Skills for Success
Who is most likely to perform the best on an upcoming exam?
A student who learned about the skills for success
A student who disregarded previous negative feedback on their performance
A student who doesn't make social plans in the week leading up to the exam
A student who rewrote their notes from memory and then checked them for accuracy
A student who rewrote their notes from memory and then checked them for accuracy
Dr. Martinez believes that to understand depression, we must consider neurotransmitter imbalances, negative thought patterns, stressful life events, and lack of social support. She is reluctant to rely on just one explanation. Dr. Martinez's approach reflects:
A. An outdated view of psychology
B. Confusion about which perspective is correct
C. Modern psychology's integration of multiple perspectives
D. A purely biological approach to mental health
C. Modern psychology's integration of multiple perspectives
A professor wants to know whether sitting in the front of the classroom improves exam performance. To test this, she randomly assigns half the students to front-row seats and the other half to back-row seats. Which variable is the independent variable?
A. Exam performance
B. Seating location
C. Student motivation
D. Number of students in each group
B. Seating location
After a head injury, Carlos struggles to form new long-term memories but remembers old events from childhood. Which brain structure was most likely damaged?
A. Amygdala
B. Hippocampus
C. Cerebellum
D. Thalamus
B. Hippocampus
In which two primary conditions does neuroplasticity occur in the brain?
NEUROPLASTICITY OCCURS IN THE BRAIN UNDER TWO PRIMARY CONDITIONS:
DEVELOPMENTAL PLASTICITY & COMPENSATION FOR LOSS
Emily is frustrated after getting a low grade on her first quiz. Instead of thinking she is “bad at psychology,” she views it as feedback on her study habits and tries a new approach. Emily is demonstrating:
A. A fixed mindset
B. A growth mindset
C. Learned helplessness
D. Test anxiety
A growth mindset
Marcus's therapist suggests that his fear of success stems from unconscious guilt about surpassing his father's achievements. The therapist asks Marcus to discuss his dreams and childhood memories. This approach is most consistent with:
A. Structuralism
B. Behaviorism
C. Freud
D. Cognitivism
C. Freud's psychoanalytic theory
Dr. Ly develops a new questionnaire to measure self-esteem. She finds that people who score high on her test also tend to score high on established, well-validated self-esteem scales. This supports which type of validity?
Construct validity
Internal validity
External validity
Construct validity
During neurotransmission, neurotransmitters cross the synapse and:
A. Enter the axon of the presynaptic neuron
B. Bind to receptors on the postsynaptic neuron
C. Destroy the myelin sheath
D. Convert into electrical signals inside the axon
B. Bind to receptors on the postsynaptic neuron
A researcher wants to study whether students report more depression symptoms when using social media for 6 hours a day or 1 hour a day. Which study design would the researcher use?
Experimental
1. James studies by reading his textbook chapter three times in a row until it feels familiar. On the exam, he recognizes terms but can't apply concepts to new scenarios. What would improve his learning?
A. Reading the chapter a fourth time to ensure mastery
B. Testing himself with practice questions before the exam
C. Waiting until the material feels completely comfortable
D. Reviewing his notes passively until exam day
B. Testing himself with practice questions before feeling ready
A student reads that "the mind works like a computer, processing information through attention, memory, and problem-solving." This analogy best represents which perspective?
A. Psychoanalytic
B. Behavioral
C. Cognitivism
D. Structuralist
C. Cognitivism
A researcher tests whether a mindfulness program reduces stress in employees. The study begins in March and ends in June. During the study, the company announces major layoffs, increasing stress levels across the workplace.
Which validity is threatened?
External validity
Construct validity
Internal validity
Internal validity
Luis has damage to his cerebellum after a fall. He will most likely have difficulty with:
A. Understanding spoken language
B. Forming new memories
C. Coordinating smooth, balanced movements
D. Regulating body temperature
C. Coordinating smooth, balanced movements
Imagine you are walking to class when your friend waves from across the street. A car drives on the street between you. Your friend is now wearing a hat, but you don't notice the change. What type of psychological blindness is this?
Change blindness
Which of the following is an example of interleaving?
A student spacing their studying sessions over 5 days
A student who makes flashcards for their class
A student who switches between topics as they are studying
A student who attends lectures, takes notes, and adds pictures/diagrams to their notes after class.
A student who switches between topics as they are studying
Which bias does this scenario represent and why:
Maria wears her lucky bracelet to every exam. Last semester, she wore it to her psychology midterm and got an A. Now, she insists that wearing the bracelet causes her to perform well on exams.
A. Confirmation bias
B. Post hoc fallacy
C. Availability heuristic
D. Hindsight bias
B. Post hoc fallacy
A researcher is testing whether caffeine improves reaction time. He only includes participants who already drink 3–5 cups of coffee daily. How might this threaten validity?
A. It threatens external validity because the sample may not generalize.
B. It threatens internal validity because caffeine dose varies.
C. It threatens construct validity because reaction time is not measurable.
D. It threatens internal validity because caffeine causes stress.
A. It threatens external validity because the sample may not generalize.
After a car accident, Devin has trouble planning ahead and controlling his impulses. Which brain area was most likely damaged?
A. Frontal lobe
B. Parietal lobe
C. Temporal lobe
D. Occipital lobe
A. Frontal lobe
This is where communication between neurons takes place
Synapses
Which student is engaging in metacognition?
A student who receives a low grade on their test and then drops the class
A student who recognizes their own limits and does not try to make higher goals.
A student who receives a low grade on their test and thinks about how they studied and how they can pay attention in class differently.
A student who closes their eyes and imagines themselves doing well on an upcoming exam
A student who receives a low grade on their test and thinks about how they studied and how they can pay attention in class differently.
A psychologist is investigating why college students tend to drink more alcohol at parties than when they are alone. She hypothesizes that the presence of friends increases social pressure to drink.
At which level of analysis is this explanation focused?
A. Biological
B. Individual
C. Social
D. Cultural
C. Social
When using a random sample, which types of validity are most affected?
A. Construct
B. Internal
C. External
Internal and External
A researcher studies a patient who shows little fear in situations that would normally be terrifying. Damage to which brain structure could explain this?
A. Amygdala
B. Hippocampus
C. Medulla
D. Frontal lobe
A. Amygdala
A researcher wants to test whether listening to classical music improves short-term memory. They randomly assign participants to either listen to Mozart for 30 minutes or sit in silence before completing a word recall task. The researcher finds that participants who listened to Mozart recalled more words on average.
Which of the following statements is correct?
A) Because participants were randomly assigned, we can conclude that listening to Mozart caused improved memory.
B) This study shows that listening to Mozart is correlated with better memory, but causation cannot be inferred.
C) The number of words recalled is the independent variable, and listening to Mozart is the dependent variable.
D) This study is an example of a case study.
B) This study shows that listening to Mozart is correlated with better memory, but causation cannot be inferred.