Introduction to Psychology

Question 1

What is psychology?

Answer 1

The scientific study of behaviour and mental processes in humans and animals.

Question 2

What is behaviour?

Answer 2

Behaviour includes all outward or overt actions and reactions, such as talking, facial expressions & movement.

Question 3

What are mental processes?

Answer 3

Mental processes refers to internal, covert activity of the mind, such as thinking, feeling & remembering.

Question 4

What is objective introspection?

Answer 4

Objective introspection is the process of objectively examining and measuring one’s own thoughts and mental activities.

Question 5

What is Gestalt psychology?

Answer 5

Gestalt psychology is an early perspective in psychology focusing on perception and sensation, particularly the perception of patterns and whole figures.

Question 6

What is Freudian psychoanalysis?

Answer 6

Freudian psychoanalysis is an insight therapy based on the theory of Freud, emphasising the revealing of unconscious conflicts.

Question 7

What is behaviourism?

Answer 7

Behaviourism is a theory of learning based on the idea that all behaviours are acquired through conditioning, and conditioning occurs through interaction with the environment.

Question 8

What are the 7 modern perspectives to psychology?

Answer 8

Psychodynamic
Behavioural
Humanistic
Cognitive
Sociocultural
Biopsychological
Evolutionary

Question 9

What is the psychodynamic perspective to psychology?

Answer 9

Psychodynamic perspective is a modern version of psychoanalysis which is focused on the development of a sense of self, and the discovery of motivations behind a person’s behaviour.

Question 10

What is the behavioural perspective to psychology?

Answer 10

Behavioural perspective is based on behaviourism where it focuses on examining a person’s environment and how we respond to events or stimuli from the environment rather than emphasising internal factors that motivate our actions.

Question 11

What is the humanistic perspective to psychology?

Answer 11

Humanistic perspective focuses on the aspects of personality that make people uniquely human, such as subjective feeling and freedom of choice.

It includes the view that all people have free will, freedom to choose their own destiny, and strive for self-actualization.

Question 12

What is the cognitive perspective to psychology?

Answer 12

Cognitive perspective focuses on memory, intelligence, perception, problem solving and learning.

It also includes the field of cognitive neuroscience, which studies the physical workings of the brain and nervous system when engaged in cognitive processes such as memory & thinking.

Question 13

What is the sociocultural perspective to psychology?

Answer 13

Sociocultural perspective focuses on the influence of social interactions, society, and culture on an individual’s thinking and behaviour.

Question 14

What is the biopsychological perspective to psychology?

Answer 14

Biopsychological perspective attributes human & animal behaviour to biological events occurring in the body, such as genetic influences, hormones & the activity of the nervous system.

Question 15

What is the evolutionary perspective to psychology?

Answer 15

Evolutionary perspective focuses on the biological bases of universal mental characteristics that all humans share.

It seeks to explain general mental strategies and traits. It may overlap with the biopsychology & sociocultural perspective.

Question 16

What are the 4 main goals of psychology?

Answer 16

Description
Involves observing a behaviour and documenting everything about it.
“Describe what is happening”

Explanation
Develop a theory, a general explanation of a set of observations or facts
“Explain why is it happening”

Prediction
Determine what will happen in the future.
“Predict when will it happen again”

Control
To change a behaviour from undesirable to desirable, for a better social outcome
“Control how it can be changed”

Question 17

What are the 5 steps to the scientific approach in psychology?

Answer 17

Perceiving the Question
After observing a situation from happening, form a tentative answer or explanation for the behaviour you have seen.
Derived from the goal of description: What is happening here?

Forming a Hypothesis
Based on initial observations, form an educated guess about the explanation for the observations.
The hypothesis must be based on a phenomenon and must be specific, testable and falsifiable.

Testing the Hypothesis
The approach used to test the hypothesis will depend on what kind of answer is wanted.
It is possible to either do detailed observations, surveys or experiments.

Drawing Conclusions
After the results of hypothesis testing, it will show whether the hypothesis is supported or not.

Report Your Results
After the conclusion about the investigation’s success or failure, it is important to write up what was done and what was found.

Question 18

In the definition of psychology, the term mental processes means:

a. only human behavior.
b. outward or overt actions
and reactions.
c. unconscious processes.
d. internal, covert
processes.

Answer 18

d. internal, covert processes

Question 19

Which of the following perspectives focuses on the biological bases
of universal mental characteristics?

a. humanistic
b. evolutionary
c. behavioral
d. psychodynamic

Answer 19

b. evolutionary

Question 20

Which perspective offers the best explanation for schizophrenia?

a. behavioral
b. psychodynamic
c. biopsychological
d. humanistic

Answer 20

c. biopsychological

Question 21

Juan’s dog comes running into the kitchen everytime he hears a
crackling sound. Juan feels that this happens because the dog
food he gives him also opens with a similar sound. Which perspective offers the best explaination for the behavior of Juan’s dog?

a. psychodynamic
b. behavioral
c. humanistic
d. cognitive

Answer 21

b. behavioural

Question 22

Which perspective would a researcher be taking if she were studying a client’s early childhood experiences and his resulting development of self?

a. psychodynamic
b. cognitive
c. behavioral
d. evolutionary

Answer 22

a. psychodynamic

Question 23

Which of the following professionals in psychology has a doctoral
degree that is not in medicine?

a. psychiatrist
b. psychiatric social worker
c. psychiatric nurse
d. psychologist

Answer 23

d. psychologist

Question 24

If Dr. Swasey is like most psychologists, where does she probably
work?

a. business/nonprofit
b. independent practice
c. government/VA medical center
d. university/college

Answer 24

d. university/college

Question 25

Nadine developed a strong belief in palmistry after she visited a palmist who informed her of the science behind palmistry and showed her satisfactory reviews of some customers.

She was impressed by the accuracy of his readings as had been pointed out by other customers in their reviews. She was excited to gather information about her fate from the linings of her hands, and paid a handsome sum to the palmist to read her palms.

Which criterion of critical thinking is most clearly being violated by
Nadine?

a. Not all evidence is equal in quality
b. Expertise doesn’t always guarantee truth
c. Keeping an open mind
d. Very few truths need not be subjected to testing

Answer 25

a. Not all evidence is equal in quality

Question 26

Abu is a farmer whose crop yield is not consistent. He believes that
his crops don’t do well in the season of locusts, which are insects
that eat and destroy crops. His goal is clearly an example of:

a. description.
b. prediction.
c. explanation.
d. control.

Answer 26

c. explanation.

Question 27

Which of the following would indicate the weakest relationship and
thus be close to complete randomness?

a. -0.98
b. +1.04
c. -0.89
d. +0.01

Answer 27

d. +0.01

Question 28

Jim is a research assistant who researches about the behavior of rhesus monkeys in their natural environment. He is a believer of the fact that altruism is present in all species. When observing the monkeys, he notices altruistic behavior among them. Jim might be a victim of:

a. observer bias.
b. observer effect.
c. random bias.
d. experimental bias

Answer 28

a. observer bias.

Question 29

In an experiment to examine the effects of sleep deprivation on completion of a puzzle, one group is allowed to sleep 8 hours while another group is made to stay awake. In this experiment, the control group is:

a. the group that remains awake.
b. the group that gets to sleep.
c. the puzzle.
d. the difference in time for each group to complete the puzzle

Answer 29

b. the group that gets to sleep.

Question 30

In a __________ study, the participants do not know if they are part
of the control group or the experimental group. Only the experimenter knows who is in each group.

a. triple-blind
b. placebo
c. double-blind
d. single-blind

Answer 30

d. single-blind

Question 31

What is the first guideline for doing research with people?

a. Participants have to give informed consent.
b. The rights and well-being of the participants must come first.
c. Deception cannot be used in any studies with human beings.
d. Data must remain confidential.

Answer 31

b. The rights and well-being of the participants must come first.

Question 32

What happens when the results of a study create an undesirable outcome for the participant?

a. The participant is institutionalized for further study.
b. The participants signed permission forms and must take their chances.
c. The researcher must find some way of helping the participant deal with the negative impact.
d. The researcher simply adds an addendum to the report of the study’s results.

Answer 32

c. The researcher must find some way of helping the participant
deal with the negative impact.

Question 33

What is the biggest reason we use animals in research?

a. We can do things to animals that we can’t do to people.
b. Animals have simple behavior that makes it easy to see changes.
c. Animals don’t live as long as humans.
d. Animals are easier to control.

Answer 33

a. We can do things to animals that we can’t do to people.

Question 34

Which of the following is an ethical consideration when using animals in research?

a. There are no ethical considerations when using animals in research.
b. Animals cannot be killed during the course of an experiment.
c. Animals must not experience any pain during an experiment.
d. Avoiding exposing them to unnecessary pain.

Answer 34

d. Avoiding exposing them to unnecessary pain.

Question 35

In the definition of psychology, the term behavior means

a. internal, covert processes.
b. overt actions and reactions.
c. outward behavior.
d. only animal behavior.

Answer 35

b. overt actions and reactions.

Question 36

Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalysis focused on:

a. introspection.
b. observable behavior.
c. Gestalt perceptions.
d. early childhood experiences.

Answer 36

d. early childhood experiences.

Question 37

Which perspective is often referred to as the “third force” in
psychology and focuses on people’s freedom of choice in
determining their behavior?

a. biopsychological perspective
b. humanism
c. behaviorism
d. cognitive psychology

Answer 37

b. humanism

Question 38

Which perspective best explains the bystander effect whereby individuals will be less likely to help someone in need because of the presence of others close by?

a. sociocultural
b. psychoanalysis
c. behaviorism
d. cognitive psychology

Answer 38

a. sociocultural

Question 39

Dr. Wang relies on treating patients with appropriate techniques
based on a combination of several psychological perspectives. We can say that Dr. Wang is using the ________ approach.

a. biological
b. eclectic
c. esoteric
d. humanistic

Answer 39

b. eclectic

Question 40

Dr. Luca doesn’t belong to the largest subfield of psychology.
Which of the following is NOT the subfield in psychology he might
belong to?

a. clinical
b. general
c. counseling
d. educational

Answer 40

a. clinical

Question 41

Micah has recently been diagnosed with a psychological disorder
that is best addressed initially with medication. He would likely
benefit the most by first seeing a _________.

a. psychiatrist
b. psychologist
c. psychiatric social worker
d. psychoanalyst

Answer 41

a. psychiatrist

Question 42

Sasha believes that the earth is flat. Her friend shares plenty of
evidence to convince her the world is round, but Sasha’s opinion
doesn’t change. She has made an error in which of the following
criteria for critical thinking?

a. All evidence is not equal in quality.
b. Critical thinking requires an open mind.
c. Few “truths” do not need to be tested.
d. Expertise doesn’t automatically make claims true

Answer 42

b. Critical thinking requires an open mind.

Question 43

A psychologist is interested in finding out why married couples
seemingly begin to look like each other after several years of marriage. This psychologist is most interested in the goal of:

a. prediction.
b. description.
c. explanation.
d. control.

Answer 43

c. explanation.

Question 44

Which step in the scientific approach is derived from the goal of description?

a. forming a hypothesis
b. reporting your results
c. drawing conclusions
d. perceiving a question

Answer 44

d. perceiving a question

Question 45

Patricia believes that introverts have fewer friends. She forms a questionnaire and distributes it to her schoolmates. Which step in the scientific approach is she currently focusing on?

a. testing a hypothesis
b. forming a hypothesis
c. drawing conclusions
d. reporting results

Answer 45

a. testing a hypothesis

Question 46

The famous study of Phineas Gage, who survived when a metal rod pierced his skull, is an example of a:

a. correlation.
b. laboratory experiment.
c. case study.
d. survey

Answer 46

c. case study.

Question 47

Vladimir, a researcher, finds that over the years as people started
wearing seatbelts, the number of deaths in car accidents decreased. This would be an example of a __________ correlation.

a. zero
b. positive
c. negative
d. direct

Answer 47

c. negative

Question 48

A researcher wants to study the effects of texting on driving.
Students in Group A drive a car in a computer game and see how
many virtual accidents they have. Students in Group B are asked
to drive the same virtual car but they must respond to and send at least three texts. The number of virtual accidents is measured for each group. What is the independent variable?

a. the virtual car
b. texting
c. the number of virtual
accidents
d. the group assignment

Answer 48

b. texting

Question 49

A researcher asks an assistant to conduct a study on her behalf.
She specifically tells her assistant only to share the results anonymously and not to include the names of the students along with their scores. Such an experiment would be considered a:

a. laboratory observation.
b. single-blind experiment.
c. correlational study.
d. double-blind experiment.

Answer 49

d. double-blind experiment.

Question 50

Double-blind studies control for

a. the placebo effect only.
b. the placebo effect and the experimenter effect.
c. the experimenter effect only.
d. extrinsic motivation.

Answer 50

b. the placebo effect and the experimenter effect.

Question 51

Dr. Timothy conducts an experiment where children are told that
their intelligence is being tested but in reality, it’s their resilience
that is being tested.

He debriefs the children after the experiment but does not inform them of the use of deception, fearing that they would tell other participating children and ruin his experiment.

Which ethical guideline has Dr. Timothy failed to follow?

a. debriefing guideline
b. deception guideline
c. data confidentiality guideline
d. undesirable consequence guideline

Answer 51

a. debriefing guideline