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How can I use psychology to study and learn psychology?
1. Describe the two steps required for actively reading your textbook, including the SQ4R
method (pp. 41-42).
2. Describe time management guidelines you can use to become a more successful student (pp.
43-44).
3. Describe several strategies for improving your grade in this course, and others (pp.44-46).
How can we improve our memory?
1. Describe the ways memory can be distorted (p. 274).
2. Describe specific methods of improving your memory and provide examples of the various
mnemonic devices (pp. 275-277).
How can I improve my communication and conflict resolution skills?
1. Describe six blocks to good communication (pp. 613-615).
2. Describe three strategies and skills for improving communication, including the five
components related to effective feedback (pp. 615-616).
3. Describe five ways to resolve conflict (pp. 617-618).
4. Contrast passive, aggressive, and assertive behaviors; state six of the rights listed in the
Assertiveness Bill of Rights; and describe four tips for saying no (pp. 618-620).
Chapter 1
Upon completion of CHAPTER 1, you should be able to:
What is psychology? What are its goals and main career specialties?
1. Define psychology (p. 5)
2. Contrast critical thinking and pseudopsychology (pp. 5-6).
3. List and describe the four goals of psychology (p. 7).
4. Describe the difference between a psychiatrist and psychologist, and describe the major
career options in psychology (pp. 7-9).
Who are the important contributors to psychology; and what are the seven primary
perspectives that guide modern psychology?
5. Contrast the seven approaches/perspectives in psychology: psychodynamic, behavioral,
humanistic, cognitive, neuroscience/biopsychology, evolutionary, and sociocultural (pp. 1014).
6. Explain the importance of Wilhelm Wundt, William James, and Sigmund Freud in the history
of psychology (pp. 10-12).
7. Name four women or minorities who have contributed to the field of psychology (p.15).
8. Briefly describe the seven perspectives in psychology today, and explain how the
biopsychosocial model integrates these perspectives (pp. 15-16).
What is the scientific method; and what are the key ethical issues in psychological
research?
9. Define basic and applied research, then describe the first four basic steps involved in
scientific research (pp. 17-20).
10. Name the last two basic steps in research, and describe the relevance of publication,
replication, and citations in determining the legitimacy of research results (pp. 20-21).
11. Describe the guidelines for respecting the rights of human and non-human animal
participants in research (pp. 21-23).
12. Describe the rights of psychotherapy patients (p. 23).
What are the four major methods of psychological research?
13. Define experiment, and describe how independent and dependent variables, and experimental
and control groups are important to the experimental method (pp. 25-27).
14. Describe researcher and participant problems in research and the experimental safeguards
related to them (pp. 27-29).
15. Define descriptive research and contrast the merits and limitations of naturalistic
observations, surveys, and case studies (pp. 25, 30-33).
16. Define correlational research and the three types of correlations; determine the strength of a
correlation from a correlation coefficient; and define the major limitation of correlations (pp.
33-35).
17. Define biological research and describe the basic techniques used to study the brain and
nervous system (pp. 35-38).
Chapter 2
Upon completion of CHAPTER 2, you should be able to:
How are heredity and evolution linked to human behavior?
1. Describe methods for studying behavioral genetics (pp. 54-56).
2. Describe how evolutionary psychologists use Darwin’s principles of natural selection and
genetic mutations to explain human behavior (p. 57).
What are neurons and how do they communicate information throughout the body?
3. Draw a neuron, label its parts, and describe the function of each part (pp. 58-59).
4. Describe the electrochemical process involved in an action potential (pp. 60-61).
5. Define neurotransmitter and explain how neurotransmitters act to excite or inhibit action
potentials (pp. 61-62).
6. Describe the effects of the major neurotransmitters and explain how they are related to some
diseases, poisons, and mind-altering drugs (pp. 63-65)
7. Describe the function of the endocrine system and contrast hormones with neurotransmitters
(pp. 66).
How is the nervous system organized?
8. Define the major divisions of the nervous system, list the subdivisions of the central nervous
system, and describe the functions of the spinal cord (pp. 67-70).
9. Describe the functions of the major subdivisions of the peripheral nervous system, and the
parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous systems (pp. 70-72).
What are the lower-level brain structures, and what are their roles in behavior and mental
processes?
10. Locate and describe the function of the brain stem (p. 73).
11. Locate and describe the functions of the thalamus, hypothalamus, and limbic system (pp. 7376).
How does the cerebral cortex control behavior and mental processes?
12. Describe the cerebral cortex; locate and describe the function of the four cortical lobes, and
important areas in each lobe (pp. 78-82).
13. Define lateralization and describe the specialized and interdependent functions of the brain's
left and right hemispheres (pp. 82-86).
14. Describe recent research regarding neuroplasticity and neurogenesis, and the role of stem
cells in the treatment of various brain dysfunctions (pp. 87-88).
Chapter 3
Upon completion of CHAPTER 3, you should be able to:
What is stress and what are its major sources and effects?
1. Differentiate between stress and stressors, eustress and distress (p. 94-95).
2. Describe research findings related to Holmes and Rahe’s Social Readjustment Rating Scale,
chronic stressors, daily hassles, frustrations, and burnout (pp. 95-97)
3. Contrast the three basic conflicts (p. 97-98).
4. Describe the physiological effects of stress (pp. 99-101).
How is stress related to serious illness?
5. Describe how stress is related to cancer (pp. 102-103).
6. Explain the relationship between stress and heart disease (p. 103).
7. Contrast Type A and Type B personalities and describe the research and treatment regarding
them (p. 104).
8. Describe hardiness and state how it is related to stress (p. 105).
9. Describe how stress is related to PTSD and gastric ulcers (pp. 105-107).
How is health psychology involved with tobacco, alcohol, and chronic pain?
10. Define health psychology and identify major occupational options for health psychologists
(p.108).
11. Describe factors that lead to smoking, its consequences, preventions, and how to quit (pp.
108-111).
12. Discuss binge drinking on college campuses and around the world (pp. 111-112).
13. Describe the role of psychologists in helping people deal with chronic pain (p. 113)
14. Describe biofeedback and relaxation therapy for chronic pain (pp. 113-114).
What techniques and resources are available to help people stay healthy and cope with
stress?
15. Contrast emotion-focused and problem-focused forms of coping with stress (pp. 115-116).
16. List coping resources and techniques, and describe how each improves coping (pp. 116118).
Chapter 4
Upon completion of CHAPTER 4, you should be able to:
How do our sensory organs gather sensory information and convert it into signals our
brain can understand?
1. Define and differentiate sensation and perception (p. 127).
2. Explain transduction, sensory reduction, and coding in sensory processing (pp. 128-129).
3. Define psychophysics. Describe absolute and difference thresholds and the importance of
sensory adaptation (pp. 129-130).
4. Explain the gate-control theory of pain perception (pp. 130-131).
How do we organize stimuli to perceive form, constancies, depth, and color?
5. Explain how a person perceives depth, using binocular and monocular depth cues (pp. 150154).
6. Discuss how both the trichromatic and opponent-process theories are needed to explain how
humans perceive color (pp. 154-155).
What factors influence how we interpret sensations?
7. Describe how perceptual adaptation, perceptual set, frame of reference, and bottom-up/topdown processing influence perceptual interpretation (pp. 156-157).
Chapter 5
Upon completion of CHAPTER 5, you should be able to:
How can we define and describe consciousness?
1. Define consciousness and alternate states of consciousness (ASCs); and describe controlled
and automatic processing (pp. 169-171).
Chapter 6
Upon completion of CHAPTER 6, you should be able to:
What is classical conditioning, and how can we apply it in everyday life?
1. Define learning and conditioning (pp. 206-207).
2. Explain the process of classical conditioning, describing the differences between an
unconditioned, neutral, and conditioned stimulus, and an unconditioned, conditioned, and
conditioned emotional response (pp. 208-211).
3. For classical conditioning: describe stimulus generalization, stimulus distinction, extinction,
spontaneous recovery, and higher-order conditioning (pp. 212-213).
What is operant conditioning, and how can we apply it in everyday life?
4. Define operant conditioning and differentiate it from classical conditioning (pp. 214, 224).
5. Describe the contributions of Thorndike and Skinner related to operant conditioning (p.
215).
6. Define reinforcement, and punishment, and describe how a response is strengthened (pp.
216-218).
7. Describe the different schedules of reinforcement, and state the effect each schedule will
have on response rate and extinction (pp. 218-219).
8. Describe how behaviors are shaped, and how they can be weakened; and describe the
negative consequences of punishment (pp. 220-222).
9. Explain the importance of feedback, timing, consistency, and order of presentation on the
effective use of both reinforcement and punishment (p. 223).
10. For operant conditioning, define stimulus generalization, stimulus discrimination, extinction,
spontaneous recovery, and discriminative stimulus (pp. 223-224).
Chapter 7
Upon completion of CHAPTER 7, the student should be able to:
What are the four major models that help explain memory?
1. Define memory and the construction process (p. 247)
2. Describe the information processing model to memory, from encoding to storage to
retrieval, and compare this model to the parallel distributed processing and levels of
processing models (pp. 248-250).
3. Define and describe the stages of memory, in order of occurrence, in the traditional model of
memory (pp. 250-251).
4. Describe the purpose, duration, and capacity of sensory memory (p. 251).
5. Describe the purpose, duration, and capacity of short-term memory and explain how it can
be improved (pp. 251-253).
6. Explain Baddeley’s concept of working memory (p. 253).
7. Describe the purpose, duration, and capacity of long-term memory and explain its
hierarchical systems and subsystems (pp. 253-255).
8. Describe how organization, elaborative rehearsal, retrieval cues, recognition, recall, and the
encoding specificity principle can help improve long-term memory (pp. 255-259).
Why do we forget, and how can we prevent it?
1. Describe forgetting and relearning (p. 261).
2. Describe theories of forgetting, and differentiate between proactive and retroactive
interference (pp. 261-263).
3. Describe the four factors that have important implications for student memory needs (pp.
263-265).
How can we improve our memory?
1. Describe the ways memory can be distorted (p. 273-274).
2. Describe specific methods of improving your memory and provide examples of the various
mnemonic devices (pp. 275-278).
Chapter 8
Upon completion of CHAPTER 8, the student should be able to:
What is intelligence and how is it measured?
1. Explain why intelligence is difficult to define, and differentiate between Cattell’s fluid and
crystallized intelligence (pp. 304-305).
2. Describe Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences and Sternberg’s triarchic theory of
successful intelligence (pp. 305-307).
3. Explain how an intelligence quotient (IQ) is determined and differentiate between the
Stanford-Binet Intelligence Test and the Wechsler intelligent tests (pp. 308-310).
4. Define standardization, reliability, and validity, and explain why each is important for
intelligence testing (p. 310).
How do we measure extremes in intelligence? What roles do biology, genetics, the
environment and ethnicity play in intelligence?
5. Describe the extremes of mental retardation and mental giftedness (pp. 312-313).
6. Explain how biology, genetics, and the environment impact intelligence (pp. 314-316).
7. Describe what is known about the influence of culture on intelligence (pp. 316-319).
Chapter 9
Upon completion of CHAPTER 9, the student should be able to:
How is research in developmental psychology different from research in other areas of
psychology?
1.
Define developmental psychology, and discuss the ongoing debates in this field regarding
nature versus nurture, continuity versus stages, and stability versus change (pp. 326-328).
2.
Differentiate between cross-sectional and longitudinal research, and describe the major
advantages and disadvantages of each method of research (pp. 328-329).
What are the major physical changes that occur throughout our life span?
3.
Describe the physical changes associated with the three stages of prenatal development,
and discuss paternal and maternal contributions to fetal well-being (pp. 331-333).
4.
Describe the major changes in brain, motor, and sensory/perceptual development during
the early childhood years; explain how these changes have been measured in newborns and
infants (pp. 333-336).
5.
Describe physical changes associated with puberty, middle age and later adulthood,
including menopause and the male climacteric (pp. 336-338).
6.
Differentiate between primary and secondary aging, and explain the programmed and
damage theories for primary aging (pp. 338-339).
How does cognition, or the way we think about the world, change during our life cycle?
7.
Discuss Piaget’s approach to cognitive development, describe the characteristics associated
with his four stages of cognitive development (pp. 340-345)
8.
State the two major criticisms of Piaget’s theory (pp. 345-346).
What are some of the key theorists and theories in social, moral, and personality
adjustment?
9.
Describe the positions and theories of Bowlby, Harlow, and Ainsworth regarding infant
attachment, and relate this to research on romantic love (pp. 347-352).
10. List and describe Kohlberg’s three levels of moral development, and provide an example
of typical reasoning at each stage (pp. 352-354).
11. Describe the relationship between moral reasoning and moral behavior, and discuss the
major criticisms of Kohlberg’s theory related to political, cultural, and gender biases (pp.
354-355).
12. Describe Erikson’s eight stages of psychosocial development, and discuss both the
criticisms and contributions of his theory (pp. 355-358).
13. Discuss the three myths of development: adolescent storm and stress, mid-life crisis, and
empty nest syndrome (pp. 358-359).
Chapter 10
Upon completion of CHAPTER 9, the student should be able to:
What causes hunger and drives us to achieve?
1. Describe how internal and external factors trigger hunger or eating behavior, and state the
safest, most reliable method of weight loss (pp. 382-384).
2. Define anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa, and state the causes and risk factors for the
development of these eating disorders (pp. 384-385).
3. Describe the causes and traits associated with the achievement motive (pp. 386-387).
How are men and women alike and different in their sexual arousal and response?
4. List and describe the four stages in Masters and Johnson’s sexual response cycle (pp. 387388)
5. Discuss genetic, biological, and psychosocial explanations for homosexuality and state the
position of the psychological community regarding sexual orientation (p. 389).
What major theories and concepts do I need to know to understand emotion?
6. Describe the cognitive, physiological, and behavioral components of emotion (pp. 391-393).
7. Compare and contrast the James-Lange, Cannon-Bard, facial-feedback, and two-factor
theories of emotion, and the research regarding each of these theories (pp. 393-397).
How can I apply critical thinking to motivation and emotion?
8. Define, describe, and compare intrinsic and extrinsic motivation (pp. 398-401).
Chapter 11
What are the trait theories of personality?
1. Define personality and describe the popularity of pseudo-personality tests (pp. 412-413).
2. Define trait, and compare the trait theories developed by Allport, Cattell, and Eysenck (pp.
413-414).
3. Describe the five-factor (Big Five) model of personality traits (pp. 414-415).
4. Describe the three major criticisms regarding trait theories (pp. 415-417).
How did Freud’s followers build on his theory?
5. Describe the approaches of the Neo-Freudians: Adler, Jung, and Horney (pp.424-426).
What is the social/cognitive perspective on personality?
6. Discuss social-cognitive theories of personality, comparing the approaches of Bandura and
Rotter; and state two strengths and two weaknesses of these theories (pp. 432-433).
Chapter 12
Upon completion of CHAPTER 12, the student should be able to:
How do psychologists identify, explain, and classify abnormal behavior?
1. Describe five common myths regarding mental health and illness (p.456).
2. Define abnormal behavior, and describe and evaluate the four basic standards for identifying
such behavior (pp. 457-459).
3. Summarize the historical progression in the definition of abnormality, and describe Szasz’s
criticism of the medical model of mental illness (pp. 459-461).
4. Describe the development of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM), including the
DSM-IV-TR’s classification system, purpose, and limitations. Differentiate between
neurosis and psychosis (pp. 461-464).
What are anxiety disorders, and what causes them?
5. Describe four major anxiety disorders (pp. 465-468).
6. Discuss the possible causes of anxiety disorders (pp. 468-470).
When do disturbances in mood become abnormal?
7. Describe two major mood disorders (pp. 470-472).
8. Discuss the possible biological and psychosocial causes of mood disorders (pp. 472-473).
9. Discuss ten common myths regarding suicide, and describe what steps to take if someone
you know is suicidal (pp. 473-474).
Chapter 13
Upon completion of CHAPTER 13, the student should be able to:
What are the core treatment techniques in insight therapy?
1. Define cognitive therapy, and describe its emphasis on changing self-talk via cognitive
restructuring (pp. 506-507).
2. Compare Ellis’s rational-emotive behavior therapy with Beck’s cognitive-behavior therapy
(pp. 507-509).
3. Describe the successes and criticisms of cognitive therapies (p. 509).
How are learning principles used in behavior therapy?
4. Define behavior therapy, and describe how classical conditioning, operant conditioning, and
observational learning are applied to increase adaptive behaviors and decrease maladaptive
ones (pp. 514-518).
5. Describe the successes reported for behavioral therapy, and discuss the three major criticisms
of this method (p. 518).
What are the major biomedical therapies?
6. Define biomedical therapy; and discuss the advantages of psychopharmacology, electroconvulsive therapy, and psychosurgery (pp. 519-522).
7. Discuss the limitations of psychopharmacology, electroconvulsive therapy, and
psychosurgery (pp. 522-524).
Chapter 14
Upon completion of CHAPTER 14, the student should be able to:
5. Define social psychology, and describe the results of research on several commonsense
statements regarding social interactions (p. 540).
How do our thoughts affect how we explain and judge others?
6. Define attribution, explain the fundamental attribution error and the self-serving bias, and
state how culture impacts each of these (pp. 541-543).
7. Define attitude, and describe its three basic components (pp. 543-544).
8. Describe cognitive dissonance theory, the impact of dissonance on attitudes and behavior,
and how culture impacts cognitive dissonance (pp. 544-546).
What feelings are most important in our social interactions?
9. Differentiate between a stereotype, prejudice, and discrimination. Describe the four major
sources of prejudice and discrimination (pp. 547-549).
10. Describe the three key factors in interpersonal attraction. Discuss cross-cultural and
historical similarities and differences in physical attractiveness (pp. 549-552).
11. Describe the three components that distinguish liking from loving in Rubin’s research;
compare romantic and companionate love; and discuss problems associated with romantic
love (pp. 553-555).
How do our actions toward others affect their lives and our own?
12. Define conformity, and explain the three factors that contribute to this behavior (pp.556-558).
13. Define obedience, and describe how Milgram’s classic studies demonstrated the effect of
authority, responsibility, graduations in requests, and disobedient models on obedience (pp.
558-561).
14. Define roles and describe their effect on the behavior of “prisoners” and “guards” in
Zimbardo’s classic prison study (pp. 562-563).
15. Discuss how group polarization and groupthink affect group decision making (pp. 564-565).