AP Psychology Final

Which of the following best states a conclusion of Stanley Milgram's study of obedience?

When an authority figure is present, people are more likely to obey orders than to question the wisdom of the orders.

Max was typically out of control whenever he attended preschool. Teachers tried time-outs and other punishments to no avail. His parents and the school decided to work with Max by giving him a sticker each time he behaved for a full hour. Once he accumulated ten stickers, he could present them to his parents who would give him a reward. The method the school and parents chose to employ is referred to as

a token economy

Each of the following is a step taken by a therapist who is employing systematic desensitization EXCEPT

helping tne client experience the desired state of relaxation through hypnosis

Which of the following is an example of imprinting?

A newborn gosling will "attach" to the first moving object it sees, usually its mother.

Which of the following accurately summarizes a depressed person's view according to Aaron Beck's negative triad theory?

Depressed individuals hold a negative view of themselves, the world, and their futures.

The goal of projective personality tests, such as the Rorschach and Thematic Apperception Test (TAT), is to

uncover unconsious thoughts and feelings

In developmental research, studying the same subjects over time is known as

longitudinal research

In Pavlov's conditioning of dogs, the point at which the dogs salivated at the sound of the tone without the food being present is referred to as

aquistition

Which of the following correctly categorizes the components of Ivan Pavlov's research on conditioning?

The dogs (subjects) were presented with food (UCS) while also being presented with the sights and sounds of the presenter (CS). After a time, the dogs salivated in response to the presenter (CR).

Jay suffers from periods of amnesia and frequent loss of a sense of personal identity. It is likely Jay has a(n)

dissociative disorder

In the "cocktail party phenomenon," an individual can focus on one conversation and filter out all the surrounding stimuli. This is an example of

selective attention

Lizette and her family watch the sunset over the ocean. While walking home in the increasing darkness, Lizette notices that she can no longer distinguish the colors of objects. Which of the following best explains why Lizette cannot see color in dim light?

Cones, which are specialized for color vision, require more light to be activated, whereas rods, which produce images in black, white, and gray, allow for vision in dim light.

Detection of a just-noticeable difference (JND) depends on the

intensity of the new stimulus and that of the stimulus already present

Which of the following best states why the study of twins is significant to the field of behavioral genetics?

If a psychological attribute is genetically influenced, then identical twins are more likely to share this attribute than are fraternal twins and other siblings.

Which of the following is an example of a result of operant conditioning?

Ashmed speaks louder than usual when he talks to his mother on the phone because she is hard of hearing.

The relaying of sensory information to the cerebral cortex is the primary function of the

thalamus

A child is frightened by the sudden barking of a neighbor's dog. Once her mother picks her up, the child begins to calm down as which of the following biological processes occurs?

The parasympthatic nervous system resumes control and reverses the sympathetic responses.

Psychoactive substances are drugs that alter consciousness by

facilitating or inhibiting neural transmission at the synapse

According to the Gestalt theory of perception, being able to identify a three-sided object as being a triangle, even though it is partially blocked from view is an example of

closure

Which of the following most accurately explains why a pool with water temperature of 82 degrees may feel cool to a person who has been sunbathing, yet warm to a person who has been inside in the air conditioning?

sensory adaptation

Sanja hears a sound that she recognizes as the front door being shut. In order for her to detect the sound and process it so that she knows what it is, Sanja's ear funnels the sound waves to the inner ear in order to stimulate the cilia of the inner ear. This is a critical step in the process of

auditory transduction

Although they disagreed with his personal infidelities, many Americans supported President Bill Clinton's position and policy decisions during his term in office. This dichotomy of opinion demonstrates a split in

attitudinal coherence

Which of the following accomplishments accurately reflects why Wilhelm Wundt is sometimes referred to as the "father of psychology?"

he founded the first psychological labratory in the late nineteenth century

People who have previously not gotten along are often able to put aside their differences in the face of a mutual crisis. Their need to work together is often referred to as a(n)

superordinate goal

When a person experiences a discrepancy between an attitude and a behavior, the person experiences

cognitive dissonance

The obsessive fear of being in places or situations from which escape might be difficult is known as

agoraphobia

Curtis stares at an image of a yellow star for a full minute. When he moves his gaze to a blank piece of white paper, he is likely to see an afterimage that is

blue

The instrument that has traditionally been used in sleep research to assess activity in the brain is called the

electroencephalograph (EEG)

When Antoinette comes home to her apartment, people suddenly jump out towards her. Her heart begins to race and she shrieks. Once she recognizes that it is her friends throwing a surprise party, rather than ninjas, her heart continues to race, but she experiences happiness. Which theory of emotions best explains this fact?

Schachter-Singer

A listener-sponsored radio station wants to estimate the amount of money the typical supporter contributes during a fund-drive. In a sample of 30 supporters, it was discovered that 22 of them gave $60, six of them gave $1,000, and two of them gave $10,000. Based on this sample, which of the following measures of central tendency would provide the most useful information to the radio station?

Mode

While swimming in the ocean, Ivan is frightened by a dark shadow in the water even before he has the chance to identify what the shadow is. The synaptic connections taking place during this incident of fright are best described by which of the following?

messages are sent from the thalamus directly to the amygdala

Aaron Beck's negative triad of beliefs, which explains the cycle of depression by examining negative thoughts about self and the world, exemplifies what type of therapy?

cognitive

iconic memory refers to

visual sensory registries

After a neuron has fired,

an action potential occurs

Which of the following questions best frames the nature-nurture controversy?

To what degree do inborn biological processes versus environmental events determine human behavior?

In this experiment, the individual's illness in response to the medication is the

unconditioned stimulus

in this experiment, beethoven’s music is the

conditioned stimulus

The myelin sheath that covers the axons of most neurons serves to do which of the following?

increase the speed with which messages can be transmitted

Which of the following samples would be considered most representative of male college students?

Twenty male members of each class from a cross-section of colleges and universities

A clinical psychologist who is working with an aggressive child seeks to understand the child's behavior in light of the dynamics of the entire family. Which of the following best identifies the approach the psychologist has chosen?

systems approach

Calvin's fear of dogs was so great that he could not even visit his friends who had dogs or who lived in a neighborhood that had a lot of dogs. Once he sought help, he worked to overcome this fear first by witnessing his counselor playing with a dog and then, after a while, by actually touching and petting a dog himself. The method used to help Calvin overcome his fears is known as

systematic desensitization

A longitudinal study would be useful in assessing which of the following?

changes in behavior over time

Piaget proposed that children develop knowledge by

constructing reality out of their own experience

Lisa, determined to get away from her abusive father, leaves home and moves in with an abusive boyfriend. Lisa's choice of an abusive boyfriend is most relevant to Sigmund Freud's theory of

psychodynamic conflict

According to researchers Darley and Latanne, bystander intervention decreases when a large number of people witness a crime. What social psychology concept could best explain this phenomenon?

diffusion of responsibility

Periods of special sensitivity to specific types of learning that shape the capacity for future development are known as

critical periods

Which of the following terms refers to the body's tendency to maintain a relatively constant state that permits cells to live and function?

homeostasis

Lynda is a confident, capable woman who takes responsibility for her own actions. Lynda has a(n)

internal locus of control

Complete the following example using deductive reasoning: All students who attend the Peddie School study Latin. Some students who study Latin also study calculus. Jerome is a student at the Peddie School. It can therefore be determined that

Jerome studies Latin

The driver of a car that has pulled up next to you at a red light turns up the volume on her radio. The increase in perceived sound that you experience is primarily due to

more neurons firing more frequently

Perception refers to the process by which

the brain organizes and interprets sensations

After a big Thanksgiving dinner replete with turkey, stuffing, and all, Karmina becomes violently ill. In the weeks that follow this event, Karmina feels an unexplainable aversion to chicken, one of her favorite dishes. Karmina's feeling about chicken reflects

Stimulus generalization

The staggering and slurred speech of a person who has consumed too much alcohol is most likely the result of altered functioning in the

cerebellum

A doctor who smokes cigarettes knows that it is unhealthy, but thinks that he can keep smoking, since he eats healthily. Which concept best explains this thought process?

cognitive dissonance

All of the following are examples of secondary drives EXCEPT

sex

An animal is not likely to associate a conditioned stimulus (CS) with an unconditioned stimulus (UCS) if the

delay between the CS and the UCS is too long

The rules that govern the placement of words and phrases in a sentence are called

Syntax

According to Dr. William Sears, noted authority on infants and child-rearing, infant brain development is, in part, influenced by longer and more frequent periods of active sleeping and dreaming or

REM sleep

Carl Jung's concept of a repository of ideas, feelings, and symbols shared by all humans and passed genetically from one generation to another is known as Jung's theory of the

collective unconscious

All of the following are examples of punishment EXCEPT

refusing to return the boss phone call after not getting the expected raise

Which of the following disorders is the result of an abnormality of the twenty-first chromosomal pair?

Down Syndrome

Which of the following terms describes the behavioral component of negative attitudes toward particular groups?

Discrimination

Quinn awoke from a dream, shaking and covered with sweat. When his wife asked him what had happened, he said he had dreamed he was falling to his death. Quinn's experience is often categorized as a

Nightmare

Which of the following best explains why mnemonic devices, such as the method of loci, are typically effective at helping individuals remember information?

They connect new information to information already stored in LTM

Hyponsis has been used effectivelt to diminish

chronic pain

Tonya runs into an old schoolmate on the street. During their brief conversation, Tonya is unable to recall the schoolmate's name. Days later, she remembers the name out of the blue. To remember the name "out of the blue" is an example of

tip of the tongue phenomenon

After discovering that she was in the early stages of an eating disorder, Maria's parents insisted Maria see a therapist. Although Maria attended the therapy sessions, she was late, uncooperative, and even hostile. After some time, her counselor began to explore Maria's feelings of hostility and found that they actually were feelings she held for her parents. Maria's uncooperativeness and hostility toward her counselor is an example of

transference

In most people, the left hemisphere of the brain is dominant for

language

At the outset of a study on eating habits, a researcher asks participants a variety of questions, including whether they typically eat breakfast. Whether or not a person eats breakfast is a(n)

Categorical variable

The role of the outer ear is to

collect and focus sounds from the air

The fact that Will was better able to memorize his lines in the school play after finding out the meanings behind the words best illustrates the influence of

semantic memory

Xavier is beginning his first year of college. He is eager to find a few other freshmen to "hang out" with. Psychologists would say that Xavier is motivated by a(n)

Affiliation need

Which of the following most accurately describes the firing of a neuron?

It has all or none quality, it either happens or it doesn’t

Which of the following is the term used to describe a number of psychotic disorders that involve disturbances in nearly every dimension of human psychology including thought, perception, behavior, and communication?

Schizophrenia

A researcher has asked participants to complete a questionnaire that will assess how frequently in their lives they experience various emotions using a scale from 1 (never) to 5 (very often). The researcher is particularly interested in the relationship between feelings of guilt and other emotions. This researcher is most likely conducting which of the following types of research?

Correlational

Skinner was well known for his work involving the

behavioral perspective

The adaptive response of a six month old child who shows distress when an attachment figure leaves is known as

seperation anxiety

In order for the mean, mode, and median of a data set to be equal, the distribution must be

normal

Which of the following lobes of the brain is central to visual sensation and perception?

Occipital

A psychologist who believes in the humanistic perspective would be most likely to agree with which of the following statements?

People’s behavior is primarily a result of free will.

Chantal says that her mother is domineering and overbearing. All of Chantal’s friends agree that she is the one that has these characteristics, not her mother. Freud would suggest that Chantal’s behavior exemplifies which of the following defense mechanisms?

Projection

Objects that absorb light appear

dark

Which of the following is often true of memory recall?

People are more likely to recall information that is congruent with their prior schemas.

A game show like Jeopardy! asks players to demonstrate which of the following types of intelligence?

Crystallized intelligence

Nell decides not to throw her stuffed animal in the toilet after she witnesses her brother Matt being punished for putting his stuffed animal in the toilet. Nell’s decision exemplifies

vicarious learning

Endorphins are chemicals that

elevate mood and reduce pain

Conflicting attitudes or behaviors that create tension within a person’s mind are referred to in terms of

cognitive dissonance

A group of participants in a sleep study are to be deprived of sleep for four days. After their second sleepless night, particpants may begin reporting which of the following?

Hallucinations

Which os the following is the most accurate definition of learning?

An enduring change in an organism’s behavior based on experience.

Studying a few subjects in great depth to investigate a rare condition is known as

a case study

Six month old Sasha loves to play ‘peek a boo’ with her mother, an indication that she has developed a sense of

object permanence

The field of psychology arose out of which of the following?

Philosophy

Substances that are toxic to humans often taste

Bitter

Sigmund Freud was the founder of which of the following perspectives in psychology?

Psychoanalytic

A behavior that is elicited automatically by an environmental stimulus is called a

reflex

A piano teacher is helping a student learn a new piece. At first, she praises the student for playing correct notes. After the student begins to show proficiency with the notes, the teacher only praises the student when he adds the proper dynamics and interpretation to the segments he plays. The teacher's method of instruction is an example of which of the following types of training techniques?

Shaping

Which of the following illustrates why most people can detect the difference between Coke and Pepsi most of the time?

difference threshold

Which of the following refers to the benefit of having an emotional release to reduce aggressive tendencies?

catharsis hypothesis

The manual of clinical syndromes published by the American Psychiatric Association that is used for descriptive diagnosis is commonly called the

DSM-5

Emotional, cognitive, and behavioral tendencies that constitute underlying personality demensions in which individuals vary are referred to as

traits