AP Psychology Multiple Choice Questions
Which school of thought in psychology focused on the adaptive nature of thinking and how our consciousness evolves to meet our needs? a. Functionalist b. Structuralist c. Behavioral d. Humanistic e. Psychodynamic
??? d. Humanistic
What was the main difference between the psychological thinking of Wilhelm Wundt and earlier philosophers who were also interested in thinking and behavior? a. Wundt was German; earlier philosophers were American. b. Wundt was the first professor from a major university interested in psychology. c. Wundt was the first scholar to call himself a psychologist. d. Wundt used psychotherapy techniques established by Freud to examine the thinking and behavior of healthy individuals. e. Wundt and his students gathered data about human thinking and behavior in a laboratory setting.
??? d. Wundt used psychotherapy techniqus established by Freud to examine the thinking and behavior of healthy individuals
Which of the following professionals focuses on the study of human flourishing and the attainment of a happy, meaningful life? a. Positive psychologist b. Evolutionary psychologist c. Behavioral psychologist d. Cognitive psychologist e. Psychotherapist
A. positive psychologist
Researchers are interested in finding out if voters are more likely to vote for congressional candidates who have more pleasant facial expressions. Starting at a random point, the researchers contact every hundredth person on the voter list to ask about candidate facial expressions. Which method are the researchers using in choosing the people they will call? a. Random sample b. Periodic sample c. Biased sample d. Survey e. Operational definition
A. random sample
Which philosopher proposed that nerve pathways allowed for reflexes? a. Socrates b. René Descartes c. John Locke d. Aristotle e. Plato
B. Rene Descartes
Which of the following best describes research typical of Wilhelm Wundt's first psychology laboratory? a. Testing ESP using a wall to observe auras above participants' head b. Using a brain-scanning device to determine the impact events have on brain function c. Measuring the reaction time between hearing a sound and pressing a button d. Studying helping behavior, based on the premise that people are good e. Making careful observations of animal spirits
C. Measuring the reaction time between hearing a sound and pressing a button
With which of the following statements would John B. Watson most likely agree? a. Psychology should study the growth potential in all people. b. Psychology should study the unconscious mind. c. Psychology should focus on observable behavior. d. Psychology should study mental thought processes. e. Psychology should study how culture and beliefs impact an individual.
C. Psychology should focus on observable behavior
The debate about the relative contributions of biology and experience to human development is most often referred to as what? a. Evolutionary analysis b. Behaviorism c. The cognitive revolution d. The nature-nurture issue e. Natural selection
D. nature-nurture issue
What is the range of the following: 12, 25, 33, 40, 80? a. 68 b. 98 c. 33 d. 38 e. 190
a. 68
Why is an operational definition necessary when reporting research findings? a. An operational definition allows others to replicate the study. b. An operational definition provides more context and includes many examples of the concept described. c. An operational definition is easier to translate into multiple languages than a dictionary definition. d. An operational definition uses more scientific language than a dictionary definition. e. An operational definition is not necessary since a dictionary definition will work as well for replication.
a. An operational definition provides more context and includes many examples of the concept described.
Which of the following questions is best investigated by means of a survey? a. Are people more likely to vote Republican or Democrat in the next election? b. Are violent criminals genetically different from nonviolent criminals? c. Does extra sleep improve memory? d. What is the best study technique for AP® exams? e. What role does exercise play in weight loss?
a. Are people more likely to vote Repubican or Democrat in the next election?
Which of the following is most important when conducting survey research? a. Choosing a representative sample b. Choosing a large sample c. Choosing a biased sample d. Choosing a sample that includes every member of the population e. Choosing a sample whose answers will likely support your hypothesis
a. Choosing a representative sample
A psychologist investigates the methods teachers use to enhance student learning. In which of the following subfield is the psychologist most likely working? a. Educational psychology b. Experimental psychology c. School psychology d. Social psychology e. Forensic psychology
a. Educational psychology
Damage to which of the following could interfere with the ability to plan for the future? a. Frontal lobe b. Temporal lobe c. Parietal lobe d. Occipital lobe e. Somatosensory cortex
a. Frontal lobe
Who among the following would most likely study the interaction of people, machines, and physical environments? a. Human factors psychologist b. Personality psychologist c. Industrial-organizational psychologist d. Counseling psychologist e. Educational psychologist
a. Human Factors psychologists
Which measure of central tendency is most influenced by outliers (data that is extremely different from other data in the set)? a. Mean b. Median c. Mode d. Standard deviation e. Histogram
a. Mean
Which lobe of the brain is located in the top rear of the brain? a. Occipital b. Parietal c. Frontal d. Temporal e. Corpus callosum
a. Occipital
Which division of the autonomic nervous system calms a person down once a stressful event has passed? a. Parasympathetic b. Central c. Somatic d. Sympathetic e. Endocrine
a. Parasympathetic
Which of the following perspectives would be most likely to examine the unconscious motives of a person who is overly aggressive on the basketball court? a. Psychodynamic b. Social-cultural c. Behavioral d. Evolutionary e. Humanistic
a. Psychodynamic
In a perfectly normal distribution of scores, which of the following statements is true? a. The mean, median, and mode are all the same number. b. The mode is equal to the standard deviation. c. The scores are positively correlated. d. The mean minus the mode equals the median. e. There is a positive skew to the distribution of data.
a. The mean, median, and mode are all the same number
The most noticeable difference between human brains and other mammalian brains is the size of the a. association areas. b. frontal lobe. c. glial cells. d. reticular activating system. e. visual cortex.
a. association areas
A split-brain patient has a picture of a dog flashed to his right hemisphere and a cat to his left hemisphere. He will be able to identify the a. cat using his right hand. b. dog using his right hand. c. dog using either hand. d. cat using either hand. e. cat using his left hand.
a. cat using his right hand
Which of the following psychologists most strongly emphasize that human behavior is powerfully influenced by the interaction between people and their physical, social, political, and economic environments? a. Community b. Evolutionary c. Educational d. Industrial-organizational e. Rehabilitation
a. community
. Researchers have discovered that individuals with lower income levels report having fewer hours of total sleep. Therefore, a. income and sleep levels are positively correlated. b. income and sleep levels are negatively correlated. c. income and sleep levels are inversely correlated. d. income and sleep levels are not correlated.
a. income and sleep are positively correlated
Cognitive neural prosthetics are placed in the brain to help control parts of the a. motor cortex. b. auditory cortex. c. somatosensory cortex. d. visual cortex. e. olfaction areas.
a. motor cortex
. Neurotransmitters cross the ______________ to carry information to the next neuron. a. synaptic gap b. axon c. myelin sheath d. dendrites e. cell body
a. synaptic gap
Which psychological principle best explains why studying an hour per day for a week is more effective than one 7-hour study session? a. Testing effect b. Distributed practice c. SQ3R d. Retrieval practice effect e. Psychometrics
a. testing effect
Researchers studying gender have found that a. there are more similarities than differences between the genders. b. there are no significant cognitive differences between the genders. c. there are no significant emotional differences between the genders. d. research tools are not capable of determining if there are or are not true differences between the genders. e. differences between the genders are becoming more pronounced over time.
a. there are mores similarities than differences between the genders
Stimulation of the amygdala is most likely to have which of the following effects? a. Happiness b. Aggression c. Hunger d. Loss of balance e. Dreaming
b. Aggression
A gymnast falls and hits her head on the floor. She attempts to continue practicing but has trouble maintaining balance. What part of her brain has probably been affected? a. Reticular formation b. Cerebellum c. Amygdala d. Thalamus e. Medulla
b. Cerebellum
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. Survey d. Naturalistic observation e. Correlation
b. Experiment
Researchers wanted to find out if eating cookies would increase a person's ability to remember the names of U.S. presidents. Thirty males and 30 females were used in the experiment. A third of these people (Group A) were given cookies while studying the names. Another third (Group B) were given nothing while studying the names. The final third (Group C) were given mint-flavored candy while studying the names. After gathering all their results, the researchers found that Group A did substantially better than Group B, but about the same as Group C. Which of the following is/are the control group(s) of this study? a. Group A b. Group B c. Group C d. Groups A & B e. Groups B & C
b. Group 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. Common sense d. Illusory correlation e. Random sampling
b. Hindsight bias
Positive psychology, which studies the ideas behind human flourishing, is connected to which psychologist? a. John Locke b. Martin Seligman c. Charles Darwin d. Sigmund Freud e. John Watson
b. Martin Seligman
Stimulation of which of the following may cause a person to involuntarily move their arm? a. Somatosensory cortex b. Motor cortex c. Glial cells d. Reticular activating system e. Visual cortex
b. Motor cortex
A split-brain patient has a picture of a dog flashed to his right hemisphere and a cat to his left hemisphere. Which of the following will he be able to verbalize? a. That he saw a dog. b. That he saw a cat. c. That he saw both a dog and a cat. d. That he did not see anything at all. e. He will report the shape for a dog but not be able to name it as a dog
b. That he saw a cat
A journalism student is writing an article about her school's new cellphone 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. The writer pulls the names of five students from a hat that contains all students' names. She interviews the five selected students.
A researcher calculates statistical significance for her study and finds a 5 percent chance that results are due to chance. Which of the following is an accurate interpretation of this finding? a. This is highly statistically significance. b. This is the minimum result typically considered statistically significant. c. This is not statistically significant. d. There is no way to determine statistical significance without replication of the study. e. Chance or coincidence is unrelated to statistical significance.
b. This is the minimum result typically considered statistically significant
There is a negative correlation between TV watching and grades. What can we conclude from this research finding? a. We can conclude that this is an illusory correlation. b. We can conclude that TV watching leads to lower grades. c. We can conclude that TV watching leads to higher grades. d. We can conclude that the grades students get impact their TV watching habits. e. We can conclude that a student who watches a lot of TV is likely to have lower grades.
b. We can conclude the TV watching leads to lower grades.
A testable prediction that drives research is known as a(n) a. theory. b. hypothesis. c. operational definition. d. guess. e. random sample.
b. hypothesis
Neurogenesis is the process by which a. one brain structure takes on the functions of an adjacent structure. b. our brain creates new neurons. c. the amygdala and thalamus work together to keep the body awake and alert. d. association areas expand as new material is learned. e. the brain adapts to new learning.
b. our brain creates new neurons
The tendency to exaggerate the correctness or accuracy of our beliefs and predictions is called a. hindsight bias. b. overconfidence. c. critical thinking. d. skepticism. e. reliability
b. overconfidence
The laboratory environment is designed to a. exactly re-create the events of everyday life. b. re-create psychological forces under controlled conditions. c. re-create psychological forces under random conditions. d. minimize the use of animals and humans in psychological research. e. provide the opportunity to do case study research.
b. re-create psychological forces under controlled conditions
Researchers wanted to find out if eating cookies would increase a person's ability to remember the names of U.S. presidents. Thirty males and 30 females were used in the experiment. A third of these people (Group A) were given cookies while studying the names. Another third (Group B) were given nothing while studying the names. The final third (Group C) were given mint-flavored candy while studying the names. After gathering all their results, the researchers found that Group A did substantially better than Group B, but about the same as Group C. 16. The dependent variable in this study is a. the mint candy. b. the test scores. c. the cookies. d. eating any food. e. the list of presidents.
b. the test scores
Which of the following groups of scores would have the smallest standard deviation? a. 20, 40, 60, 80, 100 b. 5, 15, 25, 35, 45 c. 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 d. 100, 200, 300, 400, 500 e. 15, 30, 45, 60, 75
c. 2, 4, 6, 8, 10
Researchers wanted to find out if eating cookies would increase a person's ability to remember the names of U.S. presidents. Thirty males and 30 females were used in the experiment. A third of these people (Group A) were given cookies while studying the names. Another third (Group B) were given nothing while studying the names. The final third (Group C) were given mint-flavored candy while studying the names. After gathering all their results, the researchers found that Group A did substantially better than Group B, but about the same as Group C. Which of the following is the best conclusion for this study? a. Eating cookies will always improve memory recall. b. Eating cookies tends to improve memory recall. c. Eating cookies or mint candy tends to improve memory recall. d. Eating nothing is associated with poor concentration. e. Eating mint-flavored candy will always improve memory recall.
c. Eating cookies or mint candy tends to improve memory recall.
In order for a neuron to generate an action potential, which of the following must be true? a. The neuron must be in the refractory period. b. Glial cells must release neurotransmitters into the axon. c. Excitatory impulses must outnumber inhibitory impulses. d. Dopamine and serotonin must be present in equal amounts. e. Inhibitory impulses must outnumber excitatory impulses.
c. Excitatory impulses must outnumber inhibitory impulses
Which of the following is the best example of applied research? a. Investigating personality traits b. Using psychological concepts to boost worker productivity c. Experimenting with how people perceive different stimuli d. Studying the changing abilities of children from ages 2 to 5 e. Exploring the neural changes that occur during adolescence
c. Experimenting with how people perceive different stimuli
After the student council election, a friend tells you he could have guessed who would be elected president. What psychological phenomenon might this illustrate? a. Common sense b. Critical thinking c. Hindsight bias d. Overconfidence e. Perceiving order in random events
c. Hindsight bias
Which of the following brain areas is responsible for regulating hunger and thirst? a. Reticular activating system b. Amygdala c. Hypothalamus d. Hippocampus e. Brainstem
c. Hypothalamus
If you accidentally touch a hot stove, which of the following is responsible for moving your hand away before you even realize what you have done? a. Sensory neuron b. Motor neuron c. Interneuron d. Receptor neuron e. Cortisol
c. Interneuron
While taking a standardized test with randomly scrambled answers, you notice that your last four answers have been "c." Which of the following is true concerning the probability of the next answer being "c"? a. It is higher. Once a streak begins, it is likely to last for a while. b. It is lower. Since answers are distributed randomly, "c" answers become less common. c. It is unaffected by previous answers. It is as likely to be "c" as any other answer. d. You should check your previous answers. Four "c's" in a row is impossible. e. It is higher. Test constructors trick students by keeping the same answer many times in a row
c. It is unaffected by previous answers. It is as likely to be "c" as any other answer
Damage to which of the following puts a person's life in the most danger because it may cause breathing to stop? a. Amygdala b. Thalamus c. Medulla d. Hippocampus e. Hypothalamus
c. Medulla
Which of the following is a major issue in modern-day psychology? a. Evolutionary-biological b. Social-cultural-biopsychosocial c. Nature-nurture d. Psychodynamic-cognitive e. Social-cultural-behavioral
c. Nature-nurture
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 commonsense thinking about human thoughts and behaviors is not always accurate. d. Commonsense thinking does not provide correct answers unless it is applied through the scientific method. e. Psychological science research is superior to that of other sciences such as biology and physics.
c. Our commensense thinking about human thoughs and behaviors is not always accurate.
Which of the following describes the placebo effect? a. Students in art class are not told that their work will be evaluated for a scholarship. b. Participants in an experiment do not know if they are in the experimental or control group. c. Participants in a drug study are given an inert pill instead of the drug and behave as though they were given the drug. d. Only females are chosen for a study, even though the population included males. e. Experimenters manipulate one variable in a study, but not any others.
c. Participants in a drug study are given an inert pill instead of the drug and behave as though they were given the drug
Which of the following is a positive correlation? a. As study time increases, students achieve lower grades. b. As levels of self-esteem decline, levels of depression increase. c. People who exercise regularly are more likely to be overweight. d. Gas mileage decreases as vehicle weight increases. e. Repeatedly shooting free throws in basketball is associated with a smaller percentage of missed free throws.
c. People who exercise regularly are more likely to be overweight
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 group are 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.
c. Random assignment keeps expectations form influencing the results of the experiment
Which psychological perspective is most likely to focus on how our interpretation of a situation affects how we react to it? a. Psychodynamic b. Biological c. Social-cultural d. Evolutionary e. Cognitive
c. Social-cultural
Which of the following is an example of negative correlation? a. People who spend more time exercising tend to weigh less. b. Teenage females tend to have fewer speeding tickets than teenage males. c. Students with lower IQ scores tend to have lower grades. d. As hours studying for a test decrease, so do grades on that test. e. Students' shoe sizes are not related to their grades.
c. Students with lower IQ scores tend to have lower grades
Which of the following is a potential problem with case studies? a. They provide too much detail, and the researcher is likely to lose track of the most important facts. b. They are generally too expensive to be feasible. c. The information learned may not apply to the wider population. d. They are technically difficult and most researchers don't have the skills to do them properly. e. The dependent variable is difficult to operationally define in a case study.
c. The information learned may not apply to the wider population
By Seeking to measure "atoms of the mind" who established the first psychology laboratory? a. Edward Bradford Titchener b. Margaret Floy Washburn c. Wilhelm Wundt d. G. Stanley Hall e. William James
c. Wilhelm Wundt
In a drug study, neither the participants nor the person distributing the pills knows who is receiving the new drug and who is receiving the placebo. This type of research design is said to be a(n) _____ study. a. correlational b. confounding c. double-blind d. single-blind e. illusory
c. double-blind
Multiple sclerosis is a result of degeneration in the a. dendrite. b. axon. c. myelin sheath. d. terminal button. e. neuron.
c. myelin sheath
When there is a negative charge inside an axon and a positive charge outside of it, the neuron is a. in the process of reuptake. b. about to begin the refractory period. c. said to have a resting potential. d. said to have an action potential. e. depolarizing.
c. said to have a resting potential
Which of the following correlation coefficients represents the strongest relationship between two variables? a. +0.30 b. +0.75 c. +1.3 d. -0.85 e. -0.05
d. -0.85
In a normal distribution, what percentage of the scores in the distribution falls within one standard deviation on either side of the mean? a. 34 percent b. 40 percent c. 50 percent d. 68 percent e. 95 percent
d. 68 percent
Which of the following is an example of hindsight bias? a. Armend is certain that electric cars will represent 80 percent of vehicles in 20 years and only reads research studies that support his hypothesis. b. Liza underestimates how much time it will take her to finish writing her college application essays and as a result fails to meet an important deadline. c. Experts predicting world events with 80 percent confidence turned out to be correct less than 40 percent of the time. d. Alliyah, after reading a definition on one of her flashcards, turns the card over to see the term and then tells herself she knew what the answer was all along. e. Dr. Grace overestimates how effectively her new treatment method works because she fails to seek out any evidence refuting her theory.
d. Alliyah, after reading a definition on one of her flashcards, turns the card over to see the term and then tells herself she knew what the answer was all along.
An individual with an exceptional memory is identified. For any given date, she is capable of recalling major events, the weather, and what she did that day. What research method is being used if a psychologist conducts an in-depth investigation of this individual using questionnaires, brain scans, and memory tests? a. Naturalistic observation b. Survey c. Interview d. Case study e. Theory method
d. Case study
Which of the following perspectives is most likely to address how the encoding, storing, and retrieval of information might alter our thoughts? a. Evolutionary b. Psychodynamic c. Humanistic d. Cognitive e. Biological
d. Cognitive
A psychologist works with children whose parents are divorcing. She helps them develop skills they need to cope with the situation. Which of the following psychologists is most likely to be helping these children? a. Industrial-organizational b. Social c. Research d. Counseling e. Community
d. Counseling
Which ethical principle requires that at the end of the study participants be told about the true purpose of the research? a. Institutional review board approval b. Informed consent c. Confidentiality d. Debriefing e. Protection from physical harm
d. Debriefing
Researchers wanted to find out if eating cookies would increase a person's ability to remember the names of U.S. presidents. Thirty males and 30 females were used in the experiment. A third of these people (Group A) were given cookies while studying the names. Another third (Group B) were given nothing while studying the names. The final third (Group C) were given mint-flavored candy while studying the names. After gathering all their results, the researchers found that Group A did substantially better than Group B, but about the same as Group C. Which of the following are the experimental group(s) of this study? a. Group A b. Group B 254 c. Group C d. Groups A & C e. Groups B & C
d. Groups A & C
Damage to which of following brain structures would affect the processing of new explicit memories? a. Cerebral cortex b. Medulla c. Corpus callosum d. Hippocampus e. Hypothalamus
d. Hippocampus
A researcher looking for gender differences in 3-year-olds observes a preschool class and records how many minutes children of each gender play with dolls. She then compares the two sets of numbers. What type of descriptive research is she conducting? a. Case study b. Experiment c. Random sample method d. Naturalistic observation e. Survey
d. Naturalistic observation
Which of the following scanning techniques measures glucose consumption as an indicator of brain activity? a. CT b. MRI c. fMRI d. PET e. EEG
d. PET scan
What must a researcher do to fulfill the ethical principle of informed consent? a. Keep information about participants confidential. b. Provide financial compensation to the participants. c. Protect participants from potential harm. d. Provide participants with enough information about a study to enable a rational decision about whether to participate. e. Provide participants with a postexperimental explanation of the study.
d. Provide particiapnts with enough information about a study to enable a rational decision about whether to participate
Which neurotransmitters are most likely in undersupply in someone who is depressed? a. Oxytocin and GABA b. ACh and histamine c. Dopamine and andenosine d. Serotonin and norepinephrine e. Epinephrine and glutamate
d. Serotonin and norepinephrine
Phrenology has been discredited, but which of the following ideas has its origins in phrenology? a. The left brain is more creative than the right brain. b. Brain cavities contribute to sense of humor. c. The left hemisphere lead to emotional responses. d. Specific areas of the brain control specific functions. e. The mind pumps warmth and vitality into the body
d. Specific areas of the brain control specific functions
A student is interested in knowing how widely the academic aptitude of college-bound students varies at her school. Which of the following statistical methods should she use to determine how much students' SAT scores vary from the school's average SAT score? a. Correlation coefficient b. Mean c. Median d. Standard deviation e. Range
d. Standard deviation
Paul is having difficulty understanding what his wife is saying. Which of the following areas is most likely damaged? a. The frontal lobe b. The parietal lobe c. The occipital lobe d. Wernicke's area e. Broca's area
d. Wernicke's area
Morphine is similar to the body's endorphins in that both elevate mood and ease pain. In this instance, morphine is considered to be a(n) a. antagonist. b. synapse. c. ion. d. agonist. e. axon.
d. agonist
Which of the following kinds of psychologists would most likely explore how we process and remember information? a. Developmental b. Biological c. Social d. Cognitive e. Personality
d. cognitive
Which of the following psychologists would most likely conduct psychotherapy? a. Biological b. Clinical c. Industrial-organizational d. Cognitive e. Evolutionary
d. cognitive
The purpose of random assignment is to a. allow participants in both the experimental and control groups to be exposed to the independent variable. b. ensure that every member of the population has an equal chance of being selected to participate in the research. c. eliminate the placebo effect. d. reduce potential confounding variables. e. generate operational definitions for the independent and dependent variables.
d. reduce potential confounding variables
Which of the following represents naturalistic observation? a. Researchers go to the mall and distribute surveys about the stores in the mall. 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 between the number of student absences and their grades. d. Researchers observe students' seating patterns in the cafeteria. e. Two grandparents sit in the front row to watch their grandson's first piano recital.
d. researchers observe students' seating patterns in the cafeteria
Researchers wanted to find out if eating cookies would increase a person's ability to remember the names of U.S. presidents. Thirty males and 30 females were used in the experiment. A third of these people (Group A) were given cookies while studying the names. Another third (Group B) were given nothing while studying the names. The final third (Group C) were given mint-flavored candy while studying the names. After gathering all their results, the researchers found that Group A did substantially better than Group B, but about the same as Group C. The independent variable in this study is a. the mint candy. b. the test scores. c. the cookies. d. the food treatment. e. the list of presidents.
d. the food treatment
In an experiment to test the effects of room temperature on test performance the independent variable is a. the scores on the test before the experiment begins. b. the scores on the test at the end of the experiment. c. whether the teacher was male or female. d. the temperature of the room. e. the style of test (multiple choice versus essay).
d. the temperature of the room
Which of the following animal studies is most likely to receive approval? a. Do monkeys who smoke get cancer? b. Are dogs who are abused violent? c. Will rats deprived of food for 1 week survive? d. What are the effects of raising kittens in isolation? e. Can dolphins learn simple language?
e. Can dolphins learn simple language?
Which of the following psychologists would be most likely to investigate biological, psychological, cognitive, and social changes over a lifetime? a. Educational b. Experimental c. Social d. Cognitive e. Developmental
e. Developmental
Who coined the term tabula rasa (blank slate) to help explain the impact experience has on shaping an individual? a. Francis Bacon b. René Descartes c. Edward Bradford Titchener d. Mary Whiton Calkins e. John Locke
e. John Locke
Which of the following is not an ethical principle regarding experimental research on humans? a. Researchers must protect participants from needless harm and discomfort. b. Participants must take part in the study on a voluntary basis. c. Personal information about individual participants must be kept confidential. d. Research studies must be fully explained to participants when the study is completed. e. Participants should always be informed of the hypothesis of the study before they agree to participate.
e. Participants should always be informed of the hypothesis of the study before they agree to participate
Which of the following endocrine glands may explain unusually tall height in a 12-year-old? a. Pituitary b. Adrenal c. Pancreas d. Parathyroid e. Testes
e. Testes
Which of the following is sometimes referred to as the brain's sensory switchboard, because it directs incoming sensory messages (with the exception of smell) to their proper places in the brain? a. Hypothalamus b. Pituitary c. Cerebellum d. Limbic system e. Thalamus
e. Thalamus
Following the release of neurotransmitters across the synapse, and an action potential, which of the following is most likely to take place? a. The synaptic cleft closes temporarily to terminate the action potential. b. The myelin sheath absorbs the excess neurotransmitters. c. The receiving neuron absorbs the neurotransmitter to send to the next neuron d. The axon disposes of the depleted neurotransmitters. e. The sending neuron reabsorbs the neurotransmitter for reuse.
e. The sending neuron reabsorbs the neurotransmitter for reuse
Psychiatrists differ from clinical psychologists in that they a. help people cope with challenges and crises. b. conduct research. c. explore how we view and affect one another. d. experiment with how people perceive, think, and solve problems. e. are medical doctors licensed to prescribe medication.
e. are medical doctors licensed to prescribe medication
Hormones are ______________ released into the bloodstream. a. neurons b. myelin c. action potentials d. electrical messengers e. chemical messengers
e. chemical messengers
Dwayne is interested in helping people make good decisions regarding their physical well-being. Dwayne should consider a career as a(n) a. community psychologist. b. social psychologist. c. forensic psychologist. d. industrial-organizational psychologist. e. health psychologist.
e. health psychologist
The ability of our brain to adapt to damage, where one area may take over the function of the damaged area, is due to a. lesioning. b. positron emission training. c. Broca's area. d. Wernicke's area. e. plasticity.
e. plasticity
Descriptive statistics ___________, while inferential statistics ______________. a. indicate the significance of the data; summarize the data b. describe data from experiments; describe data from surveys and case studies c. are measures of central tendency; are measures of variance d. determine if data can be generalized to other populations; summarize data e. summarize data; assess if data can be generalized
e. summarize data; assess if data can be generalized
