Exam Flashcards
Motivation is BEST defined as_______
the set of factors that activate, direct, and maintain behavior toward a goal.
Emotion is BEST defined as__________
a subjective feeling that includes arousal, cognitions, and behavioral expressions.
Assume that you want to perform well on this test, but you feel anxious about your ability to do
so. In this case, your desire to perform well is related to your _____ state, while your anxiety is
related to your _____ state.
motivational; emotional
According to your textbook, motivation _____ behavior and emotion _____.
energizes; is the feeling response
In the _____ theory of motivation, a lack or a deficiency.
drive-reduction theory
You bring a package home from the department store and your dog immediately jumps on you
to investigate it; your 3-year-old niece comes to visit and opens all your kitchen cupboards to
see what is inside; on a television documentary program, you see a monkey trying to open a box
left in its cage. All of these are examples of _____.
the arousal motive
Performance is BEST for most tasks when you are experiencing _____ levels of arousal.
moderate
You just stuffed yourself with a hot dog, a large tub of popcorn, and a box of Milk Duds while
watching a movie. When you come out of the theater, you smell the cinnamon buns across the
mall and decide to get one even though you are full. This can BEST be explained by _____.
incentive theory
According to _____ theory, basic survival and security needs must be satisfied before one can move on to such higher needs as self-actualization.
Maslow’s
The basic units of the brain and spinal cord that process, store, and transmit information are
the _____.
neurons
If a trait is recessive, this means it will take _____ gene(s) for the trait to manifest itself in one’s
offspring.
recessive
A neuron is______.
a cell of the nervous system responsible for receiving and transmitting electrochemical information
What is the main function of our nervous system?
What is the main function of our nervous system?
The branching neuron structures that receive neural impulses from other neurons and convey
them toward the cell body are called _____.
dendrites
The two major divisions of the nervous system are the _____.
central and peripheral
The link between the brain and the spinal cord and the rest of the body’s sense receptors, muscles, and glands is the _____ nervous system.
peripheral
Three structures associated with the brain stem are the _____.
pons, medulla, and cerebellum
This part of the brain is responsible for survival functions such as heart beat and respiration.
Brain stem
Three structures included in the hindbrain are the:
medulla, pons, and cerebellum
A stressor is defined as:
an environmental trigger that induces stress
Samsara is an idealistic person who is exposed to chronic stress in her emotionally draining job
as an air traffic controller. The BEST term to describe what Samsara is likely to experience as a
result of this situation is _____.
burnout
Small problems of daily living that accumulate and sometimes become a major source of
stress are called _____.
hassles
______________is a negative emotional state generally associated with a blocked goal.
Frustration
According to your text, the degree of frustration you feel is related to _____.
your level of motivation to achieve a blocked goal
This term refers to the fact that various parts of the brain are specialized for particular
functions.
Localization of function.
Which of the following is TRUE regarding basic temperament?
It tends to be consistent throughout early childhood and into adulthood.
Stephanie wants to observe how her 2-year-old, Olivia, is behaving at daycare, so she sits in the
back of the room to observe. Which research strategy is Stephanie trying to use?
Naturalistic observation
Small problems of daily living that accumulate and sometimes become a major source of
stress are called _____.
hassles
The belief that adult personality reects how an individual has met or resolved the challenges
and crises that occur in eight stages of development is the definition of _____.
Erikson’s psychosocial stages of development
The link between the brain and the spinal cord and the rest of the body’s sense receptors,
muscles, and glands is the _____ nervous system.
peripheral
The psychological school of thought called structuralism is associated with _____ and engages
in the method of studying experience called _____.
Wundt and Titchener; introspection
Which is associated with Piaget’s sensorimotor stage?
object permanence
The science of psychology began in 1879 in Germany with Wilhelm ___________.
Wundt
With regard to behavior, when adopted children resemble their adopted family’s behavior, this is
evidence for the _____.
Predominance of “nurture”
Three structures associated with the brain stem are the _____.
pons, medulla, and cerebellum
The study of age-related changes in behavior and mental processes throughout the lifespan is
called _____.
developmental psychology
During the _____ stage of psychosocial development, individuals decide whether the world is
good and satisfying, or painful and unrewarding. During the _____ stage, individuals develop a
sense of competency or insecurity.
trust vs. mistrust; industry vs. inferiority
The branching neuron structures that receive neural impulses from other neurons and convey
them toward the cell body are called _____.
dendrites
Assad and Juana believe in stimulating their new baby’s senses by playing and singing to her.
They also believe it is important to reinforce her curiosity and her attempts to interact with them
verbally. It is MOST likely that Assad and Juana believe that _____ is the major contributor to
their child’s development.
nurture
The term applied research is BEST defined as research that _____.
is designed to solve practical problems
Diane is keeping an in-depth record of her conscious awareness, including the basic
sensations, images, feelings, and thoughts that she is aware of experiencing. Diane is
practicing what Wundt would call _________.
introspection
Sal had a severe stroke that left him unable to talk for a year. However, during the second year,
he gradually regained his ability to speak. What is the most probable explanation for what
happened?
The brain rerouted the neurons around the damaged area.
What is the main function of our nervous system?
To convey information
This part of the brain is responsible for survival functions such as heart beat and respiration.
Brain stem
The four stages of Piaget’s cognitive development model are _____.
sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, and formal operational
Which is associated with Piaget’s preoperational stage?
egocentric thinking
Genes are found on chromosomes and _____.
carry the code for hereditary transmission.
Modern day psychology emphasizes
critical thinking
_____ research studies several groups of individuals at various ages, at one point in time, and
provides information regarding _____.
Cross-sectional; age differences
Today, most psychologists take _____ approach to human development.
an interactionist
The two major divisions of the nervous system are the _____.
central and peripheral
DNA stands for _____.
Deoxyribonucleic acid
A stressor is defined as:
an environmental trigger that induces stress
______________is a negative emotional state generally associated with a blocked goal.
Frustration
Dr. Kaplan makes up her responses to radio listeners, using mostly her own “common sense”,
personal beliefs, and values—rather than scientic research. This practice is more like _____
than _____.
pseudopsychology; psychology
If a trait is recessive, this means it will take _____ gene(s) for the trait to manifest itself in one’s
offspring.
2 recessive
Problem-focused forms of coping focus on _____.
decreasing or eliminating the source of stress
The psychoanalytic/psychodynamic perspective is associated with _____.
Freud
A neuron is______.
a cell of the nervous system responsible for receiving and transmitting electrochemical information.
In a naturalistic observation, a researcher would be most likely to do which of the following?
observe and systematically record behavior in a participant’s natural state or habitat
The basic units of the brain and spinal cord that process, store, and transmit information are
the _____.
neurons
Samsara is an idealistic person who is exposed to chronic stress in her emotionally draining job
as an air trac controller. The BEST term to describe what Samsara is likely to experience as a
result of this situation is _____.
burnout
In your text, psychology is defined as the ______.
scientic study of behavior and mental processes
Which of the following situations would be MORE effectively handled with emotion-focused
rather than problem-focused coping?
Your best friend is being treated for testicular cancer.
_________ research observes and records behaviors without manipulating variables or
producing cause- and-effect explanations.
descriptive
To study moral development, Kohlberg _________.
collected cross-sectional data by asking subjects of various ages to respond to stories that depicted moral
dilemmas
Three structures included in the hindbrain are the:
medulla, pons, and cerebellum
In your textbook, the process of objectively evaluating, comparing, analyzing, and synthesizing
information is called _____.
critical thinking
A scientist who seeks knowledge for its own sake is conducting ________.
basic research
The term introspection means _______________
looking inward
The term basic research is BEST defined as research that _____.
advances general scientific understanding
People who think of their professions as a “calling,” such as nurses, _________.
may burn out due to loss of idealism.
If you prepared a study to determine which areas of the brain are used for working memory, you
would be conducting _____ research.
basic
Which of the following statements is TRUE?
a and c are true
a. Eustress is pleasant stress, while distress is threatening/unpleasant stress
c. A total absence of stress would eventually lead to death
Your visual receptors have begun to detect, convert, and transmit the contours of the letters on
this exam to your brain. You are therefore engaged in the process of _____.
sensation
The process of selecting, organizing, and interpreting sensory data into usable mental
representations of the world is called _____.
perception
The three key functions of sensation are, respectively, _____.
detection, stimulation, and transmission
Information processing that begins with raw sensory data and finishes with analysis in the brain
is called _____.
bottom-up
Information processing that begins with your thoughts, expectations, and knowledge and ends
at the sensory level is called _____.
top-down
Bottom-up processing has to work with ____, whereas top-down processing is associated with
_________.
sensation; perception
When you look up at the sky and simply notice the clouds, you are engaging in the process of
_____; when you try to organize the clouds into recognizable shapes or objects, you are
engaging in the process of _____.
sensation; perception
These neurotransmitters act like morphine to inhibit pain perception.
Endorphins
A mental state other than an ordinary waking state, in which there are distinct changes in
perception, emotion, memory, thinking, etc., is called alternate _____.
states of consciousness
Armand is daydreaming, Adele is dreaming while asleep. Which statement is TRUE?
Both Armand and Adele are in alternate states of consciousness.
Your BEST strategy for passing this exam is to _____.
use controlled processing
Which of the following persons is engaged in controlled mental processing?
Bertha is rubbing her belly and patting her head at the same time.
The biologically based, lowest level of awareness identified in your text is _____.
unconscious
Which of the following is a circadian rhythm
The sleep-wake cycle
The sleep stage marked by irregular breathing, eye movements, high-frequency brain waves,
and dreaming is called__________sleep.
REM
Recent research suggests that REM sleep _____.
is important for consolidating new memories and learning
A relatively permanent change in behavior or mental processes as a result of practice or
experience is called _____.
learning
Taking away or removing a stimulus that strengthens or increases a response is called _____.
negative reinforcement
A program that designates the rate or interval at which a response is reinforced is called a
_____.
schedule of reinforcement
When you put nickels in a gum-ball machine, you receive _____ reinforcement; when you put
nickels in a slot machine, you receive _____ reinforcement.
continuous; partial
The learning of an association between an environmental stimulus and a behavioral response is
known as _____.
conditioning
Any stimulus that elicits an unconditioned response without previous conditioning is a(n) _____.
unconditioned stimulus
In Pavlov’s original classical conditioning experiments, the _____ was the neutral stimulus, the
_____ the stimulus that would elicit a reflex, and _____ was the reflexive response.
bell; meat powder; salivation
Which of the following is an example of the use of classical conditioning in everyday life?
ANSWER: All of these options
a. Treating alcoholism with a drug that causes nausea when alcohol is consumed
b. The use of seductive women to sell cars to men
c. Politicians learning to associate themselves with home, family, babies, and the American flag
_____ is an exaggerated, irrational fear of an object or situation, which may sometimes be
thought of as a(n) _____.
A phobia; conditioned emotional response
The occurrence of a learned response only to a specific stimulus and not to other, similar stimuli is called stimulus _____.
discrimination
An event that increases the probability that a response will be repeated is called _____.
a reinforcement
Which of the following is CORRECTLY matched?
Skinner: reinforcement
Modern day psychology emphasizes
critical thinking
In your text, psychology is defined as the _______
scientific study of behavior and mental processes
In your textbook, the process of objectively evaluating, comparing, analyzing, and synthesizing
information is called _____.
critical thinking
The science of psychology began in 1879 in Germany with Wilhelm ___________.
Wundt
The term introspection means _______________
looking inward
Diane is keeping an in-depth record of her conscious awareness, including the basic
sensations, images, feelings, and thoughts that she is aware of experiencing. Diane is
practicing what Wundt would call _________.
introspection
The term basic research is BEST defined as research that.______
advances general scientific understanding.
A scientist who seeks knowledge for its own sake is conducting ________.
basic research
_________ research observes and records behaviors without manipulating variables or
producing cause- and-effect explanations.
descriptive
In a naturalistic observation, a researcher would be most likely to do which of the following?
observe and systematically record behavior in a participant’s natural state or habitat
