AP Psych Unit 2 Multiple Choice!!
Which of the following is a positive correlation?
As study time decreases, students achieve lower grades
Which method should a psychology researcher use if she is interested in testing whether a specific reward in a classroom situation causes students to behave better?
Experiment
"Monday morning quarterbacks" rarely act surprised about the outcome of weekend football games. This tendency to believe they knew how the game would turn out is best explained by which psychological principle?
Hindsight bias
A scientist's willingness to admit that she is wrong is an example of...
Humility
IV and DV: an investigator hypothesizes that the adult weight of a dog is higher when it has fewer littermates
IV: # of littermates DV: adult weight of the dogs
Why is random assignment of participants to groups an important aspect of a properly designed experiment?
If the participants are randomly assigned, the researcher can assume that the people in each of the groups are pretty similar
IV and DV: Guinea pigs are kept at different temps for 6 weeks. Percent weight gain is recorded.
Independent: temp Dependent: weight gain
list IV and DV: Height of bean plants is recorded daily for 2 weeks
Independent: the day/week Dependent: height of bean plants
When a distribution of scores is skewed, which of the following is the most representative measure of central tendency?
Median
Which of the following demonstrates the need for psychological science?
Our intuitions about human thinking and behavior are not always accurate
Which of the following is not an ethical principle regarding research on humans?
Participants should always be informed of the hypothesis of the study before they agree to participate
Which of the following represents naturalistic observation?
Researchers watch and record how elementary school children interact on the playground
Which descriptive statistic would a researcher use to describe how close a student's SAT score is to a school's average SAT score?
Standard deviation
A researcher wants to conduct an experiment to determine if eating a cookie before class each day improves student grades. He uses two psych classes for the experiment, providing daily cookies to one and nothing to the other. At the end of the semester, the researcher compares the final grades of students in the two classes. What is the independent variable for this experiment?
The presence or absence of cookies
A journalism student is writing an article about her school's new cell-phone policy, and she'd like to interview a random sample of students. Which of the following is the best example of a random sample?
The writer pulls the names of five students from a hat that contains all students' names. She interviews the five selected students
Researchers studying gender have found that...
There are more similarities than differences between the genders
Which of the following is a potential problem with case studies?
They may be misleading because they don't fairly represent other cases
There is a negative correlation between TV watching and grades. What can we conclude from this research finding?
We can conclude that a student who watches a lot of TV is likely to have lower grades
To accurately infer cause and effect, experimenters should use a. random assignment b. naturalistic observation c. standard deviation d. correlation coefficients e. scatterplots
a.
To assess the effect of televised violence on aggression, researchers plan to expose one group of children to violent movie scenes and another to nonviolent scenes. To reduce the chance that the children in one group have more aggressive personalities that those in the other group, the researchers should make use of a. random assignment b. the double-blind procedures c. naturalistic observations d. operational definitions e. replication
a.
To study the development of relationships, Dr. Rajiv carefully observed and recorded patterns of verbal and nonverbal behaviors among boys and girls in the school yard. Which research method did he employ? a. naturalistic observation b. replication c. the survey d. the case study e. experimentation
a.
Which of the following correlation coefficients expresses the weakest degree of relationship b/w two variables a. -0.12 b. +1.00 c. -0.99 d. +0.25 e. -0.50
a.
Which of the following correlations b/w self esteem and body weight would enable you to most accurately predict body weight from knowledge of level of self-esteem a. +0.60 b. +0.01 c. -0.10 d. -0.06 e. 0.00
a.
Which of the following is a positive correlation a. As study time decreases, students achieve lower grades b. As levels of self-esteem decline, levels of depression increase c. People who exercise regularly are less likely to be obese d. Gas milage decreases as vehicle weight increases e. Repeatedly shooting free throws in basketball is associated with a smaller percentage of missed throws
a.
Which of the following represents naturalistic observation a. Researchers watch and record how elementary school children interact on the playground. b. Researchers bring participants into a laboratory to see how they respond to a puzzle with no solution c. A principal looks at the relationship b/w the number of student absences and their grades. d. A social worker visits a family home and gives feedback on family interactions e. Two grandparents sit in the front row to watch their grandson's first piano recital
a.
Why is random assignment of participants to groups an important aspect of a properly designed experiment? a. If the participants are randomly assigned, the researcher can assume that the people in each of the groups are pretty similar b. By randomly assigning participants, the researcher knows that whatever is learned from the experiment will also be true for the population from which the participants were selected c. Random assignment keeps expectations from influencing the results of the experiment d. If participants are not randomly assigned, it is impossible to replicate the experiment e. Statistical analysis cannot be performed on an experiment if random assignment is not used
a.
Examine the following Punnett's square for two parental genotypes for eye color, where brown is dominant (B) and blue is recessive (b). What is the probability an offspring will be born with blue eyes? a. 50% b. 25% c. 100% d. 0% e. 75%
a. 50%
Stimulation to the eye results in an action potential. Which of the following first receives the information? a. dendrites of a sensory neuron b. terminal branches of an axon c. cell body of a motor neuron d. interneurons e. the myelin sheath
a. dendrites of a sensory neuron
Tim is fifteen years old and seven-freaking-feet tall. His parents are both about five-and-a-half-feet tall. Tim's height is most likely due to an a. overactive thyroid gland b. underactive pituitary gland c. overactive pineal gland d. overactive pituitary gland e. underactive thyroid gland
a. overactive pituitary gland
Which measure of central tendency would be most appropriate in determining housing values in a particular community
a. range b. mode c. median d. mean e. standard deviation
In the neuron, the main function of the dendrites is to a. release neurotransmitters to signal subsequent neurons b. connect the cell body to the axon c. perform the metabolic reactions necessary to nourish and maintain the nerve cell d. preserve the speed and integrity of the neural signal as it propagates down the axon e. receive input from other neurons
a. release neurotransmitters to signal subsequent neurons
What do scientists call an explanation that organizes observations and predicts future behaviors or events? a. hypothesis b. theory c. critical thinking d. operational definition e. replication
b
"Monday Morning quarterbacks" rarely act surprised about the outcome of weekend football games. This tendency to believe they knew how the game would turn out is best explained by which psychological principle? a. Overconfidence b. Hindsight bias c. Intuition d. Illusory correlation e. Random sampling
b.
A journalism student is writing an article about her school's new cell-phone policy, and she'd like to interview a random sample of students. Which of the following is the best example of a random sample? a. The writer arrives at school early and interviews the first five students who come through the main entrance b. The writer pulls the names of five students from a hat that contains all students' names. She interviews the five selected students c. The writer asks her teacher if she can distribute a brief survey to the students in her AP psychology class d. the writer passes out brief surveys to 50 students in the hall and uses the 18 surveys returned to her as the basis of her article e. The writer asks the principal for the names of 10 students who have had their cell phones confiscated for a day for violating the policy. She interviews these 10 students.
b.
A researcher wants to conduct an experiment to determine if eating a cookie before class each day improves student grades. He uses two psychology classes for the experiment, providing daily cookies to one and nothing to the other. At the end of the semester, the researcher compares the final grades of the students in the two classes. What is the independent variable for this experiment? a. The students in the class that received cookies b. The presence of absence of cookies c. The students in the class that didn't receive cookies d. The period of the day that the two classes met e. Semester grades
b.
An experiment was designed to study the potential impact of alcohol consumption on emotional stability. A specification of the procedures used to measure emotional stability illustrates a. the independent variable b. an operational definition c. the double-blind procedure d. random assignment e. the dependent variable
b.
Correlation research is most useful for the purposes of a. explanation b. prediction c. control d. replication e. experimentation
b.
Formulating testable hypotheses before conducting research is most directly useful for restraining a thinking error known as a. random sampling b. hindsight bias c. overconfidence d. illusory correlation e. random assignment
b.
Jen collects data that indicates that students who spend more time preparing for the AP test tend to score better than other students. Jen can now conclude that a. studying improves exam grades b. a relationship exists b/w studying and exam grades c. a significant correlation exists b/w studying and exam grades d. anyone who doesn't study will do poorly on the exam e. better students tend to study more
b.
Some psychologists consider Stanley Milgram's obedience studies to be unethical b/c of which ethical considerations a. improper sampling procedure b. risk of long-term harm c. clear scientific purpose d. debriefing e. anonymity
b.
Which method should a psychology researcher use if she is interested in testing whether a specific reward in a classroom situation causes students to behave better? a. Case study b. Experiment c. Naturalistic observation d. Correlation
b.
Which of the following is an ex. of random sampling I. Picking out of a hat to assign each of three classes to an experimental condition II. Having a computer generate a random list of 100 hs students III.. Approaching any 50 students during 6th period lunch
b.
Which of the following questions most likely could be answered using empirical approach a. is human nature basically good or evil? b. what causes aggression c. what happens after we die? d. how will style choices change in the future? e. what is the basis of faith?
b.
Which is the best description of the brainstem? a. It produces speech. b. It is the oldest and most innermost region of the brain. c. It is the location of our highest brain functioning. d. Reflexes are controlled by the brainstem. e. It allows us to savor memories.
b. It is the oldest and most innermost region of the brain.
Which of the following results in the activiation of the sympathetic nervous system? a. Your palms are dry. b. Your heartbeat is elevated. c. Your mouth is wet with saliva. d. Your digestive system is processing food. e. Your respiration rate is lowered.
b. Your heartbeat is elevated.
Two adopted children raised in the same home are a. nearly as similar as identical twins raised apart. b. no more alike than two children raised in the same neighborhood. c. nearly as similar as fraternal twins raised together. d. very likely to get nearly identical grades in school. e. more likely to have nearly identical levels of intelligence.
b. no more alike than two children raised in the same neighborhood.
In most people, which one of the following is a specific function of the left hemisphere that is typically not controlled by the right hemisphere? a. control of the left hand b. producing speech c. spatial reasoning d. abstract reasoning e. hypothesis testing
b. producing speech
Cross-culturally, with very limited exceptions, men prefer women with a. waist size equal to hip size. b. reproductive potential. c. greater intellect than themselves. d. large families. e. children from prior marriages.
b. reproductive potential.
When flooded with morphine, the brain might a. increase the intensity of the neural impulse. b. stop producing its own natural opiates. c. develop unused sensory abilities. d. increase the rate of neural growth. e. reduce its number of action potentials as a protective measure.
b. stop producing its own natural opiates.
Dr. Doolittle conducts basic research on the systematic changes in intelligence associated w/ aging. It is most likely that Dr. Doolittle is a(n) ____________ psychologist. a. biological b. social c. developmental d. industrial-organizational e. personality
c.
If the correlation b/w the physical weight and reading ability of children is +0.85, this would indicate that a. there is very little statistical relationship b/w weight and reading ability among children b. low body weight has a negative effect on the reading abilities of children. c. better reading ability is associated w/ greater physical weight among children d. body weight has no casual influence on the reading abilities of children e. weight is a casual variable dependent on reading ability
c.
To minimize the extent to which outcome differences b/w experimental and control conditions can be attributed to placebo effects, researchers make use of a. random sampling b. the double blind procedure c. random assignment d. operational definitions e. replication
c.
Vincenzo conducts an experiment to see whether fear makes mice run through mazes faster. He first selected a sample of 60 mice and then divided them into a control group and an experimental group. Which cannot be a confounding variable a. how fast the mice are at the start b. when the mice run the maze c. the population from which he selected his subjects d. how frightened the mice are before the experiment e. where the mice run the maze
c.
Which of the following demonstrates the need for psychological science? a. Psychology's methods are unlike those of any other science b. Psychological experiments are less valuable without psychological science c. our intuitions about human thinking and behavior are not always accurate d. Intuition does not provide correct answers unless it is applied through the scientific method e. Psychological science research is superior to that of other sciences like biology and physics
c.
Who used the method of introspection to scientifically identify basic elements of mind? a. Aristotle b. John Locke c. Edward Titchener d. John Watson e. Socrates
c.
Wilhelm Wundt's early experiments were attempts to investigate which area of psychology? a. the causes of mental illness b. social conformity c. the simples mental processes d. childhood development e. causes of aggression
c.
sandy scores a perfect 100 on a test that everyone else fails. if we were to graph this distribution, it would be a. symmetrical b. normal c. positively skewed d. negatively skewed e. a straight line
c.
Which of the following is a key difference between the evolutionary theories of Charles Darwin and Jean-Baptiste Lamarck? a. Lamarck argued that the environment produced random changes in organisms. b. Darwin divided all organisms into vertebrates and invertebrates. c. Lamarck held that organisms do not go extinct. d. Darwin believed that organisms evolved because they needed to. e. Darwin thought that organisms had an innate desire to survive.
c. Lamarck held that organisms do not go extinct.
A phenotype is best defined as a. a biological unit within which genetic information is encoded b. the underlying genetic composition of a species c. an observable trait or behavior that results from a particular genetic combination d. a recessive genetic combination that remained physically unexpressed e. the genetic combination of given by a parent to its offspring
c. an observable trait or behavior that results from a particular genetic combination
Individuals typically exercise more control over which of the following? a. autonomic nervous system b. neurons within the nervous system c. somatic nervous system d. parasympathetic nervous system e. sympathetic nervous system
c. somatic nervous system
Communication between neurons occurs a. when the intensity of the action potential increases past a threshold. b. from contact between the two neurons. c. when action potentials trigger the release of neurotransmitters. d. because of the all-or-none response. e. through the selective permeability of the axon.
c. when action potentials trigger the release of neurotransmitters.
1. Working in a community mental health center, Dr. Thatcher treats adults who suffer from severe depression. Dr. Thatcher is most likely a(n) ________ psychologist. a. personality b. industrial-organizational c. social d. clinical e. developmental
d.
Jose hypothesizes that a new drug he has just invented will enhance mice's memories. He feeds the drug to the experimental group and gives the control group a placebo. He then times the mice as they learn to run through a maze. In order to know whether his hypothesis has been supported, Jose would need to use a. scatter plots b. descriptive statistics c. histograms d. inferential statistics e. means-end analysis
d.
Professor Ma wants to design a project studying emotional response to date rape. He advertises for participants in the school newspaper, informs them about the nature of the study, gets their consent, conducts an interview, and debriefs them about the results when the experiment is over. If you were on the IRB, which ethical consideration would you most likely have the most concern about in the study? a. coercion b. deception c. confounding variables d. anonymity e. clear scientific purpose
d.
Theoretically, random assignment should eliminate a. sampling error b. the need to use stats c. concerns over validity d. many confounding variables e. the need for a representative sample
d.
What technique do researchers use to reduce the impact of compounding variables? a. hindsight bias b. naturalistic observation c. scatterplots d. random assignment e. measures of central tendency
d.
When a distribution of scores is skewed, which of the following is the most representative measure of central tendency? a. Inference b. Standard deviation c. Mean d. Median e. Correlation coefficient
d.
Which descriptive statistic would a researcher use to describe how close a student's SAT score is to a school's average SAT score? a. Correlation coefficient b. Mean c. Median d. Standard deviation e. Range
d.
Which of the following is an example of the functioning of the somatic nervous system? a. Kat began to perspire when she thought about her upcoming test. b. Alyssa just finished lunch, and her digestive system is working to process the food. c. Feelings of embarrassment caused Alexis's face to turn red. d. Allie picked up her pencil after it had fallen to the floor. e. While she was running, Kayla's heart rate increased.
d. Allie picked up her pencil after it had fallen to the floor.
We humans should not feel programmed by genes or the environment because we have the ability to a. isolate the effects of genes and environment, thereby eliminating their effects. b. eliminate genetic effects by radically changing our diets. c. alter ourselves genetically to become what we want. d. design the environments that shape our behavior. e. specify how our genes will affect our children.
d. design the environments that shape our behavior.
Which chemicals pass across the synaptic gap and increase the possibility the next neuron in the chain will fire? a. inhibitory neurotransmitters b. adrenaline-type exciters c. synaptic peptides d. excitatory neurotransmitters e. hormones
d. excitatory neurotransmitters
Drugs that decrease neurotransmitter activity are called a. addictive b. antagonists c. agonists d. inhibitory e. excitatory
d. inhibitory
Evolutionary psychologists seek to understand how traits and behavioral tendencies have been shaped by a. prenatal nutrition b. DNA c. chromosomes d. natural selection e. genes
d. natural selection
An experienced, practiced soccer player has a larger than usual area in her motor cortex designated to her feet. This is a result of the brain's a. association areas. b. glial cells. c. subdivisions. d. plasticity. e. aphasia.
d. plasticity.
Cross-culturally, with very limited exceptions, women prefer men who are a. usually nonassertive in their daily lives. b. the most romantic and affectionate. c. less intelligent than they are. d. potential long-term mates. e. younger than they are.
d. potential long-term mates.
According to professor Fayad, we like people who like us because their affection for us boosts our own self-esteem. His idea is an example of a. naturalistic observation b. illusory correlation c. hindsight bias d. replication e. a theory
e
In an experiment to study the effectiveness of a new drug research, participants who receive a placebo are participating in the ___________ condition. a. DV b. correlational c. experimental d. replication e. control
e
Which of the following hypotheses would be most difficult to test experimentally a. people exposed to the color red will be more aggressive than those exposed to the color blue b. exercise improves mood c. exposer to violent television increases aggression d. studying leads to better grades e. divorce makes children more independent
e.
According to the theory of evolution, why might we call some parts of the brain the old brain and some parts the new brain? a. The old brain becomes more active as we grow older. b. The old brain is most affected by age deterioration (dementias) while the new brain remains unaffected. c. Old brain parts are what exist in very young children, and the new brain develops later. d. The new brain deals with new information, while the old brain deals with information gathered when we were children. e. The old brain developed first according to evolution.
e. The old brain developed first according to evolution.
After having her corpus callosum severed, Maggie, a split-brain patient, would most likely experience which of the following problems? a. an inability to form complete and coherent sentences b. an inability to distinguish where a sound is coming from c. an inability to plan for future events d. an inability to control smooth bodily movements e. an inability to correctly identify an object while holding it in one hand
e. an inability to correctly identify an object while holding it in one hand
While running a marathon, Tamara experienced an increase in the body's natural painkiller. Which of the following chemicals has been associated with the alleviation of pain? a. acetylcholine b. GABA c. serotonin d. melatonin e. endorphins
e. endorphins
Compared with the nervous system, the endocrine system a. has more intense action potentials. b. transmits information faster with briefer effects. c. has less intense action potentials. d. regulates the speed of simple reflexes. e. transmits information slower with longer-lasting effects.
e. transmits information slower with longer-lasting effects.
