Question 1

Distinguish between the independent and dependent variables in an experiment.

Accepted Answer

The independent variable is what the experimenter manipulates,whereas the dependent variable is what the experimenter measures to see the effects of the independent variable.

Question 2

When Oliver finds out that the average score on the psychology test was 91 percent correct,he assumes that everyone in the class did well on the test.What is the problem with his conclusion?

Accepted Answer

A)  Average scores are meaningless.
B)  Every class has students that perform poorly on tests.
C)  Averages can be misleading if you don't know how spread out the scores are and how they are distributed.
D)  He needs to use inferential statistics to confirm that everyone in the class had a high score. C

Question 3

Field research sometimes may yield better results than laboratory research because

Accepted Answer

A)  placebos don't need to be used.
B)  variables can more easily be controlled.
C)  there is no control group.
D)  the situation is less artificial. D

Question 4

An advantage of the naturalistic observation is that it allows the use of sophisticated equipment.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 5

Which of the following would be an example of "argument by anecdote"?

Accepted Answer

A)  "My gut feeling is that this isn't the right time to get married."
B)  "I know that marriage doesn't work out,because all of my uncles ended up divorced and alone."
C)  "That is my opinion and nothing is going to change my mind."
D)  "Evolution is a good explanatory system because it is supported by so much evidence."

Question 6

A laboratory observation is a controlled test of a hypothesis in which the researcher manipulates one variable to discover its effect on another.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 7

Maureen is a psychology major who is conducting a study on memory.The participants in her experiment study a long list of words and are then shown words and asked if they were on the list.Maureen knows which words were on the list,and whenever a participant starts to give a wrong answer,Maureen inadvertently shifts her eyes.As a result,some participants quickly change their answer.This scenario illustrates a(n)

Accepted Answer

A)  placebo effect.
B)  double-blind study.
C)  experimenter effect.
D)  correlation coefficient.

Question 8

Several middle-school girls watch their classmates,Jon and Jason,engage in a rough-and-tumble wrestling match.The attention of the girls seems to intensify the boys' play.A psychologist trained in the functionalist school would wonder

Accepted Answer

A)  what are the most basic elements of the boys' behavior?
B)  do these boys have smaller head bumps devoted to "cautiousness" than most boys?
C)  what is the purpose of rough-and-tumble play in the adaptive changes of early adolescence?
D)  did these boys experience childhood traumas that unconsciously cause aggression?

Question 9

The main advantage of a ______________ study is that the results cannot be influenced by the expectations of either the participants or the experimenters.

Accepted Answer

A)  correlational
B)  single-blind
C)  double-blind
D)  observational

Question 10

A professor tells his students "Researchers aren't exactly sure why one member of an identical twin pair develops schizophrenia whereas his twin does not." This example illustrates which of the following critical thinking guidelines?

Accepted Answer

A)  tolerate uncertainty
B)  analyze assumptions and biases
C)  define your terms
D)  ask questions and be willing to wonder

Question 11

A variable that the experimenter predicts will be affected by her manipulations is called a(n)

Accepted Answer

A)  coefficient of correlation.
B)  dependent variable.
C)  control condition.
D)  independent variable.

Question 12

The majority of new doctoral degrees in psychology are awarded in the areas of

Accepted Answer

A)  clinical and counseling psychology.
B)  industrial and organizational psychology.
C)  experimental psychology.
D)  developmental psychology.

Question 13

Empirical evidence is evidence gathered by careful reflection on personal experiences.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 14

Which of the following pairs of variables are likely to be positively correlated?

Accepted Answer

A)  outdoor temperature and hot chocolate sales
B)  damage to car and speed at the time of accident
C)  the price of a car and the age of a car
D)  hours spent watching TV and grade point average

Question 15

Which of the following is true about the role of emotion in critical thinking and science?

Accepted Answer

A)  Emotion has a place in critical thinking.
B)  Emotional conviction alone can settle arguments.
C)  Disagreeing with findings that you dislike is always unacceptable.
D)  Defending unpopular ideas is antiscientific.

Question 16

This person usually earns an M.D.or a Ph.D. ,followed by specialized training in one specific type of therapy.

Accepted Answer

A)  marriage,family,and child counselor
B)  psychotherapist
C)  psychoanalyst
D)  clinical psychologist

Question 17

Functionalism was an early psychological approach that emphasized the purpose of behavior and consciousness.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 18

Psychologists sometimes prefer to make observations in a laboratory setting rather than a naturalistic setting because

Accepted Answer

A)  it is better to observe behavior in an artificial environment.
B)  subjects take their participation seriously in a professional environment.
C)  a lab allows the researchers to have more control over the situation.
D)  subjects are less aware they are being observed in a laboratory.

Question 19

Behaviorism is a part of which modern psychological perspective?

Accepted Answer

A)  cognitive
B)  learning
C)  sociocultural
D)  psychodynamic

Question 20

The coefficient of correlation conveys

Accepted Answer

A)  the size and direction of a relationship between two variables.
B)  whether one variable causes the other variable to happen.
C)  the unintended changes in a subject's behavior due to the experimenter's cues.
D)  whether the principle of falsifiability applies to each variable.

Exam 1: What Is Psychology

Distinguish between the independent and dependent variables in an experiment.

When Oliver finds out that the average score on the psychology test was 91 percent correct,he assumes that everyone in the class did well on the test.What is the problem with his conclusion?

Field research sometimes may yield better results than laboratory research because

An advantage of the naturalistic observation is that it allows the use of sophisticated equipment.

Which of the following would be an example of "argument by anecdote"?

A laboratory observation is a controlled test of a hypothesis in which the researcher manipulates one variable to discover its effect on another.

Several middle-school girls watch their classmates,Jon and Jason,engage in a rough-and-tumble wrestling match.The attention of the girls seems to intensify the boys' play.A psychologist trained in the functionalist school would wonder

The main advantage of a ______________ study is that the results cannot be influenced by the expectations of either the participants or the experimenters.

A professor tells his students "Researchers aren't exactly sure why one member of an identical twin pair develops schizophrenia whereas his twin does not." This example illustrates which of the following critical thinking guidelines?

A variable that the experimenter predicts will be affected by her manipulations is called a(n)

The majority of new doctoral degrees in psychology are awarded in the areas of

Empirical evidence is evidence gathered by careful reflection on personal experiences.

Which of the following pairs of variables are likely to be positively correlated?

Which of the following is true about the role of emotion in critical thinking and science?

This person usually earns an M.D.or a Ph.D. ,followed by specialized training in one specific type of therapy.

Functionalism was an early psychological approach that emphasized the purpose of behavior and consciousness.

Psychologists sometimes prefer to make observations in a laboratory setting rather than a naturalistic setting because

Behaviorism is a part of which modern psychological perspective?

The coefficient of correlation conveys