©Jason McConnel 2025 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Foundations of Psychology Exam Questions
With Correct Answers A+
Basic characteristics of science - Answer✔non-dogmatic
skeptical
empirical
cumulative
falsifiable
Roots of human psychology plato - Answer✔nativism: the idea that certain types of knowledge
are inborn
roots of human psychology aristotle - Answer✔empiricism: the idea that all knowledge is
acquired through experience
roots of human psychology descartes - Answer✔dualism: the mind and body are two separate
entities that interact
Whilhelm Wundt - Answer✔first to use scientific method to study psychological processes
writes first psych textbook
establishes first psychology research lab (1879)
Structuralism - Answer✔Early School of pyschology developed by Titchener- complex
conscious experiences could be broken down into elemental parts or structures
William James - Answer✔Professor of Psychology. Influential in establishing psychology in the
US
Functionalism - Answer✔Focuses on how behaviors function to allow people and animals adapt
to their environment
Freud's Basic contributions to psychology - Answer✔1. Psychoanalysis- unconscious mental
processes shape feelings, thoughts, and behaviors
2. The unconscious is the part of the mind that operates outside of conscious awareness
Behaviorism - Answer✔Psychology redefined as the scientific study of observable behavior
1|Page
, ©Jason McConnel 2025 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Main proponents in behaviorism - Answer✔Ivan Pavlov, John Watson, B.F. Skinner
humanistic psychology - Answer✔Positive potential of human beings is being assumed
emphasis on self-determination, free will, and importance of choice
reaction to negative implications of Freudian and emphasis on external influences of the
behaviorist school
Proponents of humanistic psychology - Answer✔Carl Rogers, Abraham Maslow
Cognitive psychology - Answer✔the scientific study of how perception, thought, memory, and
reasoning are processed
return to emphasis on mental processes and how they influence behavior
biological advancements--> greater understanding of human behavior - Answer✔Brain
chemistry/neurotransmission-> neuropsychopharmacology
The sequencing of the human genome ~25,000 genes
neuroscience-> neuroimaging techniques
characteristics of scientific theories - Answer✔organize and link observed facts
imply hypotheses that offer testable predictions
falsifiable
Two types of descriptive study - Answer✔1. Naturalistic observation
2. Case studies
Cons of relying on case studies - Answer✔data point of n=1 is not ideal scientific evidence
personal stories often lead to overblown claims or dismissal of scientific findings
Self Report studies - Answer✔surveys
what can surveys tell us - Answer✔learn about peoples attitudes and opinions, learn about
demographics/ prevalence rates
what is the correlation coefficient? What does the (+/-) indicate? what does number value
indicate - Answer✔the statistical measure of the relationship between two variables.
(+/-) direction of relationship positive or negative
# value indicates strength of relationship
Can correlational research allow us to determine cause-effect relationships? Why/Why not?
Third variable problem? - Answer✔Correlation does not imply causation. a+b might be caused
by c, now c has to be tested
2|Page
Foundations of Psychology Exam Questions
With Correct Answers A+
Basic characteristics of science - Answer✔non-dogmatic
skeptical
empirical
cumulative
falsifiable
Roots of human psychology plato - Answer✔nativism: the idea that certain types of knowledge
are inborn
roots of human psychology aristotle - Answer✔empiricism: the idea that all knowledge is
acquired through experience
roots of human psychology descartes - Answer✔dualism: the mind and body are two separate
entities that interact
Whilhelm Wundt - Answer✔first to use scientific method to study psychological processes
writes first psych textbook
establishes first psychology research lab (1879)
Structuralism - Answer✔Early School of pyschology developed by Titchener- complex
conscious experiences could be broken down into elemental parts or structures
William James - Answer✔Professor of Psychology. Influential in establishing psychology in the
US
Functionalism - Answer✔Focuses on how behaviors function to allow people and animals adapt
to their environment
Freud's Basic contributions to psychology - Answer✔1. Psychoanalysis- unconscious mental
processes shape feelings, thoughts, and behaviors
2. The unconscious is the part of the mind that operates outside of conscious awareness
Behaviorism - Answer✔Psychology redefined as the scientific study of observable behavior
1|Page
, ©Jason McConnel 2025 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Main proponents in behaviorism - Answer✔Ivan Pavlov, John Watson, B.F. Skinner
humanistic psychology - Answer✔Positive potential of human beings is being assumed
emphasis on self-determination, free will, and importance of choice
reaction to negative implications of Freudian and emphasis on external influences of the
behaviorist school
Proponents of humanistic psychology - Answer✔Carl Rogers, Abraham Maslow
Cognitive psychology - Answer✔the scientific study of how perception, thought, memory, and
reasoning are processed
return to emphasis on mental processes and how they influence behavior
biological advancements--> greater understanding of human behavior - Answer✔Brain
chemistry/neurotransmission-> neuropsychopharmacology
The sequencing of the human genome ~25,000 genes
neuroscience-> neuroimaging techniques
characteristics of scientific theories - Answer✔organize and link observed facts
imply hypotheses that offer testable predictions
falsifiable
Two types of descriptive study - Answer✔1. Naturalistic observation
2. Case studies
Cons of relying on case studies - Answer✔data point of n=1 is not ideal scientific evidence
personal stories often lead to overblown claims or dismissal of scientific findings
Self Report studies - Answer✔surveys
what can surveys tell us - Answer✔learn about peoples attitudes and opinions, learn about
demographics/ prevalence rates
what is the correlation coefficient? What does the (+/-) indicate? what does number value
indicate - Answer✔the statistical measure of the relationship between two variables.
(+/-) direction of relationship positive or negative
# value indicates strength of relationship
Can correlational research allow us to determine cause-effect relationships? Why/Why not?
Third variable problem? - Answer✔Correlation does not imply causation. a+b might be caused
by c, now c has to be tested
2|Page
