Exam 1: What Is Psychology

In Taylor and Kowalski's study of introductory psychology students, the students took a quiz about popular opinion versus research evidence. They learned one of the most important lessons in science, which is:

Psychology cannot help you to get better grades.

It is typically the work of the ________ psychologist that tends to be LEAST understood by the general public.

A manuscript about human nature is discovered and scientists confirm that it is the work of an ancient scholar. In contrast to the writings of modern psychologists, this manuscript is more likely to explore human nature through:

What percentage of Americans and Canadians believe in astrology?

Critical thinking is defined as the ability and willingness to assess claims and make judgments on the basis of well-supported reasons and evidence, rather than emotion or anecdote.

Which school of thought in psychology was influenced by the evolutionary theories of Charles Darwin?

An early approach to scientific psychology called ________ emphasized the purpose of behaviour.

Match these accomplishments with the appropriate person. -Developed a theory of personality called psychoanalysis.

Hippocrates suggested that specific character and personality traits could be read from bumps on the head.

"Can I recall events from my childhood accurately?" This question illustrates which of the following critical-thinking guidelines?

The psychodynamic perspective emphasizes the dynamics of the social and cultural forces that shape every aspect of human behaviour.

Humanistic psychologists try to dig below the surface of a person's behaviour to get to its unconscious roots.

Which modern psychological perspective shows how people's thoughts and experiences affect their actions, feelings, and choices?

Match these examples with the appropriate perspective. -Keisha's mental retardation results from growing up in an environment of poverty and discrimination.

The authors point out that people may be a little "fuzzy" about psychological careers because psychologists contribute to their communities in so many different ways. Describe three ways that psychologists make these contributions (other than psychotherapy).

Why did William James argue that the structuralist approach was a waste of time? What school of psychology did he promote?

When an assumption or belief keeps us from considering the evidence fairly, or causes us to ignore the evidence completely, it becomes a bias. Often a bias remains hidden until someone changes our belief and we get defensive. Describe how the 1998 book by Judith Rich Harris (The Nurture Assumption) questioned prevailing assumptions.

A psychologist from the psychodynamic perspective would be likely to view violence as resulting from unconscious conflicts involving aggression and sexuality.

The formal movement to make psychology a science began in ________, when the first official psychological laboratory was established in Leipzig, Germany.