Psychology 203 Final Exam University of
Calgary UPDATED ACTUAL Questions
and CORRECT Answers
What are some of the current challenges of life? - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- Personal
choices, careers, your purpose, how to achieve what you want.
What is the sense or search for direction in people? - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- They desire
self realization; wanting something to believe in. Also, they search for quick answers to give
themselves direction.
What are some issues with self help books? - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- They often consist
of psychobabble; containing vague and meaningless talk. The advice is usually not based off
of scientific research; thus not proven. They don't give direction for how to change behaviour,
instead they focus on the person and don't take situations into consideration.
What is psychology defined as? - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- It is a science which studies the
behaviour and mental processes.
How is psychology a science? - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- It follows the scientific method.
Empiricism: the knowledge comes from systematic observation.
Theory development: collecting related data and observations that predict, explain, and
describe experimental processes.
What is a confound variable? - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- The variable which isn't in
interest but acts as a systematic difference between the group to validate findings.
What are some advantages of the psychology experiment? - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- It is
clear, precise, less error, and allows us to create cause and effect conclusions.
What are some disadvantages of the psychology experiment? - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔-
Some variables can't be manipulated due to ethical concern, or practical realities. The
applicability to the real world and its relevance is sometimes questioned.
,What do descriptive research methods have in common? - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- The
direct independent variable isn't listed, can't infer cause/effect, their goals show what happens
in the real world through this research method.
Descriptive research method 1: Naturalistic Observation - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔-
Watching people in their natural environment, because when people know they're being
watched they change their behaviour. The objectivity part states that the researcher's bias
effects what they interpret from what they watch.
Descriptive research method 2: Descriptive Research - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- Case
study; in depth research of one person. Also surveys. Correlation (r) research involves the
attempt to figure out whether there is a relation between two variables; so when one inc other
dec. If the correlation is +1 or close to it, it's a strong pos relationship, if -1 then strong neg
relationship.
What does statistical analysis state? - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- That the results we obtain
depend on the size of the difference and the number of participants. There are differences
between the significant and the real world significance as there may be no practical/realistic
significance in our lives.
What is the SQ3R technique? - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- An active processing method:
Survey, question, read, recite, and review.
How can you improve your academic performance? - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- Use active
processing (SQ3R), distributed practice (more practice), organization (makes connections,
stores info better), deep process the info (think about the meaning), using mnemonic devices
(acronyms, rhymes,etc).
What is personality? - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- A combination of behaviours, emotions,
thoughts that are displayed by people in certain situations over time.
What theories have been placed to determine the source of our personalities? - CORRECT
ANSWER✔✔- Psychoanalytic, behavioural, trait, and biological.
What do psychoanalytic theories focus on? - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- Our unconscious
processes that make way for our daily behaviour.
,Which theory did Sigmund Freud focus on? - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- The
psychoanalytic theory
What are Freud's ranked levels of mental like? - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- The conscious
level (ego- our normal awareness), preconscious level (superego- can be brought to
consciousness easily), and our unconscious level (id-our hidden thoughts and desires).
What is the "id" part of our unconscious level? - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- Similar to the
devil on the shoulder, it is home to our sexual and aggressive drives, holds the pleasure
principle, less moral reasoning, less response to temptation.
What is the pleasure principle? - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- A desire for instinct
gratification(pleasure) without regard of consequences.
What is the superego part of our preconscious level? - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- Similar to
the angel on the shoulder, develops in childhood, considers morality, dictated by the ego idea
(best person can be), opposite of the id.
What is the ego part of our conscious/preconscious level? - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔-
Develops before our superego, it's a reference between the id and superego. It is governed by
the reality principle.
What is the reality principle? - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- An attempt to satisfy needs in
realistic ways keeping in mind potential consequences.
Personality development is: - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- Us going through 5 psychosexual
stages (according to Freud). Each of these stages have erogenous zones, and developmental
tests. If you fail to pass through these stages, it causes you to come back to the stage when
stressed. We will continue to move through the stages, but will come back to a specific one
when stressed.
Oral stage - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- (birth-2yrs) when there is pleasure in the mouth.
When adults are stressed, they will do something using their mouth (bite nails, smoke, drink
alcohol).
, Anal stage - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- (2-3yrs) Pleasure in anus. Potty training becomes
difficult. The ego develops here (societal demand). Adults who come back to this stage will
have problems with orderliness, are controlling, and disorganized (anal expulsive).
Phallic stage - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- (4-7yrs) Pleasure in clitoris/penis. Identification
with same-sex parent causing acquisition of superego. Oedipus and electra complexes; child
wishes to have sex w. parent. Oedipus is when boys want to replace their dad causing
castration anxiety (boy wants to cut father's penis off). Electra complex is when girls get
penis envy. They think the penis is a symbol of power and that all girls want one. Girls won't
develop the same amount of superego as boys.
Latency stage - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- (7-puberty) No locus of pleasure particularly.
The task is a transformation of repressed sexual urges into socially acceptable one.
Genital stage - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- (puberty-onward) Pleasure is in the vagina/penis.
There are two major goals: to have a mature relationship and to make productive work.
What are defense mechanisms? - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- Unconscious tried to prevent
unacceptable thoughts from reaching conscious awareness. To protect ourselves from these
impulses.
Defense mechanisms 1: Denial - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- No self awareness of the urge.
Defense mechanisms 2: Intellectualization - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- Expressing interest
in earning, understanding something from the academic perspective. (ex; learning about
crime to become a criminal)
Defense mechanisms 3: Projection - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- Inappropriate sexual urge
towards someone. Projecting personal feelings on to someone else. "It wasn't my feeling, it's
theirs".
Defense mechanisms 4: Rationalization - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- Engage in
inappropriate sexual urge but provide excuses/reasoning/justification. "I only cheated on you
because you don't listen to me".
