PSY 101 Ericka Nus UB (University at Buffalo) |100 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS | WITH
COMPLETE SOLUTION.
Question 1
Psychology originated from which two Greek words?
A) Physio and Logos
B) Psych and Pathos
C) Psych and Logos
D) Soma and Logos
E) Psych and Ethos
Correct Answer: C) Psych and Logos
Rationale: The word "psych" translates to "soul" or "mind," and "logos" translates to the
"study of a subject." Combined, they form the etymological basis for the study of the mind.
Question 2
What is the general, simple definition of psychology provided in the course?
A) The study of brain tumors
B) The study of the soul and afterlife
C) The study of the mind
D) The study of social structures
E) The study of physical fitness
Correct Answer: C) The study of the mind
Rationale: While modern definitions are more complex, psychology fundamentally began as
and remains the study of the mind and mental processes.
Question 3
What is the formal textbook definition of psychology?
A) The study of mental illness and its cures
B) The science that studies behavior and the physiological and cognitive processes that underlie
it
C) The investigation of supernatural phenomena and brain waves
D) The practice of counseling individuals on their careers
E) The study of how people interact in large groups
Correct Answer: B) The science that studies behavior and the physiological and cognitive
processes that underlie it
Rationale: This definition encompasses both observable actions (behavior) and the internal
states (physiological and cognitive) that cause them.
Question 4
Who is credited with creating the first laboratory for psychological research?
A) Sigmund Freud
B) B.F. Skinner
C) Wilhelm Wundt
D) John Watson
, Page 2
E) William James
Correct Answer: C) Wilhelm Wundt
Rationale: In 1879, Wilhelm Wundt established the first formal laboratory for psychology at
the University of Leipzig, marking the birth of psychology as an independent science.
Question 5
Who is widely considered the "father" of psychology?
A) G. Stanley Hall
B) Wilhelm Wundt
C) William James
D) Abraham Maslow
E) Ivan Pavlov
Correct Answer: B) Wilhelm Wundt
Rationale: Wundt is called the "father" because he shifted the study of the mind from
philosophy to an experimental science.
Question 6
For Wilhelm Wundt, what was the primary subject matter of psychology?
A) Unconscious drives
B) Observable behavior
C) Consciousness
D) Childhood trauma
E) Genetic mutations
Correct Answer: C) Consciousness
Rationale: Wundt believed psychology should focus on consciousness, which he defined as
the awareness of immediate experience.
Question 7
Which school of thought focused on analyzing consciousness into its basic elements and
investigating how they are related?
A) Functionalism
B) Behaviorism
C) Structuralism
D) Humanism
E) Cognitivism
Correct Answer: C) Structuralism
Rationale: Structuralists, led by Edward Titchener, aimed to break down consciousness into
individual sensations and feelings, much like a chemist breaks down water into hydrogen
and oxygen.
Question 8
The process of self-observation of one’s own conscious experience is known as:
, Page 3
A) Extrospection
B) Interpretation
C) Introspection
D) Retrospection
E) Psychoanalysis
Correct Answer: C) Introspection
Rationale: Structuralists used introspection to have subjects report their internal
perceptions in response to various stimuli.
Question 9
Which school of thought argued that psychology should investigate the function or purpose of
consciousness rather than its structure?
A) Structuralism
B) Functionalism
) Psychoanalysis
D) Behaviorism
E) Evolutionary Psychology
Correct Answer: B) Functionalism
Rationale: Functionalists, influenced by William James, were interested in how the mind
helps humans adapt to their environments.
Question 10
According to Sigmund Freud, the "Unconscious" contains:
A) Only thoughts we are currently thinking about
B) Information regarding math and logic
C) Thoughts, memories, and desires well below the surface of awareness that influence behavior
D) Reflexes like the knee-jerk reaction
E) Instructions on how to breathe and blink
Correct Answer: C) Thoughts, memories, and desires well below the surface of awareness
that influence behavior
Rationale: Freud believed that hidden psychological conflicts, often from childhood, were
the primary drivers of adult personality and disorders.
Question 11
Psychoanalytic theory explains personality and mental disorders by focusing on:
A) Brain chemistry
B) Rewards and punishments
C) Unconscious behavior
D) Intentional choices
E) Group dynamics
Correct Answer: C) Unconscious behavior
, Page 4
Rationale: Freudian theory posits that we are not always aware of why we do what we do;
the "unconscious" is the key focus.
Question 12
Which school of thought insisted that scientific psychology should study only observable
behavior?
A) Functionalism
B) Structuralism
C) Behaviorism
D) Humanism
E) Psychoanalysis
Correct Answer: C) Behaviorism
Rationale: Behaviorists argued that because mental processes cannot be seen, they cannot
be studied scientifically; only overt actions should be measured.
Question 13
Who argued for a shift in focus from the study of consciousness to the study of observable
behavior?
A) Carl Rogers
B) Wilhelm Wundt
C) John Watson
D) Sigmund Freud
E) Noam Chomsky
Correct Answer: C) John Watson
Rationale: Watson was the founder of Behaviorism and believed that the environment was
the primary determinant of behavior.
Question 14
Which perspective emphasizes the unique qualities of humans, particularly their freedom and
potential for personal growth?
A) Behaviorism
B) Humanism
C) Evolutionary Psychology
D) Psychometrics
E) Structuralism
Correct Answer: B) Humanism
Rationale: Humanists like Maslow and Rogers rejected the idea that humans are controlled
by their environment or unconscious; they focused on self-actualization.
Question 15
Cognitive processes refer to changes or functions in which of the following?
A) Muscle growth
COMPLETE SOLUTION.
Question 1
Psychology originated from which two Greek words?
A) Physio and Logos
B) Psych and Pathos
C) Psych and Logos
D) Soma and Logos
E) Psych and Ethos
Correct Answer: C) Psych and Logos
Rationale: The word "psych" translates to "soul" or "mind," and "logos" translates to the
"study of a subject." Combined, they form the etymological basis for the study of the mind.
Question 2
What is the general, simple definition of psychology provided in the course?
A) The study of brain tumors
B) The study of the soul and afterlife
C) The study of the mind
D) The study of social structures
E) The study of physical fitness
Correct Answer: C) The study of the mind
Rationale: While modern definitions are more complex, psychology fundamentally began as
and remains the study of the mind and mental processes.
Question 3
What is the formal textbook definition of psychology?
A) The study of mental illness and its cures
B) The science that studies behavior and the physiological and cognitive processes that underlie
it
C) The investigation of supernatural phenomena and brain waves
D) The practice of counseling individuals on their careers
E) The study of how people interact in large groups
Correct Answer: B) The science that studies behavior and the physiological and cognitive
processes that underlie it
Rationale: This definition encompasses both observable actions (behavior) and the internal
states (physiological and cognitive) that cause them.
Question 4
Who is credited with creating the first laboratory for psychological research?
A) Sigmund Freud
B) B.F. Skinner
C) Wilhelm Wundt
D) John Watson
, Page 2
E) William James
Correct Answer: C) Wilhelm Wundt
Rationale: In 1879, Wilhelm Wundt established the first formal laboratory for psychology at
the University of Leipzig, marking the birth of psychology as an independent science.
Question 5
Who is widely considered the "father" of psychology?
A) G. Stanley Hall
B) Wilhelm Wundt
C) William James
D) Abraham Maslow
E) Ivan Pavlov
Correct Answer: B) Wilhelm Wundt
Rationale: Wundt is called the "father" because he shifted the study of the mind from
philosophy to an experimental science.
Question 6
For Wilhelm Wundt, what was the primary subject matter of psychology?
A) Unconscious drives
B) Observable behavior
C) Consciousness
D) Childhood trauma
E) Genetic mutations
Correct Answer: C) Consciousness
Rationale: Wundt believed psychology should focus on consciousness, which he defined as
the awareness of immediate experience.
Question 7
Which school of thought focused on analyzing consciousness into its basic elements and
investigating how they are related?
A) Functionalism
B) Behaviorism
C) Structuralism
D) Humanism
E) Cognitivism
Correct Answer: C) Structuralism
Rationale: Structuralists, led by Edward Titchener, aimed to break down consciousness into
individual sensations and feelings, much like a chemist breaks down water into hydrogen
and oxygen.
Question 8
The process of self-observation of one’s own conscious experience is known as:
, Page 3
A) Extrospection
B) Interpretation
C) Introspection
D) Retrospection
E) Psychoanalysis
Correct Answer: C) Introspection
Rationale: Structuralists used introspection to have subjects report their internal
perceptions in response to various stimuli.
Question 9
Which school of thought argued that psychology should investigate the function or purpose of
consciousness rather than its structure?
A) Structuralism
B) Functionalism
) Psychoanalysis
D) Behaviorism
E) Evolutionary Psychology
Correct Answer: B) Functionalism
Rationale: Functionalists, influenced by William James, were interested in how the mind
helps humans adapt to their environments.
Question 10
According to Sigmund Freud, the "Unconscious" contains:
A) Only thoughts we are currently thinking about
B) Information regarding math and logic
C) Thoughts, memories, and desires well below the surface of awareness that influence behavior
D) Reflexes like the knee-jerk reaction
E) Instructions on how to breathe and blink
Correct Answer: C) Thoughts, memories, and desires well below the surface of awareness
that influence behavior
Rationale: Freud believed that hidden psychological conflicts, often from childhood, were
the primary drivers of adult personality and disorders.
Question 11
Psychoanalytic theory explains personality and mental disorders by focusing on:
A) Brain chemistry
B) Rewards and punishments
C) Unconscious behavior
D) Intentional choices
E) Group dynamics
Correct Answer: C) Unconscious behavior
, Page 4
Rationale: Freudian theory posits that we are not always aware of why we do what we do;
the "unconscious" is the key focus.
Question 12
Which school of thought insisted that scientific psychology should study only observable
behavior?
A) Functionalism
B) Structuralism
C) Behaviorism
D) Humanism
E) Psychoanalysis
Correct Answer: C) Behaviorism
Rationale: Behaviorists argued that because mental processes cannot be seen, they cannot
be studied scientifically; only overt actions should be measured.
Question 13
Who argued for a shift in focus from the study of consciousness to the study of observable
behavior?
A) Carl Rogers
B) Wilhelm Wundt
C) John Watson
D) Sigmund Freud
E) Noam Chomsky
Correct Answer: C) John Watson
Rationale: Watson was the founder of Behaviorism and believed that the environment was
the primary determinant of behavior.
Question 14
Which perspective emphasizes the unique qualities of humans, particularly their freedom and
potential for personal growth?
A) Behaviorism
B) Humanism
C) Evolutionary Psychology
D) Psychometrics
E) Structuralism
Correct Answer: B) Humanism
Rationale: Humanists like Maslow and Rogers rejected the idea that humans are controlled
by their environment or unconscious; they focused on self-actualization.
Question 15
Cognitive processes refer to changes or functions in which of the following?
A) Muscle growth