MCQ Psychology

Which of the following best describes the graph above? a. Negatively skewed distribution b. Histogram c. Positively skewed distribution d. Normal distribution e. Frequency polygon

a. Negatively skewed distribution

Michael states that his friend Scott is cheap. Michael does not realize he himself is cheap. If Scott is not cheap, which of the following defense mechanisms is Michael using? a. Projection b. Regression c. Reaction formation d. Identification e. Displacement

a. Projection

A test that is labeled an achievement test is most likely to be given to a. allow a student to be exempted from a college course b. assess the mental age of a gifted eight-year-old c. predict an individual's ability to succeed in a particular job d. determine whether a person is an extrovert or an introvert e. investigate an individual's cognitive style

a. allow a student to be exempted from a college course

Melissa reads in a parenting magazine that the average age at which children first walk on their own is twelve months old, and most children walk within the range of nine to seventeen months old. The article is discussing the concept of: a. developmental norms b. inferential statistics c. validity d. reliability e. standardized testing

a. developmental norms

The defense mechanism of reaction formation is best exemplified in which of the following situations? a. A woman who is unaware of her anger toward her friend expresses affection for that friend b. A runner forgets the name of the opponent who just defeated her in an event for which she held the record. c. A college student speaks sharply to her room-mate after quarreling with her professor about her grades. d. A man who dislikes his supervisor believes that his supervisor dislikes him. e. An elderly man lights up a cigarette just after learning that he has been cured of a respiratory ailment.

a. A woman who is unaware of her anger toward her friend expresses affection for that friend

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

a. As income increases, the likelihood of dental problems decreases.

Which of the following graphs shows the most desirable test-retest correlation a. b. c. d. e.

e.

Ethnocentrism is described in which scenario? a. Eve refuses to hire men at her bakery because she thinks they are sexist. b. Martin distrusts a certain religion because it is uncommon in the country where he lives c. Sharon shops only at businesses owned by a certain ethnic group because she believes that the group has been historically oppressed. d. Oren refuses to be lab partners with any of the girls in his class because he thinks they are not as good at science. e. Justin feels heightened anxiety whenever he is around someone from another country.

Martin distrusts a certain religion because it is uncommon in the country where he lives

Which of the following best explains how humors were thought to affect psychopathology? a. Psychological disorders are caused by an imbalance between black bile, yellow bile, blood, and phlegm b. Abnormal behavior is caused by problems with the soul. c. Mental disorders stem from conflict between emotions and reason. d. Humans are born with their mind as a blank slate, and problems arise as a result of human experiences. e. Psychological unwellness is a result of an imbalance in a person's magnetic field.

a. Psychological disorders are caused by an imbalance between black bile, yellow bile, blood, and phlegm

Which of the following is the strongest correlation? a. -.90 b. .40 c. -.23 d. .67 e. .72

a. -.90

10, 3, 5, 7, 10, 3, 10, 5, 2 The numbers above represent the quiz results for a psychology class. What is the median score for the class? a. 5 b. 3 c. 2 d. 7 e. 10

a. 5

Which of the following is an example of a prelinguistic event? a. Babbling b. Holophrasing c. Paraphrasing d. Telegraphic speech e. Motherese

a. Babbling

The argument over the relative contributions of heredity and environment in the development of various behaviors and personality traits is known as which of the following controversies? a. Nature versus nurture b. Ages versus stages c. Continuous versus discrete d. Active versus passive e. Critical period versus sensitive period

a. Nature versus nurture

Which of the following types of validity is established by demonstrating that there is a correlation between scores on a test and later academic performance? a. Predictive b. Face c. Concurrent d. Test-retest e. Content

a. Predictive

A psychologist develops a new assessment instrument for depression. She gives it to a sample of clients and then, some time later, gives it to the same sample again. What aspect of the assessment is she evaluating? a. Reliability b. Clinical significance c. Validity d. Standardization e. Sensitivity

a. Reliability

A test with normally distributed results was returned to a class of 100 students. Later, the teacher realized an error was made and added 10 points to each student's score. Which of the following must have changed as a result of the increase in scores? a. The mode b. The skew of the distribution c. The variance of the scores d. A student's percentile rank e. The standard deviation of the scores

a. The mode

Which of the following is a valid conclusion that the researchers could have drawn from the data? The new test produces scores that are generally unrelated to those produced by the original test. a. The new test is likely to be biased in favor of disadvantaged groups b. Intelligence is too abstract a concept to measure accurately. c. The measurement from the new test is likely to be better than the measurement from the original test. d. The new test provides information on intelligence that is highly comparable to that provided by the original test.

a. The new test is likely to be biased in favor of disadvantaged groups

People respond more favorably when they are faced with a 95 percent success rate than with a 5 percent failure rate because of a. framing b. overconfidence c. the representativeness heuristic d. intuition e. belief perseverance

a. framing

A test is administered to 1,000 fourth graders across the country, and then it is readministered to the same children 90 days later. The test-retest results will yield an evaluation of the test's a. reliability b. validity c. cross-cultural fairness d. goodness of fit e. factor analysis

a. reliability

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. the exam was too difficult b. the students in her classroom have a very wide range of intellectual abilities c. the exam is not a reliable assessment tool d. a small number of students in the class did poorly on the exam e. most of her students are of above average ability

a. the exam was too difficult

A researcher interested in finding a simple way to estimate intelligence decides to evaluate skull circumference as a possible indicator of intelligence. He finds that the size of an adult's skull remains the same from one measurement to the next, but he finds that skull circumference is not a very good predictor of intelligence. In this example, skull circumference as a measure of intelligence is: a. neither reliable nor valid b. reliable but not valid c. valid but not reliable d. highly correlated with intelligence test scores e. reliable and valid

b. reliable but not valid

Standard deviation is a measure of how much? a. difference there is between the highest and the lowest score in a sample b. scores in a group differ from the mean of that group c. scores from a sample differ from that of the population d. a normal person's behavior changes in a given time e. two sets of scores vary together

b. scores in a group differ from the mean of that group

Dr. Sosa concludes the students in his class are achieving appropriate mastery of the material. Why is this conclusion invalid? a. Dr. Sosa did not evaluate enough students b. The distribution is positively skewed. c. Dr. Sosa evaluated too many students. d. Dr. Sosa should have evaluated each of his classes separately e. The distribution is negatively skewed

b. The distribution is positively skewed.

A test that is valid must a. predict future behavior b. be reliable c. have scores that fit a normal curve d. reveal important information e. be normed on a random sample

b. be reliable

A stereotype is defined as which of the following? a. An action performed in response to authority b. A generalization about a social group c. A negative action taken against someone who is a member of a social group d. A belief that one's own culture is superior to all others e. An adjustment of one's behavior in response to peer pressure

b. A generalization about a social group

Which of the following is more associated with environmental effects than with genetic influence? a. Rooting reflex b. Fetal alcohol syndrome c. Sequence of motor development d. Temperament e. Prenatal maturation

b. Fetal alcohol syndrome

Which of the following is the most appropriate criterion for evaluating the predictive validity of an intelligence test? a. Chronological age b. School grades c. Scholastic aptitude d. Mental age e. Intelligence quotient

b. School Grades

Melissa reads in a parenting magazine that the average age at which children first walk on their own is twelve months old, and most children walk within the range of nine to seventeen months old. The article is discussing the concept of a. reliability b. developmental norms c. inferential statistics d. validity e. standardized testing

b. developmental norms

Receptors for olfaction are located a. on the basilar membrane of the cochlea b. the nasal cavity c. in the dermis d. in the esophagus e. in taste buds on the tongue

b. in the nasal cavity

Which of the following is an example of a strong negative correlation? a. b. c. d. e.

c.

On individual intelligence tests such as the Stanford-Binet and Wechsler scales, an IQ of 100 indicates that the test taker a. correctly answered all of the items on the test b. scored above the level of the average American adult c. scored at the average level for test takers of the same age d. took as long as the average test taker to answer the test items e. obtained the highest scores in the standardization sample

c. scored at the average level for test takers

Which study is a researcher who wants to draw correct cause-and-effect conclusions about the sense of smell likely to conduct? a. A study in which the researcher randomly selects two groups of 30 people and exposes one group to the smell of roses and the other group to the smell of gasoline to determine whether members of the group that smelled roses act nicer to one another afterward. b. A case study in which the researcher asks a person to name the smells the person is experiencing and then finds that the person has a hard time naming smells that are offensive c. A study in which the researcher randomly assigns 50 people to a group that is exposed to a strong smell of roses and 50 people to a group that experiences an odor-free environment to see whether the group exposed to the strong smell of roses reports experiencing more memories. d. A case study in which the researcher records a person's facial expressions when the person encounters different smells and then determines that when a person smells a good smell, the person smiles. e. A study in which 50 participants are asked to rate the degree to which different smells evoke happy memories. The researcher then determines which smells are associated with happy memories

c. A study in which the researcher randomly assigns 50 people to a group that is exposed to a strong smell of roses and 50 people to a group that experiences an odor-free environment to see whether the group exposed to the strong smell of roses reports experiencing more memories.

General intelligence test scores obtained during adolescence best predict which of the following? a. Quality of personal adjustment b. The probability that a qualified jobholder will perform that job satisfactorily c. Grades in school d. The job or profession at which a person would be happy e. The efficiency of interpersonal skills

c. Grades in school

The nature-nurture issue is best exemplified by which of the following questions? a. Is perception accomplished by passive detection of images in the environment or by active detection of information? b. Is gender identity most influenced by parental upbringing or by interaction with same-sex peers? c. Is level of intelligence the result of one's environment and specific learning, or is it a result of biological maturation? d. Does development proceed through a series of stages, or is it continuous? e. Is language acquisition fairly complete by the early school years, or are most linguistic forms mastered only in adolescence?

c. Is level of intelligence the result of one's environment and specific learning, or is it a result of biological maturation?

Dr. Sosa administers the first exam to all his introductory psychology students, which amounts to 250 students total. The mean for the first exam was 75%. The grades for Dr. Sosa's classes are distributed as shown below a. Dr. Sosa did not evaluate enough students b. Dr. Sosa should have evaluated each of his classes separately c. The distribution is positively skewed. d. Dr. Sosa evaluated too many students. e. The distribution is negatively skewed

c. The distribution is positively skewed.

Which of the following is an example of a strong negative correlation? a. b. c. d. e.

c. (downwards graph)

In data set B, the range is a. -1 b. 18 c. 4 d. 1 e. 12

c. -4

2, 11, 2, 3, 3, 4, 2, 5 What is the mode of the number set above? a. 5 b. 5 c. 2 d. 9 e. 3

c. 2

Exam Scores 8 6 5 10 5 7 1 5 10 A student who scored at the mode would have how many points? a. 10 b. 3 c. 5 d. 8 e. 6

c. 5

Exam Scores 8 6 5 10 5 7 1 5 10 Which of the following is the median score? a. 1 b. 8 c. 6 d. 10 e. 5

c. 6

A researcher studied 30 people ages twenty to forty, 30 people ages forty-one to sixty, and 30 people ages sixty-one to eighty. The researcher set up two rooms—one with a faint rose smell, and one with a faint lemon smell. Each participant was asked to enter each room and identify the smell in the room. What research method did the researcher use, and what outcome would be found? a. Longitudinal. As people age, their sense of smell diminishes, especially in older age. b. Cross-sectional. Middle-aged people have the strongest sense of smell. c. Cross-sectional. As people age, their sense of smell diminishes, especially in older age. d. Longitudinal. Middle-aged people have the strongest sense of smell. e. Cross-sectional. No conclusions can be made because cause and effect cannot be inferred.

c. Cross-sectional. As people age, their sense of smell diminishes, especially in older age.

A parent who keeps a son's room intact even though he's been happily married and in his own home for five years is exhibiting which of the following defense mechanisms? a. Denial b. Sublimation c. Denial d. Reaction Formation e. Projection

c. Denial

On an intelligence test, the number of questions an individual answers correctly is meaningless without which of the following? a. Aptitude index b. Face validity c. Standardization d. Factor analysis e. g factor

c. Standardization

A child's sex is genetically determined by the: a. maternal grandmother b. mother c. father d. maternal grandfather e. paternal grandmother

c. father

A student's test score of 86 is at the 42nd percentile. This means that this student has a. received the 42nd highest score b. answered 86 percent of the test items correctly c. scored the same as or higher than 58 percent of her fellow students d. scored the same as or higher than 42 percent of her fellow students e. scored the same as 42 of her fellow students

d. scored the same as or higher than 42 percent of her fellow students

Areas that have a large prevalence of malaria, such as Africa, have a high frequency of children who have sickle cell anemia or are carriers of the trait. What role does the concept of natural selection play in this trend? a. Areas with a large prevalence of malaria often do not have adequate medical care and thus there are higher frequencies of a large number of diseases b. The climate in Africa is particularly suitable for both malaria and sickle cell anemia, and thus both are able to flourish in the region. c. People with sickle cell anemia are more prone to contracting malaria, which explains why the incidence of both is so high. d. Being a carrier of, or having sickle cell anemia is adaptive in this region, because it protects against malaria. Subsequently, children born with sickle cell anemia are less likely to die from malaria. e. Having malaria as a child changes women's genetic makeup, making them more likely to pass on the sickle cell gene to their child

d. Being a carrier of, or having sickle cell anemia is adaptive in this region, because it protects against malaria. Subsequently, children born with sickle cell anemia are less likely to die from malaria.

Dr. Porter is studying the effectiveness of two intervention programs to improve the outcomes of children who have an intellectual disability. Which of the following groups of children should she include in her study? a. Children who have been diagnosed with a language-specific impairmen b. Children who get C's in their classes c. Children who have been diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) d. Children who have an IQ between 50 and 69 e. Children who have an IQ between 100 and 125

d. Children who have an IQ between 50 and 69

Jasmine is worried about an upcoming exam. Which scenario best illustrates emotion-focused coping a. Jasmine decides it is pointless studying, because she thinks her teacher is unfair. b. Jasmine decides to put off going to a party until she studies for two hours c. Jasmine notices that the best student in the class makes flash cards to study, so she makes flash cards. d. Jasmine reaches out to her friends for comfort to reduce her stress. e. Jasmine sets aside an hour each night to study for her exam and goes to the instructor's extra study session.

d. Jasmine reaches out to her friends for comfort to reduce her stress.

Which of the following measures can be precisely located on the graph of a skewed distribution without doing any calculations? a. Variance b. Mean c. Median d. Mode e. Standard deviation

d. Mode

A student who obtained a percentile rank of 75 on an achievement test is best characterized as having a. scored 75% of the highest score b. scored 75% higher than the average test taker c. ranked 75th from the top in a group of 100 test takers d. scored higher than 75% of the test takers e. answered 75% of the test questions correctly

d. scored higher than 75% of the test takers

2, 11, 2, 3, 3, 4, 2, 5 What is the mode of the number set above? a. 4 b. 9 c. 3 d. 2 e. 5

d. 2

A parent who keeps a son's room intact even though he's been happily married and in his own home for five years is exhibiting which of the following defense mechanisms? a. Sublimation b. Regression c. Reaction formation d. Denial e. Projection

d. Denial

Which contemporary approach asserts that psychological disorders occur when environmental factors negatively influence individuals who have genetic vulnerabilities to developing psychological disorders? a. Biomedical b. Biopsychosocial c. Cognitive d. Diathesis-stress e. Behavioral

d. Diathesis-stress

Which of the following is more associated with environmental effects than with genetic influence? a. Prenatal maturation b. Sequence of motor development c. Rooting reflex d. Fetal alcohol syndrome e. Temperament

d. Fetal alcohol syndrome

On an intelligence test, the number of questions an individual answers correctly is meaningless without which of the following? a. Factor analysis b. g factor c. Face validity d. Standardization e. Aptitude index

d. Standardization

Melissa reads in a parenting magazine that the average age at which children first walk on their own is twelve months old, and most children walk within the range of nine to seventeen months old. The article is discussing the concept of: a. validity b. inferential statistics c. reliability d. developmental norms e. standardized testing

d. developmental norms

Which of the following have been shown to have a positive correlation a. Mothers' smoking and their babies' birth weight b. Self-esteem and depression c. Age and REM sleep d. Stress and health e. Perceived lack of control and learned helplessness

e. Perceived lack of control and learned helplessness

Preschoolers often have trouble buttoning shirts due to less-developed a. hemispheric specialization b. gross motor skills c. visual acuity d. balance e. fine motor skills

e. fine motor skills

Carlos wants to lose weight but is having a hard time motivating himself to go to the gym after work because he enjoys watching movies after work instead. To increase his likelihood of going to the gym, Carlos should a. set a goal of going to the gym at least seven times a week b. reward himself just before going to the gym c. avoid people who go to the gym d. make an effort to spend time watching movies when not at the gym e. reward himself immediately after going to the gym

e. reward himself immediately after going to the gym

Initially, intelligence quotients were calculated on the basis of a person's mental and chronological ages. Using that approach, a person with a mental age of 12 and an intelligence score of 120 would have a chronological age of: a. 12 b. 16 c. 18 d. 14 e. 10

e. 10

A test has a mean of 80 with a standard deviation of 4. Which of the following scores is within one standard deviation of the mean? a. 90 b. 75 c. 99 d. 86 e. 77

e. 77

Mathematics achievement scores from a group of tenth graders are shown above. The distribution is normal with a standard deviation of 10. Approximately what percentage of students scored between 50 and 80? a. 96% b. 75% c. 50% d. 68% e. 82%

e. 82%

A stubborn individual who accuses peers of being uncooperative is exhibiting which of the following defense mechanisms? a. Reaction formation b. Sublimation c. Denial d. Identification e. Projection

e. Projection

Researchers want to study the effects of teratogens. They should conduct: a. an experiment on adolescent rats b. correlational research on an infant's exposure to teratogens and the developmental delays the infant experiences c. correlational research on an adolescent rat and a prenatal rat's exposure to teratogens d. an experiment using pregnant humans e. an experiment using pregnant rats

e. an experiment using pregnant rats

Contemporary definitions of abnormal behavior typically characterize such behavior as all of the following EXCEPT a. disturbing to the individual exhibiting the behavior b. inappropriate c. atypical d. maladaptive e. due to inappropriate child-rearing practices

e. due to inappropriate child-rearing practices

The performance of the group on which an IQ test is standardized sets the a. extent to which IQ is determined by environment b. criteria for the diagnostic significance of intelligence c. degree of validity of the IQ test d. method of administration most suitable for the test e. norms against which the performance of later test takers can be evaluated

e. norms against which the performance of later test takers can be evaluated

It is widely known in Jerry's social circle that he is the most stubborn and inflexible member of the group. Yet Jerry complains that all his friends are opinionated and rigid. Jerry's complaints are most clearly a sign of: a. reaction formation b. repression c. rationalization d. displacement e. projection

e. projection

James takes an IQ test when he is in third grade and receives a score of 112. When he is tested again in sixth grade with an alternate version of the same test, his score is 114. The fact that the two scores are very similar most directly indicates that the IQ test is a. valid b. accurate c. standardized d. biased e. reliable

e. reliable

Gustatory receptors are sensitive to all of the following taste qualities EXCEPT: a. sweet b. salty c. sour d. bitter e. spicy

e. spicy