History and Research

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AP Psychology › History and Research

Questions 1 - 10
1

Which psychologist studied the instinctive behavior in greylag geese and jackdaws, investigated the principle of imprinting, and became widely known for his descriptions of imprinting as an instinctive emotional bond?

Kondrad Lorenz

Lev Vygotsky

Charles Darwin

Alfred Kinsey

Phineas Gage

Explanation

Konrad Lorenz was an Austrian zoologist, ethologist, and ornithologist. He is regarded as one of the founders of modern ethology. Lorenz won the Nobel Prize in 1973 for Physiology or Medicine (alongside Nikolass Tinbergen and Karl von Frisch) and is the author of numerous books.

2

Which psychologist studied the instinctive behavior in greylag geese and jackdaws, investigated the principle of imprinting, and became widely known for his descriptions of imprinting as an instinctive emotional bond?

Kondrad Lorenz

Lev Vygotsky

Charles Darwin

Alfred Kinsey

Phineas Gage

Explanation

Konrad Lorenz was an Austrian zoologist, ethologist, and ornithologist. He is regarded as one of the founders of modern ethology. Lorenz won the Nobel Prize in 1973 for Physiology or Medicine (alongside Nikolass Tinbergen and Karl von Frisch) and is the author of numerous books.

3

Which of the following psychologists proposed the theory of the language acquisition device?

Noam Chomsky

Lev Vygotsky

Elissa Newport

B. F. Skinner

Explanation

The language acquisition device is the innate “tool” in the brain that allows children to learn language and grammar easily. Noam Chomsky proposed that language learning cannot be totally dependent on observation and reward—since young children learning to speak make errors and generate novel expressions that they have never heard anyone else say (e.g. a parent is unlikely to have said “I wants cookie yesterday” or “do you think dinosaurs liked candy?” in front of the child).

4

Which of the following psychologists proposed the theory of the language acquisition device?

Noam Chomsky

Lev Vygotsky

Elissa Newport

B. F. Skinner

Explanation

The language acquisition device is the innate “tool” in the brain that allows children to learn language and grammar easily. Noam Chomsky proposed that language learning cannot be totally dependent on observation and reward—since young children learning to speak make errors and generate novel expressions that they have never heard anyone else say (e.g. a parent is unlikely to have said “I wants cookie yesterday” or “do you think dinosaurs liked candy?” in front of the child).

5

Which of the following psychologists proposed the theory of the language acquisition device?

Noam Chomsky

Lev Vygotsky

Elissa Newport

B. F. Skinner

Explanation

The language acquisition device is the innate “tool” in the brain that allows children to learn language and grammar easily. Noam Chomsky proposed that language learning cannot be totally dependent on observation and reward—since young children learning to speak make errors and generate novel expressions that they have never heard anyone else say (e.g. a parent is unlikely to have said “I wants cookie yesterday” or “do you think dinosaurs liked candy?” in front of the child).

6

Which psychologist studied the instinctive behavior in greylag geese and jackdaws, investigated the principle of imprinting, and became widely known for his descriptions of imprinting as an instinctive emotional bond?

Kondrad Lorenz

Lev Vygotsky

Charles Darwin

Alfred Kinsey

Phineas Gage

Explanation

Konrad Lorenz was an Austrian zoologist, ethologist, and ornithologist. He is regarded as one of the founders of modern ethology. Lorenz won the Nobel Prize in 1973 for Physiology or Medicine (alongside Nikolass Tinbergen and Karl von Frisch) and is the author of numerous books.

7

Which descriptive research method allows the researcher the most control of the study?

laboratory observation

naturalistic observation

case study

survey

Explanation

Laboratory observation allows the researcher to have more control over the experiment and to be able to utilize more precise equipment. In naturalistic observation the researcher is observing the organism in their natural environment which gives the researcher no control of the environment. In both case studies and surveys the participant is giving the information from their point of view which also does not allow the researcher control of the experiment.

8

Carl goes to a psychology laboratory to participate in a study. Before the experiment begins, the experimenter gives him a paper which explains various things such as the following: what participation in the experiment involves, how long the experiment will take, the risks and benefits of the study, and that a participant may exit the study at any time without consequence. The experimenter makes sure the participant understands the details of the study. Carl agrees and signs the consent form. This is an example of which of the following?

Informed consent

Survey research

Deception

Debriefing

Naturalistic observations

Explanation

In order to do ethical research, researchers must obtain informed consent from research participants. Informed consent is sometimes obtained verbally rather than using a written form. Researchers usually need to have their way of obtaining informed consent approved by an institutional review board.

9

Which descriptive research method allows the researcher the most control of the study?

laboratory observation

naturalistic observation

case study

survey

Explanation

Laboratory observation allows the researcher to have more control over the experiment and to be able to utilize more precise equipment. In naturalistic observation the researcher is observing the organism in their natural environment which gives the researcher no control of the environment. In both case studies and surveys the participant is giving the information from their point of view which also does not allow the researcher control of the experiment.

10

Carl goes to a psychology laboratory to participate in a study. Before the experiment begins, the experimenter gives him a paper which explains various things such as the following: what participation in the experiment involves, how long the experiment will take, the risks and benefits of the study, and that a participant may exit the study at any time without consequence. The experimenter makes sure the participant understands the details of the study. Carl agrees and signs the consent form. This is an example of which of the following?

Informed consent

Survey research

Deception

Debriefing

Naturalistic observations

Explanation

In order to do ethical research, researchers must obtain informed consent from research participants. Informed consent is sometimes obtained verbally rather than using a written form. Researchers usually need to have their way of obtaining informed consent approved by an institutional review board.

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