1 Practice Questions for Unit 1 Answer the questions, then look up the correct answers in the te xt, course web pages, etc. 2 The concept of the reflex arc was developed by a. Rene Descartes b. John Locke c. Fraser Crane d. Wilhelm Wundt 3 John Locke believed that a. The mind at birth is a tabula rosa b. All knowledge comes from experience c. There are no innate ideas d. All the above 4 The idea that soul and body communicate at one point in the brain is called a. The reflex arc b. Reactive dualism c. Interactive dualism d. Functionalism 5 is considered to be the founding father of scientific psychology. a. Rene Descartes b. John Locke c. William James d. Wilhelm Wundt 6 If two events occur closely together in time, that is an example of a. Interactive dualism b. The reflex arc c. Temporal contiguity d. Spatial contiguity 7 This group of philosophers believed that all knowledge comes from experience. a. The gestalt psychologists b. The British empiricists c. The German ethologists d. The Sopranos 8 According to the British empiricists, two ideas become associated in the mind when 1
a. They are experienced together (contiguity) b. One idea is connect to the other by a chain of reasoning c. One idea is exactly the opposite of the other d. The two ideas are incompatible 9 The first laboratory in experimental psychology was established in 1879 by a. Rene Descartes b. John Locke c. Wilhelm Wundt d. Max Wertheimer 10 is the technique of observing what is going on in your own mind a. Concentration b. Inspection c. Mind-watching d. Introspection 11 This early school of psychology believed that what is important about mind is its innate organizing principles. 12 Psychologists of this school were strongly influenced by Darwin s theory of evolution. 13 Which early school of psychology believed that minds could not be studied scientifically? 14 The founder of behaviorism was a. Wilhelm Wundt b. William James c. Max Wertheimer d. John Watson 2
15 What was important to these psychologists was the functions of mind a. Structuralists b. Functionalists c. Gestalt psychologists d. Behaviorists 16 According to this early school, the mind is more of a process than a structure. 17 These philosophers believed that complex ideas were built up by a process of association. a. Rene Descartes b. The British empiricists c. The Gestalt psychologists d. Darla and Greg 18 According to your text, psychology is defined as the a. Study of the mind b. Study of consciousness c. Science of behavior d. Science of behavior and mental processes 19 Given variation in some characteristics, those with certain variants will survive better than others with a different variant. This is the evolutionary principle of a. Variation b. Natural selection c. Like begets like d. Success 20 In what way was Descartes concept of the reflex arc an advance over previous views? a. It offered a purely physical, naturalistic explanation for involuntary movements. b. It explained voluntary behavior as the actions of the soul. c. It assigned nonphysical causes to reflex movements. d. It became the basis of a hit TV show. 21 The major goal of this school was to identify the elements of conscious 3
experience 22 If you simply observe two variables as you find them and look for a relationship between them, you are doing a. Correlational research b. Experimental research c. A demonstration d. A case history 23 The major advantage of experimental over correlational research is that it allows you to a. Determine whether two variables are related b. Determine whether a cause-effect relationship exists between two variables c. Generalize the results over a broader range of individuals and conditions d. Make predictions based on the relationship observed 24 In an experiment, the variable you manipulate is the a. Independent variable b. Dependent variable c. Extraneous variable d. Confounding variable 25 An advantage of correlational over experimental research is that you can a. Determine whether a relationship between two variables is one of cause and effect b. Exert strong control over extraneous variables c. Eliminate all potential confounding d. Identify relationships between variables when it would be impossible or unethical to do the relevant experiment 26 If Pearson r is negative, this means that a. As X increases, Y increases b. As X increases, Y decreases c. There is no relationship between X and Y d. Y causes X, rather than X causing Y 27 You cannot prove cause from mere correlation because of the a. Directionality problem b. Third variable problem c. Both a and b d. Lack of permission from the authorities 4
28 An explanation is testable if a. It is potentially capable of failing an empirical test b. Cannot possibly fail any empirical test c. Can be made into a multiple-choice question d. Must be believed on faith 29 The size of Pearson r indicates the of the relationship a. Direction b. Magnitude c. Both the direction and magnitude d. Sincerity 30 If a scientific explanation fails an empirical test, what should be done next? a. Ignore the failure and continue believing in the explanation b. If possible, revise the explanation so that it can account for the new data c. Discard the explanation and develop a new one d. Do either b or c 31 In an experiment, what should be done with extraneous variables? a. If possible, hold them constant b. Randomly assign individuals to groups and use inferential statistics to evaluate the probability that any differences might have arisen purely by chance c. Both a and b d. Try to introduce as many extraneous variables into the experiment as possible 32 To determine the relationship between two variables, you can a. Create a scatter plot based on the two variables b. Compute a correlation (such as Pearson r) between the two variables c. Do either a or b (or both) d. Consult your tarot cards 33 A statistical analysis indicates that the effect of a variable is statistically significant. This means that the effect is a. Important b. Large enough to have practical applications c. Probably reliable d. Improbable 34 The part of the neuron that serves as a cable for transmitting information is the a. Dendrite b. Soma or cell body c. Terminal button 5
d. Axon 35 The resting potential of a typical neuron is about a. 5 to 10 millivolts b. -70 to -90 millivolts c. 5 to 10 volts d. -90 to -100 k volts 36 If release of neurotransmitter across the synapse tends to suppress action potentials in the receiving neuron, the synapse is described as a. Excitatory b. Inhibitory c. Decelerative d. Depressing 37 Drugs can affect events at the synapse by a. Mimicking the effect of the natural neurotransmitter b. Blocking the receptors, thus preventing the natural neurotransmitter from working there c. Slowing or interfering with the reuptake mechanism d. All the above 38 In Parkinson s disease, neurons die that use as the neurotransmitter. a. Acetylcholine (Ach) b. Norepinephrine (NE) c. Serotonin (5-HT) d. Dopamine (DA) 39 The neuron functions to a. Transmit information from one place in the body to another b. Process information c. Hold muscle cells in place d. Both a and b 40 The brain an spinal cord are found in the nervous system. a. Central b. Peripheral c. Somatic d. Autonomic 41 Vegetative functions such as sweating and digestion are handled by the nervous system. a. Central 6
b. Peripheral c. Somatic d. Autonomic 42 The spinal cord includes a. Sensory tracts conveying sensory information toward the brain b. Motor tracts conveying motor commands for the muscles and glands c. Reflex centers that co-ordinate the actions of the various muscles in the body d. All the above 43 During stress, the will act to increase heart rate, blood pressure, etc. a. Sympathetic branch of the autonomic nervous system b. Parasympathetic branch of the autonomic nervous system c. Somatic nervous system d. Very, very nervous system 44 The so-called master endocrine gland is the gland. a. Pineal b. Pituitary c. Adrenal d. Thyroid 45 This part of the brain resembles a fishnet under the microscope and influences your level of arousal. a. Hypothalamus b. Pons c. Basal ganglia d. Reticular formation 46 This brain structure mediates basic drives such as hunger and thirst. a. Medulla b. Pons c. Thalamus d. Hypothalamus 47 Emotions are the product of this set of interconnected brain structures. a. Cerebellum b. Limbic system c. Basal ganglia d. Ventricles 48 About 90% of sensory and motor fibers cross over in this brain structure. a. Pons b. Cerebellum 7
c. Midbrain d. Thalamus 49 In most people, language is processed mainly in the a. Left cerebral hemisphere b. Right cerebral hemisphere c. Basal ganglia d. Limbic system 50 Damage to this part of the cerebral cortex makes it difficult to plan a course of action. a. Frontal lobes b. Parietal lobes c. Occipital lobes d. Temporal lobes 51 Cutting this brain structure results in a person having two separate centers of consciousness. a. Pons b. Temporal lobe c. Corpus callosum d. Optic chiasm 52 Speech production is handled in the brain structure known as a. Wernicke s area b. Broca s area c. Broadman s area d. Linda 53 This part of the cerebral cortex is given over mainly to visual analysis. a. Frontal lobes b. Parietal lobes c. Occipital lobes d. Temporal lobes 54 Damage this brain structure and you will have difficulty producing smooth movements. a. Hypothalamus b. Cerebellum c. Thalamus d. Limbic system 55 Damage to the parietal lobe may produce which defect below? a. Difficulty in planning and following through b. Inability to recognize faces 8
c. Loss of vision d. Loss of emotional control 9