,WGU C180 Introduction to Psychology
Objective Assessment (OA) | 2026/2027
Edition (PDF)
**1. Psychology is formally defined as the scientific study of:**
A) The human brain and its structures
B) Behavior and mental processes
C) Unconscious drives and conflicts
D) Social interactions only
**Correct Answer:** B) Behavior and mental processes
**Rationale:** Psychology is the scientific study of behavior (observable actions) and mental processes
(thoughts, feelings, perceptions). This definition distinguishes psychology from other disciplines that
study only the brain or only social interactions.
**2. Which goal of psychology involves explaining why a behavior or mental process occurs?**
A) Description
B) Explanation
C) Prediction
D) Control
**Correct Answer:** B) Explanation
**Rationale:** Explanation involves understanding the causes of behavior, identifying underlying
mechanisms and reasons. Description tells what happens, prediction tells when it will happen, and
control involves modifying behavior.
**3. Who is considered the "father of psychology" for establishing the first formal psychology laboratory
in 1879?**
,A) William James
B) Sigmund Freud
C) Wilhelm Wundt
D) John B. Watson
**Correct Answer:** C) Wilhelm Wundt
**Rationale:** Wilhelm Wundt established the first psychology laboratory in 1879 at the University of
Leipzig, Germany, marking the beginning of modern psychology as an independent scientific discipline.
**4. Which philosopher is credited with the idea that the mind and body are two distinct entities that
interact, known as dualism?**
A) Aristotle
B) Plato
C) René Descartes
D) John Locke
**Correct Answer:** C) René Descartes
**Rationale:** René Descartes is credited with the idea of dualism—the view that the mind and body
are two distinct entities that interact. This philosophical position has profoundly influenced the
development of psychology.
**5. Which early school of psychology argued that the whole of conscious experience is greater than the
sum of its parts?**
A) Structuralism
B) Functionalism
C) Gestalt Psychology
D) Behaviorism
, **Correct Answer:** C) Gestalt Psychology
**Rationale:** Gestalt psychology argued that the whole of conscious experience is greater than the
sum of its parts. The Gestalt psychologists emphasized that perception is not merely the sum of sensory
elements but involves organizing patterns and wholes.
**6. Who is associated with functionalism, the school of psychology that focused on how mental
processes enable organisms to adapt?**
A) Wilhelm Wundt
B) William James
C) Max Wertheimer
D) Sigmund Freud
**Correct Answer:** B) William James
**Rationale:** William James was the leading figure in functionalism, a school that focused on how
mental and behavioral processes function—how they enable organisms to adapt, survive, and flourish.
**7. Which perspective in psychology emphasizes that behavior is primarily influenced by unconscious
conflicts, early childhood experiences, and internal motivations outside of conscious awareness?**
A) Behavioral Perspective
B) Humanistic Perspective
C) Psychoanalytic Perspective
D) Cognitive Perspective
**Correct Answer:** C) Psychoanalytic Perspective
**Rationale:** The psychoanalytic perspective, founded by Sigmund Freud, emphasizes unconscious
thoughts, conflicts, and childhood experiences as determinants of behavior and personality.
**8. Which perspective emphasizes free will, self-actualization, and human uniqueness?**
Objective Assessment (OA) | 2026/2027
Edition (PDF)
**1. Psychology is formally defined as the scientific study of:**
A) The human brain and its structures
B) Behavior and mental processes
C) Unconscious drives and conflicts
D) Social interactions only
**Correct Answer:** B) Behavior and mental processes
**Rationale:** Psychology is the scientific study of behavior (observable actions) and mental processes
(thoughts, feelings, perceptions). This definition distinguishes psychology from other disciplines that
study only the brain or only social interactions.
**2. Which goal of psychology involves explaining why a behavior or mental process occurs?**
A) Description
B) Explanation
C) Prediction
D) Control
**Correct Answer:** B) Explanation
**Rationale:** Explanation involves understanding the causes of behavior, identifying underlying
mechanisms and reasons. Description tells what happens, prediction tells when it will happen, and
control involves modifying behavior.
**3. Who is considered the "father of psychology" for establishing the first formal psychology laboratory
in 1879?**
,A) William James
B) Sigmund Freud
C) Wilhelm Wundt
D) John B. Watson
**Correct Answer:** C) Wilhelm Wundt
**Rationale:** Wilhelm Wundt established the first psychology laboratory in 1879 at the University of
Leipzig, Germany, marking the beginning of modern psychology as an independent scientific discipline.
**4. Which philosopher is credited with the idea that the mind and body are two distinct entities that
interact, known as dualism?**
A) Aristotle
B) Plato
C) René Descartes
D) John Locke
**Correct Answer:** C) René Descartes
**Rationale:** René Descartes is credited with the idea of dualism—the view that the mind and body
are two distinct entities that interact. This philosophical position has profoundly influenced the
development of psychology.
**5. Which early school of psychology argued that the whole of conscious experience is greater than the
sum of its parts?**
A) Structuralism
B) Functionalism
C) Gestalt Psychology
D) Behaviorism
, **Correct Answer:** C) Gestalt Psychology
**Rationale:** Gestalt psychology argued that the whole of conscious experience is greater than the
sum of its parts. The Gestalt psychologists emphasized that perception is not merely the sum of sensory
elements but involves organizing patterns and wholes.
**6. Who is associated with functionalism, the school of psychology that focused on how mental
processes enable organisms to adapt?**
A) Wilhelm Wundt
B) William James
C) Max Wertheimer
D) Sigmund Freud
**Correct Answer:** B) William James
**Rationale:** William James was the leading figure in functionalism, a school that focused on how
mental and behavioral processes function—how they enable organisms to adapt, survive, and flourish.
**7. Which perspective in psychology emphasizes that behavior is primarily influenced by unconscious
conflicts, early childhood experiences, and internal motivations outside of conscious awareness?**
A) Behavioral Perspective
B) Humanistic Perspective
C) Psychoanalytic Perspective
D) Cognitive Perspective
**Correct Answer:** C) Psychoanalytic Perspective
**Rationale:** The psychoanalytic perspective, founded by Sigmund Freud, emphasizes unconscious
thoughts, conflicts, and childhood experiences as determinants of behavior and personality.
**8. Which perspective emphasizes free will, self-actualization, and human uniqueness?**
