HS Psychology practice questions and exam guide

Psychology is best defined as the scientific study of:

1. the unconscious mind
2. observable behavior only
3. mental illness and its treatment
4. behavior and mental processes

Answer: D — behavior and mental processes

D) Correct — Modern psychology studies both what people do and what they think and feel, using scientific methods. A) Was Freud's focus, one school, not the whole field. B) Was strict behaviorism's definition; it left out mental processes. C) Is clinical psychology, one branch of the field.

Which does the APA require for research with human participants?

1. a ban on all deception
2. payment for every participant
3. informed consent
4. publishing participants' names

Answer: C — informed consent

C) Correct — Participants must agree to take part knowing what is involved, and can quit at any time. A) Deception is allowed when justified and followed by debriefing. B) Payment isn't required. D) Confidentiality is required.

A split-brain patient can't name an object shown only to the left visual field but can pick it out with the left hand, because:

1. the left hemisphere sees it but can't move the hand
2. the right hemisphere sees it but can't speak
3. the corpus callosum sends it to both sides
4. the image never reaches the brain

Answer: B — the right hemisphere sees it but can't speak

B) Correct — The left visual field goes to the right hemisphere, which controls the left hand but usually lacks speech. A) Reverses which hemisphere receives the left visual field. C) It has been cut in these patients. D) The right hemisphere does process it.

After a few minutes you no longer notice the smell in a room. This is:

1. selective attention
2. perceptual set
3. sensory adaptation
4. the difference threshold

Answer: C — sensory adaptation

C) Correct — Receptors respond less to a constant, unchanging stimulus. A) Is choosing what to focus on. B) Is expectation shaping perception. D) Is the smallest noticeable change.

Which drug is a stimulant?

1. heroin
2. marijuana
3. barbiturates
4. methamphetamine

Answer: D — methamphetamine

D) Correct — Stimulants speed body functions and raise energy and alertness. A) Is an opiate. B) Is usually classed as a hallucinogen. C) Are depressants.

Children who watched an adult hit a Bobo doll later hit it too. Bandura's study demonstrated:

1. classical conditioning
2. operant conditioning
3. observational learning
4. insight learning

Answer: C — observational learning

C) Correct — Behavior can be learned by watching a model, without direct reinforcement. A) No stimulus pairing was involved. B) The children weren't reinforced for hitting. D) Is a sudden solution to a problem.

Learning Spanish makes it harder to recall the French vocabulary you learned earlier. This is:

1. proactive interference
2. repression
3. encoding failure
4. retroactive interference

Answer: D — retroactive interference

D) Correct — New learning interferes with recalling old learning. A) Is old learning blocking new; here the new blocks the old. B) Is pushing painful memories out of awareness. C) The French was encoded; the problem is retrieval.

Drive-reduction theory says motivation comes from:

1. the search for an optimal level of arousal
2. the need to reduce biological tension
3. external rewards like money
4. inborn instincts that can't be changed

Answer: B — the need to reduce biological tension

B) Correct — Needs like hunger create drives that push us to restore balance (homeostasis). A) Is arousal theory. C) Is incentive theory. D) Is instinct theory.

Ainsworth's "Strange Situation" measures:

1. an infant's attachment style
2. a child's stage of moral reasoning
3. temperament at birth
4. object permanence

Answer: A — an infant's attachment style

A) Correct — Infants are observed when a caregiver leaves and returns. B) Is Kohlberg's moral dilemmas. C) Is measured differently and earlier. D) Is tested by hiding objects.

A common criticism of trait theories is that they:

1. can't be measured reliably
2. describe behavior more than explain it
3. rely on unconscious drives
4. ignore the stability of personality

Answer: B — describe behavior more than explain it

B) Correct — Saying someone is extraverted doesn't say why. A) Big Five measures are fairly reliable. C) Is a criticism of psychoanalysis. D) They emphasize stability.

A person washes their hands again and again to relieve anxiety about germs. This fits:

1. generalized anxiety disorder
2. specific phobia
3. panic disorder
4. obsessive-compulsive disorder

Answer: D — obsessive-compulsive disorder

D) Correct — Obsessive thoughts lead to compulsive actions that briefly ease anxiety. A) Is broad, ongoing worry without rituals. B) Is intense fear of one object or situation. C) Is sudden attacks of intense fear.

Today, electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is MOST often used for:

1. mild anxiety
2. severe depression that resists other treatment
3. every disorder, as a first step
4. attention problems in children

Answer: B — severe depression that resists other treatment

B) Correct — It is a later option when medication and therapy haven't worked. A) Isn't treated with ECT. C) It is reserved for severe, treatment-resistant cases. D) Isn't an ECT use.

The more bystanders present at an emergency, the less likely any one of them helps. This is the:

1. just-world phenomenon
2. social loafing
3. bystander effect
4. mere exposure effect

Answer: C — bystander effect

C) Correct — Responsibility is spread across everyone present. A) Is believing people get what they deserve. B) Is reduced effort on a group task. D) Is liking familiar things more.

Major neurotransmitters?

Dopamine (reward), serotonin (mood), GABA (inhibitory), glutamate (excitatory), acetylcholine, norepinephrine, endorphins.

Humanistic therapy?

Client-centered (Rogers). Unconditional positive regard. Help self-actualize.

Object permanence?

Understanding things exist when out of sight. Develops sensorimotor stage.

Frontal lobe function?

Decision-making, planning, personality, voluntary movement, language production.

Retrieval cues?

Triggers help memory access. Context-dependent + state-dependent memory.

Short-term memory capacity?

About 7 ± 2 items (Miller, 1956). Lasts 20-30 seconds without rehearsal.