Psychology
Chapter 1
1. Caroline is interested in determining how squirrels find the caches of nuts they buried several months earlier. She watches the squirrels in a park and notices that they tend to bury food near landmarks, such as trees or benches. She predicts that moving these landmarks after the squirrels have buried their food will prevent them from finding it later on, and designs an experiment to test her prediction. Caroline’s approach is an example of
A) pseudoscience.
B) the scientific method.
C) the psychoanalytic model.
D) the biopsychological model.
2. The term pseudoscience refers to A) the scientific study of psychology and related phenomena. B) hypotheses that have been rejected through observation and testing. C) ideas that are presented as science but in fact do not use the basic principles of scientific thinking procedure. D) the belief that the mind is separate from the body.
3. When a psychologist uses the term scientific theory, he or she is referring to something that
A) is guaranteed to be true.
B) explains a wide range of observations.
C) is no more or less plausible than any other theory.
D) is an educated guess.
4. Lidia gives a talk at a psychology conference in which she presents her new theory about the causes of autism. At one point, an audience member interrupts and says “but that’s just your theory.” What is the problem with this statement?
A) A theory is not the same thing as an opinion or belief.
B) If Lidia is presenting the theory at a psychology conference it must be true.
C) If most of the psychologists in the audience agree with Lidia, then the theory is likely to be true.
D) The audience member should have used the term hypothesis, not theory.
5. Dr. Preston is a psychologist studying why some people develop depression, while others do not. She realizes that the reasons are probably complicated, and
1. Caroline is interested in determining how squirrels find the caches of nuts they buried several months earlier. She watches the squirrels in a park and notices that they tend to bury food near landmarks, such as trees or benches. She predicts that moving these landmarks after the squirrels have buried their food will prevent them from finding it later on, and designs an experiment to test her prediction. Caroline’s approach is an example of
A) pseudoscience.
B) the scientific method.
C) the psychoanalytic model.
D) the biopsychological model.
2. The term pseudoscience refers to A) the scientific study of psychology and related phenomena. B) hypotheses that have been rejected through observation and testing. C) ideas that are presented as science but in fact do not use the basic principles of scientific thinking procedure. D) the belief that the mind is separate from the body.
3. When a psychologist uses the term scientific theory, he or she is referring to something that
A) is guaranteed to be true.
B) explains a wide range of observations.
C) is no more or less plausible than any other theory.
D) is an educated guess.
4. Lidia gives a talk at a psychology conference in which she presents her new theory about the causes of autism. At one point, an audience member interrupts and says “but that’s just your theory.” What is the problem with this statement?
A) A theory is not the same thing as an opinion or belief.
B) If Lidia is presenting the theory at a psychology conference it must be true.
C) If most of the psychologists in the audience agree with Lidia, then the theory is likely to be true.
D) The audience member should have used the term hypothesis, not theory.
5. Dr. Preston is a psychologist studying why some people develop depression, while others do not. She realizes that the reasons are probably complicated, and