UWorld: MCAT: Psych/Social

What is an example of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)?
A. desensitization
B. dream analysis
C. unconditional positive regard

What is an example of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)?
A. desensitization
B. dream analysis
C. unconditional positive regard

A. desensitization

psychoanalytic: dream analysis/free association
humanistic: unconditional positive regard

Girl watches commercial about Drug X but when she recalls memory later, misattributed it to her doctor talking about the drug X. Is this an example of

A. source monitoring error
B. Fundamental attribution error

A. source monitoring error

-inaccurately remembering the source of info

fundamental attribution error: tendency to blame others based on internal instead of external factors

Note: Classical Conditioning

Acquisition: learning via association between unconditioned stimulus (ex. food) and neutral stimulus (bell)

Extinction: conditioned response gradually stops occurring in the absence of the unconditioned stimulus (ex. dog conditioned to salivate when bell rings will stop if the bell is rung a lot without food)

Spontaneous recovery: extinct response reappears after a period of time (ex. dog salivates again upon hearing a bell a few days after extinction)

T/F a secondary reinforcer is conditioned to be desirable

true (ex. money, tokens)

primary reinforcers are naturally rewarding (candy)

Note: Operant Conditioning

ex. teenager gets grounded for getting bad grades

negative punishment (desirable stimulus removed)

The left brain helps with
A. reasoning
B. spatial processing
C. visualization

A. reasoning

If you meet lisa, then meet lucy. You wait 10 minutes and remember meeting lucy but can't remember lisa, this is an example of:
A. Retroactive interference
B. Proactive interference

A. retroactive interference (the situation you'd conventionally think of when trying to remember two names of people you met one after the other)

T/F If I try to recall something 5 minutes later, this is an example of short-term memory

FALSE

sensory: A few seconds

-auditory/echoic

-visual/iconic

short-term memory: ~20 seconds

-7+2 experiment

long term memory:

-explicit/declarative

--episodic: experience/events

--flashbulb memories

--semantic: facts/concepts

-implicit/nondeclarative

--procedural: skills & tasks

--emotional/reflexive

________neurons play a critical role in observational learning

mirror neurons (frontal/parietal lobes)

The interactionist theory of language development suggests:
A. Children who are deprived of language exposure early in life are unable to achieve full fluency
B. innate facts combined with contact between child and caregiver produces language

B.innate facts combined with contact between child and caregiver produces language

Language acquisition that emphasizes critical periods (time-sensitive) in early life is the
A. learning perspective
B. nativist perspective
C. interactionist perspective

B. nativist (innate and biologically predetermined)

What are the two subtypes of reinforcement (operant conditioning)?

escape learning: current undesirable stimulus removed

(teenager fakes illness while doing dishes, gets to stop)

(dog jumps over the partition to flee or stop electric shock)

avoidance learning: future undesirable stimulus prevented

(teenager stays late at school to avoid evening chores)

(dog jumps over the partition to avoid electric shock before it occurs)

note: learned taste aversion (famous type of CC)

When you smell the salty ocean and it triggers pleasant emotions from childhood beach vacations, this is an example of:
A. Sensory memory
B. Semantic memory
C. Episodic memory
D. Emotional/Reflexive

D. Emotional/Reflective (which is a type of nondeclarative/implicit memory)

implicit memories are for things that cannot be consciously recalled, sch as skills, tasks, emotions, and reflexes

What is the behaviorist model?
A. Positive attention from others motivates further weight loss
B. Individual sees "thin ideal" of celebrities and thus loses weight

A. Positive attention from others motivates further weight loss

behaviorist=classical conditioning/operant conditioning

Based on psychoanalytic theory, that is rationalization?

Making excuses for unacceptable thoughts/behaviors

(justify cheating because "the course is impossible")

these are all ego defense mechanisms

T/F Older people's episodic memory (personal autobiographical events) declines with age

true

semantic/procedural memory and crystallized intelligence remain stable

What waves occur during sleep stage 1?

theta

note
awake/alert: beta
awake/relaxed: alpha

If researchers give unintended extra time for one group during a test, this is an example of
A. experimenter bias
B. social desirability bias

A. experimenter bias

note
social desirability bias: overemphasis of positive behaviors, underemphasis of negative behaviors

What is the spreading activation model?

When a node in the semantic network is activated (ex. view a toy fire engine), nodes directly connected to that node (ex. firefighter, alarm) are activated, which is known as priming

If neuroimaging studies show increased activity in the speech production area of the brain, then PET scans of these patients likely show
A. increase of glucose-labeled tracers in Wernicke area
B. increase of glucose-labeled tracers in Broca's area

B. increase of glucose-labeled tracers in Broca's area

speech center (spoken and written)

Wernicke's is language comprehension

ex. if Brock's Broca area is damaged, he can understand but can't speak

If language is acquired via operant conditioning, is it
A. learning perspective
B. interactionist perspective.
C. nativist perspective

A. learning perspective

What is the universalism perspective?
A. cognition is influenced by language
B. cognition is required for language

B. cognition is required for language

note

Universalism: cognition controls language

Linguistic determinism (Sapir-Whorf-): language controls cognition

T/F All 9 year olds have a grasp of conservation

False
conservation (concrete operational): develops from 7-11

note
sensorimotor: birth to 2: object permanence
preoperational: 2 to 7: egocentrism
concrete operational: 7 to 11: conservation
formal operational: 12 and older: abstract logic/morals

To memorize amygdala's function, you think of an emotional Amy. This is an example of
A. availability heuristic
B. encoding strategy

B. encoding strategy

specifically elaboration

If a child receives stars for doing well on her homework, is this an example of:
A. token economy
B. secondary reinforcement

B. secondary reinforcement
token economy must be traded in for something

primary reinforcement: candy

If you assume that a woman dressed in scrubs is a nurse rather than a surgeon, this is an example of
A. availability heuristic
B. representative heuristic

B. representativeness heuristic
-how well something matches a mental prototype

availability heuristic
-how easily something comes to memory (ex. assuming shark attacks are common after seeing one reported on the news)

What is the difference between mood disorders (depression) and personality disorders?

mood disorders: persistent disruptions in emotional state (not inflexible and enduring pattern of relating to others)

personality disorder: eccentric/dramatic/anxious types that are enduring characteristics of a person

When someone becomes blind but can't be explained by medical conditions, this is an example of:
A. conversion disorder
B. factitious disorder

A. conversion disorder

neurological symptoms (ex. paralysis, blindness) that are not explainable by a medical condition

factitious disorder: intentionally fabricated illness without obvious external gains (eg. disability benefits)

What is the difference between somatic symptom disorder and illness anxiety disorder?

somatic symptom disorder is freaking out about a physical symptom you have (ex. fatigue) that could lead to something worse

illness anxiety disorder is when you're freaking out about having a disease or getting the disease (HIV, cancer)

In Hey Arnold, the girl is mean to Arnold because she actually likes him. This is an example of
A. Displacement
B. Reaction Formation

B. Reaction Formation

displacement is taking out unacceptable thoughts/behaviors on a safe target (ex. punching a pillow when angry at parents)

What is dissociative identity disorder?

2+ distinct personalities; amnesia

dissociative amnesia is a related condition where there is an inability to recall important autobiographical info (esp. personal history and traumatic events)

Which theory of emotion believes that bodily response (arousal) and subjective experience (fear) occurs at the same time?
A. Cannon-Bard
B. Schachter-Singer

A. Cannon-Bard

-physiological and emotional responses occur simultaneously and independently

note

Schacter-Singer is when you have a bodily response (arousal), you interpret it, and then you have subjective experience (fear)

"My pounding heart signifies fear because I have appraised the situation as dangerous"

SS is similar to James-Lange but with an intermediate step for cognitive interpretation

The six universal emotions are:

Happiness
Fear
Disgust
Surprise
________
________

sadness
anger
happiness
fear
surprise
disgust

Note: Limbic System

cingulate gyrus: emotional sensory input

T/F Is answering a survey part of the behavioral component of human emotion?

false

behavioral is an immediate outward reaction to an emotion that is involuntary and automatic (ex. smiling/gasping)f

An fMRI uses
A. electrical impulses
B. blood oxygenation

B. blood oxygenation

A woman wants a baby but doesn't want to use IVF. She finds out that's the only way she can have a baby. Cognitive Dissonance theory would predict that the woman would do everything except:

A. seek a second opinion from another doctor
B. changer her attitude about using IVF
C. accepter her doctor's diagnosis but still be opposed to IVF
D. decide not to have a baby

C. accepter her doctor's diagnosis but still be opposed to IVF

Cognitive Dissonance: People will do everything to alleviate mental discomfort/conflict

having two conflicting opinions is not an expected outcome

Someone who has generalized anxiety disorder would:

A. Have nightmares, avoid certain situations, have negative thoughts/moods

B. difficult sleeping, fatigue, worry about finances/family

B. difficult sleeping, fatigue, worry about finances/family

Choice A is describing PTSD

What does the prefrontal cortex do?
A. balance
B. modulate emotions

B. modulate emotions
(ex. dampens anger so you don't lash out at boss)
modulation of emotion involves cognitive appraisal of the situation

Note: Theoretical Approaches to Sociology

Note: Major Personality Theories

What is counterbalancing when creating a fair, unbiased experiment?

counterbalancing is used to control for the potential effects that the order of intervention administration may have on results

to fix it, group A may go first in half the trials but B goes first in the other half

Rejecting a true null hypothesis ________error
Failing to reject a false null hypothesis ___________error

Rejecting a true null hypothesis Type 1 error

(false positive)

Failing to reject a false null hypothesis Type ll error

(false negative)

Psychoanalytic theory suggest that those who are able to alter their personality traits during an experiment have a stronger
A. ego
B. id
C. superego

A. ego

id: selfish: seeks pleasure and avoids pain

ego: realistic: behave in ways that are socially acceptable

superego: idealistic: compelling us towards perfection

If parents divorce more often when they have a disabled child, how can role conflict explain this?
A. parents struggle to fulfill the competing duties of parenting a child with a disability
B. parents experience tension between their expectations as a parent and as a spouse

B. parents experience tension between their expectations as a parent and as a spouse

note

role strain: competing expectations within a single role

role conflict: competing expectations with different roles

What is characteristic of a humanistic approach?
A. Accepting the circumstances of a disabled child's condition and pursuing personal growth
B. replacing negative, maladaptive thoughts with positive, adaptive thoughts

A. Accepting the circumstances of a disabled child's condition and pursuing personal growth

note

replacing negative thoughts for positive ones is CBT

Note: Internal vs External Validity

"I have Trump" is what component of attitude?
A. Affective
B. Cognitive

A. Affective (emotional)

Note: Expectancy Theory of Motivation

expectancy theory of motivation: individuals are motivated to act based on the expected outcomes of behavior

expectancy: perceived likelihood of effort leading to performance

instrumentality: perceived likelihood of performance leading to reward

valence: degree of value reward has for the individual

Note: Theories of Motivation

Incentive, Humanistic, Arousal

According to Maslow, which need is closer to self-actualization?
A. self esteem needs
B. belongingness and love needs

A. self esteem needs

What is drive reduction theory?

motivation is a result of a disruption of homeostasis, which generates a biological need

ex. blood glucose level drops, organisms is hungry, organism seeks good, eats

What is self-efficacy?

person's own beliefs about his own competence or ability at a certain task

T/F Divorce is a type of major catastrophe

false

divorce is a "personal life event" because it affects few people (low impact) but is major (scope)

According to general adaptation syndrome (GAS), stage 2 after alarm is _________

resistance

GAS describes how the body reacts to stress that is acute or long lasting

What areas of the brain would PTSD affect:
A. Prefrontal Cortex
B. Hippocampus
C. Amygdala

All Three

Note: Demographic Transition Model

Stage 1: pre-industrial
Step 2: industrial
Step 3: Urbanization
Step 4: Developed Societies
Step 5: Developed Societies with Declining Birth Rates

T/F Total fertility rate is the number of children born per year per 1000 people

false:
total fertility rate: 2 (number of kids one woman will have in her lifetime)

CBR: crude birth rate: total number of children born per year per 1000 people

T/F A cult is an example of a utilitarian organization because membership is voluntary and based on shared values

false

a utilitarian organization compensates members with money/certification

normative organization: membership based on shared values

Aggregates: people in the same location at the same time (people in a store at 11pm)

____________A microsociological perspective concerned with interpersonal interactions through which subjective meaning that shape social reality are developed

Symbolic Interactionism

(ex. mission work is meaningful and symbol of the believer's faith)

note

social construct: reality is created through shared meaning and definitions arising from social interactions

(ex. the definition of sacred may change depending on the religion)

If a study is asking participants how much they incorporate religion into their lives, this is measuring
A. religiosity
B. religious affiliation

A. religiosity

If Neo Nazis also increase chances of chronic illness, then having chronic illnesses as part of being a neo nazis is an example of:
A. latent function
B. manifest function

A. latent function (unintended)

manifest (expected)

Note: Intergenerational vs Intragenerational Mobility

intragenerational: social mobility within a single generation (within a lifetime)

intergenerational: social mobility over multiple generations (across several lifetimes)

_______________holisitic framework for understanding how biological/societal factors across a lifetime have a cumulative effect on outcomes

life course approach

note

sick role theory: functionalism: push to normalize illness as okay/natural

illness experience: symbolic interactionism: how people incorporate and make sense of illness as part of self identity

social constructionism:

What is social loafing?

People in a group exert less effort than when having to do something alone

Note: Symbolic Interactionism vs Rational-Exchange Theory

T/F If a graph shows different ages and genders, is this intersectionality?

True
gender, age, race class

What is an ethnographic study?

Scientific study of human social phenomena using observations and interviews

provides descriptive information about values, norms, and culture given a geographic location

When you hear the word "social interactions", it is referring to what sociological approach?
A. Social Constructionism
B. Symbolic Interactionism

A. Social Constructionism

examples: objects (money), behaviors (handshaking), categories (race) only have meaning because individuals in society have agreed on that meaning

T/F Social facilitation increases autonomic arousal, causing the dominant (most easily elicited) response to occur

true

if the task is easy, well rehearsed, or familiar, arousal improves the performance of that task

T/F If cyclists are all competing in a big race, does the race induce a feeling of deindividuation?

False
Deindividuation is the loss of individual self-awareness when one is part of a large group engaged in an emotionally arousing activity (ex. large crowd at a sporting event)

-can lead to negative crowd behavior (rioting, looting)

ex. Ku Klux Klan robes

When one acts like an "actor" to perform expectations of the "audience", he/she is exemplifying
A. front-stage self
B. back-stage self

A. front-stage self
-behavior in social situations
-impression management
-focus on appearance, manners, and social status

note

back-stage self
-behavior in private
-"actor" can relax
-behavior is spontaneous and free from evaluation or judgment

According to attribution theory, ________ attribution is behavior caused by internal factors while _________ attribution is behavior caused by external factors

According to attribution theory, dispositional attribution is behavior caused by internal factors while situational attribution behavior caused by external factors

What is the difference between groupthink and group polarization?

Groupthink: desire for group cohesion or consensus results in poor decision-making

Group polarization: group members' average attitudes/opinions become more extreme after group discussion

T/F: An in-group is always the majority population/opinion

False

in-group is a group to which an individual identifies and belongs

-other in-group members viewed favorably

Wearing clothes backwards is an example of
A. folkway
B. More

A. folkway (least deviant): wearing clothing backwards
minor punishment: A Karen frowning at you

Mores (more deviant): wearing no clothes in public
more serious punishment: arrest

If a convict becomes a doctor but no one ever wants to visit him because everyone is scared that he is an ex-convict, then his social position as an ex convict is:
A. Achieved status
B. Ascribed status
C. Master Status

C. Master Status

How does labeling theory relate to recurrence of crime in ex-cons?

Labeling theory suggests that when someone is labeled as deviant, the act of being labeled produces further deviance.

Initial act: primary deviance
internalization of deviant label occurs
second act: secondary deviance

T/F Social capital refers to a person's network of people that can be converted into economic gain

true

If a physician makes external attributions for their own lack of exercise (I busy) but attribute their patients' lack of exercise to internal factors (they lazy), this is an example of:
A. actor-observer bias
B. fundamental attribution error
C. self serving bias

A. actor-observer bias

fundamental attribution error: blames others behavior on internal instead of external factors. NOT about own behaviors

Self-serving bias: attributional bias that occurs when individuals credit their successes to internal factors but blame their failures on external factors. ONLY about own behaviors

Which of the following is the LEAST concerned with the role of nonverbal communication in influencing the social behavior of individuals?

A. Elaboration likelihood model
B. Dramaturgical perspective
C. Symbolic interactionism
D. Structural functionalism

D. Structural functionalism
-functionalism is macro-level sociological perspective that suggests that all aspects of society work together to maintain dynamic equilibrium (societal balance).
-ex. not concerned with how nonverbal communication influences social behavior of individuals

T/F The elaboration likelihood model of persuasion proposes that when an individual is uninterested in a message, superficial factors (ex. hot celebrity spokesperson) might be most persuasive

true

If a patient hasn't lost weight in a month, which reflects self-serving bias?

A. Patient believes that she failed because the physician would not increase her medication

B. Patient believes that she actually lost weight, but the scale is wrong

A. Patient believes that she failed because the physician would not increase her medication

Individual attributes failures because of external factors, buy success because of internal factors

What does it mean to operationalize a variable?

-a variable that is not directly measurable (eg. fatigue, depression) is defined in such a way that it can be measured for the purposes of testing/assessment

If a doctor and patient are floating different ideas for a weight-loss program, this is an example of
A. heuristics
B. Trial and error
C. Insight

B. Trial and Error

-act of attempting possible solutions until problem is solved, ruling out ineffective solutions along the way

note:

heuristics: problem-solving shortcuts that are efficient but not always accurate (ex. doctor prescribes patient most common antidepressant)

What theory believes that people behave in ways that maximize gain and minimize loss?

Rational Choice Theory
ex. smoker will weight the costs and benefits of quitting before deciding to act

Stereotypes are based on cognition/emotion while Prejudice is based on emotion/cognition

Stereotypes are based on cognition/emotion while Prejudice is based on emotion/cognition

note

stereotypes: generalized beliefs (good or bad) about social groups

prejudice: negative belief & feeling about someone based on membership in a social group

What is the function of an implicit association test?

psychometric technique designed to measure unconscious attitudes

"Wasians are always hot" Is this a stereotype threat?

False
stereotype threats must evoke feelings of anxiety

this anxiety can be considered a type of autonomic arousal

T/F The most inclusive beliefs of cultural differences is known as cultural relativism

True

What cognitive theory suggests that people learn through observing others?
A. social cognitive
B. behavioral cognitive

A. social cognitive

Note: Two Routes of Elaboration Likelihood Model of Persuasion

Central Route: more effective when people are willing and able to pay attention to facts (educated doctor teaching medical students)

Peripheral Route: is more effective when people are not paying close attention to the message content

(celebrity advertising skincare product)

________dissonance causes a state of discomfort that results in motivation to reduce the conflict by aligning thoughts and behaviors

Cognitive Dissonance
(ex. running smoker would be motivated to quit smoking)

Based on role playing effects, those who are assigned to teach/defend a topic will
A. increase alignment to the topic (agree more)
B. decrease alignment to the topic (disagree more)

A. increase alignment to the topic (agree more)

Which of the following cognitive biases is most analogous to the self positivity bias?
A. Optimism bias
B. Overconfidence bias

A. Optimism bias

self-positivity bias: people believe that they are less vulnerable to negative outcomes than other people

optimism bias is very similar (underestimate probability of bad things happening to them)

overconfidence bias: degree to which people sure of their belief is greater than the accuracy of that belief (people overestimate their subjective knowledge compared to objective facts)

What is anomie?

State of normlessness
-society without guidance or purpose, leading to alienation from society

(ex. farmers who moved to cities during Industrial Revolution experienced anomie)

Emile Durkheim is associated with what sociological theory?

Functionalism

"Suicide clusters" are greater than average rates of suicide occurring within a short time frame. After a well publicized initial suicide, suicide rates tend to rise, particularly among teenagers and young adults. This phenomenon can also be described as
A. mere exposure effect
B. Imitation of a reference group

B. imitation of a reference group

mere exposure effect: just the act of being exposed to something increases an individual's' affinity for it (ex. more someone hears a song, the more they like it)

According to Malthusian theory, a catastrophe like a widespread famine is an example of:
A. positive check
B. preventative checks

A. positive check
-increases the death rate

preventative checks: decrease birth rate (voluntary decisions like having fewer children)

negative check: DOES NOT EXIST