General Psych (midterm) Flashcards
The psychological perspective that is associated with William James is:
functionalism
Because psychologists want to be precise and measure as carefully as they can, they use ________ to study psychology.
the scientific method
Mary is a psychologist who focuses on the role of the conscious and unconscious minds. To which perspective does Mary ascribe?
psychodynamic perspective
Freud believed that personality was formed:
in the first 6 years of life
What did Watson believe about behavior?
that it is learned
________ focuses on how people think, remember, store, and use information.
Cognitive psychology
Addison is 45 years old and is suffering from hot flashes and extreme moodiness. From a(n) _____ perspective, Addison’s symptoms can be attributed to menopause.
biopsychological
A ________ has a medical degree and is a medical doctor who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of psychological disorders.
psychiatrist
Researchers use ________ for reducing bias and error in the measurement of data.
the scientific method
Teri sat in the preschool classroom and watched the children play, writing down how well they interacted with each other. The children could see that Sasha was watching them, so they made an attempt to be extra well-behaved for her. Teri’s research will be impacted by:
the observer effect.
A researcher wants to describe children’s normal behavior on the playground. The best method for this research is to use
naturalistic observation.
When Donna took the survey in the mall, she noticed that the interviewer was wearing an Obama button. She answered the questions more favorably toward Obama than she might otherwise have, probably because:
of courtesy bias.
Experimenters control the effects of extraneous or confounding variables upon members of experimental and control groups by using:
double-blind studies.
Mrs. Minor participated in a study in which she was given no treatment for her condition. Mrs. Minor was in the ________ group.
control
Mrs. Puckett participated in a study in which she was told she would try out a new allergy medicine. She was in the group that received a sugar pill, but she believed that the pill did indeed help control her allergy symptoms. This phenomenon is known as:
the placebo effect.
A drug company is determining the effects of a treatment for depression. Neither the researcher nor the participants know who is getting the treatment and who is given a sugar pill. This type of study is:
double-blind.
Dr. Evans wants to show a causal relationship between tobacco smoking and cancer. Dr. Edwards should:
conduct an experiment using animal participants.
If a correlation coefficient is positive:
the two variables increase in the same direction.
Correlation will tell researchers all of the following EXCEPT ________ between variables.
if there is causation
Which of the following is a guideline for doing research with people?
Participants must be allowed to make an informed decision about participation.
The ____ is a network of cells that carries information to and from all parts of the body.
nervous system
A branch of the life sciences that deals with the structure and functioning of the nervous system is called ________.
neuroscience
Special types of glial cells generate a protective fatty substance called:
myelin.
Neurons fire:
either full strength or not at all.
When the action potential gets to the end of the axon:
the message gets transmitted to another cell.
The sac-like structures that are found at the end of a neuron’s axon and that contain neurotransmitters are called:
synaptic vesicles.
The venom of a black widow spider is an example of a(n) __________, which mimics or enhances the effects of neurotransmitters.
agonist
The ______ is composed of the brain and the spinal cord.
central nervous system
is the brain’s ability to change both the structure and function of many cells in response to experience and trauma.
Neuroplasticity
According to the textbook, scientists are investigating the use of stem cells to:
repair damaged or diseased brain tissue.
When people are walking, raising their hands in class, or smelling a flower, they are using the:
somatic nervous system.
The job of the sympathetic division of the autonomic nervous system is to:
get the body ready to deal with stress.
The part of the autonomic nervous system known as the “eat-drink-and-rest” system is the:
parasympathetic division.
The “master gland” that controls or influences all of the other endocrine glands is the:
pituitary gland.
The adrenal glands are located right on top of:
each kidney.
A(n) _____ is used to record the activity of the cortex just below the skull.
electroencephalograph
The part of the brain that controls life-sustaining functions, such as heartbeat, breathing, and swallowing, is the:
medulla.
Which sense is the only one that is NOT processed through the thalamus?
smell
A work-related accident left Bob with a paralyzed left arm and an inability to recognize the left side of his visual field. Bob’s condition is called:
spatial neglect.
Which statement most accurately explains the difference in functioning between the right hemisphere of the brain and the left hemisphere?
The right processes information all at once, whereas the left breaks things down into parts.
On Sara’s walk to campus one morning, she was thinking about what a nice day it was, how many people were already on campus, and how she had to stop by the bookstore on her way to class. Sara was experiencing:
waking consciousness.
Which of the following parts of the body controls the sleep-wake cycle?
hypothalamus
Derek was lying on the couch and had fallen asleep when all of a sudden his body jerked, and he woke up because he felt like he was falling. Derek was most likely in which stage of sleep?
non-REM Stage 1
Delta waves begin to appear in which stage of sleep?
non-REM Stage 3
Which of the following is TRUE about night terrors?
They are a state of panic experienced while asleep.
Theodora suffers from an inability to get to sleep and to stay asleep. Which of the following would help Theodora with her insomnia?
going to bed and getting up on a regular schedule
A person with sleep apnea:
stops breathing for 10 seconds or more.
Niles has begun to fall asleep suddenly during the day, sometimes in appropriate places. Niles is most likely suffering from:
narcolepsy.