AP Psych Practice Questions

Milgram's famous shock experiment demanded obedience from its participants and demonstrated the existence of what psychological phenomena?

Power of authority

What are the three stages of moral development?

Pre-conventional, conventional, post-conventional

In which stage of sleep do we typically dream?

REM sleep

Leptin is a hormone released by fat cells that functions to __________.

Regulate appetite

Which hormone is most closesly associated with stress?

Cortisol

The presence of testosterone in the first weeks of pregnancy prevents female organs from developing in the embryo. If testosterone is not received, female organs will develop even if a Y chromosome is present. What receptor is necessary for testosterone to be received in the body?

5-alpha reductase

Around what age does object permanence develop?

6 months

Stereotypes related to gender and women's capabilities could cause __________ in their career advancement.

A glass-ceiling effect

What is a control group?

A group of subjects in an experiment that receives no treatment or a placebo treatment

What is stereotype threat?

A self-confirming concern that one will be evaluated based on a negative stereotype

What is the term used to describe the idea that dreams are the result of the cerebral cortex interpreting and organizing random flashes of brain activity?

Activation synthesis

What area of the brain is known as the emotional center, and is responsible for emotional reactions such as fear?

Amygdala

What is aphasia?

An impairment in communication through oral and/or written means

Jane's parents can be both demanding and responsive. They set high expectations for her, but are supportive and loving when she falls short. They also often involve Jane in creating household rules. What type of parenting style best describes Jane's parents?

Authoritative

What types of disorders have salts of lithium been used to treat?

Bipolar disorders

What method did Pavlov employ in his experiment with laboratory dogs?

Classical conditioning

What types of retinal cells allow us to perceive color?

Cones

What structure connects the left and right hemispheres of the cerebral cortex?

Corpus callosum

What are the four lobes of the cerebrum?

Frontal, parietal, temporal, occipital

Alcohol consumption increases the secretion of which of these neurotransmitters? I. Glutamate II. GABA III. Dopamine

GABA and dopamine

What is semantic memory?

General knowledge, knowing facts and concepts

Which treatment modality advocates unconditional positive regard for the client?

Humanistic

According to Erik Erikson, which of the following psychosocial stages takes place during adolescence?

Identity vs. role confusion

What is context-dependent memory?

Information is best remembered if it is encoded and recalled in the same location

Mikey paints every afternoon after school because he genuinely enjoys painting. What type of motivation is he exhibiting?

Intrinsic motivation

Who developed the theory that the concept of morality is established in three stages?

Lawrence Kohlberg

"Preconventional" is a stage in __________ theory of __________ development.

Lawrence Kohlberg's . . . moral

Is insanity a medical or legal term?

Legal

What is the name of the famous psychology experiment, conducted by John B. Watson, that showed how emotional reactions could be classically conditioned in people?

Little Albert experiment

What is approach-approach conflict?

Making decisions between two appealing choices

What is the highest step on Maslow's hierarchy of needs?

Need for self-actualization

How does prosopagnosia affect the intake of information?

One's ability to recognize faces is impaired

Albert Bandura was famous for championing which learning theory?

Social learning (Bobo doll experiment)

Body dysmorphic disorder and pain disorders are both examples of __________ diseases.

Stomatoform

The "syndrome" where one tends to see the characteristics of disorders about which one is learning as being applicable to themselves is __________.

The Intern's syndrome

What is internal locus of control?

The degree to which people believe that they, as opposed to external forces, have control over the outcome of events in their lives

What is the James-Lange theory?

The hypothesis that in response to environmental changes, a physiological change happens first, which then prompts an emotion

What is a morpheme?

The smallest unit of language that can carry meaning

Why is a double blind study important to studying certain situations?

To make sure the tester cannot, intentionally or unintentionally, reveal information that may sway the results of the study

You are reading a sign. Only half of the letters are present, yet you are still able to guess what the sign should say if it were complete. What is this called?

Top-down processing

What is the name of the theory in linguistics that suggests that some rules of grammar are hard-wired into the brain, and manifest without being taught?

Universal grammar

What is the name of the experiment that serves as the empirical demonstration of Albert Bandura's social learning theory? (hint: doll)

What is the name of the experiment that serves as the empirical demonstration of Albert Bandura's social learning theory?

When do action potentials occur?

When sodium ions enter the neuron to make the membrane potential more positive

Findings from twin studies indicate that genes influence a trait when __________ show more trait similarities than __________.

identical twins. . . fraternal twins