General Psych All quizzes

Which of the following is true of Maslow's hierarchy of needs?

The higher-level needs can only be observed in a person who is relatively satisfied in the most basic needs.

Which of the following statements is true of the HPA axis?

The hypothalamus produces corticotropin-releasing hormone.

Gary lives near an intersection. In his hall, he can hear cars honking. However, in his bedroom, he cannot hear any cars honking. In this scenario, the volume of car honks in Gary's bedroom fall below his

absolute threshold.

The multilayered light-sensitive surface in the eye that records electromagnetic energy and converts it into neural impulses for processing in the brain is known as the

retina

Dan is on a tour with his wife in Turkey. While sightseeing, Dan answers all the questions his wife has about the monuments and the places they see. In this scenario, Dan is most likely using his ________ to answer his wife's questions.

semantic memory

In the context of sensation and perception, specialized cells that detect stimulus information and transmit it to afferent nerves and the brain are called

sensory receptors.

The direction of an individual's erotic interests refers to the individual's

sexual orientation.

Which of the following is a primary reinforcer in operant conditioning?

food

Chunking improves short-term memory by

making large amounts of information more manageable.

Hank sees a car run a red light. Despite only seeing the car for a short amount of time, he is able to recall the licence plate. In this scenario, hank has most likely used his ________ to recall the licence plate.

short-term memory

Which of the following actions involves the application of chemical senses?

smelling a flower

A bicyclist claims that bicycle racing times would be faster if individuals raced in groups, because the knowledge of being in a group produces more energy to perform better. The bicyclist's claim is based on the concept of

social facilitation.

While attending a lecture, Lea starts yawning and fights hard to stay awake. She reclines in her chair and within minutes she falls asleep with her head jerking upward at short intervals. Lea is in

stage N1 sleep.

The factor that differentiates top-down processing from bottom-up processing is that top-down processing

starts with cognitive processing in the brain.

In terms of states of consciousness, hypnosis involves a(n):

state of altered attention and expectations.

Hiroko's fifth-grade teacher was disappointed when he performed poorly in math. She believes that Asian students are academically excellent and never perform poorly. In this scenario, the teacher's beliefs best illustrate

stereotyping.

The circumstances that threaten a person and tax his or her coping abilities are called

stressors.

If one were to translate "white house" to Spanish from English, it would be "casa blanca," or "house white." This demonstrates a difference in ________ between the two languages.

syntax

Observational learning occurs

through the process of watching and imitating another's behavior.

Hal has trouble sleeping at night. So, his doctor prescribes him some sleeping pills that help him sleep. However, after a couple of months the pills do not have the same effect, so his doctor asks him to increase the dosage he takes. In this scenario, Hal is demonstrating

tolerance

The term ________ refers to experiencing one's psychological gender as being different from one's biological sex.

transgender

The cognitive approach to psychology differs from the behavioral approach to psychology in that the cognitive approach

views the mind as an active and aware problem-solving system, whereas the behavioral approach portrays behavior as governed by external forces.

Which of the following is an example of a behavior?

A woman drives to work.

Carlos, a manager, wants to meet his team members—Megan, Aisha, Chang, and Jake—at 9.00 a.m. the following day. Aisha turns up 15 minutes late for the meeting. In this scenario, who among the following is committing the fundamental attribution error?

Chang, who thinks Aisha has a laid-back attitude toward work

Who among the following is most likely to have a low intelligent quotient (IQ)?

Coby, whose chronological age is above his mental age

________ refers to a psychological disorder in which an individual suffers from an unrelenting lack of pleasure in life.

Depressive disorder

________ refers to a disorder in which an individual has two or more distinct personalities or selves, each with its own memories, behaviors, and relationships.

Dissociative identity disorder

________ is a type of psychological research that attempts determine cause and effect relationships by manipulating variables.

Experimental research

Which of the following statements correctly differentiates between structuralism and functionalism in early psychology?

Functionalism was about the "why" of the mind; structuralism was about the "what" of the mind.

________ in classical conditioning is the tendency of a new stimulus that is similar to the original conditioned stimulus to elicit a response that is similar to the conditioned response.

Generalization

Jessica investigates the relationship between caffeine intake and performance on a class test for high school students. Before her sample of students takes an exam, she notes the number of cups of coffee they consumed two hours before the test. She obtains their scores after the test is over. She then calculates the correlation coefficient between the two variables and finds it to be +0.82. Which of the following conclusions should Jessica draw from this value?

Higher caffeine consumption is related to higher exam scores.

Which of the following statements is true of schizophrenia?

Individuals with schizophrenia may be lacking in the ability to read the emotions of others.

Which of the following scenarios best illustrates a flashbulb memory?

Isabel remembers the day her first baby was born.

Which of the following is true about the myelin sheath that cover the axons of nerve cells?

It facilitates the transmission of electrical impulses.

Which of the following is true of long-term memory?

It has a storage capacity that is virtually unlimited.

Which of the following statements best defines personality?

It is a pattern of enduring, distinctive thoughts, emotions, and behaviors that characterize the way an individual adapts to the world.

Which of the following is true of implicit memory?

It is related to nonconsciously remembering skills and sensory perceptions.

Which of the following is true of a fixed-ratio schedule in operant conditioning?

It reinforces a behavior after a set number of behaviors.

The moment Jenna walks into the classroom, Ryan realizes that his heart is beating faster than usual. He wonders whether he is infatuated with her. This reaction is best explained by the

James-Lange theory.

In the context of stress and its effects on the immune system, who among the following is most likely to catch the flu?

Janice has been working on a high-stakes project for nearly six months.

Which of the following experiments demonstrated the profound effect of obedience?

Milgram's experiment

Which of the following statements about attraction between people is true?

People tend to shy away from the unknown, which is why similarity facilitates attraction.

Identify a true statement about heuristics.

They aid in narrowing down the possible solutions to a problem.

Lydia just realized that her diamond necklace is missing. She immediately starts searching her house and then files a complaint about her missing necklace. Which of the following types of coping is Lydia exhibiting in this scenario?

_____ directs the cells to make sugar, fat, and protein available so that the body can take quick actions in stressful situations.

Who is most likely to state that one has the ability to control one's lives and to achieve what one desires?

a humanistic psychologist

The term ________ describes the brief wave of positive electrical charge that sweeps down the axon of a neuron.

action potential

In the context of emotion, when information about fear is conveyed through the direct brain pathway, it moves from the thalamus to the

amygdala.

Kylie knows that excessive drinking can adversely affect her health. Every time she engages in binge drinking, she tells herself that all her friends who binge drink seem healthy. In this scenario, Kylie is attempting to reduce

cognitive dissonance.

Dr. Meyer is known for his difficult pop quizzes. Immediately before he announces a pop quiz to his students, he walks to the classroom door and closes it. His students soon learn to anticipate a pop quiz whenever Dr. Meyer closes the classroom door. In the context of classical conditioning, closing the door has become a(n)

conditioned stimulus.

Lily and her classmates are asked to write an essay on what they want to be when they are older. Although Lily wants to be a florist, she does not write about it. Instead, she writes about wanting to be a doctor because most of her friends want to be doctors. In the context of social influence, Lily is best exhibiting

conformity

Before an impulse can cross the synaptic gap between neurons, the impulse must be

converted into a chemical signal.

Circadian rhythm refers to the

daily behavioral or physiological cycles.

The _____ is a theory suggesting that preexisting conditions, such as genetic characteristics, personality dispositions, or experiences, may put a person at risk of developing a psychological disorder.

diathesis-stress model

Henry, a five-year-old boy, knows that when he goes out with his mother and throws a tantrum, he will not get a treat. However, when he goes out with his father and throws a tantrum, he will get a treat. Henry's learning in this scenario exemplifies

discrimination in operant conditioning.

The sociocultural standards that determine when, where, and how emotions should be expressed are called

display rules.

Danielle is planning on a vacation with her family. During dinner, she talks to her family about it, and each one of them give their own ideas and plans for the vacation. Which of the following types of thinking has Danielle employed?

divergent thinking

Meyer plans to obtain quick money through gambling, but he realizes that he might get arrested by the police. This prevents him from going ahead with his gambling plan. According to Freud's psychoanalytic theory, which of the following structures most likely stopped Meyer from going ahead with his plan?

ego

Todd, who has been under a lot of stress lately, experiences a heart attack at his workplace. According to the general adaptation syndrome (GAS), Todd's body is most likely in the

exhaustion stage.

Lolita uses her kitchen knife to cut vegetables. She always uses her knife for either slicing bread or for chopping meat. Despite these uses, Lolita also occasionally uses the knife to unscrew nails from her kitchen equipment. This alternate way of using the knife shows that Lolita has overcome

functional fixedness.

George has a history exam the next day, so he has been studying hard. If he wants to remember most of what he has studied, he should

go to sleep rather than staying awake all night.

In the auditory system, which of the following is the ear's sensory receptor?

hair cells

According to Noam Chomsky, the fact that children all over the world acquire language at the same time indicates that

human beings are prewired to learn language at a certain time.

Miguel is able to think clearly about himself and has a clear understanding of his own goals and ambitions. He understands how human personality works and the psychology behind human behavior. According to Garndner's types of intelligence, which of the following type of intelligence is Miguel exhibiting?

intrapersonal intelligence

Bradley is an exceptionally good student. He enjoys studying and works hard toward improving the overall quality of his work. Bradley is motivated to study topics beyond the scope of his syllabus and takes pride in his gift for learning. Bradley's behavior can be attributed to

intrinsic motivation.

Eysenck viewed ________ as characteristic behavioral patterns that aim to regulate arousal around an individual's baseline level.

introversion and extraversion

Unlike anterograde amnesia, retrograde amnesia

leads to the loss of information that was stored before the event that caused the amnesia.

According to Sigmund Freud, the surface content of a dream, containing dream symbols that disguise the dream's true meaning, is known as

manifest content.

In the context of the organization of the brain, which part of the hindbrain regulates vital functions such as breathing and heart rate?

medulla

An individual diagnosed with an anxiety disorder is most likely to experience

motor tension, apprehensive expectations, and thoughts.

Gary, a high school student with no interest in academics, has started to study for four hours every week to avoid getting poor grades in school. This scenario is reflective of ________ in operant conditioning.

negative reinforcement

According to the five-factor model of personality, a person who is incapable of being calm and satisfied with oneself or others is likely to rate high on

neuroticism

Keith, a 12-year-old, listens to his mother curse every time she is frustrated. Keith starts using the same curse words in school. Which of the following aspects of Bandura's social cognitive theory is best exemplified in this scenario?

observational learning

Brenda is constantly in the habit of arranging and rearranging the things in her house. She feels very anxious when things are not arranged symmetrically and engages in this behavior to dismiss her negative feelings. Consequently, Brenda forbids children from entering her house because she is afraid that they will disturb the balance of orderliness. In the context of anxiety and anxiety-related disorders, Brenda is most likely to be diagnosed with

obsessive-compulsive disorder

After taking her English final, Natalie attempts to relax in her chair by meditating. She is attempting to reduce her heart and respiration rates, as well as her muscular tension. In this scenario, her physiological relaxation can be best attributed to the functioning of her ________ nervous system.

parasympathetic

When shopping for their brother, Jack and James are presented with a red shirt by the sales person. While Jack likes the shirt, James dislikes the shirt. In this scenario, even though the color of the shirt is the same, Jack and James disagree because of differences in their ________ of the shirt.

perception

Brendon has been using Xanax for a period of over six months. Alex, his friend, asks him to stop using the drug as it adversely affects the body. Brendon listens to Alex and discontinues taking the drug. However, upon withdrawal, he experiences immense physical pain accompanied by increased craving for the drug. This is most likely due to

physical dependence.

The entire group about which an investigator wants to draw conclusions is the

population

Seven months ago, Sandra was involved in a serious car accident. Even though she recovered fully from her injuries, she is still troubled by nightmares and flashbacks of the accident. Now, Sandra refuses to drive and insists only on using public transport. She is in a constant state of anxiety and has trouble sleeping. In the context of anxiety and anxiety-related disorders, it can be inferred that Sandra is showing symptoms suggestive of

post-traumatic stress disorder

Which of the following regions of the cerebral cortex is involved in higher cognitive functions such as planning, reasoning, and self-control?

prefrontal cortex

Rosemary is interested in studying the relationships between emotion, the nervous system, and the immune system. She would be most interested in the field of

psychoneuroimmunology.

Chad is keen on getting into the best college in the state. However, the college rejects his application. When comforted by his parents, Chad explains that he is not disappointed because if he had been accepted by the college, he would have had to move away from home. In this scenario, Chad's explanation best illustrates the defense mechanism of

rationalization

Dendrites differ from axons in that dendrites

receive information, whereas axons send information.

Professor Stenson is examining the effects of color on patients' anxiety levels. She randomly assigns patients to either a room painted white or a room painted black, and then she records their blood pressure. In this case, the independent variable is the

room color.