Name: ______________________ Class: _________________ Date: _________
ID: A
Practice/ Module 1 and 2
Multiple Choice
Identify the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.
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1. Which of the following statements best defines the field of psychology?
a. Investigation into mental issues
b. The scientific study of behavior and mental processes
c. The science of the brain
d. The science of treatment for psychological disorders
2. Which of the following is the best definition of the term "applied research"?
a. research intended to solve practical problems
b. research done in applied psychology programs
c. research done to increase the scientific knowledge base of psychology
d. research into how the human brain affects our everyday lives
3. Which of the following would be considered a mental process?
a. running down the hall to get to class
b. remembering your best friend's phone number
c. flinching at the sound of the fire alarm
d. standing in the lunch line
4. Psychology is defined as the science of behavior and mental processes because:
a. psychology is involved with studying nonmeasurable attributes like consciousness.
b. psychologists apply the scientific method to human behaviors and thoughts.
c. psychology is now restricted to studying scientific matters like brain anatomy.
d. psychology only uses experiments to prove theories.
5. The first psychology laboratory was established in ________ by ________.
a. Russia; Ivan Pavlov
b. Germany; Wilhelm Wundt
c. Austria; Sigmund Freud
d. United States; William James
6. Which group of early psychologists, led by E.B. Titchener, believed that consciousness could best be
understood by analyzing the basic elements of thoughts and sensations?
a. functionalists
b. psychoanalysts
c. structuralists
d. behaviorists
7. Which early psychological perspective emphasized our tendency to integrate pieces of information into
meaningful wholes?
a. functionalism
b. Gestalt
c. structuralism
d. psychoanalysis
1
Name: ______________________
ID: A
____
8. Participants were asked to press a button as soon as they saw a light come on. Their reaction time was
recorded. The second task required that they push the left-handed button if the light was green, the
right-handed button if the light was red. The reaction time was again recorded. Which early researcher
conducted this experiment and what did he believe he was measuring?
a. Freud; unconscious processes
b. Titchener; the structure of conscious experiences
c. James; the functions of consciousness
d. Wundt; the speed of mental processes
____ 9. Which theory of personality was established by Sigmund Freud?
a. functionalism
b. structuralism
c. psychoanalysis
d. Gestalt
____ 10. The idea that unconscious thoughts and impulses influence thinking and behavior is a key element of
which psychological theory?
____ 11.
____ 12.
____ 13.
____ 14.
a. functionalism
b. structuralism
c. psychoanalysis
d. Gestalt
Humanistic psychologists did not believe that humans could be reduced to various parts. Instead, they
believed that the whole person is different from the sum of all the parts, like the brain, neurons, or
emotions. Which early school of thought most influenced the humanists?
a. structuralists
b. functionalists
c. Gestalt
d. psychoanalysts
You overhear someone on the bus talking about how Sigmund Freud is the father of modern psychology.
You might point out that Wilhelm Wundt is a better candidate for the honor because he:
a. was more influential worldwide
b. started the first psychology laboratory
c. published more popular books on psychology
d. had a longer career
Why was the research of Kenneth and Mamie Phipps Clark significant in the history of psychology?
a. Their research demonstrated that black and white children used different learning
styles in the classroom
b. Kenneth and Mamie Clark were the first African-Americans to receive Ph.D.s in
psychology
c. Findings from their studies showed that children of the same age consistently make
the same mistakes on developmental tasks
d. The Clarks' findings were used by the Supreme Court to declare segregated schools
unconstitutional
I believe that humans learn their behaviors through rewards, punishments, and by observing others. I am
a:
a. cognitive psychologist.
b. behaviorist.
c. humanist.
d. biological psychologist.
2
Name: ______________________
ID: A
____ 15. Which modern psychological perspective focuses on how healthy people strive to reach their full
potential?
a. humanistic
b. behavioral
c. psychodynamic
d. cognitive
____ 16. Which modern psychological approach focuses on understanding how people think, process, store, and
retrieve information?
a. humanism
b. social-cultural
c. cognitive
d. biological
____ 17. Which psychological approach explains human behavior in the context of understanding the chemicals,
hormones, and physical structures of the body?
a. cognitive
b. social-cultural
c. psychodynamic
d. biological
____ 18. Psychological perspectives are:
a. ways to explain human behavior.
b. research methods used to test hypotheses.
c. past historical movements like Gestalt psychology that don't really have any
relevance in current psychology.
d. biases that researchers avoid.
____ 19. Which school of psychological thought has been criticized by modern psychologists for the lack of
scientific evidence to support its proposals?
a. cognitive
b. behavioral
c. humanistic
d. biological
____ 20. Which perspective explains human behavior by looking at the interaction of learning and inherited
genetic traits?
a. evolutionary psychology
b. behavior genetics
c. positive psychology
d. structuralism
____ 21. Which psychologists study behaviors that helped our ancestors survive?
a. behavior geneticists
b. positive psychologists
c. Gestalt psychologists
d. evolutionary psychologists
____ 22. Which modern psychological movement focuses on the study of optimal human functioning and the
factors that allow individuals and communities to thrive?
a. humanism
b. positive psychology
c. evolutionary psychology
d. behavior genetics
3
Name: ______________________
ID: A
____ 23. The
a.
b.
c.
d.
____ 24.
____ 25.
____ 26.
____ 27.
____ 28.
____ 29.
____ 30.
movement called positive psychology investigates such topics as:
wellness and healthy people fulfilling their potential
positive (or active) symptoms in schizophrenics.
conditioning developmentally disabled children to function positively in society.
adding positive behaviors to the list of symptoms used to diagnose psychological
disorders.
Humans may fear snakes because this fear has historically allowed them to survive. This perspective
would most likely be shared by a(n):
a. evolutionary psychologist.
b. behavior geneticist.
c. psychoanalyst.
d. humanist.
Which perspective might explain helping behavior as a combination of an individual possessing a helping
trait and being raised by a family that promotes helping those in need?
a. humanistic
b. positive psychology
c. behavior genetics
d. evolutionary psychology
The behavior genetics perspective can be described as a combination of which two other psychological
perspectives?
a. psychoanalytic and behavioral
b. behavioral and humanistic
c. biological and behavioral
d. cognitive and behavioral
What is the best reason to use the scientific method to investigate psychological questions?
a. Experiments in psychology are easy to do.
b. It's easier to convince people by using the scientific methodology.
c. It's more likely to answer certain kinds of questions correctly.
d. Science is more respected than opinion.
Camille reads a headline in the newspaper, “Eating dark chocolate increases intelligence!” As a student of
psychology, Camille should:
a. immediately go to the grocery store to buy dark chocolate.
b. read the article carefully looking for more information about how researchers came
to this conclusion.
c. survey her friends to see if they think this conclusion is correct.
d. stop reading the newspaper so she is not exposed to such ridiculous stories.
The tendency to search for information that confirms a preconception is called:
a. participant bias.
b. prejudice.
c. confirmation bias.
d. replication.
Participant bias occurs:
a. in every experiment because everyone has a bias.
b. when participants decide to disrupt the experiment due to a dislike of the
experimenter.
c. when participants respond differently because they know they are being observed.
d. when you only examine a certain sample group instead of investigating everyone in a
population.
4
Name: ______________________
ID: A
____ 31. Which method of research involves watching and recording behaviors without manipulating or
controlling the situation?
a. case study
b. experiment
c. naturalistic observation
d. correlational study
____ 32. Confirmation bias can be controlled by:
a. using independent variables
b. using the naturalistic observation technique
c. using the double-blind procedure
d. using a representative sample
____ 33. Dr. Reese is smiling at adults, who are complete strangers to him, in a shopping mall and recording
whether they smile in response. What is one method by which Dr. Reese can reduce confirmation bias in
his study?
a. He should conduct his research in the same place in the mall each day.
b. Dr. Reese should not tell the people at the mall what he is doing there.
c. He should have another researcher record whether his smile is returned.
d. Dr. Reese should only record when someone smiles back, not when he is ignored.
____ 34. A case study is:
a. a research technique in which one person is studied in depth.
b. an outdated research method not used in current psychology.
c. research conducted by experimenters who observe a participant in the natural
environment without interfering with her in any way.
d. a set of specific responses from one participant out of a large group.
____ 35. Which of the following is the most likely reason a researcher might choose the case study research
method?
a. Case studies are less prone to participant and confirmation bias.
b. A case study may be the only ethically possible study to perform.
c. Studying one individual yields more reliable and valid data than studying larger groups.
d. Experiments need to focus on one or a small group of people in order to control
confounding variables.
____ 36. A correlational study is:
a. a cause-and-effect study using control and experimental groups.
b. a research project designed to discover the degree to which two variables are related
to each another.
c. a research technique that involves studying one group of people over a long amount
of time.
d. a survey study using a sample from a large population.
____ 37. If psychologists discovered that wealthy people are less satisfied with their marriages than poor people
are, this would indicate that wealth and marital satisfaction are:
a. causally related.
b. dependent variables.
c. independent variables.
d. negatively correlated.
5
Name: ______________________
ID: A
____ 38. The survey method is:
a. exclusively opinion based; it cannot measure any factual information.
b. a research technique designed to discover self-reported attitudes or behaviors through
questionnaires.
c. a research technique that involves studying one group of people over a long amount
of time.
d. a research technique that manipulates a single variable to see its affect on another
variable.
____ 39. Which research design is focused on gathering information about self-reported perceptions or attitudes
through questionnaires?
a. survey method
b. correlational study
c. naturalistic observation
d. case study
____ 40. In a research study, the term “population” refers to:
a. all of the researchers in a given field of study.
b. the group of participant volunteers that shows up on the day of the experiment.
c. the group of people the researcher draws his sample from.
d. the specific group of participants the researcher chooses to work with.
____ 41. To learn about the TV viewing habits of all the children attending Oakbridge School, Professor Devries
randomly selected and interviewed 50 of the school's students. In this instance, all the children attending
the school are considered to be a(n):
a. case study.
b. control group.
c. independent variable.
d. population.
____ 42. Longitudinal studies:
a. are too expensive and impractical for modern psychological researchers.
b. compare individuals from different age groups at one time.
c. examine individuals in the long-distant past and attempt to determine their motives.
d. study the same group of people over a long period.
____ 43. Cross-sectional studies:
a. compare individuals from different age groups at one time.
b. compare individuals from different ethnic groups at one time.
c. primarily examine gender differences.
d. study the same group of people over a long period.
____ 44. A developmental psychologist wants to study how a specific personality trait changes as people age.
Which two research methods is this researcher most likely to choose between?
a. experimental or naturalistic observation study
b. correlational or survey study
c. cross-sectional or longitudinal study
d. confirmation or case study
6
Name: ______________________
ID: A
____ 45. In an experiment, the researcher:
a. manipulates one or more factors to observe the effect on another factor.
b. manipulates the environment of nonhuman animals to answer a specific question
(humans can't be used in experiments for ethical reasons).
c. measures two factors about one individual to see if they are correlated.
d. observes the participants in their natural environment without interfering with them
in any way.
____ 46. A hypothesis is:
a. an educated guess that may or may not be testable.
b. a fact established by research evidence.
c. a question about behavior resulting from observation.
d. a researcher's testable prediction about the outcome of research.
____ 47. The difference between the experimental group and the control group is defined by the presence of the:
a. confounding variable.
b. dependent variable.
c. independent variable.
d. sample group.
____ 48. A confounding variable:
a. could influence the results of an experiment because of researcher bias.
b. is a variable other than the independent variable that may influence the dependent
variable.
c. is an outside influence affecting the results of a naturalistic observation study.
d. is the one factor the researcher changes between the control and experimental
groups.
____ 49. The dependent variable in an experiment is:
a. the effect of participant and researcher bias on the results of the experiment.
b. the variable that depends on the experimenter's hypothesis.
c. the variable the experimenter manipulates in order to examine its effect on the
independent variable.
d. the variable the experimenter measures in order to see if it was affected by the change
in the independent variable.
____ 50. In a test of the effects of sleep deprivation on problem-solving skills, research participants are allowed to
sleep either 4 or 8 hours on each of three consecutive nights. This research is an example of:
a. a case study.
b. an experiment.
c. correlational research.
d. naturalistic observation.
____ 51. Which of the following methods is most helpful for revealing whether a person's personality is caused by
the types of games he or she played as a child?
a. correlational research
b. naturalistic observation
c. the experiment
d. the survey
7
Name: ______________________
ID: A
____ 52. How do we know that the American Psychological Association's ethical guidelines are being followed by
researchers?
a. Before a study can be done all research proposals must be screened by an ethics
committee for compliance to these guidelines.
b. Researchers follow internal checks and are responsible for making sure their studies
follow these guidelines.
c. Research participants are responsible for making sure the researchers follow the
guidelines.
d. No one really knows if the ethical guidelines are being followed by researchers.
____ 53. The right to debriefing is especially important if:
a. the research study was not screened by an ethics committee beforehand.
b. the study included any deception.
c. the researcher plans on publishing the results.
d. no informed consent was given.
____ 54. In a 1984 study (Cole & Miller) researchers checked every animal study published in the journals of the
American Psychological Association for reports of animal abuse. What did they find?
a. Only 10% of the studies reported inappropriate abuse.
b. An astonishingly high number (48%) reported inappropriate abuse.
c. Not a single instance of inappropriate abuse was identified.
d. The study was inconclusive.
____ 55. A researcher was interested in whether children who were spanked would behave better than those who
were not spanked. Why couldn't this be studied with an experiment?
a. You can't control for confounding variables.
b. It would be impossible to find a suitable population.
c. This experiment would be too difficult to set up.
d. It would be unethical to conduct this experiment.
____ 56. A researcher who uses participants' names in a paper about the results of a study violates which of the
ethical principles established by the APA?
a. confidentiality
b. debriefing
c. harm and discomfort
d. informed consent
____ 57. Marcus agrees to participate in a study regarding stress and concentration on problem-solving tasks.
Researchers plan to induce mild stress by asking participants to count backwards from 100 by 3s. After
researchers explain the task to Marcus, he begins to feel uncomfortable about being involved in the study.
What ethical guideline should Marcus remember?
a. confidentiality
b. debriefing
c. informed consent
d. random assignment
____ 58. Dr. White wanted to test if hypnotized participants, with one arm in an ice water bath, would still be able
to signal if they were in pain. Which of the ethical guidelines should Dr. White be especially concerned
with?
a. confidentiality
b. debriefing
c. protection from harm and discomfort
d. informed consent
8
ID: A
Practice/ Module 1 and 2
Answer Section
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. ANS: B
PTS: 1
REF: 5
OBJ: 1-1
SKL: Knowledge
2. ANS: A
PTS: 1
REF: 5
OBJ: 1-1
SKL: Knowledge
3. ANS: B
Remembering is strictly a cognitive, "thoughtful" process, and the rest of the options involve physical
behavior.
PTS: 1
REF: 5
OBJ: 1-1
SKL: Application
4. ANS: B
All sciences use the scientific method (empirical study) to test explanations (theories and hypotheses).
5.
6.
7.
8.
PTS: 1
REF: 5
OBJ: 1-1
ANS: B
PTS: 1
REF: 6
SKL: Knowledge
ANS: C
PTS: 1
REF: 7
SKL: Knowledge
ANS: B
PTS: 1
REF: 7
SKL: Knowledge
ANS: D
Wundt used experiments like the one described in this question
the nature of mental processes.
PTS: 1
REF: 7
OBJ: 1-2
9. ANS: C
PTS: 1
REF: 9
SKL: Knowledge
10. ANS: A
PTS: 1
REF: 9
SKL: Knowledge
11. ANS: C
Humanists were highly influenced by the Gestalt psychologists
belief that the whole is different from the sum of its parts.
SKL: Application
OBJ: 1-2
OBJ: 1-2
OBJ: 1-2
in his psychological laboratory to study
SKL: Application
OBJ: 1-3
OBJ: 1-3
who preceded them. They shared the
PTS: 1
REF: 10
OBJ: 1-3
SKL: Application
12. ANS: B
Wundt is considered the father of modern psychology because he started researching psychology in a
laboratory using the scientific method. Freud came after Wundt and did not use the scientific method.
PTS: 1
REF: 9
OBJ: 1-3
1
SKL: Application
ID: A
13. ANS: D
The Clark's research was cited during the Brown v. Board of Education supreme court case.
PTS: 1
REF: 13
OBJ: 1-4
SKL: Application
14. ANS: B
PTS: 1
REF: 15
OBJ: 1-5
SKL: Knowledge
15. ANS: A
PTS: 1
REF: 15
OBJ: 1-5
SKL: Knowledge
16. ANS: C
PTS: 1
REF: 15
OBJ: 1-5
SKL: Knowledge
17. ANS: D
PTS: 1
REF: 15
OBJ: 1-5
SKL: Knowledge
18. ANS: A
PTS: 1
REF: 14
OBJ: 1-5
SKL: Knowledge
19. ANS: C
Humanism has been criticized, especially by positive psychologists, for the lack of scientific evidence to
support its claims about the root of human behavior.
PTS: 1
REF: 15
OBJ:
20. ANS: B
PTS: 1
REF:
SKL: Knowledge
21. ANS: D
PTS: 1
REF:
SKL: Knowledge
22. ANS: B
PTS: 1
REF:
SKL: Knowledge
23. ANS: A
Positive psychologists study well-being and how
functional in their everyday lives.
1-5
16
SKL: Application
OBJ: 1-6
17
OBJ: 1-6
17
OBJ: 1-6
people in general can become more happy and
PTS: 1
REF: 17
OBJ: 1-6
SKL: Knowledge
24. ANS: A
Evolutionary psychologists study how our past behaviors and thinking might have been "adaptive" and
helped our ancestors survive.
PTS: 1
REF: 17
OBJ: 1-6
SKL: Application
25. ANS: C
Behavior genetics explains human behavior through the interaction of inherited genes and environmental
forces.
PTS: 1
REF: 16
OBJ: 1-6
2
SKL: Application
ID: A
26. ANS: C
Behavior genetics explains human behavior through the interaction of inherited genes (part of the
biological perspective) and environmental forces (part of the behaviorist perspective).
PTS: 1
REF: 16
OBJ: 1-6
SKL: Application
27. ANS: C
Science is more likely to find the right answer to psychological questions and this reason is more
important than convincing others, supposed ease of use, and respect.
PTS: 1
REF: 22
OBJ: 2-1
SKL: Application
28. ANS: B
We need to know enough about research to be able to judge whether or not conclusions seem reasonable
and be able to make informed decisions.
PTS: 1
REF: 22
OBJ: 2-1
SKL: Application
29. ANS: C
PTS: 1
REF: 23
OBJ: 2-2
SKL: Knowledge
30. ANS: C
PTS: 1
REF: 24
OBJ: 2-2
SKL: Knowledge
31. ANS: C
PTS: 1
REF: 24
OBJ: 2-2
SKL: Knowledge
32. ANS: C
Using the double-blind technique reduces the tendency for researchers to see what they expect to see
since they do not know which participants are in the experimental and control groups.
PTS: 1
REF: 23
OBJ: 2-2
SKL: Application
33. ANS: C
To reduce confirmation bias, Dr. Reese needs to make his observations more objective. To rely less on
his own opinion of whether the participant smiled back, he should have another researcher observe and
record the results.
PTS: 1
REF: 24
OBJ: 2-2
SKL: Application
34. ANS: A
PTS: 1
REF: 25
OBJ: 2-3
SKL: Knowledge
35. ANS: B
Researchers often choose the case study research method to study unique individuals (such as victims of
extreme child abuse). It would obviously be impossible and unethical to create these kinds of conditions,
so researchers study the unique individuals who went through these experiences.
PTS: 1
36. ANS: B
SKL: Knowledge
REF: 25
PTS: 1
OBJ: 2-3
REF: 26
3
SKL: Application
OBJ: 2-4
ID: A
37. ANS: D
If two variables are negatively correlated, an increase in one predicts a decrease in the other.
PTS: 1
REF: 26
OBJ: 2-4
SKL: Application
38. ANS: B
PTS: 1
REF: 27
OBJ: 2-5
SKL: Knowledge
39. ANS: A
PTS: 1
REF: 27
OBJ: 2-5
SKL: Knowledge
40. ANS: C
PTS: 1
REF: 28
OBJ: 2-5
SKL: Knowledge
41. ANS: D
Since the study is interested in children attending this school, all the children in the school would be the
population and the students randomly selected would be the sample.
PTS: 1
REF: 28
OBJ:
42. ANS: D
PTS: 1
REF:
SKL: Knowledge
43. ANS: A
PTS: 1
REF:
SKL: Knowledge
44. ANS: C
Developmental psychologists use cross sectional
attributes changes over the life span.
45.
46.
47.
48.
49.
50.
PTS: 1
ANS: A
SKL: Knowledge
ANS: D
SKL: Knowledge
ANS: C
SKL: Knowledge
ANS: B
SKL: Knowledge
ANS: D
SKL: Knowledge
ANS: B
Since the hypothesis
experiment.
2-5
28
SKL: Application
OBJ: 2-6
28
OBJ: 2-6
and longitudinal studies to research how psychological
REF: 28
PTS: 1
OBJ: 2-6
REF: 29
SKL: Application
OBJ: 2-7
PTS: 1
REF: 29
OBJ: 2-7
PTS: 1
REF: 30
OBJ: 2-7
PTS: 1
REF: 32
OBJ: 2-7
PTS: 1
REF: 30
OBJ: 2-7
implies a causal relationship between two variables, this study must be an
PTS: 1
REF: 29
OBJ: 2-7
SKL: Application
51. ANS: C
An experiment is the only research method that can examine cause-effect relationships.
PTS: 1
REF: 29
OBJ: 2-7
4
SKL: Application
ID: A
52. ANS: A
PTS: 1
REF: 36
OBJ: 2-8
SKL: Knowledge
53. ANS: B
PTS: 1
REF: 36
OBJ: 2-8
SKL: Knowledge
54. ANS: C
PTS: 1
REF: 37
OBJ: 2-8
SKL: Knowledge
55. ANS: D
For moral reasons, many hypotheses cannot be tested experimentally, even though psychologists could
design sound experiments that would provide answers. It would be unethical to expose this experimental
group to a procedure you believe would harm them.
PTS: 1
REF: 36
OBJ: 2-8
SKL: Application
56. ANS: A
Data about individual participants, including names, should never be released. Using names in a report
would not affect the other three requirements.
PTS: 1
REF: 36
OBJ: 2-8
SKL: Application
57. ANS: C
Informed consent rules guarantee that participants have the right to participate or withdraw from a study
at any time.
PTS: 1
REF: 36
OBJ: 2-8
SKL: Application
58. ANS: C
Dr. White would be most concerned with protecting his participants from extreme harm or discomfort
and must be sure to obtain informed consent.
PTS: 1
REF: 36
OBJ: 2-8
5
SKL: Application