Chapter 1 Flashcards
Psychology is often considered to be a union of what two fields?
Physiology and philosophy
Dualism
the presumption that mind and body are two distinct entities that interact
Aristotle believed the mind was like a wax board upon which our experiences are written. What is the term for this idea?
Tabula Rasa
Which of the following people is likely NOT investigating or working with a topic in psychology, based on the description above?
a) therapist working with her client.
b) scientist studying the swimming behaviour of mice.
c) An astronomer measuring the movement of Venus across the sky.
d) An anatomist investigating what he believes to be the vision centre of the brain.
C
Empiricism
is the view that knowledge arises directly from what we observe and experience; therefore psychology (as with all scientific disciplines) is inherently observational in nature
Which of the following is not an example of “behaviour” as defined by psychologists?
a) Electrical impulses in the brain
b) The speed at which a rat navigates a maze
c) A person’s response to a question
d) The subjective emotions someone feels
d)
Where is pineal gland located?
Centre of the brain
Because the study of psychology is empirical, the field does which of the following?
Arrives at conclusions through observation and analysis
Cognitive psychology
Studying how much information people can remember over the short term
Community psychology
Consulting with a community to inform policy development
Neuropsychology
Determining how people compare themselves to their peers
Developmental Psychology
Pr
Conducting research to investigate if birth order has any effect on personalit
Social Psychology
investigating the behavioural implications of living with a brain disorder
Personality Psychology
Studying the differences in monozygotic (identical) twins to examine the impact of environmental (rather than genetic) factors
Most research in psychology is done with clinical or special populations, such as prisoners. (T/F)
False
Which of these is basic research?
a) Searching for a cure for depression
b) Attempting to understand the causes of depression
c) Looking for a better anti-depressant drug
d) Testing out a new therapy to combat depression
C)
Clinical Psychologists
Identifying, preventing, and relieving distress or dysfunction that is psychological in origin. Serious mental ill health.
Practice: Diagnosing a mental illness; helping a client learn coping strategies to overcome her social anxiety.
Psychiatrists
Identifying, preventing, and relieving distress or dysfunction that is psychological in origin. As medical doctors, they attempt to determine whether symptoms could be the result of physical illness as well.
Practice: Managing a patient’s psychoactive medication, including the type, dose, efficacy, and side effects.
Key difference: Doctor of Medicine (M.D.)
Counselling Psychologists
Helping people deal with ongoing life crises or situations, or transitions from one situation to another.
Practice: Working with a married couple manage a
What is the primary difference between clinical psychologists and psychiatrists?
a) The ability to treat mental illness
b) The kinds of training they receive
c) Their fields of study
d) The kinds of mental illness they treat
b) The kinds of training they receive
What is clinical psychology?
a) A form of applied psychology
b) Focused only on the treatment of severe mental illness
c) Practiced primarily by medical doctors
d) A pseudoscientific discipline
a) A form of applied psychology
According to the above text, which type of degree program focuses primarily on the practice of clinical psychology?
a) Ph.D
b) Ed.D
c) M.D.
d) Psy.D
d) Psy.D
Basic research is to ________ as applied research is to ________.
a) Causes; problems
b) Problems; solutions
c) Causes; solutions
d) Solutions; causes
c) Causes; solutions
Translational research can be thought of as the bridge between what and what?
a) Applied research and applied practice
b) Basic research and applied practice
c) Basic research and clinical research
d) Applied research and clinical practice
b) Basic research and applied practice
T/F: Psychologists are only qualified to do either basic or applied research; few do both.
False
The video describes four basic principles involved in natural selection. Which principle describes the fact that a trait must be able to be passed down from one generation to the next in order for it to be selected?
a) Variations in phenotypes
b) Heritability
c) The “struggle for existence”
d) Variations in survival and reproduction
b) Heritability
The video describes four basic principles involved in natural selection. Which principle describes the fact that in order for selection to occur, there must be different physical traits present in the population?
a) Variations in phenotypes
b) Heritability
c) The “struggle for existence”
d) Variations in survival and reproduction
a) Variations in phenotypes
A ______________ describes one’s genetic structure, while a ______________ describes one’s physical traits.
a) Genotype; stabilising selection
b) Directional selection; phenotype
c) Genotype; phenotype
d) Directional selection; stabilising selection
c) Genotype; phenotype
The peppered moth example could be applied to psychological traits. Which hypothetical example below is most similar to the peppered moths’ situation?
a) As humans have begun to use computers, people who learn to use technology are effectively evolving over the course of their own lifespans.
b) As many humans now live in large cities, sootier skin tones will help protect them from predatory birds.
c) As most humans no longer need to hunt and produce their own food, evolution has effectively ended.
d) As humans began to live in larger social groups, those who could effectively communicate with other humans survived and reproduced in greater numbers.
d) As humans began to live in larger social groups, those who could effectively communicate with other humans survived and reproduced in greater numbers.
Nativism is best contrasted with ________.
a) Empiricism
b) Biological determinism
c) Dualism
d) Phrenology
a) Empiricism
Evidence that the Ponzo illusion exists even in newly-sighted people demonstrates that which of the following is true?
a) Not all knowledge is native
b) All knowledge is native
c) Not all knowledge is a result of experience
d) All knowledge is a result of experience
c) Not all knowledge is a result of experience
Where was the first psychology laboratory founded?
a) The University of Leipzig
b) Cornell University
c) Vienna, Austria
d) The University of Chicago
a) The University of Leipzig
The primary goal of structuralism is which of the following?
a) To break down behaviours into the smallest units possible
b) To understand the relationship between structures of the brain and their functions
c) To break down conscious experience into its most basic parts
d) To scientifically study people’s reactions to stimuli
Please enter an answer to submit.
c) To break down conscious experience into its most basic parts
The functionalist movement in psychology began in:
a) Austria
b) North America
c) Germany
d) The United Kingdom
b) North America
tip: remember “father of american psychology”
Early functionalists were heavily influenced by which of the following?
a) Aristotle’s concept of the blank slate
b) Descartes’ concept of dualism
c) Darwin’s evolutionary theory
d) Phrenologists’ work on the skull
c) Darwin’s evolutionary theory
Which of these was not a factor in the rise of behaviourism?
a) Increasing skepticism regarding systematic introspection
b) A rise in work done studying animal behaviour
c) John B. Watson’s efforts to popularise the movement
d) The advent of World War I
d) The advent of World War I
T/F: Most of the discoveries made by behaviourist psychologists are considered no longer valid today.
False
Steven Pinker explains that what device was instrumental in reshaping understanding of the mind?
a) The computer
b) Cerebral angiography
c) Radioactive neuroimaging devices
d) Space shuttles
a) The computer
Pinker lists a few topic areas that all fall under one umbrella term. What is this term?
a) Neuroscience
b) Cognitive science
c) Linguistics
d) Computing
b) Cognitive science
From where did Freud believe psychological problems originate?
a) The nervous system
b) An imbalance in bodily fluids (or humors)
c) Our failure to face reality
d) The unconscious mind
d) The unconscious mind
Psychoanalysis is Freud’s system for:
(multiple answers allowed)
a) Tapping into the contents of the unconscious mind
b) Allowing people to gain insight into their unconscious mind
c) Helping people learn to lead healthier mental lives
a) + b)
Positive psychologists focus on which of the following?
a) How to treat psychological disorders
b) Improving human functioning and the positive side of human nature
c) The positive aspects of Freud’s theory of psychoanalysis
d) Making clients feel at ease and putting the client at the centre of the therapeutic experience
b) Improving human functioning and the positive side of human nature
Who is considered the “father of modern psychology”?
a) Sigmund Freud
b) Wilhelm Wundt
c) James Watson
d) William James
b) Wilhelm Wundt
Who is considered the “father of American psychology”?
a) Sigmund Freud
b) Wilhelm Wundt
c) James Watson
d) William James
d) William James
Order the movements in the scientific study of psychology chronologically.
Functionalism, Structuralism, The Cognitive Revolution, Behaviourism
- Structuralism
- Functionalism
- Behaviourism
- The Cognitive Revolution
What was the fundamental disagreement between psychoanalysts and the humanists?
a) The role of outside influences on mental illness
b) The biological basis of mental illness
c) The capacity for free will and change
d) The techniques used by Freud
c) The capacity for free will and change
Ultimate explanation
Eg. Language exists because it was adaptive for humans to be able to communicate with one another over the course of evolutionary history.
Functional explanation
eg. Language can be used to explain how people deceive one another to gain an advantage in a trade.
Process-oriented explanation
eg. Language is produced and understood by portions of the temporal lobe of the brain.
Evolutionary psychologists’ claims are often difficult to verify because of which of the following reasons?
a) Their claims rely on experimental evidence
b) It is difficult to know exactly what happened over the course of evolutionary history
c) Their claims are non-scientific
d) It is difficult to know the difference between an ultimate and a proximate explanation
b) It is difficult to know exactly what happened over the course of evolutionary history
Early work on cultural influences on psychological processes focused on which of the following?
a) Discovering underlying “universals” cross-culturally
b) Comparing and contrasting Eastern and Western cultures to discover how they are fundamentally different from each other
c) Investigating intersections of different identities
d) Describing the effects of cultural expectations on gender roles
a) Discovering underlying “universals” cross-culturally
An intersectional approach looks at _________.
a) The unique experiences that people of colour have
b) The commonalities shared by all minority groups
c) The unique experiences that result from having multiple identities
d) The commonalities shared by minority and majority groups
c) The unique experiences that result from having multiple identities
Psychologists studying cognitive influences on psychology typically investigate which of the following?
a) The role of information processing on a problem or situation
b) The role of brain structures on a problem or situation
c) The role of upbringing on a problem or situation
d) The role of adaptations to solve a problem or situation
a) The role of information processing on a problem or situation
Tip; cognitive = brain processes
Which influence would we most likely be studying if we tried to understand whether different groups of the same species of monkey had different rules regarding what was fair?
a) Evolutionary influences
b) Cultural influences
c) Biological influences
d) Cognitive influences
b) Cultural influences
Which influence would we most likely be studying if we tried to understand how a “sense of fairness” developed in humans compared to capuchin monkeys?
a) Evolutionary influences
b) Cultural influences
c) Biological influences
d) Cognitive influences
a) Evolutionary influences
Which influence would we most likely be studying if we tried to understand the hormones and neurons involved in activating a “sense of fairness”?
a) Evolutionary influences
b) Cultural influences
c) Biological influences
d) Cognitive influences
c) Biological influences
