AP PSYCH EXAM (1-50)

Who would have been most likely to ignore mental processes and to define psychology as "the scientific study of observable behavior"?

John B. Watson

The greatest difficulty facing contemporary parapsychology is the

lack of a reproducible ESP phenomenon

In the 1960s, humanistic psychologists considered the approach advanced by behaviorists to be excessively

mechanistic

Children can better remember an ancient Latin verse if the definition of each unfamiliar Latin word is carefully explained to them. This best illustrates the value of

semantic encoding

Which of the following best illustrates overgeneralization in a young child's speech pattern?

"Momma holded the baby.

Which of the following is the best example of framing?

A television advertisement for lotion claims that it is made of 75 percent organic materials, not that it contains 25 percent artificial ingredients.

Ernie has begun watching sexually explicit movies. Based on research, how might this activity affect his relationship with his wife?

Ernie is likely to view his wife as less attractive.

Every day as she walks to school, Mamie passes a mural painted on the side of a building. However, when asked, she says she does not remember ever seeing it. Which of the following is the best explanation for this occurrence?

Mamie has not paid attention to the incoming information so it was not encoded into long-term memory.

The principle that two stimuli must differ by a constant proportion for their difference to be perceived is known as

Weber's law`

People's procedural memory of how to open the front door of their house is most likely to consist of

a mental image

Twenty-two-year-old Felicia scores high in hypnotic responsiveness as measured by the Stanford Hypnotic Susceptibility Scale. Research suggests that Felicia may also have

a rich fantasy life.

While reading a novel at a rate of nearly 500 words per minute, Megan effortlessly understands almost every word. This ability highlights the importance of

automatic processing

Ms. Shields, a recent stroke victim, cannot consciously perceive the large book on the coffee table in front of her. Yet, when urged to identify the book, she correctly reads aloud the printed title on the book cover. Her response best illustrates

blindsight

After flying from California to New York, Arthur experienced a restless, sleepless night. His problem was most likely caused by a disruption of his normal

circadian rhythm

By learning to associate a squirt of water with an electric shock, sea snails demonstrate the process of

classical conditioning

Prototypes are especially important in the process of

classifying objects

Austin can't remember Jack Smith's name because he wasn't paying attention when Jack was formally introduced. Austin's poor memory is best explained in terms of

encoding failure

Hormones are the chemical messengers of the

endocrine system

By manipulating a single gene, scientists have been able to control sexual orientation in

fruit flies

Compared with nonabused children, those who have experienced a history of abuse show a stronger brain-wave response to an unfamiliar but angry-looking face. This best illustrates

generalization

Monica's psychotherapist reminds her so much of her own father that she has many of the same mixed emotional reactions to him that she has to her own dad. Her reactions to her therapist best illustrate the importance of

generalization

Imagine your friend walking toward you in the hall at school. As your friend gets closer, the image cast on your retina

gets larger

By creating an outline in which specific facts and theories are located within the larger framework of major topics and subtopics, Jasmine can remember much more of what she reads in her textbooks. This best illustrates the benefits of

hierarchal organization

Remembering how to solve a jigsaw puzzle without any conscious recollection that one can do so best illustrates ________ memory.

implicit

A sudden realization of the solution to a problem is called

insight

Light-wave amplitude determines the

intensity of colors

To describe the behavior of animals in their native habitats, researchers are most likely to make use of

naturalistic observation.

A PET scan of a patient looking at a photograph of a painting would most likely indicate high levels of activity in which brain structure?

occipital lobes

Which lobes of the brain receive the input that enables you to feel someone scratching your back?

parietal

Damage to the temporal lobe area of the brain essential for facial recognition produces a loss of

perception

Motor neurons are to the ________ nervous system as interneurons are to the ________ nervous system.

peripheral; central

The explanatory power of a scientific theory is most closely linked to its capacity to generate testable

predictions

Alex tickles his brother by stroking adjacent ________ spots on his skin.

pressure

Shortly after you see a missing-child poster you are more likely to interpret an ambiguous adult-child interaction as a possible kidnapping. This best illustrates the impact of

priming

An event that decreases the behavior that precedes it is a

punishment

The function of dendrites is to

receive incoming signals from other neurons

The serial position effect best illustrates the importance of

rehearsal

Evolutionary psychologists are most likely to emphasize that human adaptiveness to a variety of different environments has contributed to human

reproductive success

Sigmund Freud emphasized that the forgetting of painful experiences is caused by a process that involves

retrieval failure.

Memory of your familiar old e-mail password may block the recall of your new password. This illustrates

retroactive interference

A failure to recognize that one's arm or leg is part of one's self is most likely to be associated with damage to the

right hemisphere

Alcohol consumption is LEAST likely to make people more

self-conscious

Research on sleep patterns indicates that

sleep patterns may be genetically influenced

Dr. Mills conducts research on why individuals conform to the behaviors and opinions of others. Which specialty area does his research best represent?

social psychology

A fixed-ratio schedule of reinforcement is one in which a response is reinforced only after a(n)

specified number of responses have been made

Evelyn wants to know how consistent her bowling scores have been during the past season. Which of the following measures would be most relevant to this specific concern?

standard deviation

Which of the following poses the greatest threat to the credibility of children's recollections of sexual abuse?

the misinformation effect

The tendency for distributed study to yield better long-term retention than massed study is known as

the spacing effect

As drug users experience neuroadaptation, they demonstrate signs of

tolerance

Kevin did not know whether the locker room was located down the short hallway to his right or down the long hallway to his left. Crossing his fingers, he decided to try the short hallway. His problem strategy best illustrates

trial and error