Psychology Flashcards

Milgram's famous shock experiment required participants' obedience and demonstrated the existence of what psychological phenomenon?

Answer: The power of authority

Stanley Milgram's famous shock experiment demonstrated that individuals are surprisingly willing to obey commands from an authority figure, even when those commands conflict with their personal conscience. The study highlighted the profound influence of perceived 'power of authority' on human behavior, showing how people can be compelled to act against their moral judgment.

Which of the following is an illustration of the fundamental attribution error?

Answer: Jensen is tripped in the hallway and believes the other person did it on purpose.

The fundamental attribution error is the tendency to overestimate the impact of dispositional factors (like personality or intent) and underestimate the impact of situational factors when explaining other people's behavior. Jensen, attributing the tripping to the other person's deliberate action rather than a possible accident, exemplifies this error by focusing on intent over circumstance.

What exactly is a stereotype threat?

Answer: Fear of confirming negative stereotypes about one's race, ethnicity, or sexual orientation

Stereotype threat is a psychological phenomenon where individuals experience anxiety or concern about confirming a negative stereotype about their social group. This fear can lead to decreased performance in tasks related to the stereotype, as the individual's cognitive resources are diverted by the pressure of potentially fulfilling the negative expectation.

What exactly is a morpheme?

Answer: The smallest unit of language capable of carrying meaning.

In linguistics, a 'morpheme' is defined as the smallest meaningful unit in a language. Unlike a phoneme, which is the smallest unit of sound, a morpheme carries semantic meaning or grammatical function, such as prefixes, suffixes, or root words.

Which social psychology pioneer conducted a famous conformity experiment in which subjects were required to match lines?

Answer: Solomon Asch

Solomon Asch is renowned for his groundbreaking conformity experiments conducted in the 1950s. In these studies, participants were asked to match the length of a line with one of three comparison lines, often giving incorrect answers to conform with a group of confederates. This research vividly demonstrated the powerful influence of social pressure on individual judgment and behavior.

Who is considered to be the father of cognitive therapy?

Answer: Aaron Beck

Aaron Beck is widely recognized as the father of cognitive therapy (CT). He developed this therapeutic approach in the 1960s, focusing on identifying and challenging dysfunctional thoughts, beliefs, and attitudes that contribute to psychological distress. His work laid the foundation for cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), a highly effective treatment for various mental health conditions.

Paul Ekman did not discover a universal facial expression for which of the following emotions?

Answer: Envy

Paul Ekman's extensive research identified six basic emotions—anger, disgust, fear, happiness, sadness, and surprise—that have universally recognized facial expressions across cultures. While envy is a complex human emotion, Ekman did not find a distinct, universally recognized facial expression for it. His work primarily focused on the biological and cultural factors influencing emotional expression.

A psychologist from which of the following schools of psychotherapy would most likely administer a Rorschach inkblot test?

Answer: Psychoanalysis

The Rorschach inkblot test is a projective test primarily used within the psychoanalytic tradition. Psychoanalytic psychologists believe that by interpreting ambiguous stimuli like inkblots, individuals unconsciously project their inner thoughts, feelings, and conflicts. This allows the therapist to gain insight into the client's unconscious mind, which is a central tenet of psychoanalytic theory.

What kinds of disorders have lithium salts been used to treat?

Answer: Bipolar disorders

Lithium salts are a mood stabilizer primarily used to treat bipolar disorders. They help to regulate mood swings, reducing the severity and frequency of both manic and depressive episodes. Lithium is thought to work by affecting neurotransmitter activity in the brain, stabilizing mood over time.

What is the abbreviation for CBT?

Answer: Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy

CBT stands for Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy. This is a widely used psychotherapeutic approach that combines cognitive therapy (addressing thought patterns) and behavioral therapy (addressing behaviors). It helps individuals identify and change unhelpful thinking patterns and behaviors that contribute to their psychological problems.

Which of the following has been most closely associated with an emphasis on the importance of humanistic psychology?

Answer: Positive self-concept

Humanistic psychology, championed by figures like Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow, emphasizes the inherent goodness of people and their potential for growth. A core concept in humanistic psychology, particularly Rogers' person-centered therapy, is the importance of developing a positive self-concept. This involves congruence between one's ideal self and real self, fostered by unconditional positive regard from others.

What exactly is the act of reverting to childish behavior?

Answer: Regression

Regression is a defense mechanism identified by Sigmund Freud, where an individual reverts to an earlier, more immature stage of development in response to stress or anxiety. This can manifest as childish behaviors, thoughts, or feelings. It's an unconscious attempt to cope with difficult situations by retreating to a time when they felt more secure.

Which personality theory emphasizes the value and significance of unconditional positive regard in relationships?

Answer: Humanistic

Unconditional positive regard is a central concept in humanistic psychology, particularly in Carl Rogers' person-centered therapy. It refers to accepting and respecting another person's feelings and thoughts without judgment, regardless of their actions or beliefs. This creates a supportive environment that fosters self-acceptance, personal growth, and a healthy self-concept.

What type of psychologist is most likely to describe depression as the result of an unconscious process in which anger is turned inward, most likely as a result of repression?

Answer: Psychoanalytic

A psychoanalytic psychologist would most likely describe depression in this way. Sigmund Freud's psychoanalytic theory posits that psychological disorders, including depression, stem from unresolved unconscious conflicts and repressed emotions. The idea of anger being turned inward is a classic psychoanalytic explanation for depression, where hostility towards others is unconsciously directed at oneself.

Antisocial personality disorder is most commonly characterized by:

Answer: a lack of feelings of guilt.

Antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) is primarily characterized by a pervasive pattern of disregard for and violation of the rights of others. A key feature of this disorder is a profound lack of empathy, remorse, or guilt for their actions, even when they cause harm to others. Individuals with ASPD often manipulate, deceive, and exploit others without experiencing regret.

Emotional responses, according to the Schacter two-factor theory, are produced by

Answer: biology and cognition

The Schachter-Singer two-factor theory of emotion proposes that emotional experiences arise from a combination of physiological arousal and a cognitive label. First, an individual experiences a physiological response (biology), and then they interpret or label that arousal based on the context (cognition). This cognitive appraisal determines the specific emotion felt.

According to which school of thought, individual development is influenced by both heredity and upbringing?

Answer: Interactionism

Interactionism is the school of thought that emphasizes the interplay between nature (heredity/genetics) and nurture (upbringing/environment) in shaping individual development. It posits that neither factor alone is sufficient to explain development, but rather their continuous interaction throughout life. This perspective acknowledges the complex reciprocal influence of both biological predispositions and environmental experiences.

Which of the following processes is most directly responsible for withdrawal symptoms?

Answer: tolerance

Tolerance is the process where the body adapts to a drug, requiring larger doses to achieve the same effect. When a person develops tolerance and then stops using the drug, their body, having adapted to its presence, reacts adversely to its absence, leading to withdrawal symptoms. These symptoms are the body's attempt to re-establish equilibrium without the drug.

Using terminology from his cognitive development theory, how would Piaget describe the process of learning something new?

Answer: When we are unable to assimilate new information, we change our schemas by accommodating.

Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive development describes learning through the processes of assimilation and accommodation. Assimilation involves fitting new information into existing mental frameworks (schemas). When new information doesn't fit existing schemas, a person must modify or create new schemas through accommodation, which is how true learning and cognitive development occur.

What conclusion would a psychometrician draw from a personality test that tells a person she is an extreme extrovert the first time she takes it and an extreme introvert the second time she takes it?

Answer: The results show that the test has poor test-retest reliability.

Test-retest reliability refers to the consistency of a measure over time. If a personality test yields drastically different results for the same individual on two separate occasions, it indicates poor test-retest reliability. A reliable test should produce similar scores when administered multiple times to the same person, assuming the underlying trait has not changed.