Second Test Practice

Question 1

The most prominent of the early American psychologists was
Carl Rogers.
Sigmund Freud.
William James.
Sir Francis Galton.
Wilhelm Wundt.

Answer 1

The correct answer is C. James studied introspection in the late 1800s. Freud, Galton and Wundt were all Europeans. Rogers was a twentieth-century psychologist.

Question 2

Which historical figure would have been MORE sympathetic with the nurture rather than the nature position?
John Watson
Sir Francis Galton
William James
Karen Horney
Sigmund Freud

Answer 2

The correct answer is A. Watson was a radical behaviorist. He was interested in the effect of the environment on the individual, and did not measure internal events.

Question 3

The myelin sheath serves the function of
providing nutrients to the cell.
protecting the axon of a nerve cell.
stimulating hormone production.
eliminating the need for synapses.
increasing the speed at which nerve impulses travel.

Answer 3

The correct answer is E. Myelinated axons allow the electrical signals within the cell to travel faster by insulating them.

Question 4

Messages are carried from the sense organs to the brain by
efferent neurons.
afferent neurons.
microneurons.
operant neurons.
connecting neurons.

Answer 4

The correct answer is B. Afferent neurons (sensory neurons) bring information from the senses to the brain. Efferent (or motor) neurons originate in the brain and send messages out to the body.

Question 5

Renee has been in an automobile accident which caused severe brain damage. Her doctors may tell her family all of the following EXCEPT
the brain is able to reorganize and shift functions.
psychological and physical functions may be critically affected.
damage to the brain is lasting.
children are better able to compensate for brain damage than adults are.
brain cells have the ability to regenerate.

Answer 5

The correct answer is E. Although the brain has a remarkable ability to partially compensate for damage, brain cells themselves do not regenerate.

Question 6

James is sound asleep when the sound of a creaky floorboard startles him awake to find a burglar in his home. Which part of the brain was responsible for waking him up?
Hypothalamus
Amygdala
Cerebellum
Frontal lobe
Reticular activating system

Answer 6

The correct answer is E. The reticular activating system monitors alertness and determines which sensory messages are important and which are not. Messages are then passed on to the thalamus, which controls which parts of the brain receive which messages.

Question 7

The actions that organisms take in response to anger or fear are strongly influenced by the brain structure called the
amygdala.
corpus callosum.
hippocampus.
association cortex.
pons.

Answer 7

The correct answer is A. The amygdala regulates aggression and fear. The amygdala is part of the limbic system, which is the emotional center of the brain.

Question 8

Stimulation of salivary glands and digestion are functions of the
sympathetic nervous system.
central nervous system.
peripheral nervous system.
hypothalamus.
parasympathetic nervous system.

Answer 8

The correct answer is E. The parasympathetic system calms the body back down, slows heartbeat, reduces blood pressure, and brings digestion back “on-line.” Digestion is taken “off-line” during times of stress or fear by the sympathetic system, which arouses the body.

Question 9

If you are like most people, the
right hemisphere of your brain is dominant.
left hemisphere of your brain is dominant.
left hemisphere of your brain plays no role in understanding language.
right and left hemispheres of the brain perform completely separate functions without much interaction.
right and left hemisphere perform identical functions.

Answer 9

The correct answer is B. In most people the left hemisphere is dominant. Since the left side of the brain controls the right side of the body, this also explains why most people are right-hand dominant.

Question 10

The observation that the difference threshold is a fixed percentage of the original stimulus is known as
Yanek's law.
Wundt's law.
Weber's law.
Young-Helmholtz's law.
Fechner's law.

Answer 10

The correct answer is C. Weber’s law states that the difference threshold is a fixed percentage of the original stimulus.

Question 11

The lens of the eye focuses by
enlarging.
retracting.
changing shape.
moving forward or backward.
admitting more light into the eye.

Answer 11

The correct answer is C. Changing shape allows the lens to focus images on the retina. A camera lens changes focus by moving backwards or forwards; the lens of the eye remains stationary but changes shape instead.

Question 12

Jordan is a chef. He prides himself on his discriminatory taste. All of the following are primary taste sensations which Jordan can distinguish EXCEPT
salty.
bitter.
sweet.
sour.
spicy.

Answer 12

The correct answer is E. The four primary taste sensations are sweet, sour, salty, and bitter.

Question 13

As Mr. Ross walks to his office building in the city, he sees dozens of people, hears the sounds of traffic and voices, and smells the food from a nearby restaurant. Mr. Ross will sort out these stimuli with a process called
convergence.
form perception.
disparity.
selection.
perception

Answer 13

The correct answer is D. Selection is the ability to pay attention to only some of the stimuli that bombard our sense organs.

Question 14

Typically, we do not believe that airplanes shrink as they take off and soar away into the sky or that they become larger as they land and taxi up to the terminal. Our rejection of this belief is based on the phenomenon known as
proximity
interposition.
linear perspective.
perceptual constancy.
global processing.

Answer 14

The correct answer is D. Perceptual constancy allows us to continue to see the world as stable and consistent, despite changes in the way images are projected to the retina.

Question 15

A prototype (or schema) of a giraffe would be a(n)
innate image of what a giraffe looks like.
list of giraffe features.
photo of a particular giraffe.
idea of how a giraffe feeds.
generalized mental model of a giraffe.

Answer 15

The correct answer is E. A prototype is a generalized picture or model on which a concept or perception is based. A prototype is a best example of a schema.

Question 16

EEG recordings show that the brainwaves that are MOST typical of the deepest stage of sleep are those associated with
alpha sleep.
beta sleep.
gamma sleep.
delta sleep.
REM sleep

Answer 16

The correct answer is D. Delta sleep, also known as stage 4 sleep, is the deepest stage of sleep. On an EEG, delta waves show up as large, slow brainwaves.

Question 17

Dream or REM sleep has also been called
delta sleep.
paradoxical sleep.
alpha sleep.
sleep apnea.
stage 1 sleep.

Answer 17

The correct answer is B. REM sleep is also known as paradoxical sleep because brainwave patterns are similar to wakefulness, even though the person is asleep.

Question 18

During the last hours of a night's sleep
REM periods are longer.
delta periods are longer.
sleep is deeper.
body temperature is lower.
our sexual arousal level is higher.

Answer 18

The correct answer is A. As the night progresses, periods of REM sleep increase and periods of deep sleep (delta/stage 4 sleep) decrease.

Question 19

Narcotics are also known as
barbiturates.
tranquillizers.
stimulants.
opiates.
hallucinogens.

Answer 19

The correct answer is D. Narcotics are also known as opiates, which serve as pain killers.

Question 20

Barbiturates are to \_\_\_\_\_\_\_ as tranquillizers are to \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_.
sleep; anxiety
anxiety; sleep
sleep; euphoria
euphoria; sleep
anxiety; euphoria

Answer 20

The correct answer is A. Barbiturates and tranquillizers are both central nervous system depressants. Barbiturates are “sleeping pills” and tranquillizers relax a person and reduce anxiety.

Question 21

Irrational fears in humans, such as claustrophobia, MOST often result from
brain damage.
classical conditioning.
instrumental conditioning.
inheritance.
observing one's parents.

Answer 21

The correct answer is B. Although some phobias probably reflect a genetic predisposition, phobias often arise because a naturally frightening or unpleasant stimulus (e.g., pain) comes to be associated with a previously neutral stimulus (e.g., a bee) and the fear may be then generalized (e.g., to all insects). In the case of claustrophobia, a feeling of discomfort or fear in a small space (e.g., a child getting shut in a closet) becomes generalized to all closed-in spaces. This is an example of classical conditioning.

Question 22

The unconditioned stimulus in Pavlov's experiment was the
tone.
salivation.
food.
bell.
light.

Answer 22

The correct answer is C. An unconditioned stimulus is something to which the organism automatically responds. In this experiment, it was food which initially caused the dog to salivate.

Question 23

Operant conditioning requires
reinforcing the desired behavior.
learning through observation.
pairing a conditioned and an unconditioned stimulus.
pairing a conditioned stimulus and a conditioned response.
punishing a trial-and-error behavior.

Answer 23

The correct answer is A. In operant conditioning, reinforcements (rewards) and punishments determine how frequently a behavior will be chosen by an organism.

Question 24

Mrs. Sanchez repeatedly tells her teenage son to hang up his clothes instead of leaving them on the floor. Her son complains that she is nagging. Mrs. Sanchez says, "Hang up your clothes and I won't nag." Mrs. Sanchez is using
punishment.
negative reinforcement.
negative punishment.
conditioned positive reinforcement.
aversive positive reinforcement.

Answer 24

The correct answer is B. Negative reinforcement increases a behavior (room-cleaning) by removing an undesirable outcome/stimulus (nagging). Negative reinforcement is NOT punishment.

Question 25

Behavior will be MOST resistant to extinction when \_\_\_\_\_ reinforcement has been used.
negative
positive
continuous
interval
partial

Answer 25

The correct answer is E. If a reward is predictable (e.g., every 10 minutes, or every 10 behaviors) but does not occur, the organism will give up quickly. In partial (intermittent) reinforcement, the reward is unpredictable. Since the organism knows that a reward will come eventually, it continues the behavior in order to get the reward.

Question 26

Fido hears the can opener and runs toward the kitchen. When he gets there, he finds that the interior kitchen door is closed, so he runs out his dog door and goes to the back door, off the kitchen. Fido's behavior is most closely related to
insight learning.
observational learning.
modeling.
an unconditioned response.
cognitive maps.

Answer 26

The correct answer is E. A cognitive map is an organism’s mental representation of physical space. We develop cognitive maps as a result of moving around in our environment.

Question 27

Most people can retain about how many items in short-term memory?
3 to 5
5 to 9
10 to 15
15 to 20
20 to 30

Answer 27

The correct answer is B. The average number of items that can be retained in short-term memory is seven, plus or minus two.

Question 28

The individual who used nonsense syllables in early experimental studies of forgetting is
Abraham Maslow.
Sigmund Freud.
Robert Sternberg.
George Miller.
Herman Ebbinghaus.

Answer 28

The correct answer is E. Ebbinghaus used nonsense syllables (meaningless words) to study memory and retention. From this, he developed the “curve of forgetting.”

Question 29

If the police are questioning witnesses to a robbery, which question is MOST likely to result in an accurate description of the robber?
Was the robber wearing a red baseball cap?
Was the robber limping just slightly?
How tall was the robber?
Was the robber white?
Was the robber a teenager?

Answer 29

The correct answer is C. Questions should not “lead” a witness. People can easily incorporate after-the-fact information into existing memories without even being aware that they are doing so.

Question 30

The ability to deal with new problems that require specialized skills such as perception and memory span is called
fluid intelligence.
crystallized intelligence.
analytical intelligence.
functional intelligence.
creative intelligence.

Answer 30

The correct answer is A. Younger people score higher in fluid intelligence (the ability to use knowledge and problem solving to deal with differing and novel situations), while older people score higher in crystallized intelligence (the ability to use accumulated knowledge toward activities such as reading).

Question 31

Benjamin Whorf suggested that
language and perception are unrelated.
language is tailored to human thinking.
all humans perceive and describe the world in much the same way.
perception is not possible without language.
language shapes our view of the world.

Answer 31

The correct answer is E. The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis states that the words we use (or hear) influence the way we think.

Question 32

"All planets are square. Mars is round. Therefore, Mars is not a planet." This is an example of
illogical thinking.
functional fixedness.
a faulty premise.
elliptical thinking.
low intelligence.

Answer 32

The correct answer is C. A premise is a basic belief that is accepted and used in thinking. It is a starting point for logic. In this case, the premise is simply not true.

Question 33

It has been found that "overlearning" material usually results in
greater retention of the material.
confusing terms with one another.
reduced retention of the material.
no change in retention of the material.
total forgetting of the material.

Answer 33

The correct answer is A. Overlearning is continuing to learn and process information even when a person thinks he or she knows the material thoroughly. Overlearning increases familiarity and recall.

Question 34

Most of the changes in the body that take place during times of high emotion are controlled by the
parasympathetic system.
thyroid gland.
right hemisphere of the brain.
autonomic nervous system.
cerebral cortex.

Answer 34

The correct answer is D. The autonomic nervous system (ANS) regulates “automatic” functions in the body. The sympathetic division of the ANS arouses the body during stress or strong emotions. The parasympathetic division calms the body after the stress is over.

Question 35

The James-Lange theory of emotion says that emotions
are determined by the hypothalamus.
are determined entirely by cognitive processes.
are a result of environmental influences.
result from feedback about our physiological state.
are a result of inborn fears and instincts.

Answer 35

The correct answer is D. The James-Lange theory states that different emotions have unique patterns of physiological arousal that are understood by the cerebral cortex, i.e., particular biological states are related to specific emotions.

Question 36

Compared to the sexual behavior of lower animal forms, human sexual behavior is more influenced by
hormones.
learning.
pheromones.
physiology.
natural selection.

Answer 36

The correct answer is B. Cognition (and thus learning) is a major contributor to human sexual behavior.

Question 37

The refractory period of the human sexual response cycle refers to
increasing sexual tension.
an accumulation of blood in the genital area.
the moment just before orgasm where the individual feels that orgasm is imminent.
a period after orgasm when men cannot become sexually aroused again.
a period after orgasm when neither men nor women can become sexually aroused again.

Answer 37

The correct answer is D. After an orgasm, males cannot achieve another erection immediately. This is known as the refractory period.

Question 38

The rooting response is related to an infant's need for
affection.
warmth.
security.
food.
avoidance of pain.

Answer 38

The correct answer is D. In the rooting response, touching an infant’s cheek will cause the infant to turn in the direction of the touch. In the case of being held to breast feed, this turns the infant toward the source of milk.

Question 39

Little Andrew has developed a concept that large, four-legged creatures are "horses." Upon seeing a cow, Andrew calls it a horse. His mother says to him, "Andrew, that's not a horse, that's a cow." Andrew's mother is trying to get him to engage in
concrete operations.
formal operations.
conservation.
accommodation.
assimilation.

Answer 39

The correct answer is D. Accommodation involves changing or adjusting an existing schema in the face of contradictory observations. In contrast, assimilation allows the existing schema to expand and grow. In this case “cow” requires an accommodation, while “pony” can be incorporated into the existing schema.

Question 40

Harry Harlow’s experiments with surrogate mothers showed that
attachment in monkeys was not simply a matter of which surrogate fed the infant monkey.
infant monkeys would cling to a soft surrogate when hungry.
infant monkeys would spend the most time clinging to the surrogate that fed them.
infant monkeys would cling to either surrogate when scared.
attachment in monkeys is different than in humans.

Answer 40

The correct answer is A. In Harlow’s famous experiment, monkeys were found to cling to the terry-cloth surrogate mother, even if it was the less soft, wire surrogate mother that fed them. The tendency to form secure attachment was stronger than the desire to be fed.

Question 41

The first menstrual period for a female is called
menopause.
menarche.
puberty.
anarchy.
the climacteric.

Answer 41

The correct answer is B. The first menstrual period for a female, at puberty, is called menarche.

Question 42

Consider the moral dilemma faced by a husband who is trying to decide whether to steal a drug he cannot afford but which is the only treatment that will save his wife's life. If you say the husband shouldn't steal the drug because he will be punished for his actions, you are showing moral reasoning at the
preconventional level.
conventional level.
postconventional level.
transconventional level.
metaconventional level.

Answer 42

The correct answer is A. At the preconventional level, the individual is concerned with getting rewards and avoiding punishment.

Question 43

Id is to \_\_\_\_\_ as ego is to \_\_\_\_\_\_.
pleasure; reality
reality; pleasure
reality; morality
pleasure; morality
morality; reality

Answer 43

The correct answer is A. The id operates on the pleasure principle, and the ego operates on the reality principle. The superego is guided by morality.

Question 44

The correct order of Sigmund Freud's stages of psychosexual development is
anal, phallic, oral, genital, latency.
oral, anal, phallic, latency, genital.
genital, latency, phallic, oral, anal.
oral, anal, latency, phallic, genital.
anal, oral, phallic, genital, latency.

Answer 44

The correct answer is B. The correct order of Freud’s psychosexual stages is: oral, anal, phallic, latency, and genital.

Question 45

Basic anxiety—the feeling of being isolated and helpless in a potentially hostile world—was important to the theory of
Erik Erikson.
Alfred Adler.
Karen Horney.
Carl Rogers.
Hans Eysenck.

Answer 45

The correct answer is C. Karen Horney believed that the need for security, not sexuality, was a prime motive for humans. Certain behaviors are seen as a way to cope with basic anxiety.

Question 46

"If we knew a person's entire reinforcement history, we could accurately predict his behavior." This statement would MOST likely have been made by
Carl Jung.
Carl Rogers.
Hans Eysenck.
B. F. Skinner.
Abraham Maslow.

Answer 46

The correct answer is D. Skinner’s theory of operant conditioning emphasized that behaviors are performed in order to maximize rewards and avoid punishments.

Question 47

The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) is an example of which of the following types of personality tests?
Objective
Projective
Behavior assessment
Achievement
Situational

Answer 47

The correct answer is A. The MMPI, the most widely used personality test composed of a standard number of questions and standardized norms for scoring, is considered to be an objective form of of personality assessment.

Question 48

The order in which the three stages of the general adaptation syndrome (GAS) occur is
alarm, exhaustion, and resistance.
alarm, resistance, and adaptation.
alarm, resistance, and exhaustion.
exhaustion, alarm, and resistance.
resistance, exhaustion, and alarm.

Answer 48

The correct answer is C. The order of the GAS—the physiological reaction to stress—is alarm, resistance, and exhaustion.

Question 49

Which of the following is MOST likely to have a positive influence on an individual's ability to cope with a stressful event?
An external locus of control
An inability to control the situation
Good physical fitness
High levels of blood cortisols
A low tolerance for frustration

Answer 49

The correct answer is C. Physical fitness can provide a buffering effect against stress.

Question 50

The chance that a person will develop schizophrenia is about \_\_\_\_\_ out of 100.
1
3
5
10
15

Answer 50

The correct answer is A. Universally, about 1 percent of people are schizophrenic.

Question 51

Depression occurs much MORE frequently among
children than adults.
women than men.
blacks than whites.
neurotics than psychotics.
rural inhabitants than urban dwellers.

Answer 51

The correct answer is B. Women are approximately 2 to 3 times more likely to be diagnosed with depression.

Question 52

Individuals who are so anxious about being in a public place that they never leave home are suffering from
fugue.
claustrophobia.
agoraphobia.
generalized anxiety.
acrophobia.

Answer 52

The correct answer is C. Agoraphobia is fear of open or public places and may be motivated by a fear of having a panic attack in a public place.

Question 53

Phobic disorders and obsessive-compulsive disorders are specific disorders that both fall into the broader category of
affective disorders.
dissociative disorders.
personality disorders.
somatoform disorders.
anxiety disorders.

Answer 53

The correct answer is E. Both phobic disorders and obsessive-compulsive disorders are classified as anxiety disorders.

Question 54

The therapeutic approach that gives emphasis to self-acceptance, personal responsibility, and the client's perspective is
psychoanalytic therapy.
behavioral therapy.
humanistic therapy.
cognitive therapy.
environmental therapy.

Answer 54

The correct answer is C. Humanistic therapists believe that the basic tendency in humans is toward self-actualization (fulfillment of potential) and that conditions of worth (judgments) often interfere with that tendency.

Question 55

The most influential proponent of "person-centered therapy" has been
Fritz Perls
Aaron Beck.
Albert Ellis.
Albert Bandura.
Carl Rogers.

Answer 55

The correct answer is E. Carl Rogers coined the term “person-centered therapy.”

Question 56

The various behavior therapies are based on
a resolution of unconscious conflicts so that these will not affect our actions.
the role of cognition in creating mental illness.
the correction of faulty thinking to eliminate its effect on behavior.
an application of principles of learning to eliminate unwanted behaviors.
the reduction of symptoms by the patient’s gaining insight into their causes.

Answer 56

The correct answer is D. Although some behavior therapies include correcting faulty thinking, some do not. What all behavior therapies share in common is an application of principles of learning to eliminate unwanted behaviors.

Question 57

Family therapy is based on the belief that
maladaptive behavior is learned in early childhood.
group therapy is superior to individual therapy.
the family plays a key role in producing maladaptive behavior.
the family should determine what direction therapy takes.
an unresolved Oedipus complex causes most psychological problems.

Answer 57

The correct answer is C. Family therapy assumes that because interactions among family members are often the cause of an individual’s maladaptive behavior, and because they may be symptomatic of a larger problem rooted in the dynamics of the family, the therapy should require the participation of the entire family unit.

Question 58

Antipsychotic drugs are also called
antidepressants.
amphetamines.
minor tranquilizers.
major tranquilizers.
stimulants.

Answer 58

The correct answer is D. Antipsychotic drugs are also called major tranquilizers.

Question 59

Community mental health centers were designed to
train individuals in the community to give mental health care.
screen mental patients to determine which patients should be hospitalized.
assess mental patients to determine which patients should be deinstitutionalized.
provide outpatient therapy for those who need some supervision but can live at home.
provide a residential facility for inpatient care as an alternative to mental hospitals.

Answer 59

The correct answer is D. Community mental health centers were designed to provide outpatient therapy for those who need some supervision but can live at home.

Question 60

John is trying to persuade his listener that the schools in his state need an influx of new money. He will be better able to convince his listener if he
takes a position from which he stands to gain.
argues against his own self-interest.
is employed as a teacher.
speaks slowly and deliberately.
takes a position that differs markedly from the position of the audience.

Answer 60

The correct answer is B. People who speak against their own self-interest are often seen not only as having nothing to personally gain from their position, but also as actually having something to lose personally. Therefore, their argument seems particularly compelling and they are often highly persuasive.

Question 61

When people engage in a particular behavior because an authority figure has commanded them to do it, they are displaying what is MOST accurately termed
group cohesiveness.
obedience.
conformity.
compliance.
cognitive dissonance.

Answer 61

The correct answer is B. Obedience is defined as compliance with an explicit order, usually from an authority figure.

Question 62

A graphic representation of human characteristics generally results in a
sine-arc curve.
parabola.
straight line.
normal distribution.
leptokurtic distribution.

Answer 62

The correct answer is D. In a normal distribution, or bell-shaped curve, the majority of scores fall in the middle and relatively few scores fall at each end of the curve.