Psycomm Test 1

Week One Activity
Discuss Briefly
1. What is the science of psychology? Describe the goals of Psychology
2. How do psychological factors affect psychological and mental health?
3. How do social networks affect human behavior?
Multiple Choice Questions

11. Psychology is defined as:
a. the science of behavior
b. the study of mental processes
c. the study of mental disorders and their treatment
d. the science of behavior and mental processes
12. Which of the following alternatives BEST expresses the relationship between psychology
and the study of behavior?
a. The study of behavior is part of psychology.
b. The study of behavior is the same thing as psychology.
c. Psychology does not include the study of behavior. It focuses on the mind.
d. At one time, psychology was defined as the study of behavior. It is now considered the
science of the mind.
3. Which of the following statements best expresses the opinion of most contemporary
psychologists?
a. Psychology should become a narrower, more tightly focused field.
b. Psychology should remain broad in scope and diverse in its approaches.
c. Psychology should limit itself to issues of practical, real-world importance.
d. Psychology should select one or two really good approaches to thought and behavior
and stick with those.
4. In order to study mind and behavior, psychologists:

a. rely on the scientific method
b. use their intuition
c. consult a magic eight-ball
d. take careful notes while watching talk shows
5. In what way are the diverse subfields of psychology related?

a. They all study very similar topics.
b. They ultimately share a common goal.
c. They all use the same set of research methods.
d. They are actually not related at all, other than being considered part of psychology.
6. Which of the following subfields of psychology is INCORRECTLY matched with its

description?
a. behavioral neuroscience; examines the relationship between the nervous system and
behavior
b. cognitive; examines how people grow and change from conception to death
c. experimental; examines the processes of sensing, perceiving, learning, and thinking
d. clinical; deals with the study, diagnosis, and treatment of psychological disorders
7. Your text identifies three cutting-edge areas of psychological inquiry. Which of the following
areas is CORRECTLY matched with its description?
a. evolutionary psychology; focuses on the biological mechanisms enabling inherited
behavior to unfold
b. behavioral genetics; considers how our behavior is influenced by our genetic heritage
from our ancestors
c. clinical neuropsychology; focuses on the biological origin of psychological disorders
d. behavioral genetics; examines the genetic basis of behavioral disorders
8. Your text suggests that the stereotype of psychology held by the person on the street accords
most closely with the ________ perspective.
a. neuroscience
b. behavioral
c. cognitive
d. psychodynamic
9. Which of the following psychologists is/are associated with the behavioral perspective?
a. Watson
b. Skinner
c. Maslow
d. both A and B
10. Psychologists adhering to the _________ perspective are probably the LEAST likely to take
a “nature” stance on the nature vs. nurture issue.
a. behaviorist
b. cognitive
c. neuroscience
d. evolutionary
END
Psychology is the social science of the human mind and its interaction with its environment. Since its modern
development in the 19th century, psychology has developed into an analytical and predictive science with
numerous subfields. As with any science, especially the social sciences, there are limitations to the scope of the
field, yet psychology has made significant advances by focusing on its core goals: description, explanation,
prediction and changing behavior.
1. Description
By describing behavior, psychologists attempt to understand what is normal and acceptable and what
is unhealthy. Behavior observed includes thoughts, feelings, attitudes, goals, motivation, actions and
reactions. Psychologists explain human behavior through methods such as case studies, observation,
surveys, testing and correlational studies.
Explanation
Psychologists' attempts to explain behavior reflect the fundamental goal of all science--understanding
our universe and our place in it. Several theorists, from Freud and Jung to Skinner and Rogers, have
offered various theories to explain personality, development and motivation. Explanations are limited,
of course, because they often are culturally restricted; that is, one explanation might not explain
similar behavior in another culture or society. Explanation is often determined through qualitative and
quantitative observation, including experimentation.
Prediction
Psychology also attempts to predict behavior. The purpose of prediction is to determine when an
individual will make healthy or unhealthy choices or how an individual will perform within
environment and stimuli. Consider the advantages of predicting whether a student will be successful at
a certain college, based on past behavior in a similar environment. Though prediction is not foolproof,
it can permit institutions and individuals to make more informed decisions choices about their futures.
Changing Behavior
Modifying behavior can be healthy or unhealthy, but within ethical constraints, psychology attempts
to voluntarily encourage individuals and groups to modify behavior for long-term healthy gain.
Personality and development theories differ as to how best to encourage behavior changes. Some
behaviorists believe in repetitive reinforcement, while positivists believe in honest cognitive
discourse. Psychology can be used in education, social correction and organizational structures to
elicit preferred behavior and attitudes.

Psycomm Test 1

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Psycomm Test 1

Uploaded by

Week One Activity

1. What is the science of psychology? Describe the goals of Psychology

2. How do psychological factors affect psychological and mental health?

3. How do social networks affect human behavior?

Multiple Choice Questions

4. In order to study mind and behavior, psychologists:

5. In what way are the diverse subfields of psychology related?

6. Which of the following subfields of psychology is INCORRECTLY matched with its

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