The Ultimate Psych Review
Which of the following is an application of shaping? A) A mother who wants her daughter to hit a baseball first praises her for holding a bat, then for swinging it, and then for hitting the ball B) A pigeon pecks a disk 25 times for an opportunity to receive a food reinforcement C) A rat presses a bar when a green light is on but not when a red light is on D) A rat gradually stops pressing a bar when it no longer receives a food reinforcement E) A gambler continues to play a slot machine, even though he has won nothing on his last 20 plays, and he has lost a significant amount of money
A) A mother who wants her daughter to hit a baseball first praises her for holding a bat, then for swinging it, and then for hitting the ball
Which of the following illustrates generalization? A) A rabbit that has been conditioned to blink to a tone also blinks when a similar tone is sounded B) A dog salivates to a tone but not to a buzzer C) A light is turned on repeatedly until a rat stops flexing its paw when it's turned on D) A pigeon whose disk-pecking response has been extinguished is placed in a a Skinner box three hours later and begins pecking the disk again E) A child is startled when the doorbell rings
A) A rabbit that has been conditioned to blink to a tone also blinks when a similar tone is sounded
An individual is having trouble with cognitive tasks related to learning and memory. Which of the following neurotransmitters is most likely to be involved with the problem? A) Acetylcholine B) Dopamine C) Serotonin D) The endorphins E) GABA
A) Acetylcholine
What is the brief electrical charge that travels down an axon called? A) Action potential B) Resting potential C) All-or-none impulse D) Refractory period E) Myelination response
A) Action potential
Which of the following is a positive correlation? A) As study time decreases, students achieve lower grades B) As levels of self-esteem decline, levels of depression increase C) People who exercise regularly are less likely to be obese 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
A) As study time decreases, students achieve lower grades
To walk across a street, a person would rely most directly on which division of the nervous system? A) Central nervous system B) Sympathetic nervous system C) Peripheral nervous system D) Autonomic nervous system E) Parasympathetic nervous system
A) Central nervous system
What did Albert Badura's Bobo doll experiments demonstrate? A) Children are likely to imitate the behavior of adults B) There may be a negative correlations between televised violence and aggressive behavior C) Children are more likely to copy what adults say than what adults do D) Allowing children to watch too much television is detrimental to their development E) Observational learning can explain the development of fears in children
A) Children are likely to imitate the behavior of adults
When someone provides his phone number to another person, he usually pauses after the area code and again after the next three numbers. This pattern underscores the importance of which memory principle? A) Chunking B) The serial position effect C) Semantic encoding D) Auditory encoding E) Recognition
A) Chunking
According to Mary Ainsworth's research on attachment, what would a child need most to become "securely attached"? A) Consistent, responsive caregivers B) The right temperament C) A terry cloth-wrapped "surrogate" mother D) An imprinting experience shortly after birth E) Enriched motor development experiences
A) Consistent, responsive caregivers
How does fluid intelligence change as we age? A) Decreases slowly with age B) Has not been measured over time C) Increases slowly with age D) Does not change until about age 75 E) Remains unchanged if we exercise
A) Decreases slowly with age
Mary checks her phone every 30 minutes for incoming text messages. Her behavior is being maintained by what kind of reinforcement schedule? A) Fixed-interval B) Variable-interval C) Variable-ratio D) Fixed-ratio E) Continuous
A) Fixed-interval
Which school of 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
A) Functionalist
What are the three major categories of drugs? A) Hallucinogens, depressants, and stimulants B) Stimulants, barbiturates, and hallucinogens C) Amphetamines, barbiturates, and opiates D) MDMA, LSD, and THC E) Alcohol, caffeine, and nicotine
A) Hallucinogens, depressants, and stimulants
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 of the groups are pretty 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
A) If the participants are randomly assigned, the researcher can assume that the people in each of the groups are pretty similar
Which is one of the major criticisms of the evolutionary perspective of psychology? A) It analyzes after the fact using hindsight B) It attempts to extend a biological theory into a psychological realm C) There is very little evidence to support it D) It has not been around long enough to "stand the test of time" E) It seems to apply in certain cultures but not in others
A) It analyzes after the fact using hindsight
Which of the following is an accurate conclusion based on Hermann Ebbinghaus' forgetting curve research? A) Most forgetting occurs early on and then levels off B) We forget more rapidly as time passes C) Forgetting is relatively constant over time D) Forgetting is related to many factors, but time is not one of them E) We are more likely to forget items in the middle of a list than at the beginning or the end
A) Most forgetting occurs early on and then levels off
Evolutionary psychologists seek to understand how traits and behavioral tendencies have been shaped by what? A) Natural selection B) Genes C) Prenatal nutrition D) DNA E) Chromosomes
A) Natural selection
Recent research most consistently supports the effectiveness of hypnosis in which of the following areas? A) Pain relief B) Recovery of lost memories C) Reduction of sleep deprivation D) Forcing people to act against their will E) Cessation of smoking
A) Pain relief
Which is the most influential of the endocrine glands? A) Pituitary gland B) Adrenal glands C) Dendrites D) Threshold glands E) Parasympathetic
A) Pituitary gland
According to Lawrence Kohlberg, what stage of moral development is exhibited when actions are judged "right" because they flow from basic ethical principles? A) Postconventional B) Preconventional C) Conventional D) Preoperational E) Formal operational
A) Postconventional
Which of the following professionals is required to have a medical degree? A) Psychiatrist B) Psychologist C) Clinician D) Counselor E) Psychotherapist
A) Psychiatrist
What did Sigmund Freud call his theory of personality and the associated treatment techniques? A) Psychoanalysis B) Humanism C) The self-concept D) Psychosexual stages E) Free association
A) Psychoanalysis
Frequency theory relates to which element of the hearing process? A) Rate at which the basilar membrane vibrates B) Number of fibers in the auditory nerve C) Point at which the basilar membrane exhibits the most vibration D) Decibel level of a sound E) Number of hair cells in each cochlea
A) Rate at which the basilar membrane vibrates
Which of the following represents naturalistic observation? A) Researchers watch and record how elementary school children interact on the playground 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) A social worker visits a family home and gives feedback on family interactions E) Two grandparents sit in the front row to watch their grandon's first piano recital
A) Researchers watch and record how elementary school children interact on the playground
Which of the following abilities is an example of implicit memory? A) Riding a bicycle while talking to your friend about something that happened in class B) Retrieving from memory the details of an assignment that is due tomorrow C) Vividly recalling significant events like 9/11 D) Remembering the details of your last birthday E) Recognizing names and pictures of your classmates many years after they have graduated
A) Riding a bicycle while talking to your friend about something that happened in class
Which term is defined as all the thoughts and feelings we have in response to the question, "who am I?" A) Self-concept B) Ideal self C) Self-esteem D) Empathy E) Self-acceptance
A) Self-concept
The basketball players could remember the main points of their coach's halftime talk, but not her exact words. This is because they encoded the information A) Semantically B) Iconically C) Implicitly D) Shallowly E) Automatically
A) Semantically
Cultural norms related to when to leave home, get a job, or marry are referred to as what? A) Social clock B) Midlife crisis C) Critical period D) Life span E) Theory of mind
A) Social clock
Which perspective would be most useful when explaining how people from different countries express anger? A) Social-cultural B) Psychodynamic C) Behavioral D) Functionalist E) Biological
A) Social-cultural
A dog is trained to salivate when it hears a tone associated with food. Then the tone is sounded repeatedly without an unconditioned stimulus until the dog stops salivating. Later, when the tone sounds again, the dog salivates again. This is a description of what part of the conditioning process? A) Spontaneous recovery B) Extinction C) Generalization D) Discrimination E) Acquisition
A) Spontaneous recovery
Which of the following statements about stress is true? A) Surgical wounds heal more slowly in stressed humans B) Stress has no effect on those exposed to cold viruses C) There is no correlation between stress and longevity D) Stress makes us more resistant to infection and heart disease E) Anxiety, irritation, and guilt all prompt very different physiological responses
A) Surgical wounds heal more slowly in stressed humans
In Brad Bushman and Roy Baumeister's research, how did people with unrealistically high self-esteem react when they were criticized? A) They became exceptionally aggressive B) Many were more receptive to the criticism C) Some became easy depressed D) Most worked harder to do better the next time E) They quit the task without completing it
A) They became exceptionally aggressive
A person who eats excessively and never seems to feel full may have which of the following conditions? A) Tumor in the hypothalmus B) Too much insulin C) Stomach ulcer D) Stomach bypass surgery E) Too much of the hormone PYY
A) Tumor in the hypothalmus
There is a negative correlation between TV watching and grades. What can we conclude from this research finding? A) We can conclude that a student who watches a lot of TV is likely to have lower grades 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 this is an illusory correlation
A) We can conclude that a student who watches a lot of TV is likely to have lower grades
Charles Spearman's g refers to A) general intelligence B) grouped intelligence factors C) genetic intelligence D) generated creativity E) generalized reliability
A) general intelligence
The purpose of Alfred Binet's early intelligence test was to A) predict how children would do in school B) Identify differences among ethnic and racial groups C) help French graduates find the occupation in which they were most likely to succeed D) establish the scientific definition of intelligence E) facilitate "genetic breeding" experiments
A) predict how children would do in school
Students who do well on college entrance exams generally do well in their first year of college. This helps establish that these exams have A) predictive validity B) split-half reliability C) content validity D) test-retest reliability E) standard validity
A) predictive validity
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 two genders D) research tools are not capable of determining if there are true differences or not E) differences between the genders are becoming more pronounced over time
A) there are more similarities than differences between the genders
Children are said to have an intellectual disability if they have difficulty adapting to the demands of independent living and have IQ scores below A) 60 B) 70 C) 80 D) 90 E) 100
B) 70
Opiate drugs such as morphine are classified as what? A) Antagonists, because they block neurotransmitter receptors for pain B) Agonists, because they mimic other neurotransmitters' pain-diminishing effects C) Excitatory neurotransmitters, because they activate pain-control mechanisms D) Sympathetic nervous system agents, because they prepare the body for a challenge E) Parasympathetic nervous system agents, because they calm the body
B) Agonists, because they mimic other neurotransmitters' pain-diminishing effects
Which of the following psychologists would most likely conduct psychotherapy? A) Biological B) Clinical C) Industrial-organizational D) Cognitive E) Evolutionary
B) Clinical
You are more likely to remember psychology information in your psychology classroom than in other environments because of what memory principle? A) Mood congruence B) Context effects C) State-dependency D) Proactive interference E) Retroactive interference
B) Context effects
Which psychological principle best explains why studying an hour a 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
B) Distributed practice
Which theory explains that physiological needs create an aroused state that motivates an organism to reduce the need? A) Instinct theory B) Drive-reduction theory C) Achievement motivation D) Arousal theory E) Hierarchy of needs
B) Drive-reduction theory
Which of these drugs, which acts as both a stimulant and a hallucinogen, can also cause dangerous dehydration? A) LSD B) Ecstasy C) Alcohol D) Cocaine E) Caffeine
B) Ecstasy
Temperament refers to what aspect of an infant's development? A) Susceptibility to infection and disease B) Emotional reactivity C) General intelligence D) Level of optimism E) Ability to learn from situations
B) Emotional reactivity
The effects of opiates are similar to the effects of which neurotransmitter? A) Barbiturates B) Endorphins C) Tranquilizers D) Nembutal E) Acetylcholine
B) Endorphins
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
Which of the following is the best biological explanation for why the body stores fat? A) Fat signals affluence and social status B) Fat is a fuel reserve during periods when food is scarce C) Fat is a display of abundant food sources D) Fat keeps the body warm in winter climates E) Fat combats the global epidemic of diabetes
B) Fat is a fuel reserve during periods when food is scarce
Someone from a collectivist culture is more likely to do what? A) Develop a strong sense of self B) Give priority to group goals C) Form casual, often temporary relationships D) Achieve personal goals E) Focus on how they are different from the group
B) Give priority to group goals
"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) Intuition D) Illusory correlation E) Random sampling
B) Hindsight bias
According to Erikson's pyschosocial theory of development, the crisis that needs resolution for adolescents involves the search for what? A) Trust B) Identity C) Autonomy D) Initiative E) Worth
B) Identity
Which of these is an example of a latitudinal study? A) The depth perception of infants is measured once a month for 6 months in a row, starting at six months B) In the same month researchers compare the reaction time of 20 sixth graders and 20 first graders C) The memory of one group of 50-year-old adults is measured and then 20 years later compared to a different group of 70-year-olds D) A psychologist develops a case study of a woman who is 102 by interviewing her twice a week for 12 weeks E) Researchers compare curiosity ratings of a group of toddlers with that same group's SAT scores 15 years later
B) In the same month researchers compare the reaction time of 20 sixth graders and 20 first graders
Surveys conducted with people who have high spinal cord injuries suggest to researchers that emotions are A) Entirely cognitive, requiring no physical response to be intense B) Largely dependent upon our bodily responses and behaviors C) Mostly a social response to surrounding factors D) Mostly a cultural reaction to context E) Mostly physiological
B) Largely dependent upon our bodily responses and behaviors
Damage to the hippocampus would result in what? A) Difficulties with balance and coordination B) Memory problems C) The false sensation of burning in parts of the body D) Emotional outbursts E) Death
B) Memory problems
Which of the following statements has been supported by the research of evolutionary psychologists? A) Women are attracted to men who appear virile B) Men are attracted to women who appear fertile and capable of bearing children C) The connection between sex and pleasure is mostly determined by culture D) The same factors determine sexual attraction in both males and females E) Most adults are attracted to partners that in some way remind them of their parents
B) Men are attracted to women who appear fertile and capable of bearing children
A student studies diligently to avoid bad feelings associated with a previously low grade on a test. In this case, the studying behavior is being strengthened because of what kind of reinforcement? A) Positive reinforcement B) Negative reinforcement C) Delayed reinforcement D) Primary reinforcement E) Conditioned reinforcement
B) Negative reinforcement
According to the behaviorist perspective, psychological science should be rooted in what? A) Introspection B) Observation C) Cultural influences D) Growth potential E) Basic needs
B) Observation
Attempts to control social behavior by using the punishing effects of isolation is an example of A) Attachment disorder B) Ostracism C) Exploitation D) Wanting to belong E) Conforming
B) Ostracism
Which of the following is one of the stages of the sexual response cycle described by Masters and Johnson? A) Expulsion B) Plateau C) Attraction D) Compensation E) Depolarization
B) Plateau
After an alarming event, your temperature, blood pressure, and respiration are high, and you have an outpouring of hormones. Hans Seyle would most likely guess that you are in which general adaptation syndrome phase? A) Exhaustion B) Resistance C) Immobilization D) Collapse E) Shock
B) Resistance
An individual experiences brain damage that produces a coma. Which part of the brain was probably damaged? A) Corpus callosum B) Reticular formation C) Frontal lobe D) Cerebellum E) Limbic system
B) Reticular formation
Which of the following is most likely to influence our memory of a painful event? A) The overall length of the event B) The intensity of pain at the end of the event C) The reason for the pain D) The amount of rest you've had in the 24 hours preceding the event E) The specific part of the body that experiences the pain
B) The intensity of the pain at the end of the event
A researcher wants to conduct an experiment to determine if eating a cookie before class each day improves student grades. He uses two psychology classes for the experiment, providing daily cookies to one and nothing to the other. At the end of the semester, the researcher compares the final grades of students in the two classes. What is the independent variable for this experiment? A) The students in the class that received cookies B) The presence or absence of cookies C) The students in the class that didn't receive cookies D) The period of the day that the two classes met E) Semester grades
B) The presence or absence of cookies
What is the pineal gland's role in sleep? A) Activating the suprachiasmatic nucleus B) The production of melatonin C) The location of hypnagogic images D) Remembering dreams upon walking E) Emitting alpha waves
B) The production of melatonin
Athletes who often privately credit their victories to their own abilities, and their losses to bad breaks, lousy officiating, or the other team's exceptional performance, are exhibiting which psychological concept? A) A low self-esteem B) The self-serving bias C) Pessimism D) The spotlight effect E) Imcompetence
B) The self-serving bias
A journalism student is writing an article about her school's new cell phone 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
What term describes the brain's adaptation to a drug's chemistry, requiring larger and larger doses to experience the same effect? A) Withdrawal B) Tolerance C) Addiction D) Substance use disorder E) Disinhibiting
B) Tolerance
According to Carl Rogers, when we are in a good marriage, a close family, or an intimate friendship, we are free to be spontaneous without fearing the loss of others' esteem. What did he call this accepting attitude? A) A peak experience B) Unconditional positive regard C) Self-transcendence D) Humanistic psychology E) Our self-concept
B) Unconditional positive regard
Which of the following statements 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
B) Using psychological concepts to boost worker productivity
Which of the following illustrates a heuristic? A) Calculating the area of a rectangle by multiplying the length times the width B) Using news reports of corporate fraud to estimate how much business fraud occurs in American business C) Looking in each room of your home to find your sleeping cat D) Following a new recipe to bake a cake for your friend E) Trying every key on your mom's key ring until you rind the one that unlocks the seldom-used storeroom in the basement
B) Using reports of corporate fraud to estimate how much business fraud occurs in American business
The original formula for a child's intelligence quotient compared a child's A) aptitude to his or her school performance B) mental age to his or her chronological age C) intelligence to his or her siblings' intelligence D) intelligence to his or her parents' intelligence D) math intelligence to his or her verbal intelligence
B) mental age to his or her chronological age
Howard Gardner found evidence of multiple intelligences in individuals who scored low on intelligence but had an area of exceptional ability - for example, to make complex calculations. These people have A) the Flynn effect B) savant syndrome C) advanced mental age D) Wechsler syndrome E) intelligence heritability
B) savant syndrome
Recent research about brain size and function suggests that A) the occipital lobe is more active when people are thinking about questions on intelligence tests B) people who are smarter use less energy when solving problems C) there is no correlation between processing speed and IQ scores D) people with larger brains are always smarter than those with smaller brains E) subjects with larger parietal lobes tended to process information more slowly
B) there is no correlation between processing speed and IQ scores
Signal detection theory is most closely associated with which perception process? A) Vision B) Sensory adaptation C) Absolute thresholds D) Smell E) Context effects
C) Absolute thresholds
When hearing emotions conveyed in another language, what emotion can people most readily detect? A) Sadness B) Happiness C) Anger D) Fear E) Surprise
C) Anger
When Kluver and Bucy surgically lesioned the amygdala of a rhesus monkey's brain, what was the impact on the monkey's behavior? A) Lost its ability to coordinate movement B) Died because it's heartbeat became irregular C) Became less aggressive D) Lost its memory of where food was stored E) Sank into an irreversible coma
C) Became less aggressive
What is the study of specific genes and teams of genes that influence behavior called? A) Molecular genetics B) Evolutionary psychology C) Behavior genetics D) Heritability E) Natural selection
C) Behavior genetics
Classical and operant conditioning are based on the principles of which psychological perspective? A) Cognitive B) Biological C) Behaviorist D) Evolutionary E) Humanist
C) Behaviorist
Which of the following describes long-term potentiation (LPT)? A) When attempting to retrieve information, it is easier to recognize than to recall B) Constructed memories have the potential to be either accurate or inaccurate C) Changes in synapses allow for more efficient transfer of information D) Implicit memories are processed by the cerebellum instead of by the hippocampus E) Information is transferred from working memory to long-term memory
C) Changes in synapses allow for more efficient transfer of information
Latent learning is evidence for which of these conclusions? A) Punishment is an ineffective means of controlling behavior B) Negative reinforcement should be avoided when possible C) Cognition plays an important role in operant conditioning D) Conditioned reinforcers are more effective than primary reinforcers E) Shaping is usually not necessary for operant conditioning
C) Cognition plays an important role in operant conditioning
What aspect of development did Jean Piaget's development theory focus on? A) Social B) Moral C) Cognitive D) Physical E) Ego
C) Cognitive
Which field of psychology is most interested in studying the link between mental activity and brain activity? A) Humanistic psychology B) Gestalt psychology C) Cognitive neuroscience D) Psychodynamic pesrpective E) Evolutionary perspective
C) Cognitive neuroscience
"Chair" "freedom" and "ball" are examples of what? A) Phonemes B) Heuristics C) Concepts D) Telegraphic utterances E) Prototypes
C) Concepts
Which of the following might result from a disruption of your vestibular sense? A) Inability to detect the position of your arm without looking at it B) Loss of the ability to detect bitter tastes C) Dizziness and loss of balance D) An inability to detect pain E) Loss of color vision
C) Dizziness and loss of balance
Which of the following statements about nonverbal expression is true? A) People blind from birth do not usually exhibit common facial expressions B) The meaning of gestures is the same across cultures C) Facial signs of emotion are generally understood across world cultures D) People from different cultures have difficulty understanding nonverbal expressions E) Nonverbal expression is not reliably interpreted within a culture
C) Facial signs of emotion are generally understood across world cultures
What was one of the major findings of Thomas Bouchard's study of twins? A) It demonstrated that peer influence is more important than parental influence in the development of personality traits B) It proved that the influence of parental environment becomes more and more important as children grow into adults C) He discovered almost unbelievable similarities between adult identical twins who had been separated at birth D) Fraternal twins showed almost as much similarity as identical twins when they reached adulthood E) It provided evidence that heritability is less important than researchers previously suspected
C) He discovered almost unbelievable similarities between adult identical twins who had been separated at birth
What term refers to the ability of the body's physiological processes to maintain a balanced or constant internal state? A) Hierarchy of needs B) Basal metabolic rate C) Homeostasis D) Instinct E) Motivation
C) Homeostasis
Which of the following describes a perception process that the Gestalt psychologists would have been interested in? A) Depth perception and how it allows us to survive in the world B) Why we see an object near us as closer rather than larger C) How an organized whole is formed out of its component pieces D) What the smallest units of perception are E) The similarities between shape constancy and size constancy
C) How an organized whole is formed out of its component pieces
The study of the importance of satisfying love and acceptance needs best describes which school of psychology? A) Behavioral B) Functionalist C) Humanistic D) Psychodynamic E) Structuralist
C) Humanistic
Recurring problems in falling asleep or staying asleep are characteristic of which sleep disorder? A) Sleep apnea B) Narcolepsy C) Insomnia D) Sleep talking E) Sleepwalking
C) Insomnia
Brain scans and EEG recordings indicate that positive emotions are associated with high levels of activity in which brain section? A) Right temporal lobe B) Cerebellum C) Left frontal lobe D) Left temporal lobe E) Right parietal lobe
C) Left frontal lobe
A researcher interested in determining the size of a particular area of the brain would be most likely to use what kind of test? A. Lesion B) EEG C) MRI D) fMRI E) PET scan
C) MRI
Which of the following statements about the impact of aging is true? A) During old age, many of the brain's neurons die B) If we live to be 90 or older, most of us will eventually become senile C) Older people become less susceptible to short-term illnesses D) Recognition memory - the ability to identify things previously experienced - declines with age E) Life satisfaction peaks in the 50s and then gradually declines after age 65
C) Older people become less susceptible to short-term illnesses
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 intuitions about human thinking and behavior are not always accurate D) Intuition does not provide correct answers unless it is applied through the scientific method E) Psychological science research is superior to that of other sciences like biology and physics
C) Our intuitions about human thinking and behavior are not always accurate
Jarod's muscles are relaxed, his body is basically paralyzed, and he is hard to awaken. Which sleep state is Jarod probably experiencing? A) Sleep apnea B) Hypnagogic C) Paradoxical D) Delta E) Sleep deprivation
C) Paradoxical
Our tendency to see faces in clouds and other ambiguous stimuli is partly based on what perception principle? A) Selective attention B) ESP C) Perceptual set D) Shape constancy E) Bottom-up processing
C) Perceptual set
Which of the following is one of Robert Sternberg's types of intelligence? A) Naturalistic intelligence B) General intelligence C) Practical intelligence D) Savant intelligence E) Kinesthetic intelligence
C) Practical intelligence
Which of the following most accurately describes an impact of punishment? A) Punishment is a good way to increase a behavior, as long as it is not used too frequently B) Punishment may create problems in the short term but rarely has long-term side effects C) Punishment can be effective at stopping specific behaviors quickly D) Punishment typically results in an increase of a behavior that caused the removal of an aversive stimulus E) Punishment should never be used (in the opinion of most psychologists), because the damage it causes can never be repaired
C) Punishment can be effective at stopping specific behaviors quickly
Children's TV viewing habits (past behavior) influence their viewing preferences (internal personal factor), which influence how television (environmental factor) affects their current behavior. What is this an example of? A) Personal control B) Learned helplessness C) Reciprocal determinism D) The Big Five traits E) Implicit learning
C) Reciprocal determinism
According to Sigmund Freud, which of the following defense mechanisms buries threatening or upsetting events in the unconscious? A) Regression B) Displacement C) Repression D) Projection E) Rationalization
C) Repression
What did Abraham Maslow call the process of fulfilling our potential? A) Love needs B) Self-esteem C) Self-actualization D) Self-trancendence E) Hierarchy of needs
C) Self-actualization
When we go to the movies, we see smooth continuous motion rather than a series of still images because of which process? A) The phi phenomenon B) Perceptual set C) Stroboscopic movement D) Relative motion E) Illusory effect
C) Stroboscopic movement
Self-reflective introspection about the elements of experience best describes a technique used by which school of psychology? A) Darwinists B) Empiricists C) Structuralists D) Behaviorists E) Psychiatrists
C) Structuralists
What does the "magical number seven, plus or minus two" refer to? A) The ideal number of times to rehearse information in the first encoding session B) The number of seconds information stays in short-term memory without rehearsal C) The capacity of short-term memory D) The number of seconds memory stays in echoic storage E) The number of years most long-term memories last
C) The capacity of short-term memory
Why do researchers study the brains of nonhuman animals? A) It is not ethical to study human brains B) Human brains are too complex to study meaningfully C) The same principles govern neural functioning in all species D) It is too expensive to study human brains E) The technology is still being developed for the study of human brains
C) The same principles govern neural functioning in all species
Why do researchers find the study of fraternal twins important? A) They share similar environments and the same genetic code B) Data collected concerning their similarities is necessary for calculating heritability C) They are the same age and are usually raised in similar environments, but they do not have the same genetic code D) Results allow us to determine exactly how disorders ranging from heart disease to schizophrenia are inherited E) They are typically raised in less similar environments than normal siblings
C) They are the same age and are usually raised in similar environments, but they do not have the same genetic code
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 economical C) They may be misleading because they don't fairly represent other cases 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 defined
C) They may be misleading because they don't fairly represent other cases
Eleanor Maccoby's research found which of the following factors to be the least positively correlated with problem behavior in preschool children? A) Parent income B) Parent education level C) Time spent in day care D) Child's temperament E) Parent sensitivity
C) Time spent in day care
What is the purpose of the iris? A) To focus light on the retina B) To process color C) To allow light into the eye D) To enable night vision E) To detect specific shapes
C) To allow light into the eye
What is one of the principal functions of mirror neurons? A) To allow an organism to replace an unconditioned response with a conditioned response B) To help produce intrinsic motivation in some children C) To be the mechanism by which the brain accomplishes observational learning D) To produce the neural associations that are the basis of both classical and operant conditioning E) To explain why modeling prosocial behavior is more effective than modeling negative behavior
C) To be the mechanism by which the brain accomplishes observational learning
Which of the following represents perceptual constancy? A) We recognize the taste of McDonald's food each time we eat it B) In photos of people, the people almost always are perceived as figure and everything else as ground C) We know that the color of a printed page has not changed as it moves from sunlight into shadows D) From the time they are very young, most people can recognize the smell of a dentist's office E) The cold water in a lake doesn't seem so cold after you have been swimming in it for a few minutes
C) We know that the color of a printed page has not changed as it moves from sunlight into shadows
A scientist's willingness to admit that she is wrong is an example of: A) curiosity B) intelligence C) humility D) skepticism E) cynicism
C) humility
Achievement test are to aptitude tests as A) verbal performance is to spatial performance B) elementary school skills are to secondary school skills C) measurement is to prediction D) reliability is to validity E) general intelligence is to multiple intelligences
C) measurement is to prediction
Heritability of intelligence refers to A) the extent to which a person's intelligence is caused by genetics B) the effect of adoption on the intelligence of adopted children C) the amount of group variation in intelligence that can be attributed to genetics D) the extent to which the quality of schools and other environmental factors determine intelligence E) the correlation between intelligence test scores of identical twins
C) the amount of group variation in intelligence that can be attributed to genetics
Which of the following best represents an absolute threshold? A) A guitar player knows that his D string has just gone out of tune B) A photographer can tell that the natural light available for a photograph has just faded slightly C) Your friend amazes you by correctly identifying unlabeled glasses of Coke and Pepsi D) A cook can just barely taste the salt she has added to her soup E) Your mom throws out the milk because she says the taste is "off"
D) A cook can just barely taste the salt she has added to her soup
Social development researchers suggest that infancy's major social achievement is attachment. Childhood's major social achievement is developing which of the following? A) Basic trust B) Into a sexually mature mature person C) Intimacy D) A positive sense of self E) Object permanence
D) A positive sense of self
The stress hormones epinephrine and norepinephrine are released from where? A) Parasympathetic nervous system B) Hippocampus C) Brain stem D) Adrenal glands E) Hypothalamus
D) Adrenal glands
Slowed reactions, slurred speech, and decreased skill performance are associated with abuse of which drug? A) Nicotine B) Methamphetamine C) Caffeine D) Alcohol E) Ecstasy
D) Alcohol
Which theory explains why, even when our biological needs are satisfied, we may still feel driven to experience stimulation? A) Incentive B) Homeostasis C) Instinct D) Arousal theory E) Physiology
D) Arousal theory
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
What is the correct term for a period of time when certain events must take place in order to facilitate proper development? A) Conservation stage B) Preoperational stage C) Attachment period D) Critical period E) Assimilation step
D) Critical period
The most widely used modern intelligence test was developed by A) Alfred Binet B) Louis Terman C) Robert Sternberg D) David Weschler E) Howard Gardner
D) David Weschler
Psychologists who study the brain's activity during sleep are most likely to use which of these technologies? A) MRI B) CT scan C) PET scan D) EEG E) EKG
D) EEG
Critics of humanistic psychology have suggested that this theory fails to appreciate the reality of our human capacity for which of the following? A) Empathy B) Love C) Negativity D) Evil E) Laziness
D) Evil
Which psychological concept would predict that smiling warmly on the outside would cause you to feel better on the inside? A) Relative deprivation B) Mimicry C) Empathy D) Facial feedback E) Catharsis
D) Facial feedback
Neurons that fire in response to specific edges, lines, angles, and movements are called what? A) Rods B) Cones C) Ganglion cells D) Feature detectors E) Bipolar cells
D) Feature detectors
The inability to see a problem from a fresh perspective is called what? A) Confirmation bias B) Insight C) Representitiveness D) Fixation E) Availability
D) Fixation
Most adolescents can ponder and debate human nature, good and evil, truth and justice. According to Piaget, this thinking ability is due to the emergence of which stage? A) Concrete operational B) Sensorimotor C) Preoperational D) Formal operational E) Accomodation
D) Formal operational
People are more concerned about a medical procedure when told it has a 10 percent death rate than they are when told it has a 90 percent survival rate. Which psychological concept explains this difference in concern? A) Belief perserverence B) Insight C) Intuition D) Framing E) Confirmation bias
D) Framing
During which task might the right hemisphere of the brain be most active? A) Solving a mathematical equation B) Reading C) Making a brief oral presentation to a class D) Imagining what a dress would look like on a friend E) Solving a logic problem
D) Imagining what a dress would look like on a friend
When a distribution of scores is skewed, which of the following is the most representative measure of central tendency? A) Inference B) Standard deviation C) Mean D) Median E) Correlation coefficient
D) Median
What do we call a need or desire that energizes and directs behavior? A) Incentive B) Refractory period C) Emotion D) Motivation E) Instinct
D) Motivation
Which of the following kinds of information is not likely to be automatically processed? A) Space information B) Time information C) Frequency information D) New information E) Rehearsed information
D) New information
Which of the following processes would produce the acquisition of a conditioned response? A) Repeatedly present an unconditioned response B) Administer the conditioned stimulus without the unconditioned stimulus C) Make sure that the conditioned stimulus comes at least one minute before the unconditioned stimulus D) Pair a neutral stimulus with an unconditioned stimulus several times E) Present the conditioned stimulus until it starts to produce an unconditioned response
D) Pair a neutral stimulus with an unconditioned stimulus several times
The science of behavior and mental processes is the definition of which field of study? A) Philosophy B) Cognitive neuroscience C) Basic research D) Psychology E) Applied research
D) Psychology
What are bursts of rapid, rhythmic brain-wave activity that occur during NREM-2 sleep? A) Hallucinations B) Circadian rhythms C) Alpha waves D) Sleep spindles E) Delta waves
D) Sleep spindles
Surgical stimulation of the somatosensory cortex might result in the false sensation of what? A) Music B) Flashes of colored light C) Someone whispering your name D) Someone tickling you E) A bad odor
D) Someone tickling you
Which descriptive statistic would a researcher use to describe how close a student's SAT score is to a school's average SAT score? A) Correlation coefficient B) Mean C) Median D) Standard deviation E) Range
D) Standard deviation
Which of the following is an example of source amnesia? A) Iva can't remember the details of a horrifying event because she has repressed them B) May has entirely forgotten about an incident in grade school until her friend reminds her of the event C) Michael can't remember this year's locker combination because he confuses it with last year's combination D) Stephen misremembers a dream as something that really happened E) Anna, who is trying to lose weight, is unable to remember several of the between-meal snacks she had yesterday
D) Stephen misremembers a dream as something that really happened
Taste aversion studies lead researchers to which of the following conclusions? A) Taste is the most fundamental of the senses B) There are genetic predispositions involved in taste learning C) Animals must evaluate a situation cognitively before taste aversion develops D) Taste aversion is a universal survival mechanism E) An unconditioned stimulus must occur within seconds of a CS for conditioning to occur
D) Taste aversion is a universal survival mechanism
What does Edward Thorndike's law of effect state? A) The difference between positive and negative reinforcement B) That behavior maintained by partial reinforcement is more resistant to extinction than behavior maintained by continuous reinforcement C) How shaping can be used to establish operant conditioning D) That rewarded behavior is more likely to happen again E) The limited effectiveness of punishment
D) That rewarded behavior is more likely to happen again
Which of the following is true regarding the role of the amygdala in memory? A) The amygdala help process implicit memories B) The amygdala support Freud's ideas about memory C) The amygdala produce long-term potentiation in the brain D) The amygdala help make sure we remember events that trigger strong emotional responses E) The amygdala are active when the retrieval of a long-term memory is primed
D) The amygdala help make sure we remember events that trigger strong emotional responses
Why does further weight loss come slowly following a rapid loss during the initial three weeks of a rigorous diet? A) The number of fat cells makes further weight loss impossible B) When a person's hunger increases, metabolism increases C) When an obese person's set point has been reached, weight loss increases dramatically D) The body reacts as if it's being starved and metabolic rates drop E) An obese person cannot maintain a rigorous weight loss diet
D) The body reacts as if it's being starved and metabolic rates drop
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) The nature-nurture issue
Amy was sure everyone noticed how nervous she was when she spoke in front of the entire school, but later no one that she talked to mentioned it. What is the term for the belief that others are always noticing and evaluating us more than they really are? A) Self-monitoring B) Self-schemas C) Possible selves D) The spotlight effect E) The social-cognitive perspective
D) The spotlight effect
In an effort to reveal genetic influences on personality, researchers use adoption studies mainly for what purpose? A) To compare adopted children with nonadopted children B) To study the effect of prior neglect on adopted children C) To study the effect of a child's age at adoption D) To evaluate whether adopted children more closely resemble their adoptive parents or their biological parents E) To consider the effects of adoption on a child's manners and values
D) To evaluate whether adopted children more closely resemble their adoptive parents or their biological parents
The process by which rods and cones change electromagnetic energy into neural messages is called what? A) Adaptation B) Accommodation C) Parallel processing D) Transduction E) Perceptual setting
D) Transduction
Which perception process are the hammer, anvil, and stirrup involved in? A) Processing intense colors B) Processing information related to our sense of balance C) Supporting a structural frame to hold the eardrum D) Transmitting sound waves to the cochlea E) Holding hair cells that enable hearing
D) Transmitting sound waves to the cochlea
Which phrase best describes the concept of phonemes? A) Units of meaning in a language B) A form of syntax C) The basis of grammar D) Units of sound in a language E) A form of telegraphic speech
D) Units of sound in a language
The ability to perceive, understand, manage, and use emotions is called A) interpersonal intelligence B) general intelligence C) practical intelligence D) emotional intelligence E) adaptive intelligence
D) emotional intelligence
In general, males score higher than females on tests of A) spelling B) verbal fluency C) emotion detection D) spatial ability E) sensitivity to touch, taste, and odor
D) spatial ability
Which of the following would help determine what stimuli and organism can distinguish between? A) Negative reinforcement B) A variable-ratio schedule of reinforcement C) A fixed-ratio schedule of reinforcement D) Extinction E) A discriminative stimulus
E) A discriminative stimulus
Which of the following most likely represents a prototype for the concept indicated in parentheses? A) A whale (mammal) B) An ostrich (bird) C) A beanbag chair (chair) D) An igloo (house) E) A golden retriever (dog)
E) A golden retriever (dog)
Once a sperm penetrates the cell wall of an egg and fertilizes it, this structure is known as what? A) An embryo B) A fetus C) Placenta D) A teratogen E) A zygote
E) A zygote
Which of the following illustrates the serial position effect? A) The only name Kensie remembers from the people she met at the party is Spencer because she thought he was particularly good-looking B) Kimia has trouble remembering information from the book's first unit when she reviews for semester finals C) It's easy for Brittney to remember that carbon's atomic number is 6 because her birthday is on December 6 D) Kyle was not able to remember the names of all of his new co-workers after one week on the job, but he could remember them after two weeks E) Alp is unable to remember the middle of a list of vocabulary words as well as he remembers the first or last words on the list
E) Alp is unable to remember the middle of a list of vocabulary words as well as he remembers the first or last words on the list
Which of the following actions is a violation of Maslow's hierarchy of needs? A) A person who moves to a new city gets an apartment before beginning to make friends B) A very hungry reality show contestant searches for food before trying to win a competition C) A professor spends time socially with her colleagues before she works on her own research D) An artist works to win a local award before spending time on his own personal projects E) An athlete follows a "no pain, no gain" motto rather than stopping for rest and nourishment
E) An athlete follows a "no pain, no gain" motto rather than stopping for rest and nourishment
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) Socio-cultural D) Evolutionary E) Cognitive
E) Cognitive
Deep sleep occurs in which stage? A) Hypnagogic B) REM C) Alpha D) NREM-1 E) Delta
E) Delta
What term did Ernest Hilgard use to describe a split between different levels of consciousness? A) Hypnagogic imagery B) REM sleep C) Delta waves D) Spindles E) Dissociation
E) Dissociation
Heritability refers to the percentage of what? A) Group variation in a trait that van be explained by environment B) Traits shared by identical twins C) Traits shared by fraternal twins D) Traits shared by adopted children and their birth parents E) Group variation in a trait that can be explained by genetics
E) Group variation in a trait that can be explained by genetics
The more often the stimulus is presented, the weaker the response becomes. What do developmental researchers call this decrease in response intensity due to repeated stimulation? A) Stagnation B) Attachment C) Autonomy D) Imprinting E) Habituation
E) Habituation
A question on the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) such as "I get angry sometimes" is included to determine what about the test-taker? A) Whether the person has a personality disorder B) If the person needs immediate help for anger management C) If the person is more extraverted than introverted D) Whether the person has a stronger id or superego E) If the person is answering the question truthfully
E) If the person is answering the question truthfully
What would be true of a thermometer that always reads three degrees off? A) It is valid but not reliable B) It is both reliable and valid C) It is neither reliable nor valid D) It is not valid, but you cannot determine if it is reliable from the information given E) It is reliable but not valid
E) It is reliable but not valid
Research on semistarvation found that men who were given just enough food to stabilize their weight at 25 percent below their starting weight A) Became obsessed with physical exercise B) Were more interpersonally outgoing C) Showed increases in mental cognition D) Were in a state of homeostasis E) Lost interest in social activities
E) Lost interest in social activities
Mnemonic devices are least likely to be dependent on which of the following? A) Imagery B) Acronyms C) Rhymes D) Chunking E) Massed rehearsal
E) Massed rehearsal
Which region of the brain controls our breathing and heartbeat? A) Pons B) Corpus callosum C) Parietal lobe D) Hippocampus E) Medulla
E) Medulla
Which of the following statements concerning memory is true? A) Hypnosis, when used as a component of therapy, usually improves the accuracy of memory B) One aspect of memory that is usually accurate is the source of the remembered information C) Children's memories of abuse are more accurate than other childhood memories D) Memories we are more certain of are more likely to be accurate E) Memories are often a blend of correct and incorrect information
E) Memories are often a blend of correct and incorrect information
Sudden sleep attacks at inopportune times are symptomatic of which sleep disorder? A) Sleep apnea B) Insomnia C) Night terrors D) Sleepwalking E) Narcolepsy
E) Narcolepsy
Which concept best explains why people often underestimate the amount of time it will take to complete a project? A) Belief perserverence B) Framing C) Intuition D) The availability heuristic E) Overconfidence
E) Overconfidence
Which of the following is not an ethical research principle 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 term describes questionnaires that cover a wide range of feelings and behaviors and are designed to assess several traits? A) Factor analysis studies B) Peer reports C) Achievement tests D) Cognition tests E) Personality inventories
E) Personality inventories
Increasing amounts of paradoxical sleep following a period of sleep deprivation is known as what? A) Circadian sleep B) Sleep shifting C) Narcolepsy D) Sleep apnea E) REM rebound
E) REM rebound
Emotions are a mix of consciously experienced thoughts, expressive behaviors, and physiological arousal. Which theory emphasized the importance of consciously experienced thoughts? A) Facial feedback theory B) James-Lange theory C) Arousal and performance theory D) Fight-or-flight response E) Schachter-Singer two-factor theory
E) Schachter-Singer two-factor theory
What is the purpose of the myelin sheath? A) Make the transfer of information across a synapse more efficient B) Increase the amount of neurotransmitter available in the neuron C) Reduce the antagonistic effect of certain drugs D) Establish a resting potential in the axon E) Speed the transmission of information within a neuron
E) Speed the transmission of information within a neuron
Brain plasticity refers to which of the following? A) Healthy human brain tissue B) The ability of the brain to transfer information from one hemisphere to the other C) How a brain gets larger as a child goes D) A wide variety of functions performed by the human brain E) The ability of brain tissue to take on new functions
E) The ability of brain tissue to take on new functions
Which of the following does a PET scan best allow researchers to examine? A) The presence of tumors in the brain B) Electrical activity on the surface of the brain C) The size of internal structures of the brain D) The location of strokes E) The functions of various brain regions
E) The functions of various brain regions
What did Robert Rescorla and Allan Wagner's experiments establish? A) That the acquisition of a CR depends on pairing the CS and the US B) That different species respond differently to classical conditioning situations C) The current belief that classical conditioning is really a form of operant conditioning D) That mirror neurons form the biological basis of classical conditioning E) The importance of cognitive factors in classical conditioning
E) The importance of cognitive factors in classical conditioning
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 European, 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
E) Wundt and his students gathered data about human thinking and behavior in a laboratory setting
Albert Bandura proposed social-cognitive perspective, which A) explains the nature-nurture debate B) predicts human behavior C) focuses on how our environment controls us D) explains human motivation E) emphasizes the interaction of our traits with our situations
E) emphasizes the interaction of our traits with our situations
The Flynn effect refers to the A) superiority of certain racial and ethnic groups on intelligence tests B) extreme scores (very high and very low scores) that are more common for males than females on math tests C) stereotype threat that might cause some Black students to underperform on standardized tests D) predictive ability of intelligence tests E) gradual improvement in intelligence test scores over the last several decades
E) gradual improvement in intelligence test scores over the last several decades
The peripheral nervous system: A) connects the brain to the spinal cord B) calms the body after an emergency C) is limited to the control of voluntary movement D) controls only the arms and the legs E) is the part of the nervous system that does not include the brain and the spinal cord
E) is the part of the nervous system that does not include the brain and the spinal cord