Psychology Final Exam Review Questions

You are having fun at a New Year's Eve party when your friend Dominic tells you that he really wants to quit smoking. He asks you to share what you know about health psychology so that he can use your advice to help him to successfully quit. If you apply the theory of reasoned action to Dominic's situation, which of the following statements best represents the advice you should offer?

"Dominic, you should make an explicit commitment. If you are really serious about quitting, you should make a New Year's resolution to stop smoking. "

Maria, Nicole, Abby, and Jessica are adolescents currently enrolled in an obesity treatment program. According to self-determination theory, which teen will be most likely to achieve her weight loss goals?

Abby (who voluntarily enrolled because she made a personal commitment to herself)

Andrea is a preterm infant who was born 37 weeks after conception. Which of the following characteristics will decrease the probability of Andrea experiencing developmental problems?

Andrea's parents massage her at least 3-4 times per day.

Which of the following statements about brain development is false?

Aside from growing larger, the brain does not undergo any anatomical change after birth.

What is the biggest challenge faced by psychologists who study infant perception?

Because infants can't speak, psychologists who study infants rely on what infants can do to understand what they know.

Which of the following is the correct sequence of the stages of prenatal development?

Conception, zygote, embryonic period, fetal period

Pauline is responsible and reliable. She likes structure and always sees a task through until it is completed. She exercises, eats healthy foods, and always wears her seatbelt. Pauline would score high on which of the following personality traits?

Conscientiousness

Suzanne wants to lose 20 pounds before her honeymoon to Hawaii. Although she realizes that being thinner will make her feel stronger and healthier, she has a weakness for ice cream. She's not sure that she will be able to give up the short-term pleasure of indulging in an ice cream cone for dessert today in exchange for the long-term benefits of weight loss. Suzanne appears to be in which of the following stages of change?

Contemplation

Which of the following is true with regard to development?

Development is the product of nature, nurture, and the complex interaction of the two.

What is the key social emotion involved with altruism?

Empathy

By the end of the fetal period, the heart begins to beat, the arms and legs become more differentiated, the face starts to form, and the intestinal tract appears in human beings.

False

Classical and operant conditioning involve learning through observation and imitation, whereas observational learning involves learning through association.

False

Fifteen-year-old Matt and his father are in an electronics store looking at video game systems. Matt gives his father a complete breakdown of the pros and cons of each of the different video game systems on display. According to research on encoding processes, Matt is able to accurately recall all this information because he has shallowly processed this information.

False

Generalization in classical conditioning is the process of learning to respond to certain stimuli and not others.

False

Leonard, a 30 year-old Princeton University graduate, gives up his corporate job to teach children and seniors of Lubango village. He has decided that all his future endeavors will be focused on eradication of illiteracy in Lubango. In his efforts to experience life in optimal ways, Leonard has developed resilience.

False

Organisms learn about the consequences of behavior through latent learning.

False

Piaget believed that children do not play an active role in constructing their own understanding of the world but rather are passively reacting to environmental influences.

False

Skinner believed that the mechanisms of learning among humans are different than the mechanisms of learning among animals.

False

Dave is a handsome and famous celebrity. He has been in a dating relationship with Gabriela, a beautiful and popular actress, for the past two months but he doesn't feel that strongly committed to their relationship. Recently, Dave has been working on a new movie and several women have expressed their interest in getting to know him better. Dave is now contemplating whether he should stay with Gabriela or explore other tempting alternative relationships. According to the investment model, what will Dave probably do next?

He will probably break up with Gabriela and give in to the temptation of dating other women.

Which of the following situations indicates resilience that characterizes development in adulthood?

Jonathan, who did not get good grades in middle school, studies hard in high school and gets a scholarship at an Ivy League university

Nathan is a happy and healthy 3-month-old baby. Based on preferential looking and habituation research, what can you predict about Nathan's perceptual abilities?

Nathan will prefer real faces to scrambled faces and he will also prefer his mother's face to a stranger's face.

Robert, a 9-year-old boy, loves watching wrestling on TV. Last night he imitated several of the aggressive moves he saw on TV by acting them out with his little brother. Which of the following theories best explains William's behavior?

Observational learning

Four-month-old baby Oscar is a participant in a preferential looking experiment. Researchers show Oscar two photos, one of which is of his mother's face, and the other which is of a female stranger's face. The photos are presented repeatedly in differing locations, and the amount of time Oscar spends looking at the photos is recorded. What will researchers conclude if Oscar shows a reliable preference for his mother's face over the stranger's face?

Oscar can discriminate his mother's face from a stranger's face.

Individuals who have high self-efficacy are least likely to do which of the following?

Perceive that they have no control over the situation

Which of the following lists the stages of the stages of change model in the correct order?

Precontemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, maintenance

Samantha gives both her 3-year-old and her 4-year-old children identically shaped glasses of juice in order to avoid conflict over who has the most. Samantha is showing her awareness of what limitation in her children's thinking skills?

Problems with conservation

A therapist challenges her client during a therapy session by saying, "So what if your fiancée left you and married your roommate instead? Why does that mean that you are not a good person?" The therapist is working from which perspective?

Rational-emotive behavior

_____ is defined by a cluster of characteristics, including being relaxed and easy going.

The Type B behavior pattern

Which of the following characterizes pubertal change in adolescents?

The peak of pubertal change occurs at an average age of 11½ for girls and 13½ for boys.

What is the main difference between the theory of reasoned action and the theory of planned behavior?

The theory of planned behavior includes the idea that perceptions of control over the outcome are important.

When a neuron is at its resting state, what is the status of the charges on each side of the cell membrane?

There is a negative charge on the inside of the cell membrane and a positive charge on the outside.

Which of the following statements about research on the "beautiful is good" stereotype is false?

There is little truth to the "beautiful is good stereotype." Attractive people do not really possess the positive characteristics of the stereotype.

Contingency means that the CS must not only precede the US closely in time, it must also serve as a reliable indicator that the US is on its way.

True

Echoic memory refers to auditory sensory memory, whereas iconic memory refers to visual sensory memory.

True

In Pavlov's classic study on classical conditioning, the bell was the neutral stimulus before conditioning and the conditioned stimulus after conditioning had occurred.

True

In operant conditioning, generalization means performing a reinforced behavior in a different situation.

True

Jillian was in a car accident and sustained a serious head trauma. Since the surgery, she has forgotten her name, career, and other vital information about herself. Yet, she is still able to talk, know what words mean, and have general knowledge about the world, such as what day it is or who currently is the president of the U.S. This behavior suggests that Jillian's episodic memory is impaired, but her semantic memory is still functioning.

True

Lightning is associated with thunder and regularly precedes it. Thus, when we see lightning, we often anticipate that we will hear thunder soon afterward. This is an example of classical conditioning.

True

Our amygdala responds automatically to stimuli-to cute puppies, scary dogs, and attractive potential partners- without us ever noticing.

True

Piaget believed that children use schemas to make sense of their experience.

True

Piaget believed that we go through four stages in understanding the world and that each stage involves a qualitatively different way of making sense of the world.

True

Piaget's theory suggests that over the course of the four developmental stages, a person progresses from sensorimotor cognition to abstract, idealistic, and logical thought.

True

Uncle Leo quit smoking two months ago. He is hoping that he can continue to stay tobacco-free so he has been trying to find ways to support his new, healthy behavior pattern. He eats mint whenever he gets a craving to smoke. Uncle Leo seems to be in the _____ stage of the stages of change model.

action/willpower

According to Piaget, accommodation occurs when individuals _____.

adjust their schemas to new information

You are listening to a lecture. Then the bell rings in the hallway. In order to hear this stimulus, _____ neurons must carry electrochemical messages from your ears to your brain.

afferent

When a rat is first introduced to an over-crowded cage, it will likely enter the _____ stage of the general adaptation syndrome.

alarm

Research on adolescent brain development has shown that the _____ is involved with emotional reactions, whereas the _____ is involved with reasoning and decision making.

amygdala/prefrontal cortex

Joshua is very emotional about his partner Cindy. He is also possessive and gets jealous when she talks to other men in the neighborhood. He demands closeness from her but does not trust her. Which of the following attachment style is evident from Joshua's behavior?

anxious

Research shows that during infancy, motor skills and perceptual skills _____.

are coupled and depend on each other

Based on Claude Steele and Eliot Aronson's research on stereotype threat, we should be especially concerned about instructions for standardized tests if they _____.

ask for race/ethnic information before the test

The general adaptation syndrome describes the _____.

body's response to stressors

You just received a letter informing you that the college you really wanted to attend next semester has denied your application for enrollment. If you use the emotion-focused coping method you would _____.

calm yourself and visit a friend

Allison is at a workshop where a presenter is attempting to persuade people to make a rather risky but potentially profitable financial investment. The arguments for investing appeal to logic and rationality. After slowly and carefully considering the presenter's arguments, Alison finds this person's idea sounds compelling and decides to invest. This example best demonstrates the _____.

central route to persuasion

When people try to confront Alfred about drinking too much alcohol, he replies, "Drinking may be harmful to my health, but I'll die having a good time." This statement, which is an example of self-justification, illustrates Alan's attempt to reduce _____.

cognitive dissonance

Hugh bought a new calculator at Staples for $125. One week later, he saw an ad from Wal-Mart showing the same calculator on sale for $65. Hugh said to himself, "I'm glad I got my calculator at Staples; the ones at Wal-Mart are probably defective. I don't mind having paid more for mine." Hugh's statement reflects _____.

cognitive dissonance reduction

Some of the characteristics that distinguish people who are in the _____ stage of change are that they possess a beginning awareness of their problem behavior but they are not yet ready to change it.

contemplation

Carlos believes that all of the people from another part of his town are snobs. He believes that the students from this area are rich and drive expensive sports cars to school. He is scheduled to perform with a few of these students in an all-county musical presentation. If he assumes that these particular students will also be rich and snobby, he is using _____.

deductive reasoning

The advertising committee for a politician is going door to door and asking people to put a big ugly election sign on their lawn. If the people refuse, they ask them if they would consider putting a smaller sign on the lawn. The staff is using _____.

door-in-the-face technique

Self-fulfilling prophecy _____.

effects show the potential power of stereotypes and other sources of expectations on human behavior

Your brain has instructed your body muscles to move so that you avoid burning your hand on a hot stove. Which type of nerves carried the information from your brain to your muscles so that you could avoid getting burned?

efferent nerves

Martha likes her new job but her workplace is far from her home. She spends a lot of time driving every day. Traffic is normally quite heavy and Martha is experiencing a great deal of stress. Telling herself to relax, listen to music, and to enjoy "alone time" in the car rather than dreading the commute would be an example of _____.

emotion-focused coping

According to social exchange theory, the most important predictor of relationship success is _____.

equity

Denise has just finished a stressful week of final exams and she now feels as though she is coming down with the flu. According to the general adaptation syndrome, Denise's reaction to stress suggests that she is now in the _____ stage.

exhaustion

According to Seligman, optimists explain the causes of bad events as _____, whereas pessimists explain them as _____.

external, unstable, and specific/internal, stable, and global

According to Baddeley's view of the three components of working memory, the amygdala acts like a supervisor who monitors which information deserves our attention and which we should ignore

false

George Miller's classic research showed that the average capacity of short-term or working memory is between 3 and 4 units of information

false

If all of the information on the hard drive of your computer is like long-term memory, then semantic, like RAM, is comparable to what you actually have open and active at any given moment.

false

In the sixth week, the neural tube, which eventually becomes the spinal cord, starts to take shape.

false

Short-term memory has a less limited capacity than sensory memory and a longer duration.

false

The adage "When in Rome, do as the Romans do" best reflects latent learning.

false

John is selling magazine subscriptions and chocolates. He asks you whether you are interested in buying some chocolates for $1 and you say yes. When you go to get the money to pay for the chocolates and return to the door, John asks you if you would also like to buy a $25 subscription to a variety of magazines. You feel obligated and agree to buy a magazine subscription. This is an example of _____.

foot-in-the-door technique

Mary has been working with a therapist because she has felt very confused and unsure about herself for the past few years. Mary's therapist tends to be very non-directive and devotes a great deal of the session to allowing Mary to explore her identity, wants, and dreams for the future. The therapist rarely gives direct advice and instead is primarily interested in helping Mary clarify her own ideas and feelings. Mary's therapist is most likely associated with the _____ perspective of psychotherapy.

humanistic

The _____ is a manipulated experimental factor and _____ is the outcome.

independent variable/ dependent variable

In an experiment, the _____ is conceptualized as the "potential cause" and the _____ is conceptualized as the "effect."

independent variable/dependent variable

Bertha met two students from another school at a convention. She enjoyed their company a great deal and was very impressed with how nice they were. Bertha now believes that all of the students from that school must also be nice and is considering transferring there. Bertha is using _____.

inductive reasoning

Jack and John were recently dumped by their girlfriends. Jack believes that his girlfriend broke up with him because she is a selfish and unhappy person, whereas John believes that his girlfriend broke up with him because she had to attend to a family emergency and could not make commitment right now. Jack is making a(n) _____ about his girlfriend's behavior, whereas John is making a(n) _____.

internal attribution/external attribution

Behavioral medicine _____.

is an interdisciplinary field that focuses on developing and integrating behavioral and biomedical knowledge to promote health and reduce illness

Bob decided that he was a bit overweight and in order to do something about it, he created a new exercise program, something he'd never tried before. Though he initially had some difficulty setting it up and sticking with it, he has consistently done his exercise workout for the last eight months. Though it is becoming more habitual, the program is still not yet automatic for him and he reinforces himself with new CDs each month if he has successfully completed his workouts. According to the stages of change model, Bob would most likely be in the _____.

maintenance stage

According to Freud, the ego _____.

must balance the needs of the id, superego, and reality

Joyce has the potential to be an honor student but frustrates her teachers because of her actions. Rather than work to succeed, she tends to "dummy down" to act more like the students that she hangs out with. She has at times answered questions incorrectly in class on purpose to be more like her friends. Joyce's behavior is an example of _____.

normative social influence

You tried to play peek-a-boo with your 6-month-old nephew, but whenever you hid your face, he would cry. You try it again three months later, and now he laughs and enjoys the game, trying to uncover your face with his hands. Your nephew has begun to develop _____.

object permanence

Despite evidence to the contrary, Denise thinks she is smarter than most of the people in her class. Denise's unfounded attitude about herself is an example of a(n)

positive illusion

When Sandra was 18 years old, she was in a serious car accident. Although she made a full recovery from her injuries, she experienced extreme anxiety afterward. Sandra is now very anxious when driving, has nightmares about the accident, and flinches when she goes through intersections. Sandra has symptoms suggestive of _____.

post-traumatic stress disorder

Sam has a problem with alcohol. He gets substantially drunk at parties four to five nights a week and it is not uncommon for him to experience blackouts. Despite his friends' concerns, Sam doesn't think he has a problem and believes that he is just being a typical college student. Sam would most likely be classified as being in the _____ stage of change.

precontemplation

Your roommate has been engaging in risky sexual behavior all semester, yet she denies that anything is wrong. She is likely in the _____ stage of the stages of change model.

precontemplation

Dan has a problem with smoking. If Dan were in the _____ stage of change, the best stage-matched intervention would be to inform him about the dangers of continuing this unhealthy behavior. However, if he were in the _____ stage, you would do well to provide him with training in specific skills that can help him to actually stop smoking.

precontemplation/preparation

Awareness and arousal are associated with different parts of the brain. Awareness involves the _____. Arousal is determined by the _____.

prefrontal cortex/reticular activating system

Which of Piaget's stages of cognitive development is characterized by egocentric thought?

preoperational

You arrange two rows of pennies so they are equal in length. A child views the rows and states that they have the same amount of pennies. You spread out the pennies in the bottom row so it is longer than the top row. The child now states that the bottom row has more pennies. This child is in which of Piaget's stages?

preoperational

You are trying to change your exercise routine in order to have a healthier lifestyle. You develop a new exercise schedule and plan to implement it starting next month. You are in the _____ stage of the stages of change model.

preparation/determination

Kirby just got divorced. He is currently thinking about how disruptive and significant this life change will be for him. According to Lazarus, Kirby's behavior is an example of _____.

primary appraisal

Melissa just landed her dream job. The only problem is that her workplace is far from her home. She spends about 3 hours commuting in the car every day. Traffic is normally quite heavy and Melissa is experiencing a great deal of stress. If Melissa moved closer to her place of employment in order to decrease her commute time, this would be an example of _____.

problem-focused coping

Rosemary is interested in studying the relationships between emotion, the nervous system, and the immune system. Given these interests, she will probably want to pursue future study in the field of _____.

psychoneuroimmunology

If children cannot grasp the concept of conservation, they are unable to _____.

recognize that the quantity of a substance remains the same despite changes in its shape

Once you get over the initial stress associated with your first exam of finals week, the fact that you have several more exams will likely lead your body to enter the _____ stage of the general adaptation syndrome.

resistance

Social psychologists believe that _____ is particularly strong during the early stages of a relationship, and that _____ increases as the relationship grows and matures.

romantic love/affectionate love

Cindy is having difficulty paying her monthly bills. She often just sits and stares at her checkbook, which causes her to feel anxious about the possibility of going bankrupt. Cindy is demonstrating _____.

rumination

Leslie, a first-grade teacher, recently received a pink slip notice informing her that she would be laid off next year. She has had some time to think about how this change will impact her life, and now she is actively evaluating her resources and trying to come up with a "game plan." According to Lazarus's model, Leslie is now engaging in _____.

secondary appraisal

Juanita returned home after being away for several years. When she saw her father, whom she thought she disliked, she hugged him and cried. Based on her crying when she saw him, she determined that she must like him more than she thought. This is most consistent with the _____ of attitudes.

self-perception theory

Whenever Claudia gets an A on her psychology exam, she believes it was due to the fact that she is an intelligent, hard-working student. However, when she receives a C on an exam, she blames the instructor's ineffective teaching style and poor choice of test questions. Claudia's behavior is an example of _____.

self-serving bias

Depressed people tend to have fewer receptors of the neurotransmitters _____

serotonin and norepinephrine

"Am I as popular as Cathy?" This question is an example of gaining self-knowledge through the process of _____.

social comparison

The effects of others on our behavior can take the form of _____, imitative behavior involving the spread of behavior, emotions, and ideas.

social contagion

According to _____, your feelings about a relationship are a function of how fair you feel the relationship is or how much you feel you get out as much as you put in.

social exchange theory

Dr. McCall found that class projects were of poorer quality when students worked in groups compared to when each student did an individual project. This difference can be explained by the phenomenon of _____.

social loafing

When treating a client with a psychological disorder, a therapist makes the assumption that the person's difficulties stem primarily from the context in which a person lives. This therapist most likely identifies with the _____ approach to psychological disorders.

sociocultural

When Samantha's father passed away, Ronnie got food for Samantha's family. The giving of food after the death of a loved one is an example of _____.

tangible assistance

Adolescents often have difficulty controlling their emotions and making sound decisions about risky behavior. Brain research suggests that this is due to the fact that during adolescence _____.

the amygdala is developed earlier than the prefrontal cortex

Lily does not approve of abortion. She is shocked when she finds out how many people in her state hold pro-choice attitudes. This is an example of _____.

the false consensus effect

The tendency for observers to underestimate the impact of the situation and overestimate the impact of inner dispositions upon another's behavior is called _____.

the fundamental attribution error

Parents warn a new babysitter that their son, Dennis, is very aggressive and mischievous. As a result of this initial expectation, the babysitter starts calling Dennis "Dennis the Menace," and he behaves in ways that elicit aggressive and mischievous behaviors from Dennis. This example best demonstrates the phenomenon called _____.

the self-fulfilling prophecy

Robert Rosenthal and Lenore Jacobsen conducted a study in 1968. The researchers told grade-school teachers that five students were likely to be "late bloomers"—that these students had high levels of ability that would likely emerge over time. In reality, the students had been randomly selected by the researchers. Nonetheless, a year later, the researchers found that teachers' expectations for the "late bloomers" were reflected in student performance—the academic performance of the "late bloomers" was beyond that of other students. The results from this study demonstrate which of the following concepts?

the self-fulfilling prophecy

According to the stages of change model, when conscious attention is no longer required to maintain the new, healthy behaviors and such behaviors simply are part of the individual's lifestyle, _____ has been achieved. This occurs during the _____ stage of change.

transcendence/maintenance

Attribution theory _____.

views people as motivated to discover the underlying causes of behavior as part of their effort to make sense of the behavior