Psychology Chapters 1-14 Exam Study Guide
Questions with Correct Answers
psychology - Correct Answer The scientific study of mind and behavior.
data - Correct Answer Any information collected through formal observation or measurement.
hindsight bias - Correct Answer The tendency to think that we could have predicted something that
has already occurred that we probably would not have been able to predict.
scientific method - Correct Answer The set of assumptions, rules, and procedures that scientists use
to conduct empirical research.
levels of explanation - Correct Answer The perspectives that are used to understand behavior.
individual differences - Correct Answer The variations among people on physical or psychological
dimensions.
structuralism - Correct Answer Uses the method of introspection to identify the basic elements or
"structures" of psychological experience
functionalism - Correct Answer Attempts to understand why animals and humans have developed
the particular psychological aspects that they currently possess
psychodyamic - Correct Answer Focuses on the role of our unconscious thoughts, feelings, and
memories and our early childhood experiences in determining behavior
behaviorism - Correct Answer Based on the premise that it is not possible to objectively study the
mind, and therefore that psychologists should limit their attention to the study of behavior itself
cognitive - Correct Answer The study of mental processes, including perception, thinking, memory,
and judgments
social-cultural - Correct Answer The study of how the social situations and the cultures in which
people find themselves influence thinking and behavior
,heritability - Correct Answer The proportion of the observed differences on characteristics among
people (e.g., in terms of their height, intelligence, or optimism) that is due to genetics.
nature vs nurture - Correct Answer Are genes or environment most influential in determining the
behavior of individuals and in accounting for differences among people?
free will vs determinism - Correct Answer This question concerns the extent to which people have
control over their own actions. Are we the products of our environment, guided by forces out of our
control, or are we able to choose the behaviors we engage in?
accuracy vs inaccuracy - Correct Answer To what extent are humans good information processors?
conscious vs unconscious - Correct Answer To what extent are we conscious of our own actions and
the causes of them, and to what extent are our behaviors caused by influences that we are not
aware of?
differences vs similarities - Correct Answer To what extent are we all similar, and to what extent are
we different?
plato and aristotle - Correct Answer Earliest psychologists that we know about. One believed that
knowledge was innate, and the other believed that each human is born as an empty slate.
introspection - Correct Answer A method of learning about psychological processes in which research
participants are asked to describe exactly what they experience as they work on mental tasks.
evolutionary psychology - Correct Answer A branch of psychology that applies the Darwinian theory
of natural selection to human and animal behavior.
fitness - Correct Answer The extent to which having a given genetic characteristic helps an individual
organism survive and reproduce at a higher rate than do other members of the species who do not
have the characteristic.
psychodynamic psychology - Correct Answer An approach to understanding human behavior that
focuses on the role of unconscious thoughts, feelings, and memories.
,social norms - Correct Answer The ways of thinking, feeling, or behaving that are shared by group
members and are perceived by them as appropriate.
culture - Correct Answer A common set of social norms, including religious and family values and
other moral beliefs, shared by the people who live in a geographical region.
biopsychology and neuroscience - Correct Answer This field examines the physiological bases of
behavior in animals and humans by studying the functioning of different brain areas and the effects
of hormones and neurotransmitters on behavior.
clinical and counseling psychology - Correct Answer These are the largest fields of psychology. The
focus is on the assessment, diagnosis, causes, and treatment of mental disorders.
developmental psychology - Correct Answer These psychologists conduct research on the cognitive,
emotional, and social changes that occur across the lifespan.
forensic psychology - Correct Answer Apply psychological principles to understand the behavior of
judges, attorneys, courtroom juries, and others in the criminal justice system.
health psychology - Correct Answer Concerned with understanding how biology, behavior, and the
social situation influence health and illness.
industrial- organizational and environmental psychology - Correct Answer Applies psychology to the
workplace with the goal of improving the performance and well-being of employees.
personality psychology - Correct Answer These psychologists study people and the differences
among them. The goal is to develop theories that explain the psychological processes of individuals,
and to focus on individual differences.
school and educational psychology - Correct Answer This field studies how people
learn in school, the effectiveness
of school programs, and the psychology of teaching.
social and cross-cultural psychology - Correct Answer This field examines people's interactions with
other people. Topics of study include conformity, group behavior, leadership, attitudes, and person
perception
, sports psychology - Correct Answer This field studies the psychological aspects of sports behavior.
The goal is to understand the psychological factors that influence performance in sports, including
the role of exercise and team interactions.
basic research - Correct Answer Research that answers fundamental questions about behavior.
applied research - Correct Answer Research that investigates issues that have implications for
everyday life and provides solutions to everyday problems.
empirical - Correct Answer Based on systematic collection and analysis of data.
objective - Correct Answer Free from the personal bias or emotions of the scientist
laws - Correct Answer Principles that are so general as to apply to all situations in a given domain of
inquiry.
theory - Correct Answer An integrated set of principles that explains and predicts many, but not all,
observed relationships within a given domain of inquiry.
falsifiable - Correct Answer A characteristic of a theory or research hypothesis in which the variables
of interest can be adequately measured and the predicted relationships among the variables can be
shown through research to be incorrect.
research hypothesis - Correct Answer A specific and falsifiable prediction about the relationship
between or among two or more variables.
variable - Correct Answer Any attribute that can assume different values among different people or
across different times or places.
conceptual variables - Correct Answer Abstract ideas that form the basis of research hypotheses.
measured variables - Correct Answer Variables consisting of numbers that represent the conceptual
variables.
