psych exam

All of the following are true of Vygotsky's sociocultural theory of cognitive development EXCEPT:

Development happens in a series of distinct stages in a predictable order.

Who developed the contingency model of learning?

rescorla

While shopping at the Smithsonian Museum store, Hannah immediately recognizes a replica of the Lincoln Memorial even though it is lying on its side. Hannah's ability to recognize this object is the result of

shape constancy

Find the range for the following distribution of scores: 33, 53, 35, 37, and 49.

20

After being exposed to a neurotoxin, Tahlia temporarily develops symptoms including muscle twitches and memory loss. Which neurotransmitter is most likely being affected by the toxin?

Acetylcholine

Which of the following statements is true of both neurotransmitters and hormones?

Both result in changes in behavior, thought, or mood

Mr. Lew gives the same final exam to both his first period and third period US History classes. The mean score in both periods is 85 out of 100, or a B average. After calculating the standard deviation, he finds that while third period has a large standard deviation, first period has a very small standard deviation. Which of the following statements is true about Mr. Lew's results?

During third period, some students earned very high scores and others earned very low scores

A recent newspaper headline proclaimed that research findings reveal that when individuals in a particular city use air conditioning units more frequently, the level of violent crime also increases significantly. Which of the following statements is the most likely explanation for the strong correlation presented in the findings?

Increased usage of air conditioners and violent crime may both be highly correlated with higher temperatures.

This brain imaging technique generates clear images of brain structures, but does not expose the patient to radiation or indicate brain functioning. What technique is being described?

MRI

All of the following statements are true about Mary Whiton Calkins EXCEPT:

She generated significant research on animal behavior, and was the first woman to officially receive a PhD in psychology

Which of the following greatly increases the speed of signals traveling along the axon of a neuron?

The ability to hear your name mentioned in another conversation while your attention is focused elsewhere

Bethany and Aliza are walking down the hall, and Bethany announces that they must be late to the pep rally because she can already hear the band playing the school song. Aliza cannot hear the band yet, indicating that she has a different ______ than Bethany does.

absolute threshold

What is the name of the process in which the lens focuses the image on the retina by changing its shape?

accommodation

Which teratogen is responsible for one of the most frequent and preventable causes of cognitive disability?

alcohol

Psychologists interested in determining if a new drug decreases symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder among teenagers conducted an experiment. The researchers selected 1,000 teenagers with this anxiety disorder to participate in a study. The teenagers were then randomly assigned to either a control or experimental condition. Which of the following represented the population in the study?

all teenagers with generalized anxiety disorder

Psychologists that study the effects of concussions on behavior in order to find ways to better diagnose these injuries among young athletes and prevent serious damage are conducting ___________ research in the specialty of ____________.

applied; neuroscience

Dr. Singh, a social psychologist, plans to conduct research on the spotlight effect involving students in her introduction to psychology courses. Before selecting participants and beginning the research Dr. Singh would be required to obtain

approval from the Institutional Review Board at her university

Which of Diana Baumrind's parenting styles is strongly correlated with high levels of self-esteem?

authoritative

Last week when the temperature soared to 102°F, Andrew came home to an extremely hot dorm room that took a long time to cool down even after he turned on the air conditioning. Today, Andrew heard on the TV that the temperature will again be over 100°F. Therefore, he set the air conditioner in his dorm room to turn on one hour before he arrives home to ensure that the room will be comfortable. Andrew's behavior is an example of

avoidance conditioning

John Garcia and others found that rats would not avoid drinking from bottles in a room in which they had been shocked, but would avoid drinking from bottles in a room in which they had received exposure to radiation and became sick. This demonstrates

biological preparedness

Which of the following is the part of the brain that coordinates fine muscle movement?

cerebellum

All of the following psychotropic drugs are considered central nervous system depressants EXCEPT:

cocaine

Suppose you are playing Monopoly with a group of children. These children understand the basic instructions and will play by the rules. However, they are not capable of hypothetical transactions such as dealing with mortgages, loans, and making special pacts with other players. In which of the following Piagetian stages of cognitive development are these children?

concrete operational stage

On what basis did the subjects in Harry Harlow's research form attachments?

contact comfort

The fact that students who take exams in a different room from the one in which they learned the material may recall slightly less than those who take the test in the same room where they attended class may be best explained by

context-dependent memory

Age being confounded with cohort is a potential problem for which type of study?

cross-sectional

All of the following examples are strategies to improve memory EXCEPT:

decay

While studying for his AP Psychology exam, Xavier tries to relate to the terms he is learning by creating personal examples. By using the self-referencing effect Xavier is taking advantage of elaborative rehearsal, which may lead to better recall. This type of encoding is an example of

deep processing

As an individual progresses through a night of sleep the amount of time in

deep sleep decreases and the amount of time in REM sleep increases

During stage 3 sleep which type of brain wave pattern predominates?

delta waves

Which of the following structures of a neuron receives incoming information?

dendrites

What is the name of the process during which the interior of an axon becomes less negative or even positive when a cell fires?

depolarize

According to Ernest Hilgard, individuals who are hypnotized are reacting to the suggestions of the hypnotist while another separate stream of consciousness remains aware of what is actually happening. What is the name for this theory to explain the phenomenon of hypnosis?

dissociation

Which specialty or subfield in psychology would be most likely to research the impact of bullying on learning and publish the findings in an academic journal?

educational

The ability to retain an image of a picture or a scene with great clarity for a fairly long period of time, which is sometimes called "photographic memory," is known as

eidetic memory

Which of the following ideas supported by John Locke and Francis Bacon involves examining human behavior through observation, experience, and experimentation?

empiricism

The memories you have of your first date, your first time performing in a play, or your first home run are all ______ memories.

episodic

Who helped to find the 8 psychosocial stages of development?

erik erikson

A random sample of subjects is one in which

every member of the population has an equal chance of being selected to participate in the research

Clever Hans, a famous horse, was known for his amazing ability to respond to mathematical equations by tapping his hoof. Through careful observation, it was found that his owner was unintentionally cuing the horse through body language. This type of bias is known as which of the following?

experimenter bias

Parallel processing for vision is made possible by the rapid successive firing of multiple specialized cells called _______, which are located in the brain. These cells each react to one aspect of a stimulus, such as straight edges or curved lines.

feature detectors

Which early perspective in psychology emphasized the purpose or usefulness of the elements of consciousness?

functionalism

What is the name for the expected behaviors of men and women in a given culture?

gender roles

Who helped to find psychophysics?

gustav fechner

Patient H.M. was the subject of one of the most famous case studies in the history of psychology because he underwent surgery that removed his hippocampus to control his epileptic seizures. Which of the following statements best describes H.M.'s condition following this surgery?

he could no longer form new memories

After Ivan Pavlov conditioned his dogs to salivate to the sound of a ticking metronome, he then paired the metronome with a light. After several pairings of the light and ticking metronome, Pavlov found that the dogs salivated to the presence of the light alone, even though it was never paired with the meat powder. What type of conditioning is being described?

high-order conditioning

The feeling of falling or floating one may experience when drifting off to sleep is called a _____ and often occurs during _______.

hypnagogic sensation; stage 1

According to Erik Erikson's psychosocial theory of development, what is the name of the psychosocial crisis faced by adolescents?

identity vs role confusion

While driving during a horrible storm, Grace is so focused on staying on the road she fails to see the car in the next lane that she ends up running into. Grace's failure to notice the other car is due to

inattention blindness

Dr. Reible wants to know whether being flattered causes feelings of attraction to increase. She conducts a study in which some participants are told they have beautiful smiles, whereas others are told nothing at all about their appearance. In this research design, being flattered or not would be the

indépendant variable

Psychologists conducting research are required to tell all the participants that they will be involved in research, explain the procedures, and obtain written permission from each individual participant prior to the start of the study. This ethical requirement is referred to as

informed consent

Wolfgang Kohler conducted a series of famous studies on chimpanzees. He placed bananas just out of reach, and observed as the chimps suddenly figured out solutions to reach them. Kohler believed that these studies illustrated the existence of __________ among chimps.

insight

The specific experimental method utilized by Wilhelm Wundt and Edward Titchener that involved analyzing mental elements by having individuals verbalize their conscious experience was known as

introspection

All of the following choices are disadvantages of the case study method EXCEPT:

it is useful for examining rare behaviors or conditions

While shopping for sporting goods Austin is able to tell that the soccer balls are farther away than the footballs, because the parallel lines of the shelves appear to be closer together where the soccer balls are displayed. Austin is using the depth cue of

linear perspective

The manifest content of dreams refers to the

literal content as experienced by the dreamer

Imagine that the results of a study reveal a correlation of r = +.63 between the number of hours of sleep an individual receives per night and GPA. This correlation suggests that

more hours of sleep will predict a higher GPA

When Seth startled four-month old baby Addie by blowing gently on her face, she extended her limbs outward and brought them back in to brace herself. What is this reflex known as?

moro

Michael is experiencing sudden "sleep attacks" in which he is overwhelmed by the urge to fall asleep instantly. This urge is uncontrollable, and he falls asleep even if he is standing up or if he is in public. Which of the following sleep disorders will Michael most likely be diagnosed as having?

narcolepsy

Logan and Miranda have been dating for two years, and Miranda is very excited about their upcoming senior prom. When Logan announces that he does not want to go to the dance, Miranda gives him the cold shoulder. Finally after several days of being ignored, Logan announces that he in fact does want to go to prom and Miranda ends the silent treatment. What type of consequence did Logan receive after he agreed to go to prom?

negative reinforcement

Joel's biological parents are Christians, but he is adopted at birth into a family that raises him in the Buddhist faith. When Joel becomes an adult he continues to be a practicing Buddhist. The fact that Joel is more similar to his adoptive parents in terms of his religious faith is evidence to support the idea that

nurture has a greater influence than innate factors

The three small bones located in the middle ear just behind the eardrum are collectively known as the

ossicles

Alexis is expecting an important phone call. Because she is expecting a call, she mistakes a random noise as the sound of her phone ringing. The predisposition Alexis has to interpret the noise she hears as a ringing phone is due to the phenomenon known as ______, which is the result of _______ processing.

perceptual set; top-down

The somatic nervous system is part of the

peripheral nervous system

Which aspect of adolescent egocentrism is connected to the sense of invincibility felt by teenagers that may lead them to engage in high-risk behaviors?

personal fable

Modern psychology has its roots in the fields of

philosophy and physiology

The __________ is considered the endocrine system's "master gland" because it releases hormones that control the functioning of all the other glands in the endocrine system.

pituitary gland

If an image of a ball is flashed to only the left visual field of a split-brain patient they will be able to

point to a picture of a ball with their left hand.

A headline in the local newspaper declares that low self-esteem shrinks the brain. What type of correlation does this statement indicated?

positive correlation

Cody strongly dislikes meat, but his parents want him to eat his chicken. He is told that if he eats his chicken, he will be able to have pie for dessert. Which principle of reinforcement are Cody's parents using to encourage their son to eat chicken?

premark principle

On the first day of class Lydia and Crystal entered the classroom at the same time and Matt mistakenly assumed that they knew each other. Matt created a grouping for Lydia and Crystal based on the Gestalt principle of

proximity

The psychological point of view that emphasizes how unconscious instincts influence human behavior is known as the

psychoanalytic perspective

According to the opponent-process theory, there are three pairs of neurons that work together to create color perception because one half of the opponent pair is inhibited by the other half of the pair that is activated. The three sets of opponent pairs are

red-green; blue-yellow; and white-black

During which phase is the neuron prevented from firing an impulse?

refractory period

Once a neurotransmitter has been released it must be removed from the synapse. It can either be broken down by enzymes or reabsorbed by the presynaptic neuron in a process called

reuptake

In classical conditioning the most efficient method of acquisition involves presenting the CS

seconds before the UCS

Which of the following attachment styles is most common among American children?

secure

After attending numerous loud concerts, Noah is told by his doctor that the hearing loss he is suffering from is the result of damage to the hair cells in his cochlea and that the damage is permanent. Which type of deafness has Noah been diagnosed with?

sensorineural

Jacob works at a store in the mall that specializes in scented candles. Individuals entering the store often comment on how strong the fragrances are, but Jacob does not notice anything as a result of

sensory adaptation

How many items can sort-term memory hold at one time?

seven items, plus or minus two

Another name for learning through successive approximations is

shaping

After Samantha's father squashes the trash in the garbage can so that it takes up less space, Samantha thinks he has made the trash disappear. According to Jean Piaget, why?

she is not yet able to conserve mass

The results of a large survey asking individuals to evaluate themselves on the personality trait of honesty could be potentially flawed because participants might answer questions incorrectly in order to create a more favorable impression. This would be an example of

social desirability bias

Information for the ______ sense is transduced by specialized receptor cells in the skin, which send messages along cranial or spinal nerves to the brain. The information arrives first at the brain's sensory relay station, the thalamus, which then sends the message to the area at the front of the parietal lobes responsible for this sense.

somatic

Although Lucan knows that he heard a certain celebrity was involved in a scandal, he incorrectly remembers where he heard the information. He thinks the information came from a news broadcast, but he actually heard the information as part of a comic parody on a TV show. Lucan is having memory problems due to

source amnesia

Jodi took part in a sleep study during which she was awakened by psychologists every time she entered REM sleep. When she was allowed to sleep again, Jodi

spent a greater amount of time in REM sleep

All of the following are examples of descriptive statistics EXCEPT:

statistical significance

Methamphetamine has properties that increase nervous system activity, and is, therefore, categorized as a

stimulant

Which of the following branches of the nervous system produces the body's fight or flight reaction in response to threats?

sympathetic nervous system

Which chromosomal disorder, caused by a recessive gene, leads to progressive and fatal nerve damage because the individual lacks a specific protein needed to break down certain chemicals in the nervous system?

tay-sacks syndrome

An AP Psychology teacher believes that the temperature of his classroom influences student test performance. As such, he conducts an experiment in which one of his classes takes the test in a 65°F classroom, while the other takes the test in a 75°F classroom. He then compares the average test score obtained from the assessment given in each classroom. In this experiment, what is the independent variable?

temperature of the classroom

The best definition of psychology is the scientific study of

the behaviors and mental processes of human and nonhuman animals

Ms. Lily just completed administering a survey to her AP Psychology class on test anxiety. Students were asked to identify their level of test anxiety on a Likert scale of 1-10. A score of 1 signifies low anxiety, while a score of 10 indicates high anxiety. The final scores consisted of 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 3, 3, 3, 6, and 9. After viewing these scores, what conclusion can Ms. Lily make?

the distribution is positively skewed

Imagine that you have developed a new medicine for headaches. You give Patient A your new medication, while Patient B gets a sugar pill. However, you tell both patients that they are receiving the medication, and in fact both report that the medicine worked! Patient B probably felt better because of

the placebo effect

The process in which stimuli—light entering the eye, heat on skin, a loud noise entering the ear—are converted into neural impulses is called

transduction

Individuals that helped Jewish families escape from the Holocaust risked their own lives and voluntarily broke the laws established by the Nazi government that was in power. According to Kohlberg, which stage of moral development did their behavior represent?

universal ethics

According to Herman Ebbinghaus, the forgetting curve is a graphical representation of how most forgetting occurs

within the first day of learning and then levels off

Researcher Alan Baddeley proposed that short-term memory involves a central executive that controls and directs attention through a visuospatial sketchpad (visual picture) and phonological loop (verbal rehearsal). Baddeley renamed short-term memory as

working memory

Which of the following is the correct order during prenatal development?

zygote, embryo, fetus