2. Frequently Asked Questions in Psychology
Module 8

3. Q1. Can laboratory experiments illuminate everyday life?
FAQ
Q1. Can laboratory experiments illuminate everyday life?
Ans: Artificial laboratory conditions are created to study behavior in simplistic terms. The goal is to find underlying principles that govern behavior.
OBJECTIVE 21| Explain the value of simplified laboratory conditions in discovering general principles of behavior.
Psychology 7e in Modules

4. Q2. Does behavior depend on one’s culture?
FAQ
Q2. Does behavior depend on one’s culture?
Ans: Even when specific attitudes and behaviors vary across cultures, as they often do, the underlying processes are much the same.
OBJECTIVE 22| Discuss whether psychological research can be generalized across cultures and genders.
Ami Vitale/ Getty Images
Psychology 7e in Modules

5. Q3. Does behavior vary with gender?
FAQ
Q3. Does behavior vary with gender?
Ans: Yes. Biology determines our sex, and culture further bends the genders. However, in many ways women and men are similarly human.

6. Q4. Why do psychologists study animals?
FAQ
Q4. Why do psychologists study animals?
Ans: Studying animals gives us the understanding of many behaviors that may have common biology across animals and humans.
OBJECTIVE 23| Explain why psychologists study animals, and discuss the ethics of experimentation with both animals and humans.
D. Shapiro, © Wildlife Conservation Society
Psychology 7e in Modules

7. Q5. Is it ethical to experiment on animals?
FAQ
Q5. Is it ethical to experiment on animals?
Ans: Yes. To gain insights to devastating and fatal diseases. All researchers who deal with animal research are required to follow ethical guidelines in caring for these animals.

8. Q6. Is it ethical to experiment on people?
FAQ
Q6. Is it ethical to experiment on people?
Ans: Yes. Experiments that do not involve any kind of physical or psychological harm beyond normal levels encountered in daily life may be carried out.
Ethical guidelines established by the APA (American Psychology Association)
Before any experiment is conducted, it must be reviewed by an ethics board.
Obtained the informed consent of potential participants
Protect them from harm and discomfort
Treat information about individual participants confidentially
Fully explain the research afterward

9. Q7. Is psychology free of value judgments?
FAQ
Q7. Is psychology free of value judgments?
Ans: No. Psychology emerges from people who subscribe to a set of values and judgments.
OBJECTIVE 24| Describe how personal values can influence psychologists’ research and its application, and discuss psychology’s potential to manipulate people.
© Roger Shepard
Psychology 7e in Modules

10. Q8. Is psychology potentially dangerous?
FAQ
Q8. Is psychology potentially dangerous?
Ans: It can be, but it is not. The purpose of psychology is to help humanity with problems such as war, hunger, prejudice, crime, family dysfunction, etc.