Introduction to Psychology
PSY 101


An Introduction to the Science
of Mind and Behavior


Section 1

Psychological Theories & Approaches





Section 1-4: Quiz Questions


Go to Section 1-4: Answers to Quiz Questions

1. Uri claims that he can read people's minds and bend metal objects simply by using the "power of my mind." Whenever he is tested under controlled scientific conditions, however, he always fails. Uri explains that this is because the scientists testing him are skeptics and that their skepticism interferes with his psychic powers. The existence of Uri's psychic powers are not

A. definable.
B. reliable.
C. valid.
D. verifiable.

2. I cannot remember where I was when I first heard about the 9/11 attacks. No matter how hard I try to remember this information, I cannot do so. Assuming that the information for where I was when I first heard about the 9/11 attacks is still somewhere in my mind, we would say that it is at the

A. unconscious level.
B. preconscious level.
C. conscious level.
D. postconscious level.

3. Which of the following would not be an example of an objective definition?

A. emotional stability is defined as whether a person's emotions change frequently
B. anxiety is defined as the score a person gets on a test of anxiety
C. weight is defined as the number of pounds shown on a scale
D. physical attractiveness is defined as the number of people who think a person is attractive

4. In which of the following cases would a person be most likely to show alpha waves on an EEG recording?

A. The person is conversing with someone.
B. The person is taking a test.
C. The person is sleeping lightly.
D. The person is lying in bed awake with eyes closed.

5. Which of the following concepts would be the most difficult to observe and measure objectively?

A. the width of a desk in a classroom
B. the diameter of the earth at the equator
C. the amount of intelligence in an individual
D. the distance of the nearest star to earth

6. Research has found that, on average, men have better spatial abilities than women have. John and Jessica are both taking a test that measures their spatial abilities. Which of the following statements is true?

A. Although men have, on average, higher scores on such tests, we cannot predict with certainty that John will get a higher score.
B. Although men have, on average, higher scores on such tests, it is equally likely that Jessica will get a higher score.
C. Because men have, on average, higher scores on such tests, John will score higher than Jessica.
D. John will score near the average for men and Jessica will score near the average for women.

7. When do you think that suggestion would be most likely to affect a person's observations of an event?

A. When the observations are objective.
B. When the observations are subjective.
C. When perceptual processes are preconscious.
D. When perceptual processes are unconscious.

8. If a person faints and is described as being "unconscious," the term is referring to a(n)

A. altered state of consciousness.
B. level of awareness.
C. subjective definition.
D. objective definition.

9. Jay believes that, when he studies for a test, he gets a lower grade than when he doesn't study for the test. He believes this because of personal experiences he has had taking tests. A great deal of controlled research, however, proves that Jay's belief is wrong: the more a person studies, on average, the better that he or she does on tests. If Jay is shown the plethora of research demonstrating the truth of this claim beyond any reasonable doubt, it is most likely that Jay will

A. continue to believe that studying for tests causes lower scores, at least for him.
B. continue to believe that studying for tests causes lower scores, probably for everyone.
C. change his belief to make it more consistent with the scientific evidence.
D. change his belief to make it less consistent with the scientific evidence.

10. Which of the following is most likely to involve an altered state of consciousness?

A. being angry after a friend criticizes you
B. experiencing an epileptic seizure involving the cerebral cortex
C. feeling depressed after receiving a bad grade on a test
D. feeling drowsy after a long, hard day at work

11. Finding a difference between the mean scores of two groups is most helpful for which of the following?

A. to determine what is true for individuals in each group
B. to evaluate how important are any differences in variance
C. to discover and test factors that possibly are causing the difference
D. none of the above

12. Several people have told me that the Social/Behavioral Building is haunted by the ghost of a former student (Note: I am making all of this this up). Sometimes, when I'm working in my office late at night after everyone else has gone home, I hear a voice and a door closing on the other side of the building. When I go to check it out, there never is anyone there. I've concluded that the sounds come from the ghost. Given that there really is no ghost, my conclusion about the sounds (that is, that they come from the activity of a ghost talking and closing a door) is the result of

A. suggestion.
B. reperception.
C. cognitive displacement.
D. inductive realignment.

13. On average, people who smoke die at a younger age than people who do not smoke. Furthermore, on average, men die at a younger age than women. Tara and Stephen are the same age. She smokes but he does not. Who will die first?

A. Even though she is a female, Tara will die first because she smokes.
B. Even though he does not smoke, Steven will die first because he is a man.
C. There is no way to predict with certainty who will die first because the two negative influences cancel each other out.
D. There is no way to predict with certainty who will die first because averages tell us what is true for groups, not individuals.

14. Which of the following represents an objective definition?

A. Anxiety level is defined as the score on a test of anxiety.
B. Psychosis is defined as a severe difficulty with reality-testing.
C. Attribution is defined as an inference made about the cause of an event.
D. Delusion is defined as a rigidly held belief for which there is no evidence.

15. Which of the following represents an objective definition?

A. Anxiety is defined as a state of uneasiness and apprehension.
B. Psychosis is defined as a mental disorder characterized by a break with reality.
C. An attribution is defined as the inference made about the cause of an event.
D. Intelligence is defined as the score on an IQ test.

16. In which of the following cases would a person be most likely to show theta waves on an EEG recording?

A. The person is conversing with someone.
B. The person is taking a test.
C. The person is sleeping lightly.
D. The person is lying in bed awake with eyes closed.

17. Which of the following claims is most likely to be untestable?

A. Weight is related to height.
B. The amount of freedom in a country is related to its economic growth.
C. The level of anxiety is related to the level of blood pressure.
D. The amount of general knowledge is related to academic performance.

18. On average, young adults sleep about 8 hours per night, with 95% sleeping between 6.5 and 9.5 hours per night. Based on this information, how much sleep do you need per night?

A. The information is not relevant for deciding how much sleep you need per night.
B. The information is not relevant for deciding how much sleep people get per night.
C. According to the information, you should get 8.5 hours of sleep per night.
D. According to the information, you should get between 6.5 and 9.5 hours of sleep per night.

19. The Section-1 test is designed to measure the following concept: knowledge of the material taught in Section 1. Would a multiple-choice test measure precisely the same thing as an essay test?

A. Yes: they both measure students' knowledge of the material being taught.
B. No: essay tests measure students' knowledge of the material being taught, whereas multiple-choice tests measure students' skill at guessing.
C. Yes: they both measure how good one is at taking tests, not knowledge of the material being taught.
D. No: although both types of test measure students' knowledge of the material being taught, each type also measures other characteristics unique to each.

20. Tom was unable to remember the name of his best friend in third grade. He kept trying, but just could not recall his friend's name. Finally, he found the class picture from third grade. and recognized his friend's name immediately as soon as he saw it. Before Tom looked at the class picture, the memory for his friend's name was

A. in the part of the mind that contains repressed memories.
B. in the part of the brain that contains repressed memories.
C. at the preconscious level.
D. at the unconscious level.

Go to Section 1-4: Answers to Quiz Questions


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