Tutorial 1

Which of the following ideas is essential to determinism?

• People who try harder are more successful

• People who choose their behaviours by free will

• Most differences in behaviour are under genetic control

• Every behaviour has a cause

Which of the following contradicts the idea of dualism?

• Biologists principle of homeostasis

• Physicists Principle of the Conservation of Matter and Energy

• Chemists principle of ionic bonding

• Psychologists principle of reinforcement

Here are four types of Psychologists. Which one is correctly matched to a research area?

• Social Psychologist- Evolution of behaviour

• Developmental Psychologist- Child behaviour

• Cognitive Psychologist- How people behave in groups

• Biopsychologist- Thought and knowledge

Which of these topics was a major research concern for the earliest psychologists?

• Vision and other sensations

• Mental illness

• Social conformity

• Expert Problem solving

In the early days of psychology, structuralists wanted to discover ____________ and functionalists wanted to understand ___________.

• What mind can do........ the elements that compose the mind

• The elements that compose the mind....What mind can do

• The best ways to rear children..... treatments for mental illness

• Treatments for mental illness.... the best ways to rear children

Which of these topics would a behaviourist probably avoid?

• Stimulus-Response connections

• Animal behaviour

• Learning

• Thought and knowledge

What event led to the rise of clinical psychology as we know it today?

• World War II

• Popular films that depicted mental illness

• The writings of Sigmund Freud

• Economic collapse

How does basic research differ from applied research?

• Basic research is simpler and requires less training

• Basic research is complex and requires greater training

• Basic research seeks solutions to current problems rather than theoretical understanding

• Basic research seeks theoretical understanding rather than solutions to current problems

Describe at least five (5) different areas of psychological research.

Answer explanation

–Developmental psychology (concentrates on children),

–Social psychology (concerned with how people behave in groups),

–Cognitive psychology (concentrates on thought and knowledge),

–Biological psychology (effects of brain damage),

–Learning and motivation (studying the effect of a reward on future behaviour).

Three major philosophical issues exist in psychology, one of which is free will-determinism. Define determinism and free will.

Answer explanation

–Determinism is the assumption that everything that happens has a cause (1 mark).

–Free will is the belief that behaviour is caused by a person’s independent decision (1 mark).