CLEP TEST - Introduction to Psychology 2024

What is a heuristic?

A mental shortcut that allows for quick problem-solving but does not guarantee a solution.

What are Gardner's eight intelligences?

Linguistic, logical-mathematical, spatial, musical, bodily-kinesthetic, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and naturalistic.

Define morpheme.

The smallest unit of meaning in a language (e.g., "un-" in "undo").

What is encoding in memory?

The process of converting information into a format that can be stored in memory.

What is the first level of Maslow's hierarchy of needs?

Physiological needs, such as food, water, and shelter.

Which part of the brain regulates hunger and thirst?

The hypothalamus.

What is the primary characteristic of Piaget's formal operational stage?

The ability to think abstractly and reason hypothetically.

Name the Big Five personality traits

Openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism.

What is bipolar disorder?

A mood disorder characterized by alternating periods of extreme highs (mania) and lows (depression).

What does cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) focus on?

Altering thought patterns and behaviors to treat psychological disorders.

State the James-Lange theory of emotion.

Emotion arises from physiological responses to stimuli.

What is a longitudinal study?

A study that observes the same individuals over an extended period of time.

What is groupthink?

When group members prioritize harmony over critical evaluation of ideas.

Define reciprocal determinism.

The interaction between personal factors, behaviors, and environmental influences as proposed by Bandura.

What is the difference between prejudice and discrimination?

Prejudice is an unjustified attitude toward a group, while discrimination is unjust treatment based on group membership.

What are the three stages of memory according to the Atkinson-Shiffrin model?

Sensory memory, short-term memory (STM), and long-term memory (LTM).

Name two types of descriptive statistics.

Measures of central tendency (mean, median, mode) and measures of variability (range, standard deviation).

What is self-actualization?

The realization of one's full potential, at the top of Maslow's hierarchy of needs.

What is the primary focus of behavioral therapy?

Modifying behaviors through techniques like reinforcement and punishment.

Define inferential statistics.

Statistical methods used to draw conclusions or inferences about a population based on sample data.

What are Erikson's first three stages of psychosocial development?

Trust vs. mistrust, autonomy vs. shame/doubt, and initiative vs. guilt.

What is the framing effect in decision-making?

Decisions are influenced by how information is presented rather than the information itself.

What does the Schachter-Singer two-factor theory of emotion propose?

Emotion depends on physiological arousal and cognitive labeling of that arousal.

Define altruism.

Selfless concern for the well-being of others, often leading to helping behaviors.

What is a somatoform disorder?

A psychological disorder where physical symptoms occur without a medical cause, such as conversion disorder.

Who is Wilhelm Wundt?

Known as the father of psychology; established the first psychology laboratory in 1879.

Who is Sigmund Freud?

Developed psychoanalysis and emphasized the role of the unconscious mind.

Who is Ivan Pavlov?

Known for his work on classical conditioning through experiments with dogs.

Who is B.F. Skinner?

A behaviorist who studied operant conditioning using reinforcement and punishment.

Who is Jean Piaget?

Developed a theory of cognitive development with stages such as sensorimotor and formal operational.

Who is Erik Erikson?

Proposed the psychosocial theory of development with eight stages across the lifespan.

Who is Abraham Maslow?

Developed the hierarchy of needs, culminating in self-actualization.

Who is Carl Rogers?

A humanistic psychologist known for client-centered therapy and unconditional positive regard.

Who is Albert Bandura?

Known for the social learning theory and the concept of reciprocal determinism.

Who is Lev Vygotsky?

Emphasized the role of social interaction in cognitive development through the zone of proximal development.

Who is John Watson?

A behaviorist who conducted the Little Albert experiment on conditioned emotional responses.

Who is Elizabeth Loftus?

Known for her research on the malleability of human memory, including false memories.

What is aggression?

Behavior intended to harm or destroy, often studied in social psychology.

What is cognitive dissonance?

The mental discomfort experienced when holding two conflicting beliefs or attitudes.

What is the fundamental attribution error?

The tendency to overemphasize personal characteristics and underestimate situational factors in explaining others' behavior.

Define conformity.

Adjusting one's behavior or thinking to align with a group standard.

What is the difference between compliance and obedience?

Compliance involves agreeing to a request, while obedience involves following orders from an authority figure.

What is a stereotype?

A generalized belief about a group of people, often oversimplified and not accurate.

Define prosocial behavior.

Positive, helpful, and intended to promote social acceptance and friendship.

What is the bystander effect?

The phenomenon where individuals are less likely to help in an emergency when others are present.

What is prejudice?

An unjustified or incorrect attitude towards an individual based solely on the individual's membership in a social group.

What are group dynamics?

The study of how individuals behave, interact, and influence one another within a group setting.

What is interpersonal attraction?

The factors that lead people to form friendships or romantic relationships, such as similarity and physical attractiveness.

Define discrimination

Unjust or prejudicial treatment of people based on their membership in a particular group.

What is social facilitation?

Improved performance on tasks in the presence of others, typically for simple or well-learned tasks.

The focus of psychological science is the attempt to relate overt responses to observable environmental stimuli. This statement is most closely associated with which of the following approaches?

Behavioral

What are descriptive statistics?

it summarize or describe a set of data, providing simple summaries about the sample and its measures.

What are the measures of central tendency?

it describe the center of a data set. They include:

Mean: The average of all values.

Median: The middle value when the data is ordered.

Mode: The value that appears most frequently.

What are the measures of variability?

it describe how spread out the data is. They include:

Range: The difference between the highest and lowest values.

Variance: The average of the squared differences from the mean.

Standard Deviation: A measure of how spread out values are from the mean.

What are frequency distributions?

tables or charts showing how often each value or range of values occurs in a dataset.

What are inferential statistics?

this use data from a sample to make predictions or inferences about a larger population. They include hypothesis testing, confidence intervals, and regression analysis.

What is hypothesis testing?

process of testing an assumption or claim about a population, often using tests like t-tests or chi-square tests.

What are confidence intervals?

ranges of values likely to contain the population parameter with a certain level of confidence.

What is regression analysis?

used to understand the relationship between variables and make predictions based on that relationship.

What is Exploratory Data Analysis (EDA)?

involves visually and numerically summarizing the main features of a dataset using graphs and charts to identify patterns, relationships, and outliers.

What is predictive statistics?

Use data to forecast future outcomes, often through models like linear regression and time series analysis.

What is linear regression?

technique for predicting a dependent variable based on one or more independent variables.

What is time series analysis?

Involves analyzing data collected over time to identify trends, cycles, and seasonal variations.

What are multivariate statistics?

Deal with the analysis of data involving more than one variable at a time, such as factor analysis and MANOVA.

What is factor analysis?

used to identify underlying relationships between multiple variables.

What is MANOVA?MANOVA (Multivariate Analysis of Variance)

used to compare means across multiple groups for multiple dependent variables.

What are Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs?

Psychological, Safety and security, love and belonging, esteem, self-actualization

Physiological Needs

Basic survival needs like food, water, shelter, sleep.

Safety Needs

Security, stability, protection from harm, health, financial safety.

Love and Belonging Needs

Emotional relationships, friendship, intimacy, social connections.

Esteem Needs

Self-esteem, recognition, respect, accomplishment.

Self-Actualization

Realizing full potential, personal growth, creativity.

Trust vs. Mistrust

Infants learn trust when needs are met consistently.

Autonomy vs. Shame/Doubt

Toddlers assert independence; failure causes shame and doubt.

Initiative vs. Guilt

Children take initiative; discouragement leads to guilt.

Psychosocial Development

Erikson's theory on key life conflicts influencing growth.

Infancy Stage

First stage, ages 0-1, focuses on trust development.

Early Childhood Stage

Second stage, ages 1-3, emphasizes autonomy and independence.

Preschool Age Stage

Third stage, ages 3-6, involves initiative in activities.

Openness to Experience

A person's imagination, creativity, and openness to new ideas and experiences.

Conscientiousness

A person's level of organization, responsibility, and goal-directed behavior.

Extraversion

A person's sociability, energy, and enthusiasm in social settings.

Agreeableness

A person's tendency to be compassionate, cooperative, and friendly.

Neuroticism

A person's emotional stability and tendency to experience negative emotions.

Trust vs. Mistrust

Infants (0-1 year) learn to trust caregivers when needs are consistently met, or develop mistrust if care is inconsistent.

Autonomy vs. Shame/Doubt

Toddlers (1-3 years) develop independence through exploration or feel shame and doubt if overly controlled.

Initiative vs. Guilt

Preschoolers (3-6 years) take initiative in planning activities or feel guilty if discouraged or criticized.

Industry vs. Inferiority

Children (6-12 years) develop competence through learning and working or feel inferior if they struggle.

Identity vs. Role Confusion

Adolescents (12-18 years) explore their identity and sense of self or face confusion about their role in society.

Intimacy vs. Isolation

Young adults (20s-40s) form deep relationships or feel isolated if unable to connect with others.

Generativity vs. Stagnation

Middle-aged adults (40s-60s) contribute to society and help the next generation or feel stagnant and unproductive.

Integrity vs. Despair

Older adults (60+ years) reflect on their life with a sense of fulfillment or regret and despair over missed opportunities.

Damage to parietal lobes

Impairments in spatial awareness, difficulties in processing sensory information (e.g., touch), issues with hand-eye coordination, or problems with recognizing objects or navigating environments.

Damage to frontal lobes

Problems with decision-making, impulse control, planning, emotional regulation, and motor function.

Damage to occipital lobes

Visual impairments such as difficulty recognizing objects, an inability to process visual information, or partial/total blindness.

Damage to temporal lobes

Problems with memory, understanding language, and recognizing faces or sounds.