AP Classroom Unit 3 Test

Information is relayed to the spinal cord or the brain by a. afferent neurons b. schwann cells c. t cells d. efferent neurons e. neuroglia

a.

Operational definitions are used for which of the following reasons? a. They enable researchers to replicate studies by precisely describing the variable and how they are used b. They exclude mental processes from being studied, as they are no longer considered part of the scientific study of psychology. c. They determine which test of statistical significance will be used to analyze the results of the experiment. d. They keep the participants in the control group from knowing they have received the placebo. e. They determine whether the experiment is better suited for a laboratory or a field setting.

a.

The explanation that holds that dreams are merely the brain's attempt to make sense of meaningless patterns of brain activity during sleep is called the ... a. activation-synthesis theory b. psychoanalytic theory c. social learning theory d. cognitive theory e. evolutionary theory

a.

Which of the following assertions is best supported by empirical evidence? a. the two cerebral hemispheres are specialized to process different types of cognitive tasks b. schools should be reformed to better teach skills that are processed in the right hemispheres c. human brains are fully formed at birth d. some people are right brained, while others are left-brained e. people only use 10% of their brains

a.

Which of the following groups of characteristics best describes the REM sleep stage? a. Fast breathing, relatively high heart rate, relatively high blood pressure b. Possible muscle contractions and sensations of falling c. Likelihood of sleepwalking and sleep talking d. Slow breathing, low heart rate, low blood pressure e. Acting out dreams and bed-wetting

a.

Which of the following is the correct sequence of the neural chain of events set in motion by an environmental stimulus? a. Receptors, afferent neurons, interneurons, efferent neurons, effectors b. Receptors, efferent neurons, interneurons, afferent neurons, effectors c. Interneurons, effectors, receptors, afferent neurons, efferent neurons d. Effectors, interneurons, receptors, afferent neurons, efferent neurons e. Effectors, receptors, afferent neurons, efferent neurons, interneurons

a.

A psychological researcher designs a study to determine whether positive feedback affects self-esteem. The researcher requires each participant to toss twenty coins into a coffee can that is three feet away. Half of the participants are told that their performance is superior, and the other half are told that their performance is well below average. Although some of the participants want to quit tossing coins after a few attempts, they are told that once they begin the study they have to complete it. After the coin toss, participants take a test measuring self-esteem. Following the test, all participants are debriefed and told that information about their performance was false. Results of the study indicate that participants who are told their performance is well below average report lower levels of self-esteem than do those who are told their performance is superior. Which of the following violation of ethical guidelines occurs in the study? a. Inappropriate use of deception b. Violation of the right to withdraw c. Violation of privacy d. violation of confidentiality e. exposure to harmful procedures

b.

A researcher randomly assigned boys and girls to each of two groups. One group watched a violent television program while the other group watched a nonviolent program. The children were then observed during a period of free play, and the incidence of aggressive behavior was recorded for each group. What is the independent variable in this study? a. incidence of aggressive behavior b. type of television program viewed c. sex of the children d. number of groups e. duration of free play

b.

An image to the left visual field of a split-brained 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.

During neuronal firing, the part of the neuron that acs as an insulator and conductor to speed the electrical impulse as it travels down the axon is ... a. the terminal button b. the myelin sheath c. a dendrite d. the soma e. the synaptic cleft

b.

For most people, speech functions are primarily localized in the ... a. right cerebral hemisphere b. left cerebral hemisphere c. occipite lobe d. corpus callosum e. cerebellum

b.

The depletion of which of the following neurotransmitters is most closely associated with the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease a. dopamine b. acetylcholine c. gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) d. serotonin e. norepinephrine

b.

The hypothesis that intelligence is in part inherited is best supported by the fact that the IQ correlation for ... a. pairs of twins reared together is greater than the correlation for pairs of twins reared apart b. pairs of identical twins is greater than for pairs of fraternal twins c. pairs of fraternal twins is greater than the correlation for other pairs of siblings d. adopted children and their adoptive parents is greater than zero e. adopted children and their adoptive parents is greater than the correlation for the same children and their biological parents

b.

The results of a correlational study involving student volunteers in a psychology laboratory might not apply to the general population because a. laboratory environments are generally too artificial to generate accurate results b. the sample is not randomly chosen and therefore may not be a representative sample c. only experimental studies apply to the general population d. in a correlational study, no variables are actually manipulated e. correlational studies do not involve naturalistic observation

b.

Which of the following neurotransmitters has been linked to Parkinson's disease and schizophrenia? a. Acetylcholine b. Dopamine c. Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) d. Norepinephrine e. Serotonin

b.

Which of the following studies is from an evolutional perspective? a. a study to see if people who had a more congruent view of their real self and their ideal self were happier b. a study to see if women were more attracted to men who liked children than men who did not like children c. A study examining whether children wanted to marry their opposite-sex parent when they grew up. d. A study looking at how biological, psychological, and social factors affect development e. A study looking at how quickly a variable-ration schedule of reinforcement leads to extinction resistant behaviors

b.

Which part of the nervous system is most immediately activated by sudden fear? a. parasympathetic b. sympathetic c. neostriatum d. somatic e. cortical

b.

Although Paul seems bright and capable to his parents and friends, he has been failing in school. Paul agrees to speak with a psychologist, who suggests that his problems stem from internal processes such as unrealistic expectations and negative thinking. The psychologist's view is typical of which of the following models of behavior? a. psychoanalytic b. humanistic c. cognitive d. sociobiological e. behavioral

c.

In right-handed individuals, which of the following abilities is predominantly a function of the right hemisphere of the brain... a. speech b. writing c. spatial reasoning d. reading comprehension e. language comprehension

c.

If an individual has lost the ability to feel pain in the left arm, there is most likely damage to what area of the brain? a. left occipital lobe b. left parietal lobe c. right frontal lobe d. right parietal lobe e. right occipital lobe

d.

Immediately after firing, a neuron is incapable of responding to stimulation. This condition is referred to as a. the action potential b. the threshold difference c. specific energy of the nerve d. the absolute refractory phase e. depolarization

d.

Professor Ahad has forty-three students in section one of the psychology classes she teaches and fifty-two students in section two. Section one meets at eight a.m. and, section two meets at one p.m. Professor Ahad gives all of her students the same final exam, and those in section two score significantly higher than those in section one. Professor Ahad concludes that her section one students are academically inferior to students in section two. The biggest problem with Professor Ahad's conclusion is that ... a. she did not randomly assign the student to her classroom b. she needs an equal number of students in each class in order to draw comparisons c. there is not dependent variable in this scenario d. time of day is a confounding variable in this scenario e. she should have used the single-blind method

d.

The biological clock that operates in human beings to adjust their functioning to night-and-day periodicity is referred to as a. spontaneous neural activity b. the biofeedback monitor c. a fixed-interval schedule d. a circadian rhythm e. active consciousness

d.

The sequence of shifts in the electrical charge of a neuron is called... a. neural integration b. refractory c. synaptic transmission d. the action potential e. differential conduction

d.

What is the best way to ensure that results of a study one generalizable to a population? a. by making sure to use as many participants as possible b. by making sure that results are significant c. by making sure to use an equal number of men and women d. by using random assignment e. by using a random selection of people in that population

d.

Which of the following is classified as an antagonist? a. Cocaine, because it floods the brain with dopamine b. Mescaline, because it floods the brain with dopamine c. An amphetamine, because they lead to increased central nervous system activity d. A tricyclic antidepressant, because they block serotonin and norepinephrine transporters e. Prozac, because it blocks the reuptake of serotonin

d.

A person with damage to Broca's area would most likely demonstrate which of the following symptoms? a. forgetfulness b. hearing difficulties c. difficulty controlling balance and coordination d. difficulty controlling emotions e. difficulty with speech production

e.

A researcher randomly assigned boys and girls to each of two groups. One group watched a violent television program while the other group watched a nonviolent program. The children were then observed during a period of free play, and the incidence of aggressive behavior was recorded for each group. What is the dependent variable in this study? a. sex of the children b. duration of free play c. type of television program viewed d. level of televised violence e. incidence of aggressive behavior

e.

After an electrode implanted in a cat's brain stimulates the cat's amygdala, the cat will most likely do which of the following? a. demonstrate maternal instincts b. begin to eat uncontrollably c. begin to purr and seek physical contact d. immediately slip into REM sleep e. immediately withdraw in fear

e.

An instructor conducted an experiment to determine the effects of two different methods of study on the amount students learned in introductory physics. The results showed that the average amount learned by the group using one method was greater than the average amount learned by the group using the other. However, the difference was not statistically significant. Which of the following is the most appropriate conclusion to be drawn? a. The group of students attaining the higher mean score had studied more than the other group. b. The better study method will have different effects for students of varying levels of ability. c. Neither group learned a significant amount. d. There is a positive correlation between the results of the two methods. e. There is a possibility that the difference between the two groups occurred by chance.

e.

In an experiment designed to determine whether watching violent scenes on television increases the frequency of aggressive behavior in children, one group of subjects saw a nonviolent cartoon and another group saw a violent cartoon. In the play period that followed the viewing of the cartoons, researchers observed the two groups of children together and counted instances of aggressive behavior. The control group in the experiment is the group that ... a. the researchers thought would be most aggressive b. performed the larger number of aggressive acts c. performed the smaller number of aggressive acts d. watched the violent cartoon e. watched the nonviolent cartoon

e.

Joseph has blue eyes and brown hair and is tall. These characteristics are best described as ... a. recessive genes b. dominant genes c. mutations d. genotypic traits e. phenotypic traits

e.

Mary participates in an exercise program because she experiences an increase in energy and feelings of well-being at the end of each exercise session. The best explanation for Mary's perseverance in the program is that exercise ... a. reduces her level of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) b. reduces her level of acetylcholine c. reduces her level of glutamate d. increases her level of teratogens e. increases her level of endorphins

e.

Researchers have found a negative correlation between income and dental problems. What conclusion can correctly be drawn from this statement? a. Having a higher income causes fewer dental problems. b. As income increases, the likelihood of requiring dental care increases. c. As income increases, dental procedures become more affordable. d. A rise in the incidence of dental problems causes income to be lower. e. As income increases, the likelihood of dental problems decreases.

e.

Stimulation of portions of the left temporal love of the brain during surgery will cause to patient to ... a. see light b. lose the sense of smell c. jerk the left arm d. extend the tongue e. hear sounds

e.

When people consume large amounts of alcohol, they are often unable to recall what they did and said while they were drinking. This occurs because alcohol interferes with the brain's ability to form new memories in the ... a. reticular formation b. occipital lobe c. parietal love d. thalamus e. hippocampus

e.