Midterm #1 Flashcards
A Testable prediction about processes that can be observed ad measured is referred to as a(n) \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_. A) Theory B) Hypothesis C) Opinion D) Hunch
B) Hypothesis
A theory or prediction is falsifiable if:
A) it has been proven false
B) it is impossible to test
C) there can be evidence for or against it
D) if and only if it comes from pseudoscience
C) there can be evidence for or against it
How would you apply the biopsychosocial model to a news report claiming that anxiety is caused by being around other people who are anxious?
A) Recognize that the news report considers all portions of the biopsychosocial model
B) Recognize that psychologists do not regard biological factors when it comes to anxiety
C) Recognize that the only effective treatment of anxiety must be drug based
D) Recognize that the news report only considers one portion of the biopsychosocial model
D) Recognize that the news report only considers one portion of the biopsychosocial model
The hypothesis that “exercise improves memory ability” is a scientific one because:
A) it cannot be confirmed
B) it cannot be rejected
C) it makes a specific, testable prediction
D) it can be proven
C) it makes a specific, testable prediction
Someone who exercises curiosity and skepticism about assumptions and beliefs is using \_\_\_\_\_\_. A) critical thinking B) a hypothesis C) pseudoscience D) the biopsychosocial model
A) critical thinking
Scientific literacy does not include ______.
A) gathering knowledge
B) Accepting common sense explanations
C) critical thinking
D) applying scientific information to everyday problems
B) accepting common sense explanations
Paul is considering whether to take a cholesterol- reducing medicine that has been recommended by his physician. He goes to the library and learns that the government agency that overseers medications has approved the medication over dozens of studies have been conducted on its usefulness. Which aspect of critical thinking does this best represent?
A) Paul has examined the nature and source of the evidence
B) Paul was simply curious
C) Paul did not consider alternative viewpoints
D) Paul was avoiding overly emotional thinking
A) Paul has examined the nature and source of the evidence
In philosophical terms, a materialist is someone who might believe that:
A) money buys happiness
B) species evolve through natural selection
C) personality can be measured by feeling for bumps on the surface of the skull
D) everything that exists, including human beings, are composed exclusively of physical matter
D) Everything that exists, including human beings, are composed exclusively of physical matter
According to Sigmund Freud, which of the following would be the most likely explanation for why someone is behaving aggressively?
A) They are acting according to psychophysics
B) there is something going on at the unconscious level that is causing them to behave this way
C)Their cigars are missing and someone’s got to pay
D) The environment is determining their behavioural response
B) There is something going on at the unconscious level that is causing them to behave this way
Jan believes that all knowledge is acquired through experience with the world. Jan is probably \_\_\_\_\_\_. A) an empiricist B) a supporter of eugenics C) a clinical psychologist D) a phrenologist
A) an empiricist
Francis Galton made a significant contribution to psychology by introducing methods for studying how heredity contributes to human behaviour. Which alternative explanation was Galton overlooking when he argues that heredity accounts for these similarities?
A) the primary importance of the nature side of the nature-versus-nurture debate
B) The fact that people who share genes live together in families, so they tend to share environmental privileges or disadvantages
C) A materialistic account of behaviour
D) The concept of dualism, which states that the mind is separate from the body
B) The fact that people who share genes live together in families, so they tend to share environmental privileges or disadvantages
\_\_\_\_\_ was the study of the basic components of the mind, while \_\_\_\_\_ was the study of how they work. A) structuralism; functionalism B) Behaviourism; functionalism C) functionalism; structuralism D) Humanism; Structuralism
A) Structuralism; functionalism
A distinct feature of behaviourism is its
A) search for the deeper meaning of human existence
B) search for patterns that create a whole that is greater than its parts
C) Use of introspection
D) exclusive emphasis on observable behaviour
D) exclusive emphasis on observable behaviour
The gestalt psychologists, with their focus on perception and experience, are closely linked to modern day \_\_\_\_\_ psychologists. A) developmental B) social C) cognitive D) evolutionary
C) Cognitive
Gwen is in search of the deeper meaning of her life, and would like to learn more about her potential as a human being. Which of the following types of psychologists would likely be most useful to her? A) Humanistic B) Gestalt C) Behaviourist D) Social
A) Humanistic
The degree to which an instrument measures what it is intended to measure if known as \_\_\_\_. A) validity B) generalizability C) verifiability D) reliability
A) validity
When psychologists question how well the results of a study apply to other samples or perhaps other situations, they are inquiring about the \_\_\_\_\_\_ of the study. A) validity B)generalizability C) verifiability D) reliability
B) generalizability
In a single-blind study, the participants do not know the purpose of the study or the condition to which they are assigned. What is the difference in a double- blind study?
A) The researcher tells the participants the purpose and their assigned conditions in the study.
B) The participants also do not know when the actual study begins or ends
C) The researcher also does not know which condition the participants are in
D) The participants know the condition to which they have been assigned, but the researcher does not.
C) The researcher also does not know which condition the participants are in.
Dr. Rose gives a standardized personality test to a group of psychology majors in January and again in March. Each individual's score remains nearly the same over the two-month period. From this, Dr.Rose can infer that the test is \_\_\_\_\_\_. A) Reliable B) Generalizable C) Objective D) Verified
A) Reliable
Claiming that something is true because "it should be obvious" is really just \_\_\_\_\_\_. A) anecdotal evidence B) an appeal to common sense C) an appeal to authority D) generalizability
B) an appeal to common sense
Appeals to authority do not qualify as good evidence because:
A) they always lack common sense
B)authority figures are likely to distort the truth
C) authority does not mean that there is sound, scientific evidence
D) authority is typically based on anecdotal evidence
C) authority does not mean that there is sound, scientific evidence
Ann is convinced that corporal punishment (e.g. spanking) is a good idea because she knows a child whose behaviour improved because of it. Whether or not you agree with her, Ann is using a flawed argument. Which type of evidence is she using? A) Anecdotal B)Objective C) Generalizable D) An appeal to authority
A) Anecdotal
When psychologists observe behaviour and record data in the environment where it normally occurs, they are using \_\_\_\_\_\_. A) case studies B) naturalistic observation C) the supervisory method D) Artificial observation
B) Naturalistic observation
Any property of an organism, event, or something else that can take on different values is called \_\_\_\_\_. A) an operational definition B) data C) a variable D) a case study
C) a variable
A psychologist is completing a naturalistic observation study of children's aggressive behaviour on a playground. She says that aggression is "any verbal or physical act that appears to be intended to hurt or control another child." She then goes on to list specific exampled. It appears that the psychologist is attempting to establish a(n) A) good relationship with the children B) variable C) observational definition D) operational definition
D) Operational definition
Which of the following correlation coefficients shows the strongest relationship between two variables? A) +.54 B) -.72 C) +1.1 D) +1.0
B) -.72
What does it mean to say that two variables are negatively correlated?
An increase in one variable is associated with a decrease in the other.
Imagine Dr.Martin finds that sense of humour is positively correlated with psychological well-being. From this, we can conclude that
A) humour causes people to be healthier
B) Health causes people to be funnier
C) people who have a good sense of humour tend to be healthier
D) people who have a good sense of humour tend to be less healthy
C) People who have a good sense of humour tend to be healthier
The process of setting up two or more groups in an experiment is called ________.
Random assignment
A researcher sets up an experiment to test a new antidepressant medication. One group receives the treatment, the other receives a placebo. The researcher then measures depression using a standardized self-report measure. What is the independent variable in this case?
Whether individuals received the treatment or the placebo.
A researcher compares a group of conservatives and liberals on a measure of beliefs about poverty. What makes this a quasi-experimental design?
The researcher is comparing pre-existing groups, rather than randomly assigning people to them.
A researcher is able to conduct an experiment on study habits in his laboratory and finds some exciting results. What is one possible shortcoming of using this method?
Results from laboratory experiments do not always generalize to real life situations.
The research ethics board is the group that determines:
whether the benefits of a proposed study outweigh its potential risks
Which of the following is not a requirement for informed consent?
A) Participants need to know the nature of the stimuli to which they will be exposed
B) Participants need to understand any potential physical, psychological, or social risks involved in the research
C) Participants need to have a face-to-face meeting with the researcher before volunteering
D) Participants need to know the approximate duration of the study
C) Participants need to have a face-to-face meeting with the researcher before volunteering
In a memory study, researchers have participants study a list of words, and then tell them it was the wrong list and that they should forget it. This deception is meant to see how effectively participants can forget something they have already studied. If the researchers plan to debrief the participants afterward, would this design meet the standards of an ethical study?
Yes, given that the participants are not at risk and that they will be debriefed, this seems to be an ethical study.
researchers should store their data after they present or publish is because:
other researchers may want to examine the data before conducting a replication study, and other researchers may want to reinterpret the data using different techniques.
After completing a naturalistic observation study, a researcher does not have quite enough evidence to support her hypothesis. If she decided to go back to her records and slightly alters a few of the observations to fit her hypothesis, she is engaged in _________.
Scientific misconduct
