AP Psych Exam Review

A lopsided set of scores that includes a number of extreme or unusual values is said to be: a. symmetrical. b. normal. c. skewed. d. dispersed.

A questioning attitude regarding psychologists' assumptions and hidden values best illustrates: a. the false consensus effect. b. critical thinking. c. the hindsight bias. d. overconfidence. e. illusory correlation.

A researcher would be most likely to discover a positive correlation between: a. intelligence and academic success. b. financial poverty and physical health. c. self-esteem and depression. d. school grades and school absences.

A specification of how a researcher measures a research variable is known as a(n): a. standard deviation. b. control condition. c. replication. d. operational definition. e. case study.

A statistical measure that indicates the extent to which changes in one factor are accompanied by changes in another is called a(n): a. standard deviation. b. independent variable. c. correlation coefficient. d. mean.

After noting that a majority of professional basketball players are African-American, Ervin concluded that African-Americans are better athletes than members of other racial groups. Ervin's conclusion best illustrates the danger of: a. replication. b. the hindsight bias. c. the false consensus effect. d. generalizing from vivid cases.

After the horror of 9/11, many people said the CIA and FBI should obviously have foreseen the likelihood of this form of terrorism. This perception most clearly illustrates: a. the false consensus effect. b. the hindsight bias. c. random sampling. d. the placebo effect.

Basic research on persistent human traits like optimism and pessimism is most characteristic of the specialty known as ________ psychology. a. biological b. personality c. social d. developmental

Debates as to whether alcohol abuse is biologically determined or culturally influenced are most relevant to the issue of: a. nature versus nurture. b. rationality versus irrationality. c. behavior versus mental processes. d. structuralism versus functionalism.

If height and body weight are positively correlated, which of the following is true? a. There is a cause-effect relationship between height and weight. b. As height increases, weight decreases. c. Knowing a person's height, one can predict his or her weight. d. All of the above are true.

If shoe size and IQ are negatively correlated, which of the following is true? a. People with large feet tend to have high IQs. b. People with small feet tend to have high IQs. c. People with small feet tend to have low IQs. d. IQ is unpredictable based on a person's shoe size.

In a test of the effects of air pollution, groups of students performed a reaction-time task in a polluted or an unpolluted room. To what condition were students in the unpolluted room exposed? a. experimental b. control c. randomly assigned d. dependent

In an experimental study of the effects of dieting on weight loss, dieting would be the: a. control condition. b. independent variable. c. operational definition. d. dependent variable. e. placebo.

In order to learn about the TV viewing habits of all the children attending Oakbridge School, Professor DeVries randomly selected and interviewed 50 of the school's students. In this instance, all the children attending the school are considered to be a(n): a. population b. control condition c. independent variable d. representative sample population e. control condition

In order to study the effects of lighting on mood, Dr. Cooper had students fill out questionnaires in brightly lit or dimly lit rooms. In this study, the independent variable consisted of: . the number of students assigned to each group. b. the students' responses to the questionnaire. c. the room lighting. d. the subject matter of the questions asked.

In order to understand the unusual behavior of an adult client, a clinical psychologist has carefully investigated the client's current life situation and his physical, social, and educational history. Which research method has the psychologist employed? a. the survey b. the case study c. experimentation d. naturalistic observation

Ivan Pavlov pioneered the study of: a. learning. b. perception. c. personality. d. mental illness.

Jamie and Lynn were sure that they had answered most of the multiple-choice questions correctly because "the questions required only common sense." However, they each scored less than 60% on the exam. This best illustrates: a. illusory correlation. b. random assignment. c. the false consensus effect. d. the hindsight bias. e. overconfidence.

Joe believes that his basketball game is always best when he wears his old gray athletic socks. Joe is a victim of the phenomenon called: a. statistical significance. b. overconfidence. c. illusory correlation. d. hindsight bias.

Martina believes that high doses of caffeine slow a person's reaction time. In order to test this belief, she has five friends each drink three 8-ounce cups of coffee and then measures their reaction time on a learning task. What is wrong with Martina's research strategy? a. No independent variable is specified. b. No dependent variable is specified. c. There is no control condition. d. There is no provision for replication of the findings.

Mike Crampton's stockbroker has informed him of substantial investment losses. When Mike tells his wife, she angrily responds, "I could have told you that your investment plan would fail!" Her comment best illustrates: a. the hindsight bias. b. illusory correlation. c. the placebo effect. d. the false consensus effect.

Professor Carter observes and records the behavior of grocery shoppers as they select items to purchase. Which type of research is Professor Carter employing? a. survey research b. case study c. experimentation d. naturalistic observation

Professor Helms conducts basic research on the progressive changes in infants' perceptual skills during the first year of life. Professor Helms is most likely a ________ psychologist. a. social b. clinical c. personality d. developmental

Professor Shalet contends that parents and children have similar levels of intelligence largely because they share common genes. His idea is best described as a(n): a. theory. b. replication. c. naturalistic observation. d. illusory correlation. e. hindsight bias.

Psychologists' personal values: a. have little influence on how their experiments are conducted. b. do not influence the interpretation of experimental results because of the use of statistical techniques that guard against subjective bias. c. can bias both scientific observation and interpretation of data. d. have little influence on investigative methods but a significant effect on interpretation.

Stacey suggests that because children are more impulsive than adults, they will have more difficulty controlling their anger. Stacey's prediction regarding anger management exemplifies: a. a hypothesis. b. the hindsight bias. c. illusory correlation. d. the false consensus effect.

The biggest danger of relying on case-study evidence is that it: a. is based on naturalistic observation. b. may be unrepresentative of what is generally true. c. is unusually easy to explain in hindsight. d. leads us to underestimate the causal relationships between events.

The first psychology laboratory was established by ________ in the year ________. a. Wundt; 1879 b. James; 1890 c. Freud; 1900 d. Watson; 1913

The four families on your block all have annual household incomes of $25,000. If a new family with an annual income of $75,000 moved in, which measure of central tendency would be most affected? a. mean b. median c. mode d. standard deviation

The procedure designed to ensure that the experimental and control groups do not differ in any way that might affect the experiment's results is called: a. variable controlling. b. random assignment. c. representative sampling. d. stratification.

The strength of the relationship between two vivid events will most likely be: a. significant. b. positive. c. negative. d. overestimated.

The ________ can be a particularly misleading indication of what is average for a ________ distribution of scores. a. mean; skewed b. median; skewed c. mean; normal d. median; normal

To ensure that other researchers can repeat their work, psychologists use: a. control groups. b. random assignment. c. double-blind procedures. d. operational definitions.

Today, psychology is defined as the: a. study of mental phenomena. b. study of conscious and unconscious activity. c. study of behavior. d. science of behavior and mental processes.

Two fundamental characteristics of the scientific attitude are: a. pride and enthusiasm. b. ingenuity and practicality. c. creativity and patience. d. skepticism and humility.

Two historical roots of psychology are the disciplines of: a. philosophy and chemistry. b. physiology and chemistry. c. philosophy and biology. d. philosophy and physics.

Understanding why the fear of darkness may have contributed to the survival of our human ancestors is most relevant to the ________ perspective. a. behavioral b. cognitive c. evolutionary d. psychodynamic

What is the mode of the following distribution: 8, 2, 1, 1, 3, 7, 6, 2, 0, 2? a. 1 b. 2 c. 3 d. 7

When a difference between two groups is "statistically significant," this means that: a. the difference is statistically real but of little practical significance. b. the difference is probably the result of sampling variation. c. the difference is not likely to be due to chance variation. d. all of the above are true.

Which method offers the most reliable way of assessing whether athletic performance is boosted by caffeine consumption? a. the survey b. the case study c. the experiment d. naturalistic observation

Which of the following research strategies would be best for determining whether alcohol impairs memory? a. case study b. naturalistic observation c. survey d. experiment

Which of the following procedures is an example of the use of a placebo? a. In a test of the effects of a drug on memory, a participant is led to believe that a harmless pill actually contains an active drug. b. A participant in an experiment is led to believe that a pill, which actually contains an active drug, is harmless. c. Participants in an experiment are not told which treatment condition is in effect. d. Neither the participants nor the experimenter know which treatment condition is in effect.

Which of the following methods is most helpful for revealing cause-effect relationships? a. the survey b. the experiment c. correlational research d. naturalistic observation

Which research method would be most appropriate for investigating the relationship between the religious beliefs of Americans and their attitudes toward abortion? a. the survey b. naturalistic observation c. the case study d. experimentation

Which technique involves repeating the essence of an earlier research study with different participants and in different circumstances? a. replication b. correlational research c. random sampling d. naturalistic observation e. random assignment

Which type of research strategy would allow you to determine whether students' college grades accurately predict later income? a. case study b. naturalistic observation c. experimentation d. correlation

Who wrote an important 1890 psychology textbook? a. Wilhelm Wundt b. Ivan Pavlov c. Jean Piaget d. William James e. Sigmund Freud

Dr. Ernst explains behavior in terms of different situations. Dr. Ernst is working from the ______ perspective. a. behavioral b. cognitive c. social-cultural d. evolutionary

Dr. Jones' research centers on the relationship between changes in our thinking over the life span and changes in moral reasoning. Dr. Jones is most likely a: a. developmental psychologist. b. clinical psychologist. c. personality psychologist. d. psychiatrist.

During a dinner conversation, a friend says that the cognitive and behavioral perspectives are quite similar. You disagree and point out that the cognitive perspective emphasizes ___________, whereas the behavioral perspective emphasizes _______________. a. conscious processes; observable responses b. overt behaviors; covert behaviors c. introspection; experimentation d. unconscious processes; conscious processes

In concluding her report on the "nature-nurture debate in contemporary psychology," Karen notes that: a. nurture works on what nature endows. b. the issue is more heatedly debated than ever before. c. most psychologists believe that nature is a more important influence on the development of most human traits. d. most psychologists believe that nurture is more influential.

Jawan believes that psychologists should go back to using introspection as a research tool. This technique is based on: a. survey methodology. b. the study of observable behavior. c. self-examination of mental processes. d. experimentation.

The Greek philosopher who believed that intelligence was inherited was: Select one: a. Simonides. b. Plato c. Aristotle. d. Descartes.

The psychological views of William James are to those of Edward Titchener as___________ is to____________ a. functionalism; structuralism b. structuralism; functionalism c. nurture; nature d. nature; nurture

The way the mind encodes, processes, stores, and retrieves information is the primary concern of the ______ perspective. a. cognitive b. social-cultural c. neuroscience d. evolutionary

Who would be most likely to agree with the statement, "Psychology is the science of mental life"? a. John Watson b. virtually any American psychologist during the 1960s c. Ivan Pavlov d. Wilhelm Wundt

In order to pinpoint the location of the tumor, a neurosurgeon electrically stimulate parts of the patient's sensory cortex. If the patient was conscious during the procedure, which of the following was probably experienced? a. a sense of having the skin touched b. "seeing" random visual patterns c. "seeing" random visual patterns d. "hearing" faint sounds

The branching extensions of nerve cells that receive incoming signals from sensory receptors or from other neurons are called the: a.axons. b.synapses. c.cell bodies. d.dendrites. e.neurotransmitters.

Endorphins are most directly involved in the control of: a. body temperature. b. physical pain. c. muscle contraction. d. attention

Neurotransmitter is to hormone as ________ is to ________. a. pancreas- hypothalamus b. nervous system- endocrine system c. sympathetic- parasympathetic d. sensory neuron- motor neuron e. cerebral cortex- limbic system

Neurotransmitters are chemical messengers that travel across the: a. cell body. b. synaptic gap. c. axon. d. myelin sheath. e. threshold.

Voluntary movements, such as writing with a pencil, are directed by the: a. autonomic nervous system. b. sympathetic nervous system. c. somatic nervous system. d. parasympathetic nervous system.

Which of the following is typically controlled by the right hemisphere? a.language b.arithmetic reasoning c.perceptual tasks d.learned voluntary movements

A bodybuilder friend suddenly seems to have grown several inches in height. You suspect that your friend's growth spurt has occurred because he has been using drugs that affect the: a. adrenal glands. b. pituitary gland. c. thalamus. d. adrenal glands.

When a neuron is in its resting potential state, the axon's selectively permeable membrane maintains which of the following polarities? a. positively charged- inside/negatively charged -outside b. negatively charged-inside/positively charged outside c. positively charged-inside/positively charged-outside d. negatively charged-inside/negatively charged-outside

Which regions of the cerebral cortex lie at the back of the head and receive visual information? a.occipital lobes b.parietal lobes c.temporal lobes d.association areas

The speed at which a neural impulse travels is increased when the axon is encased by a(n): a.neural network b. synaptic vesicle c. neurotransmitter d. myelin sheath

A biological psychologist would be more likely to study: a. how to help people overcome emotional disorders. b. life-span changes in the expression of emotion. c. how you learn to express emotions. d. the chemical changes that accompany emotions.

Split Brain surgery, a surgeon partially severs the ______________ in hopes of minimizing the frequency of potentially deadly seizures. Select one: a. hypothalamus b. amygdala c. corpus collosum d. left hemisphere

What disease does degeneration of the myelin sheath contribute to? Select one: a. Tay Sachs b. Schizophrenia c. Multiple Sclerosis d. Lupus e. Parkinson's

I am a relatively slow-acting (but long-lasting) chemical messenger carried throughout the body by the bloodstream. What am I? Select one: a. a neurotransmitter b. a neurotransmitter c. a hormone d. dopamine

Marathon runners may experience a "runners high" as this neurotransmitter is released in response to the extreme physical stress and pain caused by the run. Select one: a. GABA b. serotonin c. endorphins d. acetylcholine

Information is carried from the tissues of the body to the central nervous system by: Select one: a. interneurons. b. sensory neurons. c. motor neurons. d. efferent neurons.

An action potential refers to a: a. neural impulse. b. synaptic gap. c. neurotransmitter. d. reflex.

A slap on the back is more painful than a pat on the back because a slap triggers: a. faster neural impulses. b. more intense neural impulses. c. more frequent neural impulses. d. all of the above.

A loss of physical coordination and balance is most likely to result from damage to the: a. hypothalamus. b. cerebellum. c. corpus callosum. d. amygdala.

Which is the correct sequence in the transmission of a neural impulse? a. synapse, axon, dendrite, cell body b. dendrite, axon, cell body, synapse c. axon, dendrite, cell body, synapse d. dendrite, cell body, axon, synapse

The parietal lobes are to ________ as the occipital lobes are to ________. a. hearing- speaking b. sensing touch- seeing c. sensing pleasure- sensing pain d. tasting- smelling e. speaking- seeing

Which brain structure relays information from the eyes to the visual cortex? a. thalamus b. amygdala c. medulla d. hippocampus

Seeing is to hearing as the ________ lobes are to the _______ lobes. a. frontal- temporal b. occipital- parietal c. frontal- parietal d. occipital- temporal

The thalamus serves as a: a. memory bank. b. pleasure center. c. master gland. d. sensory switchboard.

Neurotransmitter receptor sites are located on the: Select one: a. dendrites b. myelin sheath. c. vesicles. d. axon.

Heartbeat acceleration is to heartbeat deceleration as the ______________ nervous system is to the _____________ nervous system. a. somatic;autonomic b. autonomic;somatic c. sympathetic; parasympathetic d. parasympathetic; sympathetic

If a neurosuregeion directly stimulated parts of your sensory cortex, which of the following would you most likely experience? a. indistinct odors b. flashes of light c. repetitive sounds d. a sense of being touched

control's speech production

specializes in spatial relations

a series of x-ray photographs of the brain taken from different angles

language disorder

oldest part of the brain

regulates emotion

brain areas involved in higher mental functions

The reuptake of a neurotransmitter such as serotonin would involve the reabsorption of serotonin into a(n): a. axon terminal b. receiving neuron c. myelin sheath d. glial cell

The depolarization of a neural membrane creates a(n): a. myelin sheath b. action potential c. lesion d. refractory period

When Mr. Valdez thought his 1-year-old daughter had fallen down the stairs, his heartbeat accelerated, his blood pressure rose, and he began to perspire heavily. Mr. Valdez's state of arousal was activated by his ________ nervous system. a. parasympathetic b. sympathetic c. skeletal d. sensorimotor e. central

The venom of the black widow spider causes violent muscle contractions by accelerating the release of: a. acetylcholine. b. curare. c. endorphins. d. epinephrine.

The function of dendrites is to: a. receive incoming signals from other neurons. b. release neurotransmitters into the spatial junctions between neurons. c. coordinate the activation of the parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous systems. d. control pain through the release of opiate-like chemicals into the brain.

The minimum level of stimulation required to trigger a neural impulse is called the: a. reflex. b. synapse. c. action potential. d. threshold

Excess dopamine receptor activity is linked to which of the following conditions? a. Parkinson's disease b. manic depression c. phobias d. schizophrenia

The central nervous system consists of: a. sensory and motor neurons. b. somatic and autonomic subsystems. c. the brain and the spinal cord. d. sympathetic and parasympathetic branches.

Which region of the human brain best distinguishes us from other animals? a. reticular formation b. limbic system c. cerebral cortex d. hypothalamus

The myelin sheath helps to increase the ________ of neural impulses. a. frequency b. intensity c. threshold d. speed

Which neural center in the limbic system plays a central role in emotions such as rage and fear? a. amygdala b. thalamus c. cerebellum d. medulla

Broca's area is located in the ________ lobe. a. parietal b. occipital c. temporal d. frontal

After a sky-diving accident, Laurie was unable to make sense of other people's speech. It is likely that her cortex was damaged in: a. the sensory area. b. Broca's area. c. the angular gyrus. d. Wernicke's area.

The part of a neuron that transmits neural messages to other neurons, or to muscles or glands is called the: a. axon. b. synapse. c. association area. d. dendrite. e. cell body.

Beginning at the front of the brain and moving toward the back of the head, then down the skull and back around to the front, which of the following is the correct order of the cortical regions? a. occipital lobe; temporal lobe; parietal lobe; frontal lobe b. frontal lobe; occipital lobe; temporal lobe; parietal lobe c. temporal lobe; frontal lobe; parietal lobe; occipital lobe d. frontal lobe; parietal lobe; occipital lobe; temporal lobe

Anton is applying for a technician's job with the neurosurgeon. In trying to impress his potential employer with his knowledge of the brain, he says, "After my father's stroke I knew immediately that the blood clot had affected his left cerebral hemisphere because he no longer recognized the picture of his friend." Should Anton be hired? a. No. The right hemisphere, not the left, specializes in picture recognition. b. Yes. Anton obviously understands brain structure and function. c. Yes. Although blood clots never form in the left hemisphere, Anton should be rewarded for recognizing the left hemisphere's role in picture recognition. d. No. Blood clots never form of the left hemisphere, and the right hemisphere is more involved than the left in recognizing pictures.

After she suffered a stroke, Mrs. Josephson had so much difficulty speaking that she had to communicate by writing. This suggests that her cortex was damaged in: a. the occipital lobe. b. Broca's area. c. the angular gyrus. d. Wernicke's area

Epinephrine and norepinephrine are ________ that are released by the ________ gland. a. neurotransmitters; thyroid b. hormones; adrenal c. neurotransmitters; pituitary d. hormones; pituitary

The somatic nervous system is a component of the _________________ nervous system. a. peripheral b. autonomic c. central d. sympathetic

Which technique involves the use of spinning atoms and radio waves to produce computer-generated images of the brain's soft tissues? a. MRI b. EEG c. CT scan d. PET scan

Which nerve network in the brainstem plays an important role in controlling arousal? a. reticular formation b. hypothalamus c. cerebellum d. medulla

X-ray photographs of the brain are necessary to produce a(n): a. CT scan. b. PET scan. c. EEG. d. lobotomy.

The left cerebral hemisphere is typically superior to the right in: a. spatial reasoning. b. language comprehension. c. visual perception. d. musical abilities.

You come home one night to find a burglar in your house. Your heart starts racing and you being to perspire. These physical reactions are triggered by the: a. somatic nervous system. b. sympathetic nervous system. c. parasympathetic nervous system. d. limbic system.

The activity of the hypothalamus most directly influences: a. hunger and thirst. b. muscular coordination. c. attention and memory. d. heartbeat and breathing.

A child can be born a drug addict because: a. drugs used by the mother will pass into the child's bloodstream b. addiction is an inherited personality trait c. drugs used by the mother create genetic defects in her chromosomes d. the fetus' blood has not yet developed a resistance to drugs

A mother who consistently responds supportively to her infant's cries for care and protection is most likely to encourage: a. egocentrism. b. habituation. c. stranger anxiety. d. secure attachment e. gender identity.

According to Piaget, children in the preoperational stage are able to: a. represent objects with words and images. b. reason abstractly and test hypotheses. c. understand the world only by observing the consequences of their own actions. d. think logically about tangible things.

After living together for a year, Yakim and Angelique have decided to marry. Research on premarital cohabitation most strongly suggests that: a. they have more positive attitudes toward the institution of marriage than the average couple. b. their marriage will have a higher-than-average probability of being successful. c. most of their college friends and acquaintances have viewed their cohabitation negatively. d. their marriage will have a higher-than-average probability of ending in divorce.

Although Adam ventures away from his mother to explore the attractive toys located in the dentist's waiting room, he periodically returns to her side for brief moments. Adam most clearly displays signs of: a. secure attachment b. habituation. c. egocentrism. d. conservation. e. stranger anxiety.

Alzheimer's disease involves a deterioration of neurons that produce: a. dopamine b. estrogen c. epinephrine d. acetylcholine

An individual cheats on a quiz because all of his classmates cheated. This indicates a thought process characteristic of a person operating in which stage of moral development? a. preconventional b. conventional c. postconventional d. preoperational

An individual's decision is based on the written law of the land. This indicates a thought process characteristic of a person operating on which level of moral development? a. preconventional b. conventional c. postconventional d. sensorimotor

Babies born with fetal alcohol syndrome demonstrate that alcohol is a: a. teratogen. b. form of DNA. c. hallucinogen. d. neurotransmitter. e. gene.

Children acquire the mental operations needed to comprehend such things as mathematical transformations and conservation during the ________ stage. a. preoperational b. sensorimotor c. concrete operational

Compared to when he was younger, 4-year-old Antonio is better able to empathize with his friend's feelings. This growing ability to take another's perspective indicates that Antonio is acquiring a: a. self-concept. b. schema. c. temperament. d. theory of mind.

Dr. Goodman is studying how memory changes as people get older. She is most likely a(n) ________ psychologist: a. social b. cognitive c. developmental d. experimental

During which stage of cognitive development could an individual contemplate hypothetical events and consider abstract concepts? a. concrete operational b. formal operational c. preoperational d. sensorimotor

During which stage of cognitive development do children acquire object permanence? Select one: a. sensorimotor b. preoperational c. concrete operations d. formal operations

Harlow's studies of infant monkeys raised with artificial mothers suggests that body contact promotes: a. egocentrism. b. attachment. c. stranger anxiety. d. gender identity. e. all the above.

Harlow's studies of attachment in monkeys showed that: a. provision of nourishment was the single most important factor motivating attachment. b. a cloth mother produced the greatest attachment response. c. whether a cloth or wire mother was present mattered less than the presence or absence of other infants. d. attachment in monkeys is based on imprinting.

I am 14 months old and fearful of strangers. I am in Piaget's ________ stage of cognitive development. a. sensorimotor b. preoperational c. concrete operational d. formal operational

In Piaget's theory, conservation is to egocentrism as the _____ stage is to the ____ stage. a. sensorimotor, formal operations b. formal operations, sensorimotor c. preoperational, sensorimotor d. concrete operational, preoperational

In preconventional morality, the person: a. obeys out of a sense of social duty. b. conforms to gain social approval. c. obeys to avoid punishment or to gain concrete rewards. d. follows the dictates of his or her conscience.