Download Final Exam Practice Questions

Final Exam Practice Questions
Frigillana - Psychology
Name: ___________________________________
Date: ______________
1. Contemporary psychology is best defined as the science of:
A) conscious and unconscious mental activity.
B) observable responses to the environment.
C) behavior and mental processes.
D) thoughts, feelings, and perceptions.
2. Something that is directly observable is:
A) a cognition.
B) basic research.
C) a behavior.
D) scientific.
3. I believe that humans learn their behaviors through rewards, punishments, and by
observing others. I am a:
A) cognitive psychologist.
B) behaviorist.
C) humanist.
D) biological psychologist.
4. Which modern psychological perspective focuses on how healthy people strive to
reach their full potential?
A) humanistic
B) behavioral
C) psychodynamic
D) cognitive
5. In a naturalistic observation study, the researchers:
A) bring participants into a lab situation to get the most natural observations.
B) observe and record behaviors in naturally occurring situations.
C) observe only one subject, testing that subject in their natural environment with
surveys and other psychological instruments.
D) survey participants, asking them to respond naturally as answers occur to them.
6. Which is the correct sequence in the transmission of a neural impulse?
A) axon, dendrite, cell body, synapse
B) dendrite, axon, cell body, synapse
C) dendrite, cell body, axon, synapse
D) synapse, axon, dendrite, cell body
7. Neurons are responsible for which of the following responses in the body?
A) all communication within the nervous system
B) our primary immune system responses
C) the absorption of nutrients from everything we consume
D) cell growth and regeneration
8. What does it mean when a neuron “fires”?
A) It creates an electrical spark that travels to the next neuron.
B) It sends an impulse down the length of the neuron.
C) It decides to communicate with the next nerve cell through electrical impulses.
D) Its cell body opens to release sodium into the synapse.
9. Neurotransmitters are:
A) specialized types of neurons.
B) structures within neurons that help neurons fire.
C) chemicals that travel between neurons.
D) electrical impulses sent between neurons.
10. Psychologists are interested in the case of Phineas Gage because:
A) doctors at the time carefully researched which part of his brain was destroyed and
how his personality changed.
B) he was the first patient to go through a frontal lobotomy and he suffered severe motor
movement problems.
C) Gage was born without a corpus callosum, and psychologists were able to track how
his hemispheres developed as he aged.
D) Gage was the brain surgeon who perfected the first brain scans.
11. Which of the following statements is the best definition of sensation?
A) how the brain organizes and interprets information from the senses
B) the process by which the brain receives information from the senses
C) detecting and interpreting sensory and perceptual information
D) processing information from the eyes, ears, nose, mouth, and skin
12. Sensory adaptation refers to:
A) changes in the shape of the lens as it focuses on objects.
B) the filtering out of non-changing stimuli in the environment.
C) the process by which stimulus energies are changed into neural impulses.
D) the process of selecting, organizing, and interpreting sensory information.
13. Which group of psychologists researched how we organize basic parts of perceptual
experiences into the whole perception?
A) behavioristic psychologists
B) structuralist psychologists
C) Gestalt psychologists
D) perceptual psychologists
14. Gibson and Walk's visual cliff experiments demonstrated that very young infants
won't move over the visual cliff. These findings indicate that:
A) depth perception is probably learned after a child learns to walk.
B) the ability to see over the visual cliff is processed by the cerebellum.
C) young children who crawl completely across the visual cliff have visual cortex
damage.
D) humans may be born with accurate depth perception.
15. Carl Jung thought that all humans shared a reservoir of memories called the:
A) collective unconscious.
B) psychodynamic mind.
C) self-actualized area.
D) superego.
16. The humanistic perspective emphasizes the importance of:
A) free association.
B) projective tests.
C) fulfilling one's potential.
D) the unconscious mind.
17. According to Maslow, we have become self-actualized when:
A) we have achieved our full and unique potential as humans.
B) our attitudes match our actions.
C) we have overcome our inferiority complex.
D) we have an internal locus of control.
18. Characteristic patterns of behavior and motivation are called:
A) aptitudes.
B) fixations.
C) projections.
D) traits.
19. Individuals report higher levels of morale and health when they:
A) are given control over their situation where they had none before.
B) have an external locus of control.
C) score low in neuroticism.
D) have a pessimistic explanatory style.
20. Toddlers taught to fear speeding cars may also begin to fear speeding trucks and
motorcycles. This best illustrates:
A) cognition.
B) discrimination.
C) generalization.
D) spontaneous recovery.
21. Operant conditioning is:
A) a type of learning in which the frequency of responding depends on consequences.
B) a way to describe certain thoughts or cognitions about operations, like problem
solving.
C) conditioning that involves pairing unconditioned and conditioned stimuli.
D) learning by observing the operations of other people.
22. B.F. Skinner believed our actions are controlled by:
A) a combination of thinking and our environment.
B) genetics.
C) past conditioning.
D) the ways we think about and interpret the world.
23. In what way is positive reinforcement different than negative reinforcement?
A) Both are types of rewards, but negative reinforcement refers to rewards that an
organism doesn't like.
B) Positive reinforcement involves adding a stimulus, and negative reinforcement
involves taking a stimulus away.
C) Positive reinforcement is like a reward and negative reinforcement is like a
punishment.
D) Positive reinforcement is used with humans and negative reinforcement is used with
animals.
24. Punishment is defined as:
A) any consequence that decreases the likelihood a behavior will be repeated.
B) any consequence that increases the likelihood a behavior will be repeated.
C) any stimuli an organism thinks is favorable or pleasurable.
D) verbal praise provided after an action.
25. The three steps of the information processing model are:
A) encoding, storage, and retrieval.
B) information, interpretation, and extraction.
C) input, storage, and output.
D) remembering, recalling, and recognizing.
26. Which of the following studying methods is an example of overlearning?
A) making flashcards for difficult vocabulary words
B) choosing to study the most difficult concepts first, and then moving to the easier
material
C) studying information even after you think you've learned it
D) thinking about the meaning of information instead of just memorizing it
27. Most forgetting probably occurs because of which of the following?
A) brain deterioration because of age
B) long-term potentiation
C) encoding failure
D) repression
28. Circadian rhythm refers to:
A) a pattern of biological functioning that occurs on a roughly 24-hour cycle.
B) the cycle of five distinct stages that we experience during a normal night's sleep.
C) the experience of jet lag following an extensive transoceanic flight.
D) the pattern of emotional ups and downs we routinely experience.
29. Sleep debt contributes to:
A) dangerously low blood pressure and lack of emotional response.
B) decrease in the stress hormone cortisol, causing a temporary increase in memory
skills.
C) higher crime rates.
D) hypertension, irritability, and suppressed immune systems.
30. Research has demonstrated that REM sleep facilitates memory storage and the
amount of REM sleep increases following stressful times. This evidence supports
which dream theory?
A) activation synthesis
B) cognitive development
C) physiological function
D) information processing
31. Hypnosis can be defined as a:
A) hyper-attuned state of unconsciousness.
B) social interaction between a hypnotist and a subject.
C) supernatural altered state of consciousness, measured by brain waves.
D) type of sleep.
32. Ernest Hilgard's experiments in which subjects hypnotized to be deaf raised a finger
in response to the question “Is there some part of you that can hear?” is good
evidence for which of the following theories?
A) divided consciousness theory
B) hypnotic suggestibility theory
C) posthypnotic suggestion theory
D) social influence theory
33. Social influence theory states that the effects of hypnosis are due to:
A) divided consciousness.
B) levels of consciousness, like the subconscious and unconscious mind.
C) the impact of factors such as people's expectations about hypnosis.
D) special physiological conditions.
34. Which of the following is the best definition of a psychological disorder?
A) behaviors defined as insane by criminal or civil courts of law
B) attitudes and thoughts that are significantly different from the majority opinions
C) harmful behaviors that are maladaptive, unjustifiable, disturbing, and atypical
D) distinctively different senses of self and personal identity
35. Which of the following anxiety disorders is marked by sudden bouts of intense,
unexplained panic?
A) generalized anxiety disorder
B) obsessive compulsive disorder
C) panic disorder
D) posttraumatic stress disorder
36. A person who constantly feels so nervous and tense that he has trouble going out in
public and keeping a job, but can't figure out the cause of the nervousness, might be
diagnosed with which psychological disorder?
A) bipolar disorder
B) generalized anxiety disorder
C) posttraumatic stress disorder
D) obsessive-compulsive disorder
37. Cecil is preoccupied with thoughts of jumping out the window of his tenth-floor
apartment. To reduce his anxiety, he frequently counts his heartbeats aloud. Cecil
would most likely be diagnosed as experiencing a(n):
A) generalized anxiety disorder.
B) obsessive-compulsive disorder.
C) panic disorder.
D) phobia.
38. What are the false beliefs experienced by people with schizophrenia called?
A) hallucinations
B) neuroses
C) delusions
D) hypochondriasis
39. The group of disorders characterized by delusional thinking and disturbed
perceptions are called:
A) dissociative disorders.
B) hallucinations.
C) schizophrenia.
D) somatoform disorders.
40. Which of the following is the best definition of a hallucination?
A) a false belief
B) a false perception
C) inappropriate behaviors
D) disturbing maladaptions