Psych 101 Final Exam Example Questions
A teenager has a fight with a friend and thinks that everyone will notice and no one will like them now. What is this teen engaged in?
adolescent egocentrism
A baby who has been playing with a rattle learns to shake it to produce noise. When the same baby is given a block, they shake the block the same as they did the rattle. Based on Piaget's theory of cognitive development, what is this an example of?
assimilation
A child brings home a report card with a couple of grades that were low. The parents react to this by talking with the child and setting up a plan to work on school work each evening. Which parenting style is in effect?
authoritative
A parent took away the video game of their older child in response to their frequent teasing of younger siblings. The teasing slowed down after that. Which component of operant conditioning did the parent use?
negative punishment
A driver buckles their seatbelt so they do not have to hear the annoying buzzer. What is this an example of?
negative reinforcement
A student is at a friend's house playing video games. The student's parents keep texting reminders about homework that needs to be done. The student gets tired of the texts and goes home to do the homework. What is this an example of?
negative reinforcement
what is Piaget's term for the crucial accomplishment of understanding that objects and events continue to exist even when they cannot directly be seen, heard, or touched.
object permanence
psychology
the scientific study of behavior and mental processes
aversive conditioning example
to stop drinking, take a pill to make one nauseous
Structuralism (Wundt)
what approach did structuralism use to identify the structures of the mind?
what occurs during the germinal period of prenatal development
cell mass attaches to uterine wall
While observing rats in a maze, a student realizes that the rats are able to find their way to the end of the maze even though they are not rewarded at any point during the experiment. This type of learning can best be defined as
latent learning
An individual reports to a psychologist that they are having trouble sleeping and eating. They have no energy and have trouble organizing their thoughts. Most of the day is spent just sitting in a chair staring out the window at nothing. Which of the following is this individual likely to be diagnosed with?
major depressive disorder
An individual went on a spending spree and spent all of their savings. This issue did not seem to bother them, and they stayed up during the night cleaning and writing poetry. Which of the following is this individual experiencing?
manic state
A child often speaks out of turn in class without thinking and has trouble reading and concentrating on larger blocks of writing for any period of time. Which of the following is the most likely diagnosis?
ADHD
An individual has been diagnosed with schizophrenia and believes that they are the reincarnation of a famous religious leader. In this scenario, this person most likely experiences
a delusion
Which of the following is an example of a primary reinforcer in operant conditioning?
being treated to a good meal
An individual has had trouble in relationships because they often swing from very happy to very angry without warning; they also quickly become attached to others after meeting them. The individual exhibits a strong preoccupation with being abandoned by the people they attach to and shows little emotional regulation. Which personality disorder best matches this description?
borderline personality disorder
A pet owner always takes their dog out for a walk in the morning. Whenever the dog sees the leash, it instantly gets very excited about going for a walk. In this scenario, the dog has learned to associate the leash with going for a walk through
classical conditioning
An individual knows that excessive drinking can adversely affect health. Every time this person engages in binge drinking, they think about friends who binge drink and seem healthy. In this scenario, the individual is attempting to reduce
cognitive dissonance
A driver on an icy road goes into a slide and gets into an accident. After this incident, the driver automatically tenses up whenever it snows and cannot drive. They now associate the snow with the accident. Based on classical conditioning, what is the snow?
conditioned stimulus
Dr. Meyer is known for creating difficult pop quizzes. Immediately before announcing a pop quiz to the students, Dr. Meyer walks to the classroom door and closes it. The students soon learn to anticipate a pop quiz whenever Dr. Meyer closes the classroom door. In the context of classical conditioning, closing the door has become a(n)
conditioned stimulus
Three children are given juice in three different glasses with three different shapes. The children understand that they all received the same amount of juice even though the amount looks different in each glass. Which of Piaget's tasks have these children mastered?
conservation
In operant conditioning, a punishment is a consequence that
decreases the likelihood a behavior will occur
The advertising committee for a politician is going door to door and asking people to place a big, unattractive election sign on their lawns. Assuming that most people will refuse at first, the advertising committee is prepared to ask them to place a small sign on their lawns instead, which is the actual plan. Which strategy for successful persuasion is the advertising committee using in this scenario?
door-in-the-face strategy
A Biology student is studying the prenatal development of a fertilized egg. They observe that the fertilized egg is in its third week since conception and that the spinal cord is about to be formed. Which of the following periods in prenatal development is the student most likely observing?
embryonic period
Itsuki's grandmother, Mei, has been receiving emails from Itsuki every day for many years. In anticipation of his emails, she has been checking her inbox more than once in a day. However, since Itsuki started college, the emails have stopped. As a result, Mei checks her emails only every few days. If this pattern continues, Mei will completely stop checking her email. In classical conditioning, this is known as
extinction
A factory worker is required to produce 50 units to be paid $10. In the context of the schedules of reinforcement, this scenario most likely exemplifies a
fixed-ratio schedule
A child is stung by a bee while playing in the backyard. After this incident, the child runs away from any flying insect. What is this an example of?
generalization
An individual is compelled by the need to save things regardless of their value. Over the years, they have collected numerous newspapers, magazines, bags, clothes, and other things in the house. Despite the family's best efforts, the individual is unwilling to get rid of these things. They also have poor organization and decision-making skills, and the house now poses a severe fire hazard. In the context of disorders related to obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), the individual is most likely to be diagnosed with
hoarding disorder
Which of the following is an indication of menopause?
hot flashes
behavioral psychologists
human conduct that can be observed NOT ideas, thoughts, feelings, or motives
A group of friends wants to see a movie. Most of them say the movie got good reviews. It does not necessarily sound good to you, but the rest of the group might have information you do not have, so you go along. What is this called?
informational social influence
A professional administers a test that asks participants to describe ambiguous shapes on different cards. Which test are they using?
inkblot test
A teacher has given the class a math problem to solve, warning that there is a trick to it but if they really think about it, the answer is quite simple. The class is silent for a few moments before a student suddenly raises their hand and provides the correct solution to the problem. In this scenario, this sudden understanding of the problem exemplifies
insight learning
A student does well on a final exam and attributes it to being smart in that subject area. Which type of attribution is this student using to explain their success?
internal
A child learns that if they sit still during class, the teacher will give them a point toward a special lunch at the end of the week. The child tries very hard to remember to sit still in class. Which of the following methods is the teacher using?
operant conditioning
An individual is in a store when they begin to feel their heart race and have trouble catching their breath. They feel like everything is swirling around them and they experience intense fear. Which of the following are they most likely showing symptoms of?
panic disorder
true statement about suicide
poor physical health, especially when chronic, is considered a risk for suicide
An elementary school teacher rewards students who pay attention and participate in class with stickers that can be turned in for an ice cream at the end of the week. What is the teacher using?
positive reinforcement
The period of rapid skeletal and sexual maturation that takes place at the beginning of adolescence is called
puberty
A patient has hydrophobia—an irrational fear of water. If their therapist uses the systematic desensitization technique to treat the phobia, which of the following is most likely to be part of the patient's therapy?
relaxation techniques
longtitudinal study
research in which the same people are restudied and retested over a long period
Derek has a severe mental illness that is characterized by distorted thoughts and perceptions. He hears voices in his head and is convinced that aliens are trying to communicate with him. Derek's belief is so strong that he sits on the roof for hours having conversations with no one in particular. Derek is also in the habit of writing words that make no sense and refrains from interacting with other people. In the context of dissociative disorders, in this scenario, Derek is most likely experiencing
schizophrenia
A writer works for a publishing company. Every time they write a good article, they get lots of fan mail expressing support. In the context of operant conditioning, the mail that the writer receives is called a(n)
secondary reinforcer
1) A 6-year-old uses her grandmother as a base to explore their environment. Whenever the grandmother leaves the child to do daily chores, the child shows visible signs of distress. When the grandmother returns, the child expresses joy and feels happy to see her again. This is an example of________ attachment.
secure
A child shows uncertainty when introduced to new people, and does better with routines rather than changing schedules. According to Alexander Chess and Stella Thomas, which of the following temperaments would this child likely exhibit?
slow-to-warm-up
Six people are competing in a tug-of-war competition. First, they compete as individuals, and then they compete as a team. It is observed that when they are competing as a team their combined effort level is less than the sum of their individual efforts. In the context of group influence, this reduction in effort when competing as a team is most likely due to the effect of
social loafing
A fifth-grade teacher was disappointed when her Japanese American student performed poorly in math. The teacher believes that Asian students are academically excellent and never perform poorly. In this scenario, the teacher's beliefs best illustrate
stereotyping
what type of research would be quickest way to get information from a large number of participants?
survey
1) A researcher is administering the Thematic Apperception Test to a participant in their study by showing them pictures. What does the participant need to do?
tell a story from the picture
The law of effect is profoundly important because it presents the basic idea that
the consequences of a behavior influence the likelihood of that child's recurrence
Which of the following statements is true of teratogens?
the effects of the chemical teratogens depends on timing of exposure
Each time Harry feels anxious, he compulsively pulls at his hair, from the scalp or eyebrows. This compulsive urge to pull at his hair has made him partially bald. In the context of disorders related to obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), Harry is most likely to be diagnosed with
trichotillomania
In Pavlov's experiments on classical conditioning, prior to associating the sound of the bell with the food, the dog's salivation in response to the food was the
unconditioned response