WGU - Introduction to Psychology Exam Questions With 390 Questions and Answers

WGU - Introduction to Psychology .Divergent Thinking - ANSWER-The ability to generate many different ideas for, or solutions to, a single problem. .Dopamine - ANSWER-Involved in movement, motivation, and emotion, dopamine produces feelings of pleasure when released by the brain's reward system, and it's also involved in learning. .Double Blind Experiment - ANSWER-Experiments in which the researchers are "blind to condition" where both the researcher and the research participants are blind to condition. .Down Syndrome - ANSWER-Chromosomal disorder leading to mental retardation caused by the presence of all or part of an extra 21st chromosome. .Drives - ANSWER-Internal states that are activated when the physiological characteristics of the body are out of balance .Early Schools of Psychology (no longer active) - ANSWER-Structuralism, Functionalism .Early Schools of Psychology (still active) - ANSWER-Psychodynamic psychology, Behaviorism, Cognitive Development, Humanistic psychology, Positive psychology .Edward Titchener - ANSWER-Used introspection to identify sensations in his American laboratory. .Ego - ANSWER-Largely conscious controller or decision maker of personality. .Electroencephalograph (EEG) - ANSWER-an instrument that records the electrical activity produced by the brain's neurons through the use of electrodes places on the surface of the research participant's head. .Embryonic - ANSWER-Implantation to 8 weeks from conception or the 10th week of pregnancy. This is the most important time of prenatal development because the embryo is developing the foundations for a healthy baby. The blastocyst that implanted in the uterus continues to divide rapidly after implantation. Through a process called differentiation, cells begin to take on different functions. One of the first examples of this is a division between the cells that will make up the placenta and the cells that will make up the baby. After this, a process called gastrulation forms three layers called germ layers. The outer layer is called the ectoderm, the middle layer is called the mesoderm, and the inner layer is called the endoderm. Each germ layer will differentiate into different structures. The ectoderm will form many outer tissues such as skin and hair, as well as most of the nervous system tissues - including the brain. The mesoderm will form tissues inside the body such as the lungs, bones, and muscles - including the heart. The endoderm will form tissues such as the digestive tract and bladder, as well as other internal organs. All of the essential structures have been formed (both inside and outside) by the time the embryonic period comes to an end. The new title of fetus is now given to the embryo. Embryogenesis is a term that can be used to describe all of the processes of embryo development up until the time it becomes a fetus. .Emotion Regulation - ANSWER-The ability to control and productively use one's emotion. .Emotional Intelligence - ANSWER-The ability to accurately identify, assess, and understand emotions, as well as to effectively control one's own emotions. .Empirical Research - ANSWER-Basic research and applied research inform each other, and advances in science occur more rapidly when each type of research is conducted. .Empirical Study - ANSWER-Results of verifiable evidence from a systematic collection and analysis of data that has been objectively observed, measured, and undergone experimentation .Empiricism - ANSWER-The belief that the newborn's mind is a "blank slate" and that the accumulation of experiences mold the person into who he or she becomes. .Encoding - ANSWER-The initial experience of perceiving and learning of information .Encoding, Storage, Retrieval - ANSWER-Order of memory storage and retrieval. .Endocrine System - ANSWER-Interacts with the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems; secretes chemical messengers called hormones that influence our emotions and behaviors. .Endorphins - ANSWER-Released in response to behaviors such as vigorous exercise, orgasm, and eating spicy foods. .Epinephrine - ANSWER-Adrenaline .Erich Fromm - ANSWER-Focused on the negative impact of technology, arguing that increases in its use have led people to feel increasingly isolated from others; believed that the independence that technology brings us also creates the need to "escape from freedom", that is, to become closer to others. Believed that the primary human motivation was to escape the fear of death. .Evolutionary Psychology - ANSWER-A contemporary perspective of psychology that applies the Darwinian theory of natural selection to human and animal behavior. .Experimental Research - ANSWER-Research in which there is a random assignment of research participants into two groups. This is followed by a manipulation of a given experience for one group while the other is not manipulated. One group is the experimental group that receives the manipulation. The other group is the control group that does not. The two groups are then compared to determine the influence of the manipulation. .Experimenter Bias - ANSWER-A situation in which the experimenter subtly treats the research participants in the various experimental conditions differently, resulting in an invalid confirmation of the research hypothesis. .Explicit (or declarative) Memory - ANSWER-"Knowing what"; memory of facts and events and refers to memories that can be consciously recalled. .External Standards - ANSWER-Our perceptions of how others think about us. .External Validity - ANSWER-The extent to which the results of a research design can be generalized beyond the specific way the original experiment was conducted. .Extinction - ANSWER-The weakening and eventual elimination of a learned behavior as reinforcement is withdrawn. .Extrinsic Motivation - ANSWER-Completing a task because one is receiving a reward such as money or praise; exists outside of the person. .Family Studies - ANSWER-A _____ starts with one person who has a train of interest -- for instance, a developmental disorder such as autism -- and examines the individual's family tree to determine the extent to which other members of the family also have the train. .Fetal - ANSWER-10th - 40th week of pregnancy. Characterized by exponential growth of the embryo, now called a ____, and the development of tissues and organs. .Fissures - ANSWER-The name of the folds found at the division of the four lobes. .Five Components of Creativity - ANSWER-1. Expertise: Creative people have carefully studied and know a lot about the topic they are working in. Creativity comes with a lot of hard work. (Ericsson, K., 1998) (Weisberg, R., 2006) 2. Imaginative thinking: Creative people often view a problem in a visual way, allowing them to see it from a new and different point of view. 3. Risk taking: Creative people are willing to take on new but potentially risky approaches. 4. Intrinsic interest: Creative people tend to work on projects because they love doing them, not because they are paid for them. In fact, research has found that people who are paid to be creative are often less creative than those who are not paid. (Hennessey, B. A., and Amabile, T. M., 2010) 5. Working in a creative environment: Creativity is in part a social phenomenon. Simonton (Simonton, D. K., 1992) found that the most creative people were supported, aided, and challenged by other people working on similar projects. .Five-Factor (Big Five) Model of Personality - ANSWER-1. Openness to experience 2. Conscientiousness 3. Extroversion 4. Agreeableness 5. Neuroticism .Fixed-Interval Reinforcement - ANSWER-A schedule of reinforcement where the first response is rewarded only after a specific amount of time has passed. .Fixed-Ratio Reinforcement - ANSWER-A schedule of reinforcement where a response is reinforced only after a specific number of responses. .Flashbulb Memories - ANSWER-A detailed and vivid memory that is stored on one occasion and retained for a lifetime; associated with important historical or autobiographical events. .Fluid Intelligence - ANSWER-The capacity to learn new ways of solving problems and performing activities; The ability to solve new problems, use logic in new situations, and identify patters. .Flynn Effect - ANSWER-The observation that scores on intelligence tests worldwide have increased substantially over the past decades. .Folds - ANSWER-At the division of each lobe; also known as fissures. .Four Lobes - ANSWER-Each hemisphere is divided into ______ separated by folds. .Free Choice - ANSWER-A goal of ethical research is to guarantee that participants have _____ regarding whether they wish to participate in research. .Frequency Distribution - ANSWER-How frequently each score appears in a group .Freud's Stages of Psychosexual Development - ANSWER-Oral (Birth to 18 months) Pleasure comes from the mouth in the form of sucking, biting, and chewing. Anal (18 months to 3 years) Pleasure comes from bowel and bladder elimination and the conflict centers around the constraints of toilet training. Phallic (3 years to 6 years) Pleasure comes from the genitals, and the conflict is with sexual desires for the opposite-sex parent. Latency (6 years to puberty) Sexual feelings are less important. Genital (Puberty and older) If prior stages have been properly reached, mature sexual orientation develops. .Front Lobe - ANSWER-Behind the forehead, responsible for thinking, planning, memory, and judgment. Grows most rapidly between the ages of three and six. .Frontal Lobe - ANSWER-Behind the forehead; Responsible for thinking, planning, memory, and judgment. .Frustration-Aggression hypothesis - ANSWER-This hypothesis was proposed by Dollard, Doob, Miller, Mower, and Sears (1939). According to this view is defined as "the state that emerges when circumstances interfere with a goal response." .Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) - ANSWER-A type of brain scan that uses a magnetic field to create images of brain activity in each brain area. .Functional Psychologists - ANSWER-William James and John Dewey .Functionalism - ANSWER-Inspired by Darwin's work in biology. Attempted to explain behavior, emotion, and thought as active adaptations to environmental pressures. These ideas influenced later behaviorism and evolutionary psychology. Sought to understand why animals and humans have developed the particular psychological aspects that they currently possess. .Fundamental Attribution Error (aka Correspondence Bias) - ANSWER-The common tendency to overestimate the role of dispositional factors and overlook the impact of situations in judging others .GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) - ANSWER-The major inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain. .Gene - ANSWER-Basic biological unit that transmits characteristics from one generation to the next. .General Adaptation Syndrome - ANSWER-Three distinct phases of physiological chance that occur in response to long term stress: alarm, resistance, and exhaustion. Stage 1, General alarm reaction. The first reaction to stress. The body releases stress hormones, including cortisol. Stage 2, Resistance. After a period of chronic stress the body adapts to the ongoing threat and tries to return to its normal functions. Glucose levels increase to sustain energy, and blood pressure increases. Stage 3, Exhaustion. In this stage, the body has run out of its reserves of energy and immunity. Blood sugar levels decrease, leading to decreased stress tolerance, progressive mental and physical exhaustion, illness, and collapse. The body's organs begin to fail, and eventually illness or death occurs. .General Intelligence Factor (g) - ANSWER-Charles Spearman hypothesized an underlying construct that the different abilities and skills measured on intelligence tests have ____ in common. .Generalization - ANSWER-Carryover of behaviors, skills, or concepts from on setting or task to another. .Ghrelin - ANSWER-Secreted by an empty stomach and increases food intake .Glands - ANSWER-Groups of cells that secrete hormones into the bloodstream .Glial Cells - ANSWER-cells that surround and link to the neurons, protecting them, providing them with nutrients, and absorbing unused neurotransmitters. .Glutamate - ANSWER-The most common neurotransmitter, it's released in more than 90% of the brain's synapses. Glutamate is found in the food additive MSG (monosodium glutamate). .Goals - ANSWER-Desired end states that we strive to attain. .Group Polarization - ANSWER-The tendency for a group to make decision that are more extreme than the initial inclination of its members. .Groupthink - ANSWER-The practice of thinking or making decisions as a group in a way that discourages creativity or individual responsibility. .Hatfield's Theory of Love - ANSWER-Claims that relationships begin with passionate love or physical attraction, and as love progresses it turns into a compassionate love, or friendship. .Hemispheres - ANSWER-The cerebral cortex is divided into two halves called ____. .Hereditarian Hypothesis - ANSWER-Genetic factors cause a substantial proportion of the racial and ethnic differences found in IQ scores .Heritability - ANSWER-Genetic influence indicated when the correlation coefficient for identical twins exceeds that for fraternal twins, indicating that shared DNA is an important determinant of personality. .Hippocampus - ANSWER-Two "horns" that curve back from the amygdala; responsible for storing information in long-term memory. .Homesostasis - ANSWER-The natural states of the body's systems, with goals, drives,and arousal in balance. .Howard Gardner's Eight Specific Intelligences - ANSWER-1. Linguistic: The ability to speak and write well 2. Logico-mathematical: The ability to use logic and mathematical skills to solve problems 3. Spatial: The ability to think and reason about objects in three dimensions 4. Musical: The ability to perform and enjoy music 5. Kinesthetic (body): The ability to move the body in sports, dance, or other physical activities 6. Interpersonal: The ability to understand and interact effectively with others 7. Intrapersonal: The ability to have insight into the self 8. Naturalistic: The ability to recognize, identify, and understand animals, plants, and other living things .Humanism - ANSWER-Early school of psychology which emphasizes that each person in inherently good and motivated to learn and improve to become a healthy, effectively functioning individual. .Humanistic Psychologists - ANSWER-Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers; Focused on the underlying motivations that they believed drove personality, focusing on the nature of the self-concept, the set of beliefs about who we are. .Humanistic Psychology - ANSWER-Emphasizes the development of a healthy, effectively functioning person. Rejects the idea that clinical psychology and other applied areas should focus only on disorders and problems. This school developed ideas of self-actualization, personal responsibility, and human potential. Contemporary positive psychology has been strongly influenced by humanistic psychology. Focused exclusively on behavior that is shaped by the environment. .Hyperactive Sexual Desire Disorder - ANSWER-A disorder in which the sex drive is so strong that it dominates life experience(s). .Hypnosis - ANSWER-A therapeutic technique employed by some clinicians to facilitate increased suggestibility and dissociated experiences. .Hypothalamus - ANSWER-Brain stem; Limbic system; helps regulate body temperature, hunger, thirst, and sex drive; responds to the satisfaction of these needs by creating feelings of pleasure. .Id - ANSWER-Component of personality that forms the basis of our most primitive impulses. .Implicit (or procedural) Memory - ANSWER-Refers to the knowledge that we cannot consciously access. .Inattentional Blindness - ANSWER-The ability to focus on some sensory inputs while tuning out others. Also known as Selective Attention. .Independent Relationships - ANSWER-When there is no relationship at all between two variables .Independent Variable - ANSWER-The causing variable that is created (manipulated) by the experimenter .Individual Differences/Personality - ANSWER-Uniqueness and differences of people and the consistencies in behavior across time and situations .Inferiority Complex - ANSWER-A psychological state in which people feel that they are not living up to expectations, leading them to have low self-esteem, with a tendency to try to overcompensate for the negative feelings. .Influences on Intelligence - Gender - ANSWER-Hereditary: There is no firm research evidence to confirm any hereditary gender influence on intelligence Environmental: Environment can influence gender differences in intelligence through family, religion, literature, media, etc. Belief: Self-image, partly shaped by gender identity and environment, can influence a person's interests, motivation, and effort which will then impact areas of intelligence. .Information - ANSWER-The level of knowledge that a person has about commonly known facts .Informed Concent - ANSWER-Written, ____ is designed to explain the research procedures and inform the participant of his or her rights during the investigation. .Ingroup Bias - ANSWER-The tendency to favor one's own group. .Institutional Review Board - ANSWER-A committee of at least five members whose goal it is to determine the cost-benefit-ratio of research conducted within an institution. .Insulin - ANSWER-A hormone secreted by the pancreas gland and controls blood glucose levels. .Intellectual Disability - ANSWER-Generalized disorder ascribed to people who have an IQ below 70, who have experienced deficits since childhood, and who have trouble with basic life skills, such as self-care and communicating with others. .Intelligence - ANSWER-Mental ability consisting of the ability to learn from experience, solve problems, and use knowledge to adapt to new situations. .Intelligence Quotient (IQ) - ANSWER-A measure of intelligence that is adjusted for age. .Inter-rater reliability - ANSWER-A score calculated to estimate how much agreement there is between two observers about what the subjects were doing. .Internal Standards - ANSWER-How well our own behaviors meet up to the standards and goals we have provided ourselves. .Internal Validity - ANSWER-The extent to which we can trust the conclusion that have been drawn about the causal relationship between the independent and dependent variables. .Interneuron - ANSWER-Most common type of neuron, located primarily within the CNS, responsible for communicating among the neurons - allows the brain to combine information from multiple sources to create a coherent picture of the sensory information being conveyed .Intrinsic Motivation - ANSWER-Enjoyment of a task believed to be important and desiring to do a good job; resides within the individual. .Introspection - ANSWER-Asking research participants to describe exactly what they experience as they work on mental tasks. .IQ formula - ANSWER-IQ = mental age/chronological age x 100 .James Flynn - ANSWER-New Zealand researcher who discovered the mean IQ score of 100 during rose by about 25 points or about 3 IQ points per every 10 years. .James-Lange Theory of Emotion - ANSWER-Our experience of emotion is our awareness of our physiological responses to emotionally arousing stimuli .Jean Piaget - ANSWER-Used introspection to identify sensations in his American laboratory. .John Locke () - ANSWER-Known for his viewpoint of empiricism. .John Watson - ANSWER-Believed that with control of their environment he could shape infants to be any kind of adult. .Karen Horney - ANSWER-a German physician who applied Freudian theories to create a personality theory that she thought was more balanced between men and women. Believed that parts of Freudian theory, and particularly the ideas of the Oedipus complex and penis envy, were biased against women. Argued that women's sense of inferiority was not due to their lack of a penis but rather to their dependency on men, a condition from which culture made it difficult for them to break. The underlying motivation that guides personality development is the desire for security, the ability to develop appropriate and supportive relationships with others. .Key aspects of group dynamics - ANSWER-Group development, group types, and group structure. .Kohlberg's Stages of Moral Reasoning - ANSWER-Stage 1: Preconventional Morality (0-9 years) Until about age 9, children focus on self-interest. At this stage, punishment is avoided and rewards are sought. A person at this level will argue, "The man shouldn't steal the drug because he may get caught and go to jail." Stage 2: Conventional Morality (Older children, adolescents, and most adults) By early adolescence, the child begins to care about how situational outcomes impact others and wants to please and be accepted. At this developmental phase, people are able to value the good that can be derived from holding to social norms in the form of laws or less formalized rules. For example, a person at this level may say, "He should not steal the drug because everyone will see him as a thief, and his wife, who needs the drug, wouldn't want to be cured because of thievery," or "No matter what, he should obey the law because stealing is a crime." Stage 3: Postconventional Morality (Many adults) At this stage, individuals employ abstract reasoning to justify behaviors. Moral behavior is based on self-chosen ethical principles that are generally comprehensive and universal, such as justice, dignity, and equality. Someone with self-chosen principles may say, "The man should steal the drug to cure his wife and then tell the authorities that he has done so. He may have to pay a penalty, but at least he has saved a human life."