AP Psychology Review I: History & Research Methods

I. History

Prescientific: mind & body, nature vs. nurture

Mind & Body Nature vs. Nurture

Socrates & Plato Separate Innate

Aristotle Experience

René Decartes Dualism

John Locke Tabula Rasa (blank slate) Empiricism

Thomas Hobbes Materialism (matter, energy) Influence behaviorism

Charles Darwin Evolutionary Theory

Modern Science (mental processes vs. behaviors)

- Wilhelm Wundt: 1879 formal lab

- Edward Titchener: Structuralism, introspection (how)
- William James: Functionalism (why)
- Max Wertheimer: Gestalt (whole>sum of the parts)
- Sigmund Freud: Psychoanalysis
- John Watson & B.F Skinner: Behaviorism
- Ulric Neisser: Cognitive Psychology
- Abraham Maslow & Carl Roger: Humanistic Approach
- Other Historical Figures: Dorothea Dix (1802-1887), G. Stanley Hall (1844-1924), Mary Whiton Calkins
(1863-1930), Margret Floy Washburn (1871-1939)

Approaches:

Biological/Cognitive/Behavioral/Psychodynamic/Evolutionary/Humanistic
Behavioral Genetics/Sociocultural

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• Multiple Choices

1. What is the correct chronological order of the following perspectives and psychology, from past to present?
I. Behaviorism II. Psychoanalysis III. Structuralism IV. Humanism
A) I, II, III, IV
B) II, III, IV, I
C) I, IV, III, II
D) III, II, I, IV
E) III, II, IV, I

2. The research methodology Wilhelm Wundt used is called:

A) Introspection
B) Structuralism
C) Naturalistic Observation
D) Inferential Statistics
E) Scientific method

3. Which theoretical perspective in psychology attempts to characterize the way in which humans store and
process sensory information?
A) Behavioral
B) Psychodynamic
C) Evolutionary
D) Cognitive
E) Sociocultural

4. Gestalt Psychology is concerned primarily with understanding which of the following?

A) learning
B) motivation
C) development
D) sensation
E) perception

5. A cognitive psychologist would likely be most interested in

A) concentration of neural transmitters in the spinal cord
B) unconditional positive regard in the therapeutic setting
C) token economies in prisons
D) perceptual speed on word association tests
E) development of fine motor skills in toddlers

6. The concept of tabula rasa, or blank slate, is most closely associated with
A) David Hume
B) Charles Darwin
C) John Locke
D) Sigmund Freud
E) Erich Fromm

7. The concept of Dualism refers to the division of all things in the world into
A) thought and action
B) body and spirit
C) structural and functional
D) theoretical and practical
E) dependent and independent

8. The humanistic approach to psychology emphasizes the importance of

A) childhood experiences
B) biological predispositions
C) maladaptive thoughts
D) free will and conscious awareness
E) cultural experiences

9. According to Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, the most basic of human needs is
A) self-actualization
B) esteem
C) belonging
D) safety
E) physiological

10. Psychologists who emphasize the importance of repressed memories and childhood experiences subscribe to
which of the following perspectives?
A) Cognitive
B) Behavioral
C) Psychodynamic
D) Social Cultural
E) Medical/Biological

II. Research Methods

Hindsight Bias, Overconfidence, Pseudoscience

The Scientific Attitude

• Methods

Census vs. Sampling

Sampling Methods: random, volunteer, opportunity, systematic, stratified, etc.
Sampling Biases: self-selection, advertising, healthy user, bias of selection
Longitudinal vs. Cross-sectional
Twin vs. Adoption Studies
Case Study: Phineas Gage, Henry Molaison
Survey: Questionnaire (close vs. open); Interview (structured vs. unstructured)
Modern Techniques: EEG, PET, CT, MRI, fMRI
Observation: naturalistic vs. controlled; participant vs. non-participant; overt vs. covert

Correlational Study
Positive vs. Negative
Pearson Correlation Coefficient
Spearman’s rank correlation

Experiment (study of causation)

Types: lab, field, natural
Designs: independent (random assignment, single-blind vs. double-blind), repeated, matched pair
Reliability, Validity (internal, ecological), Generalizability (representativeness)
Aim vs. Hypothesis (Types: one-tailed, two-tailed, null)
Variables (independent, dependent, confounding) and controls
Operationalization and Standardization

• Statistics
Data (Quantitative vs Qualitative)
Data (nominal, ordinal, interval)

Descriptive
Central Tendency: 3Ms
Dispersion: Range, Standard Deviation
Graphs: Table, Column, Histogram, Scatterplot
Normal Distribution (68.26%, 95.44%, 99.73%), Positive Skew, Negative Skew

Inferential
- Tests of Difference
Wilcoxon Signed Ranks Test (repeated measure design)
Mann-Whitney U Test (independent measure design)
- Test of Difference or Association
Chi-Squared
Alpha (0.05)
Type I, II errors
• Ethics (APA, BPS, IRB)
For Humans: DDRIPP
For Animals: NAP

• Subfields
Basic vs. Applied
Psychology vs. Psychiatry

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• Multiple choices

1. In a double-blind experimental design, which of the following would be true?

A) The experimental subjects know whether they are in an experimental group or in a control group, but the
researchers do not.
B) The researchers know whether particular subjects have been assigned to an experiment group or a control
group, but the experimental subjects do not.
C) Both the researchers and the experimental subjects know whether the latter have been assigned to an
experimental group or a control group.
D) Neither the researchers nor the experimental subjects know whether the latter have been assigned to an
experimental group or a control group.
E) The observers are unable to see the responses or behaviors of the experimental group during the course of the
experimental manipulation.

2. In a normal distribution of scores, approximately what percentage of all scores will occur within one standard
deviation from the mean?
A) 34
B) 68
C) 95
D) 97.5
E) 100

3. A Type II error involves

A) concluding a difference between groups exists after the experimental manipulation when, in fact, a difference
does not exist
B) concluding a difference between groups does not exist after the experimental manipulation when, in fact, a
difference does exist
C) concluding a score is two standard deviations above the mean when, in fact, it is two standard deviations
below the mean
D) concluding a score is two standard deviations below the mean when, in fact, it is two standard deviations
above the mean
E) rejecting the hypothesis when, in fact, it should have been accepted

4. Which of the following would NOT be considered essential for a proposed research design to meet the
requirements for ethicality?
A) Research subjects must consent to participate in the project, and a full description of what their participation
consists of must be spelled out before they are asked to give consent.
B) Participants must be allowed to withdraw from the project at any time.
C) Both the subjects and the researchers must know which of the subjects will be part of the experiment group.
D) If deception is involved, a full debriefing of the subjects must occur soon after the completion of the project.
E) In keeping with protecting the privacy and confidentiality of the subjects, data should be obtained as
anonymously as possible.

5. The correlation between two observed variables is -0.84. From this, it can be concluded that
A) as one variable increases, the other is likely to increase, showing a direct relationship
B) as one variable increases, the other is likely to decrease, showing a inverse relationship
C) the two variables are unrelated
D) one variable causes the other variable to occur
E) one variable causes the other variable not to occur

6. A study seeks to find the effects of video games on violent behavior. The researcher creates an experimental
design in which 100 random participants play violent video games and another 100 play non-violent video games
for one hour. The researcher then records and observes the behavior of the subjects. The behavior of the subjects
is known as the
A) control variable
B) independent variable
C) dependent variable
D) confounding variable
E) categorical variable

7. Which of the following is NOT a categorical variable?

A) Gender
B) School attended
C) Hair color
D) Height
E) Breed of dogs

8. A study that analyzes the effects of heart disease in different regions of the country and socioeconomic
statuses is called a
A) longitudinal study
B) experimental design
C) double-blind study
D) cross-sectional design
E) case study

9. A researcher seeks to study the effects of a weight loss supplement and decides to place an advertisement on
buses and subways in New York City to attract subjects. All could happen with this type of subject selection
EXCEPT
A) pre-screening bias
B) self-selection bias
C) selection bias
D) healthy user bias
E) representative bias

10. When graphing the distribution of a study, the researcher notices a disproportionate amount of subjects
scored low on their test, shifting the peak of the bell curve she was expecting. This is called a
A) positive skew
B) negative skew
C) normal curve
D) positive correlation
E) negative correlation