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Problem Set #2 Answers

Short Answer Questions:


1. Why is psychology a science?
Psychology is a science because it uses systematic collection and observation of data to try to answer questions
about the mind and behavior and their interactions.
2. Define dualism.
Dualism refers to the division of the world and all things in it into two parts: body and spirit.
3. What did Locke mean by “tabula rasa”?
Tabula rasa means “blank slate” and has been used (originally by Locke) to refer to the mind of a child.
According to this view, all knowledge that we have must be learned; nothing is innate.
4. Why is Wundt considered by some psychologists to be the founder of modern psychology?
Wilhelm Windt is sometimes viewed as the founder of psychology because he initiated the first laboratory
in Leipzig, Germany, in 1879.
5. What is biological psychology?
Biological psychology is the field of psychology that seeks to understand the interactions between anatomy
and physiology - particularly, the physiology of the nervous system - on the one hand, and behavior, on the
other.
6. What is self-actualization?
Self-actualization is the act of reaching our full individual potential in a creative way.
7. Define independant variable.
The independant variable is manipulated by the experimenter.
8. Define dependant variable.
The dependant variable is what is measured.
9. What are three measures of central tendency?
Mean, median, and mode.
10. What is informed consent?
Informed consent is an agreement to be in a study only after hearing about what types of experiences will
be confronted in the study. Informed consent allows participants to leave the experimental situation at any
time without penalty.
11. What are Type I and Type II errors?
Type I error refers to the conclusion that a difference exists when in fact this difference does not exist. Type
II error refers to the conclusion that there is no difference when in fact there is a difference.

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Multiple Choice Questions:
Correct answers are in bold.

1. A cognitive psychologist would likely be most interested in:

(a) concentration of neural transmitters in the spinal cord.


(b) unconditional positive regard in the therapeutic setting.
(c) token economies in prisons.
(d) reaction times on word association tests.
(e) development of fine motor skills in toddlers.
2. The concept of tabula rasa, or “blank slate” is closely associated with:
(a) David Hume
(b) Charles Darwin
(c) John Locke
(d) Sigmund Freud
(e) Erich Fromm
3. The concept of dualism refers to the division of all things in the world into:

(a) thought and action


(b) body and spirit
(c) structural and functional
(d) theoretical and practical
(e) dependent and independent

4. Rene Descartes would most likely have DISAGREED with which of the following statements?
(a) The psysical world is observable, and, if sufficient knowledge is gained through such observation,
predictable.
(b) Divine influence controls every human action and thought.
(c) The mind is not subject to the laws of the physical world.
(d) There are some bodily movements or actions in humans that are not controlled directly by the
conscious mind.
(e) The mind and the body are separate entities but constantly interact.
5. The American psychologist William James is most closely identified with the theory of:

(a) natural selection


(b) behaviorism
(c) structuralism
(d) functionalism
(e) radicalism

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6. In a double-blind experimental design, which of the following would be true?
(a) The experimental subjects know whether they are in an experimental group or in a control group,
but the researchers do not.
(b) The researchers know whether particular subjects have been assigned to an experimental group
or a control group, but the experimental subjects do not.
(c) Both the researchers and the experimental subjects know whether the latter have been assigned
to an experimental group or a control group.
(d) Neither the researchers nor the experimental subjects know whether the latter have
been assigned to an experimental group or a control group.
(e) The observers are unable to see the responses or behaviors of the experimental group during the
course of the experimental manipulation.
7. In a normal distribution of scores, approximately what percentage of all scores will occur within one
standard deviation from the mean?
(a) 34
(b) 68
(c) 95
(d) 97.5
(e) 100
8. When testing a hypothesis, a Type II error would involve:
(a) concluding a difference between groups exists after the experimental manipulation when in fact a
difference does not exist.
(b) concluding a difference between groups does not exist after the experimental manip-
ulation when in fact a difference does exist.
(c) concluding a score is two standard deviations above the mean when in fact it is two standard
deviations below the mean.
(d) concluding a score is two standard deviations below the mean when in fact it is two standard
deviations above the mean.
(e) rejecting the null hypothesis when in fact it should have been accepted.
9. Which of the following would NOT be considered essential for a proposed research design to meet the
requirements for ethicality?
(a) Research subjects must consent to participate in the project, and a full description of what their
participation consists of must be spelled out before they are asked to give consent.
(b) Participants must be allowed to withdraw from the project at any time.
(c) Both the subjects and the researchers must know which of the subjects will be part
of the experimental group.
(d) If deception is involved, a full debriefing of the subjects must occur soon after the completion of
the project.
(e) If keeping with protecting the privacy and confidentiality of the subjects, data should be obtained
as anonymously as possible.
10. The correlation between two observed attributes is -.84. From this, it can be concluded that
(a) as one attribute increases, the other is likely to increase.
(b) as one attribute increases, the other is likely to decrease.
(c) the two attributes are unrelated.
(d) one attribute causes the other attribute to occur.
(e) one attribute causes the other attribute not to occur.

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