MCAT Diagnostic - Psy/Soc

A student is just able to perceive that a black, circular dot on a sheet of paper is larger than another dot when the first dot is 100 mm across and the second is 115 mm across. According to Weber's law, if the same student is presented with a black, circular dot that is 50 mm across, which of the following is the diameter of a dot that the student would just be able to perceive as being larger?

57.5 mm Weber's law states that the just-noticeable difference, or the change required to perceive a difference from an initial stimulus, is directly proportional to the percent change in the original stimulus.

It is found that respondents who were Manoshi members and who listed Manoshi CHWs as part of their support networks were significantly more likely to exhibit optimal MNH behavior. The CHW presence is an example of:

A mediating variable In cases where a mediating variable is present, the original predictor (or independent) variable works indirectly through a more immediate cause (the mediator variable) to yield a final effect (the outcome, or dependent variable). The mediator adds to the overall variance accounted for in the data and can explain the relationship between the dependent and independent variables.

Which organ is associated with the hormone response monitored in the experiment discussed in the passage?

Adrenal glands The adrenal glands release epinephrine (adrenaline), the secretion of which was monitored in this experiment. Broadly, these glands also release corticosteroids, including the stress hormone cortisol.

One study participant described overeating in response to a sense of anxiety about the state of the world, especially in relation to global climate change and the poor economy. This anxiety most closely reflects the effect of which kind of stressor?

Ambient Ambient stressors are those chronic environmental stressors that cannot be changed (or are perceived as unchangeable) by the efforts of the individual subject to them. Things like the economy and climate change would be examples of ambient stressors.

Which of the following conclusions can be drawn from Table 1?

Among overweight participants, females have the most accurate self-perceptions. The table indicates that 79% of overweight females accurately perceive themselves to be overweight, which is a higher percentage than any other group in the table.

Which of the following would be an example of an experience of discrimination on the basis of one of the categories described in Figure 1?

An obese woman applies for an office job with no demanding physical tasks associated with it. Despite being more qualified than the other applicant, who is not overweight, she is not hired. Discrimination is any behavior that results in differential treatment of a person based on perceived membership in some class or category.

According to the results, subject 2 showed the largest improvement in which memory type?

Anterograde memory Anterograde memory is memory of events after an event (again, the stroke). This is the form of memory tested and recorded in the results displayed in Figure 1.

Disulfiram is a common drug used to treat alcoholism by inhibiting the body's ability to process acetaldehyde. Acetaldehyde builds up if alcohol is ingested, resulting in flushing, nausea, and discomfort. This kind of treatment is an example of:

Aversive conditioning. Aversive conditioning is a behavioral conditioning technique in which noxious stimuli are associated with undesirable or unwanted behaviors. If this technique is successful, the individual reduces the frequency of the unwanted behavior. In this case, disulfiram inhibits the body's ability to process acetaldehyde, and would thus result in the accumulation of acetaldehyde in the body.

Which conclusion is best supported by Figure 1?

Boys with a criminal record will secrete a lower total level of autonomic hormones in stressful situations than boys with no criminal record. Figure 1 shows that in both stressful and non-stressful situations, boys who have a criminal record release less adrenaline, a common hormone released by the sympathetic branch of the autonomic nervous system.

Subject 2 complained of difficulty "getting [his] sentences out." These symptoms can most likely be attributed to impairment of:

Broca's area. Broca's area is one of the main areas of the cerebral cortex responsible for speech production, facial neuron control, and language processing.

As one step in the statistical analysis of the effectiveness of the CHW intervention, researchers examined differences in postnatal care use for mothers in 10 different regions. How could the researchers have increased the power of their analysis?

Collect data from mothers in 5 additional regions There are five main ways to increase the power of an experiment or study: increase the alpha level, decrease random error, conduct a one-tailed test, expand the sample size, or increase the effect size. Of these, only choice A, which increases the sample size, will increase power.

Suppose a boy with minimal criminal inclinations joins a group that frequently breaks the law. Over time, he begins to exhibit increasing criminal behavior. This behavior can best be described as an example of:

Conformity. Conformity is defined as the adjusting of one's behavior or thoughts to coincide with a group standard.

Which of the following is LEAST likely to play a role in postpartum depression?

Decreased levels of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) GABA is the chief inhibitory neurotransmitter in the CNS. It plays the principal role in reducing neuronal excitability throughout the nervous system and is found in decreased levels in patients with anxiety disorders. Of the choices listed, GABA relates least to mood disorders, such as depression.

Which of the following symptoms can be expected in a patient with Bálint's syndrome?

Difficulty using a fork Paragraph 1 states that Bálint's syndrome patients have defects in hand movements that require visual guidance. Patients would be unable to grab an object while looking at it. This kind of coordination is required for eating with utensils.

The tendency of a new mother to actively join networks almost exclusively with other young mothers is an example of:

Homophily. Homophily is the tendency of individuals to associate and bond with others similar to themselves.

Which of the following would NOT qualify as negative reinforcement? I. A parent wants to get her daughter to wash the dishes and says she will take her out for ice cream, if she washes the dishes. II. A parent wants to get his son to stop playing video games right after school and says that he will make his son mow the lawn on the weekend, if the son continues to play video games right after school. III. A researcher wants to teach rats to press a lever, so each time the rats press the lever, a loud irritating alarm bell shuts off for a few minutes.

I and II only Reinforcement is used to increase the frequency of a behavior, while negative consequences involve the removal of a stimulus. Thus, negative reinforcement is a way to encourage an individual to increase a behavior by taking something away when they fail to perform that behavior. In statement I, nothing is taken away; instead, ice cream is added, making this positive reinforcement. In statement II, the father wants his son to stop behaving in a particular way, so this constitutes punishment.

f most of the remembered images come from the beginning and end of the list, this would be considered an example of the: I. recency effect. II. serial position effect. III. cognitive bias effect.

I and II only The test results exemplify both the recency effect and the serial position effect. The recency effect refers to the tendency to recall items near the end of a list. Serial position effect describes that it is more likely to retain pieces of information from the beginning and end of a list.

Which of the following are dependent variables examined in the study?

I and III only In a research study, the independent variable is the variable that is expected to have a causal effect on another variable, while the dependent variable is the presumed effect. Here, the expected effects (i.e., the dependent variables) are changes in the levels of birth attendant use (I), the use of postnatal care (III), and the use of colostrum.

After a newborn is brought home, a father agrees to change at least two diapers a day. What kind of support is the father providing?

Instrumental support Instrumental support refers to the various types of tangible help that others may provide to an individual (e.g., help with childcare/housekeeping, provision of transportation, or giving of money).

An overweight person attempts to lose weight by following a series of popular diet books, but he fails in each instance. Eventually, he ceases trying to lose weight, and his BMI slowly increases. This situation best demonstrates which phenomenon?

Learned helplessness Learned helplessness is demonstrated when a person experiences an unpleasant situation or stimulus but finds themself unable to escape or avoid the situation. The person then learns that they are unable to affect the situation and simply endure it, even if a change in behavior would allow them to escape.

Which of the following best explains the passage's description of the priorities of women who "live outside the law"?

Maslow's hierarchy The women "outside the law" were discussed in paragraph 2. These women prioritize safe sex practices and reducing AIDS risk below immediate survival needs like food and shelter. This is most in accordance with Maslow's hierarchy of needs.

In a follow-up study examining the motivations that led to the overeating associated with obesity, many respondents pointed to a rewarding sense of pleasure they felt after eating large portions of high-calorie foods. This sense is most closely associated with activation of the:

Mesolimbic pathway. The mesolimbic pathway, or reward pathway, is a pathway in the brain connecting the midbrain to the forebrain. It releases dopamine in response to rewarding stimuli, thus reinforcing behaviors that are perceived as pleasurable.

Which conclusion is best supported by the results of the study?

No subject showed a post-stimulation improvement in both memory types. The two types of memory in question are recall of events before the stroke and ability to form memories afterward. Figure 1 shows the results of a post-stroke memory test, meaning that it only relates to the ability to form memories after the stroke. The third paragraph states that no changes in memory of early (pre-stroke) events were observed. Thus, no subject could possibly have improved in both memory types.

Which of the following variables is negatively correlated with globalization?

Protectionism Protectionism refers to a country rejecting trade with others and being isolative, which is inversely proportional to globalization.

Traumatic brain injuries can leave patients with reduced ability to care for themselves, reducing their self-efficacy. This can subsequently lead to feelings of worthlessness if they come to perceive themselves as a burden, especially for those patients that had taken pride in their ability to provide for others. These changes likely represent a decrease in all of the following EXCEPT:

Self-awareness. Self-awareness is the ability to recognize oneself as an individual separate from the environment and other individuals.

The women's housing interviewees discussed in the passage most likely lack:

Self-efficacy. Paragraph 2 tells us that the women in these housing programs express feelings of helplessness or powerlessness about changing the external realities of their lives. This feeling of an inability to effect change is best described as a lack of self-efficacy.

A person who is well-known in his local subculture of IV drug users is highly regarded by his fellow addicts and receives support in the manner mentioned in the passage. This support is best described as:

Social capital. The passage says that IV drug-using subcultures have their own values, roles, and status allocations, and that this social network provides its own forms of emotional and tangible support. Social capital is the benefit one receives from one's social networks; thus, the person discussed in the question is receiving social capital as a consequence of his membership in this subculture.

A Catholic Latina woman in the circumstances described at the end of paragraph 3 is most likely attempting to avoid what phenomenon?

Stigmatization The final paragraph mentions that a Latina woman from a traditional household may avoid purchasing condoms because she worries that she will be labeled as "loose." Stigma is extreme disapproval of a person based on some behavior or quality of that person.

It is found that some people who suffer from antisocial personality disorder had trouble with speech comprehension as children. What brain area is most closely associated with this difficulty?

Wernicke's area Wernicke's area (shown below) is involved in the understanding of written and spoken language.