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1. Which of the following had a negative influence on the development of scientific psychology?

D. Descartes' mind-body distinction

2. According to biological psychologists, the most immediate cause of mental disorders is

A. activity of the nervous system.

3. Experimental psychologists of the late-nineteenth century focused their research interests on

C. understanding the nature of the conscious mind.

4. xxxxxx

5. A student, who states that she accepts fully the philosophy of Rene Descartes, has decided to become a biological psychologist. If you were advising this person, what should you tell her?

C. "You might want to reconsider your career choice: biological psychologists assume that the human mind is completely determined."

6. Which of the following would a psychologist be MOST likely to study?

C. the effects of drugs on thinking and emotions

7. In order to show that a claim is likely to be true, researchers must try to

C. falsify the claim.

8. Which of the following would be an example of an "empirical attitude"?

D. Steve often checks his blood pressure to see if his medicine is working.

9. Which of the following best illustrates the concept of mental continuity?

A. Both chimpanzees and humans easily learn to be afraid of snakes at a young age.

10. Why should we never say that we have proved that a claim is true?

C. Because future observations may show the claim to be false.

11. Psychologists who perform research in order to better understand the causes of mental events and behavior would be from which subdiscipline of psychology?

A. academic psychology

12. Which of the following best illustrates a subjective observation?

B. The pizza tastes great.

13. According to evolutionary psychologists, the ability to use and understand language

A. has evolved in humans through the evolution of brain structures.

14. John hopes that he and his ex-girlfriend, who broke up with him last month, eventually will get back together. When he heard that she had talked about him with a mutual friend, he took this as evidence that she was still interested in a reunion. When he heard that she went on a date with someone else, he concluded that she was just trying to get her mind off their break-up. John is exhibiting

D. the confirmation bias.

15. For Rene Descartes, free will is associated with

A. having a soul.

16. Which of the following is one of the main precepts of scientific psychology?

B. empiricism

17. In legal cases, people sometimes are acquitted of serious crimes because of what is referred to in popular culture as "temporary insanity." For example, a man who catches his wife in bed with another man and shoots them both may be acquitted because he has experienced an "irresistible impulse": he could not help but react violently. Jurors who find people to be "not guilty" for such reasons must be assuming that

D. people's behavior sometimes is determined by forces outside of free will.

18. A student received a D on an algebra test and decided that it was unfair: he felt he had studied sufficiently for it by going through his notes the morning of the test. When he found out that 60% of the other students in the class also received a D or F, he readily accepted this as proof that the test was unfair. But, when he heard that almost none of these students had studied for the test, and that those who received a C or higher all had studied hard for the test, he concluded that this information wasn't relevant because he had studied for almost an hour before the test and still didn't do well. This student's reasoning exemplifies

A. the confirmation bias.

19. A person who doubts a claim until he or she has made direct observations that provide adequate support for the claim would be referred to as a(n)

B. skeptical empiricist.

20. Modern academic psychology is most closely associated with the late-nineteenth century field known as

A. experimental psychology.

Go to Section 1-1: Quiz Questions