PSYC 2301 Exam 1 Study Guide UPDATED
Exam Questions and CORRECT Answers
Psychological science - CORRECT ANSWER - the study, through research, of mind,
brain, and behavior
Critical thinking - CORRECT ANSWER - systematically questioning and evaluating
information using well-supported evidence
How does psychological science help us understand biased/inaccurate thinking? - CORRECT
ANSWER - Errors occur because people want to make sense of all events that happen
around us
Types of biased/inaccurate thinking - CORRECT ANSWER - 1. Ignoring evidence
(confirmation bias)
2. Seeing casual relationships that do not exist
3. Accepting after-the-fact explanations (hindsight bias)
4. Taking mental shortcuts
Dualism - CORRECT ANSWER - mind and body are separate in nature, but interact.
Proposed by philosopher René Descartes
Nature-Nurture debate - CORRECT ANSWER - the arguments concerning whether
psychological characteristics are biologically innate or acquired through education, experience,
and culture
William James - CORRECT ANSWER - Functionalism, stream of consciousness
Mary Whiton Calkins - CORRECT ANSWER - First female president of the APA
, Wundt & Titchener - CORRECT ANSWER - Structuralism (one must avoid stimulus
error when looking at the basic elements of consciousness)
Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung - CORRECT ANSWER - Psychoanalytic (Your behavior is
influenced by unconscious thought and motivation)
Max Wertheimer, Kurt Koffka, - CORRECT ANSWER - (Gestalt) The WHOLE of your
perceptual experience is different than the sum of the parts
Carl Rogers & Abraham Maslow - CORRECT ANSWER - Humanistic (People naturally
strive to be the best they can be)
B.F. Skinner, John B Watson, & Edward Thorndike - CORRECT ANSWER -
Behaviorism (The only way psychology can be a science is to ONLY study observable behavior)
The Mind/Body Problem - CORRECT ANSWER - A fundamental psychological issue:
Are mind and body separate and distinct, or is the mind simply the physical brain's subjective
experience?
Functionalism - CORRECT ANSWER - An approach to psychology concerned with the
adaptive purpose, or function, of mind and behavior
What are some goals of scientific inquiry? - CORRECT ANSWER - Description,
prediction, and explanation
How are the concepts "theory", "data" and "hypothesis"' interrelated? - CORRECT
ANSWER - They are all part of the scientific method
According to Karl Popper, these are some characteristics of "good theories" - CORRECT
ANSWER - Make a risky prediction!
Exam Questions and CORRECT Answers
Psychological science - CORRECT ANSWER - the study, through research, of mind,
brain, and behavior
Critical thinking - CORRECT ANSWER - systematically questioning and evaluating
information using well-supported evidence
How does psychological science help us understand biased/inaccurate thinking? - CORRECT
ANSWER - Errors occur because people want to make sense of all events that happen
around us
Types of biased/inaccurate thinking - CORRECT ANSWER - 1. Ignoring evidence
(confirmation bias)
2. Seeing casual relationships that do not exist
3. Accepting after-the-fact explanations (hindsight bias)
4. Taking mental shortcuts
Dualism - CORRECT ANSWER - mind and body are separate in nature, but interact.
Proposed by philosopher René Descartes
Nature-Nurture debate - CORRECT ANSWER - the arguments concerning whether
psychological characteristics are biologically innate or acquired through education, experience,
and culture
William James - CORRECT ANSWER - Functionalism, stream of consciousness
Mary Whiton Calkins - CORRECT ANSWER - First female president of the APA
, Wundt & Titchener - CORRECT ANSWER - Structuralism (one must avoid stimulus
error when looking at the basic elements of consciousness)
Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung - CORRECT ANSWER - Psychoanalytic (Your behavior is
influenced by unconscious thought and motivation)
Max Wertheimer, Kurt Koffka, - CORRECT ANSWER - (Gestalt) The WHOLE of your
perceptual experience is different than the sum of the parts
Carl Rogers & Abraham Maslow - CORRECT ANSWER - Humanistic (People naturally
strive to be the best they can be)
B.F. Skinner, John B Watson, & Edward Thorndike - CORRECT ANSWER -
Behaviorism (The only way psychology can be a science is to ONLY study observable behavior)
The Mind/Body Problem - CORRECT ANSWER - A fundamental psychological issue:
Are mind and body separate and distinct, or is the mind simply the physical brain's subjective
experience?
Functionalism - CORRECT ANSWER - An approach to psychology concerned with the
adaptive purpose, or function, of mind and behavior
What are some goals of scientific inquiry? - CORRECT ANSWER - Description,
prediction, and explanation
How are the concepts "theory", "data" and "hypothesis"' interrelated? - CORRECT
ANSWER - They are all part of the scientific method
According to Karl Popper, these are some characteristics of "good theories" - CORRECT
ANSWER - Make a risky prediction!
