AP Psychology Final Exam Study Guide

Who is Wundt, what did he believe, and what process did he come up with?

(1832-1920). Wilhelm Wundt was a German psychologist. He taught students in his laboratory about how people's minds worked. He believed that consciousness could be broken down into basic pieces--emotion, experiences, thoughts, etc. So, he taught his students to think about their thoughts objectively so that they could study the various pieces of consciousness. He called this process of thinking about one's thoughts 'objective introspection.' Wundt is thought of as the father of psychology.

Define behaviorism.

Behaviorism is the idea that behavior can be controlled by conditioning and that a change in behavior can fix a mental illness.

Define evolutionary psychology.

Evolutionary psychology is the study of behaviors, process, and how they are useful or adaptive from an evolutionary perspective.

Who is Sumner and what did he do?

Francis Cecil Sumner earned a Ph.D. in psychology at Clark University in 1920, the first African-American to ever do so. Later headed the psychology department at Howard University. He is thought of as the father of African-American psychology.

Define the false consensus effect.

The false consensus effect is when someone overestimates the number of people who agree with their beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors.

Define the observer effect.

The observer effect is when a subject in a study--human or animal--knows they are being watched and behaves differently because of it.

Who are the Clarks and what did they study?

Mamsie and Kenneth Clark were psychologists who studied the effects of school segregation on African-American children.

Who is James, what did he study specifically, and what did he come up with?

(1842-1910). William James was a psychology, anatomy, and physiology teacher at Harvard until he changed focuses to only teaching psychology. Thought consciousness wasn't analyzable and was more interested in the role consciousness played in everyday life. He came up with the functionalist viewpoint.

Who is Titchener and what did he come up with?

(1867-1927). Edward Titchener was one of Wundt's students. Titchener expanded on Wundt's original ideas and came up with the structuralist viewpoint. One of the ideas that he expanded on was Wundt's idea of introspection. Titchener believed that introspection could be applied to sensations as well as thoughts.

What are the five steps of the experimental method?

1. Question 2. Form a hypothesis 3. Test the hypothesis 4. Draw conclusions 5. Report results

Give an example of an explanation that might be proposed by a behaviorist studying language development.

A behaviorist studying language development might say that language is a learned concept that develops through praise and higher expectations.

Define case study.

A case study is when a psychologst studies a single person in great detail.

Give an example of an explanation that might be proposed by an evolutionary psychologist studying gender roles.

An evolutionary psychologist studying gender roles might suggest that men and women fell into stereotypical gender roles because women need to be able to nurture children, while men need to be able to defend his family against attacks.

Who is Sanchez and what did he do?

George (Jorge) Sanchez was a Hispanic psychologist who researched intelligence tests and cultural biases in/on intelligence tests/testing during the 1940s.

Define hindsight bias.

Hindsight bias is when a person has a suspicion about something and, when proven correct, they claim that it was predictable.

What is the most important difference between correlational and experimental methods?

In the correlation method, psychologists study instances of a cause-effect scenario to find out if there is a link between the two. In the experimental method, psychologists manipulate what they think is the cause (IV) and watch to see if it changes the effect (DV). The correlation method DOES NOT prove causation, whereas the experimental method can.

Who is Margaret F. Washburn and why is she significant?

Mary F. Washburn was one of Titchener's students. In 1894, she became the first woman to receive a Ph.D. in psychology. In 1908, she published a book called 'The Animal Mind' that was considered important in the world of psychology.

Who is Calkins and why is she important?

Mary Whiton Calkins was one of James' students and tried to get a Ph.D. through Harvard, but was denied since she was a women. She later established a laboratory at Wellesley College and researched memory. She became the first female president of the APA in 1905, though she never did gain her Ph.D.

Who was Wertheimer and what branch of psychology he come up with?

Max Wertheimer didn't agree with structuralist views because he thought events, like perceiving and sensing, could not be broken down. Created Gestalt psychology with his followers. Gestalt psychology focused on studying whole patterns, not tiny pieces. Gestalt ideas are now part of cognitive psychology.

What is the difference between a clinical psychologist and a psychiatrist?

Psychiatrists diagnose and treat patients for a mental disorder they might have. Clinical psychologists provide clinical therapy and referrals to psychiatrists.

What is replication and why is it important?

Replication is when a psychologist repeats an experiment that someone else did. It is important because if an experiment is replicable, then other people can 'fact-check' the psychologist's work to see if they get the same results or if the psychologist had a bias or changed the results.

Define organizational/industrial psychology.

Studying the application of psychological concepts and psychology to businesses, organizations, and industry.

Define educational psychology.

Studying the application of psychology to education. Often involves studying children in educational settings to find the best teaching and learning methods. There is also a focus on cognitive development and assessing aptitude.

Curare blocks action at acetylcholine synapse and causes paralysis. This drug is an example of an a) Antagonist b) Agonist c) Inhibitory postsynaptic potential (IPSP) d) Excitatory postsynaptic potential (EPSP) e) Excitatory neurotransmitter

a) Antagonist

Which procedure can reduce problems associated with the use of deception by a researcher? a) Debriefing b) Random sampling c) Random assignment d) Using only single-blind studies e) Using only double-blind studies

a) Debriefing

Martin fell off his skateboard and badly bruised his elbow. He immediately began rubbing the area around the bruise and the pain subsided. This method of reducing pain can be explained by which of the following? a) Gate-Control theory b) Opponent-Process theory c) Trichromatic theory d) Expectancy theory e) Phantom pain

a) Gate-Control theory

Which psychological specialists are most likely to be involved in applied research? a) Industrial/organizational psychologists b) Developmental psychologists c) Personality psychologists d) Biological psychologists e) Counseling psychologists

a) Industrial/organizational psychologists

Professor Lopez believes that severe depression results primarily from an imbalanced diet and abnormal brain chemistry. Professor Lopez favors a ___________ perspective on depression. a) Physiological psychology b) Psychodynamic c) Behavior genetics d) Cognitive e) Social-Cultural

a) Physiological psychology

A researcher is training laboratory rats to run a complex maze. Each time the rat learns a new part of the maze, they are rewarded with a pellet of food. Within a few hours, the rats have learned the entire maze. Which of the following did researchers use to teach the rats the maze? a) Shaping b) Generalization c) Negative reinforcement d) A fixed-interval schedule of reinforcement e) Spontaneous recovery

a) Shaping

The unreliability of introspection contributed to the waning popularity of ____________. a) Structuralism b) Psychiatry c) Behaviorism

a) Structuralism

The therapist suggests to the client that he or she practice breathing techniques, and relaxation techniques such as meditation in order to reduce anxiety when discussing riding in elevators. The therapist also suggests that the client gradually increase the use of elevators while practicing these relaxation techniques. Which of the following categories would most likely represent the diagnosis associated with this set of behaviors? a) Mood disorder b) Anxiety disorder c) Dissociative disorder d) Schizophrenic disorder e) Somatoform

b) Anxiety disorder

Which perspective is most directly concerned with assessing the relative impact of both nature and nurture on your psychological traits? a) Cognitive b) Behavior genetics c) Social-Cultural d) Psychodynamic e) Functionalism

b) Behavior genetics

Smiling is to feeling as _________ is to ________. a) Evolution; natural selection b) Behavior; mental process c) Structuralism; functionalism d) Nurture; nature e) Empiricism; natural selection

b) Behavior; mental process

The therapist suggests to the client that he or she practice breathing techniques, and relaxation techniques such as meditation in order to reduce anxiety when discussing riding in elevators. The therapist also suggests that the client gradually increase the use of elevators while practicing these relaxation techniques. Which type of therapy is most closely associated with the technique this method uses? a) Psychoanalytic b) Behavioral c) Biomedical d) Cognitive e) Client-Centered

b) Behavioral

The neuroscience perspective in psychology would be most likely to emphasize that behavior is influenced by a) Environmental circumstances b) Blood chemistry c) Unconscious conflicts d) Subjective interpretations e) Genetic predisposition

b) Blood chemistry

Cognitive neuroscience studies all of the following except a) Thought processes and brain function b) Childhood memories and psychological disorders c) Out interpretations of a referee's call and how anger affects our thinking d) Cognitive state dependent retrieval e) Influences that affect a child's reasoning

b) Childhood memories and psychological disorders

Which perspective is most concerned with the unique ways in which people interpret their own life experiences? a) Social-Cultural b) Cognitive c) Neuroscience d) Behavior genetics e) Behavioral

b) Cognitive

Which of the following theories suggests that a physiological need creates a state of tension that motivates an organism to satisfy that need? a) Opponent-Process b) Drive-Reduction c) Incentive d) Arousal e) Gate-Control

b) Drive-Reduction

In order to compare the pace of life in different countries, investigators observed the speed with which postal clerks completed a simple request. This best illustrates the research method known as a) The case study b) Naturalistic observation c) The double-blind procedure d) The single-blind procedure e) The survery

b) Naturalistic observation

If psychologists discovered that wealthy people are less satisfied with their marriages than poor people are, this would indicate that wealth and marital satisfaction are a) Casually related b) Negatively correlated c) Positively correlated d) Independent variables e) Skewed

b) Negatively correlated

John Watson is to Edward Titchener as __________ is to __________. a) Hereditary; environment b) Observable behavior; inner sensations c) Mental illness; psychotherapy d) Cognitive perspective; psychoanalytical perspective e) Self-actualization; humanism

b) Observable behavior; inner sensatins

After staring at a green, black, and orange "American flag" for about a minute, an individual will see a red, white, and blue flag after image. Which of the following explains this phenomenon? a) Trichromatic theory b) Opponent-Processing theory c) Retinex theory d) Color constancy e) Convergence

b) Opponent-Processing theory

It is well known that certain autonomic responses such as heart rate, perspiration, and respiration change under stress. In view of the fact that people generally have stronger autonomic responses when lying than when telling the truth, it follows that the polygraph would be a foolproof approach to lie detection. Which statement best explains why the polygraph is not more widely used in courtrooms and in testing of job applicants? a) Most people can avoid detection when they lie b) Physiological arousal is much the same for several emotions, so the polygraph cannot always reliably distinguish guilt from other reactions c) A significant number of people show paradoxical autonomic reactions, responding more strongly when telling the truth than when lying d) In controlled studies, the polygraph has correctly identified guilty individuals in only a small percentage of cases e) The polygraph has shown to be reliable only in highly emotional cases, such as child abuse and spying

b) Physiological arousal is much the same for several emotions, so the polygraph cannot always reliably distinguish guilt from other reactions

A therapist who emphasizes helping clients to identify irrational beliefs that underlie feelings of anxiety is using which therapeutic technique? a) Client-Centered therapy b) Rational-Emotive behavior therapy c) Aversion therapy d) Psychoanalytic therapy e) Social-Learning therapy

b) Rational-Emotive behavior therapy

An image projected to the left visual field of a split-brain person will be processed in the ____________. a) Left visual cortex b) Right visual cortex c) Right side of the left retina d) Left side of the right retina e) Sensory cortex

b) Right visual cortex

Jason is attending a parade that features the local high school band. Jason's friend Brent plays the trombone in the band. It is difficult for Jason to hear Brent at the parade. Which of the following would best allow Jason to hear Brent's trombone? a) Sensory adaptation b) Selective attention c) Perceptual constancy d) Weber's Law e) Functional fixedness

b) Selective attention

The therapist suggests to the client that he or she practice breathing techniques, and relaxation techniques such as meditation in order to reduce anxiety when discussing riding in elevators. The therapist also suggests that the client gradually increase the use of elevators while practicing these relaxation techniques. What type of treatment is described above? a) Aversion therapy b) Systematic desensitization c) Extinction d) Flooding e) Punishment

b) Systematic desensitization

The term "group polarization" refers to the tendency for ____________. a) Two opposing factions to emerge within a group b) The prevailing opinion within the group to become more extreme after discussion c) A single leader to eventually dominate both groups d) One or more group members to eventually have their opinions disregarded e) Democratic leadership to increase as the length of meetings increase

b) The prevailing opinion within the group to become more extreme after discussion

Dr. Robinson conducts research on the relationship between brain chemistry and intellectual functioning. What psychological specialty does Dr. Robinson's research best represent? a) Social psychology b) Clinical psychology c) Biological psychology d) Industrial/organizational psychology e) Counseling psychology

c) Biological psychology

Dr. Santaniello conducts basic research on how children's moral thinking changes as they grow older. It is most likely that Dr. Santaniello is a(n) __________ psychologist. a) Social b) Clinical c) Developmental d) Industrial/organizational e) Psychiatric

c) Developmental

During a psychology experiment, a researcher uses a probe to lesion the ventromedial nucleus of a rat's hypothalamus. After the procedure the rat most likely will _____________. a) Become less aggressive b) Become more aggressive c) Eat more and gain weight d) Stop eating and lose weight e) Experience a loss of coordination and motor control

c) Eat more and gain weight

Professor Crisman believes most women prefer tall and physically strong partners because this preference enhanced the survival of our ancestors' genes. This viewpoint best illustrates the _________ perspective. a) Social-Cultural b) Cognitive c) Evolutionary d) Psychodynamic e) Behavioral

c) Evolutionary

William James was a prominent American a) Psychoanalyst b) Behaviorist c) Functionalist d) Structuralist e) Cognitive psychologist

c) Functionalist

Which psychologist reported that infant attachment to another goes beyond the satisfaction of the need for nourishment? a) Albert Bandura b) Jean Piaget c) Harry Harlow d) Erik Erikson e) Konrad Lorenz

c) Harry Harlow

Researcher Renee Bailargeon found that infants, at four-months-old, will look longer at a ball if it appears to roll through a solid barrier, demonstrating that babies seem to grasp basic, physical laws intuitively. Which of the following theories does this finding challenge? a) Lawrence Kholberg's theory of moral development b) Lev Vygotsky's social cognitive social cognition learning model c) Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive development d) Mary Ainsworth's findings from the Strange Situation e) Erik Eriksons theory of psychosocial development

c) Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive development

Which of the following medication has been linked to the side effects of tardive dyskinesia? a) Antidepressants b) Bensodiazepines c) Neuroleptics d) Anxiolytics e) Tricyclics

c) Neuroleptics

Mrs. Alfieri believes that her husband's irritability toward her results from his unconscious feelings of hostility toward his own mother. Mrs. Alfieri is interpreting her husband's behavior from a(n) _________ perspective. a) Evolutionary b) Behavioral c) Psychodynamic d) Behavior genetics e) Cognitive

c) Psychodynamic

In vision, transduction occurs in the ________________. a) Optic nerve b) Visual cortex c) Retina d) Lens e) Cornea

c) Retina

In phase one of a study, a researcher classically conditions a dog to salivate to the ringing of a bell. In the second phase, the researcher pairs a flashing light with the ringing of the bell. After several pairings of the light and the bell, the dog will __________________. a) No longer salivate when the bell is rung b) Only salivate when the bell is rung c) Salivate when the light is flashed d) Stop salivating when the light is flashed e) Salivate when the researcher comes into the room

c) Salivate when the light is flashed

Researchers find that there is a significant, positive correlation between the number of hours students sleep and the grades they get. The research would be justified in concluding that ______________. a) Earning good grades causes people to sleep more b) Sleeping more causes students to perform better in school c) Students who earn good grades sleep more than those who do not d) More sleep had a beneficial impact on student's grades e) Sleep deprivation has no impact on school performance

c) Students who earn good grades sleep more than those who do not

When asked which of two countries has a larger population, participants are more likely to judge the country that more familiar to them as being more populous. Which one of the following best explains this finding? a) A mean-ends analysis b) The representativeness heuristic c) The available heuristic d) Algorithms e) Inductive reasoning

c) The available heuristic

A teacher finds the distribution of scores on a final exam to be positively skewed, with low variability. On the basis of this information the teacher would be most justified in concluding that ____________. a) A small number of students in the class did poorly on the exam b) The students in her classroom have a very wide range of intellectual abilities c) The exam was too difficult d) The exam is not a reliable assessment tool e) Most of her students are of above-average ability

c) The exam was too difficult

When we meet someone, we tend to form an opinion of that person that rarely changes. This is an example of a) Individual bias b) Social bias c) The primacy effect d) The bystander effect e) The placebo effect

c) The primacy effect

Stanley Milgram's classical research on obedience showed that approximately what percentage of participants administered the highest voltage shock? a) 10% b) 25% c) 40% d) 60% e) 85%

d) 60%

The principles of operant conditioning are best illustrated by ___________. a) Exposing a client to anxiety-provoking stimuli b) Replacing a response to a stimulus with another response c) Deep-Relaxation techniques d) A token economy to reinforce adaptive behaviors e) Development of intrinsic motivation

d) A token economy to reinforce adaptive behaviors

Synthesia is a phenomenon that has been estimated to occur in only a few people in a million. Because of its rarity, researchers are likely to choose which research method to study it? a) Naturalistic observation b) Correlation reseach c) Survey research d) Case study e) Experimental research

d) Case study

Damage to which of the following brain structures may cause the inability to detect the emotional significance of facial expressions, especially those demonstrating fear? a) Hippocampus b) Thalamus c) Cerebellum d) Hypothalamus e) Amygdala

e) Amygdala

When trying to solve a problem, Bret uses a logical, step-by-step formula called ____________. a) Heuristic b) Incubation c) Insight d) Priming e) An algorithm

e) An algorithm

Which of the following best represents the role of biological processes in classical conditioning? a) A biological based, unconditioned stimulus (UCS) must immediately follow a conditioned stimulus (CS) for learning to occur b) Any novel or familiar stimulus could serve as a CS because the biological biological mechanisms underlying learning are very powerful c) Because all animals share a common cellular history, the laws of classical conditioning apply to all species d) Certain species are biologically predisposed to learn particular associations that enhance their survival e) Biological reinforcers foster learning more quickly than do environmental reinforcers

d) Certain species are biologically predisposed to learn particular associations that enhance their survival

Which of the following properties is used to assess the extent to which the items on an intelligence test measure a person's intelligence? a) Internal consistency b) Split-Half reliability c) Standardization d) Construct validity e) Predictive validity

d) Construct validity

Edward L. Thorndyke argued that responses that lead to satisfying outcomes are more likely to be repeated, and that responses followed by unpleasant outcomes are less likely to be repeated. This became known as the law of _____________. a) Reinforcement b) Associations c) Punishment d) Effect e) Outcome

d) Effect

A statistical technique that would allow a researcher to cluster such traits as being talkative, social, and adventurous with extroversion is called ___________. a) A case study b) Meta-Analysis c) Statistical significance d) Factor analysis e) Z score

d) Factor analysis

Who was both a student of William James and the first female president of the American Psychological Association? a) Jean Piaget b) Francis Bacon c) Rosalie Rayner d) Marie Calkins e) Anna Freud

d) Marie Calkins

Wilhelm Wundt's laboratory work involved experimental studies of ____________. a) Animal intelligence b) Personality development c) Learning and memory d) Reactions to sensory stimulation e) Nature versus nurture

d) Reactions to sensory stimulation

Which of the following is a binocular clue for depth perception? a) Linear perspective b) Texture gradient c) Interposition d) Retinal disparity e) Motion parallex

d) Retinal disparity

When given a drug that produced general arousal, research participants placed in a room with a happy confederate described their emotional state as happy, while those placed in a room with an angry confederate described their emotional state as angry. Which theory of emotion best explains these results? a) James-Lange b) Ekman c) Cannon-Bard d) Schachter-Singer e) Opponent-Process

d) Schachter-Singer

Which of the following is the measure of the degree of variation among set events? a) Mean b) Scatterplot c) Skewed d) Standard deviation e) Correlation coefficient

d) Standard deviation

Edward Titchener is to __________ as William James is to -__________. a) Structuralism; behaviorism b) Behaviorism; functionalism c) Functionalism; behaviorism d) Structuralism; functionalism e) Behaviorism; structuralism

d) Structuralism; functionalism

An individual with damage to Wernicke's area is most likely to have difficulty a) Identifying objects held in the hand but not seen b) Planning what to wear to a party c) Remembering the name of a person in a photograph d) Comprehending a spoken request e) Distinguishing between red and green

e) Distinguishing between red and green

Gesalt psychology is concerned primarily with understanding which of the following? a) Learning b) Motivation c) Development d) Sensation e) Perception

e) Perception

The psychoanalytic concept of repression suggests a difficulty in the functioning of which aspect of memory? a) Encoding b) Short-Term memory c) Procedural d) Explicit memory e) Retrieval

e) Retrieval