Psychological Science
A(n) _____ explains behaviors or events by offering ideas that organize observations.
a. hypothesis
b. operational definition
c. theory
d. replication
c. theory
In Piaget’s theory of cognitive development, what behavior do egocentric children demonstrate?
a. Egocentric children do not share their things with other children.
b. Egocentric children call themselves by their names.
c. Egocentric children have difficulty perceiving things from another’s point of view.
d. Egocentric children always admire themselves in the mirror.
c. Egocentric children have difficulty perceiving things from another’s point of view.
In classical conditioning, which originally irrelevant stimulus later triggers a learned response because of association?
a. UR (unconditioned response)
b. US (unconditioned stimulus)
c. CR (conditioned response)
d. CS (conditioned stimulus)
d. CS (conditioned stimulus)
The tendency to recall items that appear first on a list is called (the) ________
a. recency affect
b. primacy effect
c. mood congruency
d. priming
b. primacy effect
A(n) _____ is a mental image or best example of a category.
a. heuristic
b. algorithm
c. concept
d. prototype
d. prototype
Which measure of central tendency depicts the most frequently occurring scores?
a. The mean
b. The median
c. The mode
d. The arithmetic average
c. The mode
In which stage of Erikson’s stage of psychosocial development do individuals either discover a sense of contributing to the world, usually through family and work, or feel a lack of purpose?
a. Identity vs role confusion
b. Intimacy vs isolation
c. Generativity vs stagnation
d. Integrity vs despair
c. Generativity vs stagnation
_____ reinforcement schedule reinforces a response only after a specified time has elapsed.
a. Fixed-interval
b. Fixed-ratio
c. Variable-interval
d. Variable-ratio
a. Fixed-interval
Which term did Freud give to the process by which we forget painful or unacceptable memories?
a. Reconsolidation
b. Sublimation
c. Regression
d. Repression
d. Repression
Which obstacle to problem solving hinders individuals from forming fresh perspectives?
a. Mental set
b. Intuition
c. Confirmation bias
d. Fixation
d. Fixation
In an experiment that looks at the effects of sugar consumption on hyperactivity in children, what would the independent variable be?
a. Hyperactivity
b. Cookies
c. The age of the experimenter
d. Sugar
d. Sugar
Ralph repeatedly shows his baby a rattle, to which the baby is no longer responding. Waning interest in an object with repeated exposure is known as ____.
a. habituation
b. dishabituation
c. inhibition
d. unlearning
a. habituation
Which structures provide a neural basis for everyday imitation and observational learning?
a. Copy neurons
b. Mirror neurons
c. Reflecting neurons
d. Motor neurons
b. Mirror neurons
When a person is presented with misleading information and begins to incorrectly remember, that person is experiencing (the) ____.
a. reconsolidation
b. déjà vu
c. source amnesia
d. misinformation effect
d. misinformation effect
Which of the following is TRUE regarding intuition?
a. Intuition is explicit.
b. Intuition is usually adaptive.
c. Intuition has minimal effects on judgment.
d. Intuitive judgments take a long time.
b. Intuition is usually adaptive.
Taking notes from afar and not being obtrusive, Dr. Marcos records the behavior of children playing in a sandpit. This would be an example of which type of study?
a. Case study
b. Naturalistic observation
c. Survey
d. Experiment
b. Naturalistic observation
When Ali’s mother hides his toy under a blanket, he pulls the blanket aside to see if the toy is still there. During which stage of development does object permanence manifest?
a. Sensorimotor
b. Preoperational
c. Concrete operational
d. Formal operational
a. Sensorimotor
Jenna, a C-grade student, is determined to improve her grade to an A- by the end of the school year. Each time her grade improves a bit, she allows herself some screen time. Which principle of conditioning applies to Jenna?
a. Extinction
b. Discrimination
c. Generalization
d. Shaping
d. Shaping
Ali witnessed a house on fire. Which part of Ali’s brain is affected by excessive release of hormones during this stress, boosting activity in this memory-forming area?
a. Basal ganglia
b. Amygdala
c. Hippocampus
d. Cerebellum
b. Amygdala
Gina is shopping for a vehicle and is considering an SUV because of high safety ratings that she recently read about. What is Gina basing her decision on?
a. Belief perseverance
b. Availability heuristic
c. Framing
d. Confirmation bias
b. Availability heuristic
In an experiment that looks at the effects of caffeine on alertness in class, one group of students gets caffeinated coffee, another group of students gets water, and a final group of students gets decaffeinated coffee (but thinks it is caffeinated). The last (decaf) group would be the ___.
a. control group
b. placebo group
c. experimental group
d. double-control group
b. placebo group
Harry has neural plaques and is experiencing a progressive decline in memory and other cognitive abilities. Which neurocognitive disorder (NCD) does Harry have?
a. Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder
b. Multiple sclerosis
c. Autism spectrum disorder
d. Alzheimer’s disease
d. Alzheimer’s disease
Rudy’s father gave him a candy bar each time he cleaned his room. After a few weeks, his father stopped giving him candy, and Rudy stopped cleaning his room. Why has Rudy stopped this behavior?
a. Acquisition of CR
b. Higher-order conditioning of CR
c. Extinction of CR
d. Spontaneous recovery of CR
c. Extinction of CR
Leonard, who was very attached to his grandmother, can remember with clarity every detail of the day she died, and he gets very emotional when recalls that day. Which type of memory is Leonard using for this emotionally charged recall?
a. Flashbulb memory
b. Long-term potentiation
c. Implicit memory
d. Memory consolidation
a. Flashbulb memory
When Bill recently renewed his driver’s license, he left the default option for being an organ donor to “yes”. Framing the option in a way that encouraged Bill to make a beneficial decision, such as organ donation, is an example of _____.
a. morality
b. coercion
c. nudging
d. passive persuasion
c. nudging