Chapter 1: Introduction and Research Methods

Testing your knowledge of idioms and other vocabulary

How familiar are you with Idioms and other vocabulary? Match each item in column A with the appropriate meaning given in column B. If you are unsure, look a the sentence context given below. Remember that words may have different meanings in different contexts. The meanings given here are appropriate for the contexts from your textbook, but in different contexts the idioms might have different meanings. Answers are given on page 6-7.

COLUMN A / COLUMN B
a. as it turns out / 1. time for relaxing
b. to show up / 2. to find the individual parts of something
c. to go through / 3.to show the best of oneself; to show the best parts of oneself
d. to rely upon / 4.to make sure
e. to move on to / 5. to be a person’s responsibility; to make a decision
f. to wear more than one hat / 6. based on
g. on the basis of / 7. what really happens; actually
h. to check up on / 8.to be based on; to depend on
i. owing to / 9. to have multiple occupations or perform several functions
j. to weed out / 10. to try to win a particular position in a form ofgovernment
k. to keep in mind/to bear in mind / 11. because of ; due to
l. to take care / 12.to evaluate; to investigate the quality of someone’s work
m. to breathe a sigh of relief / 13. to continue with; to advance to another place
n. to set up / 14. to build; to establish
o. to present oneself in a good light / 15.to listen and observe other people without their seeing you
p. to become like a fly on the wall / 16. to use in the best way
q. to run for / 17. to try to remember
r. to change the course of / 18. to discover things that are not wanted; to get rid of
s. to break down into / 19. to appear
t. a number of / 20. to alter; to make different
u. to take advantage of / 21. to experience
v. down time / 22. to feel more relaxed
w. to be up to someone / 23. several

Sentence context

  1. As it turns out, your simple but elegant scientific study so completely debunks TT

that you’re invited to publish your findings in the highly respected Journal of the

American Medical Association (JAMA). (p. 3)

  1. As a result, “she has not learned the telltale signs that announce possible danger and

possible unpleasantness, especially as they show up in the face of another person...”

(p. 3)

c. Most adults go through a stormy midlife crisis in middle age. (p. 4, Try This)

  1. In contrast to pseudopsychologies, which rely upon self-report, anecdotal evidence,

and opinions, true psychology bases its findings on scientific research and critical

thinking. (p. 6)

  1. Once psychologists meet the goals of description and explanation (answering the

“whats” and “whys”), they move on to the higher-level goal of prediction,

specifying the conditions under which a behavior or event is likely to occur. (p. 6)

  1. Note that Table 1.1 is divided into several career specialties and that psychologists

typically wear more than one hat. (p. 9)

  1. On the basis of these peer reviews, the study may then be accepted for publication.

(p. 12)

  1. We hope you use these references as a starting point for research projects, for

additional information on a topic of interest, and to “check up onus.” (p. 12)

  1. This meta-analysis also found that the differences have decreased in recent years,

possibly owing to changes in educational practices. (p. 13)

  1. As you can see, with time the process of scientific review gradually discloses flaws

and gradually weeds out erroneous findings. (p. 13)

  1. We will discuss each approach separately, but keep in mind that most psychologists

use several methods to study a single problem. (p. 13)

  1. While creating both control and comparison groups, experimenters also take care that all extraneous variables (those that are not being directly manipulated or measured) are held constant (the same). (p. 15)
  1. For example, an experimenter may breathe a sigh of relief when a participant gives

a response supporting the researcher’s hypothesis. (p. 16)

  1. One technique is to set up objective methods for recording data and enlist “blind

observers” (neutral people other than the researcher) to collect the data without

knowing what the researcher has predicted. (p. 16)

  1. In addition to problems with initial sampling of participants, bias can also occur when

participants try to present themselves in a good light (the social desirability

response) or deliberately attempt to mislead the researcher. (p. 17)

  1. In fact, the observer tries to be as unobtrusive as possible, to become, as they say,

“like a fly on the wall.” (p. 19)

  1. Maria isthinking of running for student body president, but she wonders whether

her campaign should emphasize campus security, improved parking facilities, or

increased health services. (p. 26, Check & Review)

  1. It expanded the scope of psychology to include research on emotions and observable

behaviors, initiated the psychological testing movement, changed the course of

modern education, and extended psychology’s influence to diverse areas in industry.

(p. 29)

  1. Gestaltists rejected the notion that experiences can be broken down into elements.

(p.30)

t. There are a number of ways to actively read a text. (p. 35)

  1. You can be a more successful student (and test taker) if you takefulladvantageof

all the special features offered in Psychology in Action. (p. 35)

  1. Also be sure to schedule a reasonable amount of “down time” for sports, movies,

TV watching, and social activities with friends and family. (p. 37)

  1. Also bear in mind that most instructors actually enjoyed lectures during college and

were trained under this system. (p. 39)

  1. It’s up to you to seek out instructors for help during their scheduled office hours. (p.40)

Reviewing your knowledge of English grammar

One of the most basic facts to remember about English grammar is that singular verbs require singular subjects, and plural verbs require plural subjects. This means that almost all nouns occurring together with plural verb forms require an -s or -es ending.

Compare:

A psychiatrist studies human behavior.

(singular noun) (singular verb)

Psychiatristsstudyhuman behavior.

(plural noun)(plural verb)

Review your knowledge of this basic fact of English grammar by adding -s or -es endings as needed in the blanks provided below. Note that some of the blanks will require no ending. When you are finished, you may check your answers in the answer key section.

Clinical psychologist__ work with mentally ill or emotionally disturbed people

by doing therapy or counseling. Student__ often wonder about the difference between a psychiatrist and a clinical psychologist. A psychiatrist__ is a true

medical doctor who has gone to medical school. In fact, most psychiatrist__ have received their M.D. degrees with a specialization in psychiatry. Because of this medical training, a psychiatrist__ is licensed to prescribe medication or drugs. Clinical psychologist__, on the other hand, have not gone to medical school and cannot prescribe drugs. The typical psychologist__ has gone to graduate school and has received a Ph.D. degree after intense study of human behavior and methods of therapy.

Finding key information

One technique that the authors frequently use in this chapter is to compare two terms or concepts and give you parallel information about each. Study the paragraph in the section above comparing psychiatrists to clinical psychologists. Notice how the authors give you parallel information about each type of scientist:

Clinical PsychiatristPsychologist

has gone to medical schoolhas gone to graduate school

has an M.D. degreehas a Ph.D.

can prescribe drugscannot prescribe drugs

Look at the paragraph in your textbook comparing basic and applied research
(p. 6). Study this section; then, fill in the missing information about basic research in the chart below. When you are finished, you may check your answers in the answer key section.

Basic ResearchApplied Research

is conducted in the real world
(for example, in industry)

its purpose is to solve existing
real-world problems

it has real world applications

example: studies of ballot or

machinery design

Examining structural clues

Because it serves as the introduction to the entire book, this chapter contains some important definitions. In English, definitions can be introduced in a number of different ways:

The definition may be contained within parentheses.

All behavior can be viewed as a response to a stimulus (an object or event, either internal or external, that stimulates or causes an organism to respond).

It may be set off by dashes.

Some behaviors are overt--easily seen or identified.

It may be introduced by a relative pronoun.

Applied research is research THAT utilizes the principles and discoveries
of psychology to solve real-world problems.

It may contain the verb BE plus a prepositional phrase.

A case studyIS an in-depth study OF A SINGLE RESEARCH SUBJECT.

Locate 5 definitions in this chapter which you think are particularly important and write them in the spaces provided below. Study them to see if they follow the patterns listed above.

1.______

______

2.______

______

3.______

______

4.______

______

5.______

______

Answer key

Testing your knowledge of idioms and other vocabulary

a. 7; / b. 19; / c. 21; / d. 8; / e. 13; / f. 9; / g. 6; / h. 12; / i. 11; / j. 18; / k. 17; / l. 4;
m. 22; / n. 14; / o. 3; / p. 15; / q. 10; / r. 20; / s. 2; / t. 23; / u. 16; / v. 1; / w. 5

Reviewing your knowledge of English grammar

Clinical psychologists work with mentally ill or emotionally disturbed people by doing therapy or counseling. Students often wonder about the difference between a psychiatrist and a clinical psychologist. A psychiatrist is a true medical doctor who has gone to medical school. In fact, most psychiatrists have received their M.D. degrees with a specialization in psychiatry. Because of this medical training, a psychiatrist is licensed to prescribe medication or drugs. Clinical psychologists, on the other hand, have not gone to medical school and cannot prescribe drugs. The typical psychologist has gone to graduate school and has received a Ph.D. degree after intense study of human behavior and methods of therapy.

Finding key information

Basic research is usually conducted in universities or in research laboratories. Its purpose is to explore new theories and advance general scientific understanding. It may not have any real-world applications. An example is research linking aggression to testosterone or research on general cognitive processes.

Examining structural clues

Answers will vary.

Handbook for Non-Native Speakers-1-