Semester I – AP Psychology Exam

Directions: Each of the questions or incomplete statements below is followed by five suggested answers or completions. Select the one that is best in each case and then fill in the corresponding oval on the answer sheet.

1. Which type of psychologist would be interested primarily in studying whether people behave differently in groups than they do when alone? (social psychology)

a. Experimentalb. Cognitivec. Developmentald. Sociale. Clinical

2. Which of the following theoretical frameworks would argue most strongly that a healthy child will choose what is good for his or her growth? (perspectives of psychology)

a. Social learning theoryb. Psychoanalyticc. Behavioral d. Humanistice. Psychodynamic

3. Dr. Lewis decided to study the television viewing habits of her students and therefore demanded that they complete and return a survey regarding their viewing habits. Which of the following ethical princi-ples was clearly violated in this study? (ethics)

a. The right to have a copy of the resultsb. The right to have a copy of the surveyc. The right to be protected from unnecessary risk of harmd. The right to refuse to participate the studye. The right to be informed of deception

4. According to Lawrence Kohlberg, children at the first level of moral reasoning make judgments about right and wrong on the basis of

a. cultural normsb. social conventionsc. religious beliefsd. the likelihood of punishmente. the approval of siblings and same-sex peers

5. After constant exposure to a stimulus, our nerve cells fire less frequently. This can be explained by which of the following?

a. Weber’s lawb. Sensory adaptationc. Signal detectiond. Absolute threshold sensitivitye. The phi phenomenon

6. Tension from an inconsistency between an individual’s attitudes and behavior is a. cognitive dissonanceb. altruismc. deindividuationd. information propinquitye. constancy

7. The section of the brain considered most vital to the initiation of feeding behaviors is the

a. hippocampusb. hypothalamusc. superior olived. suprachiasmatic nucleuse. substantia nigra

8. Which of the following is a measure of central tendency that is most influenced by extreme scores?a. Medianb. Standard deviationc. Meand. Analysis of variancee. Mode

9. Gender typing is best described asa. the realization that gender is stable, regardless of superficial behaviors such as dressb. a preferential interest of a female child in the attention of the motherc. a child showing ambivalence toward both the mother and the fatherd. adolescents integrating social, sexual, intellectual, and ethical aspects into a self-identitye. the acquisition of the roles associated with distinctions between male and female.

10. The common tendency to assume that the beliefs, values, attitudes, or actions of one’s own group are su-perior to those of other groups is called

a. deindividuationb. groupthinkc. observer biasd. ethnocentrisme. reactance

11. A researcher shows a picture to a volunteer; the picture features a woman in the foreground and an older man, looking over her shoulder, in the background. The volunteer is asked to “tell a story” about the picture. The researcher assumes that the volunteer will project his own unconscious feelings into the story he tells. This is an example of which of the following tests?

a. Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC)b. Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI)c. Rorschach Inkblot Testd. Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)e. Stanford-Binet Test

12. In “Baby X” studies, researchers alternately dressed an infant in typical boys’ or girls’ clothing. Adults who were asked to play with the infant treated the baby in boys’ clothing in a generally rougher manner than when asked to play with the same infant dressed in girls’ clothing. This behavior is the result of:

a. stereotypingb. androgynyc. indulgenced. neglecte. framing

13. A bundle of nerve fibers that interconnects the two brain hemispheres is the a. association areasb. thalamusc. corpus callosumd. Sylvian fissuree. optic chiasm

14. Which of the following is LEAST likely to be used in research on personality?a. Interviewsb. Observationsc. Inventoriesd. Projective testse. Conservation tasks

15. Which gland of the endocrine system controls the activity of other glands?a. Pancreasb. Thyroidc. Adrenald. Pituitarye. Pineal

16. Stimulation of the sympathetic nervous system most frequently results in which of the following?a. Acceleration of heart and breathing rates and dilation of pupilsb. Stimulation of tearing, salivation, and peristalsisc. Calming of the bodyd. Contraction of the muscles of the hands and feete. Raising the perceptual threshold of olfactory and gustatory receptors

17. When members of a group who tend to agree on an issue become more extreme in their opinion after the issue is discussed, which of the following has taken place?

a. Deindividuationb. Depersonalizationc. Groupthinkd. Group norminge. Group polarization

18. In neurons, neurotransmitters are released at thea. axonsb. cell bodiesc. dendritesd. receptor sitese. synaptic vesicles

19. A researcher conducts an experiment to test the claim that new drug Y is more effective than standard drug X in inhibiting arousal. The researcher randomly assigns participants to receive drug Y or drug X and subsequently measures arousal. In this experiment, participants receiving drug Y constitute the

a. dependent variableb. confounding variablec. experimental groupd. control group e. e. placebo group

20. In an emergency situation, the adrenal glands secrete hormones that cause all of the following EXCEPTa. increased heart rateb. increased blood pressurec. increased blood sugar leveld. reduced mood swingse. reduced blood flow to digestive system

21. The frustration-aggression hypothesis views aggression asa. unconsciousb. physiologicalc. innated. reactivee. cognitive

22. Which of the following scatterplots depicts the most predictive negative correlation between two vari-ables?

FREE

23. A market researcher is interested in ascertaining which of two possible packages is more likely to entice buyers to purchase a new brand of chocolate-chip cookie. In this study, which of the following pairs represents the independent and dependent variables, respectively?

a. Another brand of cookie; the new brand of cookieb. The new brand of cookie; another brand of cookiec. The new brand of cookie; the two types of packagingd. Total sales for each of the packages; the different types of packagee. The different types of packages; total sales for each of the packages

24. Dr. Williams is a therapist who believes that his client’s depression is caused by internalized anger and other intrapsychic conflicts. Of which psychological perspective is Dr. Williams most likely a propo-nent?

a. Biopsychological b. Evolutionaryc. Humanisticd. Behaviorale. Psychoanalytic

25. A child believes that all birds can fly, yet comes to realize that a penguin is a bird. Which of the follow-

ing terms was used by Jean Piaget to refer to this developmental process of changing one’s ways of thinking in order to incorporate new information?

a. Accommodationb. Egocentrismc. Formal operational thoughtd. Assimilation

e. Concrete operational thought26. Which of the following best represents a humanistic explanation for an anxiety disorder?

a. Lower-than-normal levels of inhibitory neurotransmitters like GABA result in higher levels of anxiety.

b. Irrational and maladaptive thought processes lead to increased levels of anxiety.c. Anxiety is either classically or operantly conditioned.d. Anxiety results from internal unconscious conflict.e. Anxiety results when an individual experiences a gap between his ideal self and his real self.

27. When Stanley Milgram asked psychiatrists to predict how far participants would go in administering shock in his original demonstration on obedience to authority, the psychiatrists

a. made accurate predictionsb. significantly overestimated the levelc. significantly underestimated the leveld. accurately predicted male responses but underestimated female responsese. declined to play a role in the research based on their ethical objections

28. In a normal distribution, approximately what percent of the scores occur within one standard deviation above and below the mean?

a. 5%b. 16%c. 33%d. 68%e. 97%

29. Jessie and a friend are driving in rush-hour highway traffic when a car suddenly cuts in front of them in order to reach an unmarked exit ramp. Jessie’s passenger points out that the circumstances may have re-quired the other driver to do so, while Jessie loudly criticizes the personal qualities of the other driver. Jessie’s response is best explained by

a. cognitive dissonance theoryb. the fundamental attribution errorc. a self-fulfilling prophecyd. the mere exposure effecte. social inhibition theory

30. Maturation differs from learning in that developmental changes due to maturationa. are relatively independent of environmental factorsb. follow no predictable patternc. can take place only in an enriched environmentd. cease after early childhoode. require practice

31. The five-factor theory of personality (The Big Five) does NOT include which of the following charac-teristics?

a. Intelligence b. Conscientiousnessc. Extraversiond. Agreeablenesse. Neuroticism/stability

32. Which of the following is a hormone that is directly related to human sex drive?a. Acetylcholineb. Testosteronec. Angiotensind. Dopamine

e. Norepinephrine33. Which of the following did Alfred Adler suggest is the primary driving force in the development of per-

sonality?a. Resolving the Electra Complexb. Overcoming the inferiority complexc. Extinguishing reinforcement historyd. Analyzing the collective unconsciouse. Repressing the libido

34. Which of the following is true regarding cross-cultural studies on attributional tendencies?a. The actor-observer bias is universalb. People in collectivist cultures are more likely to commit the fundamental attribution error than

people in individualistic cultures.c. People in individualistic cultures are more likely to commit the fundamental attribution error

than people in collectivist cultures.d. People in collectivist cultures are more likely to base their attributions about people in individu-

alistic cultures.e. It is almost impossible to determine cultural differences in attributional biases with an experi-

mental design.35. A 52-year-old woman notices a decrease in her ability to solve unfamiliar problems quickly and to form

new concepts, although she still feels confident in recalling and using familiar information. This is most closely due to a decline in

a. mental ageb. concrete operational thoughtc. crystallized intelligenced. fluid intelligencee. preoperational thought

36. Most professionals from the United States rate themselves better in performance and competence than their average peer. This is an example of

a. self-actualizationb. objective self-awarenessc. enlightened self-schemasd. self-serving biase. the fundamental attribution error

37. A mother gives her child an orange for the first time. The child rolls it across the table and says, “ball.” Which of the following Piagetian processes would account for this behavior?

a. Seriationb. Accommodationc. Reversald. Assimilatione. Conservation

38. Which of the following is the best example of social inhibition?a. a child refuses to imitate the modeled behavior of an adultb. an intelligent, charming person acts aloof and sullen at a partyc. a person who is very good at “ring toss” carnival games performs even better as a crowd gathers.d. a person declines to contribute to a church group even though a gift is offered in returne. a person who is a poor bowler begins to bowl even worse than usual when several friends are

watching39. According to Erik Erikson’s theory of development, the key concern of early adulthood is

a. establishing a careerb. leaving the parents’ world

c. raising childrend. sharing intimacy with anothere. building an identity

Questions 52-53 are based on the passage below.

A researcher studying the effect of noise level on concentration randomly assigns student participants to either a nosy room or a quiet room to take a problem-solving test. The researcher subsequently compares the two groups’ test scores using a t-test and concludes p= .05.

40. The dependent variable in this study is the a. p valueb. noise levelc. problem-solving test scoresd. t-teste. experimental group

41. The independent variable in this study is the a. p valueb. noise levelc. problem-solving test scoresd. t-teste. experimental group

42. Computer-generated color images of the brain that provide information about glucose metabolism are produced by which of the following techniques?

a. Electroencephalogram (EEG)b. Electromyography (EMG)c. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)d. Position-emission tomography (PET)e. Computerized axial tomography (CAT)

43. A researcher asks elementary, junior high, senior high, and college students to define the term “cheat-ing,” and analyzes differences in their definitions across age groups. This is an example of which type of study?

a. Longitudinalb. Sequentialc. Cross-sectionald. Case studye. Observational

44. The correlations between the IQ scores of identical twins reared apart are lower than those of identical twins reared together. This difference is best explained by which of the following?

a. Heredity plays an important role in determining IQb. Environment plays an important role in determining IQc. Environment plays no role in determining IQd. Environment plays no role in determining IQe. Heredity and environment play an equal role in determining IQ

45. A person who has a brain injury has difficulty seeing and hearing. these symptoms indicate that damage has occurred in the

a. parietal and occipital lobesb. occipital and temporal lobesc. frontal and temporal lobes

d. temporal lobe only e. frontal lobe only

46. Individuals who accept personal responsibility for their life experiences may be characterized as havinga. unrealistic expectationsb. delusions of grandeurc. an internal locus of controld. a pessimistic view of realitye. an introverted personality

47. Which of the following are most involved in the action potential of a neuron?a. calcium and sodiumb. sodium and potassiumc. potassium and calciumd. chloride and calciume. chloride and sodium

48. Which of the following would be used to measure the relationship between age and reaction time?a. correlationb. central tendencyc. a histogramd. standard deviatione. a t test

49. Of the following research methods, which can best establish a cause-and-effect relationship?a. naturalistic observationb. a surveyc. a testd. a case studye. an experiment

50. A researcher dabs color on a 16-month-old child’s face and places the child in front of a mirror. Which of the following developmental milestones has been reached if the child realizes that there is something wrong with its face?

a. visual discriminationb. recognition of a human facec. recognition of selfd. identification of the gender of the imagee. perception of the image as a playmate

51. Which of the following is considered an explanation of why bystander intervention is less likely to occur if there is a large number of witnesses to a crime?

a. prejudiceb. social facilitationc. diffusion of responsibilityd. self-efficacy

52. A schema can be described asa. an outer layer of the eyeb. a mental constructc. a fissure between lobes of the braind. an optical illusione. a fixed response to a particular stimuli

53. Which of the following is considered the fundamental building block of the nervous system?a. nucleusb. neuron

c. synapsed. neurotransmittere. electrical impulse

54. Solomon Asch’s findings on conformity might best be used to explain why a. members of a family all like the taste of bananasb. adolescents follow fads in dress and hairstylec. people are less likely to accept blame for their failures than to accept credit for their successesd. bystander intervention is more likely to occur when few, rather than many, bystanders are

presente. performance is enhanced in the presence of others

55. The humanistic perspective in psychology suggests thata. most behavior can be explained by operant conditioning principlesb. all humans have peak experiencesc. all humans by nature are goodd. humans are doomed to a life of neurosis and sufferinge. self-actualization can happen only through therapy

56. The human brain differs from the brains of most other animals by the relative amount of brain mass de-voted to which of the following?

a. the occipital lobeb. the cerebellumc. the cerebral cortexd. the homunculuse. the pituitary gland

57. Which of the following structures of the brain has been linked with the regulation of hunger and thirst?a. hippocampusb. hypothalamusc. thalamusd. ponse. medulla

58. Sigmund Freud once compared psychological development to the migration of a population: “As time passes most of the group moves on, but some of the members remain at an earlier location.” Which con-cept was Freud describing?

a. fixationb. repressionc. regressiond. sublimatione. reaction formation

59. A 14-month-old toddler is placed in an unfamiliar situation with the child’s mother, who then leaves the room for a time. When the mother returns, the child squirms and tries to get away from the mother when picked up, but also seems distressed when placed back on the floor. Mary Ainsworth would con-sider this evidence of which of the following?

a. hyperactivityb. narcissistic personality typec. a resistant or ambivalent attachment styled. disorganized behaviore. avoidance

60. Which of the following sets of scores has the greatest standard deviation?a. 5, 7, 9, 12b. 2, 7, 9, 22c. 25, 27, 29, 32

d. 50, 51, 52, 53e. 100, 101, 102, 103

61. Which of the following explains the behavior of normally law-abiding people who act destructively when they are part of a crowd?

a. group polarizationb. the mere exposure effectc. deindividuationd. entrapmente. fundamental attribution error

62. The minimum intensity at which a stimulus can be detected at least 50 percent of the time is known as the

a. visual cliffb. just noticeable differencec. perceptual setd. receptor potentiale. absolute threshold

63. A club president discovers that contributions of club members drop when the total contribution of all members is published rather than the contributions of individuals. This drop can be explained by the phenomenon of

a. group polarizationb. learned helplessnessc. social loafingd. social facilitatione. socialization

64. Which Piagetian stage of cognitive development is characterized by mastery of conservation tasks?a. sensorimotorb. preoperationalc. concrete operationsd. formal operationse. tertiary circular reactions

65. Which of the following do individuals experience when their behavior is inconsistent with their attitude?a. approach-avoidance conflictb. cognitive dissonancec. intrinsic motivationd. homeostatic motivatione. overjustification

66. When Jason practices the drums, he tends not to hear the phone. Today he is expecting a call from a record producer and answers the phone each time it rings even when he is practicing the drums. Which of the following explains why Jason hears the phone today?

a. Weber’s lawb. accommodationc. frequency theoryd. Signal detection theorye. harmonics

67. All of the following are conditions that may lead to conflict within organizations EXCEPTa. scarce resourcesb. jurisdictional ambiguityc. inequities in statusd. insufficient communication

e. superordinate goals

Questions 68-69 refer to the following psychological perspectives. Choose the perspective that best an-swers each of the following questions. A choice can be used once, more than once, or not at all.

(A) Humanistic(B) Trait(C) Psychoanalytic(D) Behavioral(E) Cognitive

68. Which perspective views the human condition as a mixture of unconscious desires and conflicts?a. Ab. Bc. Cd. De. E

69. Which perspective was used by Raymond Cattell as a basis for his personality measure known as the 16PF test?

a. Ab. Bc. Cd. De. E

70. Which of the following is characterized by a periodic appearance of sleep spindles?a. Stage 2 sleepb. Stage 3 sleepc. Stage 4 sleepd. REM sleepe. Night terrors

71. Social facilitation theory focuses on situations in which the presence of others causes an individual’s performance to

a. remain unchangedb. declinec. improve

d. spontaneously recovere. become fixated

72. Bruce often acts so daring and confident that few people realize he is actually riddled with insecurity and self doubt. He is illustrating the use of a defense mechanism called

a. Regressionb. Projectionc. Dispacementd. Rationalizatine. Reaction formation

73. In 1921, Hermann Rorschach introduced what has become the most widely used__________ testa. Multiple personalityb. Empiricalc. Thematic apperceptiond. Projective

74. Abraham Maslow suggested that individuals that are open, spontaneous and not effected by others opin-ions have reached

a. Extraversionb. Self actualizationc. External locus of controld. Reaction formation

75. Carl Rogers has been associated most closely with the importance of thea. Free associationb. Reciprocal determinismc. Self conceptd. Locus of control

76. One of the categories in the Big 5 personality test isa. Reciprocal determinismb. Self actualizationc. Individualismd. Agreeablenesse. Psychoanalysis

77. During a phone call to the Psychic network, Mark was told that “you often worry about things more than you admit”. Mark’s amazement at the psychic’s apparent understanding of his personality illustrates the

a. Internal Locus of Controlb. Reaction formationc. Reciprocal determinismd. Barnum Effecte. Unconditional Positive Regard

78. Marcy believes that the outcome of athletic contests depends so much on luck that it hardly pays to put any effort into her own athletic training. Her belief illustrates

a. An Electra complexb. Spotlight effectc. Barnum effectd. External locus of control

79. Sigmund Freud emphasized the importance of:a. Unconditional positive regard/b. Dream interpretationc. External locus of controld. Factor analysis

e. Reciprocal determinism80. Although Alex has frequently been caught stealing money and other valuables from friends as well as

strangers, he does not feel guilty or remorseful robbing these people. Alex most clearly demonstratesa. Idb. Egoc. Super Egod. Oral fixation

81. According to Freud, fixation refers to a difficulty in the process of:a. Free associationb. Psychosexual developmentc. projective testingd. hypnosis

82. Bonnie is afraid to express her anger to her boss, so she is critical of her children instead. She illustrates a. Repressionb. Identificationc. Reaction formationd. Displacemente. Projection

83. Children who have witnesses a parent’s murder memories that most clearly challenge Freud’s concept of:

a. rationalizationb. Oedipus complexc. Reaction formationd. Displacement

84. Who emphasized the importance of unconditional positive regard in healthy personality development?a. Freudb. Allportc. Bandurad. Rogerse. Adler

85. Ectomorph is to endmorph as _______ is to_____________.a. Id; superegob. Thin; plumpc. Extraversion;interoversiond. Ora stage’ phallic stagee. External locus of control; internal locus of control

86. Social-Cognitive perspective highlights the importance of:a. The collective unconsciousb. Free associationc. Projective testsd. Reciprocal determinisme. Factor analysis

87. After experiencing prolonged inescapable physical abuse from her husband, Kayla became increasingly depressed and hopelessly resigned to her suffering. Her reaction best illustrates:

a. Reaction formationb. Electra complexc. Unconditional positive regardd. Inferiority complex

88. Defining one’s identity in terms of extended family or work group is most closely associated with:

a. unconditional positive regardb. external locus of controlc. inferiority complexd. self actualizatione. collectivism

89. Which neo-Freudian theorist emphasized the influence of the collective unconscious in personality de-velopment?

a. Jungb. Adlerc. Horneyd. Maslow

90. Which of the following is an example of retrograde amnesia?

a. Ty cannot recall the face of the thief he saw running from the scene of the crimeb. Katie attributes her poor performance on a standardized test to the fact that she took the exam in the room other

than one in which she learned the material.c. Alberto is unable to remember anything since the accident that destroyed his hippocampusd. Alyse cannot remember any details of her life before the accident.

91. Remembering how to roller skate involves which of the following kinds of memory?

a. Semanticb. Episodicc. Primingd. Procedural

92. Material that an individual cannot remember but is on the “tip of the tongue” is

a. In episodic memory, but not semantic memory.b. In sensory, but not iconic memoryc. In short term memory, but not in long-term memoryd. Available, but not accessible.e. Retrieved, but not encoded

93. When Shelley first had cable television service installed, PBS was on channel 9. Her cable company then switched PBS to channel 16. Shelley now has trouble remembering that PBS is on channel 16 and not on channel 9. This memory problem represents

a. Memory decayb. Retrograde amnesiac. Retroactive interferenced. Proactive interference

94. A moviegoer who cannot identify the name of a film star remembers the name when a friend reviews a list of stars. The in-cident illustrates which two concepts in memory?

a. Rehearsel and chunkingb. Primacy effect and recency effectc. Recall and recognitiond. Sensory and amnesia

95. An example of episodic memory is the memory of

a. One’s high school graduationb. Capital of a statec. What the musical C sounds liked. How to type

96. The process of remembering several pieces of information by organizing them is

a. Key-word methodb. Method of locic. Peg word systemd. Chunking

97. Craig and Tiffany had research participants process words visually, acoustically, or semantically. In a recall test, which type of processing resulted in the greatest retention?

a. Visualb. Acousticc. Semanticd. All are equal

98. Memory techniques such as the method of loci, acronyms, and the peg word system are called:

a. Consolidation devicesb. Imagery techniquesc. Mnemonic devicesd. Encoding strategies

99. Our short term memory span is approximately ____________items.

a. 2b. 5c. 7