Psych Exam Multiple Choice

Front 1

Researchers typically accept that some results will occur by chance. What is the maximum level of this risk that researchers tend to be willing to accept?

Back 1

5 chances in 100

Front 2

What type of psychologist would be most likely to study rats in a laboratory setting?

Back 2

behaviourist

Front 3

What would be expected of an industrial/organizational psychologist?

Back 3

working to improve employee morale and attitudes

Front 4

When researchers talk about the distinction between nature and nurture, what are they attempting to describe?

Back 4

heredity and experience

Front 5

If we view an experiment as an attempt to establish a cause-effect relationship, how would you define the relationship between the variables in an experiment?

Back 5

The independent variable is the cause, and the dependent variable is the effect.

Front 6

Jolyn believed that there were gender differences in driving habits. To test this hypothesis, she stood near a quiet intersection. Jolyn recorded the gender of each driver who approached a stop sign, and also whether the individual came to a complete stop before proceeding into the intersection. What sort of research is Jolyn conducting?

Back 6

naturalistic observation

Front 7

What do we call statistics that are used to interpret data and draw conclusions?

Back 7

inferential

Front 8

What has NOT been one of the arguments that critics have used against the use of deception in psychological research?

Back 8

Subjects are likely to experience severe physical or psychological harm in this type of research.

Front 9

If a person has a brain tumour that results in a disruption of his or her eating behaviour, what area is the most likely location of the tumour?

Back 9

hypothalamus

Front 10

Imagine that a picture of a spoon is briefly flashed in the left visual field of an individual with a severed corpus callosum. At the same time, a picture of a cup is briefly flashed in the right visual field. Based on Roger Sperry’s work with splitbrai patients, what could we predict that this individual will say?

Back 10

“I saw a cup.”

Front 11

What is NOT primarily controlled by the left hemisphere of the brain?

Back 11

visual-spatial abilities

Front 12

What do we call the member of a gene pair that is more influential in terms of expressing a trait?

Back 12

dominant

Front 13

After visual input has been processed in the primary visual cortex, signals are processed further along a number of pathways. Where is information about object recognition processed?

Back 13

temporal lobes

Front 14

Tran was painting a picture of a jet on a runway; however, in his painting the sides of the runway are parallel to each other. Tran’s picture will seem to lack depth because he has failed to make use of which monocular depth cue?

Back 14

linear perspective

Front 15

What is the structure of the ear that conducts sound waves to the middle ear?

Back 15

auditory canal

Front 16

What is the most common known sleep disorder?

Back 16

insomnia

Front 17

In classical conditioning, a subject can learn to respond to one conditioned stimulus but not to another similar stimulus. What is this phenomenon called?

Back 17

stimulus discrimination

Front 18

Six-year-old Kristen is afraid of balloons because a
balloon once popped in her face while she was
holding it. Last week she went to the circus and
there was a clown holding a huge assortment of
helium balloons. Now she is also afraid of clowns,
even though none of the balloons the clown was
holding popped. Kristen’s fear of clowns illustrates
which classical conditioning process?

Back 18

higher-order conditioning

Front 19

Nicolas has autistic disorder and he was mute. A
therapist working with Nicolas initially gave him a
piece of chocolate any time he made a sound with
his lips. This slowly changed until Nicolas received
a piece of chocolate only for saying complete
words, and eventually only for saying complete
sentences. In this example, which process is
illustrated?

Back 19

shaping

Front 20

What is the deepest level of processing of
information in memory?

Back 20

semantic level of encoding

Front 21

What type of memory is stored for the shortest
period of time?

Back 21

sensory

Front 22

As Kayla was introduced to the seven members of
the committee who would be interviewing her for a
scholarship, she silently repeated all the names to
herself, in order. Which of the following was Kayla
using, and why?

Back 22

rehearsal to temporarily store the names in short-term memory

Front 23

Mark is listening as his roommate lists 14 things
that they need to buy for their apartment before the
end of the week. Based on George Miller’s research
into the capacity of short-term memory, if Mark
doesn’t write the items down as he hears them, how
many items is he likely to remember?

Back 23

between 5 and 9 items

Front 24

What was achieved by Baddely’s concept of working memory?

Back 24

It expands the functions and processes of shortterm
memory.

Front 25

What is the “tip of the tongue” phenomenon?

Back 25

feeling like you know something but are unable to recall it

Front 26

Archie attended his high school graduation over 20
years ago. He is now trying to recall as much as
possible about the graduation ceremonies. Which would be the best retrieval cue?

Back 26

the featured speaker at the ceremony

Front 27

Allen was recently traded to a new basketball team,
and he is having a hard time remembering all the
new plays because he keeps using the plays from
his former team. What does this example illustrate?

Back 27

proactive interference

Front 28

What is a good strategy for
minimizing interference with retention of course
material?

Back 28

conduct a last, thorough review of material as close to exam time as possible

Front 29

Overregularizations occur as children master
language skills. Which theory of language
development does this provide evidence
AGAINST?

Back 29

behavioural

Front 30

If you solve a current problem using the solution to
a previous, similar problem, which heuristic are you
applying?

Back 30

searching for analogies

Front 31

Car A has good mileage, a low price, and low
maintenance, or three pluses. Car B has only a low
price and low maintenance, or two pluses. So, I’ll
choose Car A. What does this example illustrate?

Back 31

purely additive strategy

Front 32

Light has entered Jeff’s eye and has stimulated
receptors there. What term describes this process?

Back 32

sensation

Front 33

Three people look at the same sketch and
report seeing three different things. Which of
the following does this demonstrate that
perception is influenced by?

Back 33

perceptual set

Front 34

What route is taken by nerve fibres that carry
information about pressure from the surface of
the skin on the left side of the body?

Back 34

through the spinal column and into the right parietal somatosensory cortex

Front 35

What is the relationship between attention and
consciousness?

Back 35

They may coexist, but you can have either one without the other.

Front 36

What is it called when you can think clearly
about the circumstances of your waking life
while recognizing that you are dreaming?

Back 36

lucid dreaming

Front 37

Maarit takes a course in which she is tested
every two weeks. Her studying falls off right
after a test, followed by a gradual increase to a
rapid rate of studying as the next test
approaches. On which reinforcement schedule
does her studying conform to the typical
pattern of responding ?

Back 37

fixed-interval

Front 38

What is a conclusion we can draw as a result of decades of research on animal models of learning?

Back 38

Many principles of learning discovered in
animal research apply quite well to humans.

Front 39

After watching his father wash the car, fiveyear-
old Yacov washes his bike. What does
this example illustrate?

Back 39

observational learning

Front 40

For what achievement is psychologist Wilhem Wundt primarily known?

Back 40

establishment of the first formal lab for research in psych

Front 41

Why is G.Stanely Hall noteworthy in the history of Psychology?

Back 41

He established the American Psychological Association and was its first president

Front 42

What approach t psych can be compared to examining a movie frame by frame rather than viewing it as a moving image?

Back 42

Structuralism

Front 43

A tennis coach insists that he can make any reasonably health individual into an interntiaonally competitive tennis player. The coach's perspective echoes the statements of which psychologist?

Back 43

John B. Watson

Front 44

A young man forgets to pick up his mother at the airport. What approach would suggest that his forgetfulness is an unconscious way of saying that he does not welcome her visit?

Back 44

psychoanalytic

Front 45

What is a statement that one of Skinner's followers would agree with?

Back 45

Free will is an illusion

Front 46

What approach holds the most optimistic view of human nature?

Back 46

Humanism

Front 47

What historical event created a demand for clinicians that was far greater than the supply?

Back 47

WWII

Front 48

What psychologist would most likely undertake the study of endocrine system and genetic mechanisms

Back 48

a physiological psychologist

Front 49

What statement best fits the theoretical perspective of positive psych?

Back 49

The only way to understand a health, functioning huma is to study humans who have serious disorders. Knowing what can go wrong allows us to define what is right

Front 50

A pyschiartist requires what degree?

Back 50

Ed.D

Front 51

When students change answers on multiple choice tests, which change is most common?

Back 51

changing once, then changing back to original answer

Front 52

How do critical thinking skills develop?

Back 52

develop spontaneously through learning about new topics

Front 53

What area of psychology did the well-known Canadian psychologist, Donald Hebb, conduct research?

Back 53

Clinical Psychology

Front 54

Braeden received a poor performance evaluation in his job last year. Since then Braeden has started working
through his lunch hour, taken on four special projects, and enrolled in night classes to upgrade his computer
skills. If Braeden receives a better evaluation at his next performance, why will it be hard for him to figure out
the cause?

Back 54

The three actions he took are confounded with each other.

Front 55

What is the primary reason that descriptive/correlational research cannot determine conclusively that
variables have a cause-and-effect relationship?

Back 55

The researcher cannot control events or manipulate variables.

Front 56

What are the chemicals that are secreted from the terminal buttons into the synapse?

Back 56

neurotransmitters

Front 57

Which neuronal structures are analogous to branches on a tree?

Back 57

dendrites

Front 58

When a neuron’s electrical charge becomes positive and travels along the axon, what is the neuron said to be
having?

Back 58

an action potential

Front 59

Electrical stimulation of its lateral hypothalamus causes an animal to overeat and become obese. Therefore,
what could we expect to be produced by lesioning the lateral hypothalamus?

Back 59

undereating and weight loss

Front 60

Dr. Wawanosh is investigating the effect of high room temperature on aggressive behaviour in preschoolers.
Half of the children are in a classroom where the temperature is a warm 88 degrees and half are in a
classroom where the temperature is a normal 77 degrees. Dr. Wawanosh measures the number of hitting
incidents that occur in each classroom. In this study, which group is in the classroom with the normal
temperature?

Back 60

the control group

Front 61

What seems to be a primary cause of Parkinson’s disease?

Back 61

degeneration of neurons that use dopamine as a neurotransmitter

Front 62

What type of psychologist is concerned with changes in behaviour throughout the life span?

Back 62

developmental

Front 63

An elderly person has a stroke that leaves her unable to talk and part of her body paralyzed. Which part of the
body is MOST likely to be paralyzed?

Back 63

right side

Front 64

When John Watson claimed, “Give me a dozen healthy infants ...” he was arguing that behaviour is strongly
influenced by which of the following?

Back 64

environmental factors

Front 65

For most students, how would you describe cramming for an exam as a study strategy?

Back 65

ineffective

Front 66

Which statistical concept refers to how much the scores in a distribution tend to differ from the mean?

Back 66

variability

Front 67

Karlette took some new medication for her hay fever. The medication made her heart start to race, and she
became agitated and jittery. It is likely that the medication is increasing the activity in which division of the
nervous system?

Back 67

sympathetic

Front 68

If results are statistically significant, what is the probability that those results are due to chance?

Back 68

very low

Front 69

What is the process through which neurotransmitters are “recycled” to be used again?

Back 69

reuptake

Front 70

What is the device that monitors the electrical activity of the brain over time?

Back 70

electroencephalograph

Front 71

What is necessary for improving academic performance by
improving your reading, getting more out of lectures, and improving test-taking strategies?

Back 71

critical thinking skills

Front 72

If you take a sip of a soft drink and concentrate on what you are experiencing (cold, bubbly, sweet, etc.),
which of the following would you be using?

Back 72

introspection

Front 73

A massive stroke that damages this brain structures is most likely to be fatal since the structure regulates
breathing and circulation.

Back 73

medulla

Front 74

What did Sigmund Freud believe should be the focus of studies of personality, motivation, and mental
disorders?

Back 74

unconscious determinants of behaviour

Front 75

Where are the thalamus, hypothalamus, and limbic system all located?

Back 75

forebrain

Front 76

Although naturalistic observation has its benefits, which of the following is one of its weaknesses?

Back 76

It does not allow researchers to make definitive statements about the causes of the
observed behaviour.

Front 77

What is the mean?

Back 77

arithmetic average for a group of scores

Front 78

If a psychologist hopes that his research will help to solve some practical problem, his hope reflects which
goal of science

Back 78

application and control

Front 79

What are descriptive statistics?

Back 79

calculations used to organize and summarize data

Front 80

What are the two major divisions of the nervous system?

Back 80

central and peripheral

Front 81

If a researcher manipulates a variable under carefully controlled conditions and observes whether any changes
occur in a second variable, what research method is the researcher using?

Back 81

experimental method

Front 82

Isaiah is having his eyes checked. The doctor has put drops in Isaiah’s eyes that will cause the pupils to open
wide. As the drops begin to work, what will happen to Isaiah’s vision?

Back 82

His vision will start to become quite blurry.

Front 83

What structures do neural transmission in the slow pain pathway depend on?

Back 83

thin, unmyelinated neurons called C fibres

Front 84

Which brain structure appears to be MOST important to sleep and wakefulness?

Back 84

reticular formation

Front 85

What is a statement about dreams that is NOT accurate?

Back 85

Dreams occur only during REM sleep.

Front 86

A hypnotist is putting on a demonstration, and your friend Benjamin is thinking about volunteering. However,
he is a little nervous because he is afraid he might do things he would normally not do while he is hypnotized.
Based on research into the effects of hypnosis, what should you tell Benjamin?

Back 86

Sometimes people will do things under hypnosis that they would normally consider
unacceptable.

Front 87

Aimee is taking a prescription drug to control her back pain. She finds that when she takes the drug she
experiences some short-term drowsiness and nausea. What type of drug has Aimee’s physician prescribed?

Back 87

narcotic

Front 88

Haley has severe glaucoma and she finds that the symptoms of her glaucoma can be relieved by using a
nonprescription drug. In addition to relieving the symptoms of glaucoma, the drug relaxes her and induces a
mild feeling of euphoria. What is Haley using to treat her glaucoma?

Back 88

marijuana

Front 89

Mark’s mother is worried because he only sleeps about four to five hours per night. What would you tell her?

Back 89

There is probably nothing to be worried about if Mark is healthy and productive since
different people need differing amounts of sleep.

Front 90

Erika has been having trouble with sleep lately. In particular, she finds that her mind races with minor
worries when she tries to go to sleep. When she does fall asleep, she doesn’t tend to stay asleep for very long.
One night, Erika has three glasses of wine before bed. She falls asleep easily that night, but even after 8 hours
of sleep she woke up feeling unrested. Erika talked to her friend Betsy about her sleep problems and Besty
invited Erika to join her for her weekly yoga class. Betsy claimed that yoga really helped her to sleep well.
In the class, Erika learned how to do some basic meditation. That night, Erika tried some of the meditation
techniques just before going to bed. She had a great sleep, and woke up feeling much more refreshed than she
had in weeks. Erika’s sleep problems are consistent with which sleep disorder?

Back 90

Insomnia

Front 91

What is the major difference between a conditioned stimulus and an unconditioned stimulus?

Back 91

that one reliably elicits the response of interest prior to conditioning while the other does
not

Front 92

Eduardo’s mother always wore Chantille perfume, and he always smelled it when she hugged him. Today,
whenever he catches a whiff of Chantille perfume, it makes him feel calm and relaxed. Which learning
process best accounts for Eduardo’s response to the scent of Chantille perfume?

Back 92

classical conditioning

Front 93

Carly used to be afraid of visits to her family doctor because she associated the sight of his waiting room with
the pain of having a blood sample drawn. However, Carly’s new doctor’s lab worker is “painless,” and the
sight of the waiting room is no longer associated with pain. Consequently, Carly finds her fear of visits to her
family doctor has disappeared. Which classical conditioning process does this illustrate?

Back 93

extinction

Front 94

According to the law of effect, what happens to the association between stimulus and response?

Back 94

Satisfying events strengthen the association.

Front 95

Giovanni was watching the night sky on a clear evening in November. He noticed that sometimes
when he looked directly overhead he could detect a very faint star. A few minutes later it seemed
that the star had disappeared, and then it “appeared” again. How would you describe the light from
the star, in this case?

Back 95

It is just at Giovanni’s absolute threshold for light.

Front 96

Dalton was sitting in the hallway outside his chemistry class. Some students said they thought they
could smell smoke, but Dalton didn’t smell anything. When they all checked the lab to see if there
were any problems, everything was fine and nothing was burning. What would you call Dalton’s
response based on signal detection theory?

Back 96

correct rejection

Front 97

Yaniv has been working at his computer for the past two hours, and the hum that he found so
annoying when he started no longer bothers him. Which of the following processes is illustrated by
the change in Yaniv’s sensitivity to the computer noise?

Back 97

sensory adaptation

Front 98

What does the lens in the eye do?

Back 98

It bends entering light rays and focuses them onto the retina.

Front 99

What instruments would be most useful for documenting the eye movements
associated with REM sleep?

Back 99

electrooculograph

Front 100

what stage of sleep is dreaming typically associated?

Back 100

REM sleep

Front 101

Raul’s parents make certain they thank Raul every time he clears the dishes from the table without
being asked. Sadie’s parents try to remember to thank Sadie every time she clears the table without
being asked, but about half the time they forget. What should you predict based on principles of
operant conditioning?

Back 101

Sadie’s table clearing will be more resistant to extinction than Raul’s.

Front 102

You are watching a rat pressing a lever in a Skinner box to obtain food pellets. The rat pauses for a
long time after each food pellet is delivered, but slowly increases its rate of lever pressing as more
time elapses. Which reinforcement schedule is likely in place in this example?

Back 102

fixed-interval

Front 103

What aspect of perception is affected by the wavelength of light?

Back 103

colour

Front 104

Hering’s opponent-process theory suggests that receptors are linked antagonistically in pairs. What are his opposed pairs?

Back 104

red-green; yellow-blue; black-white

Front 105

Conditioning is a specific type of learning. What does it involve?

Back 105

learning associations between events that occur in the environment