AP Psych Midterm Review

A moderate positive correlation has been found between a person's weight and hours of television watched per week. Which of the following scatterplots best shows this relationship?

• 1

• 2

• 3

• 4

Answer explanation

Scatterplot 1 shows a moderate positive correlation, where as one variable increases, the other tends to increase as well. The points are somewhat clustered in an upward trend, indicating the relationship between weight and TV hours.

The part of the brain most closely associated with maintaining balance and the coordination of complex sequences of movements is the 

• hypothalamus

• cerebellum

• medulla

• pons

Answer explanation

The cerebellum is the part of the brain responsible for balance and coordination of movements. It fine-tunes motor activity and is essential for executing complex sequences of movements, making it the correct answer.

What is the function of the hippocampus with in the brain?

• The organization of emotional events

• To store long term memories and regulate short term memories

• to regulate fear and anger

• the process of connecting the left and right hemispheres

Answer explanation

The hippocampus is crucial for storing long-term memories and regulating short-term memories, making it essential for learning and memory formation.

__________ are retinal receptors that detect black,white, and grey.

• cones

• rods

• optic nerves

• foves

Answer explanation

Rods are the retinal receptors responsible for detecting light intensity, allowing us to see in black, white, and shades of grey, especially in low-light conditions. Cones, on the other hand, detect color.

Diamond went swimming with friends who did not want to get into the water because it was cold. Diamond jumped in and after a few minutes declared it was cold when she first got in but then her body got used to it. Diamond's body got accustomed to the water due to....

• perceptual set

• absolute threshold

• selective attention

• sensory adaptation

Answer explanation

Diamond's body got accustomed to the cold water through sensory adaptation, which is the process where sensory receptors become less sensitive to constant stimuli over time.

Parents say, “I’m taking away your phone because you failed Chemistry.”  Parents are using           

• positive punishment

• negative punishment

• positive reinforcement

• classical conditioning

Answer explanation

Parents are using negative punishment by taking away the phone, which removes a privilege to decrease the likelihood of failing Chemistry again.

Which theory of color vision states that the thalmaus will produce afterimages of black-white, red-green, and blue-yellow colors when overly stimulated?

• Young-Helmholtz

• Place

• Parallel Processing

• Opponent Processing

Answer explanation

The Opponent Processing theory explains how the thalamus processes color information in opposing pairs: black-white, red-green, and blue-yellow. Overstimulation of these pairs can lead to afterimages, making it the correct choice.

Which of  the following perspectives is most likely to address how the encoding, storing, and retrieval of information might alter our thoughts? 

• Behavioral 

• Humanistic

• Cognitive 

• Biological

Answer explanation

The cognitive perspective focuses on mental processes like encoding, storing, and retrieving information, which directly influences our thoughts. Therefore, it is the most relevant perspective for this question.

An individual with an exceptional memory is identified. She is capable of recalling major events, the weather, and what she did on any given date. What research method is being used if a psychologist conducts an in-depth investigation of this individual including questionnaires, brain scans,and memory tests.

• Naturalistic Observation

• Survey

• Interview

• Case Study

Answer explanation

The research method used is a Case Study, as it involves an in-depth investigation of a single individual using various techniques like questionnaires, brain scans, and memory tests to explore her exceptional memory.

If a researcher wants to be able to predict if two variables are related to each other they would use

• experimental research

• correlational research

• case study

• illusory research

Answer explanation

Correlational research is used to determine if there is a relationship between two variables. It allows researchers to predict how one variable may change in relation to another, making it the correct choice for this question.