Chapter 1

Question 1

What do pseudoscientific claims lack?

Answer 1

safeguards against confirmation bias and belief perseverance

Question 2

Which theoretical framework of psychology was substantially influenced by biologist Charles Darwin’s theory of natural selection?

Answer 2

Functionalism

Question 3

According to John B. Watson, which component is most important when studying human psychology?

Answer 3

Observable behaviour

Question 4

Which theoretical framework asks “why” questions (e.g., “Why do we sometimes forget things?”) in seeking to understand the purposes of psychological characteristics?

Answer 4

Functionalism

Question 5

According to researchers Whitson and Galinsky, which individuals are most likely to see conspiracies and embrace superstitions?

Answer 5

those who lack personal control in their lives

Question 6

Of the more than 500 “brands” of psychotherapy in use today, what can be said of the majority of them?

Answer 6

They remain untested.

Question 7

Josh saw a news report that a plane crash had just happened and immediately thought of the saying “bad things happen in threes.” He felt validated when, within the next week, two more plane crashes were reported in the news. Which term best characterizes Josh’s experience?

Answer 7

Patternicity

Question 8

Psychologists study _______ to explain why different people respond in different ways to the same stimuli and situations.

Answer 8

Individual differences

Question 9

Which statement best explains the concept of reciprocal determinism?

Answer 9

Humans mutually influence each other’s behaviour.

Question 10

According to a basic premise of science, how should knowledge initially be acquired?

Answer 10

through observation

Question 11

Which of the following is an example of a metaphysical claim?

Answer 11

There is life after death in some form.

Question 12

Which concept best reflects the principle known as Occam’s razor?

Answer 12

Logical simplicity

Question 13

Dr. Blank is a respected researcher, but when one of his experiments yielded results contrary to his hypothesis, he decided not to include that experiment in a report of his research. In so doing, what did Dr. Blank fail to overcome?

Answer 13

Belief perseverance

Question 14

Who is the philosopher of science identified with the scientific principle of falsifiability?

Answer 14

Sir Karl Popper

Question 15

According to terror management theorists, what motivates us to believe in the paranormal?

Answer 15

fear of our own impending deaths

Question 16

The work of what researcher marked the beginnings of psychology as a science?

Answer 16

Wilhelm Wundt

Question 17

When Dr. Peterson told students to try to set aside their biases, they protested that they did not have any biases. Which term best characterizes this type of fallacy?

Answer 17

Not me fallacy

Question 18

Which type of psychologist specializes in the study of how and why people change over time?

Answer 18

developmental psychologist

Question 19

What does a psychological researcher do when developing a scientific hypothesis?

Answer 19

Make a testable perdiction

Question 20

Dr. Moore is doing cross-cultural research on an ethnic group in the Himalayas by attempting to take the perspective of a member of that group, relying on the terms and ideas that are typical of that group. What type of approach is Dr. Moore using?

Answer 20

emic

Question 21

What principle of scientific thinking is ignored by the proponents of EMDR therapy, as described in the text?

Answer 21

ruling out rival hypotheses

Question 22

“IQ must predict success in school because schools have been testing it for years” is an example of which type of reasoning error?

Answer 22

argument from antiquity fallacy

Question 23

What does “thinking scientifically” mean?

Answer 23

using scientific methods to overcome personal bias

Question 24

Which statement about free will is the closest to the beliefs of B.F. Skinner?

Answer 24

It does not influence behaviour, even though many may think it does.

Question 25

If we think of levels of analysis as rungs on a ladder, what would the lower rungs on the psychology ladder represent?

Answer 25

Biological influences

Question 26

Introspection

Answer 26

method by which trained observers carefully reflect and report on their mental experiences

Question 27

Structuralism

Answer 27

school of psychology aimed to identify the basic elements of the psychological experience. Founded by Edward Titchner.

Question 28

Functionalism

Answer 28

aimed to understand the adaptive purposes of psychological characteristics

Question 29

Structuralists ask:

Answer 29

what

Question 30

Structuralism emphasized the importance of:

Answer 30

systematic observation

Question 31

John Watson

Answer 31

Founder of behaviourism

Question 32

Behaviourism

Answer 32

looks at observable behaviour

Question 33

According to cognitiivists, a psychology based solely on rewards and punishments would never be accurate because:

Answer 33

our interpretation of rewards and punishments is a crucial determinant of behaviour

Question 34

Naive realism

Answer 34

belief that we see the world precisely as it is

Question 35

Confirmation bias

Answer 35

tendency to seek out evidence that supports our hypothesis and to deny evidence that contradicts it

Question 36

belief perseverance

Answer 36

tendency to stick to our initial beliefs even when evidence contradicts them

Question 37

Terror management theory

Answer 37

theory that states our awareness of death leaves us with an underlying sense of terror we cope with by adopting reassuring world views

Question 38

Approach where investigators study the behaviour of a group as native or insider:

Answer 38

emic

Question 39

Approach where investigators study the behaviour from the perspective of an outsider

Answer 39

etic