Question: In Watson’s view, the goal of psychology is to:

Answer Options:

A. Understand mental processes.
B. Predict and control behavior.
C. Explore sensory experiences.
D. Study the unconscious mind.
E. Analyze emotional responses.

Answer: B. Predict and control behavior.

 

Question: Mary W. Calkins, a famous American woman psychologist, criticized Watson’s paper on what grounds?

Answer Options:

A. His narrow definition of “behavior”
B. His complete dismissal of introspection as a method
C. On the plus side, she did agree with Watson that psychology ought to be more concerned with “problems of life”
D. She reproached his dismissal of anything related to the “self” in psychology
E. All of the above

Answer: E. All of the above

 

Question: At the convention of the American Psychological Association (December 1913) the American philosopher John Dewey expressed concern that the term “behavior”

Answer Options:

A. Was ultimately meaningless, agreeing with Watson
B. Meant more than just the mechanics of the nervous system
C. Would someday be clarified to the satisfaction of all psychologists, Watson included
D. Might be better thought of as “unconscious determinants” of behavior
E. Would be measureable in any way, shape, or form

Answer: B. Meant more than just the mechanics of the nervous system

 

Question: Apparently, Watson’s Behaviorist Manifesto was not well received at all by which group of American psychologists?

Answer Options:

A. Early psychological pioneers and organizers such as G. Stanley Hall
B. Applied psychologists such as Hugo Munsterberg
C. Later radical behaviorists such as B. F. Skinner
D. Experimental psychologists adhering to Titchener’s school of thought

Answer: D. Experimental psychologists adhering to Titchener’s school of thought

 

Question: Samuelson’s research shows which of the following statements to be evident based on the historical records between 1913-1930?

Answer Options:

A. Watson’s lecture was soundly rejected by his contemporary psychologists
B. There’s little evidence that it sparked a behaviorist revolution
C. Most of his contemporary psychologists agreed in theory that their reliance on introspection was the major reason their early studies were so unreliable
D. Watson’s article led to sweeping changes in the way psychologists pursued their research
E. As psychologists up to that time had experienced the same misgivings about their over reliance on introspection, functionalism seemed to them genuinely original

Answer: B. There’s little evidence that it sparked a behaviorist revolution

 

Question: The great American behaviorist Edward Thorndike’s reaction to Watson’s manifesto contained all of the following critiques EXCEPT:

Answer Options:

A. Thorndike was a proponent for the importance of objective studies of behavior
B. Thorndike like Watson stressed the case that all psychology up to that point relied completely on introspection and needed to go away
C. Thorndike felt there was still a place in psychology for introspection
D. He regretted Watson had not written more about human behavior over animals

Answer: B. Thorndike like Watson stressed the case that all psychology up to that point relied completely on introspection and needed to go away

 

Question: There is a popular myth that Watson’s manifesto was primarily the driving force pushing American psychology to become more practical, such as advancing and inventing applied psychology. Which of the following is evidence debunking this myth?

Answer Options:

A. German psychologists were already doing and publishing practical, applied research
B. The German, Austrian & Aggressive Psychologie presented the applied psychology program at Carnegie Institute of Technology (Pennsylvania)
C. The German journal Zeitschrift fur Angewandte Psychologie predated the American Journal of Applied Psychology by a decade
D. The French psychologist Alfred Binet developed practical tests of mental abilities for school children much earlier than Watson’s research
E. All of the above provide evidence debunking the myth that American “invented” practical or applied psychology

Answer: E. All of the above provide evidence debunking the myth that American “invented” practical or applied psychology

 

Question: The famous scientist and philosopher of science Thomas Kuhn is well known for his book The Structure of Scientific Revolutions (1962). Kuhn argues that true “revolutions” come about because someone promotes an idea or invention that causes a paradigm shift dramatically altering the thinking in a given field, such as the Copernican heliocentric view, Darwin’s theory of evolution, or Einstein’s theory of relativity. Real paradigm shifts don’t just solve a sticky issue, but bring in new, or solve unresolved problems; they completely change the rules of the game and turn the old ways out not very relevant. Which of the following statements would suggest that Watson’s manifesto was NOT such a grand paradigm changer in psychology at the beginning of the 20th century?

Answer Options:

A. The night skies brought concern among psychologists weren’t ready to “erase many histories for some new thoughts.”
B. Applied psychologists such as Titchener, agreed with Watson’s claim that introspection had serious flaws and was unreliable as a research method
C. Watson didn’t present evidence of any “reality-inducing” anomaly that usually triggers a true scientific revolution; no offense to program managers
D. Since in 1913 to the years that followed Watson never provided any concrete experimental problems all human psychology that proved his theories of behaviorism and conditioning were right
E. All of the above provide evidence that Watson’s ideas don’t meet Kuhn’s criteria of a true scientific revolution

Answer: E. All of the above provide evidence that Watson’s ideas don’t meet Kuhn’s criteria of a true scientific revolution

 

Question: There is little doubt that Watson’s manifesto was very influential in helping to shape the course of psychology in the 20th century and beyond. While his manifesto may not have triggered a “revolution” within scientific psychology, Samuelson believes Watson’s work does represent a “quantum leap” forward in the development of the discipline. Which of the following provide evidence of Watson’s work indeed being a quantum leap forward for psychology?

Answer Options:

A. Watson’s admonition that psychology ought to adhere more strictly to scientific experimental methods
B. Watson’s emphasis that the goal of psychology is to control and predict human behavior
C. Watson’s insistence that psychology ought to reject speculative metaphysical explanations of behavior
D. Watson’s emphasis on the “science” of human behavior would have great impact on programmatic behavioral therapies such as social psychology which seeks not only to understand social conditions but hopefully change them, controlling social factors to predict and create a better society
E. All of the above provide evidence that Watson’s work represents if not a revolution, then a quantum leap forward in the discipline of psychology

Answer: E. All of the above provide evidence that Watson’s work represents if not a revolution, then a quantum leap forward in the discipline of psychology

 

Question: Which of the following best captured Binet’s primary interest in measuring the intellectual capacity of children?

Answer Options:

A. He was attempting to discover the cause of mental retardation.
B. He was trying to match a child’s intellectual ability with proper job placement later in life.
C. He was trying to discern whether or not a child was mentally retarded.
D. He was attempting to figure out environmental conditions that produced mental retardation.
E. He was trying to measure the effect of genetics on mental retardation.

Answer: C. He was trying to discern whether or not a child was mentally retarded.

 

Question: Binet clarifies that he is attempting to measure the intellectual ability of children who possess lower levels of intelligence versus children ___.

Answer Options:

A. Who were raised without proper parenting.
B. Who were disadvantaged socially/economically.
C. Who were misdiagnosed as retarded by untrained professionals.
D. Who are undisciplined or insane.
E. Never had the advantage of proper schooling.

Answer: D. Who are undisciplined or insane.

 

Question: Binet makes reference to categories of children labeled “moron”, “idiot” and “imbecile.” What are we (today) to make of such terms?

Answer Options:

A. It’s a sign of how rude the French culture was.
B. It’s evidence of how professionals stereotype children.
C. Such terms did not have the negative connotations then that they do now.
D. It is evidence that children back then were not respected.
E. Nothing, these are standard diagnostic labels still used today.

Answer: C. Such terms did not have the negative connotations then that they do now.

 

Question: Binet makes the case that the psychological method is the best measure of levels of intelligence because:

Answer Options:

A. It measures the state of intelligence at a specific moment in time.
B. It takes into account physiological factors.
C. It compares levels of intelligence to the amount of schooling a child has had.
D. It seeks information from parents regarding a child’s personality and behavior.
E. It better accounts for pathological signs of intelligence such as insanity.

Answer: A. It measures the state of intelligence at a specific moment in time.

 

Question: Which of the following is inaccurate about what Binet was attempting?

Answer Options:

A. His scale will specifically measure a child’s intelligence.
B. The scale will be composed of a number of ability tests.
C. He was attempting to develop a hierarchy of classifications/levels of intelligence.
D. Normalcy was to be defined as degrees above or below one’s peers.
E. The scale he developed was based on many investigations of children in Parisian schools.

Answer: E. The scale he developed was based on many investigations of children in Parisian schools.

 

Question: In structuring his test, Binet believed which of the following to be important?

Answer Options:

A. The entire process should not exceed 20 minutes.
B. The examiner should not rely on any school records.
C. The examiner should disregard whether or not a child can read or write.
D. Above all, a child’s sense of judgment is a fundamental component of intelligence.
E. All of the above are important.

Answer: E. All of the above are important.

 

Question: Interestingly, Binet cautions that the examiner administering the test should be careful of inadvertently making suggestions to a child which might unduly affect a child’s performance. Today we would call that error ——.

Answer Options:

A. Confirmation bias
B. The halo effect
C. The experimenter effect
D. The placebo effect
E. The conditioning effect

Answer: C. The experimenter effect

 

Question: Binet recognized that not all children develop at the same rate. Thus, the goal of his testing was to:

Answer Options:

A. Identify children who were clearly below the average intelligence level.
B. Provide a method for accurately predicting future academic success.
C. Diagnose specific learning disabilities in children.
D. Create a standardized test for measuring intelligence.
E. Understand the environmental factors affecting intelligence.

Answer: A. Identify children who were clearly below the average intelligence level.

 

Question: Binet’s work led to the development of what is now known as the IQ test. What was the original purpose of this test?

Answer Options:

A. To measure the intelligence of all children.
B. To identify children in need of special education.
C. To determine the best educational practices.
D. To measure adult intelligence.
E. To create a standardized education system.

Answer: B. To identify children in need of special education.