one’s impending death and being at peace with the idea.

CHAPTER GLOSSARY
activity theory theory of adjustment to aging that assumes older people are happier if
they stay active in some way, such a volunteering or starting a hobby.
adolescence the period of life from about age 13 to the early 20s, during which a
young person is no longer physically a child but is not yet an
independent, self-supporting adult.
andropause gradual changes in the sexual hormones and reproductive system of
middle-aged males.
attachment the emotional bond between an infant and the primary caregiver.
authoritarian parenting style of parenting in which a parent is rigid and overly strict, showing
little warmth to the child.

Development -112- CHAPTER 8

authoritative parenting style of parenting in which parents combine warmth and affection with
firm limits on a child’s behavior.
centration in Piaget’s theory, the tendency of a young child to focus on only one
feature of an object while ignoring other relevant features.
chromosome tightly wound strand of genetic material or DNA.
cognitive development the development of thinking, problem solving, and memory.
concrete operational stage Piaget’s third stage of cognitive development in which the school-age
child becomes capable of logical thought processes but is not yet
capable of abstract thinking.
conservation in Piaget’s theory, the ability to understand that simply changing the
appearance of an object does not change the object’s nature.
conventional morality second level of Kohlberg’s stages of moral development in which the
child’s behavior is governed by conforming to society’s norms of
behavior.
critical periods times during which some environmental influences can have an impact
on the development of the infant.
cross-sectional design research design in which several different participant age-groups are
studied at one particular point in time.
cross-sequential design research design in which participants are studied by means of a cross-
sectional design but are also followed and assessed longitudinally.
dizygotic twins often called fraternal twins, occurs when two eggs each are fertilized by
separate sperm, resulting in two zygotes in the uterus at the same time.
DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) special molecule that contains the genetic material of the organism.
dominant referring to a gene that actively controls the expression of a trait.
ego integrity sense of wholeness that comes from having lived a full life and possessing
the ability to let go of regrets; the final completion of the ego.
egocentrism the inability to see the world through anyone else’s eyes.
embryo developing organism from 2 weeks to 8 weeks after fertilization.
embryonic period the period from 2 to 8 weeks after fertilization, during which the major
organs and structures of the organism develop.
fertilization the union of the ovum and sperm.
fetal period the time from about 8 weeks after conception until the birth of the baby.
fetus developing organism from 8 weeks after fertilization to the birth of the
baby.
formal operational stage Piaget’s last stage of cognitive development in which the adolescent
becomes capable of abstract thinking.
gender the behavior associated with being male or female.
gender identity perception of one’s gender and the behavior associated with that
gender.
gene section of DNA having the same arrangement of chemical elements.
generativity providing guidance to one’s children or the next generation, or
contributing to the well-being of the next generation through career or
volunteer work.
genetics the science of inherited traits.
germinal period first 2 weeks after fertilization, during which the zygote moves down to
the uterus and begins to implant in the lining.
human development the scientific study of the changes that occur in people as they age,
from conception until death.
identity versus role confusion stage of personality development in which the adolescent must find a
consistent sense of self.

Development -113- CHAPTER 8

imaginary audience type of thought common to adolescents in which young people believe
that other people are just as concerned about the adolescent’s thoughts
and characteristics as they themselves are.
intimacy an emotional and psychological closeness that is based on the ability to
trust, share, and care, while still maintaining a sense of self.
irreversibility in Piaget’s theory, the inability of the young child to mentally reverse
an action.
longitudinal design research design in which one participant or group of participants is
studied over a long period of time.
menopause the cessation of ovulation and menstrual cycles and the end of a
woman’s reproductive capability.
monozygotic twins identical twins formed when one zygote splits into two separate masses
of cells, each of which develops into a separate embryo.
nature the influence of our inherited characteristics on our personality,
physical growth, intellectual growth, and social interactions.
nurture the influence of the environment on personality, physical growth,
intellectual growth, and social interactions.
object permanence the knowledge that an object exists even when it is not in sight.
ovum the female sex cell, or egg.
permissive parenting style of parenting in which the parents make few, if any demands on a
child’s behavior.
permissive indulgent permissive parenting style in which parents are so involved that
children are allowed to behave without set limits.
permissive neglectful permissive parenting style in which the parents are uninvolved with the
child or child’s behavior.
personal fable type of thought common to adolescents in which young people believe
themselves to be unique and protected from harm.
postconventional morality third level of Kohlberg’s stages of moral development in which the
person’s behavior is governed by moral principles that have been
decided on by the individual and which may be in disagreement with
accepted social norms.
preconventional morality first level of Kohlberg’s stages of moral development in which the
child’s behavior is governed by the consequences of the behavior.
preoperational stage Piaget’s second stage of cognitive development in which the preschool
child learns to use language as a means of exploring the world.
puberty the physical changes that occur in the body as sexual development
reaches its peak.
recessive referring to a gene that only influences the expression of a trait when
paired with an identical gene.
scaffolding process in which a more skilled learner helps a less skilled learner,
reducing the amount of help as the less skilled learner becomes more
capable.
scheme a mental concept formed through experiences with objects and events.
sensorimotor stage Piaget’s first stage of cognitive development in which the infant uses its
senses and motor abilities to interact with objects in the environment.
temperament the behavioral characteristics that are fairly well established at birth,
such as “easy,” “difficult,” and “slow to warm up.”
teratogen any factor that can cause a birth defect.
zone of proximal Vygotsky’s concept of the difference between what a child can do alone
development (ZPD) and what that child can do with the help of a teacher.
zygote cell resulting from the uniting of the ovum and sperm.

Development -114- CHAPTER 8

 CHAPTER 9 – MOTIVATION AND EMOTION

YOU KNOW YOU ARE READY FOR THE TEST IF YOU ARE ABLE TO…
• Introduce the concept of motivation and discuss the major theories proposed to explain motivated
behavior.
• Discuss the specific motivation of hunger and examine the physiological and social components
in addition to common eating disorders.
• Describe the three elements of emotion and present six theories on how emotions are processed.

RAPID REVIEW
Motivation is the process by which activities are started, directed, and continued so that physical or
psychological needs or wants are met. When motivation comes from outside the self it is called extrinsic
motivation. On the other hand, if a person does something because it is satisfying in some internal
manner, the motivation is called intrinsic motivation. Several theories have been proposed to explain the
process of motivation, including the theories of instinct, drive-reduction, needs, arousal, incentive,
humanistic, and self-determination. Instincts are biologically determined innate patterns of behavior that
exist in both people and animals; thus, instinct approach theory suggests that people are motivated by
biologically determined internal forces. Unfortunately, instinct theory only describes behavior and is
unable to explain why people do what they do. The drive-reduction approach proposes that a need, or
requirement, produces a drive, or psychological tension and physiological arousal, and that people act in
order to reduce these drives. The drives can be primary drives such as hunger and thirst or acquired
(secondary) drives such as the need for money. The rationale for drive-reduction includes the idea that
the body has a tendency to try to maintain a steady state referred to as homeostasis. When the body is out
of balance, a need develops and the tension provides the drive to reduce the need and return the body to a
state of balance. Drive-reduction theory, however, cannot explain why people would increase their
internal tension by doing things like parachuting out of an airplane. Need theory attempts to explain
motivation by understanding three specific needs, the need for achievement (nAch), need for affiliation
(nAff), and need for power (nPow). Arousal theory suggests that people are motivated to maintain an
optimal level of arousal or tension. The level of arousal is achieved by increasing or decreasing
stimulation and is driven by a proposed stimulus motive. The Yerkes-Dodson law demonstrates that for
an easy task, performance is best when arousal is a little higher than average, whereas for a difficult task,
performance is best when arousal is a little below average. Individuals who consistently seek out high
levels of arousal have been labeled as sensation seekers. According to incentive approaches of
motivation, individuals’ actions are determined by the rewards or incentives for their behaviors.
Expectancy-value theories are a subset of incentive theories and assume that the expectancies or beliefs
of an individual need to be taken into account in order to understand his or her motivation.
Abraham Maslow was a major proponent of the humanistic approach to motivation and proposed a
hierarchy of needs that individuals must fulfill before they can reach the highest need of self-
actualization, where a person reaches his or her fullest potential. According to Maslow, basic needs such
as hunger and thirst must be satisfied before higher-level needs can be achieved. Also, Maslow referred to
the times in which self-actualization is attained as peak experiences. Another theory of motivation
similar to Maslow’s is the self-determination theory, which proposes humans work to satisfy three
inborn and universal needs. These needs are the need for autonomy, competence, and relatedness.
One specific area of motivation that has been studied extensively is the motivation to eat, also known
as hunger. The hunger drive can be divided into physiological and social components. Physiologically,
insulin and glucagons are hormones that regulate the level of glucose in the bloodstream. Insulin
increases blood sugar levels, which leads to feelings of hunger. Several areas in the hypothalamus also
play an important role in regulating eating behavior, perhaps by influencing the specific weight that our
bodies try to maintain, known as the weight set point. Another factor that influences the weight set point
is the basal metabolic rate, which decreases as we age, causing a corresponding increase in the weight
set point. The social factors that influence hunger include the times of day when a person typically eats,

Motivation and Emotion -115- CHAPTER 9

using food to reduce stress or provide comfort, and the appeal of a tempting dessert item. One problem
associated with eating behaviors is obesity, in which a person weighs 20 percent over his or her ideal
weight. Studies have shown that heredity plays a major role in the development of obesity; however, low
exercise rates and overeating are also major contributors to weight gain. Recent research also suggests
that a hormone called leptin may play a role in controlling how hungry an individual feels. Anorexia
nervosa and bulimia are two eating disorders associated with weight loss, rather than gain.
Emotions can be defined as the “feeling” aspect of consciousness, characterized by a certain physical
arousal, a certain behavior, and an inner awareness of feelings. As can be seen in the definition, emotions
can be divided into three components: physiology, behaviors, and subjective experience. Different
emotions have been found to be associated with different physiological reactions. The amygdala has been
found to play a role in the regulation of emotions in humans as well as other animals. Much of what we
know about the amygdala’s role in emotion comes from the work of Dr. Joseph LeDoux and colleagues.
For instance, recent research suggests that emotional stimuli travel to the amygdala by both a fast, direct
(subcortical) route and a slow, indirect (prefrontal cortex) route. The direct route allows for quick
responses to stimuli that are possibly dangerous, whereas, the awareness provided by the indirect route
can override the direct route to take control of our emotional responses. In this way, higher brain areas
such as the prefrontal cortex can take control of our implicit responses to emotional stimuli. Research also
suggests that, in individuals with emotional disorders, the indirect route may be unable to effectively
control the more automatic activity of the direct route. In this situation, a person may exhibit poor
regulation of their emotions. Three common strategies for regulating one’s emotions include distraction,
reappraisal, and controlling the influence of emotions on decision making. Research suggests that
distraction involves activation of the anterior cingulated cortex, and reappraisal is supported by activity in
the lateral orbitofrontal cortex. Both distraction and reappraisal are accompanied by lower activity in the
amygdala.
The behaviors of emotions include facial expressions, body movements, and other actions. Research
has supported the idea that at least seven basic facial expressions are recognized and mimicked in cultures
around the world. However, the display rules, or exactly when, where, and how these emotions can be
expressed, appears to differ across cultures. The subjective experience of emotions involves the cognitive
process of assigning a label, such as happy, to your feelings. Several theories have been developed in an
attempt to explain the process humans use to label our emotions. Common sense theory suggests that a
stimulus causes a particular emotion to occur, which then leads to the behavioral and physiological
response. The James-Lange theory of emotion proposes that a stimulus leads to a particular
physiological response, which then leads to the subjective experience of an emotion. The Cannon-Bard
theory suggests that the physical and subjective experience of emotions occur at the same time. A
stimulus leads to activation of the thalamus, which then simultaneously activates the sympathetic nervous
system and higher cortical areas that interpret the signal as a particular emotion. Schachter and Singer
proposed the cognitive arousal theory in which a stimulus occurs and then our body has a physical
reaction and we make a cognitive appraisal of the situation. Based on feedback from both these sources,
we then come up with a subjective label for the emotion we are experiencing. The facial feedback
hypothesis assumes that facial expressions provide feedback to the brain regarding the emotion being
expressed and can then intensify or even cause the emotion. Lazarus’s cognitive-mediational theory of
emotion suggests that following a stimulus, we engage in a cognitive appraisal of the situation that
triggers a subjective experience of an emotion followed by a physiological response.
Author David Allen has written extensively on the importance of time- or task-management systems
that may help people to keep track of commitments and to accomplish specific tasks and general goals.
Using such systems may help to reduce stress and decrease negative emotion. Allen’s hints for getting
things done include (1) physically collect all items that require your attention in one place, such as a
folder; (2) process and define what you can take action on and identify concrete steps toward those goals;
(3) organize information and reminders into categories or contexts based on how and when you need
them; (4) complete weekly reviews of your projects, next actions, and new items; and (5) do all of your
next actions in the appropriate context or time frame for doing so.

Motivation and Emotion -116- CHAPTER 9

STUDY HINTS
16. By far, the most confusing concept of this chapter is keeping track of the theories of emotion.
The following hints are designed to help you work through this process. To start with, try filling
in the following table correctly. Remember when we are discussing emotions, we are interested
in several components. The theories vary according to which component comes first. The
components are
• physiological experience of emotion (increased heart rate, sweating, etc.)
• subjective experience of emotion (the “feeling” of happiness, sadness, or anger)
• cognitive appraisal (using your thought process to assess the situation)
• subcortical brain activity (not considered cognitive types of action)

Using these key components, fill in the following table. The first row has already been filled in
for you.

Theory Event 1st response 2nd response 3rd response

physiological
subjective
stimulus experience
Common Sense experience
(dog barking) (increased heart
(fear)
rate)

James-Lange
Theory

Cannon-Bard
Theory

Cognitive
Arousal Theory

Facial Feedback
Hypothesis

Cognitive-
mediational
Theory

Motivation and Emotion -117- CHAPTER 9

17. Now look over the chart you just completed. Which of the theories are similar and which are
different? Can you come up with a way to group the theories together based on similarity?

As you learned in the chapter on memory, processing the information in this manner will help
you better retain the material and make retrieval for the exam an easier process. Try grouping the
theories into the following three categories:

Category 1: Physiological experience occurs after you “feel” the emotion

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

Category 2: “Feeling” the emotion occurs after the physiological changes

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

Category 3: “Feeling” the emotion and the physiological changes occur at the same time

_______________________________________________________

Motivation and Emotion -118- CHAPTER 9

 Suggested answers for Question 1

Theory Event 1st response 2nd response 3rd response

physiological
subjective
stimulus experience
Common Sense experience
(dog barking) (increased heart
(fear)
rate)

physiological
James-Lange stimulus subjective
(increased heart
Theory (dog barking) (fear)
rate)

physiological
Cannon-Bard stimulus subcortical
and subjective at
Theory (dog barking) brain activity
the same time

cognitive
physiological
appraisal subjective
Cognitive stimulus response
(there is a scary- experience
Arousal Theory (dog barking) (increased heart
looking dog (fear)
rate)
barking at me)

facial subjective
Facial Feedback stimulus subcortical
expression of experience
Hypothesis (dog barking) brain activity
fear (fear)

cognitive
physiological
Cognitive- appraisal subjective
stimulus experience
mediational (there is a scary- experience
(dog barking) (increased heart
Theory looking dog (fear)
rate)
barking at me)

Motivation and Emotion -119- CHAPTER 9

 Suggested answers for Question 2

Category 1: Physiological experience occurs after you “feel” the emotion

______common sense theory_______________________________

______cognitive-mediational theory_________________________

Category 2: “Feeling” the emotion occurs after the physiological changes

______James-Lange theory_________________________________

_______ cognitive arousal theory ___________

________facial feedback hypothesis________________________

Category 3: “Feeling” the emotion and the physiological changes occur at the same time

________Cannon-Bard theory____________________________________

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
5.49 How do psychologists define motivation, and 5.54 What are some problems in eating behavior,
what are the key elements of the early instinct and how are they affected by biology and
and drive-reduction approaches to motivation? culture?
5.50 What are the characteristics of the three 5.55 What are the three elements of emotion?
types of needs? 5.56 How do the James-Lange and Cannon-Bard
5.51 What are the key elements of the arousal theories of emotion differ?
and incentive approaches to motivation? 5.57 What are the key elements in cognitive
5.52 How do Maslow’s humanistic approach and arousal theory, the facial-feedback
self-determination theory explain hypothesis, and the cognitive-mediational
motivation? theory of emotion?
5.53 What happens in the body to cause hunger,
and how do social factors influence a
person’s experience of hunger?

PRACTICE EXAM
For the following multiple choice questions, select the answer you feel best answers the question.

1. The process by which activities are started, directed, and continued so that physical or psychological
needs or wants are met is called
a) motivation.
b) emotion.
c) achievement.
d) synergy.

Motivation and Emotion -120- CHAPTER 9

2. Which statement about motivation is true?
a) A motive energizes and directs behavior.
b) We are always aware of motivational processes.
c) Different motives always lead to different behaviors.
d) Two people motivated by the same factor will satisfy that motive through similar
means.

3. In the early twentieth century, psychologists were inclined to explain motivated behavior by
attributing it to
a) emotions.
b) incentives.
c) learned responses.
d) instincts.

4. Each of the following is a valid criticism of instinct theories of motivation EXCEPT

a) human behavior is rarely rigid, inflexible, and found throughout the species.
b) instinct theories name behaviors without pinpointing their origins.
c) they were the dominant explanation for human behavior early in the twentieth century.
d) description is less important than explanation.

5. Salmon swimming upstream to spawn are an example of

a) incentives.
b) motives.
c) instinct.
d) needs.

6. Drives serve to activate responses that are aimed at reducing the drive, thereby returning the
body to a more normal state called
a) stability.
b) equilibrium.
c) homeostasis.
d) physiological balance.

7. Some psychologists believe that behavior is motivated by the body's attempts to achieve a state of
balance in which the body functions effectively, or in
a) reciprocity.
b) acquiescence.
c) propinquity.
d) homeostasis.

8. Primary drives are

a) exceptions to the drive-reduction principle.
b) learned.
c) influenced by stimuli within the body.
d) influenced by stimuli outside the body.

Motivation and Emotion -121- CHAPTER 9

9. Monica put all her time and energy into getting into the acting club because her main goal in life
“was to be a famous star!” Monica’s drive to be famous was a ______ drive.
a) primary
b) reflexive
c) tertiary
d) secondary

10. Which of the following is correct for people high in need achievement?
a) They look for careers that make a lot of money.
b) They look for careers and hobbies that allow others to evaluate them.
c) They look for careers that require little education.
d) They look for careers that will make them famous.

11. According to Carol Dweek, need achievement is closely related to

a) genetics.
b) geography.
c) luck.
d) personal factors.

12. In arousal theory, people are said to have a(n) _________ level of tension.
a) ultimate
b) lower
c) optimal
d) high

13. Indiana Jones goes off to foreign lands in search of artifacts hidden in dangerous places and guarded
by fierce protectors. Dr. Jones would be described as _______________ in arousal theory.
a) a sensation seeker
b) nAff
c) fool-hardy
d) high nPow

14. As a class assignment you are required to collect advertising slogans and describe how they
may be relevant to concepts in psychology. You select the Jell-O slogan, "There's always room for
Jell-O," and describe in class that it is relevant to one of the theories of motivation. Which theory?
a) instinctive
b) incentive
c) drive-reduction
d) optimum-level

15. One interesting thing about incentive approaches is that incentives

a) exist inside a narrow collection of internal stimuli.
b) exist independently of any need or level of arousal.
c) exist inside a narrow collection of internal stimuli.
d) only work for adults.

Motivation and Emotion -122- CHAPTER 9

16. Jill is motivated by money and the things money will bring her. Jack is motivated by doing good
things, and his incentives are based on that idea and belief. What theory incorporates both these
types of motivational causes?
a) sensation-seeking theory
b) entity theory
c) increment theory
d) expectancy-value theory

17. According to Abraham Maslow, developing one's potential to its fullest extent results in
a) safety.
b) self-esteem.
c) belongingness.
d) self-actualization.

18. Which of the following fails to show the motivating power of self-actualization?
a) Joan wants to live in a house with all the modern conveniences so that she may have
more time to seek fulfillment from her career and family.
b) Frank feels that he is a good salesman because he likes what he does and knows how to
do it well.
c) Barbara knows that, as a teacher, she is a good person because she realizes the
importance of imparting knowledge to society.
d) Mark works hard as an attorney only so that he can attract more clients, more money, and
be secure in the knowledge that his family can survive.

19. Self-determination theory (SDT) best fits which type of motivation?

a) the need for affiliation
b) intrinsic motivation
c) extrinsic motivation
d) a mastery goal

20. Intrinsic motivation is defined as

a) the pursuit of an activity for external rewards.
b) the pursuit of an activity for its own sake.
c) the pursuit of an activity to relieve the state of tension caused by deprivation.
d) the pursuit of an activity in order to be judged favorably by others.

21. One factor in hunger seems to be the increase in _______ that occurs after we begin to eat.
a) cholesterol
b) lipoproteins
c) insulin
d) glucose

22. The ventromedial hypothalamus (VMH) may be involved in

a) increasing hunger.
b) decreasing hunger.
c) processing low fats.
d) food allergies.

Motivation and Emotion -123- CHAPTER 9

23. The lateral hypothalamus (LH) may be involved in
a) stoppage of eating.
b) the onset of eating.
c) processing low fats.
d) food allergies.

24. Anna weighed about 125 pounds most of her adult life. However, it seemed like whenever Anna
gained weight it was easy to lose and get back to 125. But when she wanted to go below 125 it took
forever and even the slightest deviation from her diet got her back to 125. What explanation would
you give Anna?
a) Use better diet products.
b) Start a reality TV show.
c) Her weight, 125, is her set point. Leave it alone.
d) Her BMR is causing all the problems.

25. The concept of “comfort food” suggests that food

a) may be influenced by social factors.
b) has genetic ways to comfort.
c) may release hormones and neurotransmitters that are comforting.
d) is reflexive.

26. Which component of hunger is most likely contributing to the fact that sometimes a person who has
just had a late breakfast will still feel hungry at noon?
a) social
b) behavioral
c) physiological
d) intrinsic

27. Which individual has the highest risk for developing anorexia nervosa?
a) lower-class 26-year-old European man
b) an upper-class 16-year-old American boy
c) a lower-class 26-year-old European woman
d) an upper-class 16-year-old American girl

28. An eating disorder characterized by binges of eating followed by self-induced vomiting is called
a) anorexia nervosa
b) bulimia
c) Karposi’s anemia
d) Huntington’s chorea

29. All of the following statements are correct about bulimia EXCEPT
a) individuals with bulimia have a distorted view of how much food is too much food.
b) bulimia is not as damaging as anorexia nervosa.
c) binge eating and vomiting are common symptoms.
d) individuals with bulimia have a distorted body image.

Motivation and Emotion -124- CHAPTER 9

30. Which of the following describes a hormone that is secreted into the bloodstream by fatty tissue and
signals to the hypothalamus that the body has enough food, reducing appetite and increasing the
feeling of being full?
a) adrenalin
b) peptic acid
c) leptin
d) Lippotor

31. What Latin word connects both motive and emotion?

a) emote
b) move
c) mote
d) mate

32. Paul Ekman and his colleagues gathered abundant evidence supporting the universality of _______
basic facial expressions of emotion.
a) three
b) five
c) seven
d) nine

33. According to Ekman, which of the following is not one of the universal facial expressions?
a) disgust
b) fear
c) contempt
d) shame

34. To explain the human universality and variability of emotions, Ekman and his associates
a) developed a concept of “display rules,” which are rules for emotional expression.
b) developed an interobserver system to make sure that observers defined expressions
reliably.
c) interviewed all participants in order to assess unexpressed feelings and motivations.
d) monitored the brain waves of participants to determine which hemisphere had higher
activation.

35. Which one of the following is not one of the three elements of emotion discussed in the text?
a) physiology
b) labeling
c) behavior
d) environment

36. Which theory states that a stimulus triggers physiological changes that produce emotion?
a) Cannon-Bard theory
b) James-Lange theory
c) cognitive arousal theory
d) commonsense view of emotions

Motivation and Emotion -125- CHAPTER 9

37. Which statement is most consistent with the James-Lange theory of emotion?
a) “I run because I'm afraid.”
b) “I'm laughing because I am happy.”
c) “I'm crying because I'm sad.”
d) “I'm anxious because I perspire.”

38. What is the correct sequence of events in emotional response according to the Cannon-Bard theory?
a) stimulus → emotion → physiological changes
b) stimulus → physiological changes → emotion
c) physiological changes → stimulus → emotion
d) stimulus → emotion AND physiological changes (simultaneous)

39. “I think I’m afraid, therefore I am afraid” is a statement that is most consistent with which of the
following theories?
a) the James-Lange theory
b) activation theory
c) cognitive arousal theory
d) the Cannon-Bard theory

40. According to the theory of emotion proposed by Schachter and Singer, what is the most important
determinant of your subjective experience of emotion?
a) physiological reactions
b) cognitive appraisal of the situation
c) facial expressions
d) intensity of the stimulus

41. In the classic study of emotion conducted by Schachter and Singer, after receiving the epinephrine,
the subjects placed in the room with the angry man reported feeling
a) angry.
b) happy.
c) both angry and happy.
d) no emotions.

42. According to the facial feedback hypothesis, if you would like to make yourself feel more happy
you should
a) spend time with friends.
b) talk to a counselor.
c) think about all the positive aspects of your life.
d) smile.

43. According to the cognitive-mediational theory, which factor would be most important in
determining whether you feel nervous when asked to speak in front of the class?
a) your physiological reaction to the request
b) activation of subcortical brain activity
c) your cognitive appraisal of the situation
d) your change in blood pressure

Motivation and Emotion -126- CHAPTER 9

PRACTICE EXAM ANSWERS
1. a Motivation encompasses these three activities.
2. a This is simply the definition of motive.
3. d Instinct theory was one of the first proposed theories of motivation in psychology.
Be careful not to confuse incentive with instincts!
4. c This is not a criticism but simply a statement.
5. c Instincts are innate, biologically determined behaviors.
6. c Homeostasis is the term psychologists and physiologists use to refer to the body’s
state of balance. Equilibrium means the same thing but is not the term used by
psychologists.
7. d Homeostasis is a sense of balance.
8. c These internal stimuli would include things such as hunger or thirst.
9. d Secondary drives are drives that we acquire through learning. The drive to be
famous is learned.
10. b High achievers need feedback from others.
11. d There was no mention of genetics in her theory, but there was considerable
discussion about an individual’s sense of self and views on intelligence.
12. c Arousal theory argues that arousal should be neither too high nor too low.
13. a His actions indicate that he needs a higher level of arousal than most people.
14. b Incentive theory suggests that we often eat food items because of their reward value
and not simply because we are hungry.
15. b Incentives motivate behavior regardless of a specific need or arousal level.
16. d Expectancy value theory states that the values of a person determine his or her
motivation levels.
17. d Self-actualization is at the top of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.
18. d This is the only situation in which the person is focusing on basic needs for himself
and his family. In all the other examples, the individuals were focused on growth
needs.
19. b Self-determination theory is characterized by intrinsic motivations.
20. b All the other motivations are based on external factors. Intrinsic motivation deals
with forces within the individual.
21. c Insulin is associated with feelings of hunger and is related to blood sugar levels.
22. b When the ventromedial hypothalamus was removed in experimental animals, the
animals no longer controlled their eating and became extremely obese.
23. b When the lateral hypothalamus was removed in experimental animals, the animals
stopped eating and had to be force-fed food.
24. c The set point is the level of weight the body tends to maintain.
25. a Factors in hunger include the social cues associated with food.
26. a Social factors can have a strong impact on feelings of hunger.
27. d According to government statistics, white upper-class females in the United States
show the highest prevalence rates for anorexia.
28. b This is the definition given in the textbook. Note that the vomiting distinguishes
bulimia from anorexia.
29. b Although the damage from bulimia is different than that from anorexia, it is still a
very dangerous disorder.
30. c Leptin appears to be the hormone that causes you to feel full.
31. b This is the definition given in your textbook.
32. c The research found seven facial expressions that appear to be universal.
33. d Shame was not found in all cultures. The seven facial expressions he did find were
anger, fear, disgust, happiness, surprise, sadness, and contempt.
34. a Ekman found that display rules tend to vary across cultures, whereas the recognition
of basic emotions tends to be universal.

Motivation and Emotion -127- CHAPTER 9

35. d Emotion was broken down into its physical, behavioral, and subjective (or labeling)
components.
36. b The James-Lange theory states that the changes in our body come first, followed by
our subjective experience of an emotion.
37. d The physiological change comes before the experience of the emotion.
38. d Cannon-Bard believed the subjective and physiological experience occurred
simultaneously.
39. c The cognitive aspect (or thinking component) is the factor that determines your
emotions according to the cognitive arousal theory.
40. b Schachter and Singer’s theory suggests that one’s appraisal of a situation determines
one’s subjective emotional response to a stimulus.
41. a In accordance with Schachter and Singer’s theory, the participants use the
environmental cues of an angry co-subject to determine that their own arousal was
due to anger as well.
42. d The facial feedback hypothesis proposes that our brain receives feedback on our
facial expressions that then serves to enhance whatever emotion we are expressing.
43. c The cognitive-mediational theory states that a stimulus must be interpreted, or
appraised, by a person in order to result in a physical response to an emotional
situation.

CHAPTER GLOSSARY
acquired (secondary) those drives that are learned through experience or conditioning, such as
drives the need for money or social approval.
amygdala brain structure located near the hippocampus, responsible for fear
responses and memory of fear.
arousal theory theory of motivation in which people are said to have an optimal (best or
ideal) level of tension that they seek to maintain by increasing or
decreasing stimulation.
basal metabolic rate the rate at which the body burns energy when the organism is resting.
Cannon-Bard theory of theory in which the physiological reaction and the emotion are assumed
emotion to occur at the same time.
cognitive arousal theory theory of emotion in which both the physical arousal and the labeling of
that arousal based on cues from the environment must occur before the
emotion is experienced.
cognitive-mediational theory of emotion in which a stimulus must be interpreted (appraised) by a person
theory in order to result in a physical response and an emotional reaction.
display rules learned ways of controlling displays of emotion in social settings.
drive a psychological tension and physical arousal arising when there is a need that
motivates the organism to act in order to fulfill the need and reduce the tension.
drive-reduction theory approach to motivation that assumes behavior arises from physiological
needs that cause internal drives to push the organism to satisfy the need
and reduce tension and arousal.
emotion the “feeling” aspect of consciousness, characterized by a certain physical
arousal, a certain behavior that reveals the emotion to the outside world,
and an inner awareness of feelings.
expectancy-value theories incentive theories that assume the actions of humans cannot be predicted
or fully understood without understanding the beliefs, values, and the
importance that a person attaches to those beliefs and values at any given
moment in time.
extrinsic motivation type of motivation in which a person performs an action because it leads
to an outcome that is separate from or external to the person.

Motivation and Emotion -128- CHAPTER 9

facial feedback hypothesis theory of emotion which assumes that facial expressions provide
feedback to the brain concerning the emotion being expressed, which in
turn causes and intensifies the emotion.
glucagon hormone that is secreted by the pancreas to control the levels of fats, proteins, and
carbohydrates in the body by increasing the level of glucose in the bloodstream.
homeostasis the tendency of the body to maintain a steady state.
incentive approaches theories of motivation in which behavior is explained as a response to the
external stimulus and its rewarding properties.
incentives things that attract or lure people into action.
instinct approach approach to motivation that assumes people are governed by instincts
similar to those of animals.
instincts the biologically determined and innate patterns of behavior that exist in
both people and animals.
insulin a hormone secreted by the pancreas to control the levels of fats, proteins, and
carbohydrates in the body by reducing the level of glucose in the bloodstream.
intrinsic motivation type of motivation in which a person performs an action because the act
itself is rewarding or satisfying in some internal manner.
James-Lange theory of theory in which a physiological reaction leads to the labeling of an
emotion emotion.
leptin a hormone that, when released into the bloodstream, signals the
hypothalamus that the body has had enough food and reduces the appetite
while increasing the feeling of being full.
motivation the process by which activities are started, directed, and continued so that
physical or psychological needs or wants are met.
need a requirement of some material (such as food or water) that is essential
for survival of the organism.
need for achievement a need which involves a strong desire to succeed in attaining goals, not
(nAch) only realistic ones but also challenging ones.
need for affiliation (nAff) the need for friendly social interactions and relationships with others.
need for power (nPow) the need to have control or influence over others.
peak experiences according to Maslow, times in a person’s life during which self-
actualization is temporarily achieved.
primary drives those drives that involve needs of the body such as hunger and thirst.
self-actualization according to Maslow, the point that is seldom reached at which people have
sufficiently satisfied the lower needs and achieved their full human potential.
self-determination theory theory of human motivation in which the social context of an action has
(SDT) an effect on the type of motivation existing for the action.
sensation seeker someone who needs more arousal than the average person.
stimulus motive a motive that appears to be unlearned but causes an increase in
stimulation, such as curiosity.
weight set point the particular level of weight that the body tries to maintain.
Yerkes-Dodson law law stating performance is related to arousal; moderate levels of arousal
lead to better performance than do levels of arousal that are too low or too
high. This effect varies with the difficulty of the task: Easy tasks require a
high-moderate level whereas more difficult tasks require a low-moderate
level.

Motivation and Emotion -129- CHAPTER 9

Motivation and Emotion -130- CHAPTER 9
 CHAPTER 10 – SEXUALITY AND GENDER

YOU KNOW YOU ARE READY FOR THE TEST IF YOU ARE ABLE TO…
• Discuss physical sex differences between males and females.
• Describe the psychological gender differences between males and females including gender
development and gender stereotypes.
• Introduce three of the most influential studies on sexual behavior in the United States.
• Explain the concept of sexual orientation.
• Describe the physical and psychological problems that can lead to sexual dysfunction.
• Discuss the most common sexually transmitted infections in the United States.

RAPID REVIEW
Sex is defined as the physical differences between males and females. Primary sex
characteristics are those physical characteristics that are present at birth and are directly involved in
human reproduction. In the female, the primary sex characteristics include the vagina, uterus, and
ovaries. In the male the primary sex characteristics include the penis, the testes (also called the testicles),
the scrotum, and the prostate gland. In the female embryo, the development of the gonads into ovaries
causes the release of estrogens, which leads to the development of the remaining sex organs, while in the
male, the development of the gonads into testes leads to the release of androgens and further
development of the male sex organs. Secondary sex characteristics develop during puberty and are
indirectly involved in human reproduction. Female secondary sex characteristics include a growth spurt
after the first menstrual cycle, enlarged breasts, maturation of mammary glands, wider hips, pubic hair,
and fat deposits on the buttocks and thighs. Male secondary sex characteristics include a deepening voice,
facial chest and pubic hair, development of coarser skin texture, and a growth spurt.
Approximately 1 out of 1,500 children in the United States are born with ambiguous sexual
organs, a condition previously referred to as hermaphroditism, but now more commonly called
intersexed or intersexual. Many physicians view the condition as an abnormality that should be repaired
by sexual reassignment surgery. However, many intersexed individuals feel that the decision regarding
surgery should be made by the individual themselves when they are old enough to make their own choice.
Gender is defined as the psychological aspects of being feminine or masculine. Gender roles are
a culture’s expectation for behavior of a person who is perceived as male or female, and gender typing is
the process by which individuals learn their expected gender role. A person’s sense of being female or
male is called their gender identity and is influenced by both biology and environment. For example,
some researchers believe that exposure to certain hormones during fetal development influences gender
identity in addition to the strong environmental pressures of family and friends to behave in the
“expected” manner. Social learning theory proposes that individuals learn their gender identities by
observing the behaviors of the people around them and being rewarded for imitating the appropriate
gender behavior. Gender schema theory suggests that children acquire their gender role by organizing
their own behavior around their internalized schema of “boy” or “girl.” A stereotype is a concept held
about a person or group of people that is based on superficial, irrelevant characteristics. A gender
stereotype is a generalization about males or females that ignores individual differences. Female gender
stereotypes often include characteristics such as illogical, emotional, sensitive, nurturing, while male
gender stereotypes can include characteristics such as aggressive, logical, decisive, and unemotional.
Sexism refers to prejudice about males and females. Benevolent sexism refers to the acceptance of
positive stereotypes about males and females that leads to unfair treatment. Psychologist Sandra Bem
coined the term androgyny to describe people who display both male and female characteristics. With
regard to cognitive differences between gender, men tend to perform better than women on certain spatial
tasks, while women tend to perform better than men on tests of perceptual speed. Researchers are still
investigating the relative contributions of the environment and heredity on these gender differences.
However, more recent research by Else-Quest and colleagues in 2010 indicated that the supposed

Sexuality and Gender -131- CHAPTER 10

differences in math abilities between boys and girls is likely due to girls’ lack of confidence rather than any
biological difference in the working of the brain. With regard to communication, women tend to use a
“relate” style of communication while men often use a “report” style.
Three landmark studies have provided much of the information available today in the United
States about human sexuality. In 1957, William Masters and Virginia Johnson conducted the first direct
observational study on the physical aspects of the human sexual response by recording the physiological
reactions of 700 female and male volunteers while they were engaged in sexual intercourse or
masturbation. Their research led them to propose four stages of the sexual response cycle: excitement,
plateau, orgasm, and resolution, respectively. It is during the orgasm stage that men release semen, the
sperm-containing fluid that is ejaculated from the penis. Men show a refractory period after the fourth
phase during which time they cannot achieve erection. The valuable research of Masters and Johnson has
helped a tremendous number of individuals but was extremely controversial when it was originally
published. In 1948, Alfred Kinsey published his findings from a large survey of adult sexual behavior in
the United States. His findings were based on face-to-face interviews with participants and included
details about the frequency of behaviors such as masturbation, anal sex, premarital sex, and sexual
orientation. Some have criticized the Kinsey study on the basis of methodological issues. The next large-
scale study of human sexual behavior was published in 1993 by Samuel Janus and Cynthia Janus. The
Janus Report described sexual behaviors based on the survey responses of 3,000 individuals from across
the United States. In addition to topics examined previously, The Janus Report also looked at sexual
deviance among other new topics. A recent study by Sanders and colleagues in 2010 suggests that surveys
of sexual behavior can be problematic because the definition of “having sex” appears to vary considerably
across individuals.
Sexual orientation refers to a person’s sexual attraction for members of a particular sex. The
term heterosexual refers to people who are sexually attracted to members of the opposite physical sex,
and the term homosexual refers to individuals who are attracted to members of their own physical sex. A
recent national survey by Mosher and colleagues in 2005 indicated that about 2.3 percent of men and 1.3
percent of women aged 15 to 44 years consider themselves to be exclusively or predominantly
homosexual. A person who is bisexual may be either male or female and is attracted to both sexes.
Mosher’s national survey indicated that 1.8 percent of men and 2.8 percent of women consider
themselves to be bisexual.
Many research studies have examined the biology of homosexuality. One of the earliest studies,
conducted by Ellis and colleagues in the 1980s, suggested that male children of mothers who experienced
severe stress during the second trimester of pregnancy had a significantly higher chance of being
homosexual in orientation. A more recent study, conducted by Savic and colleagues in 2005, found that
homosexual men and heterosexual women respond similarly, and quite differently from heterosexual
men, to a testosterone-based pheromone (glandular chemical) that is secreted in perspiration.
A sexual dysfunction is a problem with sexual functioning or the actual physical workings of the
sex act and can be caused by a number of factors. Organic or stress-induced dysfunctions are the sexual
problems that are caused by physical disorders or by psychological distress. The sexual problems can be
in three areas of sexual activity: sexual interest, arousal, and response. Paraphilia is a sexual dysfunction
in which the person achieves sexual arousal and fulfillment through sexual behavior that is unusual or
socially unacceptable.
A sexually transmitted infection, or STI, is an infection spread primarily through sexual contact.
Some common STIs in the United States include chlamydia, syphilis, gonorrhea, genital herpes, genital
warts, and AIDS (or acquired immune deficiency syndrome). AIDS is caused by the human
immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which wears down the body’s immune system, making the individual
highly susceptible to infections. The virus can be transmitted from person to person through exposure to
blood, vaginal fluid, semen, and breast milk. There are no documented cases of the spread of AIDS
through tears or saliva. The Centers for Disease Control estimates that about 1.1 million adults and
adolescents are currently living with HIV in the United States; nearly half a million individuals have
developed AIDS. Individuals can protect themselves from STIs by using condoms, having a sexual
relationship with one uninfected partner, not sharing needles or other drug equipment, having regular

Sexuality and Gender -132- CHAPTER 10

exams for STIs, learning the common symptoms of STIs, talking openly with your partner about
infections and condom use, and realizing that abstinence is the only 100 percent effective prevention.

STUDY HINTS
18. This chapter introduced three of the most important studies on human sexuality conducted to
date. Use the following table to help you summarize the details of these studies

Researcher(s) Date of Study Method Used Major Findings

Sexuality and Gender -133- CHAPTER 10

19. Try matching each of the STIs listed on the left with the correct set of symptoms on the right.

initial symptoms of a painless open sore that usually

appears on the penis or around or in the vagina; if
untreated, may go on to more advanced stages,
chlamydia
including a transient rash and, eventually, serious
involvement of the heart and central nervous system

infection caused by the herpes simplex virus, which

causes a painful rash of fluid-filled blisters on the
syphilis
genitals

affects the genitals of both sexes, causes burning or

difficulty with urination, itching, and a yellow or green
gonorrhea
discharge; easily treated with antibiotics

lesions produced by the human papillomavirus (HPV)

and transmitted through sexual contact; the lesions may
genital herpes be raised and bumpy, or flat and almost impossible to
see

causes damage to the female and male reproductive

systems resulting in infertility; may remain undetected
genital warts
for long periods of time

viral disorder that causes deterioration of the immune

system and eventually results in death due to
acquired immune deficiency
complicating infections that the body can no longer
syndrome (AIDS)
fight

Sexuality and Gender -134- CHAPTER 10

 Suggested Answers for Question 1

Researcher(s) Date of Study Method Used Major Findings

Masters and late 1950s, direct four phases of human sexual
Johnson published in observation in a response. Men and women both
1957 laboratory go through the four phases but
men have a refractory period that
is not typically seen in women.
Alfred Kinsey 1948 one-on-one sexual orientation was seen more
personal along a continuum. Frequency of
interviews masturbation, premarital, and
extramarital sex was much higher
than many people previously
thought.
Samuel Janus and 1993 one-on-one findings on typical sexual
Cynthia Janus interviews as behavior as well as sexual
well as mass deviance, single people’s sexual
questionnaires behavior, marriage, divorce, and
decisions to have children
Answers for Question 2

chlamydia initial symptoms of a painless open sore that usually

appears on the penis or around or in the vagina; if
untreated, may go on to more advanced stages,
including a transient rash and, eventually, serious
involvement of the heart and central nervous system

syphilis infection caused by the herpes simplex virus, which

causes a painful rash of fluid-filled blisters on the
genitals

affects the genitals of both sexes, causes burning or

difficulty with urination, itching, and a yellow or green
gonorrhea
discharge; easily treated with antibiotics

genital herpes lesions produced by the human papillomavirus (HPV)

and transmitted through sexual contact; the lesions may
be raised and bumpy, or flat and almost impossible to
see

causes damage to the female and male reproductive

systems resulting in infertility; may remain undetected
genital warts
for long periods of time

acquired immune deficiency viral disorder that causes deterioration of the immune
syndrome (AIDS) system and eventually results in death due to
complicating infections that the body can no longer
fight

Sexuality and Gender -135- CHAPTER 10

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
10.1 What are the physical differences between 10.6 What did the early and most recent surveys
females and males? of human sexual behavior reveal?
10.2 What is gender, and how can biology and 10.7 How do different sexual orientations
learning influence gender role develop?
development? 10.8 How do physical and psychological sexual
10.3 How do gender roles develop, and how can problems differ?
they be influenced by stereotypes or an 10.9 What are sexually transmitted infections, and
emphasis on androgyny? what can be done to prevent the spread of
10.4 How do men and women differ in thinking, these disorders?
social behavior, and personality?
10.5 What happens in the bodies of women and
men during sexual intercourse?

PRACTICE EXAM
For the following multiple choice questions, select the answer you feel best answers the question.

1. The growth spurt in female puberty usually starts at _______ years of age.
a) 8–10
b) 10–12
c) 12–14
d) 14–16

2. Which of the following is a primary sex characteristic in males?

a) facial and chest hair
b) deepening voice
c) development of coarser skin texture
d) the prostate gland

3. ________ is the process by which people learn their culture's preferences and expectations for
proper "masculine" and "feminine" behavior.
a) Gender role
b) Gender identity
c) Gender typing
d) Gender stereotyping

4. Whereas _____ can be defined as the physical characteristics of being female or male, ________ is
defined as the psychological aspects of being feminine or masculine.
a) sex; gender
b) gender roles; gender identity
c) gender typing; gender
d) gender; sex

5. Traditional views of gender roles are more likely found in

a) collectivist cultures.
b) individualistic cultures.
c) countries like the Netherlands, Germany, Italy, and England.
d) cultures where men have less traditional views.

Sexuality and Gender -136- CHAPTER 10

6. If an individual’s gender identity was completely determined by the DNA he or she inherited, we
would say that gender identity is determined by
a) nature.
b) nurture.
c) both nature and nurture.
d) the individual’s temperament.

7. When children observe their same-sex parents behaving in certain ways and imitate that behavior, a
psychologist uses which theory to explain the situation?
a) Freudian psychoanalysis
b) Piaget's theory of development
c) gender schema theory
d) social learning theory

8. A child who develops her identity and organizes her behavior around a mental concept of “girl” is
relying on
a) simple imitation.
b) positive reinforcement.
c) social pressures.
d) a gender schema.

9. Desperate for help with her computer, Dana calls her fiancé, thinking that he will know what to do
because he is a man, and men are natural fixers. Dana's thinking in this instance is an example of
a) androgyny.
b) schema error.
c) benevolent sexism.
d) negative stereotyping.

10. Stereotypes about males and females consist of only negative characteristics.
a) True
b) False

11. Psychologist Sandra Bem (1975, 1981) developed the concept of

a) androgyny.
b) benevolent sexism.
c) social learning theory.
d) ambiguity.

12. MRI studies have suggested that men listen with

a) the right hemisphere of the brain.
b) the left hemisphere of the brain.
c) both hemispheres of the brain.
d) no consistent pattern.

13. One difference that has been reported in the communication styles of men and women is that
a) no differences have been found in communication styles.
b) men talk more than women.
c) men are more likely to switch topics frequently.
d) women are more likely to interrupt.

Sexuality and Gender -137- CHAPTER 10

14. Approximately how many children in the United States are born with both male and female sex
organs?
a) 1 out of 100
b) 1 out of 1,500
c) 1 out of 100,000
d) There are currently no estimates of the number.

15. The final phase of the sexual response is

a) excitement.
b) plateau.
c) orgasm.
d) resolution.

16. The research of Masters and Johnson represents the first major contribution to our understanding of
a) common sexual behaviors.
b) prevalence of sexually transmitted infections.
c) common sexual disorders.
d) the physical response during sexual activity.

17. One seemingly amazing aspect of Masters and Johnson's research program concerning human
sexual response was
a) their ability to get senior citizens to volunteer as subjects in the first studies.
b) that the study was funded by churches open to discovering ways to prevent masturbation.
c) that they were able to convince the newspapers to keep the research secret for a long
period of time.
d) their use of seismographic-like machines to measure the sexual response of volunteers.

18. The Kinsey Report, which was published in 1948 by Alfred Kinsey and reported on common sexual
behaviors of adults in United States, was based on what type of research method?
a) direct observation
b) anonymous surveys
c) experimental laboratory studies
d) one-on-one personal interviews

19. According to Kinsey, what percentage of husbands reported anal sex with their wives?
a) 11 percent
b) 14 percent
c) 92 percent
d) 26 percent

20. The first large-scale study of human behavior to be done after the Kinsey and Masters and Johnson
reports was conducted by
a) Janus and Janus.
b) Hite and Rose.
c) Hilton and Paris.
d) Erickson and Schlomo.

Sexuality and Gender -138- CHAPTER 10

21. According to the Janus report, ______ percent of men and ______ percent of women reported
masturbating?
a) 80, 70
b) 80, 15
c) 70, 80
d) 15, 80

22. When a person refers to himself or herself as “heterosexual” or “homosexual,” the person is
referring to his or her
a) sexual identity.
b) sex.
c) gender identity.
d) sexual orientation.

23. According to a recent study by Savic and colleagues, both homosexual men and ______ respond
similarly to a testosterone-based pheromone (glandular chemical).
a) heterosexual women
b) heterosexual men
c) homosexual women
d) None of the above. The pheromone-related response of homosexual men is unique.

24. Jaime enjoys sexual activity with his partner. However, he cannot reach an orgasm during sexual
intercourse even though fully aroused. Jaime is suffering from
a) male erectile disorder.
b) male orgasmic disorder.
c) dyspareunia.
d) premature ejaculation.

25. Jennie experiences persistent contractions of her vaginal muscles. These contractions cause
intercourse to be painful and sometimes even impossible for Jennie. She likely has a condition
known as
a) vaginismus.
b) frotteurism.
c) female orgasmic disorder.
d) sexual diversion disorder.

26. ______________ is a disorder in which an individual achieves sexual arousal and fulfillment
through sexual behavior that is unusual or not socially acceptable.
a) Schizophrenia
b) Borderline personality disorder
c) Gender identity disorder
d) Paraphilia

27. Which cause of a sexually transmitted infection is hardest to treat?

a) bacterial
b) fungal
c) viral
d) All are equally difficult to treat.

Sexuality and Gender -139- CHAPTER 10

28. AIDS can be passed from one individual to the next through each of the following ways EXCEPT
a) vaginal fluid.
b) semen.
c) tears.
d) blood.

29. AIDS is caused by

a) a bacterial infection.
b) an air-borne fungus.
c) a viral infection.
d) The cause is not yet known.

30. Which cause of a sexually transmitted disease is hardest to treat?

a) bacterial
b) fungal
c) viral
d) all are equally difficult to treat

PRACTICE EXAM ANSWERS

1. b The female growth spurt starts about age 10–12, while the male growth spurt starts
about age 12–14.
2. d The prostate gland is a primary sex characteristic in males.
3. c Gender typing is the process of learning proper masculine and feminine behaviors.
Gender roles are the actual expectations each culture has for males and females, and
gender identity is the individuals’ sense of being male or female.
4. a Sex refers to physical differences, and gender refers to psychological and social
differences.
5. a Several research studies have supported the idea that collectivist cultures, such as
those found in many Asian and South American countries, display more traditional
views on gender roles.
6. a Nature refers to inherited, biological differences, while nurture refers to the effects
of the environment.
7. d Social learning theory emphasizes observational learning, which is reinforced
through attention and positive remarks.
8. d A gender schema is a mental concept of what it means to be a “boy” or a “girl.”
9. c Benevolent sexism is the result of thinking that all men or all women have some
particular desirable trait, simply because of their sex.
10. b Stereotypes can be both negative and positive.
11. a Androgyny describes people who exhibit both male and female typical behaviors.
12. b Several studies have shown that males listen primarily with the left hemisphere of
the brain, while females tend to show activity in both hemispheres while they are
engaged in listening activities.
13. c Men are more likely to use a “report” style of communication which involves
switching topics frequently, while women are more likely to use a “relate” style of
communication.
14. b The best estimate to date is that about 1 in every 1,500 children in the United States
is born with ambiguous sexual genitalia.
15. d Masters and Johnson labeled the fourth and final phase of the human sexual
response as the “resolution” phase.
16. d Masters and Johnson used direct observations in the laboratory to investigate the

Sexuality and Gender -140- CHAPTER 10

 physical human sexual response.
17. c Masters and Johnson were able to convince the newspapers to keep the research
secret for almost 12 years.
18. d Alfred Kinsey traveled across the country with a team of researchers and conducted
one-on-one personal interviews to gather data on sexual behavior.
19. a According to Kinsey, 11 percent of husbands reported anal sex with their wives.
20. a The Januses did the first major study on common sexual behaviors after Kinsey.
21. a The Janus study revealed that 80 percent of men and 70 percent of women reported
masturbating.
22. d Sexual orientation refers to a person’s attraction for members of a particular sex.
23. a Savic’s recent study suggests that both homosexual men and heterosexual women
respond similarly to the presence of a testosterone-based pheromone and that these
responses are quite different from those of heterosexual males.
24. b Jaime does get fully aroused, which means he does have erections and is therefore
not suffering from an erectile disorder. Instead he has a condition known as male
orgasmic disorder.
25. a Jennie has vaginismus.
26. d Paraphilias are a group of disorders in which sexual arousal is achieved through
unusual or socially unacceptable methods.
27. c Bacterial infections can normally be treated with antibiotics but viral diseases are
very hard to treat.
28. c Currently, there are no documented cases of a person becoming infected with AIDS
through exposure to tears.
29. c AIDS is caused by the human immunodeficiency virus, more commonly referred to
as HIV.
30. c Viral infections are the hardest to treat, and they are often incurable

CHAPTER GLOSSARY
AIDS, acquired immune sexually transmitted viral disorder that causes deterioration of the
deficiency syndrome immune system and eventually results in death due to complicating
infections that the body can no longer fight.
androgens male hormones.
androgyny characteristic of possessing the most positive personality characteristics
of males and females regardless of actual sex.
benevolent sexism acceptance of positive stereotypes of males and females that leads to
unequal treatment.
bisexual person attracted to both men and women.
estrogens female hormones.
gender the psychological aspects of being male or female.
gender identity the individual’s sense of being male or female.
gender roles the culture’s expectations for masculine or feminine behavior, including
attitudes, actions, and personality traits associated with being male or
female in that culture.
gender schema theory theory of gender identity acquisition in which a child develops a mental
pattern, or schema, for being male or female and then organizes
observed and learned behavior around that scheme.
gender stereotype a concept held about a person or group of people that is based on being
male or female.
gender typing the process of acquiring gender role characteristics.
hermaphroditism the condition of possessing both male and female sexual organs.
heterosexual person attracted to the opposite sex.

Sexuality and Gender -141- CHAPTER 10

homosexual person attracted to the same sex.
intersexed, intersexual modern term for a hermaphrodite, a person who possesses ambiguous
sexual organs, making it difficult to determine actual sex from a visual
inspection at birth.
mammary glands glands within the breast tissue that produce milk when a woman gives
birth to an infant.
menstrual cycle monthly shedding of the blood and tissue that line the uterus in
preparation for pregnancy when conception does not occur.
organic or stress-induced sexual problem caused by physical disorder or psychological stress.
dysfunctions
orgasm a series of rhythmic contractions of the muscles of the vaginal walls or
the penis, also the third and shortest phase of sexual response.
ovaries the female sexual glands.
paraphilia a sexual disorder in which the person’s preferred method of sexual
arousal and fulfillment is through sexual behavior that is unusual or
socially unacceptable.
penis the organ through which males urinate and which delivers the male sex
cells or sperm.
primary sex characteristics sexual organs present at birth and directly involved in human
reproduction.
prostate gland gland that secretes most of the fluid holding the male sex cells or sperm.
refractory period time period in males just after orgasm in which the male cannot become
aroused or achieve erection.
resolution the final phase of the sexual response in which the body is returned to a
normal state.
scrotum external sack that holds the testes.
secondary sex sexual organs and traits that develop at puberty and are indirectly
characteristics involved in human reproduction.
semen fluid released from the penis at orgasm that contains sperm.
sexism prejudice about males and/or females leading to unequal treatment.
sexual dysfunction a problem in sexual functioning.
sexual orientation a person’s sexual attraction and affection for members of either the
opposite or the same sex.
sexually transmitted an infection spread primarily through sexual contact.
infection (STI)
stereotype a concept held about a person or group of people that is based on
superficial, irrelevant characteristics.
testes (testicles) the male sex glands.
uterus the womb in which the baby grows during pregnancy.
vagina the tube that leads from the outside of a female’s body to the opening of
the womb.

Sexuality and Gender -142- CHAPTER 10

 CHAPTER 11 – STRESS AND HEALTH

YOU KNOW YOU ARE READY FOR THE TEST IF YOU ARE ABLE TO…
• Define stress and identify the external and psychological factors that influence an individual’s
experience of stress.
• Discuss the causes of stress.
• Describe the physical reaction to stress and the relation of this reaction to cognitive, personality,
and social factors.
• Explain the methods used to cope with stress including those influenced by culture and religion.
• Understand the importance of exercise in reducing the negative physical and psychological
effects of stress.

RAPID REVIEW
Health psychology is a new area of psychology focusing on how physical activities,
psychological traits, and social relationships affect overall health. Stress is the physical, emotional,
cognitive, and behavioral responses to events that are perceived as threatening or challenging. When a
person’s stress response is unpleasant or undesirable it is called distress, and when it is an optimal
amount that helps a person function it is called eustress. The events that cause stress are called stressors
and can be either internal or external events. Stressors can include external events such as catastrophes,
major life changes, and hassles, along with internal experiences such as pressure, uncontrollability, and
frustration. A catastrophe is an unpredictable event that happens on a large scale such as a tornado,
hurricane, or flood. A number of researchers have suggested that any major life change, such as moving,
getting married, or getting a new job, would result in stress. Holmes and Rahe developed the Social
Readjustment Rating Scale (SRRS) to measure the amount of change and thus stress in a person’s life.
Researchers have found a moderate correlation between scores on the SRRS and physical health.
Alternate forms of the SRRS have been designed for specific populations such as the College
Undergraduate Stress Scale (CUSS) for college students. A majority of the stressors that people have to
deal with are little daily annoyances, or hassles. Surveys that measure the number of hassles an individual
has to deal with are actually a better predictor of short-term illnesses than the SRRS. The internal
experience of pressure is also considered a stressor. Pressure is the psychological experience produced
by demands and expectations from outside sources. Two additional internal causes of stress are
uncontrollability, or a lack of control in a situation, and frustration, or being blocked from achieving a
desired goal. Typical reactions to frustration include persistence and aggression, or actions meant to harm
or destroy. Displaced aggression occurs when a person takes out his or her frustrations on less
threatening, more available targets and is a form of displacement. Another possible reaction to frustration
is escape or withdrawal. This approach can take the form of leaving, dropping out of school, quitting a
job, or ending a relationship. Some people may escape psychologically by withdrawing into apathy,
fantasy, or the use of drugs. Others may resort to suicide.
Conflict is another source of stress and occurs when a person feels pulled toward two or more
goals but can only achieve one of them. Approach–approach conflict occurs when an individual is
attempting to choose between two desirable goals. Avoidance–avoidance conflict occurs when someone
must choose between two undesirable goals. Approach–avoidance conflict describes a single goal that
has both desirable and undesirable outcomes. An individual faced with two options in which each option
has positive and negative aspects is dealing with a double approach–avoidance conflict. If there are
more than two options, the conflict is called a multiple approach–avoidance conflict.
Psychologist Hans Selye was a pioneer in the study of the physical consequences of exposure to
stressors. He proposed that the body goes through a sequence of three stages he called the general
adaptation syndrome. The initial stage is called alarm and represents the immediate reaction to stress
mediated by our sympathetic nervous system. Typical alarm reactions include increased heart rate and
blood pressure, and release of sugar into the blood stream. As the stress continues, the body enters the

Stress and Health -143- CHAPTER 11

resistance stage during which time the sympathetic nervous system works overtime to give the body more
energy. When the body’s resources have been exhausted, the parasympathetic nervous system is activated
and the body enters the exhaustion stage. Selye believed that it was the prolonged release of stress
hormones during the resistance stage that led to the breakdown of the body’s immune system and the
onset of the stress-related physical conditions. Researchers in the field of psychoneuroimmunology who
study the effects of psychological factors on the immune system have found that stress actually causes an
increase in the activity of the immune system. High levels of stress have been associated with weight
problems and have been linked to increased risk of heart disease and Type 2 diabetes, a type of diabetes
that is often related to obesity and is usually diagnosed before the age of 40. Also, stress has been shown
to decrease the amount of natural killer (NK) cells, which are the cells responsible for fighting
cancerous growths. Recent research suggests that hormones also play a role in helping the immune
system fight the effects of stress. In particular, a hormone called dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) aids
humans in stress tolerance, perhaps by regulating the effects of stress on the hippocampus.
The cognitive-mediational theory of emotions proposed by Richard Lazarus states that the way
people think about and appraise a stressor is a major factor in their stress response. The first step in
appraising a stressor is called primary appraisal and involves estimating the severity of the stressor and
classifying it as a threat, challenge, or loss. In secondary appraisal, an individual determines what
resources he or she has available for dealing with the threat or loss. Personality has also been linked to
stress-related health risks. In 1974, Meyer Freidman and Ray Rosenman published a book describing the
Type A and Type B personalities and their link to heart disease. Based on studies of their own patients,
Freidman and Rosenman proposed that individuals with Type A personality (a person who is competitive,
ambitious, workaholic, with a constant sense of pressure) were more likely to develop heart disease than
someone with a Type B personality. Several studies found that the specific trait of hostility in Type A
individuals was the best predictor of future heart problems. A third personality type called Type C (in
which a person holds in their emotions and tends to be pleasant) was later identified and is currently being
investigated as to its possible link with cancer rates. Recent research on personality traits suggests that
individuals who have a high level of neuroticism, or the tendency to worry, be moody, and emotionally
intense (especially prevalent among those with Type A personalities), may have an increased risk of an
earlier death because people with these traits tend to engage in poor health habits such as poor diet,
excessive drinking, smoking, and lack of exercise. Finally, research has suggested a fourth personality
type, the hardy personality, which is associated with decreased illness due to stress. An individual with a
hardy personality shows commitment, displays a sense of control, and sees stresses as challenges to be
met and answered. The tendency for hardiness may have genetic roots. Research by Cole and colleagues
in 2010 indicated a biochemical link between feeling miserable and an increased risk of death. There may
be a genetic variation in some individuals that severs that link, making the individual more biologically
resilient. In addition to personality, links have been found between an individual’s attitude and his or her
physical reactions to stress. Specifically, pessimists have been found to have significantly more stress-
related health problems than optimists. One way to become an optimist is to recognize any negative
thoughts you are having and to work to get rid of them.
Social factors also play a key role in the amount of stress an individual experiences. Living in
poverty and job stress are two major sources of stress. A serious consequence of job stress is burnout, or
negative changes in thoughts, emotions, and behaviors as a result of prolonged stress or frustration.
Acculturative stress describes the stress an individual experiences when having to adapt to a new
culture. The method of adaptation can affect the stress level. Some of the methods of adapting to a new
culture include integration, assimilation, separation, and marginalization. The effects of negative social
factors on health can be minimized by a strong social support system, or network of family and friends
who can offer help when a person is in need.
Coping strategies are actions that people take to master, tolerate, reduce, or minimize the effects
of stressors and include both behavioral and psychological strategies. Problem-focused coping occurs
when a person tries to eliminate the source of stress or reduce its impact by taking some action, while
emotion-focused coping involves changing the way you feel or react to a stressor. Meditation is a series
of exercises meant to refocus attention and achieve a trancelike state of consciousness. Concentrative

Stress and Health -144- CHAPTER 11

meditation is a form of meditation in which a person focuses the mind on some repetitive or unchanging
stimulus so that the mind can be cleared of disturbing thoughts and the body can experience relaxation. In
contrast, in receptive meditation, a person attempts to become aware of everything in immediate
conscious experience, resulting in an expansion of consciousness. Both concentrative and receptive
meditation have been found to be effective coping strategies. Culture and religion have also been found to
affect an individual’s level of stress as well as the strategies used to cope with that stress.
Exercise can help individuals cope with stress. Exercise has a number of physical effects. It
makes the heart healthier, raises the body’s metabolic rate, helps to maintain a healthy weight, raises
“good” and lowers “bad” cholesterol, strengthens bones, improves sleep quality, reduces tiredness, and
increases natural killer cell activity. Exercise has psychological benefits as well. Individuals who exercise
report lower levels of anxiety, depression, stress, and anger.

STUDY HINTS
20. One important component to understanding this chapter is to understand the difference between
a stressor and stress. The stressor is the event that causes us to experience stress. The event can
be external, such as getting stuck in traffic, or internal, such as worrying about an upcoming
exam. Our reaction to the event is called stress and can be physical, emotional, mental, and
behavioral. Try coming up with some examples of events that could be considered stressors
along with possible stress reactions. The first example has already been completed for you.

Stressor Stress Reaction

Having to take an exam

increased heart rate

____________________________ ____________________________

____________________________ ____________________________

____________________________ ____________________________

21. Many students find the different types of conflicts confusing. Look over the Rapid Review
section to refresh yourself on the meaning of each type of conflict and then try to come up with
an example from your own life that illustrates each type of conflict. List your examples in the
space below.

Approach–Approach Conflict: ___________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

Approach–Avoidance Conflict: __________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

Stress and Health -145- CHAPTER 11

 Avoidance–Avoidance Conflict: _________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
11.1 How do psychologists define stress? 11.5 How do cognitive factors and personality
11.2 What kinds of external events can cause differences affect the experience of stress?
stress? 11.6 What social factors influence stress reactions?
11.3 What are some psychological factors in 11.7 What are some ways in which people cope
stress? with stress reactions?
11.4 How does stress affect the physical 11.8 How is coping with stress affected by culture
functioning of the body and its immune and religion?
system? 11.9 What are the psychological benefits of
exercise?

PRACTICE EXAM
For the following multiple choice questions, select the answer you feel best answers the question.

1. The term used to describe the physical, emotional, cognitive, and behavioral responses to events that
are viewed as threatening or challenging is
a) stress.
b) stressors.
c) uncontrollability.
d) pressures.

2. The response an individual might have to an unpleasant stressor, such as losing his job, would be
called
a) eustress.
b) distress.
c) stress appraisal.
d) negative stressors.

3. After we have decided that a certain event is a stressor, we must decide how we will deal with it and
what resources are available for coping with the stressor. This process is called
a) primary appraisal.
b) secondary appraisal.
c) stress-related decision.
d) hassle-related decision.

4. According to the cognitive-mediational theory of emotions proposed by Richard Lazarus, which of

the following would be the best way to reduce the stress of losing a job?
a) Try to ignore the problem.
b) Try to understand all the negative implications of the loss.
c) List all the resources that you do not have available and will need to acquire.
d) View the loss as a challenge and opportunity to explore a new career.

Stress and Health -146- CHAPTER 11

5. Which of the following is an example of a stressor that would be classified as a hassle according to
Richard Lazarus?
a) getting married
b) locking your keys in the car
c) losing your house due to a flood
d) the death of a family member

6. The Social Readjustment Rating Scale (SRRS) measures stress related to

a) positive and negative life events.
b) only negative life events.
c) only positive life events.
d) internal stressors.

7. Gloria is a tax accountant and is very busy from January to April 15, which is the tax return filing
deadline. She feels that she must work long hours during this time to meet the April 15 deadline for
her clients. Gloria is experiencing
a) anxiety.
b) pressure.
c) overload.
d) cognitive dissonance.

8. A woman who had an unpleasant confrontation with her boss and then goes home and yells at the
dog would be displaying
a) uncontrollability.
b) pressure.
c) displaced aggression.
d) catastrophe.

9. Arnold was repeatedly passed up for a promotion. In reaction to this frustration, Arnold quit his job.
Which of the following best describes Arnold’s approach to dealing with frustration?
a) displaced aggression
b) escape or withdrawal
c) downward social comparison
d) projection

10. Three students, Fred, Alice and Carl, were all preparing for an important exam. Fred was not at all
stressed about the exam and chose to see a movie instead of studying. Fred failed the exam. Alice
was somewhat stressed about the exam, so she studied each day for two weeks. Alice passed the
exam. Carl was extremely stressed about the exam. Although he’d originally planned to study for
four hours each day, each time he sat down to study, Carl had an anxiety attack. Like Fred, Carl
ultimately failed the exam. Which student in the above scenario was experiencing eustress, as
defined by your textbook?
a) Fred
b) Alice
c) Carl
d) None of the students experienced eustress.

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11. Which of the following is an example of an avoidance–avoidance conflict?
a) a person who enjoys the ocean has to choose between retiring in the Bahamas or in Tahiti
b) a student has to decide whether to turn in an unfinished paper and receive a failing grade
or hand it in late and lose many points
c) someone wanting to eat some cake but not wanting the calories
d) a person who loves chocolate must choose between chocolate cake or chocolate ice cream

12. Trying to decide on whether to take a trip to the Bahamas, which would be very enjoyable but
would severely limit the amount of money you would have to spend on other items, is an example of
a(n)
a) approach–approach conflict.
b) approach–avoidance conflict.
c) avoidance–avoidance conflict.
d) multiple approach–avoidance conflict.

13. The general adaptation syndrome proposed by Hans Selye describes how we respond to stress with
regard to our
a) psychological reactions.
b) emotional reactions.
c) social reactions.
d) physical reactions.

14. According to Selye, some people may develop illnesses such as high blood pressure or weakened
immune system during the ______ stage of the general adaptation syndrome.
a) alarm
b) collapse
c) exhaustion
d) resistance

15. Stress has been shown to be related to

a) increased resistance to environmental threats.
b) decreased efficiency of the reticular formation.
c) increased galvanic skin response.
d) decreased efficiency of the body's immune system.

16. When stress levels are elevated, the amount of natural killer cells in the body tends to
a) increase.
b) decrease.
c) stay the same.
d) There are not enough data to say at this point.

17. The Type A behavior pattern is a significant predictor of

a) mental illness.
b) coronary heart disease.
c) cancer.
d) respiratory illnesses .

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18. Someone who would be classified as having a Type C personality would be likely to
a) openly express his or her anger at someone.
b) try to always look on the bright side of a situation.
c) display a great deal of hostility when things don’t go his or her way.
d) internalize his or her anger so that no one can see his or her true emotion.

19. Which personality type is most likely to strongly agree with the following statement: “I can relax
without guilt”?.
a) Type A
b) Type B
c) Type C
d) Type F

20. Pepe moved from Argentina to France. He chose not to learn to speak and write French, continues to
maintain his old culture's styles of dress and customs, and lives in a neighborhood where only
people from Argentina live. Pepe has used which method of entering the majority culture?
a) integration
b) assimilation
c) separation
d) marginalization

21. Which method of acculturation would tend to lead to the greatest degree of stress?
a) integration
b) assimilation
c) separation
d) marginalization

22. Her mother is ill and Vanna is feeling overwhelmed and sad. To cope with this stress of her mother's
illness, Vanna has been writing her feelings down in a journal. Vanna is using
a) problem-focused coping.
b) emotion-focused coping.
c) distraction.
d) reappraisal.

23. According to your textbook, which personality type may have the highest risk for developing
cancer?
a) Type A
b) Type B
c) Type C
d) Type F

24. Stress causes cancer.

a) True
b) False

25. Research shows that ____________lowers blood pressure in adolescents and adults.
a) sensory deprivation
b) concentrative meditation
c) sublimation
d) acculturation

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26. You are a psychologist working with a new client, an immigrant from China, who is experiencing
adjustment problems due to stress. Which of the following are you first going to consider when
assessing your client's ability to cope?
a) use of meditative strategies
b) use of psychological defense mechanisms
c) ability to use biofeedback equipment
d) cultural background

27. Several studies have found a positive correlation between level of religious commitment and life
expectancies.
a) True
b) False

28. Which of the following statements is false?

a) Exercise increases the body’s metabolic rate.
b) Exercise increases levels of “bad” cholesterol.
c) Exercise decreases anxiety and depression.
d) Exercise increases natural killer cell activity.

PRACTICE EXAM ANSWERS

1. a The response itself is called stress and the event that causes the response is called a
stressor.
2. b The response to negative stressors is called distress and the response to positive
stressors or the optimal level of stressors is referred to as eustress.
3. b Secondary appraisal involves deciding how to deal with a stressor and estimating
the resources available for coping with it, while primary appraisal is the first step
we take when facing a potential threat; it involves estimating its severity and
determining whether it is a challenge or a threat.
4. d The cognitive-mediational theory of emotions suggests that the way we think about
or interpret a stressor is the biggest factor in determining our response.
5. b Lazarus focused on the minor daily annoyances, such as losing your car keys, as a
significant source of stress in our lives.
6. a The SRRS assumes that any change (either positive or negative) will serve as a
stressor in an individual’s life.
7. b Although anxiety may be a result of pressure, Gloria is experiencing pressure as a
result of her need to work longer hours to meet a deadline.
8. c Displaced aggression often occurs when the person or object that a person is really
angry at is not an accessible target.
9. b Arnold’s approach to dealing with frustration is to escape or withdrawal by leaving
his job, the perceived source of his frustration.
10. b Alice experienced eustress, defined as the optimal amount of stress that people need
to promote health and well-being. Fred was not stressed enough about the exam;
whereas, Carl was too stressed.
11. b Avoidance–avoidance conflicts involve having to choose between two undesirable
outcomes.
12. b Approach–avoidance conflicts focus on one decision that has both positive and
negative aspects to it.
13. d The general adaptation syndrome describes our body’s physical reactions to stress.
14. c During the resistance stage, the body uses its resources to fight off the stressor. It is
not until the next stage, exhaustion, that bodily resources are so depleted that stress-
related diseases can develop.
15. d Stress is related to decreased efficiency of the immune system.

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16. b Natural killer cells are important cells in the body that serve to limit the growth of
cancerous cells. During times of stress, the level of natural killer cells tends to
decrease, thus increasing the chances of tumor growth.
17. b The original development of the idea of Type A personality was in order to describe
and predict the individuals who were at high risk for heart disease.
18. d Type C personalities tend to internalize their emotions.
19. b According to your textbook, Type B personalities are most likely to strongly agree
with this statement.
20. c Separation occurs when a person tries to maintain his or her original cultural
identity. Assimilation occurs when a person completely gives up his or her old
cultural identity and adopts the majority culture's ways.
21. d Marginalization occurs when an individual is not a part of his original culture, nor is
he a part of the new culture. This method of acculturation has been found to create
the greatest amount of acculturative stress.
22. b Vanna is coping with her stress by focusing on and thinking about her emotions.
23. c Type C people tend to have difficulty expressing negative emotions. They may
internalize their anger and are often lonely. These characteristics have been
associated with a higher risk of developing cancer.
24. b As stated in the textbook, “…stress itself cannot give a person cancer.” However,
stress can have a suppressing effect on the immune system, which makes the
unchecked growth of cancer more likely.
25. b Concentrative mediation places one in a state of relaxation and lowers blood
pressure.
26. d Psychological defense mechanisms are significant but would not be as important in
your initial assessment as would cultural background, especially since the client is
from a country with a very different culture.
27. a Although these studies do not prove a cause-and-effect relationship, they have
shown a correlation between religious affiliation and longevity.
28. b Exercise increases levels of “good” cholesterol but decreases levels of “bad”
cholesterol. All of the other statements are true.

CHAPTER GLOSSARY
acculturative stress stress resulting from the need to change and adapt one’s ways to the
majority culture.
aggression actions meant to harm or destroy.
approach-approach conflict conflict occurring when a person must choose between two desirable
goals.
approach-avoidance conflict conflict occurring when a person must choose or not choose a goal that
has both positive and negative aspects.
avoidance-avoidance conflict conflict occurring when a person must choose between two undesirable
goals.
burnout negative changes in thoughts, emotions, and behavior as a result of
prolonged stress or frustration.
catastrophe an unpredictable, large-scale event that creates a tremendous need to
adapt and adjust as well as overwhelming feelings of threat.
College Undergraduate assessment that measures the amount of stress in a college student’s life
Stress Scale (CUSS) over a one-year period resulting from major life events.
concentrative meditation form of meditation in which a person focuses the mind on some
repetitive or unchanging stimulus so that the mind can be cleared of
disturbing thoughts and the body can experience relaxation.
coping strategies actions that people can take to master, tolerate, reduce, or minimize the
effects of stressors.

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displaced aggression taking out one’s frustrations on some less threatening or more available
target.
distress the effect of unpleasant and undesirable stressors.
double approach-avoidance conflict in which the person must decide between two goals, with each
conflict goal possessing both positive and negative aspects.
emotion-focused coping coping strategies that change the impact of a stressor by changing the
emotional reaction to the stressor.
escape or withdrawal leaving the presence of a stressor, either literally or by a psychological
withdrawal into fantasy, drug abuse, or apathy.
eustress the effect of positive events, or the optimal amount of stress that people
need to promote health and well-being.
frustration the psychological experience produced by the blocking of a desired
goal or fulfillment of a perceived need.
general adaptation syndrome the three stages of the body’s physiological reaction to stress, including
(GAS) alarm, resistance, and exhaustion.
hardy personality a person who seems to thrive on stress but lacks the anger and hostility
of the Type A personality.
hassles the daily annoyances of everyday life.
health psychology area of psychology focusing on how physical activities, psychological
traits, and social relationships affect overall health and rate of illnesses.
immune system the system of cells, organs, and chemicals of the body that responds to
attacks from diseases, infections, and injuries.
meditation mental series of exercises meant to refocus attention and achieve a
trancelike state of consciousness.
multiple approach-avoidance conflict in which the person must decide between more than two goals,
conflict with each goal possessing both positive and negative aspects.
natural killer (NK) cell immune system cell responsible for suppressing viruses and destroying
tumor cells.
optimists people who expect positive outcomes.
pessimists people who expect negative outcomes.
pressure the psychological experience produced by urgent demands or
expectations for a person’s behavior that come from an outside source.
primary appraisal the first step in assessing stress, which involves estimating the severity
of a stressor and classifying it as either a threat or a challenge.
problem-focused coping coping strategies that try to eliminate the source of a stress or reduce its
impact through direct actions.
psychoneuroimmunology the study of the effects of psychological factors such as stress,
emotions, thoughts, and behavior on the immune system.
receptive meditation form of meditation in which a person attempts to become aware of
everything in immediate conscious experience, or an expansion of
consciousness.
secondary appraisal the second step in assessing a threat, which involves estimating the
resources available to the person for coping with the stressor.
Social Readjustment Rating assessment that measures the amount of stress in a person’s life over a
Scale (SRRS) one-year period resulting from major life events.
social support system the network of family, friends, neighbors, coworkers, and others who
can offer support, comfort, or aid to a person in need.
stress the term used to describe the physical, emotional, cognitive, and
behavioral responses to events that are appraised as threatening or
challenging.
stressors events that cause a stress reaction.

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Type 2 diabetes disease involving failure of the pancreas to secrete enough insulin
necessitating medication, usually diagnosed before the age of 40 and
can be associated with obesity.
Type A personality person who is ambitious, time-conscious, extremely hard-working, and
tends to have high levels of hostility and anger as well as being easily
annoyed.
Type B personality person who is relaxed and laid-back, less driven and competitive than
Type A and slow to anger.
Type C personality pleasant but repressed person, who tends to internalize his or her anger
and anxiety and who finds expressing emotions difficult.

Stress and Health -153- CHAPTER 11

Stress and Health -154- CHAPTER 11
 CHAPTER 12 – SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY

YOU KNOW YOU ARE READY FOR THE TEST IF YOU ARE ABLE TO…
• Describe the role social influence plays on conformity, compliance, and obedience.
• Discuss the issues of social cognition including the formation and development of attitudes,
impressions, and attributions.
• Introduce concepts of social interaction including prejudice, discrimination, interpersonal
attraction, aggression, and altruism.

RAPID REVIEW
Social psychology is the scientific study of how a person’s behavior, thoughts, and feelings are
influenced by the real, imagined, or implied presence of others. Social psychology can be broadly divided
into the areas of social influence, social cognition, and social interaction.
Social influence is the process in which the presence of other people influences the behavior,
feelings, and thoughts of an individual. Conformity involves changing one’s own behavior to more
closely match the actions of others. In 1951, Solomon Asch conducted a classic experiment on conformity
by having subjects judge the length of a line after hearing a group of confederates all report an obviously
incorrect answer. Asch found that the subjects conformed to the group answer around one-third of the
time and that conformity increased as the group size increased, up to a group of four confederates. In a
later study, Asch found that conformity greatly decreased when at least one confederate gave the right
answer. Groupthink is a type of conformity in which people feel it is more important to maintain the
group’s cohesiveness than to consider the facts more realistically. Social influence can also be used to
describe the phenomenon of compliance, which occurs when people change their behavior as a result of
another person or the group asking or directing them to change. Consumer psychology is an area of
psychology that studies how people get other people to buy things. There are a number of techniques that
people use to obtain the compliance of others including the foot-in-the-door technique, in which
compliance with a small request is followed by a larger request, and the door-in-the-face technique,
which is the process of making a large request that is almost always refused and then a smaller request
that is often agreed to. The door-in-the-face technique relies on the norm of reciprocity, which states that
if someone does something for you, you should do something in return. Two additional compliance
techniques include the lowball technique in which the cost of the commitment is increased after the
commitment is already made and the that’s-not-all technique in which an offer is made and before the
individual can make a decision, something “extra” is added to the offer. In compliance, an individual
changes his or her behavior because someone asks him or her; in obedience, an individual changes his or
her behavior because an authority figure gives an order to him or to her. Stanley Milgram conducted one
of the most famous experiments on obedience in which he measured the number of volts a participant
would administer to another participant simply because the experimenter instructed him or her to do so. In
reality, no electrical shocks were being administered. Milgram found that about two-thirds of the subjects
(65 percent) administered electrical shocks up to a lethal level of 450 volts when instructed to do so.
Repetition of these experiments in the United States and in other countries has confirmed that between 61
and 66 percent of participants will go all the way if instructed to do so. Interestingly, a study by Slater and
colleagues demonstrated that even when participants are given the opportunity to “shock” a virtual human
(one generated by a computer), participants reacted physiologically to the suffering of the virtual human
as if the “person” being shocked were real, even though the participants were fully aware that that they
were shocking a computer-generated, virtual human.
The presence of others can also influence how well an individual performs a specific task in a
process. For instance, group polarization is the tendency for members involved in a group discussion to
take somewhat more extreme positions and suggest riskier actions when compared to individuals who
have not participated in a group discussion. A good example of group polarization can occur when a jury
tries to

Social Psychology -155- CHAPTER 12

decide on punitive damages during a civil trial: Studies have found that if members of a jury individually
favor a relatively low amount of punitive damages before deliberation, after deliberation the amount
usually lessened further. The positive influence of others on performance is called social facilitation,
while the negative influence is sometimes called social impairment. If the task is easy, the presence of
others seems to improve performance, but if the task is difficult, the presence of others actually has a
negative impact on performance. Social loafing describes the tendency for people to put less effort into a
simple task when working in a group as opposed to working alone.
Social cognition deals with the ways people think about other people and includes attitudes,
impressions, and attributions. An attitude can be defined as a tendency to respond positively or
negatively toward a certain idea, person, object, or situation. Attitudes are composed of the way people
feel, act, and think. The affective component describes the feelings associated with attitudes, the behavior
component describes the actions, and the cognitive component describes the thoughts. Attitudes have
been found to be only weak predictors of actual behavior. Attitude formation is a learning process that
occurs through direct contact, direct instruction, interaction with others, and vicarious (or observational)
learning. Persuasion is the process by which one person tries to change the belief, opinion, position, or
course of action of another person through argument, pleading, or explanation. Factors that influence the
effectiveness of persuasion include the source, the message, and the target audience. The elaboration
likelihood model examines how likely it is that an individual will elaborate on a persuasive message and
what the outcome of the elaboration will most likely be. When people attend to the content of the
message, the model describes it as central-route processing, and when people pay attention to
information outside of the message content itself, it is referred to as peripheral-route processing.
Cognitive dissonance is a sense of discomfort that occurs when a person’s behavior does not match up
with that person’s attitudes. When a person experiences cognitive dissonance, he or she typically changes
the conflicting behavior to match the attitude, changes the attitude to match his or her behavior, or forms
new cognitions to justify his or her behavior. Impression formation involves the process of forming the
first knowledge that a person has concerning another person, in other words, the “first impression.” One
component of impression formation involves social categorization, which is the assignment of a person
to a category based on characteristics the person has in common with other people with whom one has
had experience in the past. Social categorization can often result in stereotypes, or a set of characteristics
that people believe are shared by all members of a particular social category. People often form their own
categories based on implicit personality theories, or sets of assumptions about how different types of
people, personality traits, and actions are all related. Most implicit personality theories are formed in
childhood. The final aspect of social cognition discussed in the textbook is attribution, or the process of
explaining one’s own behavior and the behavior of others. Fritz Heider originally described attribution
theory and divided attributions into two categories: situational causes were explanations that relied on
external causes, and dispositional causes assume behavior is the result of some internal factor. The
fundamental attribution error is the most well-known bias of attribution and is the tendency for some
people to almost exclusively use dispositional attributes to explain other people’s behavior.
Social interaction, or the relationship between people, is the third main area of study in the field
of social psychology. When a person holds an unsupported and often negative attitude about the members
of a particular group it is called a prejudice, and when a person acts differently toward a person based on
that attitude it is called discrimination. The creation of in-groups and out-groups can often intensify
discrimination. The realistic conflict theory states that prejudice and discrimination will be increased
between groups that are in conflict. Jane Elliot used her second-grade classroom to demonstrate the power
of prejudice and discrimination by dividing her class based on the color of the students’ eyes and
observing the effects. Conflicts between groups tend to increase as pressures and stresses increase. Often
the prejudice exists because of the need for a scapegoat, a person or group who serves as the target for the
frustrations and negative emotions of the group with the prejudiced attitude. Several theories have been
proposed to explain the formation and persistence of prejudice. In social cognitive theory, prejudice is
seen as an attitude that is formed through direct instruction, modeling, and other social influences on
learning. Social identity theory suggests that the three processes of social categorization, social
identity, and social comparison are involved in the formation of prejudiced attitudes. Stereotype

Social Psychology -156- CHAPTER 12

vulnerability refers to the effect that a person’s knowledge of someone else’s stereotyped opinion can
have on that person’s behavior. The resulting feeling of anxiety is referred to as stereotype threat. The
negative impact of stereotype threat on an individual’s performance can actually cause a person to act in
the way that the stereotype predicts, thus confirming an outside observer’s prejudiced attitude. Self-
fulfilling prophecy occurs when a person acts according to his or her existing beliefs and his or her
actions make it more likely that his or her beliefs are confirmed. A recent study by Rydell and Boucher
found that some people can overcome feelings of stereotype threat by identifying themselves with a
different social identity. Women were able to overcome stereotype threat by identifying with “college
students” when taking a math exam rather than with “females” (because females are often stereotyped as
being math deficient). However, this effect only held for those women with fairly high self-esteem. The
best defense against prejudice is becoming informed about people who are different from you. Equal
status contact, in which all individuals involved have the same amount of power in the situation, is
crucial for reducing prejudice. Educators have attempted to create situations of equal status in the
classroom by setting up jigsaw classrooms, in which students have to work together to reach a specific
goal.
Another area of social interaction discussed in your textbook is interpersonal attraction, or
liking or having the desire for a relationship with someone else. Several factors are involved in the
attraction of one person to another including physical attractiveness, proximity (or how close a person is
to you physically), similarity, and reciprocity of liking (or liking someone who likes you). Robert
Sternberg proposed a theory of love that contains three components: intimacy, passion, and commitment.
He felt that seven types of love could be described by various combinations of these three components.
Two of Sternberg’s proposed types of love are romantic love and companionate love.
A very different type of social interaction is that of violence. Aggression is defined as any
behavior intended to hurt or destroy another person. Social psychologists have examined the role of both
biology and the environment on aggression. Twin studies have shown a higher correlation of aggression
levels in identical twins than in fraternal twins. Certain areas of the brain have been found to control
aggressive responses, and testosterone levels are related to aggression. However, a large portion of human
aggression is influenced by learning. Several studies have suggested that taking on a particular social role
can lead to an increase in aggressive behavior. One classic study was conducted by the social
psychologist Philip Zimbardo at Stanford University in 1971. In this study about 70 young men
volunteered to participate for two weeks. They were told that they would be randomly assigned to the
social role of either a guard or a prisoner in the experiment. On Day 2, the prisoners staged a revolt (not
planned as part of the experiment), which was quickly crushed by the guards. The guards then became
increasingly more aggressive, using humiliation to control and punish the prisoners. The staff observing
the experiment had to release five of the prisoners who became so upset that they were physically ill. The
study, which had originally been scheduled to last for 2 weeks, had to be cancelled on the fifth day. This
study highlighted the influence that a social role, such as that of “guard,” can have on perfectly ordinary
people. A number of studies have also supported the link between exposure to violent media and
aggression.
The final area of social interaction discussed in your textbook is prosocial behavior, or socially
desirable behavior that benefits others rather than bringing them harm. Altruism is a specific type of
prosocial behavior in which an individual helps someone else with no expectation of reward. Sometimes
the presence of other people can decrease the likelihood of prosocial behavior as can be seen in the
bystander effect and diffusion of responsibility. Bibb Latané and John Darley conducted a series of
experiments that found that participants were less likely to respond to an emergency situation where other
people were present than when they were alone. Some of the decisions an individual must make when
deciding whether to offer help include noticing the situation, defining the situation as an emergency,
taking responsibility, planning a course of action, and taking action.
Technically, a cult refers to any group of people with a particular religious or philosophical set of
beliefs and identities; however, most people associate the term cult with a group of people whose beliefs
are so different from the mainstream that they are viewed with suspicion.

Social Psychology -157- CHAPTER 12

STUDY HINTS
22. The text introduces four common methods that are used to gain the compliance of another
person. In order to better understand the differences among these methods, assume that you are
trying to get your friend to come pick you up and then go shopping at the mall with you. In the
space below, come up with an example of how you might get your friend to comply with your
request using each of the techniques listed.

Technique Example

Foot-in-the-door

Door-in-the-face

Lowball

That’s-not-all

Social Psychology -158- CHAPTER 12

23. Social psychology contains a large number of well-known researchers along with the famous studies
they carried out. It is important to be able to remember which researcher goes with which study. Next
to the researchers listed here, briefly describe the experiment they carried out along with the topic they
studied. In the final column, come up with a mnemonic to help you remember the information.

Researcher Experiment Topic Mnemonic

Solomon Asch

Stanley Milgram

Jane Elliot

Latané and Darley

Philip Zimbardo

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
12.1 What factors influence people to conform to 12.7 How do people try to explain the actions of
the actions of others? others?
12.2 How is compliance defined, and what are 12.8 How are prejudice and discrimination different?
four common ways to gain the compliance 12.9 Why are people prejudiced, and how can
of another? prejudice be stopped?
12.3 What factors make obedience more likely? 12.10 What factors govern attraction and love, and
12.4 What are the three components of an what are some different kinds of love?
attitude, how are attitudes formed, and how 12.11 How is aggressive behavior determined by
can attitudes be changed? biology and learning?
12.5 How do people react when attitudes and 12.12 What is altruism, and how is deciding to help
behavior are not the same? someone related to the presence of others?
12.6 What are social categorization and implicit 12.13 Why do people join cults?
personality theories?

Social Psychology -159- CHAPTER 12

PRACTICE EXAM
For the following multiple choice questions, select the answer you feel best answers the question.
1. Vince has always believed children deserve the best prenatal care available. During a class
discussion, he hears the first of several speakers express negative attitudes toward spending tax
money on prenatal care for the poor. When it is his turn to speak, he voices an opinion more in
keeping with the previous speakers. Vince's behavior is an example of
a) compliance.
b) persuasion.
c) conformity.
d) obedience.

2. Which of the following researchers conducted a series of studies on conformity that involved having a
subject judge the length of three lines after a group of confederates all reported an obviously incorrect
answer?
a) Jane Elliot
b) Stanley Milgram
c) Philip Zimbardo
d) Solomon Asch

3. _____________ occurs when people begin to think that it is more important to maintain a group’s
cohesiveness than to objectively consider the facts.
a) Groupthink
b) The lowball technique
c) Obedience
d) Social loafing

4. All of the following are causes for groupthink EXCEPT

a) the belief that the group can do no wrong.
b) the belief that the group is invulnerable.
c) the belief that opposition to the group is unsound.
d) openness to differing opinions.

5. At the supermarket, a demonstrator gives away free samples of a new pizza. He also gives each
taster a coupon worth $1 off his or her grocery bill. This manufacturer is depending on the social
process of ________ to increase sales.
a) norm of reciprocity
b) deindividuation
c) group polarization
d) social facilitation

6. Selena is trying to get her boyfriend to wash the dishes for her. To start with, she asks her boyfriend
to cook dinner for her. When her boyfriend refuses, she asks, “Well, will you at least wash the
dishes then?” To which he readily agrees. Selena has just used the
a) foot-in-the-door technique.
b) door-in-the-face technique.
c) lowball technique.
d) that’s-not-all technique.

Social Psychology -160- CHAPTER 12

7. Changing one’s behavior due to a direct order of an authority figure is referred to as
a) compliance.
b) obedience.
c) conformity.
d) persuasion.

8. Imagine 100 individuals are asked to take part in a replication of Milgram's famous study on
obedience. How are these 100 people likely to respond?
a) The majority would administer 450 volts as instructed.
b) The majority would immediately realize the use of deception and leave.
c) Most of the women would refuse to obey, whereas almost all of the men would obey.
d) Most of the participants would work together to force the experimenter to
end the experiment.

9. A teacher decides against assigning group projects in which all group members get the same grade.
What social psychological phenomenon might the teacher be concerned about?
a) conformity
b) social loafing
c) social influence
d) social facilitation

10. Ashley has practiced her drum routine over and over. When she gets up to play it at the recital in
front of 100 people, she performs it better than she ever has. Her improved performance is an
example of
a) social compliance.
b) persuasion.
c) social facilitation.
d) social impairment.

11. Which of the following is the best example of the behavioral component of an attitude?
a) Bea feels recycling is a great concept.
b) Bob is upset when he hears a corporation plans to build a polluting plant near his home.
c) Bill struggles to understand the arguments both sides present in a debate over a new
manufacturing plant.
d) Betty writes a letter to her senator asking for support of a law making corporations
responsible for the pollution they cause.

12. Which of the following is not a factor that influences attitude formation?
a) direct contact with an individual
b) DNA inherited from your parents
c) instructions from your parents
d) observing someone else’s actions

13. Kerry's positive attitude toward China, even though she has never been there, seems to be related to
the fact that her mother is Chinese and talks about China all the time with Kerry. Which method of
attitude formation is involved in this example?
a) direct contact
b) direct instruction
c) interaction with others
d) classical conditioning

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14. Which communicator would likely be most persuasive?
a) an attractive person who is an expert
b) a moderately attractive person who is an expert
c) an attractive person who has moderate expertise
d) a moderately attractive person who has moderate expertise

15. _____________ describes the situation in which people attend to the content of a message.
a) Central-route processing
b) Cognitive dissonance
c) Social facilitation
d) Peripheral-route processing

16. Which of the following was a finding in the classic study by Festinger and Carlsmith (1959)?
a) Those who got $1 to perform a boring task said the task was more interesting than did
those who got $2.
b) Those who got $20 to perform a boring task said the task was more interesting than did
those who got $1.
c) Paid groups said the task was less boring than did nonpaid groups.
d) Women performed the tasks for less money than men.

17. Which of the following represents an example of cognitive dissonance?

a) A boy learns how to ride a bicycle without the training wheels.
b) A father tells his daughter that he will really only be proud of her if she gets all A’s like
she did last semester.
c) A student stays up all night to study for an upcoming exam.
d) A woman argues that it is morally wrong to kill animals for food becomes upset when she
is asked to explain why she is wearing a leather belt and leather shoes.

18. What is the term for the process of developing an opinion about another person?
a) social interaction
b) stereotyping
c) impression formation
d) interpersonal judgment

19. Toni sees a picture of the new international exchange student and notices that the student looks
happy, so Toni automatically assumes that he is also friendly. This automatic assumption about the
student’s personality is an example of
a) central-route processing.
b) implicit personality theory.
c) cognitive dissonance.
d) discrimination.

20. The process of explaining one’s own behavior and the behavior of other people is called
a) stereotyping.
b) attribution.
c) central-route processing.
d) cognitive dissonance .

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21. "Look, Officer, I didn't see the stop sign back there because the sun was in my eyes." The police
officer responds, "You were not paying attention." How would a social psychologist describe this
situation?
a) Both individuals were making fundamental attribution errors.
b) Both individuals were making situational attributions.
c) The driver was making a dispositional attribution; the officer was making a situational
attribution.
d) The driver was making a situational attribution; the officer was making a dispositional
attribution.

22. While watching the TV game show Jeopardy, your roommate says, "The game show host, Alex
Trebek, knows all the answers. He must be a genius." You tell your roommate she probably would
not have said that if she had attended class the day the instructor discussed the topic of
a) social facilitation.
b) stereotyping illusions.
c) internal attribution biases.
d) fundamental attribution errors.

23. A bank loan officer thinks people who speak with an accent are lazy; consequently, he refuses to
grant them loans. The loan officer's belief is an example of _______. His refusal to grant them loans
is an example of __________ .
a) discrimination; prejudice
b) stereotyping; attribution
c) attribution; stereotyping
d) prejudice; discrimination

24. The part of a person's self-concept that is based on his or her identification with a nation, culture, or
ethnic group or with gender or other roles in society is called
a) the fundamental attribution error.
b) self-serving bias.
c) ethnocentrism.
d) social identity.

25. Which of the following does NOT represent an effective method for reducing prejudice?
a) establishing a jigsaw classroom
b) bringing diverse groups of people into contact with each other
c) learning about people who are different from you
d) establishing equal status contact between different groups of people

26. We tend to ___ attractive people more than we do less attractive people.
a) like
b) dislike
c) ignore
d) hate

27. When opposites attract it is said that they have __________ characteristics.
a) proximal
b) complementary
c) rewarding
d) reciprocal

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28. Which of the following was NOT a component of Robert Sternberg’s theory of love?
a) intimacy
b) lust
c) passion
d) commitment

29. Behavior that is intended to hurt or destroy another person is referred to as

a) empty love.
b) prejudice.
c) aggression.
d) dissonance.

30. The fact that a social role can lead to an increase in aggressive behavior points to __________ as a
major contributor to aggression.
a) biology
b) the environment
c) DNA
d) chemical influences

31. What term refers to helping behavior that is performed voluntarily for the benefit of another person,
with no anticipation of reward?
a) altruism
b) collectivism
c) interdependence
d) humanitarianism

32. In a crowded mall parking lot, dozens of people hear a female voice yell, "He's killing me!" Yet, no
one calls the police. What is the reason for the lack of action, according to Darley and Latané?
a) People are too busy to respond.
b) Most people “do not want to become involved.”
c) The fight-or-flight response is not activated when others are in danger.
d) There is a diffusion of responsibility.

33. In Latané and Darley’s classic 1969 study, they found that __________ of the participants reported
the smoke in the room when the two confederates in the room noticed the smoke but then ignored it.
a) all
b) three-fourths
c) one-half
d) one-tenth

34. All of the following are decision points in helping behavior EXCEPT
a) noticing.
b) defining an emergency.
c) taking responsibility.
d) diffusion of responsibility.

PRACTICE EXAM ANSWERS

1. c Conformity involves going along with the group despite one's real opinion.
Compliance would be the case if someone had asked him to voice an opinion in
keeping with the previous speakers. In this case, Vince did it on his own as a result
of internal pressure to conform.

Social Psychology -164- CHAPTER 12

2. d Asch conducted the well-known studies on conformity. Milgram studied obedience
in his famous studies with electrical shock.
3. a Groupthink describes the thought processes that can dominate a group of
individuals.
4. d Groupthink results in lack of differing opinions. Believing that the group can do no
wrong is actually a cause for groupthink.
5. a The norm of reciprocity involves the tendency of people to feel obligated to give
something in return after they have received something. Social facilitation is an
increase in performance caused by greater arousal.
6. b The door-in-the-face technique involves asking for a large request that you know
will be refused followed up by a smaller request, which many people then agree to.
7. b Obedience involves changing your behavior due to an order from “above,” while
conformity involves changing your behavior to better “fit in” with others around you.
8. a The Milgram experiment has been repeated at various times, in the United States
and in other countries, and the percentage of participants who went all the way
consistently remained between 61 and 66 percent. In addition, few differences
between males and females have been found.
9. b The teacher knows that some students will slack off if they are not being evaluated
for their individual performance, due to a phenomenon known as social loafing.
10. c Social facilitation is the term for the positive effect on one's performance caused by
the perception that others are watching.
11. d Writing is an action, or behavior. The fact that Bill struggled to understand indicates
that what he is doing is cognitive.
12. b Attitude formation is believed to occur solely through the learning process and is
not considered to be something that is inherited biologically.
13. c The fact that Kerry's mother talks about China all the time with Kerry and is
Chinese indicates that her attitude is the result of interaction with her mother.
14. a Attractiveness and expertise have been shown to increase persuasiveness.
15. a In central-route processing, an individual pays attention to the content of the
message, whereas in peripheral-route processing, an individual focuses on details
other than the main content of the message.
16. a The group that got paid less used cognitive dissonance to justify their poor pay for
telling a lie.
17. d Cognitive dissonance is an emotional disturbance that occurs when a person’s
actions don’t match his or her statements.
18. c Although stereotyping may be a component of impression formation, it is not the
term for the process of developing an opinion about another person.
19. b Implicit personality theory represents the automatic associations a person makes
about personality traits that are assumed to be related.
20. b An attribute is an explanation for a person’s behavior. Stereotypes are preconceived
ideas about a group of people.
21. d The driver attributed his error to something in his situation, the sun; whereas the
officer attributed the driver’s error to something internal to him, his lack of
attention.
22. d Your roommate attributed something that is situational (Trebek gets the answers
ahead of time) to an internal characteristic (genius). Although internal attribution
bias sounds correct, it is not a term used in social psychology.
23. d Prejudice is an unsupported, often negative belief about all people in a particular
group, whereas discrimination is an action taken that is based on this belief. In this
case, the action is the refusal to grant loans.

Social Psychology -165- CHAPTER 12

24. d Social identity refers to a person’s identity with his or her social group.
Ethnocentrism is the process of viewing the world from your own viewpoint and
failing to see alternative perspectives.
25. b Simply bringing groups together normally does not reduce prejudice unless all the
members of the group have equal status and power in the group.
26. a Social psychologists have found that we tend to like attractive people more than
unattractive people.
27. b Things that "complement" each other tend to be opposites. The term proximity
refers to nearness.
28. b Sternberg’s theory of love includes the three components of intimacy, passion, and
commitment.
29. c Aggression describes a type of behavior, whereas prejudice refers to a person’s
attitude.
30. b The impact of the social role points to learning and the influence of the surrounding
environment on an individual’s aggressive behavior.
31. a Altruism is defined as helping others for no personal benefit. Humanitarianism
means almost the same thing as altruism but is not the term social psychologists use
for the helping behavior that is performed voluntarily for the benefit of another
person, with no anticipation of reward.
32. d According to Latané and Darley most people say they do want to become involved,
however often diffusion of responsibility occurs. Diffusion of responsibility is what
occurs as each person thinks someone else will call for help (i.e., take
responsibility).
33. d About one-tenth of the participants reported smoke when the confederates in the
room noticed the smoke but did nothing about it. This number was much higher
when the participants were in the room alone.
34. d Diffusion of responsibility stops a person from helping and is not considered a
decision point.

CHAPTER GLOSSARY
aggression behavior intended to hurt or destroy another person.
altruism prosocial behavior that is done with no expectation of reward and may
involve the risk of harm to oneself.
attitude a tendency to respond positively or negatively toward a certain person,
object, idea, or situation.
attribution the process of explaining one’s own behavior and the behavior of others.
attribution theory the theory of how people make attributions.
bystander effect referring to the effect that the presence of other people has on the decision
to help or not help, with help becoming less likely as the number of
bystanders increases.
central-route processing type of information processing that involves attending to the content of the
message itself.
cognitive dissonance sense of discomfort or distress that occurs when a person’s behavior does
not correspond to that person’s attitudes.
companionate love type of love consisting of intimacy and commitment.
compliance changing one’s behavior as a result of other people directing or asking for
the change.
conformity changing one’s own behavior to match that of other people.
consumer psychology branch of psychology that studies the habits of people in the marketplace.

Social Psychology -166- CHAPTER 12

cult any group of people with a particular religious or philosophical set of
beliefs and identity.
diffusion of responsibility occurring when a person fails to take responsibility for actions or for
inaction because of the presence of other people who are seen to share the
responsibility.
discrimination treating people differently because of prejudice toward the social group to
which they belong.
dispositional cause cause of behavior attributed to internal factors such as personality or
character.
door-in-the-face asking for a large commitment and being refused, and then asking for a
technique smaller commitment.
elaboration likelihood model of persuasion stating that people will either elaborate on the
model persuasive message or fail to elaborate on it, and that the future actions of
those who do elaborate are more predictable than those who do not.
equal status contact contact between groups in which the groups have equal status, with neither
group having power over the other.
foot-in-the-door asking for a small commitment and, after gaining compliance, asking for a
technique bigger commitment.
fundamental attribution the tendency to overestimate the influence of internal factors in determining
error behavior while underestimating situational factors.
groupthink kind of thinking that occurs when people place more importance on
maintaining group cohesiveness than on assessing the facts of the problem
with which the group is concerned
group polarization the tendency for members involved in a group discussion to take somewhat
more extreme positions and suggest riskier actions when compared to
individuals who have not participated in a group discussion.
implicit personality sets of assumptions about how different types of people, personality traits,
theory and actions are related to each other.
impression formation the forming of the first knowledge that a person has concerning another
person.
in-groups social groups with whom a person identifies; “us.”
interpersonal attraction liking or having the desire for a relationship with another person.
jigsaw classroom educational technique in which each individual is given only part of the
information needed to solve a problem, causing the separate individuals to
be forced to work together to find the solution.
lowball technique getting a commitment from a person and then raising the cost of that
commitment.
norm of reciprocity assumption that if someone does something for a person, that person should
do something for the other in return.
obedience changing one’s behavior at the command of an authority figure.
out-groups social groups with whom a person does not identify; “them.”
peripheral-route type of information processing that involves attending to factors not
processing involved in the message, such as the appearance of the source of the
message, the length of the message, and other noncontent factors.
persuasion the process by which one person tries to change the belief, opinion,
position, or course of action of another person through argument, pleading,
or explanation.
prejudice negative attitude held by a person about the members of a particular social
group.
prosocial behavior socially desirable behavior that benefits others.

Social Psychology -167- CHAPTER 12

proximity physical or geographical nearness.
realistic conflict theory theory stating that prejudice and discrimination will be increased between
groups that are in conflict over a limited resource.
reciprocity of liking tendency of people to like other people who like them in return.
romantic love type of love consisting of intimacy and passion.
self-fulfilling prophecy the tendency of one’s expectations to affect one’s behavior in such a way as
to make the expectation more likely to be occur.
situational cause cause of behavior attributed to external factors, such as delays, the action of
others, or some other aspect of the situation.
social categorization the assignment of a person one has just met to a category based on
characteristics the new person has in common with other people with whom
one has had experience in the past.
social cognition the mental processes that people use to make sense of the social world
around them.
social cognitive theory referring to the use of cognitive processes in relation to understanding the
social world.
social comparison the comparison of oneself to others in ways that raise one’s self-esteem.
social facilitation the tendency for the presence of other people to have a positive impact on
the performance of an easy task.
social identity the part of the self-concept including one’s view of self as a member of a
particular social category.
social identity theory theory in which the formation of a person’s identity within a particular
social group is explained by social categorization, social identity, and social
comparison.
social impairment the tendency for the presence of other people to have a negative impact on
the performance of a difficult task.
social influence the process through which the real or implied presence of others can
directly or indirectly influence the thoughts, feelings, and behavior of an
individual
social loafing the tendency for people to put less effort into a simple task when working
with others on that task.
social psychology the scientific study of how a person’s thoughts, feelings, and behavior are
influenced by the real, imagined, or implied presence of others
social role the pattern of behavior that is expected of a person who is in a particular
social position.
stereotype vulnerability the effect that people’s awareness of the stereotypes associated with their
social group has on their behavior.
stereotype a set of characteristics that people believe is shared by all members of a
particular social category.
that’s-not-all technique a sales technique in which the persuader makes an offer and then adds
something extra to make the offer look better before the target person can
make a decision.

Social Psychology -168- CHAPTER 12

 CHAPTER 13 – THEORIES OF PERSONALITY

YOU KNOW YOU ARE READY FOR THE TEST IF YOU ARE ABLE TO…
• Define personality according to the various perspectives in psychology.
• Discuss Freud’s psychoanalytical perspective on personality and modifications of his theory by
the neo-Freudians.
• Describe the behaviorists’ perspective on personality and the social cognitive theory including
Albert Bandura’s model.
• Introduce the humanistic perspective of personality including Carl Rogers’s view of the self and
concept of unconditional positive regard.
• Discuss trait theory with regard to the description of personality.
• Explain what is known about the role of biology and heredity in personality development.
• Describe major methods of personality assessment including interviews, projective tests,
behavioral assessment, and personality inventories.

RAPID REVIEW
Personality is the unique way in which each individual thinks, acts, and feels throughout life.
Two components of personality are character, which refers to value judgments made about a person’s
morals or ethical behavior and temperament, or the enduring characteristics a person is born with. Four
perspectives regarding personality include the psychoanalytic, behaviorist, humanistic, and trait
perspectives.
The psychoanalytic perspective originated with the theories of Sigmund Freud and focuses on
the role of unconscious thoughts and desires in the development of personality. It is important to take into
account the sexually repressed Victorian era in which Freud grew up when evaluating his theory or
personality. Freud believed the mind was divided into three parts: the conscious mind contains all the
things a person is aware of at any given moment; the preconscious mind contains all the memories and
facts that can be recalled with only minimal effort; and the unconscious mind remains hidden at all times.
Freud believed the unconscious mind was the most important factor in directing behavior and personality.
In addition to the divisions of the mind, Freud also believed that personality could be divided into three
components: the id, ego, and superego. The id resides completely in the unconscious mind and represents
the most primitive part of the personality containing the basic biological drives such as hunger, thirst, and
sex. According to Freud, the id operates on the pleasure principle, which attempts to seek immediate
gratification of needs with no regard for consequences. Freud referred to the psychological tension
created by a person’s unconscious desires as the libido. The ego represents the mostly conscious and
rational aspect of personality, which operates on the reality principle, attempting to satisfy the desires of
the id in a way that will minimize negative consequences. The superego is the last part of the personality
to develop according to Freud’s theory and represents the moral center of personality. The superego
contains the conscience, or the part of personality that makes a person feel good or bad, depending on
whether they do the right or wrong thing. According to Freud, the id demands immediate satisfaction,
while the superego places restrictions on which behaviors are morally acceptable, and the ego is left in the
middle to come up with a compromise.
The psychological defense mechanisms are ways of dealing with stress through unconsciously
distorting one’s perception of reality. These defense mechanisms were mainly outlined and studied by
Freud’s daughter, Anna Freud, who was a psychoanalyst. In order for the three parts of the personality to
function, the constant conflict among them must be managed, and Freud assumed that the defense
mechanisms were one of the most important tools for dealing with the anxiety caused by this conflict.
These mechanisms include denial, repression, rationalization, projection, reaction formation,
displacement, regression, identification, compensation (substitution), and sublimation.
For Sigmund Freud, the three components of personality develop in a series of psychosexual
stages with each stage focused on a different erogenous zone, or area of the body that produces

Theories of Personality -169- CHAPTER 13

pleasurable feelings. Unresolved conflicts at any of the stages of development can lead to fixation and
subsequent emotional or psychological problems as an adult. The first stage is called the oral stage
because the erogenous zone is the mouth. Fixation can occur in this stage if the baby is weaned from the
mother’s breast too soon or too late. The second stage in Freud’s theory is the anal stage, during which
time period the anus serves as the erogenous zone and the conflict centers around toilet training. The third
stage is the phallic stage and focuses on the child’s own genitals. During this stage the child develops a
sexual attraction to the opposite-sex parent, becomes jealous of the same-sex parent, develops anxiety due
to the attraction and the jealousy, and resolves the anxiety through sexual repression and identification
with the same-sex parent. Freud referred to this process in boys as the Oedipus complex and suggested
that girls go through a similar process with their fathers as the target of their affection. The process of
identification leads to the development of the superego so that by the end of Freud’s third stage of
development, all three components of personality are in place. The fourth stage, known as the latency
stage, consists of repressed sexual feelings during which children focus on intellectual, physical, and
social development but not sexual development. The final stage occurs around the start of puberty when
sexual feelings can no longer be repressed and is referred to as the genital stage.
A number of psychologists, referred to as neo-Freudians, agreed with parts of Freud’s theories
but not all aspects. Carl Gustav Jung believed that there were two parts of the unconscious, a personal
unconscious similar to the unconscious described by Freud and a collective unconscious, which
contained universal human memories that Jung called archetypes. Alfred Adler felt that the motivating
factor of behavior was not the pleasure-seeking drive of the libido suggested by Freud, but rather the
seeking of superiority through defense mechanisms such as compensation. Karen Horney disagreed with
Freud’s emphasis on sexuality and thought personalities were shaped more by a child’s sense of basic
anxiety, which if unattended to could lead to the development of neurotic personalities. Erik Erikson
developed eight psychosocial stages of development that focused on the role of social relationships in the
development of personality.
Although Freud’s theory has had a significant impact on the culture of modern Western societies,
his theory has been criticized on the scientific grounds due to the fact that it was not developed based on
scientific experiments but rather on Freud’s personal observations in his private practice as a psychiatrist,
and that Freud’s personal observations were limited to a specific group of wealthy Austrian women living
in the sexually repressed Victorian era.
According to the behaviorists’ perspective, personality consists of a set of learned responses or
habits. A variation on the behaviorist perspective is that of the social cognitive learning theorists, who
emphasize the role of conditioning along with an individual’s thought processes in the development of
personality. A strong proponent of the social cognitive view, Albert Bandura, suggested that the
environment, behavior, and personal/cognitive factors all act together to determine an individual’s actions
in a process Bandura referred to as reciprocal determinism. An important component of the cognitive
factors is the person’s sense of self-efficacy, or perception of how effective a behavior will be in a
particular context. Julian Rotter proposed that individuals develop a relatively set way of responding and
this behavior represented “personality.” An important determinant of the individual’s response was his or
her sense of locus of control. According to Rotter, the individual’s expectancy and the response’s
reinforcement value were the two key factors that determined how an individual would react.
The humanistic perspective of personality focuses more on qualities that are considered
uniquely human such as free will and subjective emotions. Carl Rogers proposed that humans are always
striving to fulfill their innate capacities in a process known as the self-actualizing tendency. Rogers
defined positive regard as warmth, affection, love, and respect that comes from significant others. In
order for an individual to work toward self-actualization, they need to be exposed to a certain level of
unconditional positive regard from the significant others in their lives. Rogers felt that conditional
positive regard would restrict a person’s ability to become a fully functioning person. Rogers believed an
individual’s image of oneself, or self-concept, also played a role in becoming fully functional. The self-
concept was based on what an individual is told by others and also his or her own sense of self. According
to Rogers, self-concept could be divided into a real self and an ideal self. If the real self and ideal self
concept were too far apart, anxiety and neurotic behavior would result.

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 Trait theories of personality have focused on describing personality and predicting behavior
based on that description. A trait is a consistent, enduring way of thinking, feeling, or behaving. Gordon
Allport identified approximately 200 traits in the English language that he felt were “wired” into each
person’s nervous system. Raymond Cattell narrowed the number of traits down further by dividing traits
into surface traits, such as the 200 traits described by Allport and source traits, or the more basic traits
that underlie the surface traits and form the core of personality. Introversion is an example of a source
trait. Cattell identified 16 basic or source traits. Later researchers narrowed this list to five source traits
and developed the personality model known as the five-factor model, or the Big Five. The five trait
dimensions are openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism. Critics of
the five-factor model have argued that the situation plays a more significant role in determining an
individual’s behavior than is suggested by trait theory and have proposed a theory that includes a trait-
situation interaction.
The field of behavioral genetics studies the role of inherited traits in personality. Twin studies
have found that identical twins are more similar than fraternal twins or unrelated people in certain aspects
of personality such as intelligence, leadership, tendency to follow rules, assertiveness, and aggressiveness.
Adoption studies have supported some of these findings and have suggested a biological basis for shyness
and aggressiveness.
In an attempt to describe “national personalities,” Geert Hofstede conducted a cross-cultural
study for IBM that resulted in a description of each country along four basic dimensions. The dimensions
Hofstede observed were individualism/collectivism, power distance, masculinity/femininity, and
uncertainty avoidance.
Methods for assessing personality have been developed based on specific theories of personality as well
as the various goals of classification, self-insight, and the diagnosis of psychological disorders. An
interview is a method of personality assessment in which the professional asks questions of the client and
allows the client to answer in either a structured or unstructured manner. Interviews are limited by the fact
that clients can lie, intentionally or unintentionally, and the interviewers can bring their own biases into
their interpretations including the halo effect, which is the tendency of a person’s first impression to
influence later assessments. Psychoanalysts have developed projective tests in an attempt to assess a
person’s unconscious conflicts or desires by having them projected onto an ambiguous visual stimulus.
Two of the most commonly used projective tests are the Rorschach inkblot test and the Thematic
Apperception Test, or TAT. Projective tests are highly subjective and have been found to have low
reliability and validity. A behaviorist would be more likely to measure personality by directly observing
an individual’s actions. In direct observation, the psychologist would observe an individual in a specific
setting and record his or her behaviors through the use of a rating scale or a frequency count. Critics of
this approach have pointed out the possibility for both the observer effect and observer bias. Trait
theorists would be most likely to use a personality inventory, which consists of a questionnaire that has
a standard list of questions that require specific answers such as “yes” or “no.” Examples of commonly
used personality inventories include Cattell’s 16 PF, the Neuroticism/Extraversion/Openness Personality
Inventory (NEO-PI), the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MPTI), and the Minnesota Multiphasic
Personality Inventory, Version II (MMPI-2). The advantage of personality inventories is that they are
scored objectively, which eliminates the possibility of observer bias, and they have been found to have
high reliability and validity scores. However, the inventories are still based on self-report. Questions may
be interpreted in different ways by different individuals and are likely to be subject to cultural influences.
A large number of personality tests are accessible over the Internet; however, the results of such tests
should be interpreted with an appropriate level of skepticism.

Theories of Personality -171- CHAPTER 13

STUDY HINTS
24. Students often confuse the levels of awareness suggested by Freud with his three components of
personality. The next two exercises should help you keep them straight. To start with let’s think
about your levels of awareness. For each of the levels listed, list at least three examples of the
information or memories that would be found there. Start with the conscious level.

My conscious level of awareness might contain the following:

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

My preconscious level of awareness might contain the following:

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

My unconscious level of awareness might contain the following:

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

Theories of Personality -172- CHAPTER 13

25. Now think about the three components that Freud suggested make up an individual’s personality:
the id, the ego, and the superego. For each of the situations listed below, describe how a person’s
id, ego, and superego might respond. The first example has been completed for you. Notice how
the ego always represents the compromise between the two extremes.
Situation Id Ego Superego
It’s wrong to break
I’ll yell a few words
Someone cuts you the law, and we don’t
Speed up, cut in front at the driver from my
off in traffic as you know what is
of them, and then own car but remain
are driving down the happening with that
slow way down. driving at the speed
freeway. person—maybe they
limit.
have an emergency.

Your alarm goes off

for school but you
still feel completely
exhausted.

Your co-worker asks

you to work her shift
for you so that she
can have the night off
to go to a concert.

Your roommate just

made a batch of
chocolate chip
cookies and said he is
going to take most of
them to work with
him tomorrow.

You just finished

watching two hours
of TV and still have a
lot of homework to
do for tomorrow but
you don’t feel like
doing it.

Theories of Personality -173- CHAPTER 13

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
12.1 What is personality, and how do the various 12.6 How do humanists such as Carl Rogers
perspectives in psychology view explain personality?
personality? 12.7 What are the history and current views of the
12.2 How did Freud’s historical view of the mind trait perspective?
and personality form a basis for 12.8 What part do biology, heredity, and culture
psychodynamic theory? play in personality?
12.3 How did Jung, Adler, Horney, and Erikson 12.9 What are the advantages and disadvantages
modify Freud’s theory? of the following measures of personality:
12.4 How does modern psychoanalytic theory interviews, projective tests, behavioral
differ from that of Freud? assessment, personality inventories, and
12.5 How do behaviorist and social cognitive online personality tests?
theorists explain personality?

PRACTICE EXAM
For the following multiple choice questions, select the answer you feel best answers the question.

1. The unique way in which each individual thinks, acts, and feels throughout life is called
a) character.
b) personality.
c) temperament.
d) the unconscious.

2. One limitation of the trait perspective compared to the other perspectives is there is not much
a) description.
b) research.
c) material.
d) explanation.

3. Many have compared Freud's idea of the mind to an iceberg. If that were the case and you were
standing on the deck of a ship in Alaska, what part of the mind would you see above the water?
a) ego
b) superego
c) id
d) preconscious

4. Information that cannot be recalled even when a person makes a determined effort to retrieve it
would be said by Freud to be residing in the
a) conscious.
b) preconscious.
c) unconscious.
d) superego.

5. In Sigmund Freud's theory, the _____ operates according to the pleasure principle.
a) id
b) ego
c) thanatos
d) superego

Theories of Personality -174- CHAPTER 13

6. According to Freud, the last component of an individual’s personality to develop is the
a) ego.
b) superego.
c) id.
d) libido.

7. What is Freud's term for the executive of the personality that has a realistic plan for obtaining
gratification of an individual's desires?
a) id
b) ego
c) superego
d) preconscious

8. Freud called the developmental stage in which the Oedipus complex occurs the
a) oral stage.
b) anal stage.
c) phallic stage.
d) latency stage.

9. Freud believed that the personality characteristics of overeating, gum chewing, being too dependent
or overly optimistic developed due to fixation during the
a) oral stage.
b) anal stage.
c) phallic stage.
d) latency stage.

10. Which neo-Freudian viewed personality disturbances as resulting from the feelings of inferiority all
people share?
a) Carl Jung
b) Alfred Adler
c) Carl Rogers
d) Karen Horney

11. Karen Horney disagreed with Freud about the unconscious force that influences behavior. She
believed the force was not sexual desire, but rather
a) feelings of inferiority.
b) basic anxiety.
c) the collective unconscious.
d) self-regard.

12. Which of the following is not a current criticism of Freud’s psychoanalytic theory?
a) the significant impact it has had on culture
b) the lack of empirical evidence
c) observations based on Freud’s personal clients
d) role of women in Freud’s theory

Theories of Personality -175- CHAPTER 13

13. Albert Bandura's notion that people are affected by their environment but can also influence that
environment is known as
a) self-efficacy.
b) locus of control.
c) phenomenology.
d) reciprocal determinism.

14. A baseball player's son is quite talented; he has received lots of awards over the years. When he gets
up to bat he expects to get a hit, and when he is in the field he expects to make every catch.
According to Bandura, what characteristic does this young man seem to have?
a) self-regard
b) self-centeredness
c) self-efficacy
d) self-actualization

15. _____________ theory is called the third force in personality theory.

a) Psychoanalytic.
b) Behaviorist
c) Cognitive
d) Humanistic

16. In Carl Rogers's theory, our perception of our abilities, behaviors, and characteristics is known as
a) personality.
b) self-regard.
c) self-esteem.
d) self-concept.

17. Which of the following represents an example of unconditional positive regard?

a) a mother telling her son that she hopes he becomes an engineer like his father
b) a father telling his daughter that he will really only be proud of her if she gets all As like
she did last semester
c) an owner only pays attention to her dog when he is well-behaved
d) a parent telling his son he loves him even though he just wrecked the family car

18. What did Gordon Allport think about traits?

a) He thought they were like stages.
b) He thought they were wired into the nervous system.
c) He thought they were learned.
d) He thought they were the result of cognitive modeling.

19. How many source traits did Raymond Cattell discover through the process of factor analysis?
a) 5
b) 16
c) 200
d) 4,500

Theories of Personality -176- CHAPTER 13

20. What psychoanalytic theorist most notably influenced the Big Five theory of personality?
a) Freud
b) Jung
c) Erikson
d) Horney

21. The fact that an outgoing extravert might be very talkative at a party but very quiet at a funeral is an
example of
a) trait-situation interaction.
b) cross-cultural similarities.
c) source trait reliability.
d) neuroticism.

22. What major conclusion about personality traits emerged from the Minnesota twin study?
a) Identical twins are more similar than any other type of sibling.
b) Siblings reared apart were much more similar than identical twins.
c) Fraternal twins reared together were much more similar than identical twins.
d) Personality scores for twins were not related in either case.

23. Which of the following countries would not be considered a collectivist country according to the
studies by Geert Hofstede?
a) Japan
b) United States
c) Mexico
d) Korea

24. Which of the following terms describes the cultural personality of the United States according to
Hofstede's dimensions of cultural personality?
a) individualistic
b) high in power distance
c) low in individualism
d) high in uncertainty avoidance

25. Which of the following is considered an advantage in the use of interviews for personality
assessment?
a) halo effect
b) answers are based on self-report
c) bias of the interviewer
d) natural flow of the questions

26. Which personality test relies on the interpretation of inkblots to understand personality?
a) MMPI
b) 16PF
c) TAT
d) Rorschach

27. Which of the following is not a criticism of projective tests?

a) They are a projection of the person’s unconscious concern.
b) They are low in reliability.
c) Their interpretation is more an art than a science.
d) They lack validity.

Theories of Personality -177- CHAPTER 13

28. The most commonly used personality inventory is the
a) MMPI-2.
b) MBTI.
c) TAT.
d) CPI.

29. Which of the following is an advantage to using personality inventories?

a) observer bias
b) their standardization
c) biases of interpretation
d) their reliance on self-report

30. Darla tries to save money by bringing her lunch to work. However, on four out of five work days
last week, she threw away her sandwich from home and instead went out to lunch with her work
colleagues. To justify the added expense of the restraunt meals, Darla tells herself that the time
spent "networking" with her colleagues will help to improve her chances for promotion at work.
Which of the following psychological defense mechanisms best describes Darla's behavior?
a) Projection
b) Displacement
c) Rationalization
d) Repression

PRACTICE EXAM ANSWERS

1. b Temperament and character are both part of personality. Character refers to value
judgments made about a person’s morals, and temperament refers to the enduring
characteristics that a person is born with.
2. a Trait theories are descriptive and deal with the actual end result of personality.
3. a The ego is the part of the mind that is conscious and in view.
4. c Freud thought that information sometimes seeped out of the unconscious through
our dreams or slips of the tongue, but for the most part, the information was not
readily available to our conscious awareness.
5. a According to Freud, the id represents the most basic part of the personality and
operates on the pleasure principle. The ego operates on the reality principle.
6. b Freud’s theory states that the superego develops during the phallic stage or when an
individual is 5–6 years old.
7. b The ego is in charge of reality and decisions and the superego is there for moral
judgments, but the ego makes the decisions.
8. c The Oedipus complex leads to the development of the superego and occurs during
the phallic stage.
9. a Freud described those personality traits as resulting from fixation during the oral
stage of development.
10. b Adler viewed personality disturbances as resulting from the feelings of inferiority
all people share. Jung focused on archetypes in the collective unconscious.
11. b Horney believed that basic anxiety was the unconscious driving force behind many
of the behaviors people exhibited.
12. a The impact of Freud’s theory on culture is not considered a criticism.
13. d Self-efficacy refers to one's perception of how effective a behavior will be in any
particular circumstance, whereas reciprocal determinism is Bandura's notion that
people are affected by their environment but can also influence that environment.
14. c Self-efficacy refers to one's perception of how effective a behavior will be in any
particular circumstance. Self-actualization has to do with self-fulfillment and
reaching one's full potential.

Theories of Personality -178- CHAPTER 13

15. d Humanistic theory is called the third force in personality theory; the first two are
psychoanalytic theory and behaviorist theory.
16. d Self-esteem has more to do with one's sense of worth.
17. d Rogers defined unconditional positive regard as being love, affection, and respect
with no strings attached.
18. b Allport thought traits were not learned, but rather were wired into the nervous system.
19. b Cattell proposed that there were 16 source traits of personality.
20. b Freud's views are not involved in trait theory, but Jung's theory mentioned
extroversion, which is one of the Big Five traits.
21. a The trait-situation interaction focuses on the interaction of source traits with the
specific environment or situation that a person is in.
22. a Identical twins, who share the same genes, are more similar in personality than are
any other type of siblings.
23. b The Hofstede study found that the United States could be described as more of an
individualistic culture.
24. a Americans expect power to be well-distributed rather than held by an elite few;
democracies are typically low in power distance.
25. d The natural flow of the interview process is one of the advantages of this method.
26. d The Rorschach is a projective test that relies on the use of inkblot interpretation.
27. a The reason a psychologist would use a projective test is to get a “projection” of that
individual’s unconscious concerns.
28. a The MMPI-2 is used more than any other inventory.
29. b The fact that personality inventories are standardized represents one of the greatest
advantages to using this assessment technique.
30. c The psychological defense mechanism of rationalization is defined as making up
acceptable excuses for unacceptable behavior.

CHAPTER GLOSSARY
agreeableness the emotional style of a person which may range from easy-going,
friendly, and likeable to grumpy, crabby, and unpleasant.
anal stage second stage occurring from about 1 or 1.5 years of age, in which the
anus is the erogenous zone and toilet training is the source of conflict.
archetypes Jung’s collective, universal human memories.
basic anxiety anxiety created when a child is born into the bigger and more powerful
world of older children and adults.
behavioral genetics field of study devoted to discovering the genetic bases for personality
characteristics.
character value judgments of a person’s moral and ethical behavior.
collective unconscious Jung’s name for the memories shared by all members of the human
species.
compensation defense mechanism in which a person makes up for inferiorities in one
(substitution) area by becoming superior in another area.
conditional positive regard positive regard that is given only when the person is doing what the
providers of positive regard wish.
conscience Part of the superego that produces guilt, depending on how acceptable
behavior is.
conscientiousness the care a person gives to organization and thoughtfulness of others,
dependability.
denial psychological defense mechanism in which a person refuses to
acknowledge or recognize a threatening situation.
direct observation assessment in which the professional observes the client engaged in
ordinary, day-to-day behavior in either a clinical or natural setting.

Theories of Personality -179- CHAPTER 13

displacement redirecting feelings from one threatening target to a less threatening one.
ego part of the personality that develops out of a need to deal with reality,
mostly conscious, rational and logical.
expectancy a person’s subjective feeling that a particular behavior will lead to a
reinforcing consequence.
extraversion dimension of personality referring to one’s need to be with other people.
extraverts people who are outgoing and sociable.
five-factor model (Big Five) model of personality traits that describes five basic trait dimensions.
fixation disorder in which the person does not fully resolve the conflict in a
particular psychosexual stage, resulting in personality traits and behavior
associated with that earlier stage.
frequency count assessment in which the frequency of a particular behavior is counted.
fully functioning person a person who is in touch with and trusting of the deepest, innermost urges
and feelings.
habits in behaviorism, sets of well-learned responses that have become
automatic.
halo effect tendency of an interviewer to allow positive characteristics of a client to
influence the assessments of the client’s behavior and statements.
humanistic perspective the “third force” in psychology that focuses on those aspects of
personality that make people uniquely human, such as subjective feelings
and freedom of choice.
id part of the personality present at birth and completely unconscious.
ideal self one’s perception of who one should be or would like to be.
identification defense mechanism in which a person tries to become like someone else
to deal with anxiety.
interview method of personality assessment in which the professional asks
questions of the client and allows the client to answer, either in a
structured or unstructured fashion.
introversion dimension of personality in which people tend to withdraw from
excessive stimulation.
introverts people who prefer solitude and dislike being the center of attention.
latency fourth stage occurring during the school years, in which the sexual
feelings of the child are repressed while the child develops in other ways.
locus of control the tendency for people to assume that they either have control or do not
have control over events and consequences in their lives.
neo-Freudians followers of Freud who developed their own, competing psychodynamic
theories.
neurotic personalities personalities typified by maladaptive ways of dealing with relationships
in Horney’s theory.
neuroticism degree of emotional instability or stability.
Oedipus complex/Electra situation occurring in the phallic stage in which a child develops a sexual
complex attraction to the opposite-sex parent and jealousy of the same sex-parent.
Males develop an Oedipus complex and females develop an Electra
complex.
openness one of the five factors, willingness to try new things and be open to new
experiences.
oral stage first stage occurring in the first year of life, and in which the mouth is the
erogenous zone and weaning is the primary conflict.
personal unconscious Jung’s name for the unconscious mind as described by Freud.
personality the unique and relatively stable ways in which people think, feel, and
behave.

Theories of Personality -180- CHAPTER 13

personality inventory paper and pencil or computerized test that consists of statements that
require a specific, standardized response from the person taking the test.
phallic stage third stage occurring from about 3 to 6 years of age, in which the child
discovers sexual feelings.
pleasure principle principle by which the id functions; the immediate satisfaction of needs
without regard for the consequences.
positive regard warmth, affection, love, and respect that come from significant others in
one’s life.
projection psychological defense mechanism in which unacceptable or threatening
impulses or feelings are seen as originating with someone else, usually
the target of the impulse or feelings. Also defined as a defense
mechanism involving placing, or “projecting,” one’s own unacceptable
thoughts onto others, as if the thoughts actually belonged to those others
and not to oneself.
projective tests personality assessments that present ambiguous visual stimuli to the client
and ask the client to respond with whatever comes to mind.
psychoanalysis Freud’s term for both the theory of personality and the therapy based on
it.
psychological defense unconscious distortions of a person’s perception of reality that reduce
mechanisms stress and anxiety.
psychosexual stages five stages of personality development proposed by Freud and tied to the
sexual development of the child.
rating scale assessment in which a numerical value is assigned to specific behavior
that is listed in the scale.
reaction formation psychological defense mechanism in which a person forms an opposite
emotional or behavioral reaction to the way he or she really feels to keep
those true feelings hidden from self and others.
real self one’s perception of actual characteristics, traits, and abilities.
reality principle principle by which the ego functions; the satisfaction of the demands of
the id only when negative consequences will not result.
reciprocal determinism Bandura’s explanation of how the factors of environment, personal
characteristics, and behavior can interact to determine future behavior.
regression psychological defense mechanism in which a person falls back on
childlike patterns of responding in reaction to stressful situations.
repression psychological defense mechanism in which the person refuses to
consciously remember a threatening or unacceptable event, instead
pushing those events into the unconscious mind.
Rorschach inkblot test projective test that uses 10 inkblots as the ambiguous stimuli.
self an individual’s awareness of his or her own personal characteristics and
level of functioning.
self-actualizing tendency the striving to fulfill one’s innate capacities and capabilities.
self-concept the image of oneself that develops from interactions with important,
significant people in one’s life.
self-efficacy individual’s perception of how effective his or her efforts to accomplish a
goal will be in any particular circumstance.
social cognitive learning theorists who emphasize the importance of both the influences of other
theorists people’s behavior and of a person’s own expectancies of learning.
social cognitive view learning theory that includes cognitive processes such as anticipating,
judging, memory, and imitation of models.
source traits the more basic traits that underlie the surface traits, forming the core of
personality.

Theories of Personality -181- CHAPTER 13

subjective referring to concepts and impressions that are only valid within a
particular person’s perception and may be influenced by biases, prejudice,
and personal experiences.
sublimation channeling socially unacceptable impulses and urges into socially
acceptable behavior.
superego part of the personality that acts as a moral center.
surface traits aspects of personality that can easily be seen by other people in the
outward actions of a person.
temperament the enduring characteristics with which each person is born.
Thematic Apperception projective test that uses twenty pictures of people in ambiguous situations
Test (TAT) as the visual stimuli.
trait a consistent, enduring way of thinking, feeling, or behaving.
trait theories theories that endeavor to describe the characteristics that make up human
personality in an effort to predict future behavior.
trait-situation interaction the assumption that the particular circumstances of any given situation
will influence the way in which a trait is expressed.
unconditional positive positive regard that is given without conditions or strings attached.
regard
unconscious mind level of the mind in which thoughts, feelings, memories, and other
information are kept that are not easily or voluntarily brought into
consciousness.

Theories of Personality -182- CHAPTER 13

 CHAPTER 14 – PSYCHOLOGICAL DISORDERS

YOU KNOW YOU ARE READY FOR THE TEST IF YOU ARE ABLE TO…
• Define abnormality and briefly discuss the historical and cultural impact on defining
psychological disorders.
• Present the biological and psychological models of psychopathology.
• Discuss the diagnosis and prevalence rates of psychological disorders in the United States.
• Describe specific categories of psychological disorders including anxiety disorders, mood
disorders, eating disorders, dissociative disorders, schizophrenia, and personality disorders.

RAPID REVIEW
The study of abnormal behavior, or psychopathology, can be traced to at least as early as 3000
B.C. from evidence of trepanning, or the drilling of holes in the skull. Today, abnormal behavior is
considered to be any behavior that is rare, deviates from the social norm within the situational context,
causes subjective discomfort, or is maladaptive. Psychological disorders are defined as a pattern of
behavior that causes people significant distress, causes them to harm themselves or others, or interferes
with their ability to function in daily life. In the sociocultural perspective of abnormality, abnormal
behavior (as well as normal behavior) is seen as the product of behavioral shaping within the context of
family influences, the social group to which one belongs, and the culture within which the family and
social group exist. This is an important issue for psychological professionals who are attempting to assess
and treat members of a culture different from their own. Cultural relativity refers to the need to consider
the unique characteristics of the culture in which the person with a disorder was nurtured to be able to
correctly diagnose and treat the disorder. For example, a recent research study by Mejia and McCarthy
revealed that college students of Mexican heritage with migrant farming backgrounds reported more
symptoms of anxiety and depression as compared to nonmigrant college students of Mexican heritage,
suggesting that the nature of migrant farming poses stressors different from those faced by nonmigrant
families. Culture-bound syndromes are certain psychological disorders that are only found in particular
cultures. For example, anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa are most often found in Western societies.
Three perspectives on abnormality are highlighted in the chapter. First, the biological model of
psychopathology proposes that psychological disorders are caused by biological changes in the chemical,
structural, or genetic systems of the body. Second, the psychological models propose that disordered
behavior is the result of various forms of emotional, behavioral, or thought-related malfunctioning. This
perspective includes cognitive, behavioral and psychodynamic theories. Cognitive psychologists study
the way that people think, remember, and mentally organize information. These psychologists have
proposed the cognitive model of psychopathology, which describes psychological disorders as resulting
from faulty thinking patterns. Third, the biopsychosocial model proposes that abnormal behavior is the
result of the combined and interacting forces of biological, psychological, social, and cultural influences.
Currently in the United States, psychological disorders are assessed by referring to the
Diagnostics and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Version 4, Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR), which
provides information for about 250 different disorders, including common symptoms, prevalence rates,
and criteria for diagnosis. The individual is assessed in five different categories, or axes. Axis 1 contains
all the psychological disorders except personality disorders. Axis II includes personality disorders and
mental retardation. Axis III includes an assessment of any physical disorders that affect a person
psychologically. Axis IV consists of problems in a person’s environment that may be affecting his or her
psychological functioning, and Axis V is an assessment of a person’s overall (or global) level of
functioning ranging from 0 to 100. In a given year, about 26 percent of adults over 18 years of age in the
United States could be diagnosed with a mental disorder.
Labeling psychological disorders provides a common language for the mental health community
to use. However, labels can also be dangerous, as shown by researcher David Rosenhan’s classic study in
which healthy participants (“pseudo-patients”) were asked to enter psychiatric hospitals and complain that

Psychological Disorders -183- CHAPTER 14

they were hearing voices. All of the pseudo-patients were admitted to the hospitals and diagnosed with
either schizophrenia or manic depression. Once admitted, the pseudo-patients stopped pretending to be ill
and acted as they normally would, but the hospital staff’s interpretation of this normal behavior was
skewed by the label of mental illness. The labels stuck, even when actual symptoms of mental illness
disappeared. Rosenhan concluded that psychological labels are long lasting and powerful, affecting not
only how other people see mental patients but also how patients see themselves.
Anxiety disorders include all disorders characterized by excessive or unrealistic anxiety. Free-
floating anxiety is the term given to anxiety that seems to be unrelated to any realistic, known factor.
Phobias are a specific form of anxiety disorder defined as an irrational and persistent fear of something
and include social phobias; specific phobias such as claustrophobia and acrophobia; and
agoraphobia, or fear of being in a place that would be difficult to escape from if something happened to
go wrong. Panic disorder is characterized by frequent occurrences of panic attacks or sudden onsets of
extreme panic. If a fear of having panic attacks prevents an individual from going to public places it is
called panic disorder with agoraphobia. Obsessive-compulsive disorder involves a reoccurring
thought (or obsession) that causes extreme anxiety and leads to some repetitive or ritualistic behavior (or
compulsion). Acute stress disorder (ASD) results from exposure to a major stressor with symptoms of
anxiety, dissociation, recurring nightmares, sleep disturbances, problems in concentration, and moments
in which people seem to “relive” the event in dreams and flashbacks for as long as 1 month following the
event. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) also results from exposure to a major stressor and has
similar symptoms (anxiety, dissociation, nightmares, poor sleep, reliving the event, and concentration
problems), but differs from ASD in that it lasts for more than 1 month. Individuals diagnosed with
generalized anxiety disorder display excessive anxiety and worries with no real source that can be
pinpointed as leading to the anxiety. Cognitive psychologists believe that anxiety disorders are caused by
illogical thinking that includes maladaptive thinking process such as magnification, all-or-nothing
thinking, overgeneralization, and minimization. Evidence also supports biological factors, such as an
imbalance in neurotransmitter levels, particularly serotonin and GABA, as playing a role in anxiety
disorders. Other research suggests a possible defect in the way serotonin binds to its receptors in the
nervous system. More recently, studies with mice have indicated that an area of the hippocampus known
as the ventral hippocampus may help control anxiety by communicating with the medial prefrontal cortex,
the area of the brain important in processing emotional awareness.
Mood disorders, also referred to as affective disorders, represent a disturbance in emotion. Two
mild forms of mood disorders include dysthymia, a chronic depression that lasts for at least two years or
more, and cyclothymia, a cycle of sadness and happiness that also persists for two or more years. The
most common mood disorder is major depression, which is characterized by prolonged feelings of
extreme sadness. Bipolar disorder involves all the symptoms of major depression in addition to brief
periods of extreme mania, or excessive excitement, energy, and feelings of happiness. Learning theorists
attribute depression to learned helplessness. In the social cognitive view, depressed people continually
have negative, self-defeating thoughts about themselves, which depress them further in a downward spiral
of despair. A recent study by Strunk and colleagues revealed that when therapists focus on helping clients
to change their way of thinking, depression improves significantly when compared to therapy that focuses
only on changing behavior. Biological explanations have focused on the role of brain chemicals such as
serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine. Some people find that they only get depressed at certain times
of the year, particularly during the winter months. These individuals may be experiencing seasonal
affective disorder (SAD), which is a mood disorder that is caused by the body’s reaction to low levels of
light present in the winter months
The two primary types of eating disorders are anorexia and bulimia. Anorexia nervosa, often
called anorexia, is a condition in which a person reduces eating to the point that a weight loss of 15
percent below expected body weight or more is the result. At a weight loss of 40 percent below expected
body weight, hospitalization is necessary. Compared to other demographic groups, individuals who are
young and females are most likely to develop anorexia. The causes of anorexia are not fully understood
but are thought to involve biological issues and/or psychological factors such as sexual abuse, family
dysfunction, and perfectionism with a desire to control as many aspects of one’s life as possible. Bulimia

Psychological Disorders -184- CHAPTER 14

nervosa, often called bulimia, is a condition in which a person develops a cycle of “binging” or
overeating enormous amounts of food at one sitting, and then using inappropriate methods for avoiding
weight gain. Some of these methods include “purging” behaviors such as deliberate vomiting after the
binge or misuse of laxatives. Other methods include fasting the day or two after the binge or engaging in
excessive exercise. Bulimia is similar to anorexia in that the victims are usually female, are obsessed with
their appearance, diet excessively, and believe themselves to be fat even though they are not. Bulimia
differs from anorexia in that victims are typically a little older than those with anorexia at the onset of the
disorder (early 20s rather than early puberty), and they often maintain a normal weight, making the
disorder more difficult to detect. The most obvious difference between the two disorders is that bulimic
individuals will eat; in fact, they will binge to excess. In a typical binge, a bulimic may consume 3,500 to
50,000 calories in one sitting.
Dissociative disorders involve a break, or dissociation, in a person’s sense of identity. In
dissociative amnesia, an individual cannot remember information contained in long-term memory such
as her own name or where she lives. A dissociative fugue occurs when a person suddenly travels away
from his home and afterwards cannot remember the trip or even his own identity. In dissociative identity
disorder, formerly referred to as multiple personality disorder, a person seems to experience at least two
or more distinct personalities. Within the psychological perspective, behaviorists believe that “not
thinking” about certain events can be negatively reinforced by reducing anxiety and unpleasant feelings,
while cognitive psychologists focus on the feelings of guilt, shame, or anxiety that may be avoided
through “thought avoidance.” Biological explanations for dissociative disorders also exist. Researchers
have found that individuals with depersonalization disorder also have lower brain activity in areas of
the brain responsible for our sense of body awareness.
Schizophrenia is a severe psychotic disorder in which the person is not able to distinguish
fantasy from reality and experiences disturbances in thinking, emotions, behavior, and perception. Many
people with schizophrenia experience delusions (false beliefs about the world), hallucinations (seeing or
hearing things that are not really there), and flat affect (the display of little or no emotion). If an
individual experiences delusions alone they would more likely be diagnosed with a type of delusional
disorder. Schizophrenia can be divided into five basic categories: disorganized, characterized by
confused speech along with frequent and vivid hallucinations; catatonic, in which the individual may sit
without moving for hours or may move about wildly; paranoid, identified by hallucinations and
delusions; undifferentiated, in which the individual does not fit in one of the three categories already
mentioned; and residual, in which a person is in a state of recovery from the symptoms of schizophrenia.
Schizophrenia can also be classified according to the kind of symptoms displayed. Positive symptoms
reflect an excess or distortion of normal functions, such as hallucinations, whereas negative symptoms
reflect a decrease of normal functions. Medication appears to be more effective in treating the positive
symptoms of schizophrenia. The causes of schizophrenia have been attempted to be explained with the
biological model. Increased levels of dopamine and brain structural defects are currently the two
explanations with the strongest support. In addition, the stress-vulnerability model proposes that
individuals may have a biological sensitivity that is then made worse by environmental stress. Recent
imaging research has indicated that two areas of the brain, the cingulum bundle (CB, consisting of fibers
underlying the cingulate gyrus linking parts of the limbic system) and the uncinate fasciculus (UF, neural
fibers linking the frontal lobe to the temporal lobe), have significantly less myelin coating on their axons.
This makes these areas of the brain less efficient in sending neural messages to other cells, resulting in
decreased memory and decision-making ability. The CB may be associated with attention problems in
schizophrenia; whereas lower white matter integrity in the areas of the frontal lobe might be associated
with genetic predisposition to schizophrenia.
Disorders that affect a person’s entire life adjustment are referred to as personality disorders.
The DSM-IV-TR recognizes ten different personality disorders. An individual with antisocial personality
disorder typically feels no remorse and often behaves in an impulsive manner with no regard for the
consequences. Borderline personality disorder is defined by moody, unstable behaviors in which the
individual lacks a clear sense of identity. As an explanation for personality disorders, cognitive and
learning theorists focus on how specific behaviors are learned and reinforced over time.

Psychological Disorders -185- CHAPTER 14

 Although it is not yet recognized as a clinical disorder in the DSM-IV-TR, test anxiety is a
problem for countless students. Test anxiety is the personal experience of possible negative consequences
or poor outcomes on an exam or evaluation accompanied by a cluster of cognitive, affective, and
behavioral symptoms. To decrease the impact of test anxiety, one should try to find some internal
motivation to do well on the exam rather than simply relying on extrinsic reasons. Next, one should
develop some type of strategy for controlling cognitive state and behavior before and during the exam.
Recent research suggests that competence-priming, or imagining a person who is successful at a related
task, lowers the relationship between test anxiety and test performance. Finally, instead of focusing on the
whole exam, take control and address one question at a time, first answering the questions you know.

STUDY HINTS
26.Six different categories of psychological disorders are presented in this chapter. In order to help
organize the new terms, try creating a table of the different disorders that includes a general
description of each category and the specific disorders within the category. The first category has
been completed for you as an example.
Disorder Type General Description Specific Examples
social phobias,
Anxiety disorders a psychological disorder in specific phobias,
which the main symptom is agoraphobia,
an intense fear or anxiety obsessive-compulsive
disorder
generalized anxiety disorder,
panic disorder

Dissociative disorders

Mood disorders

Schizophrenia

Personality disorders

Psychological Disorders -186- CHAPTER 14

27. In addition to understanding the disorders themselves, it is important to understand the different
theories as to the causes of each disorder. Your textbook discusses three theories of abnormality:
the biological, psychological (including cognitive, behavioral and psychodynamic perspectives),
and biopsychosocial models. In order to enhance your understanding of these models, briefly
describe how each of them would explain the disorders listed below.

Dissociative Identity
Model Depression Schizophrenia
Disorder

Biological

Psychological

Biopsychosocial

Suggested answers for Question 2

Dissociative Identity
Model Depression Schizophrenia
Disorder

Biological brain chemical

variation in brain
imbalance (in chemical imbalance
activity between
neurotransmitters and brain structure
different
such as serotonin abnormalities
“personalities”
and dopamine)

Psychological negative and self- severe form of

thought avoidance
defeating thoughts illogical thinking

Biopsychosocial genetic susceptibility unstable family traumatic childhood

made worse by a environment triggers event causes changes
stressful environment biological sensitivity in neural activity

Psychological Disorders -187- CHAPTER 14

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
14.1 How has mental illness been explained in 14.5 What are the different kinds of mood
the past, how is abnormal behavior defined disorders and their causes?
today, and what is the impact of cultural 14.6 What are the two primary types of eating
differences in defining abnormality? disorders, how do they differ, and who are
14.2 How can psychological disorders be they most likely to affect?
explained within the biological and 14.7 What are the main symptoms, types, and
psychological models? causes of schizophrenia?
14.3 What are the different types of 14.8 How do the various personality disorders
psychological disorders, and how common differ, and what is thought to be the cause of
are they? personality disorders?
14.4 What are the different types of anxiety 14.9 What are some of the future directions in
disorders, their symptoms, and causes? psychopathology?

PRACTICE EXAM
For the following multiple choice questions, select the answer you feel best answers the question.

1. It is probably accurate to assume that in ancient times signs of mental illness were believed to be
caused by
a) imbalance of body fluids.
b) demons.
c) improper diet.
d) social forces.

2. What is the primary difficulty with applying the criterion of "social norm deviance" to define
abnormal behavior?
a) Norms are difficult to enumerate.
b) Cultures accept and view all behaviors as normal.
c) Behavior that is considered disordered in one culture may be acceptable in another.
d) Norms do not guide behavior except in rare instances.

3. Which of the following is not a criterion used to decide whether a pattern of behavior should be
considered a psychological disorder?
a) The behavior is physically exhausting.
b) The behavior causes subjective distress.
c) The behavior goes against the norms of the society.
d) The behavior is maladaptive.

4. The biological model views psychological disorders as resulting

from
a) distorted thought patterns.
b) repressed memories.
c) underlying behavioral issues.
d) physiological causes.

Psychological Disorders -188- CHAPTER 14

5. Jennie is in her early twenties. Lately, when she looks in the mirror, she sees an obese woman. In
reality Jennie is actually of normal weight. Sometimes Jennie eats large quantities of food in one
sitting and then makes herself vomit in order to avoid gaining weight. Taken together, Jennie’s
pattern of symptoms suggests that she may have
a) schizophrenia.
b) bulimia nervosa.
c) anorexia nervosa.
d) agoraphobia.

6. Alan went to see a psychologist to get some help overcoming his anxiety in public. The psychologist
spent a lot of time discussing the specific thoughts Alan has when he is in public and trying to help
him change those thought patterns. The psychologist could be best described as adhering to the
a) psychological perspective.
b) biological model.
c) psychoanalytical perspective.
d) sociocultural model.

7. Anorexia and bulimia may be considered ______________, as they are most often found in Western
societies.
a) restricted syndromes
b) naturalistic syndromes
c) sociocultural disorders
d) culture-bound syndromes

8. _______is used to help psychological professionals diagnose psychological disorders.

a) The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
b) The Physician's Desk Reference
c) The Textbook of Psychological Disorders
d) The Textbook of Physiological Disorders

9. When a psychologist or psychiatrist is using the DSM-IV-TR as a guide to evaluating a client, he or

she would assess the client on each of five
a) axes.
b) stages.
c) phases.
d) steps.

10. In any given year in the United States, approximately how many adults over age 18 experience a
mental disorder?
a) 5 percent
b) 26 percent
c) 52 percent
d) 76 percent

11. Which of the following statements is true about anxiety?

a) It is never considered realistic or normal.
b) Some anxiety is realistic when its source is obvious and understandable.
c) It always manifests itself as a disorder.
d) It is unusual for a mentally healthy person to experience anxiety.

Psychological Disorders -189- CHAPTER 14

12. Over the past few years, Sam has become extremely fearful of going to any public place such as a
restaurant, concert, or even the grocery store. On many days, Sam does not even leave his house for
fear that he might be caught somewhere that would not be easy to escape from. With which anxiety
disorder would Sam most likely be diagnosed?
a) a specific phobia
b) obsessive-compulsive disorder
c) generalized anxiety disorder
d) agoraphobia

13. Liza has an anxiety disorder. She is currently seeing a therapist who believes that anxiety disorders
are a result of illogical, irrational thought processes. Liza is probably seeking treatment from a
a) behavioral psychologist.
b) cognitive psychologist.
c) psychoanalyst.
d) psychologist with a biological perspective.

14. The cognitive process of magnification could be described as

a) interpreting a single negative event as a never-ending pattern of defeat.
b) making mountains out of molehills.
c) giving little or no emphasis to one’s successes or positive events.
d) throwing the baby out with the bath water.

15. Disorders characterized by a break in conscious awareness, memory, the sense of identity, or some
combination are called
a) paraphilias.
b) anxiety disorders.
c) somatoform disorders.
d) dissociative disorders.

16. Dissociative identity disorder is a psychological disorder more commonly known as

a) amnesia.
b) fugue or flight disorder.
c) schizophrenia.
d) multiple personality disorder.

17. Which of the following perspectives claims that shaping may play a big role in the development of
some cases of dissociative identity disorder?
a) psychological
b) humanistic
c) biological
d) psychoanalytic

18. Disorders characterized by disturbances in emotion are known as ______ disorders.

a) conversion
b) somatoform
c) mood
d) dissociative

Psychological Disorders -190- CHAPTER 14

19. An individual diagnosed with dysthymia would most likely exhibit which of the following
symptoms?
a) cycles of being sad then happy then sad
b) mild depression over a period of several years
c) severe depression that appears very rapidly without any apparent reason
d) periods of excessive excitement followed by days or weeks of severe depression

20. Which of the following is the biological explanation for mood disorders?
a) They are a result of learned helplessness.
b) They are a result of anger turned inward on oneself.
c) They are a result of distortions in thinking.
d) They are a result of an imbalance of brain chemicals.

21. A person suffering from disordered thinking, bizarre behavior, and hallucinations, who is unable to
distinguish between fantasy and reality, is likely suffering from
a) schizophrenia.
b) bipolar disorder.
c) a dissociative disorder.
d) passive-aggressive personality.

22. The condition in which a person shows little or no emotion is referred to as

a) flat affect.
b) hallucinations.
c) delusions.
d) disorganization.

23. The primary feature of ______ schizophrenia is severe disturbance of motor behavior.
a) disorganized
b) catatonic
c) residual
d) paranoid

24. Which of the following symptoms would not be considered a negative symptom of schizophrenia?
a) lack of affect
b) poor attention
c) social withdrawal
d) hallucinations

25. Sal has decreased levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine in his prefrontal cortex. Which disorder
might he be at risk of experiencing?
a) antisocial personality disorder
b) agoraphobia
c) schizophrenia
d) dissociative fugue

26. Disorders that affect the entire life adjustment of a person are referred to as
a) somatoform disorders.
b) dissociative disorders.
c) mood disorders.
d) personality disorders.

Psychological Disorders -191- CHAPTER 14

27. A person with antisocial personality disorder would be likely to engage in which of the following
behaviors?
a) lying to other people without worrying about the consequences
b) display excessive and inappropriate emotions
c) report hallucinations
d) completely withdraw from society

28. Which of the following statements represents the biological view of personality disorders?
a) They are due to an inadequate resolution of the Oedipus complex.
b) They are a type of learned behavior.
c) They have physiological causes.
d) They are due to disturbances in family relationships.

29. __________is a mood disorder that is caused by the body's reaction to low levels of light present in
the winter months.
a) Panic disorder
b) Bipolar disorder
c) Dysthymic disorder
d) Seasonal affective disorder

PRACTICE EXAM ANSWERS

1. b People of ancient times perceived signs of mental illness as caused by demons.
Hippocrates, a Greek physician, viewed the imbalance of body fluids as the cause of
mental illness, but Hippocrates’ time period is not considered “ancient times.”
2. c Behavior that is considered disordered in one culture may be acceptable in another.
Most people do allow social norms to guide much of their behavior.
3. a The three main criteria for a behavior to be considered a psychological disorder are
that it deviates from social norms, is maladaptive, and causes the individual
personal distress or discomfort.
4. d The biological model emphasizes physiological or physical causes for
psychological disorders. The other three choices represent the psychological models
of cognitive, psychoanalytical, and behavioral.
5. b Bulimia nervosa is similar to anorexia in that victims see themselves as being
overweight when they are not. However, bulimia differs from anorexia in that it
typically begins in the victim’s early twenties rather than during puberty. Also,
bulimics eat and then purge; whereas, anorexics avoid eating altogether.
6. a Within the psychological model, cognitive psychologists tend to treat disorders by
attempting to change the person’s thought patterns.
7. d Anorexia and bulimia may be considered culture-bound syndromes, as they tend to
occur primarily in Western cultures.
8. a The DSM helps psychological professionals diagnose psychological disorders,
while the Physician's Desk Reference is used by medical professionals to diagnose
physiological problems.
9. a The DSM-IV-TR uses a system of five different axes for evaluations.
10. b According to recent studies, approximately 26 percent of the U.S. adult population
experiences a mental disorder in a given year.
11. b This statement is true because some types of anxiety are normal.
12. d Agoraphobia is an anxiety disorder characterized by an extreme fear of going in
public places that would be difficult to escape from if necessary.
13. b Cognitive psychologists view anxiety disorders as a result of distorted thought
processes.

Psychological Disorders -192- CHAPTER 14

14. b Magnification is the tendency to interpret a situation as being far more harmful,
dangerous, or embarrassing than it actually is, or in other words, making a big deal
out of something that is actually very small.
15. d Dissociative disorders are characterized by a break in conscious awareness,
memory, the sense of identity, or some combination.
16. d Multiple personality disorder is a term no longer used by psychologists but is still
very common in the general public.
17. a Within the psychological model of abnormality, behavioral psychologists
emphasize shaping through positive and negative reinforcement as a factor in the
development of some cases of dissociate identity disorder.
18. c Mood disorders are characterized by disturbances in emotion, while somatoform
disorders take the form of bodily ailments that have no physical cause
19. b Dysthymia can be thought of as a mild version of depression, while cyclothymia
more closely resembles a mild version of bipolar disorder.
20. d The biological explanation emphasizes an imbalance of brain chemicals.
21. a Disordered thinking, bizarre behavior, hallucinations, and inability to distinguish
between fantasy and reality are all symptoms of schizophrenia. Bipolar disorder is
characterized by mood swings between depression and mania and does not involve
hallucinations or inability to distinguish between fantasy and reality.
22. a The word affect is used to mean emotion or mood.
23. b Severe motor disturbance is a feature of catatonic schizophrenia. Symptoms of
residual schizophrenia include negative beliefs, poor language skills, unusual ideas
and perceptions.
24. d Negative symptoms of schizophrenia reflect a decrease in normal function (such as
lack of social interactions or displays of emotions). Hallucinations represent an
excess or addition in normal function and would be classified as a positive symptom
of schizophrenia.
25. c Schizophrenia is associated with an imbalance of dopamine.
26. d Personality disorders do not just affect a single aspect of a person’s life but rather
affect the person’s entire life adjustment.
27. a Antisocial personality disorder is characterized by an individual who acts “against
society.” For example, an individual might commit a crime without feeling any
remorse.
28. c The biological perspective focuses on physiological causes for psychological
disorders, and cognitive-learning theorists do believe that the behavior displayed by
people with personality disorders is learned through reinforcement, shaping, and
modeling.
29. d Seasonal affective disorder occurs primarily during the winter months. Dysthymic
disorder consists of similar symptoms but is not seasonal in nature.

CHAPTER GLOSSARY
acrophobia fear of heights.
acute stress disorder (ASD) a disorder resulting from exposure to a major stressor with symptoms
of anxiety, dissociation, recurring nightmares, sleep disturbances,
problems in concentration, and moments in which people seem to
“relive” the event in dreams and flashbacks for as long as 1 month
following the event.
affect in psychology, a term indicating emotion or mood.
agoraphobia fear of being in a place or situation from which escape is difficult or
impossible.

Psychological Disorders -193- CHAPTER 14

all-or-nothing thinking the tendency to believe that one’s performance must be perfect or the
result will be a total failure.
anorexia nervosa (anorexia) a condition in which a person reduces eating to the point that a weight
loss of 15 percent below the ideal body weight or more occurs.
antisocial personality disorder disorder in which a person has no morals or conscience and often
behaves in an impulsive manner without regard for the consequences
of that behavior.
anxiety disorders disorders in which the main symptom is excessive or unrealistic
anxiety and fearfulness.
biological model model of explaining behavior as caused by biological changes in the
chemical, structural, or genetic systems of the body.
biopsychosocial model perspective in which abnormal behavior is seen as the result of the
combined and interacting forces of biological, psychological, social,
and cultural influences.
bipolar disorder severe mood swings between major depressive episodes and manic
episodes.
borderline personality maladaptive personality pattern in which the person is moody,
disorder unstable, lacks a clear sense of identity, and often clings to others.
bulimia nervosa (bulimia) a condition in which a person develops a cycle of “binging” or
overeating enormous amounts of food at one sitting, and then using
unhealthy methods to avoid weight gain.
catatonic type of schizophrenia in which the person experiences periods of
statue-like immobility mixed with occasional bursts of energetic,
frantic movement and talking.
claustrophobia fear of being in a small enclosed space.
cognitive psychologists psychologists who study the way people think, remember and
mentally organize information.
cultural relativity the need to consider the unique characteristics of the culture in which
behavior takes place.
culture-bound syndromes disorders found only in particular cultures.
delusional disorder a psychotic disorder in which the primary symptom is one or more
delusions.
delusions false beliefs held by a person who refuses to accept evidence of their
falseness.
depersonalization disorder dissociative disorder in which individuals feel detached and
disconnected from themselves, their bodies, and their surroundings.
disorganized type of schizophrenia in which behavior is bizarre and childish and
thinking, speech, and motor actions are very disordered.
dissociative amnesia loss of memory for personal information, either partial or complete.
dissociative disorders disorders in which there is a break in conscious awareness, memory,
the sense of identity, or some combination.
dissociative fugue traveling away from familiar surroundings with amnesia for the trip
and possible amnesia for personal information.
dissociative identity disorder disorder occurring when a person seems to have two or more distinct
personalities within one body.
flat affect a lack of emotional responsiveness.
free-floating anxiety anxiety that is unrelated to any realistic, known source.

Psychological Disorders -194- CHAPTER 14

generalized anxiety disorder disorder in which a person has feelings of dread and impending doom
along with physical symptoms of stress, and which lasts six months or
more.
hallucinations false sensory perceptions, such as hearing voices that do not really
exist.
magnification the tendency to interpret situations as far more dangerous, harmful, or
important than they actually are.
major depression severe depression that comes on suddenly and seems to have no
external cause, or is too severe for current circumstances.
maladaptive anything that does not allow a person to function within or adapt to
the stresses and everyday demands on life.
manic having the quality of excessive excitement, energy, and elation or
irritability.
minimization the tendency to give little or no importance to one’s successes or
positive events and traits.
mood disorders disorders in which mood is severely disturbed.
negative symptoms symptoms of schizophrenia that are less than normal behavior or an
absence of normal behavior; poor attention, flat affect, and poor
speech production.
obsessive-compulsive disorder disorder in which intruding, recurring thoughts or obsessions create
anxiety that is relieved by performing a repetitive, ritualistic behavior
or mental act (compulsion).
overgeneralization the tendency to interpret a single negative event as a never-ending
pattern of defeat and failure.
panic attack sudden onset of intense panic in which multiple physical symptoms of
stress occur, often with feelings that one is dying.
panic disorder disorder in which panic attacks occur frequently enough to cause the
person difficulty in adjusting to daily life.
panic disorder with fear of leaving one’s familiar surroundings because one might have a
agoraphobia panic attack in public.
paranoid type of schizophrenia in which the person suffers from delusions of
persecution, grandeur, and jealousy, together with hallucinations.
personality disorders disorders in which a person adopts a persistent, rigid, and maladaptive
pattern of behavior that interferes with normal social interactions.
phobia an irrational, persistent fear of an object, situation, or social activity.
positive symptoms symptoms of schizophrenia that are excesses of behavior or occur in
addition to normal behavior; hallucinations, delusions, and distorted
thinking.
posttraumatic stress disorder A disorder resulting from exposure to a major stressor, with
(PTSD) symptoms of anxiety, dissociation, nightmares, poor sleep, reliving
the event, and concentration problems lasting for more than 1 month.
psychological disorders any pattern of behavior that causes people significant distress, causes
them to harm others, or harms their ability to function in daily life.
psychopathology the study of abnormal behavior.
psychotic term applied to a person who is no longer able to distinguish what is
real and what is fantasy.
schizophrenia severe disorder in which the person suffers from disordered thinking,
bizarre behavior, hallucinations, and is unable to distinguish between
fantasy and reality.

Psychological Disorders -195- CHAPTER 14

seasonal affective disorder a mood disorder caused by the body’s reaction to low levels of
(SAD) sunlight in the winter months.
situational context the social or environmental setting of a person’s behavior.
social phobia fear of interacting with others or being in social situations that might
lead to a negative evaluation.
sociocultural perspective perspective in which abnormal behavior (as well as normal behavior)
is seen as the product of the learning and shaping of behavior within
the context of the family, the social group to which one belongs, and
the culture within which the family and social group exist.
specific phobias fear of objects or specific situations or events.
stress-vulnerability model explanation of disorder that assumes a biological sensitivity, or
vulnerability, to a certain disorder will result in the development of
that disorder under the right conditions of environmental or emotional
stress.
subjective discomfort emotional distress or emotional pain.

Psychological Disorders -196- CHAPTER 14

 CHAPTER 15 – PSYCHOLOGICAL THERAPIES

YOU KNOW YOU ARE READY FOR THE TEST IF YOU ARE ABLE TO…
• Define two main types of modern treatment for psychological disorders and briefly discuss the
history of treatment of the mentally ill.
• Introduce the major types of psychotherapy including psychoanalysis, humanistic, behavior,
cognitive, and group therapy.
• Discuss the assessment and effectiveness of the psychotherapy treatments.
• Describe the biomedical approaches of treating psychological disorders including the use of
drugs, electroconvulsive therapy, and psychosurgery.

RAPID REVIEW
Therapy for psychological disorders consists of treatment methods aimed at making people feel
better and function more effectively. The two modern ways in which psychological disorders can be
treated are psychotherapy, which consists of talking things out with a professional and biomedical
therapy, which consists of using biological methods such as medication to treat a psychological disorder.
Psychotherapy techniques can be roughly divided into insight therapies, which have the goal of self-
understanding and action therapies, which focus on changing an individual’s behaviors. Biomedical
therapies consist mainly of the use of drugs, surgical techniques, or electroconvulsive therapy. It is
important to note that biomedical therapy often eliminates or alleviates the symptoms of a disorder while
psychotherapy addresses issues associated with the disorder. Recent research suggests that, when used
together, these two types of therapy facilitate each other. Early treatment of the mentally ill often
consisted of fatal attempts to “rid” the individual of the physical impurities causing the abnormal
behavior. It was not until 1793 that Philippe Pinel began the movement of humane treatment of the
mentally ill.
Psychoanalysis is an insight therapy developed by Sigmund Freud with the goal of revealing the
unconscious conflicts, urges, and desires that Freud assumed were the cause of the psychological
disorder. Freud utilized a number of techniques in his attempt to reveal the unconscious. Dream
interpretation involved an analysis of the actual or manifest content of a dream as well as the hidden or
latent content. Freud felt the latent content of dreams could reveal unconscious conflict. In addition,
Freud used free association, or allowing the patients to freely say whatever came to their mind, to
uncover the repressed material; resistance, in which the patient became unwilling to discuss a topic any
further; and transference, in which the therapist became a symbol of a parental authority figure. Today,
psychoanalytic therapy is often referred to as psychodynamic therapy and is directive, places more
emphasis on transference, and is usually much shorter than traditional psychoanalysis. Individuals with
anxiety, somatoform, or dissociative disorders are more likely to benefit from psychodynamic therapy
than individuals with other types of disorders. Interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT) is a psychotherapy
developed to address depression. It is an insight therapy focusing on the client’s relationships and the
interplay between mood and the events of everyday life.
Humanistic therapy is also an insight therapy, but unlike psychoanalysis, humanistic therapy
focuses on conscious experiences of emotion and an individual’s sense of self. The two most common
humanistic therapies are person-centered therapy and Gestalt therapy. Carl Rogers developed person-
centered therapy, which has the goal of helping an individual get his or her real and ideal selves to more
closely match up. According to Rogers, the role of the therapist is to provide the unconditional positive
regard that was missing in the individual’s life. He felt the therapy should be nondirective with the
individual doing most of the work and believed the four key elements of reflection, unconditional
positive regard, empathy, and authenticity were crucial for a successful person-therapist relationship.
Motivational interviewing (MI) is a variation of person-centered therapy that has specific goals to reduce
the ambivalence about change and to increase intrinsic motivation to make the change happen. The four
goals of a therapist administering MI therapy are as follows: express empathy, develop discrepancy

Psychological Therapies -197- CHAPTER 15

between the client’s present behaviors and values, roll with resistance, and support the client’s self-
efficacy. Fritz Perls believed that people’s problems arose from hiding important parts of their feelings
from themselves and developed another humanistic therapy called Gestalt therapy, a directive form of
insight therapy. Gestalt therapy focuses on the client’s feelings and subjective experiences and uses
leading questions and planned experiences such as role-playing to help the person reveal the feelings they
may be hiding from themselves. Humanistic therapies have been found to be more successful with
individuals who are able to express their thoughts and feelings in a logical manner and are not necessarily
the best choice for individuals with more severe psychological disorders.
Behavior therapies use action-based therapy to change behavior based on basic principles of
classical and operant conditioning. The abnormal behavior is not seen as a symptom, but rather seen as
the problem itself. Behavior modification or applied behavior analysis refers to the use of conditioning
techniques to modify behavior. Behavior therapies that rely on classical conditioning include systematic
desensitization, aversion therapy, and flooding. Systematic desensitization consists of a three-step
process that utilizes counter-conditioning in order to reduce fear and anxiety. First the client learns deep
muscle relaxation techniques, then the client creates a list of anxiety-producing events called a hierarchy
of fear, and finally the client confronts the anxiety-producing event while remaining in a relaxed state.
Aversion therapy uses classical conditioning to decrease a behavior by pairing an aversive (unpleasant)
stimulus with the stimulus that normally produces the unwanted behavior. Behavioral techniques that
introduce the client to situations, under carefully controlled conditions, which are related to their anxieties
or fears are called exposure therapies. Flooding involves rapid and intense exposure to an anxiety-
producing object in order to produce extinction of the conditioned fear response.
Francine Shapiro developed a therapy technique called eye-movement desensitization reprocessing
(EMDR) in which clients attempt to decrease their fears, anxieties, and disturbing thoughts by moving
their eyes rapidly back and forth. Although EMDR has been a popular treatment for post-traumatic stress
disorder, the effectiveness of the treatment has yet to be firmly established and has not been found to be
any more effective than other more traditional techniques such as simple muscle relaxation or exposure
therapy.
Behavior therapies that utilize operant conditioning include participant modeling, token
economies, contingency contracts, and extinction techniques such as the use of a time-out. Participant
modeling has been used to successfully treat phobias and obsessive-compulsive disorders by having the
client watch and mimic a model demonstrating the desired behaviors. In a token economy, clients are
reinforced with tokens for behaving correctly and can later exchange the tokens for things they want such
as food, candy, or special privileges. A contingency contract is a written statement of specific required
behaviors, contingent penalties, and subsequent rewards. Extinction techniques such as time-outs work
by removing the reinforcement for a behavior. In adults, simply refusing to acknowledge a person’s
behavior is often successful in reducing the frequency of that behavior. Behavior therapies have been
effective in the treatment of disorders including overeating, drug addictions, and phobias.
Cognitive therapy is an action therapy that focuses on helping people change the distorted
thinking and unrealistic beliefs that lead to maladaptive behaviors. Common distortions in thought
include arbitrary inference (or “jumping to conclusions”), selective thinking, overgeneralization,
magnification and minimization, and personalization. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a type
of cognitive therapy in which the goal is to help clients overcome problems by learning to think more
rationally and logically. Albert Ellis developed a version of CBT called rational-emotive behavioral
therapy in which clients are taught to replace their own irrational beliefs with more rational, helpful
statements. Cognitive therapies have considerable success in treating disorders such as depression, stress
disorders, anxiety disorders, and some types of schizophrenia.
An alternative to individual therapy is group therapy, in which a group of clients with similar
problems gather together and discuss their problems under the guidance of a single therapist. Types of
group therapies include family counseling and self-help (or support) groups. The advantages of group
therapy are the lower cost, exposure to the ways other people handle the same kinds of problems, the
opportunity for the therapist to see how that person interacts with others, and the social and emotional
support from the people in the group. Research indicates that an extremely shy person may initially have

Psychological Therapies -198- CHAPTER 15

great difficulty speaking up in a group setting but cognitive–behavioral group therapy can be effective for
social phobia. The disadvantages are that the person may not feel as free to reveal embarrassing or
personal information, the therapist’s time must be shared during the session, and people with severe
disorders such as schizophrenia may not tolerate a group setting. Group therapy seems to be most
successful as a long-term treatment intended to promote the development of skilled social interactions.
The effectiveness of the various psychotherapy techniques is difficult to determine due to various
time frames required for the different therapies, alternate explanations of “effectiveness,” the lack of
adequate control groups, experimenter bias, and the inaccuracies of self-report information. Most
psychological professionals today take an eclectic approach to psychotherapy, which involves using a
combination of methods to fit the particular client’s needs. The most important aspect of successful
psychotherapy appears to be the relationship between the client and the therapist, also referred to as the
therapeutic alliance. Therapy should also offer clients a protected setting in which to release emotions
and reveal private thoughts and concerns. Other common factors in therapy effectiveness are opportunity
for catharsis (relieving pent-up emotions), learning and practice of new behaviors, and positive
experiences for the client. Differences in culture between the therapist and the client can make it difficult
for the therapist to understand the exact nature of the client’s problems. Several studies have found that
members of minority racial or ethnic groups drop out of therapy at significantly higher rates than the
majority group clients. Barriers to effective psychotherapy include difference in language, culture-bound
values, class-bound values, and nonverbal communication. A new form of therapy that is delivered via
the Internet, called cybertherapy, is now available.
Biomedical therapies directly affect the biological function of the body and include the three
categories of drug therapy, shock therapy, and surgical treatments. Psychopharmacology refers to the
use of drugs to control or relieve the symptoms of a psychological disorder and is often combined with
psychotherapy for a more effective outcome. Psychopharmacological drugs can be divided according to
the disorders they treat including drugs for psychotic disorders, anxiety disorders, manic symptoms of
mood disorders, and depression. Drugs used to treat psychotic symptoms such as hallucinations,
delusions, and bizarre behaviors are called antipsychotic drugs and include typical neuroleptics, atypical
neuroleptics, and partial dopamine agonists. In general, these drugs work to decrease dopamine levels in
the brain. The newer drugs tend to have fewer negative side effects than the older typical neuroleptics.
The two kinds of drugs currently used to treat anxiety disorders include the traditional antianxiety drugs
such as the minor tranquilizers, or benzodiazepines, including Xanax, Ativan, and Valium and
antidepressant drugs to be discussed in more detail shortly. The most common treatment for the manic
symptoms of bipolar disorder is the antimanic drug of lithium. The exact mechanism of lithium is still not
clearly understood. Antidepressant drugs can be divided into three separate categories: the monamine
oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) such as Marplan and Nardil; tricyclic antidepressants such as Tofranil and
Elavil; and the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) such as Prozac and Zoloft.
Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), also known as shock therapy, is still in use today to treat severe cases
of depression, schizophrenia, and mania. The treatment involves delivery of an electric shock to one or
both sides of a person’s head, causing a release of neurotransmitters and almost immediate improvement
in the individual’s mood. One of the main side effects of ECT is at least a short-term loss of memory.
Psychosurgery involves operating on an individual’s brain to remove or destroy brain tissue for the
purpose of relieving symptoms of psychological disorders. One of the earliest psychosurgery techniques
is the prefrontal lobotomy, which is no longer performed today. The main psychosurgery technique in
use today is the bilateral cingulotomy which destroys the cingulated gyrus and has been shown to be
effective in about one-third of cases of depression, bipolar disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorder.
This procedure is only performed with the patient’s full and informed consent after all other treatment
options have been exhausted.
New noninvasive techniques for effecting changes in the brain include repetitive transcranial
magnetic stimulation (rTMS), where magnetic pulses are applied to the cortex, and transcranial direct
current stimulation (tCDS), which uses scalp electrodes to pass very low amplitude direct currents to the
brain. These techniques are being evaluated as possible treatment options for PTSD and depression. Deep

Psychological Therapies -199- CHAPTER 15

brain stimulation is another technique that is being investigated as a possible treatment for both
depression and OCD.

STUDY HINTS
28. An important task in this chapter is to understand the differences among the multiple types of
therapy. Listed below are several of the psychotherapies discussed in the chapter. For each
therapy, indicate the type of therapy (insight or action), the role of the therapist (directive or
nondirective), the school of thought most likely to use this technique, and the overall goal of the
therapy. The first psychotherapy has been filled in as an example.

Type of Role of School of Goal of

Therapy
Therapy Therapist Thought Therapy

Uncover
Traditional
Insight Nondirective Psychoanalysis unconscious
psychoanalysis
conflicts

Person-centered
therapy

Gestalt therapy

Rational-
emotive
behavioral
therapy (REBT)

Systematic
desensitization

Psychological Therapies -200- CHAPTER 15

 Suggested Answers for Question 1

Type of Role of School of

Therapy Goal of therapy
therapy therapist thought

Uncover
Traditional
Insight Nondirective Psychoanalysis unconscious
Psychoanalysis
conflicts

Bring ideal self

Person-centered
Insight Nondirective Humanistic and real self
therapy
into congruence

Increase self-
Gestalt therapy Insight Directive Humanistic
awareness

Replace
Rational-
irrational beliefs
emotive Cognitive-
Action Directive with more
behavioral Behavioral
rational, helpful
therapy (REBT)
statements

Systematic Reduce fear and

Action Directive Behaviorist
desensitization anxiety

Which of the therapies listed above would you find most helpful? _______________________

Why? _______________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

Psychological Therapies -201- CHAPTER 15

29. Rational-emotive behavioral therapy is commonly used for individuals with depression and
anxiety. The therapy is based on the idea that an individual has adopted irrational beliefs that
have in turn led to their condition of anxiety and depression. The goal of the therapy is to
identify the irrational beliefs and teach the individual how to respond with more rational thought
processes. In order to better understand the process, assume you are a therapist using the REBT
technique and your client makes the following irrational statements. List a suggestion for a
rational belief the client could adopt instead. The first one has already been completed.

Irrational Belief Rational Belief

I want to be loved or liked by some of the

a. I must be loved, or at least liked, and
people in my life, and I know I may feel
approved by every significant person I
disappointed or lonely when that doesn’t
meet.
happen, but I can cope with those feelings.

b. I must be completely competent, make

no mistakes, and achieve in every
possible way if I am to be worthwhile.

c. It is dreadful, nearly the end of the

world, when things aren’t how I would
like them to be.

d. Human unhappiness, including mine, is

caused by factors outside of my control,
so little can be done about it.

e. If something might be dangerous,

unpleasant, or frightening, I should
worry about it a great deal.

f. My problem(s) were caused by event(s)

in my past, and that’s why I have my
problem(s) now.

g. I should be very upset by other people’s

problems and difficulties

Psychological Therapies -202- CHAPTER 15

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
15.1 What are the two modern ways in which 15.7 What are the various types of group
psychological disorders can be treated, and therapies and the advantages and
how have they been treated in the past? disadvantages of group therapy?
15.2 What were the basic elements of Freud’s 15.8 How effective is psychotherapy, and how is
psychoanalysis, and how does the effectiveness of psychotherapy influenced
psychoanalysis differ today? by cultural, ethnic, and gender differences?
15.3 What are the basic elements of the 15.9 What are the various types of drugs used to
humanistic therapies known as person- treat psychological disorders?
centered therapy and Gestalt therapy? 15.10 How are electroconvulsive therapy and
15.4 How do behavior therapists use classical psychosurgery used to treat psychological
and operant conditioning to treat disorders today?
disordered behavior? 15.11 How might computers be used in
15.5 How successful are behavior therapies? psychotherapy?
15.6 What are the goals and basic elements of
cognitive therapies such as cognitive-
behavioral therapy and rational-emotive
behavioral therapy?

PRACTICE EXAM
For the following multiple choice questions, select the answer you feel best answers the question.

1. Therapies directed at changing disordered behavior are referred to as

a) action therapies.
b) insight therapies.
c) biomedical therapies.
d) relationship therapies.

2. Which of the following is the best example of biomedical therapy?

a) use of antidepressants to treat depression
b) use of insight therapy for social phobia
c) psychoanalysis to help treat an anxiety disorder
d) flooding treatment for an individual with obsessive-compulsive disorder

3. Approximately how long ago were the first efforts made to treat the mentally ill with kindness,
rather than subjecting them to harsh physical treatment?
a) 20 years ago
b) 100 years ago
c) 200 years ago
d) 500 years ago

4. Psychoanalysis was a therapy technique designed by

a) Alfred Adler.
b) Carl Rogers.
c) Fritz Perls.
d) Sigmund Freud.

5. Freud believed one of the indications that he was close to discovering an unconscious conflict was
when a patient became unwilling to talk about a topic. He referred to this response in the patient as
a) transference.
b) latent content.
c) dream analysis.
d) resistance.

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6. Which of the following individuals would be least likely to benefit from psychoanalysis?
a) Mary, who has a somatoform disorder
b) Kaleem, who suffers from a severe psychotic disorder
c) Pasha, who has panic attacks
d) Lou, who suffers from anxiety

7. The modern psychoanalyst provides guidance to the patient, asks questions, suggests helpful
behaviors, and gives opinions and interpretations. This type of role for the therapist is described as a
_____________ approach.
a) free association
b) directive
c) biomedical
d) nondirective

8. What did Carl Rogers view as a cause of most personal problems and unhappiness?
a) reinforcement of maladaptive behavior patterns
b) unrealistic modes of thought employed by many people
c) mismatch between an individual's ideal self and real self
d) unresolved unconscious conflicts that occur between the id and superego

9. Which of the following was not one of the four key elements Rogers viewed as necessary for a
successful person-therapist relationship?
a) reflection
b) unconditional positive regard
c) authenticity
d) resistance

10. What is a major goal of the Gestalt therapist?

a) to facilitate transference
b) to eliminate the client's undesirable behaviors
c) to provide unconditional positive regard
d) to help clients become more aware of their own feelings

11. Which of the following is a limitation of humanistic therapy?

a) Clients do not need to be verbal.
b) There is not enough empirical research to support its basic ideas.
c) It cannot be used in a variety of contexts.
d) The therapist runs the risk of having his or her words misinterpreted by the client.

12. In the aversion therapy technique known as rapid smoking the client takes a puff on a cigarette
every five or six seconds so that the nicotine now produces unpleasant responses such as nausea and
dizziness, so that eventually the cigarette itself produces a sensation of nausea in the client. In the
terms of classical conditioning, the cigarette functions as the ________ and the nicotine is the
___________.
a) UCS; CS
b) CS; UCS
c) CR; UCS
d) CS; UCR

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13. Which method of treating phobias involves progressive relaxation and exposure to the feared
object?
a) extinction
b) punishment
c) token economy
d) systematic desensitization

14. In a token economy, what role does the token play in shaping behavior?
a) The tokens are used as punishment to decrease the maladaptive behavior.
b) The tokens are used to reinforce the desired behavior.
c) The token is the actual behavior itself.
d) The token represents the written contract between the client and therapist.

15. What is an advantage of using operant conditioning in treating undesirable behaviors?

a) The results are usually quickly obtained.
b) Clients can get an understanding of the underlying cause of the problem.
c) Unconscious urges are revealed.
d) Clients can change distorted thought patterns that affect behavior.

16. Which of the following is one of the criticisms of behavior therapy?

a) It focuses on the underlying cause of behavior and not the symptoms.
b) Therapy typically lasts for several years and is very expensive.
c) It focuses too much on the past.
d) It only relieves some symptoms of schizophrenia but does not treat the overall disorder.

17. What is the goal of cognitive therapy?

a) to help clients gain insight into their unconscious
b) to help people change their ways of thinking
c) to change a person’s behavior through shaping and reinforcement
d) to provide unconditional positive regard for the client

18. Which of these clients is the most likely candidate for Aaron Beck's form of cognitive therapy?
a) Albert, who suffers from mania
b) Barbara, who suffers from depression
c) Robert, who suffers from schizophrenia
d) Virginia, who has been diagnosed with dissociative identity disorder

19. Which approach assumes that disorders come from illogical, irrational cognitions and that changing
the thinking patterns to more rational, logical ones will relieve the symptoms of the disorder?
a) cognitive-behavioral
b) person-centered
c) psychoanalytic
d) Gestalt

Psychological Therapies -205- CHAPTER 15

20. According to Albert Ellis, we become unhappy and depressed about events because of
a) our behaviors.
b) our irrational beliefs.
c) the events that happen to us.
d) other people's irrational beliefs.

21. Which of the following is the best example of an irrational belief that a therapist using rational-
emotive behavioral therapy would challenge you to change?
a) It is disappointing when things don’t go my way.
b) If I fail this test, it will hurt my grade in this class but I will try to make it up on the next
exam.
c) There must be something wrong with Bob since he turned down my invitation for a date.
d) Everyone should love and approve of me and if they don’t, there must be something
wrong with me.

22. Which of the following is an advantage of cognitive and cognitive-behavioral therapies?

a) Clients do not need to be verbal.
b) They treat the underlying cause of the problem.
c) They are less expensive and short-term than typical insight therapies.
d) The therapist decides which of the client's beliefs are rational and which are irrational.

23. An advantage to group therapy is that groups

a) are a source of social support.
b) allow countertransference to occur.
c) provide unconditional approval to the group members.
d) allow antisocial individuals to dominate group discussions.

24. In family therapy, the therapist would most likely

a) focus on one individual who has been identified as the source of the problem.
b) have each family member come in for therapy individually.
c) provide unconditional approval to all the family members.
d) focus on the entire family system to understand the problem.

25. Which of the following is not true about self-help support groups?
a) Self-help groups do not have leaders.
b) Currently, only a limited number of self-help groups operate in the United States.
c) Self-help groups are typically not directed by a licensed therapist.
d) Self-help groups are usually free to attend.

26. __________ is a controversial form of therapy in which the client is directed to move the eyes
rapidly back and forth while thinking of a disturbing memory.
a) Eye-movement desensitization reprocessing
b) Systematic desensitization
c) Eye-memory therapy
d) Eye therapy

27. Most psychological professionals today take a(n) ______ view of psychotherapy.
a) group treatment
b) humanistic
c) eclectic
d) behavioral

Psychological Therapies -206- CHAPTER 15

28. The most important aspect of a successful psychotherapy treatment is
a) the length of the session.
b) the specific approach of the therapist.
c) the relationship between the client and the therapist.
d) the severity of the disorder.

29. Studies that have examined cultural and ethnic factors in the therapeutic relationship have found that
a) members of minority racial or ethnic groups are more likely to continue treatment until
the problem has been resolved.
b) members of the majority racial or ethnic group usually have lower prevalence rates of
disorders.
c) members of minority racial or ethnic groups drop out of therapy at a higher rate than
members of the majority group.
d) members of minority racial or ethnic groups rarely or never seek therapy.

30. Which of the following has not been found to be a barrier to effective psychotherapy when the
cultural backgrounds of client and therapist are different?
a) language differences
b) differing cultural values
c) nonverbal communication
d) severity of the disorder

31. Antipsychotic drugs treat symptoms such as

a) hopelessness, sadness, and suicide ideations.
b) excessive worry, repetitive thoughts, and compulsive behavior.
c) hallucinations, delusions, and bizarre behavior.
d) manipulation, lying, and cheating.

32. In what way is the new class of antidepressants known as the SSRIs an improvement over the older
types of antidepressants?
a) They work faster.
b) They are more effective.
c) They target a larger number of different neurotransmitters.
d) They have fewer side effects.

33. For which disorder was electroconvulsive therapy originally developed as a treatment?
a) panic
b) schizophrenia
c) bipolar disorder
d) cyclothymia

34. Which of the following is the appropriate definition of psychosurgery?

a) information given to a patient about a surgical procedure before the surgery in order to
prevent anxiety
b) surgery that is performed on brain tissue to relieve or control severe psychological disorders
c) surgery that severs the spinal cord of the patient
d) a procedure in which a brief current of electricity is used to trigger a seizure that
typically lasts one minute, causing the body to convulse

Psychological Therapies -207- CHAPTER 15

PRACTICE EXAM ANSWERS
1. a Action therapy emphasizes changing behavior, whereas insight therapy emphasizes
understanding one's motives and actions.
2. a Any medical treatment that is directed at changing the physiological functioning of
an individual is classified as a biomedical therapy. All of the remaining choices are
types of psychotherapy treatments.
3. c In 1793 Philippe Pinel unchained the mentally ill inmates at an asylum in Paris,
France, and began the movement of humane treatment for the mentally ill.
4. d Freud was the founder of psychoanalysis, while Rogers developed person-centered
therapy.
5. d Resistance occurred when a patient became unwilling to discuss a concept. In
transference the patient would transfer positive and negative feelings for an
authority figure in their past onto the therapist.
6. b People with severe psychotic disorders are less likely to benefit from
psychoanalysis than are people who suffer from somatoform or anxiety disorders.
7. b A directive approach involves asking questions and suggesting behaviors. The more
traditional psychoanalyst typically takes a more nondirective approach in which the
therapist remains neutral and does not interpret or take direct actions with regard to
the client.
8. c Rogers believed the closer the match between a person's ideal and real selves, the
happier the person. It was Freud, not Rogers, who viewed unresolved unconscious
conflicts between the id and superego as the cause of personal problems.
9. d Rogers felt a therapist must provide the four elements of reflection, unconditional
positive regard, empathy, and authenticity in order for successful treatment.
10. d The major goal of Gestalt therapists is to help clients become more aware of their
feelings. Providing unconditional positive regard is the primary goal of person-
centered therapy, not Gestalt.
11. b The humanistic therapist does not run the risk of having his or her words
misinterpreted by the client because the therapist uses reflection as the main means
of communication. However, unfortunately at this point there is not enough
empirical evidence to support or refute the basic ideas of humanistic therapy.
12. b Both the cigarette and nicotine are stimuli. In rapid smoking, the cigarette serves as
the conditioned stimulus and the nicotine serves as the unconditioned stimulus.
13. d Systematic desensitization involves progressive relaxation and exposure to the
feared object, while extinction involves the removal of a reinforcer to reduce the
frequency of a particular response.
14. b In a token economy, the tokens are the reinforcers used to shape and strengthen the
desired behaviors.
15. a Operant conditioning is not concerned with the cause of the problems, rather it is
concerned with changing behavior. However, operant conditioning does provide
rapid change in behavior in comparison to other therapies.
16. d Behavior therapy may help relieve some symptoms but does not treat the overall
disorder of schizophrenia.
17. b Cognitive therapy focuses on changing an individual’s cognitions or thought
processes.
18. b Beck's cognitive therapy is especially effective in treating distortions related to
depression.
19. a Cognitive behavioral therapists are concerned with helping clients change their
irrational thoughts to more rational and positive thoughts. A person-centered
therapist believes disorders come from a mismatch between the ideal self and the
real self and a lack of unconditional positive regard.
20. b Ellis believes irrational beliefs cause dissatisfaction and depression.

Psychological Therapies -208- CHAPTER 15

21. d Irrational beliefs typically have one thing in common; they are all-or-none types of
statements.
22. c Cognitive and cognitive-behavioral therapies are relatively inexpensive and are
short-term.
23. a Group therapy provides social support for people who have similar problems.
24. d Family therapy focuses on the entire family as a part of the problem.
25. b Currently an extremely large number of self-help groups operate in the United
States.
26. a EMDR is a form of therapy in which the client is directed to move the eyes rapidly
back and forth while thinking of a disturbing memory. Systematic desensitization
gradually exposes the client to the feared object while using relaxation techniques to
reduce anxiety.
27. c An eclectic view is one that combines a number of different approaches to best fit
the needs of the client.
28. c A number of studies have found that the client-therapist relationship (also called the
therapeutic alliance) is the best predictor of successful treatment.
29. c Members of minority groups are much more likely to drop out of therapy when
compared to members of majority racial and ethnic groups.
30. d The severity of the disorder has not been found to be a cultural barrier for treatment.
31. c Hallucinations, delusions, and bizarre behaviors are defined as psychotic behaviors
and are treated with antipsychotic drugs. Antidepressant drugs, not antipsychotic
drugs, treat feelings of hopelessness, sadness, and suicide ideations.
32. d The speed of action and effectiveness is similar among the three classes of
antidepressants but the main difference is the number of negative side effects. The
SSRIs actually target only one neurotransmitter: serotonin.
33. b ECT was originally designed to induce seizures in schizophrenics.
34. b Severing the spinal cord would lead to the very negative side effect of paralysis of
the body. Psychosurgery is performed on brain tissue.

CHAPTER GLOSSARY
action therapies therapies in which the main goal is to change disordered or inappropriate
behavior directly.
antianxiety drugs drugs used to treat and calm anxiety reactions, typically minor tranquilizers.
antidepressant drugs drugs used to treat depression and anxiety.
antipsychotic drugs drugs used to treat psychotic symptoms such as delusions, hallucinations, and
other bizarre behavior.
arbitrary inference distortion of thinking in which a person draws a conclusion that is not based
on any evidence.
authenticity the genuine, open, and honest response of the therapist to the client.
aversion therapy form of behavioral therapy in which an undesirable behavior is paired with an
aversive stimulus to reduce the frequency of the behavior.
behavior modification the use of learning techniques to modify or change undesirable behavior and
or applied behavior increase desirable behavior.
analysis
behavior therapies action therapies based on the principles of classical and operant conditioning
and aimed at changing disordered behavior without concern for the original
causes of such behavior.
bilateral cingulotomy surgical technique in which an electrode wire is inserted into the anterior
cingulate gyrus with the guidance of a magnetic resonance imaging machine
for the purpose of destroying that area of brain tissue with an electric current.

Psychological Therapies -209- CHAPTER 15

biomedical therapy therapy for mental disorders in which a person with a problem is treated with
biological or medical methods to relieve symptoms; also defined as therapies
that directly affect the functioning of the body and brain.
cognitive behavioral action therapy in which the goal is to help clients overcome problems by
therapy (CBT) learning to think more rationally and logically.
cognitive therapy therapy in which the focus is on helping clients recognize distortions in their
thinking and replace distorted, unrealistic beliefs with more realistic, helpful
thoughts.
contingency contract a formal, written agreement between the therapist and client (or teacher and
student) in which goals for behavioral change, reinforcements, and penalties
are clearly stated.
cybertherapy psychotherapy that is offered on the Internet. Also called online, Internet, or
Web therapy or counseling.
directive therapy in which the therapist actively gives interpretations of a client’s
statements and may suggest certain behavior or actions.
eclectic approach to therapy that results from combining elements of several different
approaches or techniques.
electroconvulsive form of biomedical therapy to treat severe depression in which electrodes are
therapy (ECT) placed on either one or both sides of a person’s head and an electric current is
passed through the electrodes that is strong enough to cause a seizure or
convulsion.
empathy the ability of the therapist to understand the feelings of the client.
exposure therapies behavioral techniques that expose individuals to anxiety- or fear-related
stimuli, under carefully controlled conditions, to promote new learning.
extinction the removal of a reinforcer to reduce the frequency of a behavior.
family counseling a form of group therapy in which family members meet together with a
(family therapy) counselor or therapist to resolve problems that affect the entire family.
flooding technique for treating phobias and other stress disorders in which the person
is rapidly and intensely exposed to the fear-provoking situation or object and
prevented from making the usual avoidance or escape response.
free association psychoanalytic technique in which a patient was encouraged to talk about
anything that came to mind without fear of negative evaluations.
Gestalt therapy form of directive insight therapy in which the therapist helps the client to
accept all parts of his or her feelings and subjective experiences, using
leading questions and planned experiences such as role-playing.
insight therapies therapies in which the main goal is helping people to gain insight with respect
to their behavior, thoughts, and feelings.
interpersonal therapy form of therapy for depression which incorporates multiple approaches and
(IPT) focuses on interpersonal problems.
latent content the symbolic or hidden meaning of dreams.
magnification and distortions of thinking in which a person blows a negative event out of
minimization proportion to its importance (magnification) while ignoring relevant positive
events (minimization).
manifest content the actual content of one’s dream.
modeling learning through the observation and imitation of others.
nondirective therapy style in which the therapist remains relatively neutral and does not
interpret or take direct actions with regard to the client, instead remaining a
calm, nonjudgmental listener while the client talks.

Psychological Therapies -210- CHAPTER 15

overgeneralization distortion of thinking in which a person draws sweeping conclusions based on
only one incident or event and applies those conclusions to events that are
unrelated to the original.
participant modeling technique in which a model demonstrates the desired behavior in a step-by-
step, gradual process while the client is encouraged to imitate the model.
personalization distortion of thinking in which a person takes responsibility or blame for
events that are unconnected to the person.
person-centered a nondirective insight therapy based on the work of Carl Rogers in which the
therapy client does all the talking and the therapist listens.
prefrontal lobotomy psychosurgery in which the connections of the prefrontal lobes of the brain to
the rear portions are severed.
psychoanalysis an insight therapy based on the theory of Freud, emphasizing the revealing of
unconscious conflicts.
psychodynamic a newer and more general term for therapies based on psychoanalysis, with an
therapy emphasis on transference, shorter treatment times and a more direct
therapeutic approach.
psychopharmacology the use of drugs to control or relieve the symptoms of psychological
disorders.
psychosurgery surgery performed on brain tissue to relieve or control severe psychological
disorders.
psychotherapy therapy for mental disorders in which a person with a problem talks with a
psychological professional.
rational-emotive cognitive-behavioral therapy in which clients are directly challenged in their
behavioral therapy irrational beliefs and helped to restructure their thinking into more rational
(REBT) belief statements.
reflection therapy technique in which the therapist restates what the client says rather
than interpreting those statements.
reinforcement the strengthening of a response by following it with a pleasurable
consequence or the removal of an unpleasant stimulus.
resistance occurring when a patient becomes reluctant to talk about a certain topic,
either changing the subject or becoming silent.
selective thinking distortion of thinking in which a person focuses on only one aspect of a
situation while ignoring all other relevant aspects.
self-help groups a group composed of people who have similar problems and who meet
(support groups) together without a therapist or counselor for the purpose of discussion,
problem solving, and social and emotional support.
systematic behavior technique used to treat phobias, in which a client is asked to make a
desensitization list of ordered fears and taught to relax while concentrating on those fears.
therapeutic alliance the relationship between therapist and client that develops as a warm, caring,
accepting relationship characterized by empathy, mutual respect, and
understanding.
therapy treatment methods aimed at making people feel better and function more
effectively.
time-out an extinction process in which a person is removed from the situation that
provides reinforcement for undesirable behavior, usually by being placed in a
quiet corner or room away from possible attention and reinforcement
opportunities.
token economy the use of objects called tokens to reinforce behavior in which the tokens can
be accumulated and exchanged for desired items or privileges.

Psychological Therapies -211- CHAPTER 15

transference in psychoanalysis, the tendency for a patient or client to project positive or
negative feelings for important people from the past onto the therapist.
unconditional positive referring to the warmth, respect, and accepting atmosphere created by the
regard therapist for the client in person-centered therapy.

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