AP Psych 2017 Practice Exam Review (Part 3)

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?

82% (Cognitive Psychology, Unit 5)

Sally says that her dream about going to a circus is just her brain attempting to make sense of random stimulation from the brain stem. Sally's explanation is consistent with what theory of dreaming?

Activation-synthesis (The Biological Bases of Behavior, Unit 2)

Many people who have been diagnosed with major depressive disorder find their symptoms are reduced when they take a medication that alters their serotonin or norepinephrine levels. Their outcome supports what approach to depression?

Biological (Clinical Psychology, Unit 8)

What is true regarding visual information processing?

Bipolar cells relay information to ganglion cells that form the optic nerve. (Sensation and Perception, Unit 3)

Frank witnessed a burglary, and he felt very upset. Shortly after the event, Frank lost his ability to see. Doctors were unable to find a biological reason for his blindness. What is Frank experiencing?

Conversion disorder (Clinical Psychology, Unit 8)

Mary rarely expresses her opinions, needs, or desires. Whenever anyone asks for her opinion, she simply defers to the wishes of others. What personality disorder is representative of Mary's behavior?

Dependent (Clinical Psychology, Unit 8)

For every twenty cell phones that Tom sells, he will get a $50 bonus. The bonuses are an example of what type of reinforcement schedule?

Fixed ratio (Learning, Unit 4)

What intelligence posited by Howard Gardner is related to the concept of emotional intelligence?

Intrapersonal (Cognitive Psychology, Unit 5)

What is a strength of naturalistic observation?

It minimizes artificiality, which can be a problem in laboratory studies. (Scientific Foundations of Psychology, Unit 1)

What has been shown to have a positive correlation?

Perceived lack of control and learned helplessness (Scientific Foundations of Psychology, Unit 1)

Colleen likes to have others do things for her and is quick to criticize other people for being dependent and lazy. This demonstrates what defense mechanism?

Projection (Cognitive Psychology, Unit 5)

The notion that human behavior is greatly influenced by unconscious thoughts and desires is consistent with what psychological approach?

Psychodynamic (Scientific Foundations of Psychology, Unit 1)

Joel's pupils become dilated, his digestion is reduced, and his skin becomes cold. What system is controlling his bodily changes?

Sympathetic (The Biological Bases of Behavior, Unit 2)

While reviewing scores from a chapter test, a teacher discovered that the mean score was higher than the median. What statement is correct?

The distribution of scores for the test is positively skewed. (Scientific Foundations of Psychology, Unit 1)

Kristin sees a forty-year-old man fall to the ground. According to studies on prosocial behavior, what situation would decrease the likelihood of her helping him?

The man fell at a crowded farmers market. (Social Psychology, Unit 9)

What is always true of standardized tests?

They are supposed to be administered and scored in a consistent manner. (Cognitive Psychology, Unit 5)

After sustaining a traumatic injury, Russ is having difficulty comprehending the meaning of words. What part of his brain has been damaged?

Wernicke's area (The Biological Bases of Behavior, Unit 2)

When a child behaves well for an entire day, the child earns a star. After acquiring fifteen stars, the child is allowed to pick a prize from a toy chest. The star is described as

a secondary reinforcer (Learning, Unit 4)

When Julie's boyfriend bought her a nice present, she thought, "He buys me presents because he's such a nice person." This kind of explanation is referred to as

an attribution (Social Psychology, Unit 9)

Five-year-old Mary watches while her teacher pours equal amounts of water into two similar glasses. The liquid from one of the glasses is then poured into a tall, thin container, and Mary is asked which contains more—the original glass or the tall, thin container. She says the tall, thin container contains more liquid. According to Jean Piaget, this example illustrates a lack of

conservation (Developmental Psychology, Unit 6)

The "Little Albert" study demonstrated that

fear can be conditioned in humans (Learning, Unit 4)

According to Erik Erikson, individuals in early adulthood often seek a life partner with whom they will share their most closely held secrets and hopes. Erikson called this psychosocial stage of development

intimacy versus isolation (Developmental Psychology, Unit 6)

The scapegoat theory suggests that

prejudice provides an outlet to blame others for one's problems (Social Psychology, Unit 9)

The validity of hypnosis as a treatment for psychiatric disorders is directly threatened by

the lack of empirical support for its efficacy (Clinical Psychology, Unit 8)

The original dopamine hypothesis refers to the view that schizophrenia is at least partially caused by

too much dopamine in the brain (Clinical Psychology, Unit 8)