ap psych unit 1-2 test
The right occipital lobe receives visual information from the
right half of both retinas
An image projected to the left visual field of a split-brained person will be processed in the
right visual cortex
Which of the following studies has had the most profound impact on ethical issues in psychological research?
Stanley Milgram's study of obedience
Sara had an argument with her coworker, Adam. That night, Sara had a dream that she was shopping at a mall and Adam was in every store in which she shopped. A psychoanalyst would say that Adam's being at the mall in her dream was an example of which of the following?
The manifest content
George was involved in an accident and experienced head trauma. Although his eyes were functioning normally, he was unable to see. Which area of the brain was most likely affected by the accident?
The occipital lobe
Reuptake of a neurotransmitter refers to
absorption of the neurotransmitter into the terminal buttons of the sending neuron
Information is relayed to the spinal cord or the brain by
afferent neurons
Electrically stimulating a rat's amygdala would most likely produce which of the following?
aggression
Rudy has chronic trouble staying awake in class. What part of the brain is most likely responsible for Rudy's drowsiness?
reticular formation
The division of the nervous system that most directly allows voluntary muscle movement is the
somatic
If the outcome of a study is statistically significant, it means that
the results are unlikely to be obtained if there is no difference between the control group and the experimental group
The generalizability of a study increases when
the sample is more representative of the population
−3−3, 3, 0, 3, −3−3 What is the standard deviation of the numbers above?
3
Activation of the parasympathetic nervous system results in which of the following?
A decrease in heart rate
Which of the following is classified as an antagonist?
A tricyclic antidepressant, because they block serotonin and norepinephrine transporters.
Researchers looking to create a drug to reduce the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease would most likely focus their efforts on which of the following neurotransmitters?
Acetylcholine
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 which of the following theories of dreaming?
Activation-synthesis
A double-blind control is essential for which of the following?
Assessment of a treatment designed to reduce schizophrenic symptoms
Participants were asked to rate the importance of achieving honor-roll status. Researchers found that students from smaller families rated the importance more highly than students from larger families. The research team concluded that a student's attitude toward school achievement is the result of family size. Which of the following is the most important error made by the research team?
Assuming that correlation proves causation
What is the best way to ensure that results of a study are generalizable to a population?
By using a random selection of people in that population
A person with damage to Broca's area would most likely demonstrate which of the following symptoms?
Difficulty with speech production
Cocaine blocks the reuptake of which neurotransmitter?
Dopamine
Which of the following scenarios is regulated by federal law?
Dr. Mast, a psychologist, has a client, Tim, who threatens to seriously harm his brother, Carl. Tim has a history of serious violence and the means to carry out the threat; therefore, Dr. Mast must inform Carl.
Which of the follow scenarios is the best example of natural selection?
During a drought, the foliage in a region turns brown. More brownish moths than whitish moths from a particular breed survive predation and produce more offspring. Subsequent generations of moths have a higher percentage of brownish moths than the generation before.
A participant in a study of music perception listens to music with electrodes attached to her scalp while data are collected on the activity of her brain. This technique is called
EEG
Which of the following is consistent with arousal of the sympathetic nervous system?
Elevated levels of cortisol
Which of the following research approaches would be best for testing the hypothesis that the presence of certain odors causes people to gamble more?
Experimental
After an electrode implanted in a cat's brain stimulates the cat's amygdala, the cat will most likely do which of the following?
Immediately withdraw in fear
REM sleep, generally an "active" state of sleep, is accompanied by which of the following paradoxical characteristics?
Lowered muscle tone
In a normal distribution, which of the following statements is true about the area that falls between one standard deviation above and one standard deviation below the mean?
It contains the middle 68% of the distribution
In adult humans, which of the following is typically true of REM sleep?
It is correlated with dreaming.
Juana accidentally touched a hot iron. She immediately drew back her hand. Which of the following is true about the withdrawal of her hand?
It was initiated in the spinal cord.
In which of the following types of research are the same children tested periodically at different points in their development?
Longitudinal
Beth received a hemispherectomy to treat a seizure disorder when she was two years old. However, by the time she was five years old, her cognitive abilities were the same as those of a neurotypical five year old. Which of the following best explains her abilities?
Neuroplasticity
It is well established that certain autonomic responses such as heart rate, perspiration, and respiration change under stress. In view of the fact that people generally have stronger autonomic responses when lying than when telling the truth, it follows that the polygraph would be a foolproof approach to lie detection. Which statement best explains why the polygraph is not more widely used in courtrooms and in testing of job applicants?
Physiological arousal is much the same for several emotions, so the polygraph cannot always reliably distinguish guilt from other reactions.
Of the following topics, which would a cognitive psychologist be most likely to study?
Problem-solving strategies in chess
Which of the following is the correct sequence of the neural chain of events set in motion by an environmental stimulus?
Receptors, afferent neurons, interneurons, efferent neurons, effectors
A psychologist gives the same test to a class of students at the beginning of the day and again at the end of the school day. The extent to which test scores are similar across the two administrations demonstrates which of the following test properties?
Reliability
All of the following are American Psychological Association ethical guidelines for researchers EXCEPT:
Research may not involve deception.
If an individual has lost the ability to feel pain in the left arm, there is most likely damage to what area of the brain?
Right parietal lobe
Which of the following best describes the response of members of the American Psychological Association to ethical issues in research?
They have developed codes of ethics for research with both human participants and animal subjects.
A researcher randomly assigned boys and girls to each of two groups. One group watched a violent television program while the other group watched a nonviolent program. The children were then observed during a period of free play, and the incidence of aggressive behavior was recorded for each group.
Type of television program viewed
A person will most likely develop aphasia as a result of damage to which of the following parts of the brain?
Wernicke's area
A researcher is studying the effect of caffeinated drinks on the activity level of ten-year-old children. Half of the children in the study drank caffeinated soda, and half drank noncaffeinated soda. Neither the research team nor the children knew which drinks had caffeine and which drinks did not. The researchers were using
a double-blind design
To minimize experimenter bias, researchers should use
a double-blind design
A certain drug reduces the activity of the central nervous system, including the hippocampus and cerebellum. It affects several neurotransmitters, most notably gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). Which of the following is most like the drug in question ?
alcohol
An individual who drinks alcohol daily finds it necessary to drink increasing amounts to achieve the state of well-being attained in the past. This individual is showing
alcohol tolerance
A drug that has the effect of intensifying or mimicking a particular neurotransmitter can be characterized as
an agonist, because it intensifies the effects of a particular neurotransmitter
Dr. Lee is interested in the effect of lighting on people's ability to concentrate. Dr. Lee studies this by manipulating the amount of lighting while participants read and then measuring their scores on a reading comprehension test. Group 1 receives dim light, and group 2 receives bright light. Which of the following research methods is Dr. Lee using?
an experiment
To determine whether a cause-effect relationship exists between two variables, a researcher must use
an experimental approach
Curare blocks action at acetylcholine synapses and causes paralysis. This drug is an example of an
antagonist
A polygraph machine is often called a "lie detector," although it does not detect lies. Instead, it responds to changes in
autonomic arousal
Clinical researchers are interested in gaining insight into the causes of abnormal behavior. One way that they do this is to delve deeply into the histories of patients with a common diagnosis, interviewing family, friends, teachers, therapists, physicians, babysitters, and others who can provide rich details about the patients' lives. Then, researchers try to see if there are any common themes in the information gathered. What research method does this strategy represent?
case study
During the high-wire act, Grace walks along a rope suspended 30 feet above the circus floor. Which of the following is most involved in helping Grace coordinate her movements and maintain her balance during the performance?
cerebellum
Parkinson's disease is most closely associated with
decreases in levels of dopamine
During a psychology experiment, a researcher uses a probe to lesion the ventromedial nucleus of a rat's hypothalamus. After the procedure the rat most likely will
eat more and gain weight
Of the following, a behavioral psychologist is most likely to study the
effects of token economies on establishing social skills among children with emotional disturbances
Most glands in the human body are a part of which system?
endocrine
A researcher uses debriefing when he
explains the true purpose of a study immediately after the study is complete
Sigmund Freud believed that dream analysis was a useful device for
gaining insight into unconscious motives
Lucid dreaming occurs when people
have dreams in which they are aware that they are dreaming
Hunger and eating are primarily regulated by which of the following?
hypothalamus
The part of the endocrine system that is responsible for overseeing and regulating the release of hormones across the entire body is the
hypothalamus
A survey shows that children who have encyclopedias in their homes earn better grades in school than children whose homes lack encyclopedias. The researcher concludes that having encyclopedias at home improves grades. This conclusion is erroneous primarily because the researcher has incorrectly
inferred causation from correlation
Many common antidepressants ease symptoms of depression by
inhibiting serotonin reuptake, which makes serotonin more available
For most people, speech functions are primarily localized in the
left cerebral hemisphere
The area of the brain stem that is important in controlling breathing is the
medulla
In a distribution of a class's test scores, a large number of students received high scores while fewer students received low scores. The distribution of the test scores is best described as being
negatively skewed
Dopamine, norepinephrine, and acetylcholine are all
neurotransmitters that excite or inhibit a neural signal across a synapse
The hypothesis that intelligence is in part inherited is best supported by the fact that the IQ correlation for
pairs of identical twins is greater than for pairs of fraternal twins
An illusory correlation is best defined as a
perceived relationship where one does not exist
In psychology, Gestalt principles are used to explain
perceptual organization
Joseph has blue eyes and brown hair and is tall. These characteristics are best described as
phenotypic traits
Of the following, an evolutionary psychologist will most likely investigate the
reason why many people have an innate fear of the dark
A common psychological effect of alcohol intake is
reduced inhibition
Emmit wants to examine whether there is a difference in the number of students with an internal locus of control and the number with an external locus of control based on class year (e.g., freshmen versus sophomores). Which of the following is the most appropriate research method for Emmit to use to determine whether there is a difference?
survey
In a recent report, a developmental psychologist who studied peer pressure in middle schools obtained data from a large, representative sample of adolescents across the United States. This research most likely involved a
survey
An evolutionary psychologist would explain that humans desire social interaction, social acceptance, and social affiliation due to a need for
survival
Immediately after firing, a neuron is incapable of responding to stimulation. This condition is referred to as
the absolute refractory phase
Dr. Mayhew finds that children who are randomly assigned to watch television shows containing many acts of violence later show more aggressive behavior during recess than children who are randomly assigned to watch television shows containing no acts of violence. In the experiment, the dependent variable is
the level of aggressive behavior displayed by the children during recess
It is important for researchers to use precise operational definitions when
they want to be able to replicate the experiment
Research participants are randomly assigned to one of three groups. One group listens to a list of words, another group reads a list of words printed on paper, and the remaining group hears and reads the words. The researcher then tests the participants' memories to see how many words the members of each group can recall. The modality in which the words are presented (i.e., auditory, visual, or both) is which type of variable?
independent