Psychology midterm Flashcards
I am a modern psychologist interested in higher level learning, problem solving, consciousness, beliefs, language, and memory.
cognitive
The plus (+) or minus (–) sign in front of a correlation tells about:
the type or directionality
The simplest synonym or definition for “replication” is:
repetition
William James taught psychology at:
harvard
__________ is an experiment in which participants do not know if they are in the experimental or the control group, but the experimenters do know which participants are part of which group.
The single-blind study
Which of the following might be a problem with naturalistic observational research?
lack of control over the environment
All of these could be problems.
observer effect – subjects know they are being watched
observer bias – the person watching isn’t objective
the people being watched may not be a representative sample
All
At the close of the nineteenth century, Hans is excited to learn that he has been accepted for training in the psychology laboratory of Wilhelm Wundt. It is likely that Hans will be trained to __________.
focus on consciousness and sensations
The school of behaviorism attempted to explain behavior by studying __________.
how a specific stimulus evokes a specific response
Double-blind studies control for __________.
both the placebo effect and the experimenter effect
T-F
Sam conducted a naturalistic observation as a project for a psychology class. He observed the interactions of parents and children at a football game, but not in a very subtle way. Many of the people he observed noticed him and realized he was watching. Sam had a problem known as observer effect.
false
The first step in any scientific investigation is __________.
perceiving the question
John Watson was the founder of the school of thought that became known as __________.
behaviorism
How many subjects (participants) would you expect in case study research, typically?
1
You attend a lecture by a psychologist who uses terms such as free will and self-actualization. Which psychological perspective is most consistent with the points the psychologist presented?
humanism
As part of an assignment, Taylor’s class was asked to complete an anonymous questionnaire on female sexual harassment. Which research method was Taylor’s professor using?
survey
Which of the following correlation coefficients represents the strongest relationship between two variables?
-.25
.25
.50
-.75
-.75
Which of the following psychologists was most responsible for the ORIGINAL creation of the behavioral/behaviorism school of psychology?
Watson
T-F
Critical thinking requires making judgments that are well-reasoned and well thought out.
true
Which of the following is NOT associated with Freud
psychoanalysis
repress/repression
unconscious
subconscious
subconscious
“Psychologists should only study observable behaviors.” Who would be most likely to have said this?
Skinner
Which perspective focuses on free will and self-actualization?
humanistic perspective
T-F
A negative correlation means that high values of one variable are associated with low values of the other.
true
John B. Watson is to B. F. Skinner as Carl Rogers is to:
Abraham Maslow
The technique of objective introspection was used by both:
Wundt and Titchener
The belief that the unconscious mind has a strong influence on someone’s behavior is part of what early field of psychology?
psychoanalysis
In addition to describing and explaining mental processes and behavior, psychology has scientific goals to __________ these phenomena.
predict and control
Freud was the founder of __________.
psychoanalysis and psychodynamic thought
You are at a basketball game and the arena is packed. The crowd is evenly split between fans of the two teams. At one point, the referee makes a call. Half of the fans yell insults; the other half shout their approval. The event reminds you of something you read in your psychology textbook. What was the likely topic?
bias
The tendency to look for information that supports one’s own belief is called __________.
confirmation bias
A negative correlation means that __________.
high values of one variable are associated with low values of the other
Unintended changes in participants’ behavior due to cues (even inadvertently) given by the experimenter are called __________.
experimenter effects
Freud believed that many unconscious issues are __________.
rooted in childhood
Surveys, as discussed in the text, are a form of __________ research.
descriptive
A common ethical guideline suggested by the American Psychological Association is that participants __________.
must be allowed to make an informed decision
As children grow older, their discretionary income usually increases. The best conclusion to draw about the variables age and income are that they are __________.
positively correlated
Before laboratories and experiments began, which philosopher(s) explored ideas related to psychology?
Aristotle
Plato
All of these and more.
Descartes
all
Dr. Ramos contends that human intelligence gives us an advantage to survive in the natural world. Dr. Ramos likely agrees with the __________ theory of psychology.
evolutionary
The early perspective called Gestalt psychology eventually evolved into what current perspective?
cognitive psychology
Will was admitted to the hospital last week after a stroke. When Will’s son visited, he found that his father was unable to get phrases and words out in a smooth, articulate manner. If Will’s difficulty speaking is due to a specific area of brain damage, what is the likely location of the damage?
Broca’s area
The function of the neuron’s axon is to __________.
carry messages to other cells
The structure in the hindbrain that controls balance, certain reflexes, and coordinates the body’s movements is the __________.
cerebellum
Zachary’s mother is usually meticulous in her presentation. When picking her up for a family dinner, he noticed that her makeup was only applied to the right side of her face. Her hair was also brushed on the right side, but on the left it was matted and uncombed. He immediately took her to the hospital as it was clear that she was unaware of any problems. She was diagnosed with __________, which is evidenced by damage to the association areas of the right hemisphere.
spatial neglect
The area in the temporal lobe that is important in our ability to process and understand what others are saying is __________ area.
Wernicke’s
T-F
The pineal gland secrets a hormone called insulin.
false
Leo’s severe rollerblading accident causes him to complain that he now cannot understand what people are saying to him. Which lobe would have been most likely affected?
temporal lobe
When discussing anatomical directions, the ears would be said to be ____________ to the brain.
lateral
T-F
If the body secretes too much insulin, the result is hyperglycemia.
false
People suffering from Alzheimer’s disease have much lower levels of acetylcholine in the __________.
hippocampus
The site of many mental processes that are unique to humans (self-awareness, initiative, planning ability, and goal-directed behavior) would be located in the __________ lobes.
frontal
Which of the following regions contains the somatosensory cortex?
parietal lobe
T-F
Although the entire body is composed of cells, each type of cell has a special purpose and function and, therefore, a special structure.
true
Which of the following is a machine designed to record the brain wave patterns produced by electrical activity (such as a beta wave or alpha wave) of the brain’s cortex, just below the scalp?
EEG
After removal of a tumor from the LEFT side of her brain, Liv recovered well. However, some of her former abilities are now limited. Which of the following abilities are most likely affected?
recognizing anger on someone’s face
coordinated walking movements
assembling jigsaw puzzles
solving algebra equations
solving algebra equations
T-F
The pons is the larger “swelling” just above the medulla.
true
Assume that you are testing a split-brain human subject whose language center is in his left hemisphere. If you place a house key into his left hand, he will __________.
not be able to tell you what object he is presently holding
Traditionally, many have made the analogy that the left brain is to the right brain as __________. (Look carefully at the order here.)
holistic is to analytical
intuitive is to perceptual
logical is to artistic
verbal is to analytical
logical is to artistic
A dancer suffered damage to __________ and never danced properly again.
the cerebellum
Which of the following is TRUE about dopamine (DA)?
It can have different effects depending on the exact location of its activity.
For most people, the area of the left temporal lobe that is crucial in the ability to process and understand what others are saying:
Wernicke’s area
The autonomic nervous system is made up of what two other systems?
sympathetic and parasympathetic divisions
Catalina needs to have a neuroimaging test that will track the activity of her brain, but wants to use a radioactive tracer that is more easily obtained than those used for PET. Which of the following offers the BEST alternative based on Catalina’s needs?
single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT)
T-F
The cingulate cortex can be divided into up to four regions that play different roles in processing emotional, cognitive, and autonomic information.
true
The adrenal cortex __________.
provides a source of sex hormones in addition to the gonads
produces corticoids
plays a role in the production of cortisol
helps to regulate salt intake
helps to control stress reactions
All of these are true.
all
The nervous system often called the “fight or flight” system is actually the __________ system.
sympathetic
T-F
The pons relays messages between the cerebellum and the cortex.
true
What is the term used to describe the rounded areas on the ends of the axon?
synaptic knobs
T-F
Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a type of NIBS.
True
The cerebellum __________.
coordinates balance and movements
Simone has been unable to participate in her gymnastics class and has become very uncoordinated since she was involved in an accident in which she suffered a head injury. As a result of the accident, she is likely to have suffered damage to her __________.
cerebellum
The term “fire” when referring to neural transmission indicates that a neuron __________.
has received, in its dendrites, appropriate inputs from other neurons
T-F
The pineal gland is located in the brain, toward the rear and above the brain stem.
true
If Michele’s doctor has taken a series of images of her brain using X-rays, then she has likely had a(n) __________.
CT scan
Alice’s physician refers her to a medical center in order to have the biochemical activity in her brain analyzed. She is given an injection of a radioactive glucose substance and then is told to lie down with her head in a scanner. The technique being used is __________.
positron emission tomography
The part of the hindbrain that largely controls breathing, heart rate, swallowing, and blood pressure is the __________.
medulla
T-F
The medulla is responsible for people’s ability to selectively attend to certain kinds of information in their surroundings.
false
The left and right cerebral hemispheres are connected by the __________.
corpus callosum
Endocrine glands __________.
secrete hormones directly into the bloodstream
T-F
The pons helps coordinate the movements of the left and right sides of the body.
true
Opponent-process theory was first proposed by:
Edwald Hering
The place in the retina where the axons of all the ganglion cells come together to leave the eye is called the __________.
blind spot
The wavelength of the light to reach your eyes determines what __________ you see.
hue
T-F
Nerve hearing impairment due to problems in the auditory cortex of the brain has been easily corrected with hearing aids.
false
Receptor cells in the retina responsible for color vision and fine acuity are __________.
cones
Special receptors in organs are activated. Various forms of outside stimuli become neural signals in the brain. These define:
sensation
The gate-control theory of pain suggests that the __________.
pain signals must pass through a kind of “gate” located in the spinal cord
T_F
Taste is one of our earliest developed senses.
true
The cochlea and basilar membrane are part of the __________.
inner ear
How many somesthetic sense systems are there?
4
You are told that you are going to be shown some words related to food. The experimenter then shows you the word “pizao” and you perceive the word “pizza.” This example illustrates that your perceptions are affected by your __________.
expectations
Sensation is to __________ as perception is to __________.
input; understanding
Nichole is an unusual artist who works with light. She blends equal portions of red, green, and blue light together. The result will be:
white
A)
require more light than rods
B)
act as receptors for visual acuity or fine details
C)
help us see colors
D)
A, B, and C are all correct.
E)
None of A, B, or C is true.
all (D)
The aqueous humor would be best compared to what?
a pond
Regarding vision and light:
light has the properties of both waves and particles
Professor Jacobs is discussing how pure a particular area is on a painting. In our class (psychology), we know that the purity of the red she is discussing is due to:
saturation, with only red wavelengths present
Since our eyes are a few inches apart, we get a slightly different view from each eye. This is known as __________.
binocular disparity
Suppose your town is located in a valley. Obviously, you’ll realize that the size of your town doesn’t change regardless of whether you look at it up close or from a hilltop. This is primarily due to __________.
size constancy
T_F
Sound waves are different from light in many ways, but they have the same properties of light waves — wavelength, amplitude, and purity.
true
Sensory adaptation is very different from habituation, largely because __________.
the receptor cells become less responsive
Detecting “environmental stimulation” is one way to define __________.
sensation
Debates about the two major theories of color vision __________.
began long ago and still continue
Which of the following phenomena is a function of the distribution of the rods and cones in the retina?
A dim star viewed at night may disappear when you look directly at it, but reappear when you look to one side of it.
Danielle has just been told by her physician that she has the most common type of permanent hearing loss. Since she is enrolled in this course, she knows that her physician is referring to __________.
sensorineural hearing impairment
T_F
The proposed name for a potential sixth taste is oleogustus.
true
When you wake up in the morning, you probably squint at the light as you open your eyes. In just a few seconds, however, you are able to open your eyes all the way, even if the room is quite bright. This demonstrates __________ adaptation.
light
As sounds become louder, their __________ increases.
amplitude
In a signal detection experiment, the subject has just made a “hit.” This means:
a stimulus was there and the subject detected it was there
In a signal detection experiment, the subject has just made a “miss.” This means:
a stimulus was there but the subject could not detect that it was there
Nichole is an artist. She blends equal portions of red, yellow, and blue paint together. The result will be:
black
The hammer, anvil, and stirrup are all located in the __________.
middle ear
Weber’s law states that a just noticeable change in a stimulus magnitude is __________ the original stimulus magnitude.
proportional too
Olfaction refers to __________.
smelling
A method for assessing the accuracy of judgments or decisions under uncertain conditions is called __________ theory. This method assesses a person’s “hits” and “rejections” compared to their “misses” and “false alarms.”
signal detection
How blurry-looking an object appears. Linear perspective. These are cues associated with __________ depth perception.
monocular
T_F
Frequency theory was developed by Ernest Rutherford in 1886.
true
The three laws or principles of perceptual constancy include size, shape, and __________.
brightness
The difference threshold is the degree of change that is required in order for a person to detect a change __________ percent of the time.
50
The distance cue in which faraway objects appear to be hazy and have a blurred outline is called __________.
aerial perspective
T_F
Contrary to popular belief, body temperature plays no role in inducing sleep.
false
