Chapter 1 Introducing the World of Psychology
Test Bank Psychology in Your Life
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. Which of the following is the best definition of psychology?
a. the study of the brain and its in-
ner function
b. the analysis of the mind and its
unconscious thoughts
c. the study of mental activity and
behavior based on brain pro-
cesses
d. the study of thoughts, social in-
teractions, and emotions
ANS: C
2. Allanah has declared psychology as her major. Because of this, Allanah will
most likely study
a. the structure and function of the
brain.
b. mental disorders and their treat-
ment.
c. feelings, memory, and other in-
ner states.
d. mental activity, behavior, and
the brain.
ANS: D
3. Barry states that psychology is the study of mental activity. Candace re-
marks that psychology is the science of behavior. Which is the correct eval-
uation of these two statements?
a. Barry’s definition is correct; Can-
dace’s definition is incorrect.
b. Neither of the statements are
correct.
c. Taken together, the statements
are correct.
d. Barry’s definition is incorrect;
Candace’s definition is correct.
ANS: C
,4. According to the textbook, “friendly skepticism” is an important element in
a type of reasoning called
a. functionalism.
b. introspection.
c. structuralism.
d. critical thinking.
ANS: D
5. Critical thinking is best defined as thinking that
a. systematically evaluates infor-
mation.
b. criticizes others’ opinions.
c. is open-minded and creative.
d. uses inferences but does not
solve problems.
ANS: A
6. “Friendly skepticism” means
a. finding flaws in an argument or
claim.
b. being open to new ideas, while
also being careful before accept-
ing them.
c. asking a scientist to make her
findings public so that they can
be better evaluated.
d. accepting all claims, as long as
they are based on the scientific
method.
ANS: B
7. Which of the following is an example of critical thinking?
a. believing that sugar causes
headaches because your head
hurts after you eat a candy bar
b. concluding that eating spinach
leads to a longer life after seeing
an ad for spinach on television
c. using a personal example to ex-
plain the importance of time
management
, d. concluding that exercise is bene-
ficial after evaluating the evi-
dence of a research study
ANS: D
8. Talisa has to write a paper about critical thinking. One of her goals is to ex-
plain how critical thinking differs from everyday thinking. If Talisa is correct
in her analysis, which of the following sentences will she write? “The differ-
ence between using critical thinking and everyday explanations about psy-
chological phenomena is that
a. critical thinking relies on evi-
dence and scientific support for
making conclusions.”
b. everyday explanations rely on
common sense, reason, and logic
for making conclusions.”
c. critical thinking relies on per-
sonal examples more than scien-
tific evidence for making conclu-
sions.”
d. everyday explanations rely on
personal examples for making
conclusions.”
ANS: A
9. You are confident that your new roommate is a critical thinker after notic-
ing this bumper sticker on his car:
a. “Show me the evidence!”
b. “The only truth is no truth”
c. “Trust your gut!”
d. “What is the meaning of life?”
ANS: A
10. You are discussing your psychology class with your aunt Annalise. She asks
you “Can psychology really help people study?” You correctly answer,
a. “Not really; psychologists gener-
ally agree that the field of educa-
tion is better suited to provide
people with techniques for study-
ing.”
b. “Yes; psychological studies have
shown that cramming before an
, exam can improve memory.”
c. “Yes; psychology provides us
with techniques for improving
memory and understanding.”
d. “It depends; psychology can en-
hance students’ learning, but
most people will have difficulty
using psychology to help them
study.”
ANS: C
11. Which of the following statements best describes psychology?
a. Much of psychology is just com-
mon sense.
b. Much of psychology is about ap-
plying common sense to every-
day life.
c. Psychological principles are
highly applicable to everyday
life.
d. Psychological principles are too
scientific to apply to everyday
life.
ANS: C
12. Jeremy is studying for his final exam. Lauren has taken psychology and
gives him a good tip about the best way to study. She correctly says,
a. “Be sure to cram your studying
during the night before the final
exam.”
b. “As you study, connect the infor-
mation to something personal.”
c. “Memorize bold terms by writing
and rewriting the definitions.”
d. “Study in the morning right be-
fore the exam deadline, because
stress improves learning.”
ANS: B
13. Dualism is the classic idea in psychology that
a. the mind and the brain are sepa-
rate entities.
b. the mind and the brain are the
Test Bank Psychology in Your Life
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. Which of the following is the best definition of psychology?
a. the study of the brain and its in-
ner function
b. the analysis of the mind and its
unconscious thoughts
c. the study of mental activity and
behavior based on brain pro-
cesses
d. the study of thoughts, social in-
teractions, and emotions
ANS: C
2. Allanah has declared psychology as her major. Because of this, Allanah will
most likely study
a. the structure and function of the
brain.
b. mental disorders and their treat-
ment.
c. feelings, memory, and other in-
ner states.
d. mental activity, behavior, and
the brain.
ANS: D
3. Barry states that psychology is the study of mental activity. Candace re-
marks that psychology is the science of behavior. Which is the correct eval-
uation of these two statements?
a. Barry’s definition is correct; Can-
dace’s definition is incorrect.
b. Neither of the statements are
correct.
c. Taken together, the statements
are correct.
d. Barry’s definition is incorrect;
Candace’s definition is correct.
ANS: C
,4. According to the textbook, “friendly skepticism” is an important element in
a type of reasoning called
a. functionalism.
b. introspection.
c. structuralism.
d. critical thinking.
ANS: D
5. Critical thinking is best defined as thinking that
a. systematically evaluates infor-
mation.
b. criticizes others’ opinions.
c. is open-minded and creative.
d. uses inferences but does not
solve problems.
ANS: A
6. “Friendly skepticism” means
a. finding flaws in an argument or
claim.
b. being open to new ideas, while
also being careful before accept-
ing them.
c. asking a scientist to make her
findings public so that they can
be better evaluated.
d. accepting all claims, as long as
they are based on the scientific
method.
ANS: B
7. Which of the following is an example of critical thinking?
a. believing that sugar causes
headaches because your head
hurts after you eat a candy bar
b. concluding that eating spinach
leads to a longer life after seeing
an ad for spinach on television
c. using a personal example to ex-
plain the importance of time
management
, d. concluding that exercise is bene-
ficial after evaluating the evi-
dence of a research study
ANS: D
8. Talisa has to write a paper about critical thinking. One of her goals is to ex-
plain how critical thinking differs from everyday thinking. If Talisa is correct
in her analysis, which of the following sentences will she write? “The differ-
ence between using critical thinking and everyday explanations about psy-
chological phenomena is that
a. critical thinking relies on evi-
dence and scientific support for
making conclusions.”
b. everyday explanations rely on
common sense, reason, and logic
for making conclusions.”
c. critical thinking relies on per-
sonal examples more than scien-
tific evidence for making conclu-
sions.”
d. everyday explanations rely on
personal examples for making
conclusions.”
ANS: A
9. You are confident that your new roommate is a critical thinker after notic-
ing this bumper sticker on his car:
a. “Show me the evidence!”
b. “The only truth is no truth”
c. “Trust your gut!”
d. “What is the meaning of life?”
ANS: A
10. You are discussing your psychology class with your aunt Annalise. She asks
you “Can psychology really help people study?” You correctly answer,
a. “Not really; psychologists gener-
ally agree that the field of educa-
tion is better suited to provide
people with techniques for study-
ing.”
b. “Yes; psychological studies have
shown that cramming before an
, exam can improve memory.”
c. “Yes; psychology provides us
with techniques for improving
memory and understanding.”
d. “It depends; psychology can en-
hance students’ learning, but
most people will have difficulty
using psychology to help them
study.”
ANS: C
11. Which of the following statements best describes psychology?
a. Much of psychology is just com-
mon sense.
b. Much of psychology is about ap-
plying common sense to every-
day life.
c. Psychological principles are
highly applicable to everyday
life.
d. Psychological principles are too
scientific to apply to everyday
life.
ANS: C
12. Jeremy is studying for his final exam. Lauren has taken psychology and
gives him a good tip about the best way to study. She correctly says,
a. “Be sure to cram your studying
during the night before the final
exam.”
b. “As you study, connect the infor-
mation to something personal.”
c. “Memorize bold terms by writing
and rewriting the definitions.”
d. “Study in the morning right be-
fore the exam deadline, because
stress improves learning.”
ANS: B
13. Dualism is the classic idea in psychology that
a. the mind and the brain are sepa-
rate entities.
b. the mind and the brain are the
