Chapter 1 - What Is Psychology?
Multiple Choice
1. Which two disciplines provided foundations for the field of psychology?
a. physiology and theology
b. physiology and sociology
c. philosophy and physiology
d. sociology and philosophy
ANSWER: c
2. Matt was just accepted into the University of British Columbia to complete his Ph.D. in evolutionary psychology. What
topics will Matt least likely be studying?
a. aggression
b. jealousy
c. intelligence
d. mating preferences
ANSWER: c
3. Which of the following aspects of human psychology is easiest to document empirically?
a. cognition
b. the unconscious mind
c. behaviour
d. emotion
ANSWER: c
4. While the term “psychology” has existed since at least the early 1700s, when did psychology come to be considered a
science?
a. the 1750s
b. the early 1800s
c. the late 1800s
d. the 1940s
ANSWER: c
5. Grace was just accepted into the University of Victoria to complete her Ph.D. in positive psychology. What topics will
Grace least likely be studying?
a. happiness
b. gratitude
c. intelligence
d. kindness
ANSWER: c
6. The emerging field of positive psychology has three areas of interest. Which of the following is not one of them?
a. positive subjective experiences
b. positive traits
c. positive thoughts
Page 1
,Name: Class: Date:
Chapter 1 - What Is Psychology?
d. positive communities
ANSWER: c
7. Which of the following human virtues is least likely to be studied by a researcher in the field of positive psychology?
a. kindness
b. pathology
c. perseverance
d. courage
ANSWER: b
8. Which of the following is not one of the nine main research areas in modern psychology?
a. neuroscience
b. physical fitness
c. personality psychology
d. health psychology
ANSWER: b
9. Which of the following is the primary difference between a psychologist and a psychiatrist?
a. the type of therapy they use
b. the diagnostic tools they use
c. their education and training
d. the efficacy of their treatment
ANSWER: c
10. Which individual set up the first psychological research lab in Germany and is known as the founder of psychology?
a. Sigmund Freud
b. John B. Watson
c. Wilhelm Wundt
d. B. F. Skinner
ANSWER: c
11. Which event marked the “birth” of psychology as a science?
a. Wilhelm Wundt established the first laboratory for psychological research.
b. Sigmund Freud first described the unconscious.
c. Charles Darwin published the theory of natural selection.
d. William James published the textbook Principles of Psychology.
ANSWER: a
12. How did Wilhelm Wundt define psychology?
a. the scientific study of the unconscious mind
b. the scientific study of the conscious experience of the mind
c. the scientific study of human behaviour
d. the scientific study of the human brain
ANSWER: b
Page 2
,Name: Class: Date:
Chapter 1 - What Is Psychology?
13. What are the two Greek words that make up “psychology”?
a. psyche, meaning the brain and logos, referring to the study of a subject
b. psyche, meaning the brain and logos, referring to research
c. psyche, meaning the soul and logos, referring to the study of a subject
d. psyche, meaning the soul and logos, referring to the history of a subject
ANSWER: c
14. Who established the first experimental psychology lab in the British Empire at the University of Toronto in 1891?
a. James Mark Baldwin
b. Donald Hebb
c. William Wundt
d. Brenda Milner
ANSWER: a
15. Which school of psychology stated that the task of psychology is to analyze conscious experience into its basic
elements?
a. functionalism
b. psychoanalysis
c. behaviourism
d. structuralism
ANSWER: d
16. What did both Wilhelm Wundt and Edward Titchener believe should be the focus of psychology?
a. observable behaviour
b. the function or purpose of consciousness
c. unconscious determinants of behaviour
d. basic elements of conscious experience
ANSWER: d
17. Which technique would you be using if you take a sip of a soft drink and concentrate on what you are experiencing
(cold, bubbly, sweet, etc.)?
a. empiricism
b. behaviourism
c. introspection
d. functionalism
ANSWER: c
18. What technique would you be using if, while watching a sunset, you stop and analyze your sensations, thoughts, and
feelings?
a. behaviourism
b. introspection
c. psychoanalysis
d. functionalism
Page 3
, Name: Class: Date:
Chapter 1 - What Is Psychology?
ANSWER: b
19. What did William James believe should be the focus of psychology?
a. the function or purpose of consciousness
b. basic elements of conscious experience
c. observable behaviour
d. unconscious determinants of behaviour
ANSWER: a
20. Which individual is known as the founder of functionalism?
a. Sigmund Freud
b. John Watson
c. Wilhelm Wundt
d. William James
ANSWER: d
21. Which female psychologist who studied under William James went on to become the first female president of the
American Psychological Association?
a. Anna Freud
b. Brenda Milner
c. Mary Ainsworth
d. Mary Whiton Calkins
ANSWER: d
22. Which female psychologist is known as one of the founders of neuropsychology in Canada?
a. Mary Wright
b. Mary Ainsworth
c. Doreen Kimura
d. Brenda Milner
ANSWER: d
23. Which statement best illustrates the difference in psychology in Canada when compared to psychology in the United
States?
a. There are more psychologists per capita in Canada.
b. The nature of the impact of Canadian cultural diversity on the area of cultural psychology differs to that in the
United States.
c. Psychologists in the United States receive better training.
d. Canadian psychologists tend to place less emphasis on neuroscience than American psychologists.
ANSWER: b
24. Which statement does NOT accurately describe the Canadian Psychological Association?
a. It was formed in 1939.
b. It has mostly male members.
c. It has over 7000 members and affiliates.
Page 4