8 Review Questions for Introduction to Psychology

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Multiple Choice Questions

1. According to the chapter, what is the primary difference between the nervous systems of spiders and humans? 

  1. spiders have more neurons than humans 
  2. the human brain is mainly devoted to information processing, while spiders devote more neurons to sensory and motor functions 
  3. spiders cannot process sensory information 
  4. The spider brain is mainly devoted to web-building, while the human brain devote more neurons to sensory and motor functions 

2. What distinguishes pseudoscience from science? 

  1. pseudoscience focuses on unusual topics 
  2. pseudoscience does not use specialized equipment 
  3. pseudoscience does not follow systematic methods for collecting data 
  4. pseudoscience is always conducted outside universities 

3. In the scientific method, a hypothesis is a(n) ________.

  1. observation
  2. measurement
  3. test
  4. proposed explanation

4. Empiricism as the idea that knowledge is primarily derived from: 

  1. logic 
  2. authority figures 
  3. tradition 
  4. systematic observation 

5. Which researcher is considered the father of neuroscience? 

  1. Wilhelm Wundt 
  2. William James 
  3. Santiago Ramón y Cajal
  4. Charles Darwin

6. What does the term psychoactive refer to? 

  1. drugs that target the nervous system to affect physical movement 
  2. drugs that target the nervous system and alter thought, emotion, or behaviour 
  3. drugs used in psychotherapy 
  4. drugs that improve memory without affecting the brain 

7. Why did psychedelic research largely decline after the late 1960s? 

  1. Researchers discovered psychedelics had no effects 
  2. Scientific interest shifted to other therapeutic drugs 
  3. Increased legal restrictions created major barriers to research 
  4. Brain-imaging techniques became widely available 

8. What is the primary focus of cellular neuroscience? 

  1. behaviour of people in group settings 
  2. relationship between brain activity and cognitive processes 
  3. individual neurons and their communication within the nervous system 
  4. biological basis of thought, emotion, and behaviour 

9. What is the primary focus of behavioural neuroscience? 

  1. behaviour of people in group settings 
  2. relationship between brain activity and cognitive processes 
  3. individual neurons and their communication within the nervous system 
  4. biological basis of thought, emotion, and behaviour 

10. In sensation and perception, sensation refers to ________, while perception refers to

  1. remembering information; forgetting information 
  2. detecting environmental stimuli; interpreting and organizing that information 
  3. feeling; thinking 
  4. movement; balance 

11. Which topic would be studied by a developmental psychologist? 

  1. studying how peer pressure affects decision-making 
  2. relationship between brain activity and cognitive processes 
  3. investigating when object permanence appears in humans
  4. examining the effects of eyewitness testimony 

12. An individual’s consistent pattern of thought and behaviour is known as a(n) ________. 

  1. obedience 
  2. object permanence 
  3. perception 
  4. personality 

13. In Milgram’s controversial study on obedience, nearly ________ of the participants were willing to administer what appeared to be lethal electrical shocks to another person because they were told to do so by an authority figure. 

  1. 1/3
  2. 2/3
  3. 3/4
  4. 4/5

14. A researcher interested in what factors make an employee best suited for a given job would most likely identify as a(n) ________ psychologist. 

  1. I-O
  2. personality
  3. clinical
  4. social

    Critical Thinking Questions

    15. The chapter starts off by comparing the nervous systems of spiders and humans. If intelligence were measured only by the ability to perform specialized tasks, how might a spider be considered highly successful despite its much smaller brain? Use evidence from the chapter to support your answer.
    16. Give an example of a common-sense explanation for behaviour and describe how a scientist could transform it into an empirically testable hypothesis.
    17. Many products and programs claim to improve memory, learning, or mental health. What questions could you ask to determine whether such claims are scientific or pseudoscientific? Explain your reasoning.
    18. Compare the work of Humphry Osmond and Ewen Cameron in psychedelic research. How do their approaches illustrate the importance of ethical standards in psychology and neuroscience research?
    19. Choose one lesson from traditional Indigenous use of psychedelics and explain how it has influenced modern psychedelic-assisted therapy.
    20.  Evolutionary psychologists often propose explanations for behaviours based on natural selection. Why is it difficult to conclude that a human behaviour is an evolutionary adaptation rather than a product of culture or environment? Use concepts from the chapter in your answer.
    21. Imagine a person who recently suffered a stroke and is experiencing memory problems. How might a cognitive neuroscientist, neuropsychologist, and clinical psychologist each approach understanding this individual?
    22. What are two potential ethical concerns associated with Milgram’s research on obedience?

     

    Personal Application Questions

    23.Why are you taking this course? What do you hope to learn about during this course?
    24. What was one belief you held about the mind, brain, or behaviour before reading this chapter that has changed? Explain why. 
    25. Now that you’ve been briefly introduced to some of the major areas within psychology, which are you most interested in learning more about? Why?

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    Introduction to Psychology & Neuroscience (2nd Edition) Copyright © 2020 by Jennifer Stamp; Leanne Stevens; and Kevin LeBlanc is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

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