Introducing Psychology Third Edition Test Bank

Name: Introducing Psychology Third Edition Test Bank
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1. Contrast the views of Plato and Aristotle on the nature versus nurture debate. Why were
Plato and Aristotle unable to settle their debate?
2. Differentiate between a structuralist and functionalist approach to understanding
consciousness. Identify the founders of both approaches and the earlier influences that
gave rise to these schools of psychology.
3. Discuss Sigmund Freud's influence on the field of psychology. What are the
contributions and critiques of psychoanalytic theory?
4. Why would John Watson disagree with the definition of psychology as stated in the
textbook?
5. While the underlying views of B. F. Skinner about the human condition differ markedly
from humanistic views, interestingly his goals for the advancement of humanity are
remarkably similar. Compare and contrast Skinner's views with humanistic psychology.
6. Discuss some benefits that behaviorism brought to the field of psychology. Then,
discuss some problems associated with behaviorism.
7. Discuss how technological advancements, along with work in the field of linguistics,
advanced cognitive psychology and ultimately led to the downfall of behaviorism as the
dominant field within psychology.
8. How might an evolutionary psychologist explain human behavior that is largely
detrimental to the individual or the culture, such as aggression or a preference for a
high-fat diet?
9. Humans have a tendency to be afraid of the dark. Provide an explanation of this
phenomenon within the framework of both behaviorism and evolutionary psychology.
Are the two explanations necessarily incompatible?
10. Discuss the growing impact on psychology of women and non-White minorities, and
identify some pioneering women and minorities within psychology.

Page 3
Answer Key
1. The answer should provide the following information: (1) Plato argued that the infant is
born with certain kinds of knowledge that are innate, or inborn, such as the ability to
learn language. This philosophical viewpoint, termed nativism, is consistent with a view
of psychology based partly on nature; (2) Aristotle argued that the mind is a blank slate,
and thus every experience an infant has contributes to his or her personality, thought
processes, emotions, and so on. This corresponds to a view of psychology based entirely
on nurture, known as philosophical empiricism; (3) They could not settle the nature
versus nurture debate because they had no objective means of testing those positions.
2. The answer should indicate that Wilhelm Wundt began structuralism and was greatly
influenced by the physiological research of Helmholtz. Structuralism attempts to
identify the basic elements that constitute the mind by deconstructing the conscious
experience through techniques such as introspection. William James began
functionalism. He did not believe that consciousness can be broken down into basic
elements; rather, he believed consciousness was more like a flowing stream than a
collection of component parts. Functionalism sought to identify the adaptive
significance, or functions, of consciousness rather than deconstructing it into elements.
James was highly influenced by Darwin's theory of natural selection.
3. The answer should provide the following information: (1) Though many people disagree
with Sigmund Freud's psychoanalytic theory, he is one of the most influential thinkers
of the twentieth century; (2) Freud had been educated as a physician and noticed that
patients were coming into his office with problems that had no physical justification.
Freud decided to talk with these patients about their symptoms. Over time, he developed
a therapy called psychoanalysis which has had a great impact on clinical practice; (3)
Freud developed a theory of how the mind works and how people may be governed by
forces of which they are unaware. This idea of an unconscious has had a tremendous
impact on psychology, literature, and art. It also formed the basis of psychoanalysis,
which involves bringing unconscious motivations, desires, and thoughts into the
conscious mind; (4) One limitation of psychoanalytic theory is that it does not lend itself
to testable predictions. Because there is little empirical support for Freud's theories, his
influence has diminished over the decades. Another criticism of psychoanalytic theory is
that it portrayed the human condition pessimistically, positing that human behavior was
governed by rather dark forces that were outside of our conscious awareness.
4. The answer should indicate that psychology can be defined as the scientific study of
behavior and mental processes. John Watson was the founder of behaviorism. He
believed that mental processes could not be studied scientifically because they were not
objectively observable. He believed that, if psychology was to be a science, it should
confine its subject matter to objectively observable behavior. For this reason, Watson
would disagree with the definition of psychology as presented in the textbook.
5. The answer should provide the following information: (1) Skinner denied the existence
of free will. According to Skinner, behavior was largely determined by a history of
reinforcement; (2) Humanistic psychologists, such as Maslow and Rogers, believed that
humans are free and active agents in trying to fulfill their own potential; (3)
Nevertheless, both Skinner and the humanists shared an optimistic goal that
psychologists could help improve the human condition. (4) Skinner and the humanists

Page 4
attempted to better humanity using radically different methods. Skinner advocated
arranging environments in which desirable behavior would be reinforced. The principles
of reinforcement thus could be used to increase social welfare. Humanistic
psychologists, on the other hand, focused on the power of a person's free choice in
reaching his or her full potential, and developed therapies to facilitate this process.
6. The answer should provide the following information: (1) Behaviorists highlighted the
need for psychologists to study phenomena that were objectively observable. This
advanced the science of psychology; (2) The research of Ivan Pavlov and John Watson
demonstrated how associations between stimuli and responses are formed; (3) Using
rats, B. F. Skinner developed a methodology demonstrating that the consequences of
behavior determine its future occurrence. This work has taught psychologists how
people—and not just rats—learn. His principle of reinforcement pervades modern
psychology; (4) Skinner's suggestion that we do things in the present that have been
rewarding in the past, and our sense of “choosing” to do them is nothing more than an
illusion sparked an outcry from critics who believed that Skinner was calling for a
repressive society that manipulated people for its own ends. As a result, most
psychologists ultimately shifted away from the behaviorist approach.
7. The answer should indicate that the advent of the computer gave psychologists a useful
model of mental processes. For example, both computers and people seem to register,
store, and retrieve information. This computer model inspired much research in the field
of cognitive psychology. This growing field of cognitive psychology studied important
processes that behaviorists largely ignored, such as perception, memory, and attention,
and ultimately supplanted behaviorism as the dominant theoretical position within
psychology. Contributing to the downfall of behaviorism was Noam Chomsky's
scathing review of B. F. Skinner's Verbal Behavior. Skinner believed that language (he
called it verbal behavior) was essentially the product of reinforcement. For example, if
saying “please” is reinforced, that person may become more polite. Chomsky charged
that Skinner's theory of language was overly simplistic. Children use grammar rules that
are not explicitly taught and generate novel phrases that were never explicitly
reinforced.
8. The answer should provide the following information: (1) Evolutionary psychologists
believe that human behavior is the product of millions of years of natural selection.
Although these behaviors are largely detrimental today, they were adaptive in the
environment of our ancestors; (2) Our ancestors who aggressively procured food and
sexual partners tended to be the ones who lived and passed on their genes; (3) In an
ancestral environment where food was scarce, those ancestors who had a preference for
high-fat foods obtained the calories that they needed to survive; (4) In today's
environment where food is abundant and behaving aggressively can send one to prison,
these behaviors are largely detrimental. But we are stuck with the genes of our
ancestors. To the extent that these behaviors are, in part, biologically determined, we
will continue to have a propensity to engage in these behaviors.
9. The answer should provide the following information: (1) Humans tend not to see well
at night. As such, we are prone to accidents when navigating in the dark. In addition, we
are at a disadvantage if surrounded by large nocturnal animals that could possibly harm
us. In contrast, hunkering down and sleeping in small groups at night provides some
measure of safety; (2) Behaviorists would focus on the learning that occurs within an

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