Psych Perspectives
Which perspective focuses on how the brain, genetics, hormones, and nervous system influence behavior?
Biological
A researcher observes children on a playground without interacting with them. Which research method is being used?
Naturalistic observation
The variable that the researcher manipulates is called the:
Independent variable
Which measure of central tendency is calculated by adding all scores and dividing by the number of scores?
Mean
After seeing the final score of a football game, Jordan says, "I knew they were going to win!"
This BEST demonstrates what?
Hindsight bias
A psychologist believes a student's fear of dogs developed because the student was bitten by a dog as a child. Which perspective BEST explains this?
Behavioral
Researchers measure the relationship between hours of sleep and students' GPAs. Which method are they using?
Correlational study
A researcher investigates whether classroom temperature affects test performance.
Students take a test in either a 68°F room or an 85°F room.
What is the independent variable?
Classroom temperature
What does standard deviation measure?
How spread out scores are around the mean
Maria believes that social media makes people unhappy. She searches online only for articles supporting her belief and ignores research suggesting otherwise.
This demonstrates:
Confirmation bias
A psychologist studies how someone's beliefs and interpretations influence their anxiety. Which perspective is being used?
Cognitive
A psychologist conducts an intensive investigation of one person who has an extremely rare memory disorder. Which method is being used?
Case study
A researcher investigates whether classroom temperature affects test performance.
Students take a test in either a 68°F room or an 85°F room.
What is the dependent variable?
Test performance
Two AP Psychology classes both have an average test score of 80.
Class A: SD = 3
Class B: SD = 14
what can you say about class A's score around the mean?
Class A's scores were more tightly clustered around the mean.
On a survey asking how often students cheat, several students falsely report that they have never cheated because they want to appear honest.
This BEST illustrates:
Social desirability bias
Which perspective would MOST likely examine how unconscious conflicts and childhood experiences influence adult behavior?
Psychodynamic
Researchers statistically combine the findings of 25 previous studies examining exercise and depression.
Meta-analysis
What is the primary purpose of random assignment?
Reduce preexisting differences between experimental groups
A correlation coefficient of −.15 represents:
Weak negative relationship
Which statement BEST describes a defensible claim?
A. A statement based primarily on personal experience
B. A statement that cannot be challenged
C. A claim supported by relevant scientific evidence and reasoning
D. Any statement made by a psychologist
C. A claim supported by relevant scientific evidence and reasoning
A psychologist investigates whether cultural expectations about success influence teenagers' academic motivation. Which perspective is MOST directly represented?
Sociocultural
A researcher finds that students who sleep more tend to have higher grades. Which statement is MOST appropriate?
A. More sleep causes better grades.
B. Better grades cause students to sleep more.
C. Sleep and grades are correlated, but causation cannot be established.
D. There is no relationship between sleep and grades.
C. Sleep and grades are correlated, but causation cannot be established.
A researcher studies whether music affects memory. The music group takes the test in the morning while the no-music group takes it in the afternoon.
What is the MOST obvious confounding variable?
Time of day
Which correlation represents the strongest relationship?
A. +.23
B. −.91
C. +.67
D. −.48
B. −.91
Researchers discover evidence that contradicts their original explanation. What should they do?
A. Ignore the contradictory evidence
B. Modify or refute the original claim based on the evidence
C. Remove participants whose results disagree
D. Continue claiming the original explanation is correct
B. Modify or refute the original claim based on the evidence