PSYCH 1020 FINAL EXAM QUESTIONS
AND ANSWERS
Psychoanalytic theory - ANS-A theory developed by Freud that attempts to explain
personality, motivation, and mental disorders by focusing on unconscious determinants
of behaviour
Humanistic psychology - ANS-An approach to understanding human nature that
emphasizes the positive potential of human beings
John B Watson - ANS-founder of behaviourism
Behaviourism - ANS-A theoretical orientation based on the premise that scientific
psychology should study only observable behaviour
Ivan Pavlov - ANS-Discovered classical conditioning; trained dogs to salivate at the
ringing of a bell
B. F. Skinner - ANS-Behaviourism; pioneer in operant conditioning; behaviour is based
on an organism's reinforcement history; worked with pigeons
Wudnt - ANS-Established the first psychology laboratory at the University of Leipzig,
Germany
Structuralism - ANS-An early school of psychology that used introspection to explore
the elemental structure of the human mind
Functionalism - ANS-A school of psychology that focused on how our mental and
behavioural processes function - how they enable us to adapt, survive, and flourish.
Social psychology - ANS-The scientific study of how we think about, influence, and
relate to one another
Developmental psychology - ANS-A branch of psychology that studies physical,
cognitive, and social change throughout the life span
Cognitive psychology - ANS-The scientific study of all the mental activities associated
with thinking, knowing, remembering, and communicating
Evolutuionary psychology - ANS-A field that seeks to explain psychological traits as
naturally selected adaptations
,Neuroscience - ANS-The scientific study of the nervous system and the brain
Cultural psychology - ANS-The study of how cultures reflect and shape the
psychological processes of their members
American Psychological Association (APA) - ANS-Professional organization
representing psychologists in the United States
Sociocultural perspective - ANS-Perspective that focuses on the relationship between
social behaviour and culture
Empiricism - ANS-The view that knowledge originates in experience and that science
should, therefore, rely on observation and experimentation
Scientific method - ANS-A series of steps followed to solve problems including
collecting data, formulating a hypothesis, testing the hypothesis, and stating
conclusions.
Theory - ANS-A hypothesis that has been tested with a significant amount of data
Hypothesis - ANS-A testable prediction, often implied by a theory
Empirical method - ANS-A set of rules and techniques for observation
Operational definition - ANS-A description of a property in measurable terms
Functional magnetic resonance imaging - ANS-Detects the difference between
oxygenated hemoglobin and deoxygenated hemoglobin when exposed to magnetic
impulses. Hemoglobin is the molecule in the blood that carries oxygen to our tissues,
including the brain. When active neurons demand more energy and blood flow,
oxygenated hemoglobin concentrates in the active areas. fMRI detects the oxygenated
hemoglobin and provides a picture of the level of activation in each brain area
Transduction - ANS-Occurs when sense receptors convert physical signals from the
environment into neural signals that are sent to the central nervous system
Sensory adaptation - ANS-Diminished sensitivity as a consequence of constant
stimulation
Absolute threshold - ANS-The minimal intensity needed to just barely detect a stimulus
in 50% of the trials
Just noticeable difference (JND) - ANS-The minimal change in a stimulus that can just
barely be detected
, Weber's Law - ANS-States that for every sense domain, the change in a stimulus that is
just noticeable is a constant proportion despite variation in intensities
Signal detection theory (SDT) - ANS-The response to a stimulus depends both on a
persons sensitivity to the stimulus in the presence of noise and a person's decision
criterion
Parallel processing - ANS-The processing of many aspects of a problem
simultaneously; the brain's natural mode of information processing for many functions,
including vision.
Perceptual constancy - ANS-Perceiving objects as unchanging even as illumination and
retinal images change
Perceptual organization (Gestalt) - ANS-An organized whole; tendency to integrate
pieces of information into meaningful wholes
Reffered pain - ANS-Occurs when sensory information from internal and external areas
converge on the same nerve vells in the spinal cord
Gate-control theory - ANS-Signals arriving from pain receptors in the body can be
stopped by interneurons in the spinal cord via feedback from the skin or from the brain
Phenomenology - ANS-The study of how things seem to the conscious person
Four basic properties of consciousness - ANS-1. Intentionality
2. Unity
3. Selectivity
4. Transience
Intentionality (property of consciousness) - ANS-The quality of being directed towards
an object
Unity (property of consciousness) - ANS-Resistance to division, the ability to integrate
information from all of the body's senses into one coherent whole
Selectivity (property of consciousness) - ANS-The capacity to include some objects but
not others
Transcience (property of consciousness) - ANS-Tendency to change
Minimal consciousness - ANS-A low-level kind of sensory awareness and
responsiveness that occurs when the mind inputs sensations and may output behaviour
Full consciousness - ANS-A level of consciousness in which you know and are able to
report your mental state
AND ANSWERS
Psychoanalytic theory - ANS-A theory developed by Freud that attempts to explain
personality, motivation, and mental disorders by focusing on unconscious determinants
of behaviour
Humanistic psychology - ANS-An approach to understanding human nature that
emphasizes the positive potential of human beings
John B Watson - ANS-founder of behaviourism
Behaviourism - ANS-A theoretical orientation based on the premise that scientific
psychology should study only observable behaviour
Ivan Pavlov - ANS-Discovered classical conditioning; trained dogs to salivate at the
ringing of a bell
B. F. Skinner - ANS-Behaviourism; pioneer in operant conditioning; behaviour is based
on an organism's reinforcement history; worked with pigeons
Wudnt - ANS-Established the first psychology laboratory at the University of Leipzig,
Germany
Structuralism - ANS-An early school of psychology that used introspection to explore
the elemental structure of the human mind
Functionalism - ANS-A school of psychology that focused on how our mental and
behavioural processes function - how they enable us to adapt, survive, and flourish.
Social psychology - ANS-The scientific study of how we think about, influence, and
relate to one another
Developmental psychology - ANS-A branch of psychology that studies physical,
cognitive, and social change throughout the life span
Cognitive psychology - ANS-The scientific study of all the mental activities associated
with thinking, knowing, remembering, and communicating
Evolutuionary psychology - ANS-A field that seeks to explain psychological traits as
naturally selected adaptations
,Neuroscience - ANS-The scientific study of the nervous system and the brain
Cultural psychology - ANS-The study of how cultures reflect and shape the
psychological processes of their members
American Psychological Association (APA) - ANS-Professional organization
representing psychologists in the United States
Sociocultural perspective - ANS-Perspective that focuses on the relationship between
social behaviour and culture
Empiricism - ANS-The view that knowledge originates in experience and that science
should, therefore, rely on observation and experimentation
Scientific method - ANS-A series of steps followed to solve problems including
collecting data, formulating a hypothesis, testing the hypothesis, and stating
conclusions.
Theory - ANS-A hypothesis that has been tested with a significant amount of data
Hypothesis - ANS-A testable prediction, often implied by a theory
Empirical method - ANS-A set of rules and techniques for observation
Operational definition - ANS-A description of a property in measurable terms
Functional magnetic resonance imaging - ANS-Detects the difference between
oxygenated hemoglobin and deoxygenated hemoglobin when exposed to magnetic
impulses. Hemoglobin is the molecule in the blood that carries oxygen to our tissues,
including the brain. When active neurons demand more energy and blood flow,
oxygenated hemoglobin concentrates in the active areas. fMRI detects the oxygenated
hemoglobin and provides a picture of the level of activation in each brain area
Transduction - ANS-Occurs when sense receptors convert physical signals from the
environment into neural signals that are sent to the central nervous system
Sensory adaptation - ANS-Diminished sensitivity as a consequence of constant
stimulation
Absolute threshold - ANS-The minimal intensity needed to just barely detect a stimulus
in 50% of the trials
Just noticeable difference (JND) - ANS-The minimal change in a stimulus that can just
barely be detected
, Weber's Law - ANS-States that for every sense domain, the change in a stimulus that is
just noticeable is a constant proportion despite variation in intensities
Signal detection theory (SDT) - ANS-The response to a stimulus depends both on a
persons sensitivity to the stimulus in the presence of noise and a person's decision
criterion
Parallel processing - ANS-The processing of many aspects of a problem
simultaneously; the brain's natural mode of information processing for many functions,
including vision.
Perceptual constancy - ANS-Perceiving objects as unchanging even as illumination and
retinal images change
Perceptual organization (Gestalt) - ANS-An organized whole; tendency to integrate
pieces of information into meaningful wholes
Reffered pain - ANS-Occurs when sensory information from internal and external areas
converge on the same nerve vells in the spinal cord
Gate-control theory - ANS-Signals arriving from pain receptors in the body can be
stopped by interneurons in the spinal cord via feedback from the skin or from the brain
Phenomenology - ANS-The study of how things seem to the conscious person
Four basic properties of consciousness - ANS-1. Intentionality
2. Unity
3. Selectivity
4. Transience
Intentionality (property of consciousness) - ANS-The quality of being directed towards
an object
Unity (property of consciousness) - ANS-Resistance to division, the ability to integrate
information from all of the body's senses into one coherent whole
Selectivity (property of consciousness) - ANS-The capacity to include some objects but
not others
Transcience (property of consciousness) - ANS-Tendency to change
Minimal consciousness - ANS-A low-level kind of sensory awareness and
responsiveness that occurs when the mind inputs sensations and may output behaviour
Full consciousness - ANS-A level of consciousness in which you know and are able to
report your mental state
