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Test Bank For Psychology And Life, 20th Edition

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    1 TOTAL ASSESSMENT GUIDE Chapter 1 Psychology and Life Topic Factual Conceptual Applied What Makes Psychology Unique? Multiple Choice 1, 10, 16 2, 3, 4, 6, 13, 14, 15, 17, 23 5, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, 18 - 22 True/False 2 1, 3 4 Fill - Ins 1 Essay 1 2 The Evolution of Modern Psychology Multiple Choice 24, 26, 27, 29, 31 – 33, 35, 38, 40, 45 - 46, 53, 60, 62, 65, 70 - 71, 76 - 77 25, 28, 37, 41 – 44, 47 - 50, 55 - 56, 58, 61, 63 - 64, 67 - 68, 73 - 75, 78 - 79, 86 30, 34, 36, 39, 51 - 52, 54, 57, 59, 66, 69, 72, 80 - 85 True/False 5 - 7, 10, 15 8, 11 - 13, 16 - 17 9, 14 Fill - Ins 2, 4 - 5, 7 - 8 3, 6, 9 - 10 Essay 4 3, 4 What Psychologists Do Multiple Choice 89 87 - 88, 90 True/False 18 - 19 Fill - Ins Essay 5 Psychology in Your Life: In What Ways Do Psychologists Participate in the Legal System? Multiple Choice 91 True/False Fill - Ins Essay

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    2 Chapter 1: Psychology and Life Multiple Choice Questions 1.1 - 1. Psychology is best defined as the scientific study of a. the mind and consciousness. b. the mental processes of individuals. c. mental disorders and abnormal behavior. d. the behavior of individuals and their mental processes. Difficulty: 1 Page Ref: 2 Topic: What Makes Psychology Unique? Skill: Factual Answer: d. the behavior of individuals and their mental processes. 1.1 - 2. Suppose you want to draw some psychological conclusions in a way that is consistent with the scientific aspect of psychology. You should base your conclusions on a. the beliefs held by most people. b. the fundamental notion of common sense. c. your personal feelings or intuitions, but only if they are reasonable. Incorrect: Conclusions should be based on objectively gathered data that are consistent with the rules of the scientific method. d. evidence collected according to the principles of the scientific method. Correct: The scientific method consists of steps that help us analyze and solve problems in orderly ways, based on objectively collected information. Difficulty: 2 Page Ref: 2 Topic: What Makes Psychology Unique? Skill: Conceptual Answer: d. evidence collected according to the principles of the scientific method. 1.1 - 3. The subject matter of psychology largely consists of a. observable behavior of humans. Incorrect: This answer is only half correct, as psychology also considers the behaviors of other species beyond human beings. b. unobservable behavior of humans. c. observable behavior of other species of animals. d. observable behavior of humans and other species of animals.

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    3 Correct: Psychologists examine the behavior of humans in their environments and in their social and cultural contexts. Psychologists also study other species in their natural habitats or in the research laboratory. Difficulty: 2 Page Ref: 2 Topic: What Makes Psychology Unique? Skill: Conceptual Answer: d. observable behavior of humans and other species of animals. 1.1 - 4. When drawing conclusions about behavior, psychologists rely on a. their own personal beliefs. Incorrect: One should, in fact, keep their personal beliefs out of their analysis of gathered data and rely on the scientific method and objectively gathered data. b. what is known as “common sense.” c. objectively collected information. Correct: Psychological conclusions are based on evidence that gives psychologists a factual basis for drawing conclusions by using the scientific method. d. their everyday observations of people. Difficulty: 2 Page Ref: 2 Topic: What Makes Psychology Unique? Skill: Conceptual Answer: c. objectively collected information. 1.1 - 5. Which statement is MOST consistent with the perspective taken by psychologists? a. Only human behavior is of interest. Incorrect: Not only is the behavior of non - human animals of interest, so too are the mental processes of human beings. b. Mental processes are of little real importance. c. Both observable behavior and mental processes are of interest. Correct: Psychologists focus on the behavior of individuals in various settings, while sociologists study social behavior of groups or institutions, and anthropologists study behavior in the broader contexts of culture. d. Behavior should only be studied in a controlled research laboratory. Difficulty: 2 Page Ref: 2 Topic: What Makes Psychology Unique? Skill: Applied Answer: c. Both observable behavior and mental processes are of interest.

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    4 1.1 - 6. When compared to the work of sociologists and anthropologists, psychologists are likely to focus more on a. social institutions. b. individual behavior. Correct: Psychologists focus on the behavior of individuals in various settings, while sociologists study social behavior of groups or institutions and anthropologists study behavior in the broader context of culture. c. cultural differences in behavior. Incorrect: Actually this emphasis would be more focused on by the anthropologist and sociologist than the psychologist. d. the behavior of people in groups. Difficulty: 2 Page Ref: 2 Topic: What Makes Psychology Unique? Skill: Conceptual Answer: b. individual behavior. 1.1 - 7. A friend’s curiosity about how the human mind works is coupled with her fascination with computer science and artificial intelligence. It sounds as though your friend’s interests are consistent with the emerging area of ________ science. a. social b. health c. cognitive Correct: Psychologists’ questions about how the mind works are related to theory and research in computer science, philosophy, linguistics, and neuroscience. d. biological Incorrect: The relationship between the functioning of the human mind and computers (and AI) is explored by cognitive psychology, not biological psychology. Difficulty: 2 Page Ref: 2 - 3 Topic: What Makes Psychology Unique? Skill: Applied Answer: c. cognitive 1.1 - 8. You overhear two psychologists discussing the relative importance of the various levels of analysis researchers may use. They are most likely to reach an agreement that a. the broadest level of analysis is the most important.

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    5 Incorrect: All levels of analysis are important for different reasons and at different times. b. the narrowest level of analysis is the most important. c. some levels of analysis are less important than others. d. different levels of analysis address different questions. Correct: Each level of analysis gives information to the researcher that is important to understanding different aspects of behavior and mental processes. A level of analysis may be very narrow (i.e., an individual’s reaction time) to very broad (i.e., cultural influences on the individual). Difficulty: 2 Page Ref: 3 Topic: What Makes Psychology Unique? Skill: Applied Answer: d. different levels of analysis address different questions. 1.1 - 9. An educational psychologist has decided to do research on reading behavior. If he were to approach this topic from the broadest level of analysis, he would be most likely to study a. whether readers move their lips while reading. Incorrect: This would be an example of a very narrow level of analysis, and thus wouldn’t be the best answer. b. whether attitudes toward reading vary around the world. Correct: At the broadest level of analysis, researchers study the whole person within social and cultural contexts, including cross - cultural differences and similarities. c. the eye movements readers make while reading a page of text. d. left and right brain hemisphere differences in the processing of foreign languages. Difficulty: 3 Page Ref: 3 Topic: What Makes Psychology Unique? Skill: Applied Answer: b. whether attitudes toward reading vary around the world. 1.1 - 10. The first task in psychology is to make accurate observations about behavior. This means that psychologists must first ________ behavior. a. predict b. explain c. control d. describe Difficulty: 2 Page Ref: 3 Topic: What Makes Psychology Unique?

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    6 Skill: Factual Answer: d. describe 1.1 - 11. A boy complains that his sister has been teasing him. The parents ask him to tell them specifically when she teases him and how it happens; they are asking him to provide behavioral data to support his claim. A psychologist would say that the child is being encouraged to do all of the following EXCEPT a. observe his sister’s behavior. Incorrect: Observation is part of description, which is what he has been asked to do by his parents. This is one of the four major goals of psychology. b. explain why his sister teases him. Correct: The parents are asking for accurate observations of the behavior; they are asking for descriptions of the behavior, rather than explanations of it. Explanations go beyond what is observed. c. report on his sister’s teasing behavior in an objective fashion. d. note the conditions under which his sister’s teasing behavior occurs. Difficulty: 2 Page Ref: 3 Topic: What Makes Psychology Unique? Skill: Applied Answer: b. explain why his sister teases him. 1.1 - 12. In order to investigate behavior, researchers may use different levels of analysis. Which of the following research questions exemplifies the broadest, most global level of analysis? a. What are the origins of prejudice? Correct: The broadest level of analysis describes complex social and cultural contexts of behavior and mental processes. b. Are there gender differences in prejudice? c. Are there differences in how various racial groups express prejudice? d. What is the role of early childhood experiences in the formation of prejudice? Incorrect: This would be a rather narrow level of analysis, so it would not be the best answer. Difficulty: 3 Page Ref: 3 - 4 Topic: What Makes Psychology Unique? Skill: Applied Answer: a. What are the origins of prejudice? 1.1 - 13. To investigate behavior, researchers may use different levels of analysis. Which of the following research questions exemplifies the narrowest, most specific level of analysis?

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    7 a. What are the causes of mental illness? Incorrect: This is a more general, or board, level of analysis so it would not be the best answer. b. Which brain structures are associated with paranoid schizophrenia? Correct: This level of analysis explores smaller and smaller units of behavior; it is a description of specific influences on behavior. c. Are food additives responsible for the occurrence of certain types of mental illness? d. Are there differences in the prevalence of mental illness in different countries? Difficulty: 3 Page Ref: 3 - 4 Topic: What Makes Psychology Unique? Skill: Conceptual Answer: b. Which brain structures are associated with paranoid schizophrenia? 1.1 - 14. Imagine that you are a research psychologist. In your attempt to describe behavior, it is of utmost importance that you a. use a broad level of analysis. b. use a narrow level of analysis. c. collect the facts as they exist. Correct: It is important to avoid letting biases, prejudices, or expectations influence collection of data. Description must be based on objective collection of data, rather than subjective points of view. d. collect only those facts that are consistent with your expectations. Incorrect: Data must be gathered objectively, without being influenced by one’s individual expectations. Difficulty: 2 Page Ref: 4 Topic: What Makes Psychology Unique? Skill: Conceptual Answer: c. collect the facts as they exist. 1.1 - 15. A major way in which the psychologist’s goal of explanation differs from the psychologist’s goal of description is that explanations a. are objective. Incorrect: Description can be based on objective observation, but explanation must go beyond what can be seen. b. are based on data. c. use a lower level of analysis. d. deliberately go beyond what can be observed.

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    8 Correct: Psychologists strive to describe behavior objectively by collecting facts as they exist. Explanations go beyond that to look for patterns in behavior and mental processes. Explanations demonstrate that behavior is influenced in most cases by a combination of factors, some of which can be directly observed and some of which cannot. Difficulty: 3 Page Ref: 4 Topic: What Makes Psychology Unique? Skill: Conceptual Answer: d. deliberately go beyond what can be observed. 1.1 - 16. In the context of the goal of explanation, the concept of “informed imagination” most closely refers to the a. widest level of analysis. b. researcher’s use of objective methods. c. creativity in synthesizing what is known and not yet known. d. discovery of cause - effect relationships by systematic experimentation. Difficulty: 3 Page Ref: 4 Topic: What Makes Psychology Unique? Skill: Factual Answer: c. creativity in synthesizing what is known and not yet known. 1.1 - 17. Different explanations of behavior are usually judged by how a. consistent they are with the beliefs of the researcher. Incorrect: Sometimes the best explanations are at odds with a researcher’s beliefs. This is not the best answer to this question. b. well they combine situational and environmental variables. c. well they can make accurate and comprehensive predictions. Correct: If explanations of behavior are based on research and creative synthesis of information, it is likely that we can say that the behavior will happen in a particular way in the future; if this is the case, prediction has been accurate and comprehensive. If not, further research is needed to search for a more comprehensive and accurate explanation of the behavior. d. consistent they are with the experiences of the general public. Difficulty: 3 Page Ref: 4 Topic: What Makes Psychology Unique? Skill: Conceptual Answer: c. well they can make accurate and comprehensive predictions.

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    9 1.1 - 18. One day while playing golf, you catch your opponent cheating. Your subsequent belief that your opponent also probably cheats on his income tax is most consistent with which of the psychologist’s research goals? a. control Incorrect: No behavior is being altered in this question, so control is not the right option. b. prediction Correct: Predictions are statements about the likelihood that certain behaviors will occur. If you believe that your opponent is a cheater, you are likely to predict that he will act that way in other situations as well. c. description d. explanation Difficulty: 3 Page Ref: 4 Topic: What Makes Psychology Unique? Skill: Applied Answer: b. prediction 1.1 - 19. Two students are discussing their teacher’s inability to remember student names. One attributes the inability to a poor memory, but the other believes it is due to a lack of motivation. Researchers would judge which of the two explanations is best by a. attributing the inability to a situational variable. b. measuring how strongly each friend feels about his opinion. Incorrect: The intensity of one’s opinion would not be an important factor in the judgment of the validity of the explanations. c. attributing the inability to remember to a dispositional variable. d. determining how well each explanation predicts behavior in new situations. Correct: Accurate explanations of the underlying causes of behavior allow researchers to make accurate predictions about the future. Causal explanations rely on examination of objective data and synthesis of what is known with trained insights into human experience. Difficulty: 3 Page Ref: 4 Topic: What Makes Psychology Unique? Skill: Applied Answer: d. determining how well each explanation predicts behavior in new situations. 1.1 - 20. Which of the following is most similar to the psychological goal of control? a. A girl discovers that she can make her brother cry by teasing him. Correct: Control is making behavior happen or not happen. b. A pet owner expects that her dog will be waiting for her when she gets home.

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    10 Incorrect: This speaks to prediction, not control. It is the anticipation of what will happen. c. A child likes ice cream because it tastes good. d. A poet writes a poem describing a beautiful snowfall. Difficulty: 2 Page Ref: 5 Topic: What Makes Psychology Unique? Skill: Applied Answer: a. A girl discovers that she can make her brother cry by teasing him. 1.1 - 21. Therapeutic programs designed to help people substitute more positive behaviors for negative behaviors are most closely related to the psychological goal of a. control. Correct: Psychologists have devised ways to help people gain control over problematic aspects of their lives; people learn ways to make behaviors happen or not happen in their lives to increase quality of life. b. prediction. Incorrect: This question speaks to altering someone’s behaviors, and thus it involves the psychology goal of control, not prediction. c. explanation. d. description. Difficulty: 2 Page Ref: 5 Topic: What Makes Psychology Unique? Skill: Applied Answer: a. control. 1.1 - 22. The types of interventions that allow people to improve the quality of their lives are most directly the result of which goal of psychological research? a. control Correct: Changing behavior (making it happen or not happen) is one way of improving quality of life. Psychological interventions help people identify changes that are needed and help them make changes in behaviors that will have an effect on quality of life. b. prediction Incorrect: This question speaks to altering someone’s behaviors, and thus it involves the psychology goal of control, not prediction. c. explanation d. description Difficulty: 2 Page Ref: 5

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    11 Topic: What Makes Psychology Unique? Skill: Applied Answer: a. control 1.1 - 23. Treatments for mental illness, the ability of people to eliminate unhealthy behaviors such as smoking and initiate healthy behaviors such as exercise, and the development of positive parenting practices are all consistent with the idea that a. psychology is little more than common sense. b. psychological knowledge can be used to help improve the quality of life. Correct: Quality of life is improved when we change behaviors (make them happen or not happen). Making behaviors happen or not happen is part of the ability to control behavior, which gives psychologists ways of helping people improve the quality of their lives. c. explanation and prediction are the two most important psychological goals. Incorrect: Your author notes that explanation and prediction, along with description and control, are all equally important goals of psychology. d. the use of animal participants has minimal relevance to modern psychological research. Difficulty: 2 Page Ref: 5 Topic: What Makes Psychology Unique? Skill: Conceptual Answer: b. psychological knowledge can be used to help improve the quality of life. 1.1 - 24. Much of the history of psychology has been characterized by a. the belief that ideas matter greatly. b. general agreement about the subject matter of psychology. c. uncertainty with respect to the definition of psychology. d. considerable agreement among researchers as to appropriate methodologies. Difficulty: 2 Page Ref: 5 Topic: The Evolution of Modern Psychology Skill: Factual Answer: a. the belief that ideas matter greatly. 1.1 - 25. In 1908, Hermann Ebbinghaus wrote that “Psychology has a long past, but only a short history.” Which statement best captures the idea that Ebbinghaus was expressing? a. Psychologists, like philosophers, have difficulty learning from their mistakes. b. Questions about human nature have existed for a long time, but only recently have the methods necessary to answer them been developed.

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    12 Correct: Toward the end of the nineteenth century, researchers in the new field of psychology began to apply laboratory techniques from sciences such as physiology and physics to the exploration of questions about behavior and mental processes. Questions about the mind and behavior had been asked by philosophers for centuries. c. The field of psychology has existed for a long time, but only recently have scholars recorded the accomplishments of the profession. d. Although psychologists have been doing laboratory research for hundreds of years, little of substance has been discovered about human nature. Incorrect: In fact, the first true laboratory of psychology was established only around 130 years ago, in Leipzig, Germany. Difficulty: 3 Page Ref: 5 Topic: The Evolution of Modern Psychology Skill: Conceptual Answer: b. Questions about human nature have existed for a long time, but only recently have the methods necessary to answer them been developed. 1.1 - 26. Questions about how the mind works and the nature of free will can be traced back to a. Wilhelm Wundt. b. Hermann Ebbinghaus. c. the end of the nineteenth century. d. the fourth and fifth centuries B.C. Difficulty: 2 Page Ref: 5 - 6 Topic: The Evolution of Modern Psychology Skill: Factual Answer: d. the fourth and fifth centuries B.C. 1.1 - 27. Western psychology traces its origin to a. Indian Yogic traditions. b. classical Greek philosophy. c. Asian and African psychology. d. the early Roman Catholic church. Difficulty: 2 Page Ref: 5 - 6 Topic: The Evolution of Modern Psychology Skill: Factual Answer: b. classical Greek philosophy.

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    13 1.1 - 28. With respect to attempts to answer questions about how the mind works, how did the classical Greek philosophers compare to the psychological researchers at the end of the nineteenth century? a. The philosophical approach was actually more scientific. Incorrect: Philosophy is a very important discipline, but it does not employ the scientific method as a means of answering questions. b. The philosophical and psychological approaches were essentially identical. c. Only the psychological researchers applied laboratory techniques from other sciences. Correct: The Greek philosophers did not possess the means to answer important questions about human nature in scientific ways. d. Only the classical Greek philosophers realized that such questions could never really be answered. Difficulty: 2 Page Ref: 6 Topic: The Evolution of Modern Psychology Skill: Conceptual Answer: c. Only the psychological researchers applied laboratory techniques from other sciences. 1.1 - 29. In 1879, in Leipzig, Germany, a. Wilhelm Wundt was born. b. the idea of behaviorism was first suggested. c. Sigmund Freud wrote his book, The Interpretation of Dreams. d. the first formal laboratory devoted to experimental psychology was founded. Difficulty: 2 Page Ref: 6 Topic: The Evolution of Modern Psychology Skill: Factual Answer: d. the first formal laboratory devoted to experimental psychology was founded. 1.1 - 30. While proofreading a paper a friend has written on the life of Wilhelm Wundt, you are startled by an error that states that Wundt a. was trained as a physiologist. Incorrect: In fact, Wundt was trained as a physiologist. b. established the first formal psychology laboratory. c. wrote a book entitled Principles of Physiological Psychology . d. was the founder and first president of the American Psychological Association. Correct: The founder and president of the APA was G. Stanley Hall, not Wilhelm Wundt.

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    14 Difficulty: 3 Page Ref: 6 Topic: The Evolution of Modern Psychology Skill: Applied Answer: d. was the founder and first president of the American Psychological Association. 1.1 - 31. To help you learn to associate people with their contributions to the history of psychology, you have decided to use flashcards. Unfortunately, one of the cards you have written is incorrect. Which of the following pairings is wrong? a. William James wrote The Principles of Psychology in 1890. b. G. Stanley Hall founded the American Psychological Association. c. Wilhelm Wundt founded a laboratory at Cornell University in 1892. d. Edward Titchener was one of the first psychologists in the United States. Difficulty: 3 Page Ref: 6 - 7 Topic: The Evolution of Modern Psychology Skill: Factual Answer: c. Wilhelm Wundt founded a laboratory at Cornell University in 1892. 1.1 - 32. Which early American psychologist taught philosophy at Harvard, studied medicine, had strong interests in literature and religion, and wrote one of the most important psychology texts ever, The Principles of Psychology , in 1890? a. William James b. Wilhelm Wundt c. G. Stanley Hall d. Edward Titchener Difficulty: 2 Page Ref: 7 Topic: The Evolution of Modern Psychology Skill: Factual Answer: a. William James 1.1 - 33. The year is 1900 and you are looking for a job in a psychology laboratory, somewhere in North America. Assuming that each laboratory has an opening, about how many laboratories will you have from which to choose? a. 1 b. 4

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    15 c. 40 d. 400 Difficulty: 2 Page Ref: 7 Topic: The Evolution of Modern Psychology Skill: Factual Answer: c. 40 1.1 - 34. Suppose you were a research assistant in Wilhelm Wundt’s laboratory. After observing his experiments, you would probably conclude that a. his approach was not in the least bit scientific. Incorrect: Wundt was a proponent of the science of psychology, which is why he established its first formal laboratory in 1879 in Germany. b. the responses that were required of participants were quite complex. c. independent observers could replicate the experiments. Correct: Data was collected in his laboratory through systematic, objective procedures. Therefore, observers could do the experiments again in exactly the same ways. d. the data collection techniques were neither systematic nor objective. Difficulty: 2 Page Ref: 7 Topic: The Evolution of Modern Psychology Skill: Applied Answer: c. independent observers could replicate the experiments. 1.1 - 35. When Edward Titchener brought Wundt’s psychology to the United States, his method for examining conscious mental life involved the use of the experimental technique known as a. structuralism. b. introspection. c. functionalism. d. psychoanalysis. Difficulty: 2 Page Ref: 7 Topic: The Evolution of Modern Psychology Skill: Factual Answer: b. introspection. 1.1 - 36. Imagine being a participant in one of Titchener’s early studies of conscious experience. What would you most likely be asked to do?

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