1. A stress researcher wants to look at the effect of meditation on anxiety. To do this, she creates two groups of subjects: one group receives instruction in meditation, whereas the other receives no training at all. One month later, she has subjects complete a questionnaire designed to measure anxiety and she looks to see whether there are any differences in anxiety between the two groups. In this experiment, the meditation condition (meditation vs. no meditation) would be the _____________ variable and anxiety would be the _____________ variable.

a. dependent; dependent

b. independent; dependent

c. dependent; independent

d. independent; independent

 

2. The resting potential of a typical neuron is:

a. –70 volts.

b. –70 millivolts.

c. –7 millivolts.

d. 70 millivolts.

 

1. The ______________ perspective tends to ignore mental processes because they are not directly observable. In contrast, the _____________ perspective acknowledges the importance of both the environment and internal mental processes in determining behavior.

a. cognitive-behavioral; behavioral

b. humanistic; cognitive

c. behavioral; sociocultural

d. behavioral; cognitive-behavioral

 

4. A researcher is interested in studying what factors influence interpersonal attraction. In a study designed to explore this variable, the researcher uses a very attractive person for an assistant. Interpersonal attraction is then assessed by whether the people participating in the study call up the attractive assistant to ask the person on a date. In this example, the method used to assess interpersonal attraction would be considered a(n):

a. correlational study

b. hypothesis

c. case study

d. operational definition

 

5. ____________ refers to the tendency to respond in what is believed to be a socially appropriate manner rather than according to how a person actually thinks, feels, or behaves.

a. Reactivity

b. The social desirability bias

c. Confounding

d. The placebo effect

 

6. The two divisions of the autonomic nervous system are:

a. sensory and motor.

b. somatic and parasympathetic.

c. sympathetic and parasympathetic.

d. central and peripheral.

 

7. An animal researcher is studying the effect of a new drug on the memory of mice. One group of mice receives the drug, whereas a second group does not. The memory of the mice is then tested by how quickly they can negotiate a maze. In this example, the group of mice that does NOT receive the drug would be considered the:

a. experimental group.

b. correlational group.

c. control group.

d. confounding group.

 

8. A newborn baby is having trouble regulating her breathing and heart rate and doctors are forced to place her on life support. Given her symptoms, it is most likely that this infant may have some abnormalities in or damage to her:

a. thalamus.

b. hypothalamus.

c. cerebellum.

d. medulla.

 

9. One of the primary functions of the thalamus is to:

a. regulate respiration and heart rate.

b. organize and route information from the sensory organs to the appropriate brain areas.

c. regulate various aspects of motivation and emotion.

d. play a key role in the creation and storage of memories.

 

10. The ethical guideline of ___________ refers to how participants should be given full descriptions about the procedures involved in a study and told that they are free to withdraw from a study at any time.

a. informed consent

b. right to privacy

c. psychological risk

d. social risk

 

11. The notion of “tabula rasa” is most consistent with which of the following statements?

a. The environment determines most of our behavior.

b. Biology and genetics determine most of our behavior.

c. Unconscious forces determine most of our behavior.

d. Our innate drive to self-actualize determines most of our behavior.

 

12. Deception is justified in psychological research:

a. whenever a researcher would like to use it.

b. only if there are no other alternatives available.

c. only if the study has benefits that clearly outweigh the costs of using deception.

d. when there are no other alternatives available and the study has benefits that clearly outweigh the costs of using deception.

 

13. The primary job of the amygdala is to:

a. organize emotional response patterns, particularly aggression and fear.

b. create and store memories.

c. regulate body temperature and sexual behavior.

d. regulate heart rate and respiration.

 

14. A psychologist is being interviewed on a local news program regarding the recent problems with school violence. The psychologist proposes that we need to significantly change the environments in which our children are being raised by more heavily reinforcing the behaviors we would like to see in our kids. This psychologist is most likely associated with which psychological perspective?

a. humanistic

b. psychodynamic

c. cognitive

d. behavioral

 

15. A researcher is examining the relation between two variables: variable X and variable Y. If she is conducting a correlational study, the researcher ____________ variable X and ____________ variable Y.

a. manipulates; manipulates

b. manipulates; measures

c. measures; manipulates

d. measures; measures

 

16. Dr. Gonzalez is a clinical psychologist who has been working with Mitch. Mitch recently lost the use of both of his legs in a car crash and understandably has been feeling rather angry and depressed since the accident. Although he empathizes with Mitch’s current emotions, Dr. Gonzalez also stresses that Mitch has a choice in terms of how he interprets his current situation and that he has personal responsibility for changing his feelings and creating a better life. Dr. Gonzalez is most likely aligned with which of the following perspectives?

a. psychodynamic

b. humanistic

c. sociocultural

d. behavioral

 

17. In a negative correlation, ___________ scores on one variable are associated with ____________ scores on a second variable.

a. lower; lower

b. higher; lower

c. lower; random

d. higher; higher

 

18. One of the essential differences between experimental research and correlational research is that:

a. in experimental research all variables are measured, whereas in correlational research at least one variable is manipulated.

b. in correlational research all variables are measured, whereas in experimental research at least one variable is manipulated.

c. experimental research tends to use random sampling, whereas correlational research tends to use random assignment.

d. experimental research tends to have higher external validity than correlational research.

 

19. Which of following most accurately describes the distinction between independent and dependent variables?

a. Researchers look for the effect of the dependent variable on the independent variable.

b. Researchers look for the correlation between the independent and dependent variables.

c. The dependent variable “depends upon” the independent variable.

d. The independent variable “depends upon” the dependent variable.

 

20. In survey research, _____________ is typically used to ensure that a sample is representative, whereas in experiments, _____________ is used to balance differences between subjects across the various experimental groups.

a. random sampling; random assignment

b. random assignment; random sampling

c. random sampling; random appointment

d. random appointment; random assignment