Chapter 1
1
CHAPTER 1: THE SCIENCE OF PSYCHOLOGY
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. Which of the following is the best definition of psychological science?
a. the study of the brain and its function
b. the study of the mind, the
...
Chapter 1
1
CHAPTER 1: THE SCIENCE OF PSYCHOLOGY
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. Which of the following is the best definition of psychological science?
a. the study of the brain and its function
b. the study of the mind, the brain, and thought processes
c. the study of the mind, the brain, and behavior
d. the study of the mind, the psyche, and behavior
ANS: C DIF: Easy
REF: 1.1 Psychological Science Is the Study of Mind, Brain, and Behavior
OBJ: 1.A1 NAT: APA Goal 1, Knowledge Base in Psychology
MSC: Remembering
2. Psychological science is the study of
a. the mind.
b. the brain.
c. behavior.
d. All of the answer options are correct.
ANS: D DIF: Easy
REF: 1.1 Psychological Science Is the Study of Mind, Brain, and Behavior
OBJ: 1.A1 NAT: APA Goal 1, Knowledge Base in Psychology
MSC: Remembering
3. The relationship between the actions of neurons and a thought is an example of the connection
between
a. the brain and the mind. c. genes and the mind.
b. nature and nurture. d. the brain and emotion.
ANS: A DIF: Moderate
REF: 1.1 Psychological Science Is the Study of Mind, Brain, and Behavior
OBJ: 1.A1 NAT: APA Goal 1, Knowledge Base in Psychology
MSC: Applying
4. Based on the textbook’s definition of psychology, which statement best reflects the relationship
between the mind and the brain?
a. The brain is the same thing as the mind.
b. The brain influences the mind.
c. The brain is unrelated to the mind.
d. The brain reflects the mind.
ANS: B DIF: Moderate REF: 1.A What Is Psychological Science?
OBJ: 1.A1 NAT: APA Goal 1, Knowledge Base in Psychology
MSC: Applying
Downloaded by: eddah |
[email protected]
Distribution of this document is illegal
Downloaded by: GradeA |
[email protected]
Distribution of this document is illegal
Stuvia.com - The Marketplace to Buy and Sell your Study Material Stuvia.com - The Marketplace to Buy and Sell your Study Material
The Science of Psychology | 3
2
5. Barry and Candace are disagreeing. Barry states that psychology is the study of the mind. Candace
believes instead that psychology is the science of behavior. Given your knowledge of psychology,
how would you resolve this argument?
a. Barry is correct. Psychology only studies the mind.
b. Candace is correct. Psychology only studies behavior.
c. Both are correct. Psychology studies both the mind and behavior.
d. Both are incorrect. Psychology only studies emotions.
ANS: C DIF: Difficult REF: 1.A What Is Psychological Science?
OBJ: 1.A1 NAT: APA Goal 1, Knowledge Base in Psychology
MSC: Understanding
6. Allanah is a psychology major. Which of the following best describes what Allanah will learn about?
a. the structure and function of the brain
b. mental disorders and their treatments
c. feelings and other subjective states
d. the mind, the brain, and behavior
ANS: D DIF: Easy
REF: 1.1 Psychological Science Is the Study of Mind, Brain, and Behavior
OBJ: 1.A1 NAT: APA Goal 1, Knowledge Base in Psychology
MSC: Understanding
7. For much of its history, psychologists focused mostly on
a. the brain. c. behaviors.
b. disorders. d. the mind.
ANS: C DIF: Moderate
REF: 1.1 Psychological Science Is the Study of Mind, Brain, and Behavior
OBJ: 1.A1 NAT: APA Goal 1, Knowledge Base in Psychology
MSC: Remembering
8. Which of the following is an example of a psychologist who is studying the mind?
a. Dr. Chu, who studies how weather influences children’s actions on the playground
b. Dr. Well, who studies neural activity during sleep cycles of elderly adults
c. Dr. Mann, who studies the accuracy of traumatic memories over time
d. Dr. East, who studies the facial expressions of relationship partners during a fight
ANS: C DIF: Difficult
REF: 1.1 Psychological Science Is the Study of Mind, Brain, and Behavior
OBJ: 1.A1
NAT: APA Goal 1, Knowledge Base in Psychology | APA Goal 5, Professional Development
MSC: Applying
Downloaded by: eddah |
[email protected]
Distribution of this document is illegal
Downloaded by: GradeA |
[email protected]
Distribution of this document is illegal
Stuvia.com - The Marketplace to Buy and Sell your Study Material Stuvia.com - The Marketplace to Buy and Sell your Study Material
4 | Chapter 1
3
9. Which of the following is an example of a psychologist who is studying the brain?
a. Dr. Fields, who studies the purchasing habits of impulsive individuals
b. Dr. Joe, who studies how neural activity changes as newborn babies develop
c. Dr. Perez, who studies how our feelings can influence our thought processes
d. Dr. Ladd, who studies the training activities of professional athletes
ANS: B DIF: Moderate
REF: 1.1 Psychological Science Is the Study of Mind, Brain, and Behavior
OBJ: 1.A1
NAT: APA Goal 1, Knowledge Base in Psychology | APA Goal 5, Professional Development
MSC: Applying
10. Which of the following is an example of a psychologist who is studying behavior?
a. Dr. Wick, who studies how certain smells can trigger certain feelings
b. Dr. Woods, who studies patterns of neural activity related to drug use
c. Dr. Paul, who studies the thought processes involved in decision making
d. Dr. Hull, who studies the facial expressions of relationship partners during a fight
ANS: D DIF: Moderate
REF: 1.1 Psychological Science Is the Study of Mind, Brain, and Behavior
OBJ: 1.A1
NAT: APA Goal 1, Knowledge Base in Psychology | APA Goal 5, Professional Development
MSC: Applying
11. According to the text, amiable skepticism is an important element in a type of reasoning called
a. scholarly inquiry. c. analytic argumentation.
b. naysayerism. d. critical thinking.
ANS: D DIF: Easy
REF: 1.2 Psychological Science Teaches Critical Thinking OBJ: 1.A2
NAT: APA Goal 1, Knowledge Base in Psychology | APA Goal 2, Scientific Inquiry and Critical
Thinking MSC: Remembering
12. Which of the following is a characteristic of a good consumer of scientific research?
a. open to new ideas
b. carefully considers the facts
c. wary of scientific findings
d. All of the answer options are correct.
ANS: D DIF: Easy
REF: 1.2 Psychological Science Teaches Critical Thinking OBJ: 1.A2
NAT: APA Goal 1, Knowledge Base in Psychology | APA Goal 2, Scientific Inquiry and Critical
Thinking MSC: Remembering
Downloaded by: eddah |
[email protected]
Distribution of this document is illegal
Downloaded by: GradeA |
[email protected]
Distribution of this document is illegal
Stuvia.com - The Marketplace to Buy and Sell your Study Material Stuvia.com - The Marketplace to Buy and Sell your Study Material
The Science of Psychology | 5
4
13. Critical thinking is best defined as thinking that
a. is systematic and reasonable.
b. is open-minded and creative.
c. criticizes others’ opinions.
d. uses inferences but does not solve problems.
ANS: A DIF: Moderate
REF: 1.2 Psychological Science Teaches Critical Thinking OBJ: 1.A2
NAT: APA Goal 1, Knowledge Base in Psychology | APA Goal 2, Scientific Inquiry and Critical
Thinking MSC: Remembering
14. Which of the following is an example of using BOTH critical thinking and scientific reasoning?
a. believing that sugar causes ADHD because you feel hyper after eating a candy bar
b. concluding that listening to Mozart improves learning in children after reading an article
about this topic in a popular magazine
c. using a personal example to show how a psychological principle must be wrong
d. conducting research to investigate the effectiveness of left brain/right brain games in
improving memory
ANS: D DIF: Moderate
REF: 1.2 Psychological Science Teaches Critical Thinking OBJ: 1.A2
NAT: APA Goal 1, Knowledge Base in Psychology | APA Goal 2, Scientific Inquiry and Critical
Thinking MSC: Applying
15. Why is critical thinking important in evaluating psychological research?
a. Researchers deliberately lie about their research findings.
b. There could be significant limitations to the research findings.
c. Research findings are rarely influenced by political and personal agendas.
d. There is always a single clear explanation, and the researchers may not have found it.
ANS: B DIF: Moderate
REF: 1.2 Psychological Science Teaches Critical Thinking OBJ: 1.A2
NAT: APA Goal 1, Knowledge Base in Psychology | APA Goal 2, Scientific Inquiry and Critical
Thinking MSC: Applying
16. Which of the following is an important goal of your psychology textbook?
a. to teach you how to be a therapist by using methods of psychology
b. to provide you with an education about the methods of psychological science
c. to help you define normal versus abnormal behavior so you can recognize mental illness
d. to help you predict how people will interact in novel situations
ANS: B DIF: Easy
REF: 1.2 Psychological Science Teaches Critical Thinking OBJ: 1.A2
NAT: APA Goal 1, Knowledge Base in Psychology MSC: Remembering
Downloaded by: eddah |
[email protected]
Distribution of this document is illegal
Downloaded by: GradeA |
[email protected]
Distribution of this document is illegal
Stuvia.com - The Marketplace to Buy and Sell your Study Material Stuvia.com - The Marketplace to Buy and Sell your Study Material
6 | Chapter 1
5
17. The difference between using critical thinking explanations and everyday explanations for
psychological phenomena is that
a. critical thinking relies on evidence and scientific support for making conclusions.
b. everyday explanations rely on evidence and scientific support for making conclusions.
c. critical thinking relies on personal examples more than scientific evidence for making
conclusions.
d. everyday explanations rely on personal examples and scientific evidence for making
conclusions.
ANS: A DIF: Easy
REF: 1.2 Psychological Science Teaches Critical Thinking OBJ: 1.A2
NAT: APA Goal 1, Knowledge Base in Psychology | APA Goal 2, Scientific Inquiry and Critical
Thinking MSC: Remembering
18. Taj is writing a paper on global warming. He only includes research findings that support his own
beliefs about global warming because he thinks that all the contradictory findings must be the result of
flawed research. This is an example of
a. misunderstanding or not using statistics.
b. hindsight bias.
c. seeing relationships that do not exist.
d. confirmation bias.
ANS: D DIF: Difficult
REF: 1.3 Psychological Science Helps Us Understand Biased or Inaccurate Thinking
OBJ: 1.A3
NAT: APA Goal 1, Knowledge Base in Psychology | APA Goal 2, Scientific Inquiry and Critical
Thinking MSC: Applying
19. Suppose you are asked to write a newspaper article on a controversial political topic and you want to
make sure you are not influenced by the confirmation bias. Which of the following should you do in
order to avoid this bias?
a. Focus mainly on evidence that you find on your favorite news Web site.
b. Place equal importance on evidence that supports and contradicts your own beliefs.
c. Focus mainly on evidence that supports your own beliefs, since it is the most accurate
research.
d. Place equal importance on evidence you find online and in textbooks.
ANS: B DIF: Moderate
REF: 1.3 Psychological Science Helps Us Understand Biased or Inaccurate Thinking
OBJ: 1.A3
NAT: APA Goal 1, Knowledge Base in Psychology | APA Goal 2, Scientific Inquiry and Critical
Thinking MSC: Applying
Downloaded by: eddah |
[email protected]
Distribution of this document is illegal
Downloaded by: GradeA |
[email protected]
Distribution of this document is illegal
Stuvia.com - The Marketplace to Buy and Sell your Study Material Stuvia.com - The Marketplace to Buy and Sell your Study Material
The Science of Psychology | 7
6
20. Which of the following is one factor that contributes to the confirmation bias?
a. selective emotionality, which is the tendency to better remember information that is
negative
b. selective emotionality, which is the tendency to better remember information that is
positive
c. selective memory, which is the tendency to better remember information that supports
our existing beliefs
d. selective memory, which is the tendency to better remember information that goes
against our existing beliefs
ANS: C DIF: Moderate
REF: 1.3 Psychological Science Helps Us Understand Biased or Inaccurate Thinking
OBJ: 1.A3
NAT: APA Goal 1, Knowledge Base in Psychology | APA Goal 2, Scientific Inquiry and Critical
Thinking MSC: Understanding
21. Juan is in the market for a new toaster. Which of the following is an example of confirmation bias?
a. Juan reads reviews of his favorite brand of toaster on the company’s Web site.
b. Juan reads reviews of all the toasters available on Amazon.com within his price range.
c. Juan buys a toaster based on its color, rather than functionality.
d. Juan buys a toaster, and then writes a positive review for it online.
ANS: A DIF: Difficult
REF: 1.3 Psychological Science Helps Us Understand Biased or Inaccurate Thinking
OBJ: 1.A3
NAT: APA Goal 1, Knowledge Base in Psychology | APA Goal 2, Scientific Inquiry and Critical
Thinking MSC: Applying
22. A patient begins taking a new heart medication. On the day of the first dose, the patient comes in
contact with a sick coworker. The patient calls his doctor the next day to complain of flu-like
symptoms as a side effect of the new medication. This is an example of
a. taking mental shortcuts.
b. the hindsight bias.
c. seeing relationships that do not exist.
d. the confirmation bias.
ANS: C DIF: Moderate
REF: 1.3 Psychological Science Helps Us Understand Biased or Inaccurate Thinking
OBJ: 1.A3
NAT: APA Goal 1, Knowledge Base in Psychology | APA Goal 2, Scientific Inquiry and Critical
Thinking MSC: Applying