Which of the following examples shows how psychology can overcome the problem that mental functions cannot be directly observed?
A) Anne records how far one can jump as a measure of athleticism.
B) Dan examines how high he can count in his head before his thoughts wander to something else.
C) Stan measures how long he can hold his hand over a candle flame before he has to pull it away.
D) Fran counts the number of words she can remember from a list as a measure of memory capacity.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Fran counting the number of words she can remember from a list is an example of using an indirect measure to understand mental functions such as memory capacity, which cannot be directly observed. This is a common approach in psychology, where researchers use behavioral and cognitive measures to infer underlying mental processes.

Which of the Following Examples Shows How Psychology Can Overcome