Question 1

Which pioneer of cognitive psychology conducted research on memory in which he memorized lists of nonsense syllables?

Accepted Answer

A) Frederic Bartlett 
B) Jean Piaget 
C) Hermann Ebbinghaus 
D) MaxWertheimer

Question 2

A college student taking introductory psychology decides to test Piaget's theories of mental development on his 10-year-old sister,who loves hot dogs and is very hungry.He shows her two hot dogs.Then,while she is watching,he breaks one of the hot dogs in half.He asks if she would like one hot dog (the intact hot dog)or two hot dogs (the hot dog cut in half).Consistent with Piaget's findings,the girl probably will:

Accepted Answer

A) select the intact hot dog. 
B) select the hot dog cut in half. 
C) state that both choices are the same. 
D) become confused and have trouble deciding.

Question 3

Felicia believes that prejudice is a "mind bug" caused by a perceptual error.Her views closely match those of:

Accepted Answer

A) Norman Triplett. 
B) Gordon Allport. 
C) E.O.Wilson. 
D) Margaret Mead.

Question 4

Studies have demonstrated that we attend to only a fraction of the sensory information that the brain receives.Based on this information,William James would be MOST interested in which research question?

Accepted Answer

A) What are the basic elements of sensory information? 
B) Do unattended sensory experiences exist in the unconscious? 
C) Will more information be perceived if participants are reinforced by cash incentives for better attention? 
D) Why might it be advantageous for the mind to filter out most sensory information?

Question 5

Research using scanning technology of the brain has demonstrated that,when a person who has been deaf from birth learns American Sign Language at an early age,that person uses _____ hemisphere when communicating with American Sign Language.

Accepted Answer

A) the left 
B) the right 
C) both the right and the left 
D) neither the right nor the left

Question 6

In Pavlov's research,the sight of the animal feeders was a _____ for the dogs to salivate.

Accepted Answer

A) reinforcer 
B) response 
C) construal 
D) stimulus

Question 7

Every time friendly dogs approach her toddler at the park,a very overprotective parent whisks her son away and yells,"Stay away from the dog!" After a few of these experiences,the toddler starts crying at the mere sight of dogs.The parent has unknowingly replicated the classic research of which psychologist?

Accepted Answer

A) William James 
B) Margaret Floy Washburn 
C) B.F.Skinner 
D) John Watson

Question 8

Which factor did NOT contribute to the development of social psychology in its early years?

Accepted Answer

A) the invention of the computer 
B) Gestalt psychology 
C) the rise of Nazi Germany 
D) the civil rights movement in the United States

Question 9

Psychologists work in a wide variety of settings,but the LARGEST percentage work in:

Accepted Answer

A) business. 
B) clinical settings. 
C) academia. 
D) governmental agencies.

Question 10

Which statement about depression in Eastern and Western cultures is TRUE?

Accepted Answer

A) Fatigue and body aches are symptoms that primarily are reported in Western cultures. 
B) Fatigue and body aches are symptoms of depression equally reported in both cultures. 
C) Depressed people living in Eastern cultures are more likely to report symptoms of worthlessness. 
D) Depressed people living in Western cultures are more likely to report symptoms of worthlessness.

Question 11

Beginning in the 1950s,behaviorism began to receive intense criticism.Which statement is NOT one of the criticisms against behaviorism?

Accepted Answer

A) It ignores the mental processes underlying behavior. 
B) It uses subjective measures in its research. 
C) It ignores the role of evolutionary history on behavior. 
D) It presents an inadequate account of language development.

Question 12

Response is to stimulus as the:

Accepted Answer

A) firing of a gun at the start of the race is to running. 
B) scurrying of a white rat at his feet is to fear in Little Albert. 
C) pressing of the brakes is to a red traffic light. 
D) ringing of the alarm clock is to rolling out of bed.

Question 13

A memory expert testifies in court for the defense that the eyewitness testimony should be given less importance because it is contaminated with biases.The expert is articulating the position FIRST advanced by:

Accepted Answer

A) Max Weirtheimer. 
B) Hermann Ebbinghaus. 
C) Jean Piaget. 
D) Frederic Bartlett.

Question 14

"Little Albert" was a:

Accepted Answer

A) human infant. 
B) dog. 
C) white rat. 
D) rabbit.

Question 15

In one experiment,Wundt instructed participants in one group to concentrate on perceiving a tone when it sounded before pressing a button.Participants in another group were simply instructed to press the button as soon as the tone sounded.Wundt found that participants in the first group responded slightly more slowly.This experiment was designed to distinguish between:

Accepted Answer

A) the sensation and perception of a stimulus. 
B) reaction time and accuracy. 
C) the perception and interpretation of a stimulus. 
D) the sensation of a stimulus and reaction time.

Question 16

An early approach to psychology that focused on how mental processes enable people to adapt to their environment is called:

Accepted Answer

A) structuralism. 
B) social Darwinism. 
C) functionalism. 
D) behaviorism.

Question 17

Which statement about John Watson is CORRECT?

Accepted Answer

A) He completely denied the existence of mental events. 
B) He denied that genetic factors influence behavior. 
C) He believed that environmental factors were the most important influences on behavior. 
D) He believed that nature was more important than nurture in determining behavior.

Question 18

The behaviorism of John Watson has been described as _____ psychology.

Accepted Answer

A) animal 
B) stimulus-response 
C) subjective 
D) humanistic

Question 19

Freud emphasized that the problems of many patients could be traced to:

Accepted Answer

A) effects of painful childhood experiences that could not be remembered. 
B) "mind bugs," or curious failures of otherwise adaptive cognitive processes. 
C) feelings of shame and inadequacy acquired during adolescent sexual development. 
D) maladaptive patterns of behavior that could be observed during infancy.

Question 20

Which topic is LEAST likely to be studied by cognitive psychologists?

Accepted Answer

A) attention 
B) memory 
C) decision making 
D) conformity

Exam 1: Evolution of Psychological Science-Part A