Exam 1 Flashcards
Carstensen’s (1992) socioemotional selectivity theory proposes that, as we get older:
A. emotionally meaningful and knowledge-related goals both become more important.
B. emotionally meaningful goals become more important and knowledge-related goals become less important.
C. emotionally meaningful goals become less important and knowledge-related goals become more important.
D. emotionally meaningful and knowledge-related goals both become less important.
B. emotionally meaningful goals become more important and knowledge-related goals become less important.
EXPLANATION
EPPP-P1-LIF-Socioemotional Development – Temperament and Personality-198 Answer B is correct. Carstensen’s socioemotional selectivity theory proposes that our goals change as our future time becomes more limited. It distinguishes between two types of goals – knowledge-related and emotionally meaningful – and proposes that, as we get older, we place less importance on knowledge-related goals and more importance on emotionally meaningful goals. In terms of social relationships, this means that younger people prefer relationships that fulfill their knowledge-related goals, while older people prefer relationships that fulfill their emotionally meaningful goals.
Following a traumatic brain injury, a middle-aged woman experiences considerable anterograde and retrograde amnesia. When she begins to recall events that occurred in the past, she’ll most likely remember which of the following first?
A. where she and her family went on vacation three years ago.
B. what she gave her sister for her birthday last year.
C. the argument she had with her oldest daughter three weeks ago.
D. the events that happened on the morning of her injury.
A. where she and her family went on vacation three years ago.
EXPLANATION
EPPP-P1-PHY-Memory and Sleep-171 Answer A is correct. Many patients who experience retrograde amnesia as the result of a traumatic brain injury exhibit “shrinking retrograde amnesia” over time. This means that the period of retrograde amnesia gradually shortens with the most distant memories returning first.
An advertising agency has been hired by a dog food company to re-design the labels for its products. The agency prepares seven different labels for canned dog food and, to determine which label customers prefer, has a sample of 300 dog owners choose the label they like the most. Which of the following is the appropriate statistical test to use to determine if there’s a significant difference in the number of dog owners who chose each label?
A. single-sample chi-square test
B. multiple-sample chi-square test
C. one-way ANOVA
D. factorial ANOVA
A. single-sample chi-square test
EXPLANATION
EPPP-P1-RMS-Inferential Statistical Tests-059 Answer A is correct. The first and second steps in identifying the appropriate statistical test are identifying the study’s independent and dependent variables and the scale of measurement of the dependent variable. However, this study has only one variable and, in this situation, it’s just necessary to identify that variable’s scale of measurement: The variable is type of label and it’s measured on a nominal scale. The chi-square test is used to analyze nominal data and, when there’s only one variable, the single-sample chi-square test is the appropriate test. Note that the single-sample chi-square test is also known as the one-sample chi-square test and the chi-square goodness-of-fit test.
Dr. Dennis, an organizational psychologist, is hired by a company to develop and validate a new selection test for customer service representatives. When she conducts a concurrent validity study on the test she develops, Dr. Dennis finds that it has a validity coefficient of .65 for men and a validity coefficient of .20 for women. This suggests that the test has:
A. differential validity for men and women.
B. divergent validity for men and women.
C. differential selection for men and women.
D. inadequate validity for both men and women.
A. differential validity for men and women.
EXPLANATION
EPPP-P1-ORG-Employee Selection – Evaluation of Techniques-096 Answer A is correct. A selection test or other employment procedure has differential validity when it has significantly different validity coefficients for members of different groups. Differential validity is a potential cause of adverse impact.
An advanced sleep phase is most characteristic of:
A. adults deprived of REM sleep.
B. individuals who are blind.
C. older adults.
D. infants.
C. older adults.
EXPLANATION
EPPP-P1-PHY-Memory and Sleep-165 Answer C is correct. Advanced sleep phase is also known as circadian phase advance and refers to a shift in the sleep-wake cycle that involves falling asleep and waking up earlier than at the conventional times. Many older adults experience an advanced sleep phase.
A picture of a knife is projected onto a screen so that it’s briefly presented only to the right visual field of a split-brain patient, and a picture of a fork is then briefly presented only to the patient’s left visual field. When asked to verbally identify what he has seen, the patient:
A. will be able to say “knife” and, although he can’t say “fork,” will be able to pick out a fork with his left hand.
B. will be able to say “fork” and, although he can’t say “knife,” will be able to pick out a knife with his right hand.
C. will be able to say “knife” but won’t be able to say “fork” or pick out a fork with his right or left hand.
D. will be able to say “fork” but won’t be able to say “knife” or pick out a knife with his right or left hand.
A. will be able to say “knife” and, although he can’t say “fork,” will be able to pick out a fork with his left hand.
EXPLANATION
EPPP-P1-PHY-Brain Regions/Functions – Cerebral Cortex-079 Answer A is correct. Ordinarily information received by the left hemisphere is shared with the right hemisphere and vice versa, but split-brain patients have had their corpus callosums severed to control severe epilepsy which limits communication between the two hemispheres. Most language processing occurs in the left hemisphere, so split-brain patients can verbally identify images that are projected to the right visual field because information about those images is sent via the optic nerve to the left hemisphere. In contrast, split-brain patients cannot verbally identify images that are presented to the left visual field because that information is sent to the right hemisphere and isn’t shared with the left hemisphere. However, they can pick out the objects depicted in the images with their left hands because the right hemisphere controls the left hand.
By about __________ months of age, children use two words to create a simple sentence – for example, “juice gone,” “get toy,” and “big doggie.”
A. 12 to 18
B. 18 to 24
C. 24 to 30
D. 30 to 36
B. 18 to 24
EXPLANATION
EPPP-P1-LIF-Language Development-123 Answer B is correct. The use of two words to create a sentence is referred to as telegraphic speech. It begins when a child is between 18 and 24 months of age and usually includes a noun and a verb or a noun and an adjective.
Which of the following is considered to be a research-supported treatment for obsessive-compulsive disorder?
A. EMDR
B. behavioral activation therapy
C. exposure with response prevention
D. habit reversal training
C. exposure with response prevention
EXPLANATION
EPPP-P1-PPA-Anxiety Disorders and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder-160 Answer C is correct. Exposure with response prevention and cognitive therapy have both been identified as research-supported treatments for obsessive-compulsive disorder. See, e.g., J. Abramowitz, Effectiveness of psychological and pharmacological treatments for obsessive-compulsive disorder: A quantitative review. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 65(1), 44-52, 1997.
Moscovici’s (1980) research on minority influence found that a group member with a minority opinion must rely on which of the following to persuade members with the opposing (majority) opinion to adopt his or her opinion?
A. informational influence
B. normative influence
C. behavioral style
D. psychological reactance
C. behavioral style
EXPLANATION
EPPP-P1-SOC-Social Influence – Group Influences-115 Answer C is correct. According to Moscovici, a group member with a minority opinion must rely on behavioral style to persuade the majority – i.e., the member must be consistent in expressing his/her opinion without seeming too rigid or dogmatic.
Brain imaging studies have linked the negative symptoms of schizophrenia to:
A. an overactive HPA axis.
B. a smaller-than-normal cerebellum.
C. temporal-limbic overactivity.
D. prefrontal underactivity.
D. prefrontal underactivity.
EXPLANATION
EPPP-P1-PPA-Schizophrenia Spectrum/Other Psychotic Disorders-099 Answer D is correct. Prefrontal underactivity is also known as hypofrontality and refers to reduced blood flow to the frontal lobes. It has been linked to the negative symptoms of schizophrenia. Temporal-limbic overactivity has been linked to the disorder’s positive symptoms.
Ella took Spanish classes in her last two years of high school but decided to learn French in college instead of continuing with Spanish. She found that, even after studying French for two semesters, whenever she tried to recall the French equivalent for an English word, she’d recall the Spanish word instead. Ella’s experience illustrates which of the following?
A. retroactive interference
B. proactive interference
C. the serial position effect
D. the recency effect
B. proactive interference
EXPLANATION
EPPP-P1-LEA-Memory and Forgetting-136 Answer B is correct. Proactive interference occurs when prior learning (e.g., Spanish) interferes with the ability to learn or recall new information (e.g., French).
When using the Mini Mental State Exam (MMSE) as a screening tool for cognitive impairment in older adults, it’s important to keep in mind that use of the standard cutoff score for African American and Latino patients may result in too many ____________ and that __________ the cutoff score for these individuals reduces this problem.
A. false positives; lowering
B. false positives; raising
C. false negatives; lowering
D. false negatives; raising
A. false positives; lowering
EXPLANATION
EPPP-P1-PAS-Clinical Tests-120 Answer A is correct. The studies have found that use of the standard cutoff score (24) on the MMSE with African American and Latino patients results in too many false positives. Scores on the MMSE range from 0 to 30, with lower scores indicating greater cognitive impairment, so lowering the cutoff score for these patients reduces this problem. See, e.g., C. A. Manning and J. K. Ducharme, Dementia syndromes in the older adult, in P. A. Lichtenberg (Ed.), Handbook of assessment in clinical gerontology, pp. 155-178, Academic Press, San Diego, CA, 2010.
People with __________ personality disorder have a lack of desire for social relationships and are uninterested in opportunities to develop close relationships.
A. schizoid
B. histrionic
C. avoidant
D. paranoid
A. schizoid
EXPLANATION
EPPP-P1-PPA-Personality Disorders-220 Answer A is correct. Many of the personality disorders involve problems related to social relationships, but a lack of desire for relationships is most characteristic of schizoid personality disorder. As described in the DSM-5, people with this disorder “appear to lack a desire for intimacy, seem indifferent to opportunities to develop close relationships, and do not seem to derive much satisfaction from being part of a family or other social group” (p. 653).
You would use the Position Analysis Questionnaire to:
A. evaluate the effects of a training program.
B. identify the “position power” of managerial-level employees.
C. conduct a worker-oriented job analysis.
D. conduct an organizational analysis.
C. conduct a worker-oriented job analysis.
EXPLANATION
EPPP-P1-ORG-Job Analysis and Performance Assessment-008 Answer C is correct. The Position Analysis Questionnaire (PAQ) is a worker-oriented job analysis questionnaire that addresses six categories of work activity: information input, mental processes, work output, relationships with other people, job context, and other characteristics.
Which of the following is most consistent with ethical guidelines for contingent fees?
A. Accepting contingent fees is prohibited under any circumstances.
B. Accepting contingent fees should usually be avoided.
C. Accepting contingent fees is acceptable when all parties voluntarily agree to this arrangement.
D. Accepting contingent fees is acceptable as long as it is not prohibited by law.
B. Accepting contingent fees should usually be avoided.
EXPLANATION
EPPP-P1-ETH-APA Ethics Code Standards 5 & 6-135 Answer B is correct. The APA Ethics Code does not refer to contingent fees, but they are addressed in Paragraph 5.02 of the Specialty Guidelines for Forensic Psychology. It states that, “because of the threat to impartiality presented by the acceptance of contingent fees and associated legal prohibitions, forensic practitioners strive to avoid providing professional services on the basis of contingent fees.” This answer is also consistent with the requirements of the Canadian Code of Ethics regarding fees for professional services and conflicts of interest (e.g., Standard III.28).
Research by Baumrind (1971) and others has found that the best outcomes for children and adolescents occur when their parents have an authoritative parenting style, which is characterized by which of the following?
A. low demandingness and low responsiveness
B. low demandingness and high responsiveness
C. high demandingness and low responsiveness
D. high demandingness and high responsiveness
D. high demandingness and high responsiveness
EXPLANATION
EPPP-P1-LIF-Socioemotional Development – Temperament and Personality-156 Answer D is correct. Authoritative parents are both responsive and demanding: They are warm and sensitive to their children’s needs; and, while they have clear rules and exert firm control over their children’s behaviors, their rules are reasonable and, as appropriate, they include children in decision-making and encourage their autonomy. Children and adolescents of these parents tend to be self-reliant, friendly, and cooperative, have high self-esteem, and do well in school.
The two main types of integrity tests that are used to assist with selection decisions are:
A. general and specific trait tests.
B. covert and behavior-based tests.
C. objective and subjective tests.
D. overt and personality-based tests.
D. overt and personality-based tests.
EXPLANATION
EPPP-P1-ORG-Employee Selection – Techniques-063 Answer D is correct. There are two main types of integrity tests: Overt integrity tests ask directly about attitudes toward and previous history of dishonesty and theft, while personality-based integrity tests assess aspects of personality that have been linked to dishonesty, disciplinary problems, sabotage, and other counterproductive behaviors.
Restitution and positive practice are components of which of the following?
A. response cost
B. Premack principle
C. overcorrection
D. differential reinforcement
C. overcorrection
EXPLANATION
EPPP-P1-LEA-Interventions Based on Operant Conditioning-086 Answer C is correct. Overcorrection is used to reduce or eliminate an undesirable behavior and is classified as a type of positive punishment. It consists of two components: Restitution requires the individual to fix any negative consequences of the behavior (e.g., having a child clean up the food he threw on the floor while the family ate dinner). Positive practice involves practicing more appropriate behaviors (e.g., having the child scrape the uneaten food off the plates of other family members into the garbage can).
While walking on a city sidewalk, a disheveled young man suddenly staggers, falls into a doorway, and begins coughing and moaning. He’s most likely to get help if:
A. there are several male and female bystanders.
B. there are five or six male bystanders.
B. there are five or six female bystanders.
D. there is one bystander.
D. there is one bystander.
EXPLANATION
EPPP-P1-SOC-Prosocial Behavior and Prejudice/Discrimination-137 Answer D is correct. The research has shown that a person is most likely to receive help when there’s only one bystander and that, as the number of bystanders increases, the likelihood of receiving help decreases.
At the beginning of her third therapy session, your new client says she’s “already feeling much better.” According to Howard et al.’s (1996) phase model, the client’s improvement is most likely due to which of the following?
A. the formation of a therapeutic alliance
B. an initial decrease in symptoms
C. the experience of catharsis
D. an increased sense of hope
D. an increased sense of hope
EXPLANATION
EPPP-P1-CLI-Prevention, Consultation, and Psychotherapy Research-167 Answer D is correct. According to Howard et al.’s phase model, the effects of therapy change over time and occur in three phases – remoralization, remediation, and rehabilitation. Remoralization occurs during the first few sessions and involves an increased sense of hope that a positive outcome is possible.
Community reinforcement and family training (CRAFT) is an evidence-based intervention that was designed for families that include:
A. an adolescent who has a substance use problem with co-occurring conduct disorder and has not responded to other treatments.
B. an adult who has a substance use problem with at least one co-occurring psychiatric disorder.
C. an adolescent or adult who has a substance use problem and is at high risk for relapse due to the heightened level of expressed emotion of family members.
D. an adult who has a substance use problem but refuses to seek treatment.
D. an adult who has a substance use problem but refuses to seek treatment.
EXPLANATION
EPPP-P1-PPA-Substance-Related and Addictive Disorders–140 Answer D is correct. CRAFT was designed for individuals who refuse to seek treatment for their substance use problems. When using this intervention, the therapist works with concerned significant others (CSOs) who are family members or close friends of the individual who has the substance use problem.
An employer is concerned about the low motivation of many of her employees and decides to interview them to obtain information on how to alleviate this problem. Being familiar with Vroom’s (1964) expectancy theory, the employer will ask employees about all of the following except:
A. expectancy.
B. instrumentality.
C. commitment.
D. valence.
C. commitment.
EXPLANATION
EPPP-P1-ORG-Theories of Motivation-200 Answer C is correct. Knowing that expectancy theory is also known as VIE theory would have helped you identify the correct answer to this question: “V” refers to valence, “I” to instrumentality, and “E” to expectancy.
Dr. Shadid, a licensed psychologist, has a private clinical practice and teaches and conducts research at a large university. Dr. Shadid routinely administers cognitive ability and personality tests to many of his clients as part of his initial assessment and plans to also use the results of tests administered to therapy clients in his research study. In terms of ethical requirements, use of the test results in the research study is:
A. acceptable as long as he obtains informed consent from the clients for use of the assessment results for both therapy and research.
B. acceptable as long as the identity of each client is removed from the data he uses in his research study.
C. acceptable as long as the test results are genuinely needed for the purposes of diagnosis and treatment of his therapy clients.
D. unacceptable under any circumstances.
A. acceptable as long as he obtains informed consent from the clients for use of the assessment results for both therapy and research.
EXPLANATION
EPPP-P1-ETH-APA Ethics Code Standards 9 & 10-193 Answer A is correct. Standard 9.03 of the APA Ethics Code applies to this situation. It requires psychologists to obtain informed consent for assessment and to include, as part of the informed consent, “an explanation of the nature and purpose of the assessment.” This answer is also consistent with the requirements of Standards I.26 and I.36 of the Canadian Code of Ethics.
When lithium has not reduced the symptoms of mania for an individual who has received a diagnosis of bipolar disorder, an alternative is:
A. disulfiram.
B. carbamazepine.
C. propranolol.
D. guanfacine.
B. carbamazepine.
EXPLANATION
EPPP-P1-PHY-Psychopharmacology – Other Psychoactive Drugs-207 Answer B is correct. Anticonvulsant drugs are often prescribed for individuals with bipolar disorder who have not responded to lithium or cannot tolerate its side effects. Carbamazepine is one of the anticonvulsant drugs that has been found useful for treating mania.
Your new client is Adam, a 19-year-old college sophomore, who says his restlessness, inability to concentrate, and impulsiveness are interfering with his ability to do well in his classes. He tells you that, when he was a child, his pediatrician thought he had attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. However, his symptoms – especially his hyperactivity – started “getting better” when he was in high school. To assign a diagnosis of ADHD to Adam, he must have at least:
A. five symptoms of inattention and/or five symptoms of hyperactivity and impulsivity.
B. six symptoms of inattention and/or six symptoms of hyperactivity and impulsivity.
C. a total of five symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity, and/or impulsivity.
D. a total of six symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity, and/or impulsivity.
A. five symptoms of inattention and/or five symptoms of hyperactivity and impulsivity.
EXPLANATION
EPPP-P1-PPA-Neurodevelopmental Disorders-045 Answer A is correct. The DSM-5 diagnosis of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) requires at least six symptoms of inattention and/or six symptoms of hyperactivity and impulsivity for children, or at least five symptoms of inattention and/or five symptoms of hyperactivity and impulsivity for individuals 17 years of age and older.
The owner of several fast-food restaurants tells you she’s concerned about the low job satisfaction and poor job performance of many of her employees. She says she’s heard that “satisfied workers are productive workers” and asks what the research has found about this. You tell her that the studies support which of the following?
A. Satisfied workers are, in fact, always productive workers.
B. Productive workers are always satisfied workers.
C. Workers who are rewarded for their productivity are most productive and satisfied.
D. Workers who are happy with their lives are most productive and satisfied.
C. Workers who are rewarded for their productivity are most productive and satisfied.
EXPLANATION
EPPP-P1-ORG-Satisfaction, Commitment, and Stress-206 Answer C is correct. The research has found that the relationship between satisfaction and performance is stronger when pay and other reinforcers are closely linked to performance (e.g., Podsakoff & Williams, 1986).
The ____________ acts as a “relay station” for all of the senses except smell.
A. pons
B. hypothalamus
C. hippocampus
D. thalamus
D. thalamus
EXPLANATION
EPPP-P1-PHY-Brain Regions/Functions – Hindbrain, Midbrain, and Subcortical Forebrain Structures-057 Answer D is correct. The thalamus processes and transfers all incoming sensory information except olfactory information to appropriate areas in the cerebral cortex.
The most likely DSM-5 diagnosis for a 15-year-old boy who has three motor tics and one vocal tic that started 14 months ago is:
A. provisional tic disorder.
B. persistent tic disorder.
C. Gerstmann’s syndrome.
D. Tourette’s disorder.
D. Tourette’s disorder.
EXPLANATION
EPPP-P1-PPA-Neurodevelopmental Disorders-056 Answer D is correct. The DSM-5 diagnosis of Tourette’s disorder requires the presence of two or more motor tics and one or more vocal tics that had an onset prior to 18 years of age and have lasted more than one year.
Which of the following describes the relationship between a test’s reliability coefficient and its criterion-related validity coefficient?
A. A test’s criterion-related validity coefficient can be no greater than its reliability coefficient.
B. A test’s criterion-related validity coefficient can be no greater than the square root of its reliability coefficient.
C. A test’s criterion-related validity coefficient can be no greater than the square root of one minus its reliability coefficient.
D. A test’s criterion-related validity coefficient can be no greater than the square of its reliability coefficient.
B. A test’s criterion-related validity coefficient can be no greater than the square root of its reliability coefficient.
EXPLANATION
EPPP-P1-TES-Test Validity – Criterion-Related Validity-106 Answer B is correct. A test’s criterion-related validity coefficient can be no greater than the square root of its reliability coefficient. For example, if a test has a reliability coefficient of .81, its criterion-related validity coefficient can be no greater than the square root of .81, which is .90.
Cataplexy, hypocretin deficiency, and short rapid eye movement sleep latency are symptoms of:
A. narcolepsy.
B. sleep apnea.
C. temporal lobe seizures.
D. Tourette’s syndrome.
A. narcolepsy.
EXPLANATION
EPPP-P1-PPA-Feeding/Eating, Elimination, and Sleep-Wake Disorders-184 Answer A is correct. The DSM-5 diagnosis of narcolepsy requires irrepressible episodes of sleep (daytime naps) with at least one of the following: cataplexy, hypocretin deficiency, or REM sleep latency less than or equal to 15 minutes.
The analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) is used to:
A. statistically remove the effects of an extraneous variable on the dependent variable.
B. measure the effects of an extraneous variable on the dependent variable by treating it as an independent variable.
C. simultaneously assess the effects of the independent variable on two or more dependent variables.
D. simultaneously assess the effects of two or more independent variables on a single dependent variable.
A. statistically remove the effects of an extraneous variable on the dependent variable.
EXPLANATION
EPPP-P1-RMS-Inferential Statistical Tests-094 Answer A is correct. The ANCOVA is used to statistically remove the effects of an extraneous variable from scores on the dependent variable so that it’s easier to detect the effects of the independent variable on the dependent variable. When using the ANCOVA, the extraneous variable is the “covariate.”
____________ syndrome affects males, is due to the presence of an extra X chromosome, and causes a number of physical abnormalities.
A. Prader-Willi
B. Angelman
C. Klinefelter
D. Turner
C. Klinefelter
EXPLANATION
EPPP-P1-LIF-Early Influences on Development – Prenatal Development-033 Answer C is correct. The symptoms of Klinefelter syndrome vary, but most males with an extra X chromosome have undeveloped testes, breast enlargement, long limbs with a short trunk, less facial and body hair, and a low testosterone level.
Atkinson, Morten, and Sue’s (2003) racial/cultural identity development model predicts that an African American client in the ____________ stage will most likely prefer having a White therapist.
A. disintegration
B. resistance
C. dissonance
D. conformity
D. conformity
EXPLANATION
EPPP-P1-CLI-Cross-Cultural Issues – Identity Development Models-221 Answer D is correct. Atkinson, Morten, and Sue’s racial/cultural identity development model distinguishes between five stages: conformity, dissonance, resistance and immersion, introspection, and integrative awareness. Minority group members in the conformity stage have negative attitudes toward their own minority group and other minority groups and positive attitudes toward Whites (the dominant group). They view White culture as superior and, with regard to therapy, prefer a White therapist.
Your new client is Maureen, a 21-year-old college junior, who says she’s ordinarily a shy, calm person who doesn’t have trouble getting things done. However, for the last three weeks, she’s been jumping from one project to another without finishing anything, gets irritated by just about everything, is more talkative than usual, and has a lot of energy even though she’s not getting enough sleep. Maureen says that, because of her symptoms, she hasn’t been able to concentrate while studying and she failed an exam last week for the first time in her life. Maureen’s symptoms are most suggestive of which of the following?
A. bipolar I disorder
B. bipolar II disorder
C. cyclothymic disorder
D. ADHD
A. bipolar I disorder
EXPLANATION
EPPP-P1-PPA-Bipolar and Depressive Disorders-110 Answer A is correct. The nature and duration of Maureen’s symptoms are most suggestive of bipolar I disorder, which is diagnosed when a person has had at least one manic episode that lasted for at least one week. Maureen’s increased energy and talkativeness, distractibility, increased goal activity (jumping from one project to another), decreased need for sleep, and impaired functioning at school because of her symptoms are characteristic of a manic episode. Bipolar II disorder isn’t correct because it requires at least one major depressive disorder, which must include a depressed mood or a loss of interest or pleasure plus other symptoms, and the question doesn’t indicate that Maureen has these symptoms.
____________ is a major inhibitory neurotransmitter, and disruption of its production or transmission in certain areas of the brain produces anxiety.
A. Acetylcholine
B. GABA
C. Glutamate
D. Dopamine
B. GABA
EXPLANATION
EPPP-P1-PHY-Nervous System, Neurons, and Neurotransmitters-013 Answer B is correct. A disruption in the production or transmission of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) increases anxiety, while benzodiazepines reduce anxiety by potentiating its action.
Neurocognitive disorder due to Alzheimer’s disease and neurocognitive disorder with Lewy bodies (NCDLB) can be difficult to distinguish, especially in their early stages, but there are differences. Which of the following does NOT accurately describe a difference between the two disorders?
A. Motor disturbances are more prominent in early Alzheimer’s disease than in early NCDLB.
B. Memory loss is usually a more prominent early symptom of early Alzheimer’s disease than of early NCDLB.
C. Nonvisual hallucinations and systematized delusions are more common in early NCDLB than in early Alzheimer’s disease.
D. Orthostatic hypotension and other autonomic disturbances are more common in early NCDLB than in early Alzheimer’s disease.
A. Motor disturbances are more prominent in early Alzheimer’s disease than in early NCDLB.
EXPLANATION
EPPP-P1-PPA-Neurocognitive Disorders-217 Answer A is correct. Motor disturbances are a more important cause of disability in the early stages of NCDLB than in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease and include muscle rigidity, tremors, and other motor symptoms associated with Parkinson’s disease. Although motor problems are also associated with Alzheimer’s disease, they usually do not occur until the disease progresses to the middle or late stage. The other three answers accurately describe differences between the two disorders. See, e.g., Alzheimer’s Association website, http://www.alz.org/dementia/dementia-with-lewy-bodies-symptoms.asp
Therapy based on Boyd-Franklin’s (1989) multisystems model:
A. combines components of the treatment process with levels at which the therapist can provide treatment.
B. includes interventions that target the microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, macrosystem, and chronosystem.
C. combines individual interventions for each family member with group therapy and family therapy.
D. involves progressively intervening at the individual, family, and community levels.
A. combines components of the treatment process with levels at which the therapist can provide treatment.
EXPLANATION
EPPP-P1-CLI-Cross-Cultural Issues – Terms and Concepts-191 Answer A is correct. Boyd-Franklin developed the multisystems model specifically for African American families. The model consists of two main axes: Axis I consists of the components of the treatment process (e.g., joining, assessing, restructuring), while Axis II consists of the various levels at which treatment can be applied (e.g., individual, family, nonblood kin, friends, community).
You have been seeing Evan in therapy for four months to treat his social anxiety. Although Evan seemed to make progress in the first few weeks, his symptoms have not changed since then and you do not think he’s benefitting from treatment. When you bring up the possibility of ending therapy and referring him to another therapist, Evan says he feels therapy is very helpful and wants to continue. In terms of ethical requirements, your best course of action would be to:
A. continue seeing Evan in therapy since he believes he’s benefitting from it.
B. continue seeing Evan in therapy if you can agree on specific treatment goals but, if not, set a termination date.
C. continue seeing Evan in therapy for several more sessions but, if nothing changes, bring up the possibility of ending therapy again.
D. explain to Evan why you believe he’s not benefitting from therapy and refer him to another therapist.
B. continue seeing Evan in therapy if you can agree on specific treatment goals but, if not, set a termination date.
EXPLANATION
EPPP-P1-ETH-APA Ethics Code Standards 9 & 10-216 Answer B is correct. This answer is most consistent with the requirements of Standard 10.10(a) of the APA Ethics Code and Standard II.40 of the Canadian Code of Ethics. Standard 10.10(a) states that “psychologists terminate therapy when it becomes reasonably clear that the client/patient no longer needs the service, is not likely to benefit, or is being harmed by continued service.” Unless a reason for continuing therapy (e.g., new therapy goals) can be identified, you would not want to continue seeing a client when you believe the client is no longer benefitting from therapy.
Dr. Wong has been hired by a law firm to evaluate a new selection test that will be used to hire legal assistants. To ensure the test has adequate reliability, he will administer the test to a sample of legal assistants to determine if the test:
A. produces consistent scores.
B. improves decision-making accuracy.
C. has adequate face validity.
D. is an adequate sample of the relevant knowledge domain.
A. produces consistent scores.
EXPLANATION
EPPP-P1-ORG-Employee Selection – Evaluation of Techniques-074 Answer A is correct. Reliability refers to the degree to which a predictor is free from the effects of measurement (random) error and, as a result, provides consistent scores.
As defined by Wrenn (1985), culturally encapsulated therapists:
A. assume that the problems of clients from cultural minority groups are related to their minority status.
B. make judgments on the basis of their own cultural assumptions which they view as applicable to all clients regardless of their cultural background.
C. recognize the impact of culture on behavior but strive to modify the behavior of clients from cultural minority groups to better fit the demands of the dominant culture.
D. attempt to be culturally competent but are unaware of the cultural biases that affect their work with clients from culturally diverse backgrounds.
B. make judgments on the basis of their own cultural assumptions which they view as applicable to all clients regardless of their cultural background.
EXPLANATION
EPPP-P1-CLI-Cross-Cultural Issues – Terms and Concepts-203 Answer B is correct. This answer is most consistent with Wrenn’s definition of cultural encapsulation. According to Wrenn, culturally encapsulated counselors define reality in terms of their own cultural assumptions and assume their assumption are correct and are insensitive to cultural variations.
When determining a client’s diagnosis, knowing which of the following would be most useful for distinguishing between posttraumatic stress disorder and acute stress disorder?
A. The client’s symptoms began within 24 hours after exposure to a traumatic event.
B. The client is experiencing dissociative symptoms.
C. The client’s symptoms are causing significant distress or impaired functioning.
D. The client’s symptoms have lasted for less than one month.
D. The client’s symptoms have lasted for less than one month.
EXPLANATION
EPPP-P1-PPA-Trauma/Stressor-Related, Dissociative, and Somatic Symptom Disorders-172 Answer D is correct. The primary difference between acute stress disorder and posttraumatic stress disorder is the duration of symptoms: The DSM-5 diagnosis of acute stress disorder requires a duration of three days to one month after exposure to a traumatic event, while the diagnosis of posttraumatic stress disorder requires a duration of more than one month.
A young man with synesthesia is most likely to say he:
A. experiences different sounds as different colors.
B. never experiences strong emotions.
C. feels numbness and tingling in his hands and feet.
D. can’t distinguish between hot and cold.
A. experiences different sounds as different colors.
EXPLANATION
EPPP-P1-PHY-Sensation and Perception-130 Answer A is correct. Synesthesia is a rare neurological phenomenon in which one type of external sensory input simultaneously stimulates another type of sensory input – e.g., an auditory stimulus is not only perceived as a sound but also as a color.
A test developer would use the multitrait-multimethod matrix to evaluate a test’s:
A. incremental validity.
B. criterion-related validity.
C. construct validity.
D. differential validity.
C. construct validity.
EXPLANATION
EPPP-P1-TES-Test Validity – Content and Construct Validity-060 Answer C is correct. The multitrait-multimethod matrix is one method for evaluating a test’s construct validity and is important for tests that are designed to assess a hypothetical trait (construct). When using the multitrait-multimethod matrix, the test being validated is administered to a sample of examinees along with tests known to measure the same or a related trait and tests known to measure unrelated traits. When scores on the test being validated have high correlations with scores on tests that measure the same or a related trait, this provides evidence of the test’s convergent validity. And, when scores on the test have low correlations with scores on tests that measure unrelated traits, this provides evidence of the test’s divergent validity. Adequate convergent and divergent validity provide evidence of the test’s construct validity.
Erik Erikson (1978) identified a positive outcome (“virtue”) for each of his eight stages of psychosocial development. Which of the following does not accurately match a stage with its positive outcome?
A. generativity vs. stagnation: care
B. autonomy vs. shame and doubt: purpose
C. industry vs. inferiority: competence
D. basic trust vs. mistrust: hope
B. autonomy vs. shame and doubt: purpose
EXPLANATION
EPPP-P1-LIF-Socioemotional Development – Temperament and Personality-150 Answer B is correct. Erikson identified will (initiative and self-determination) as the positive outcome of the autonomy vs. shame stage of psychosocial development.
A division of labor and a hierarchy of authority are defining characteristics of which of the following organizational theories?
A. Weber’s bureaucracy
B. McGregor’s Theory Y
C. Fiedler’s contingency theory
D. Katz and Kahn’s open-system theory
A. Weber’s bureaucracy
EXPLANATION
EPPP-P1-ORG-Organizational Theories-152 Answer A is correct. As described by Weber (1947), an ideal bureaucracy is characterized by a division of labor, a hierarchy of authority, clearly defined rules and procedures, impersonal relationships based on position, and selection and promotion decisions based on an applicant’s or employee’s technical competence.
The questions included in ____________ ask experienced job applicants to describe how they handled specific job-related situations in the past.
A. a situational interview
B. a behavioral interview
C. a case interview
D. an informational interview
B. a behavioral interview
EXPLANATION
EPPP-P1-ORG-Employee Selection – Techniques-052 Answer B is correct. Behavioral interviews are based on the assumption that past behavior is the best predictor of future behavior. When conducting a behavioral interview, the interviewer asks job applicants with previous job experience how they responded to specific job-related situations in the past.
According to Carl Rogers (1951), incongruence between self and experience produces anxiety, which a person may respond to defensively by:
A. denying or distorting the experience.
B. adopting an exaggerated sense of self-worth.
C. becoming fixated at the previous stage of development.
D. developing a mistaken style of life.
A. denying or distorting the experience.
EXPLANATION
EPPP-P1-CLI-Psychodynamic and Humanistic Therapies-039 Answer A is correct. Rogers proposed that people often respond defensively to incongruence between self and experience with denial or distortion. Denial involves denying the existence of the experience or its significance, while distortion involves altering the meaning of the experience to make it more consistent with one’s perceived self. Although denial and distortion can provide temporary relief, they fail to resolve incongruence and can lead to psychological disturbance.
____________ preventions are aimed at lowering the prevalence of a disorder by identifying individuals who have early signs or symptoms of the disorder and providing them with an intervention to limit its intensity or duration.
A. Primary
B. Secondary
C. Tertiary
D. Quaternary
B. Secondary
EXPLANATION
EPPP-P1-CLI-Prevention, Consultation, and Psychotherapy Research-161 Answer B is correct. The goal of secondary prevention is to stop the progression of a disorder by using a screening test or other procedure to identify individuals with early signs or symptoms of the disorder and providing them with an appropriate intervention.
Eight months ago, on the one-year anniversary of the death of her mother due to a brain tumor, 47-year-old Gale began experiencing frequent headaches and dizziness nearly every day. Gale has worried constantly about her health since then and has been spending hours each day searching for information on brain tumors on the Internet. Gale’s worrying and time on the Internet has kept her from spending time with her husband, two teen-age daughters, and friends. Gale has had two MRIs that showed no sign of a tumor, and her doctor has been unable to find an explanation for her headaches and dizziness. Based on these symptoms, the most likely diagnosis for Gale is:
A. conversion disorder.
B. body dysmorphic disorder.
C. somatic symptom disorder.
D. illness anxiety disorder.
C. somatic symptom disorder.
EXPLANATION
EPPP-P1-PPA-Trauma/Stressor-Related, Dissociative, and Somatic Symptom Disorders-178 Answer C is correct. Gale’s symptoms meet the DSM-5 diagnostic criteria for somatic symptom disorder. This diagnosis requires the presence of one or more somatic symptoms that cause distress or substantial disruption of daily activities accompanied by excessive thoughts, feelings, or behaviors related to the symptoms.
Samantha, age 16, says that it’s not necessary to use protection when having sex with her boyfriend because “there’s no way I’m going to get pregnant.” According to Elkind (1976), this is an example of which of the following?
A. identity moratorium
B. magical thinking
C. the personal fable
D. the self-serving bias
C. the personal fable
EXPLANATION
EPPP-P1-LIF-Cognitive Development-101 Answer C is correct. Elkind proposed that early formal operational thought is characterized by adolescent egocentrism, and he identified the personal fable as one of its manifestations. As defined by Elkind, the personal fable is the belief that one is unique and not subject to the rules or consequences that apply to other people. An adolescent’s belief that there’s “no way” that having unprotected sex with her boyfriend could lead to pregnancy is an example of the personal fable.
Halfway through his participation in a research study, a subject becomes unhappy with the study and tells the researcher, a licensed psychologist, that he wants to quit. The subject is a student in an introductory psychology class and is receiving class credit for participating in the study. The researcher should:
A. remind the student that, by signing an informed consent, he agreed to participate in the entire study.
B. discuss the situation with the student’s instructor and allow the instructor to decide how to handle the situation.
C. offer the student payment or other incentive to continue in the study.
D. allow the student to withdraw from the study.
D. allow the student to withdraw from the study.
EXPLANATION
EPPP-P1-ETH-APA Ethics Code Standards 7 & 8-169 Answer D is correct. This answer is consistent with the provisions of Standard 8.02(a) of the APA Ethics Code and Standard I.23 of the Canadian Code of Ethics, which require psychologists to allow research participants to withdraw from a study at any time during the study.
Dr. Osprey conducted a study to evaluate the effects of an anti-drug program on attitudes toward drug use for middle school students from low-income families. Subjects were 662 7th and 8th graders attending an inner-city school. Attitudes toward drugs were assessed in the second week of September, the five-hour anti-drug program was administered in five one-hour sessions during the second week of October, and attitudes toward drugs were then re-assessed in the second week of November. Results indicated that the program significantly increased negative attitudes toward drug use. The biggest threat to the internal validity of this study is which of the following?
A. statistical regression
B. selection
C. reactivity
D. history
D. history
EXPLANATION
EPPP-P1-RMS-Research – Internal/External Validity-004 Answer D is correct. History threatens a study’s internal validity whenever an external event that occurs during the course of the study has a systematic effect on subjects’ scores or status on the dependent variable(s). Given that this study includes only one group of subjects and takes place over a two-month period of time, the biggest threat to its internal validity is history. For example, many of the students may have changed their attitudes not because of the anti-drug program but because they were exposed to information about drug use during the two months in a biology or health class or a TV or billboard ad campaign.
A young man taking a conventional antipsychotic as a treatment for schizophrenia develops tardive dyskinesia. Of the following, which would be the best course of action in this situation?
A. increase the dose of the conventional antipsychotic
B. replace the conventional antipsychotic with an atypical antipsychotic
C. immediately discontinue the conventional antipsychotic
D. have the patient take a low dose of a dopamine antagonist
B. replace the conventional antipsychotic with an atypical antipsychotic
EXPLANATION
EPPP-P1-PHY-Psychopharmacology – Antipsychotics and Antidepressants-201 Answer B is correct. The atypical antipsychotics are less likely to cause tardive dyskinesia and, if a patient’s symptoms require continued treatment with an antipsychotic drug, switching to an atypical drug is an option. The actions described in the other answers would increase the symptoms of tardive dyskinesia. (Withdrawing the conventional antipsychotic is also an option but gradual withdrawal is preferred because symptoms may worsen if the drug is abruptly withdrawn.)
A patient with severe hemiplegia caused by a lesion in the right side of her brain denies she has any problems moving her left arm and leg. This woman’s lack of awareness of her physical impairment is referred to as:
A. anomia.
B. paresthesia.
C. anosognosia.
D. prosopagnosia.
C. anosognosia.
EXPLANATION
EPPP-P1-PHY-Brain Regions/Functions – Cerebral Cortex-119 Answer C is correct. Anosognosia is most commonly caused by damage to the right parietal lobe and is characterized by a lack of awareness of one’s own physical disability.
At the beginning of the school year, a researcher tells a first-grade teacher that a test had been administered to all students in kindergarten and the results indicated that five of her 22 students – Bob G., Liang C., Ellen A., Isadore R., and Lucia V. – will show significant gains in academic achievement this year. Even though the five children were actually randomly selected, all showed significant gains in academic skills by the end of the school year. Which of the following best explains these results?
A. the Hawthorne effect
B. the Rosenthal effect
C. the positive halo effect
D. the confirmation bias
B. the Rosenthal effect
EXPLANATION
EPPP-P1-LIF-School and Family Influences-210 Answer B is correct. This question describes a study that’s similar to the study conducted by Rosenthal and Jacobson (1968) who found that teachers’ expectations for students identified as academic “spurters” (but who were actually randomly chosen) had a positive effect on the students’ IQ scores and grades. This effect is known by several names including the Rosenthal effect, the Pygmalion effect, and the self-fulfilling prophecy effect.
For a practitioner of Beck’s cognitive behavior therapy, the automatic thoughts associated with depression reflect which of the following?
A. a lack of control over one’s emotions, behavior, and environment
B. should’s and must’s
C. negative views of oneself, the world, and the future
D. catastrophic interpretations of both negative and neutral events
C. negative views of oneself, the world, and the future
EXPLANATION
EPPP-P1-CLI-Cognitive-Behavioral Therapies-100 Answer C is correct. Beck’s (1979) cognitive model of depression describes it as involving a negative cognitive triad that consists of negative views of oneself, the world, and the future.
Older adults with mild neurocognitive disorder due to Alzheimer’s disease would most likely obtain the highest score on the WAIS-IV __________ Index and lowest score on the __________ Index.
A. Verbal Comprehension; Working Memory
B. Working Memory; Perceptual Reasoning
C. Perceptual Reasoning; Processing Speed
D. Verbal Comprehension; Processing Speed
D. Verbal Comprehension; Processing Speed
EXPLANATION
EPPP-P1-PAS-Stanford-Binet and Wechsler Tests-040 Answer D is correct. The WAIS-IV Technical and Interpretive Manual (Psychological Corporation, 2008) reports the following mean Index scores for individuals with mild Alzheimer’s disease: Verbal Comprehension 86.2, Perceptual Reasoning 85.8, Working Memory 84.3, and Processing Speed 76.6.
An organizational psychologist would most likely be hired by a company to conduct a job evaluation for the purpose of:
A. establishing comparable worth.
B. determining the training needs of newly hired employees.
C. developing performance appraisal measures.
D. writing detailed job descriptions.
A. establishing comparable worth.
EXPLANATION
EPPP-P1-ORG-Job Analysis and Performance Assessment-019 Answer A is correct. A job evaluation is conducted to facilitate decisions related to compensation. It’s often used to establish comparable worth, which is the principle that workers who perform jobs that require the same skills and responsibilities or that are of comparable value to the employer should be paid the same.
Which of the following best describes ethical requirements with regard to pro bono services?
A. Because pro bono services are addressed in the General Principles, they’re encouraged by the Code.
B. Because pro bono services are addressed in the General Principles, they’re discouraged by the Code.
C. Because pro bono services are addressed in the Ethical Standards, they’re required by the Code.
D. Because pro bono services are addressed in the Ethical Standards, they’re prohibited by the Code.
A. Because pro bono services are addressed in the General Principles, they’re encouraged by the Code.
EXPLANATION
EPPP-P1-ETH-APA Ethics Code Overview and Standards 1 & 2-010 Answer A is correct. The term “pro bono services” is not used in the APA Ethics Code or the Canadian Code of Ethics, but this answer is most consistent with the “spirit” of the Codes. Also, providing free or lost cost services is addressed in the General Principles of the APA Ethics Code, which provide aspirational (not enforceable) guidelines: General Principle B (Fidelity and Responsibility) states that “psychologists strive to contribute a portion of their professional time for little or no compensation or personal advantage.”
Damage to Broca’s area produces:
A. nonfluent speech with intact comprehension.
B. fluent but nonsensical speech with intact comprehension.
C. nonfluent speech with severely impaired comprehension.
D. fluent but nonsensical speech with impaired comprehension.
A. nonfluent speech with intact comprehension.
EXPLANATION
EPPP-P1-PHY-Brain Regions/Functions – Cerebral Cortex-097 Answer A is correct. Damage to Broca’s area causes Broca’s aphasia, which is also known as expressive aphasia. It’s characterized by nonfluent, labored speech with intact comprehension.
A psychologist is planning a research study to evaluate the effects of a two-hour online lecture on statistics for improving the statistics knowledge of 35 psychologists who have just started studying for the EPPP. All participants will (1) take a pre-test consisting of 50 multiple-choice statistics questions on Monday, (2) attend the online lecture on Wednesday evening, and (3) take a post-test consisting of 50 multiple-choice statistics questions that are equivalent to the pre-test questions on Friday. To analyze the data she obtains in her study, the researcher will use which of the following?
A. t-test for a single sample
B. t-test for correlated samples
C. two-way ANOVA
D. single-sample chi-square test
B. t-test for correlated samples
EXPLANATION
EPPP-P1-RMS-Inferential Statistical Tests-070 Answer B is correct. The first steps in identifying the appropriate statistical test are to identify the independent and dependent variables and the scale of measurement of the dependent variable. This study’s independent variable is the lecture on statistics and the dependent variable is statistics test score. The dependent variable is measured on a ratio scale, which means that the statistical test will be used to compare the mean scores obtained by the psychologists on the pre- and post-tests. The t-test and ANOVA are both used to compare mean scores, but because there are only two means, the t-test is the appropriate test. To determine which t-test to use, you determine how the means will be obtained: In this study they will be obtained from a single group of subjects, and the t-test for correlated samples is used when two means are obtained from the same group or from two groups that are related in some way.
The court’s ruling in the 1979 case of Larry P. v. Wilson Riles:
A. prohibited businesses from using IQ tests to make hiring decisions about African American job applicants.
B. prohibited schools from using IQ tests to place African American children in special education classes.
C. granted all children with disabilities the right to be provided with public education in the least restrictive environment.
D. granted businesses the right to use cognitive ability tests to make employment decisions as long as the tests have adequate validity.
B. prohibited schools from using IQ tests to place African American children in special education classes.
EXPLANATION
EPPP-P1-PAS-Other Measures of Cognitive Ability-131 Answer B is correct. In the Larry P. case, the court concluded that use of standardized IQ tests to place children in special education classes resulted in a disproportionate number of African American students being placed in those classes and ruled that the tests could no longer be used for that purpose for African American students.
Bronfenbrenner’s (2004) bioecological theory distinguishes between five environmental systems that impact individual development. According to this theory, the __________ consists of the interactions between elements of the microsystem.
A. macrosystem
B. mesosystem
C. exosystem
D. chronosystem
B. mesosystem
EXPLANATION
EPPP-P1-LIF-Early Influences on Development – Nature vs. Nurture-022 Answer B is correct. Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological theory distinguishes between five environmental systems: microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, macrosystem, and chronosystem. The microsystem consists of elements in a child’s immediate environment, including the child’s family, school, and peers, and the mesosystem consists of interactions between those elements (e.g., between the child’s family and school).
The effects of damage to the left and right hemispheres of the cerebral cortex depend on the specific location of the damage but, with regard to emotions, damage to the left hemisphere is most likely to produce:
A. inappropriate indifference or euphoria.
B. depression or emotional volatility.
C. unprovoked rage and hostility.
D. unrealistic confidence and optimism.
B. depression or emotional volatility.
EXPLANATION
EPPP-P1-PHY-Emotions and Stress-159 Answer B is correct. Positive emotions are processed primarily in the left hemisphere, and damage to this hemisphere can produce depression or emotional volatility (which is described by some authors as a catastrophic reaction). Negative emotions are processed primarily in the right hemisphere, and damage can produce inappropriate indifference or euphoria.
A psychologist would most likely violate ethical requirements for maintaining test security when he or she:
A. provides clients with the raw or scaled scores they obtained on a test.
B. discusses clients’ responses to test items to help them understand their test results.
C. provides a client’s attorney with a copy of test items and the client’s answers to the items in response to a subpoena and with the client’s permission.
D. allows clients to complete self-administered tests online at home when doing so is approved by the test publisher.
C. provides a client’s attorney with a copy of test items and the client’s answers to the items in response to a subpoena and with the client’s permission.
EXPLANATION
EPPP-P1-ETH-APA Ethics Code Standards 9 & 10-199 Answer C is correct. Standard 9.11 of the APA Ethics Code and Standard IV.11 of the Canadian Code of Ethics apply to this situation. Standard 9.11 requires psychologists to “maintain the integrity and security of test materials,” which it defines as “manuals, protocols, and tests questions or stimuli.” Answers C and D both address test security. Answer C is the best answer because providing test items to an attorney is questionable since an attorney is unlikely to be trained in psychological testing and to be legally or ethically required to maintain test security. As noted by the APA Committee on Psychological Tests and Assessments (https://www.apa.org/science/programs/testing/test-security-faq), the best course of action in this situation is to request that test materials be released to a qualified psychologist or obtain a protective order from the court that requires all parties to maintain test security. Answer D describes an acceptable course of action. Note, however, that precautions should be taken to maintain test security. For example, clients should be advised that third-party observation and recording of the test in any form are not allowed. Answers A and B can be eliminated because they address the use of test data (which is not covered by this Standard) and describe acceptable actions.
In their Robbers Cave study, Sherif and his colleagues (1966) found that competition between two groups of boys for desired prizes produced a high degree of intergroup hostility. These results provide support for which of the following theories of prejudice and discrimination?
A. social identity theory
B. realistic conflict theory
C. scapegoat theory
D. extended contact theory
B. realistic conflict theory
EXPLANATION
EPPP-P1-SOC-Prosocial Behavior and Prejudice/Discrimination-145 Answer B is correct. According to realistic conflict theory, prejudice and discrimination are the result of direct competition between groups for scarce and valued resources. Evidence for this theory is provided by Sherif’s Robbers Cave study in which conflict between groups was generated by having two groups of boys who had strong attachments to members of their own group compete for desired prizes.
Piaget attributed children’s ability to engage in deferred imitation and make-believe play to:
A. the process of accommodation.
B. the process of equilibration.
C. the use of mental operations.
D. the ability to create mental representations.
D. the ability to create mental representations.
EXPLANATION
EPPP-P1-LIF-Cognitive Development-090 Answer D is correct. Piaget attributed deferred imitation and make-believe play to the ability to create mental representations, which emerges during the final substage of the sensorimotor period at about 18 months of age. Note, however, that subsequent research found that children engage in deferred imitation and other behaviors that depend on mental representations prior to this age.
Your neighbor tells you that one of her co-workers, a licensed psychologist, sometimes makes sexually suggestive comments that make her very uncomfortable and self-conscious. She says she asked him to stop making the comments last week because she finds them offensive, and he said his intention was to be funny but that he’d stop if that’s what she wants. In terms of ethical requirements, it appears that the co-worker’s comments:
A. represent sexual harassment because they’re sexual in nature and occurred on more than one occasion.
B. represent sexual harassment only if they would be identified as unacceptable by a “reasonable person.”
C. represent sexual harassment if the co-worker does not stop making sexually suggestive comments after being told they’re offensive.
D. do not represent sexual harassment because the co-worker was unaware that they were offensive while he was making them.
C. represent sexual harassment if the co-worker does not stop making sexually suggestive comments after being told they’re offensive.
EXPLANATION
EPPP-P1-ETH-APA Ethics Code Standards 3 & 4-054 Answer C is correct. As defined in Standard 3.02 of the APA Ethics Code, comments of a sexual nature constitute sexual harassment if (a) they are unwelcome, offensive, or create a hostile workplace and the person knows or is told this or (b) they’re “sufficiently severe or intense to be abusive to a reasonable person.” The co-worker’s comments would meet the first criterion if he continues making them after being told they’re unwelcome and offensive. This answer is also consistent with Standard I.4 of the Canadian Code of Ethics which prohibits sexual harassment and with the definition of sexual harassment provided in the Code’s Preamble.
Tolman and Honzik (1930) concluded that the rats in their studies formed cognitive maps of a maze as the result of which of the following?
A. trial-and-error
B. sudden insight
C. reinforcement
D. latent learning
D. latent learning
EXPLANATION
EPPP-P1-LEA-Memory and Forgetting-103 Answer D is correct. Tolman and Honzik found that rats allowed to explore a maze without being given a reward found their way to the goal box once a reward was provided more quickly than did rats that did not explore the maze before being given a reward. Based on these results, they concluded that rats allowed to explore the maze formed cognitive maps of the maze and that this confirmed that latent learning occurs without reinforcement.
Dr. Wilson is hired by the court to evaluate the mental competence of a man who has been charged as an accomplice in a bank robbery that ended in the death of a bank employee. During a break, the man brags to Dr. Wilson about his role in the bank robbery. To be consistent with ethical requirements, Dr. Wilson should:
A. not provide the court with any information she obtains without a signed authorization from the man.
B. provide the court only with information she obtains that is relevant to the man’s mental competence.
C. provide the court with information about the man’s confession along with the results of the evaluation as long as she informed the man about the limits of confidentiality prior to beginning the evaluation.
D. provide the court with information about the man’s confession along with the results of the evaluation whether or not she informed the man about the limits of confidentiality prior to beginning the evaluation.
B. provide the court only with information she obtains that is relevant to the man’s mental competence.
EXPLANATION
EPPP-P1-ETH-APA Ethics Code Standards 3 & 4-087 Answer B is correct. This answer is most consistent with Standard 4.04 of the APA Ethics Code and Paragraph 10.01 of the Specialty Guidelines for Forensic Psychology, which require psychologists to disclose only client information that’s relevant to the purpose of a report or other communication. This answer is also consistent with the requirements of Standards I.37 and I.45 of the Canadian Code of Ethics.
Which of the following is a type of counterbalanced design?
A. Solomon four-group
B. Latin square
C. factorial
D. multiple-baseline
B. Latin square
EXPLANATION
EPPP-P1-RMS-Research – Internal/External Validity-015 Answer B is correct. Counterbalancing is used to control order effects that may occur when a within-subjects design is used – i.e., when subjects in each group will receive or participate in all levels of the independent variable. The Latin square is a type of counterbalanced design that ensures that the different levels of the independent variable are assigned to the groups of subjects so that each level appears an equal number of times in each ordinal position.
Dr. Robinson, a licensed psychologist who specializes in treating eating disorders, decides to offer a 90-minute presentation for parents on detecting and treating eating disorders in children and adolescents. In the advertisement for the presentation, Dr. Robinson describes it as a “lecture on the early identification of eating disorders in children and adolescents and treatment options.” There’s a good turnout for the lecture but, at the end of the first 45 minutes, only two parents have asked questions and Dr. Robinson notes that many attendees seem bored. She decides to “liven up” her presentation by having attendees describe their personal experiences with eating disorders. With regard to the requirements of the APA Ethics Code and the Canadian Code of Ethics, this change in format is:
A. ethical as long as she explains why she’s changing the format of the presentation.
B. ethical as long as she makes it clear that attendees should share information only if they feel comfortable doing so.
C. ethical as long as she explains the importance of maintaining confidentiality to the attendees.
D. unethical because she advertised her presentation as a “lecture.”
D. unethical because she advertised her presentation as a “lecture.”
EXPLANATION
EPPP-P1-ETH-APA Ethics Code Standards 7 & 8-157 Answer D is correct. Dr. Robinson advertised her program as a lecture, and suddenly changing the format during the lecture would violate the requirements of Standard 7.02 of the APA Ethics Code and Standard III.5 of the Canadian Code of Ethics, which require psychologists to provide accurate descriptions of the content of the programs they provide.
Regulated breathing has been found to be an effective treatment for which of the following?
A. childhood-onset fluency disorder
B. dysarthria
C. intermittent explosive disorder
D. central sleep apnea
A. childhood-onset fluency disorder
EXPLANATION
EPPP-P1-PPA-Neurodevelopmental Disorders-012 Answer A is correct. Regulated breathing is a behavioral intervention that has been found to be effective for treating stuttering (childhood-onset fluency disorder). It involves teaching the child to breathe in a way that’s incompatible with stuttering. See, e.g., C. A. Conelea, K. A. Rice, and D. W. Woods, Regulated breathing as a treatment for stuttering: A review of the empirical evidence, Journal of Speech-Language Pathology and Applied Behavior Analysis, 1(2), 94-102, 2006.
Dr. Higashi believes she can obtain more useful data if she deceives research participants about certain aspects of her study. As an ethical psychologist, Dr. Higashi should keep in mind that use of deception in research:
A. is acceptable only in the “most unusual circumstances.”
B. may be acceptable when alternative procedures are not available and subjects are informed about the deception “as early as is feasible.”
C. may be acceptable as long as its use is justified by the potential value of the results of the study and subjects are not given any inducement for their participation.
D. may be acceptable as long as its use is justified by the potential value of the results of the study and subjects sign a conditional informed consent.
B. may be acceptable when alternative procedures are not available and subjects are informed about the deception “as early as is feasible.”
EXPLANATION
EPPP-P1-ETH-APA Ethics Code Standards 7 & 8-181 Answer B is correct. This answer is the best one because, even though it doesn’t list all requirements for using deception, it’s most consistent with the provisions of Standard 8.07 of the APA Ethics Code and Standards III.23 and III.25 of the Canadian Code of Ethics. Standard 8.07 allows the use of deception when it’s justified by the prospective value of the study, non-deceptive alternatives are not feasible, subjects aren’t deceived about aspects of the study that are likely to cause pain, and subjects are informed about the deception as early as is feasible.
Angie, age 35, is brought to therapy by her sister who says that Angie “hasn’t been herself” for the last month. In response to your questions, you learn from Angie and her sister that Angie has lost her appetite, spends most of the day sleeping, doesn’t seem to have any energy, and is more forgetful than usual. To confirm a DSM-5 diagnosis of major depressive disorder for Angie, you will want to determine if her symptoms include:
A. a depressed mood or feelings of worthlessness or guilt.
B. a depressed mood or loss of interest in usual activities.
C. suicidal ideation or a suicide attempt.
D. feelings of worthlessness or guilt or mood instability.
B. a depressed mood or loss of interest in usual activities.
EXPLANATION
EPPP-P1-PPA-Bipolar and Depressive Disorders-132 Answer B is correct. The DSM-5 diagnosis of major depressive disorder requires the presence of at least five characteristics symptoms with at least one symptom being a depressed mood or a loss of interest or pleasure in usual activities. Feelings of worthlessness or guilt and suicidal ideation, a suicide attempt, and a specific plan for committing suicide are symptoms of this disorder, but their presence is not required for the diagnosis.
When using positive reinforcement to establish or increase a behavior, use of which of the following intermittent schedules of reinforcement will maximize the behavior’s resistance to extinction?
A. fixed interval
B. variable interval
C. fixed ratio
D. variable ratio
D. variable ratio
EXPLANATION
EPPP-P1-LEA-Operant Conditioning-092 Answer D is correct. When using a variable ratio schedule, reinforcement is delivered after a variable number of responses – for example, after four responses, then after two responses, then after six responses, and so on. Of the intermittent schedules, the variable ratio schedule produces the fastest rate of acquisition and the greatest resistance to extinction. Slot machines provide reinforcement on this schedule.
Which of the following is a culture-reduced measure of fluid intelligence?
A. Kuhlmann-Anderson
B. Raven’s Progressive Matrices
C. Woodcock-Johnson
D. Slosson Intelligence Test
B. Raven’s Progressive Matrices
EXPLANATION
EPPP-P1-PAS-Other Measures of Cognitive Ability-062 Answer B is correct. The Raven’s Progressive Matrices (RPM) tests are measures of fluid intelligence and are considered to be culture-reduced because they do not use language and performance does not depend on specific cultural or academic learning. There are three RPM tests: Standard Progressive Matrices, Colored Progressive Matrices, and Advanced Progressive Matrices.
Which of the following personality tests provides scores on the “Big Five” personality traits?
A. EPPS
B. MBTI
C. NEO-PI-3
D. 16PF
C. NEO-PI-3
EXPLANATION
EPPP-P1-PAS-Other Measures of Personality-098 Answer C is correct. The NEO-PI-3 (NEO Personality Inventory-3) provides scores on the five major domains of personality (neuroticism, extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and openness to experience) and the six facets that contribute to each domain.
The brain continues to develop into late adolescence or early to mid-adulthood, with the __________ being the last area to fully develop.
A. basal ganglia
B. amygdala
C. somatosensory cortex
D. prefrontal cortex
D. prefrontal cortex
EXPLANATION
EPPP-P1-LIF-Physical Development-055 Answer D is correct. The prefrontal cortex is responsible for impulse control, planning, decision-making, and other higher-order cognitive functions. It’s the last area of the brain to become fully functional and continues to develop into the early or mid-20s. See, e.g., B. M. Newman and P. R. Newman, Development through life: A psychosocial approach (13th ed.), Boston, MA, Cengage Learning, 2017.
The symptoms of fetal alcohol syndrome:
A. are lifelong and irreversible.
B. gradually decrease in severity during childhood and adolescence.
C. are largely reversible with the provision of early psychosocial interventions.
D. are largely reversible with the provision of adequate nutrition following birth.
A. are lifelong and irreversible.
EXPLANATION
EPPP-P1-LIF-Early Influences on Development – Prenatal Development-044 Answer A is correct. Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) is the most severe form of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD). Its symptoms are lifelong and irreversible and include a wide range of physical abnormalities, cognitive deficits, and behavioral problems.
You have just received a subpoena requesting that you appear in court to provide information about the diagnosis and treatment of a former client of yours who is suing her current therapist for malpractice. You are unable to contact the client or confirm that she has signed an authorization to release information. In this situation, you should:
A. notify the party who issued the subpoena that you cannot appear in court without a signed authorization from the client.
B. appear in court as requested but provide only information you believe is relevant to the case.
C. appear in court as requested but claim the privilege on behalf of the client.
D. appear in court and provide the requested information since privilege is waived in this situation.
C. appear in court as requested but claim the privilege on behalf of the client.
EXPLANATION
EPPP-P1-ETH-Professional Issues-222 Answer C is correct. When you receive a subpoena to appear in court and provide confidential information about a client and do not have authorization from the client to disclose the information, you should appear in court and claim the privilege on behalf of the client. You would then provide the information only if authorized to do so by the client or the client’s legal representative or ordered to do so by the court. Note that answer D is not correct because it is the court that decides if privilege is waived.
In a normal distribution of scores, a T-score of _____ is equivalent to a z-score of _____ and a percentile rank of 84.
A. 50; 0
B. 50; 1.0
C. 60; 1.0
D. 70; 2.0
C. 60; 1.0
EXPLANATION
EPPP-P1-TES-Test Score Interpretation-128 Answer C is correct. In a normal distribution, a percentile rank of 84 is one standard deviation above the mean. The T-score distribution has a mean of 50 and standard deviation of 10, so a T-score of 60 is one standard deviation above the mean. And the z-score distribution has a mean of 0 and standard deviation of 1.0, so a z-score of 1.0 is one standard deviation above the mean.
The standard error of the mean increases in size as the:
A. population standard deviation and sample size decrease.
B. population standard deviation and sample size increase.
C. population standard deviation increases and sample size decreases.
D. population standard deviation decreases and sample size increases.
C. population standard deviation increases and sample size decreases.
EXPLANATION
EPPP-P1-RMS-Overview of Inferential Statistics-037 Answer C is correct. The standard error of the mean is the standard deviation of the sampling distribution of the mean and is used to determine how well a sample mean estimates a population mean. It’s calculated by dividing the population standard deviation by the square root of the sample size, and it increases as the population standard deviation increases and the sample size decreases, and vice versa.
You receive a letter from a former client’s current therapist asking you to fax confidential information about the client’s treatment. The request is accompanied by a signed authorization for release of information from the client. You should:
A. ask the therapist to confirm that he received the documents after you send them.
B. mark each page “confidential” before faxing the requested information to the therapist.
C. fax the requested information to the therapist after ensuring that all information that identifies the client has been removed.
D. refuse to fax the information and send a copy of the file by courier instead.
C. fax the requested information to the therapist after ensuring that all information that identifies the client has been removed.
EXPLANATION
EPPP-P1-ETH-APA Ethics Code Standards 5 & 6-124 Answer C is correct. This answer is most consistent with the requirements of Standard 6.02(b) of the APA Ethics Code and Standard I.42 of the Canadian Code of Ethics. Standard 6.02(b) states that, “if confidential information concerning recipients of psychological services is entered into databases or systems of records available to persons whose access has not been consented to by the recipient, psychologists use coding or other techniques to avoid the inclusion of personal identifiers.” When information is faxed or otherwise transferred electronically, it is not possible to guarantee it will not be accessed by unauthorized individuals. Therefore, removing identifying information is the best course of action.
Which of the following best describes the premise underlying the James-Lange theory of emotion?
A. A stimulus is perceived, the stimulus is interpreted, and bodily arousal, behavior, and emotion then occur simultaneously.
B. A stimulus is perceived, bodily arousal and a label for that arousal occur, and behavior and emotion then occur simultaneously.
C. A stimulus is perceived, bodily arousal and behavior occur, and emotion is then experienced.
D. A stimulus is perceived, the stimulus is interpreted, emotion is experienced, and behavior then occurs.
C. A stimulus is perceived, bodily arousal and behavior occur, and emotion is then experienced.
EXPLANATION
EPPP-P1-PHY-Emotions and Stress-153 Answer C is correct. The James-Lange theory replaces the idea that “we run because we’re afraid” with the idea that “we’re afraid because we run.” In other words, according to this theory, we perceive a stimulus, we respond to the stimulus with arousal and behavior, and we then experience an emotion as we become aware of our bodily reactions.
When an examinee’s scores on the L, F, and K scales of the MMPI-2 assume a V-shape with a low score on the F scale and high scores on the L and K scales, this suggests which of the following?
A. The examinee attempted to make a favorable impression.
B. The examinee attempted to fake a mental illness.
C. The examinee answered half of the items “true” and the other half “false.”
D. The examinee answered all of the items “true.”
A. The examinee attempted to make a favorable impression.
EXPLANATION
EPPP-P1-PAS-MMPI-2-084 Answer A is correct. The L, F, and K scales are three of the MMPI-2’s validity scales and the L-F-K profile indicates an attempt to “fake good” when it is V-shaped (low F scale score and high L and K scale scores) and an attempt to “fake bad” when it has an inverted-V shape (high F scale score and low L and K scale scores).
An early criticism of Carl Jung’s conceptualization of __________ was that it’s similar to the discredited belief of Jean-Baptiste Lamarck that acquired traits can be inherited.
A. individuation
B. archetypes
C. synchronicity
D. prototypes
B. archetypes
EXPLANATION
EPPP-P1-CLI-Psychodynamic and Humanistic Therapies-017 Answer B is correct. Jung described archetypes as universal “primordial images” that reside in the collective unconscious and represent the collective experiences of our ancestors that are passed down from generation to generation. Jung was apparently influenced by Lamarck’s idea that acquired traits can be inherited but, in response to his critics, Jung attempted to distance himself from Lamarck by arguing that archetypes are propensities rather than actual ideas or behaviors.
You would use which of the following tests to evaluate the receptive vocabulary of a 10-year-old child who has received a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder?
A. PPVT-5
B. Vineland-II
C. Leiter-3
D. KABC-II
A. PPVT-5
EXPLANATION
EPPP-P1-PAS-Other Measures of Cognitive Ability-051 Answer A is correct. The PPVT-5 (Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test, Fifth Edition) is used to assess the receptive vocabulary of individuals ages 2 years, 6 months to 90+ years. It can be used with individuals who have autism spectrum disorder, symptoms of psychosis, or cerebral palsy or other physical disability.
The technique known as orgasmic reconditioning has been identified as an effective treatment for which of the following?
A. delayed ejaculation
B. female orgasmic disorder
C. premature ejaculation
D. paraphilic disorder
D. paraphilic disorder
EXPLANATION
EPPP-P1-PPA-Sexual Dysfunctions, Gender Dysphoria, and Paraphilic Disorders-208 Answer D is correct. Orgasmic reconditioning, covert sensitization, and aversion treatment are behavioral interventions that are used to treat paraphilic disorders. Orgasmic reconditioning involves teaching the individual to become sexually aroused to more acceptable mental images and fantasies.
The tendency for people to overestimate the frequency of deaths due to plane crashes and shark attacks and underestimate deaths due to heart disease can be attributed to reliance on which of the following?
A. availability heuristic
B. anchoring and adjustment heuristic
C. counterfactual thinking
D. false consensus effect
A. availability heuristic
EXPLANATION
EPPP-P1-SOC-Social Cognition – Errors, Biases, and Heuristics-025 Answer A is correct. When using the availability heuristic, people base their judgments about the frequency or likelihood of an event on how easy it is to recall relevant examples of the event. Events that are uncommon but memorable (e.g., deaths due to plane crashes or shark attacks) are more easily remembered than events that are more common but less memorable.