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Practice GRE Psychology Subject Test

Total questions: 61

Worksheet time: 33mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

The ability of a postsynaptic neuron to respond to the presence of a particular neurotransmitter that is released from a neighboring presynaptic neuron is dependent on which of the following conditions?

a)

The presence of receptors on the postsynaptic neuron that have an affinity for that particular neurotransmitter

b)

The amount of myelin on the presynaptic neuron

c)

The number of mitochondria in the postsynaptic neuron

d)

The length of the synaptic cleft

2.

Critics have argued that projective tests are too

a)

Subjective

b)

Objective

c)

Reliable

d)

Standardized

3.

Organizing the string of letters B-F-J-T-A-V-K-C into JFK-TV-CAB is an example of

a)

Chunking

b)

Priming

c)

Encoding failure

d)

Retrieval cue

4.

When persuasive communications follow the peripheral route, they focus on which of the following?

a)

Emotions

b)

Statistics

c)

Logical arguments

d)

Factual evidence

5.

Consider the sentence "The dishwasher is running." Which of the following is true?

a)

It can have more than one deep structure.

b)

It is an example of passive voice.

c)

It contains a relative clause.

d)

It is a question.

6.

According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), children with separation anxiety disorder often experience which of the following symptoms in addition to excessive fear or anxiety over separation from attachment figures?

a)

Persistent desire to develop relationships with adults other than those who serve as major attachment figures

b)

Recurrent excessive distress when anticipating or experiencing separation from home or major attachment figures

c)

Persistent and excessive worry about losing major attachment figures or about possible harm to them

d)

Repeated complaints of physical symptoms (such as headaches, stomachaches, nausea, or vomiting) when separation from major attachment figures occurs or is anticipated

7.

Patients with bilateral damage to the hippocampal formation are tested on motor learning tasks such as the Tower of Hanoi. Studies show that the patients improve their performance with repeated exposures. When asked whether they have ever seen the task, even after numerous test sessions with it, they typically report not having seen it before. Such results have led to which of the following conclusions?

a)

Although procedural memory may not rely on normal hippocampal functioning, declarative memory does.

b)

Both procedural and declarative memory rely equally on hippocampal functioning.

c)

Procedural memory is impaired in patients with hippocampal damage, but declarative memory is not.

d)

Neither procedural nor declarative memory is affected by hippocampal damage.

8.

Endorphin

a)

Endorphin

b)

Serotonin

c)

Adrenaline

d)

Dopamine

9.

Which of the following is chemically similar to opiates, has the ability to reduce pain, and is blocked by the action of naloxone?

a)

Endorphins

b)

Insulin

c)

Adrenaline

d)

Serotonin

10.

When stress is prolonged, the most likely result is ________.

a)

Generalized weakening of the immune system

b)

Increased muscle strength

c)

Improved memory retention

d)

Enhanced digestion

11.

The bradykinesia, cogwheel rigidity, and tremors that characterize Parkinson's disease are a result of the degeneration of dopaminergic cells in the ________.

a)

Substantia nigra

b)

Cerebellum

c)

Hippocampus

d)

Thalamus

12.

Which of the following best characterizes an infant's object concept at six months of age?

a)

The infant understands objects to be solid bounded entities that take up space and move on continuous paths

b)

The infant believes objects disappear when out of sight and cannot exist independently

c)

The infant thinks objects can pass through each other without resistance

d)

The infant perceives objects as flat images without depth or substance

13.

A 40-item vocabulary test was administered to a group of students. A second, similar test of vocabulary terms was administered to this same group of students approximately one week later. The researcher reported that the correlation between these two tests was r=.90. What type of reliability is represented in this example?

a)

Inter-rater

b)

Test-retest

c)

Internal consistency

d)

Split-half

14.

A researcher was interested in whether or not jazz vocals and opera influence men's and women's emotional states. She hypothesized that these types of music influence men and women differently. In a study investigating this hypothesis, 40 men and 40 women heard a jazz piece, and 40 men and 40 women heard an operatic piece. The jazz piece was sung by a man, and the operatic piece was sung by a woman. Afterward, participants rated themselves on an inventory measuring mood.

a)

Men who heard the jazz piece and women who heard the operatic piece scored higher on the mood inventory than those in the other two groups

b)

All participants scored equally on the mood inventory regardless of music type or gender

c)

Women who heard the jazz piece and men who heard the operatic piece scored higher on the mood inventory than those in the other two groups

d)

Only men who heard the operatic piece scored higher on the mood inventory than all other groups

15.

Which of the following describes the pattern of findings displayed in the graph?

a)

Men respond more positively to jazz, women respond more positively to opera.

b)

Women respond more positively to jazz, men respond more positively to opera.

c)

Both men and women respond equally to jazz and opera.

d)

There is no significant difference in responses between men and women.

16.

A researcher was interested in whether or not jazz vocals and opera influence men's and women's emotional states. She hypothesized that these types of music influence men and women differently. In a study investigating this hypothesis, 40 men and 40 women heard a jazz piece, and 40 men and 40 women heard an operatic piece. The jazz piece was sung by a man, and the operatic piece was sung by a woman. Afterward, participants rated themselves on an inventory measuring emotional state. Higher scores on the inventory indicate positive mood. The researcher concludes from her study that jazz music positively changes men's moods and operatic music positively changes women's moods. Which of the following invalidates that conclusion?

4 lines
17.

Which of the following is the most serious problem with the methodology of this research?

a)

Lack of a control group

b)

Small sample size

c)

Inadequate data collection methods

d)

Biased selection of participants

18.

The preference for a loosely knit social framework in which individuals are responsible only for the care of their children and themselves is known as _______.

a)

Individualism

b)

Collectivism

c)

Altruism

d)

Communitarianism

19.

Over many trials a puff of air aimed at JoAnne's eye is paired with a loud noise and a subtle smell. Afterward, it is very likely that JoAnne's conditioned eye blink will be under the control of the loud noise and not the subtle smell. This phenomenon is an example of _______.

a)

Overshadowing

b)

Generalization

c)

Extinction

d)

Blocking

20.

Clinical: The idea that people cope with stress by moving toward people, away from people, or against people is most consistent with the views of _________

a)

Karen Horney

b)

Sigmund Freud

c)

Carl Jung

d)

Alfred Adler

21.

Cognitive Psychology: Language; Speech Perception and Processing: Which of the following is the best example of the categorical perception of human speech?

a)

When a sound is presented that is intermediate between the phonemes /b/ and /p/, listeners report that they heard either a distinct /b/ or a distinct /p/.

b)

Listeners are able to identify all subtle variations between the sounds /b/ and /p/ as unique phonemes.

c)

People can easily mimic any sound they hear, regardless of whether it is a speech sound in their native language.

d)

Listeners perceive gradual changes in pitch as distinct changes in meaning.

22.

Developmental: Alexander Thomas and Stella Chess described three categories of infants: easy, difficult, and slow to warm up. These are categories of _________?

a)

Temperament

b)

Attachment

c)

Cognition

d)

Reflexes

23.

Developmental: Which of the following types of cognitive abilities is the LEAST likely to show a decline in late life?

a)

Semantic memory

b)

Processing speed

c)

Episodic memory

d)

Working memory

24.

Charles Scott Sherrington proposed that rapid stimulation of a specific synapse is likely to produce a cumulative effect in the postsynaptic cell because of _________?

a)

temporal summation

b)

spatial inhibition

c)

chemical diffusion

d)

neural adaptation

25.

Clinical: _________

a)

Autism spectrum disorder

b)

Diabetes mellitus

c)

Hypertension

d)

Asthma

26.

Which of the following is an atypical developmental pattern characterized by stereotyped motor responses and poor communication skills?

a)

Autism

b)

Dyslexia

c)

ADHD

d)

Down Syndrome

27.

The sharing of information about oneself is referred to as

a)

Self-disclosure

b)

Self-actualization

c)

Self-esteem

d)

Self-regulation

28.

Research on children's social behavior shows that relative to young adolescent boys, young adolescent girls exhibit more of which type of aggression?

a)

Relational

b)

Physical

c)

Verbal

d)

Instrumental

29.

"I runned to the car" is an example of

a)

Overregularization

b)

Passive voice

c)

Subject-verb agreement

d)

Reduplication

30.

The visual pathway that tells us what we are looking at is called the

a)

Ventral stream

b)

Dorsal stream

c)

Optic chiasm

d)

Retinal ganglion pathway

31.

Which theorist revised Sigmund Freud's stages of development, replacing Freud's psychosexual stages with psychosocial stages?

a)

Erik Erikson

b)

Jean Piaget

c)

B.F. Skinner

d)

Carl Jung

32.

Developmental: A child has just developed the ability to lie with the intention of deceiving another person. This new ability is probably based most directly on a change in the child's _______.

a)

Knowledge about mental representations

b)

Physical coordination

c)

Vocabulary size

d)

Attachment to caregivers

33.

The standard deviation of a sample of test scores is a measure of the _______.

a)

Variability of individual scores

b)

Average of the scores

c)

Sum of the scores

d)

Highest score

34.

Biological: Rapid eye movements are most closely associated with which of the following?

a)

Dreaming

b)

Eating

c)

Exercising

d)

Reading

35.

An investigator interested in the development of children's attitudes toward the police assessed and compared the attitudes of 250 eight year olds, 240 twelve year olds, and 245 sixteen year olds. She matched the three groups with regard to gender and socioeconomic background. The investigator's research design is best characterized as which of the following?

a)

Cross-sectional

b)

Longitudinal

c)

Experimental

d)

Case study

36.

According to Sigmund Freud, a child who grabs food from another child because of hunger is driven by _________

a)

the Id

b)

the Ego

c)

the Superego

d)

the Conscious

37.

All of the following statements about psychodynamic theorists are correct: - Karen Horney stressed the importance of social relationships - Alfred Adler claimed the childhood feelings of inferiority lead to striving for superiority - Erik Erikson described conflicts at different stages of development - Sigmund Freud stressed the interaction of the id, the ego, and the superego except _________

a)

Carl Jung identified two components of the unconscious: the preconscious and the formal unconscious

b)

Carl Jung proposed the concepts of the collective unconscious and archetypes

c)

Carl Jung emphasized the role of individuation in personality development

d)

Carl Jung believed in the importance of dream analysis for understanding the unconscious

38.

Juanita's classmates enjoy being with her because she is always sociable, easygoing, and lively. On Eysenck's basic personality dimensions, she would be classified as _________.

a)

Extroverted stable

b)

Introverted unstable

c)

Introverted stable

d)

Extroverted unstable

39.

Annette is looking for a psychotherapist whose clinical work is rooted in object relations theory. The best match for Annette would be a therapist who emphasizes _________.

a)

Early life relationships

b)

Cognitive restructuring

c)

Behavioral conditioning

d)

Genetic predispositions

40.

An athlete's performance may improve or worsen according to _________

a)

The Yerkes-Dodson Law

b)

Newton's First Law

c)

The Law of Diminishing Returns

d)

The Principle of Overload

41.

A developmental psychologist is interested in conducting a study on children's gender perceptions. The psychologist recruits children who are either 5 years of age, 8 years of age, or 10 years of age to complete the study. Which of the following best describes the psychologist's research design?

a)

Cross-sectional

b)

Longitudinal

c)

Experimental

d)

Case study

42.

Piaget's stages of cognitive development (in order) are ________

a)

Sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, formal operational

b)

Preoperational, sensorimotor, concrete operational, formal operational

c)

Concrete operational, preoperational, sensorimotor, formal operational

d)

Formal operational, concrete operational, preoperational, sensorimotor

43.

The term 'vicarious reinforcement' was coined by ________

a)

Albert Bandura

b)

B.F. Skinner

c)

Ivan Pavlov

d)

John Watson

44.

Which of the following Gestalt laws refers to perceptual organization as being as "good" as possible?

a)

Pragnanz

b)

Proximity

c)

Similarity

d)

Closure

45.

At dinner, Karen's brother spills his drink on the table; Karen concludes this happened because he is clumsy and careless. This is an example of the ________

a)

Fundamental Attribution Error

b)

Self-Serving Bias

c)

Cognitive Dissonance

d)

Confirmation Bias

46.

The neurotransmitter linked to Alzheimer's disease is:

a)

Dopamine

b)

Serotonin

c)

Acetylcholine

d)

GABA

47.

Which of the following is NOT related to the psychological understanding of conformity, obedience, and compliance?

a)

Social influence

b)

Peer pressure

c)

Classical conditioning

d)

Group norms

48.

The "strange situation" was an experiment devised to examine the quality of the parent-child attachment relationship by which researcher?

a)

Sigmund Freud

b)

Mary Ainsworth

c)

John Bowlby

d)

Jean Piaget

49.

Which well-known critic of trait theory argued that behavior is largely determined by characteristics of the situation rather than by those of the person?

a)

Walter Mischel

b)

Sigmund Freud

c)

Gordon Allport

d)

Raymond Cattell

50.

Which of the following mental disorders is characterized by pervasive instability in interpersonal behavior, mood, and self-image; frequently intense and unstable relationships?

a)

Borderline Personality Disorder

b)

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

c)

Schizophrenia

d)

Bipolar Disorder

51.

In a longitudinal study of weight loss, data is collected to assess weight change over time based on two different aerobics regimens: yoga and jogging. Which of the following research designs is best suited for this type of study?

a)

Between-subjects design

b)

Case study design

c)

Cross-sectional design

d)

Single-subject design

52.

To assess the validity of an intelligence test that is used to select individuals for admission to a college, a researcher collects the test takers' college grade point averages a year later. This is an example of what type of validity?

a)

Predictive

b)

Content

c)

Construct

d)

Concurrent

53.

According to Carl Jung, major archetypes include all of the following EXCEPT the

(a)  

54.

The founder of operant conditioning is

a)

B.F. Skinner

b)

Ivan Pavlov

c)

John Watson

d)

Edward Thorndike

55.

A group of students enrolled in a psychology course are placed in a room and asked to perform a group communication task. The experiment concludes that the students' increased performance score on the task is partly due to their professor's presence. This is an example of

a)

Hawthorne Effect

b)

Placebo Effect

c)

Confirmation Bias

d)

Social Loafing

56.

What is epilepsy?

a)

A neurological disorder marked by sudden recurrent episodes of sensory disturbance, loss of consciousness, or convulsions, associated with abnormal electrical activity in the brain.

b)

A respiratory disorder characterized by chronic coughing and wheezing.

c)

A digestive disorder that causes stomach pain and indigestion.

d)

A cardiovascular condition resulting in high blood pressure and chest pain.

57.

The fovea, the middle section of the retina, contains only which type of photoreceptor cell?

a)

Cones

b)

Rods

c)

Bipolar cells

d)

Ganglion cells

58.

Episodic memory and semantic memory are two types of ________.

a)

Declarative memory

b)

Procedural memory

c)

Sensory memory

d)

Working memory

59.

The Zeigarnik effect refers to increased recall memory in which of the following contexts?

a)

Incomplete tasks versus completed tasks

b)

Tasks performed in groups versus alone

c)

Tasks with external rewards versus intrinsic motivation

d)

Tasks learned in the morning versus at night

60.

Which of the following is not an important determinant when considering the effects of modeling on learning?

a)

The sex of the model

b)

The status of the model

c)

The similarity between the model and the observer

d)

The consequences of the model's behavior

61.

The period in which a female of the species is sexually receptive is known as ________.

a)

Estrus

b)

Gestation

c)

Lactation

d)

Anestrus