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STUDY GUIDE FOR EXAM #1 Chap 1&2

What is the difference between behaviors and mental processes?

Behaviors are observable; mental processes are not.

Mental processes are observable; behaviors are not.

Behavior is focused on memory; mental processes are not.

Mental processes are focused on what people do; behaviors are not.

Psychology is formally defined as

the study of the human brain.

the subjective study of human behavior.

the scientific study of behavior and mental processes.

the exclusive study of abnormal behavior.

Which of the following statements is true of mental processes?

Each of us experiences them publicly.

They are considered to be pseudoscientific.

They are the same as behaviors.

They cannot be observed directly.

Which of the following statements is true of critical thinkers?

They do not think objectively.

They are willing to readily accept evidence to the contrary.

They question and test what some people say are facts.

They are not skeptics.

Which of the following statements best defines critical thinking in psychology?

It is the process of accepting observed events as true.

It is the process of reflecting deeply, asking questions, and evaluating evidence.

It is a form of thinking intended to create something new and different.

It is a form of thinking that has been rejected by contemporary psychologists.

Which of the following attitudes are central to the scientific approach to psychology?

critical thinking, curiosity, skepticism, and objectivity

critical thinking, curiosity, skepticism, and subjectivity

critical thinking, curiosity, political correctness, and objectivity

critical thinking, curiosity, political correctness, and subjectivity

Using the ________Blank means gaining knowledge through the observation of events, the collection
of data, and logical reasoning.

pseudoscientific method

empirical method

method of intuition

creative method

One of the reasons psychologists have reached a more accurate understanding of human behavior is
that they

are unanimous about why the mind and behavior work as they do.

do not need to be objective in their studies of humans.

foster debate and controversies.

do not follow the empirical method.

Positive psychology is a branch of psychology that emphasizes

recovery from sickness.

human strengths.

repression of unpleasant experiences.

psychological problems.
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What approach did structuralism use to identify the structures of the mind?

free association

psychoanalysis

natural selection

introspection

Which of the following statements is true of introspection as a method of study?

It focuses on uncovering unconscious thoughts.

It focuses on the purposes of the mind in an individual's adaptation to the environment.

It focuses on judging what is going on in a person's mind based on his or her behavior.

It relies entirely on a person's conscious reflection.

Which of the following is a core question in functionalism?

What are the elements of mental processes?

Why is human thought adaptive?

Does nature play a larger role than nurture in developing a person's psychological characteristics?

Why is nurture more significant than nature in developing a person's psychological characteristics?

________Blank involves using introspection to investigate the components of the mind, whereas
________Blank involves the functions or purposes of the mind and behavior in the individual's
adaptation to the environment.

Structuralism; functionalism

Functionalism; structuralism

Functionalism; psychodynamic theory

Behaviorism; structuralism

When describing the process of natural selection, Charles Darwin claimed that

genes only carry physical traits and not the traits associated with survival and reproduction.

environments that do not favor certain organisms will help these organisms propagate their species.
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organisms that are best adapted to their environment will survive and produce more offspring.

genetic mutations are initiated by human beings and are not responsible for evolution.

A researcher conducts a study to investigate how people's hands sweat during stressful interviews. In
this scenario, the researcher is most likely following the ________Blank approach to psychology.

biological

evolutionary

cognitive

behavioral

Which of the following statements is true of neuroscientists?

They believe that thoughts and emotions have a physical basis in the brain.

They claim that aggressive impulses buried deep within the unconscious mind influence the way people
behave.

They study the observable behavioral responses of people and their environmental determinants.

They are concerned with how people become who they are, from conception to death.

Which approach focuses on what people do rather than what they think or feel?

structuralism

functional approach

behavioral approach

psychodynamic approach

A teenager is often late for school because they oversleep. In order to change this, their parents take
the cell phone away each time the teen is late for school. Which approach would use a punishment
like this?

functionalism

behavioral approach

biological approach

humanistic approach
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Which of the following is most likely to be the focus of study for a behavioral psychologist?

the feelings of rejection a person experiences during childhood

the sensations a person reports when he or she is tapped on the knee

the effects of rewards and punishments on a child's behavior

the mental images a person conjures up when reflecting on a pleasant vacation

Josh, a teenager with social anxiety, has always been withdrawn and isolated at his rehabilitation
center. The psychologist tells Josh that he can spend an additional hour in the garden if he voluntarily
initiates a conversation with another teenager. In the given scenario, the psychologist is using the
________Blank approach to psychology to help Josh socialize with others.

psychodynamic

cognitive

behavioral

evolutionary

A five-year-old child was referred for treatment after they began having nightmares every night. The
child was unable to sleep. The child’s therapist believed that these dreams were a means of bringing
unconscious thoughts and fears to the conscious. On which approach is the therapist most likely
basing their evaluation?

psychodynamic approach

structuralism

cognitive approach

behavioral approach

A psychologist focuses on the clients' unconscious processes as well as their unresolved conflicts. This
psychologist most likely follows the ________Blank approach to psychology.

behavioral

cognitive

psychodynamic

sociocultural
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During a therapy session, a therapist asks a client about their dreams. The therapist believes that
dreams are the key to the unconscious mind. In this scenario, the therapist is most likely using the
________Blank approach to psychology.

behavioral

cognitive

sociocultural

psychodynamic

A therapist focuses more on the childhood experiences and family relationships of their clients than
day-to-day events. Which approach to psychology is the therapist most likely a proponent of?

the psychodynamic approach

the behavioral approach

the evolutionary approach

the humanistic approach

After a few months of therapy, a therapist reveals to a client that their symptoms of anxiety are most
likely a result of troubled childhood experiences spent in fear of a very strict parent. Which of the
following approaches to psychology is the therapist most likely using to understand and explain the
client’s symptoms?

the evolutionary approach

the behavioral approach

the psychodynamic approach

the sociocultural approach

How do today's psychodynamic theories differ from Freud's original psychodynamic approach to
psychology?

Freud's original psychodynamic approach did not pay any attention to unconscious motivation.

Freud's original psychodynamic approach was focused primarily on observable behaviors.

Today's theories place less emphasis on sexual drives as determinants of behavior.

Today's theories place less emphasis on social and cultural experiences as determinants of behavior.
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In the context of contemporary approaches to psychology, which of the following is a difference

The psychodynamic approach emphasizes the capacity for positive growth, whereas the humanistic
approach emphasizes the mental processes involved in knowing.

The psychodynamic approach emphasizes unconscious thought, whereas the humanistic approach
emphasizes the freedom to choose one's destiny.

The psychodynamic approach emphasizes the mental processes involved in knowing, whereas the
humanistic approach emphasizes early childhood family experiences.

The psychodynamic approach emphasizes conscious memories, whereas the humanistic approach
emphasizes ways in which social and cultural environments influence behavior.

According to the ________Blank approach to psychology, a person is in control of their life and has the
capacity for positive growth.

humanistic

psychodynamic

evolutionary

biological

The humanistic approach to psychology emphasizes the role of ________Blank as a determinant of

proprioception

unconscious impulses

free will

external rewards

The cognitive approach to psychology differs from the behavioral approach to psychology in that the
cognitive approach

believes that people are controlled by genetic factors, whereas the behavioral approach believes that
people are controlled by psychodynamic factors.

views the mind as an active and aware problem-solving system, whereas the behavioral approach
portrays behavior as governed by external forces.

emphasizes that people are controlled by their environment, whereas the behavioral approach
emphasizes that people's personalities are influenced by genetic factors.
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believes that humans are purely motivated by external rewards, whereas the behavioral approach
emphasizes that people are influenced by unconscious processes.

A psychology student is working on identifying the ways in which adults interpret information and
then use the information to solve problems and make decisions. In this scenario, the research most
likely reflects the ________Blank approach to psychology.

behavioral

cognitive

biological

sociocultural

Which of the following is a main principle of evolutionary psychology?

Unconscious forces drive behaviors.

People choose behaviors based on free will.

People tend to organize information based on what they remember.

People who are better able to adapt to different situations are more likely to survive.

Which of the following statements is true about the sociocultural approach to psychology?

It claims that human behavior cannot be understood without understanding the physiology of the brain.

It claims that the way humans adapt is traceable to problems early humans faced in adapting to their
environment.

It maintains that basic human behavior is universal and does not vary across countries or cultures.

It argues that understanding a person's behavior requires knowing about the ethnic context in which the
behavior occurs.

A therapist is working with a client from a different ethnic group and is not sure how these influences
might impact treatment. The therapist consults with another psychologist who is a member of that
ethnic group to help them understand better. Which approach is this therapist using?

behavioral approach

humanistic approach

evolutionary approach
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sociocultural approach

A therapist working with a client is using a new treatment that went through rigorous empirical
research before it was published. What is this therapist engaged in?

learning

evidence-based practice

pseudoscience

specialization

A mental health professional who has a PhD and is licensed to practice in counseling, evaluation, and
research that pertains to behaviors and mental processes is a

psychologist.

sociologist.

psychiatrist.

physicist.

If a person goes to medical school and specializes in psychological disorders, they will most likely
practice

health psychology.

counseling psychology.

psychiatry.

pathology.

Which of the following statements accurately differentiates between psychiatrists and clinical
psychologists?

Psychiatrists need to have at least one year of internship in a mental health facility to practice
psychology, whereas clinical psychologists are only required to do graduate work to practice psychology.

Psychiatrists have medical degrees, whereas clinical psychologists have doctoral degrees.

Psychiatrists are not licensed to practice therapy, whereas clinical psychologists are licensed to practice
therapy.
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Psychiatrists follow the psychodynamic approach to solve sociocultural issues, whereas clinical
psychologists follow the biological approach to study evolutionary psychology.

Rafi was diagnosed with clinical depression and is frustrated with his therapist because he still feels
symptoms of depression. Rafi has lost faith in self-reflection and analysis and believes that the only
way his symptoms will reduce is through medication. In this scenario, which psychological professional
should Rafi consult?

a clinical psychologist

a professional counselor

a psychiatrist

a pathologist

A psychologist is interested in studying the regions of the brain that are stimulated when a person
feels anxious. This focus of study fits best into the area of specialization known as

sociocultural psychology.

structuralism.

behavioral neuroscience.

pseudoscience.

A scientist is studying how the levels of certain neurotransmitters in the brain create the condition of
depression. This study fits best into the area of specialization known as

pseudoscience.

social psychology.

behavioral neuroscience.

structuralism.

Which type of research would seek to establish a causal relationship between variables?

descriptive

correlational

experimental

longitudinal
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A researcher proposes that students find it difficult to return to their academic schedules after spring
break. Specifically, the researcher predicts that every year there will be more student absences on the
Monday following spring break than on the Friday before spring break. The first statement describes
the ________Blank, while the second is the ________Blank.

design of the study; research method

theory; hypothesis

hypothesis; operational definition

prediction; procedure

A correlation coefficient is a statistic that tells the

extent to which experimenter bias has influenced the results of the study.

extent to which demand characteristics have biased the results of the study.

direction of the causal relationship between two variables.

strength and direction of the association between two variables.

If a study is replicated by different researchers and the same findings occur, it is considered
________Blank research.

valid

operational

reliable

concrete

________Blank is a statistical procedure that summarizes a large body of evidence from the research
literature on a particular topic, allowing the researcher to assess the strength of the relationship
between the variables.

Meta-analysis

Replication

Substantiation

Verification
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In the context of ethics guidelines in psychological research, identify a true statement about
deception.

Participants in studies involving deception are likely to be harmed during the study.

Researchers who employ deception in their studies must be able to justify lying to participants.

Participants in studies involving deception are unable to withdraw their consent.

Researchers who employ deception in their studies avoid debriefing the participants even after the
study's completion.

A professor wants to examine the connection between brain damage and intelligence levels in adults
in order to determine whether brain damage has any connection with levels of intelligence and, if so,
what the extent of this connection is likely to be. Which of the following psychological research
methods is likely to be most suitable to the professor’s needs?

case study

survey

correlational research

experimental research

A researcher conducts a study on weight gain and fast-food restaurants. The researcher found that as
more fast-food restaurants were opened in a community, people who lived in the community gained
weight. Based on correlational research, what would this indicate?

reliability

validity

a negative correlation

a positive correlation

A researcher observes that the longer a classroom lecture, the lower the attentiveness of students in
the class. In the context of correlational research, the length of the lecture and the level of
attentiveness are said to have a

positive correlation.

negative correlation.

lack of correlation.

cause-and-effect relation.
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What does a negative correlation mean in terms of the relationship between two variables?

There is no relationship between variables.

There is a causal relationship between variables.

As one variable increases, the other decreases.

The variables change in the same direction.