Beach Knowledge
What is the big blue structure that stands out amongst CSULB students
Hint: Near the parking lot
The Pyramid
What are the Independent and dependent variables in this statement?
10 flowers were planted in dry soil, 10 in wet soil, and 10 in really wet soil to measure the growth of the flowers.
Independent variable: Soil type
Dependent variable: Growth of the flowers
What degree do you need to become a psychiatrist?
A: Masters
B: Doctorate (Ph.D.)
C: Bachelors
D: MD (Medical Degree)
D: MD (Medical Degree)
Luke is a 16-year-old high school student who has experienced a significant change in his mood and behavior over the past three weeks. He reports feeling sad and “empty” most of the day, nearly every day. His parents and teachers have noticed that he seems withdrawn and more irritable than usual.
Luke has lost interest in activities he previously enjoyed, including video games and hanging out with friends. He no longer looks forward to weekends and often declines invitations to spend time with others.
He has difficulty sleeping, lying awake for hours at night, and feels exhausted during the day. Nearly every day, he reports low energy and struggles to get out of bed in the morning. His appetite has decreased, and he has unintentionally lost several pounds.
In school, Luke finds it hard to concentrate and says his mind feels “foggy.” His grades have dropped because he cannot focus long enough to complete assignments. He frequently expresses feelings of worthlessness and excessive guilt, saying he feels like a disappointment to his family.
Over the past week, Luke has had recurrent thoughts about death and has said that sometimes he wonders if people would be better off without him, though he has not made a plan.
These symptoms have caused significant impairment in his academic performance and social relationships. They are not due to substance use or a medical condition, and there is no history of manic or hypomanic episodes.
Major Depressive Disorder (MDD)
What are the four lobes of the brain?
Frontal, Parietal, Temporal, Occipital
What "College" is the Psychology department in?
A: College of Psychology
B: College of Neuroscience
C: College of Liberal Arts
D: College of Knowledge
C: College of Liberal Arts
Correlation = Causation
True or False?
Why?
False. Multiple answers are allowed.
What is the highest degree you need to become a therapist?
A: Masters
B: Bachelors
C: Doctorate (Ph.D.)
D: MD (Medical School)
A: Masters
Alisha is a 16-year-old student who experiences repeated, intrusive thoughts that she might suddenly throw up in class. These thoughts pop into her mind throughout the day, especially when she feels even slightly full or notices normal stomach sensations. The thoughts feel unwanted and distressing, and she worries that if she vomits, she will embarrass herself and lose control. She tries to push the thoughts away, but they keep returning and cause intense anxiety.
To reduce her anxiety, Alisha engages in several compulsions. She repeatedly checks expiration dates on food, smells her meals multiple times before eating, and only eats a small list of “safe” foods she believes won’t make her sick. Before school, she mentally reviews everything she ate the day before to reassure herself she won’t vomit. During class, if she notices any stomach sensation, she silently counts backward from 100 or repeatedly tells herself, “I’m not going to throw up,” until her anxiety decreases.
These behaviors are driven by rigid personal rules, and if she cannot complete them, her anxiety spikes. Alisha spends more than an hour each day checking, counting, and seeking reassurance from her parents. She has stopped going to social events involving food and avoids eating lunch at school, which has begun to affect her friendships and concentration in class.
Her symptoms are not caused by a medical condition or substance use and are not better explained by another disorder, such as an eating disorder. Alisha recognizes that her fear is probably excessive (good insight), but she feels unable to stop the thoughts or rituals.
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
Amygdala
What is CSULB's mascot's name?
A: Elbee
B: John
C: Walter
D: Daisy
A: Elbee
In psychological research, results are typically reported as significant if the p-value is less than what?
A: .001
B: .01
C: .05
D: .10
C: .05
What is one thing a clinical psychologist can do that a therapist cannot?
A: Clinical psychologists can prescribe medication.
B: Clinical psychologists can do assessments.
C: Clinical psychologists can break confidentiality when they want to.
D: Clinical psychologists and therapists do the same job.
B: Clinical psychologists can do assessments.
Matt is a 20-year-old college sophomore who was involved in a serious car accident eight months ago. Another driver ran a red light and struck his car on the driver’s side. Matt sustained minor physical injuries, but his passenger was seriously injured. The accident involved threatened death and serious injury, and Matt directly experienced the traumatic event.
Since the accident, Matt experiences recurrent, intrusive memories of the crash that pop into his mind unexpectedly, especially when he hears screeching tires. He has frequent distressing dreams in which he relives the accident. On two occasions, he briefly felt as if he were back in the car during the crash when hearing a loud bang, experiencing a flashback-like dissociative reaction. When he approaches intersections similar to the one where the accident occurred, he experiences intense anxiety, a racing heart, and sweating.
Matt persistently avoids trauma-related stimuli. He refuses to drive and avoids riding in cars whenever possible. He takes longer routes across campus to avoid passing the intersection where the accident occurred. He also avoids thinking or talking about the crash and becomes visibly distressed if friends bring it up.
He shows negative alterations in cognition and mood. Matt blames himself for the accident, repeatedly saying, “I should have seen it coming.” He has developed persistent negative beliefs that “the world isn’t safe” and that he cannot protect himself or others. He feels detached from his friends and reports that he no longer feels the same enjoyment when spending time with them. He also struggles to experience positive emotions and describes feeling emotionally numb.
Matt demonstrates alterations in arousal and reactivity. He is hypervigilant when walking near traffic and is easily startled by loud noises. He has difficulty concentrating in class, and his grades have declined. He has trouble sleeping and often feels irritable, snapping at roommates over minor issues.
These symptoms have lasted more than six months, cause significant distress and academic impairment, and are not attributable to substance use or another medical condition.
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
A person remembers emotional events (like car accidents) much more vividly than neutral events. Which mechanism best explains this?
A: The cerebellum strengthens motor memory
B: The amygdala enhances hippocampal memory consolidation
C: The medulla increases oxygen to the brain
D: The parietal lobe increases sensory input
B: The amygdala enhances hippocampal memory consolidation
When was CSULB founded?
A: 1954
B: 1949
C: 1942
D: 1959
B: 1949
When more people sit in the back of a classroom, they tend to do worse on exams.
What correlation is this called?
Negative Corrletion
This psychology career focuses on helping people cope with stress, illness, and healthy lifestyle changes.
A: Neuro Psychologist
B: Health Psychologist
C: Clinical Psychologist
D: Cognitive Psychologist
B: Health Psychologist
Madison just lost her grandmother. She has been grieving for about 10 days, and she has not been very social. She has called off for multiple days at work and has been sleeping for most of these days.
No diagnosis.
Damage to Wernicke’s area would most likely cause:
A: Difficulty producing speech
B: Inability to understand spoken language
C: Paralysis of facial muscles
D: Memory loss
B: Inability to understand spoken language
How many steps are there from floor 1 leading to floor 4 (the lab) in the psychology department?
A: 60
B: 108
C: 78
D: 109
C: 78
100 people randomly decided to participate in my study. The first 50 people who walked in, I put in group A. The other 50 I put into group B. This is called random assignment because the 100 people who chose to do the study were randomly selected.
True or False?
False.
What is the difference between a Ph.D. and a Psy.D.?
Multiple answers apply.
Presence of two or more distinct personality states along with recurrent gaps in recall of everyday events, important personal information, or traumatic events that are inconsistent with ordinary forgetting. It is difficult to identify because symptoms are frequently hidden, misattributed to psychotic disorders, mood disorders, PTSD, or personality disorders, and individuals may not openly describe dissociative experiences. Many patients present with depression, self-harm, or PTSD symptoms rather than overt identity shifts. Diagnosis requires careful assessment of dissociation, trauma history, and amnesia patterns, which are often subtle.
Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID)
A tumor damages the corpus callosum. What deficit is most likely to happen?
A: Total memory loss
B: Blindness
C: Loss of emotional regulation
D: Communication between hemispheres
E: Motor problems
D: Communication between hemispheres