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WorksheetsPSY 2012 Exam 2 Practice Questions (Chapters 1–3)
Total questions: 100
Worksheet time: 50mins
Reinforcement is a concept of which of the following schools?
Behaviorist
Psychoanalytics
Gestalt Psychology
Cognitive Psychology
Trephining, one of the earliest known forms of psychosurgery, was believed to serve which purpose according to early explanations?
To increase intelligence by removing “extra” brain tissue
To release spirits thought to cause disorders such as epilepsy or headaches
To treat infections caused by head wounds
To strengthen the frontal lobes for better reasoning
What do correlational studies look at?
Finding definitive cause-and-effect relationships
The relationship between two variables
Observing independent variable effects on dependent variables
Unique experiences of a single subject
Experimental studies do not:
Directly manipulate the independent variable
Observe its effects on the dependent variable
Tell you directly what causes something
Manipulate the dependent variable
All of the above
A case study ...
Gives detailed descriptive data on a particular subject
Summarizes a larger study
Identifies correlation and causation within a study
Provides the most logical conclusion that can be drawn from a study
What was the primary ethical problem with the Willowbrook State School hepatitis studies (1950s–1970s)?
Failure to randomize participants properly
Coercive and misleading consent for a vulnerable population
Not publishing the results in a peer-reviewed journal
Paying participants excessive compensation
All research involving human subjects should adhere to the following guidelines EXCEPT:
Avoid unnecessary suffering
Avoid deception
Involve voluntary consent
Be conducted by qualified experimenters
Which of the following best describes the role of the Institutional Review Board (IRB) in psychological research?
To ensure that researchers' hypotheses are correct.
To determine publication bias in research studies.
To maximize potential benefits and minimize risks to participants.
To perform statistical analyses on collected data.
The process of determining an answer to a research question through probability is:
hypothesis
Statistical analysis
measurement
Data collection
Which of the following best describes the role of glial cells in the nervous system?
They transmit electrical impulses between neurons.
They insulate, support, and remove waste around neurons.
They generate action potentials.
They store neurotransmitters in the synapse.
Which of the following is true about the somatic and automatic nervous system?
The somatic nervous system controls automatic functions, while the autonomic system controls voluntary movement.
The somatic nervous system connects to muscles and sensory receptors, while the autonomic system connects to the heart, blood vessels, smooth muscles, and glands.
The somatic nervous system communicates only with the spinal cord, while the autonomic system communicates only with the brain.
The somatic nervous system operates only during waking hours, while the autonomic system operates only during sleep.
Which part of the brain is NOT in the hindbrain?
Medulla
Pons
Cerebellum
Hypothalamus
Damage to Broca’s area most directly results in:
Difficulty producing words
Difficulty understanding words
Loss of emotional control
Visual impairment
The left hemisphere of the brain is specialized for all these things EXCEPT:
Verbal information
Understand verbal information
Interpreting emotional content
Word formation
Damage to Wernicke’s area most likely produces which consequence?
Impaired speech articulation with good comprehension
Loss of motor coordination
Fluent but nonsensical speech with poor comprehension
Inability to form new memories
Which of the following is NOT a property of cones?
A. Daytime vision
B. color vision
C. Adapt quickly to darkness
D. Peripheral vision
Prosopagnosia is:
The inability to connect complex motor movements
The inability to form new memories
The inability to recognize faces
The inability to speak
What is psychophysics?
The branch of psychology that studies the relationship between physical stimuli and the sensations and perceptions they produce
The study of underlying conditions that relate to perception
The branch of psychology that relates to human and robotic interaction
The study of dynamics between axons and neurons in relation to cognition
What is an absolute threshold in psychophysics?
The highest intensity of a stimulus—such as light, sound, or taste—that an organism can perceive
The last stimulus that an organism is capable of remembering
The stimulus that is the most significant to an organism
The weakest intensity of a stimulus—such as light, sound, taste, or touch—that an organism can perceive
According to the Opponent Process Theory, which of the following statements is true?
The retina contains three receptors sensitive to red, green, and blue light.
Colors are perceived through the additive mixing of red, green, and blue wavelengths.
Some color pairs (like red-green or yellow-blue) cannot be seen together because certain receptors are excited by one wavelength and inhibited by the other.
Afterimages occur because of optical refraction in the lens.
Which scenario best illustrates sensory adaptation?
After a few minutes, you stop feeling your watch on your wrist.
By mid-semester, you’ve “learned” to ignore your roommate’s loud chewing.
You turn up the TV when traffic noise spikes unpredictably.
Doubling a weight is needed before you notice it’s heavier.
Which type of photoreceptor is primarily responsible for night and peripheral vision?
Cones
Fovea cells
Rods
Bipolar neurons
What formula do you use to calculate absolute thresholds?
Change Blindness
Just noticeable difference
Visual Angle
Weber’s Law
What is the correct path of light entering your eyeball?
Enters through pupil, and is reflected by lens on to the retina
Enters through lens, and is reflected by pupil on to the retina
Enters through retina, and is reflected by pupil on to the lens
Enters through pupil, and is reflected by retina on to the lens
Which of the following lists the three basic properties of light as discussed in class?
Reflection, refraction, and focus
Wavelength, amplitude, and purity
Contrast, brightness, and saturation
Ambience, optic array, and perception
Which is NOT a characteristic of bottom-up processing?
Putting together parts to form a whole
The process is concerned with details
Detecting features of a stimulus before recognizing it
Using knowledge of a whole to interpret the parts
Which statement correctly distinguishes binocular from monocular depth cues?
Retinal disparity and convergence are monocular, motion parallax and linear perspective are binocular.
Retinal disparity and convergence require both eyes, while motion parallax and pictorial cues work with one eye or even in still images.
All four cues (retinal disparity, convergence, motion parallax, pictorial cues) are binocular only.
None of these cues provide depth information beyond arm’s length
When you use your prior knowledge to interpret an incomplete sentence (e.g., “Mry hd a ltt[ *mb”), you are engaging in:
Bottom-up processing
Top-down processing
Selective attention
Change blindness
Which of the following is an example of a binocular cue for depth perception?
Interposition
Linear perspective
Motion parallax
Retinal disparity
Which option isn’t one of Gestalt Principles?
Figure and ground
Light Exposure
Closure
Simplicity
One of the Gestalt Principles is Proximity, which is:
Gaps in a figure are filled in
Things near one another belong together
Follow in a direction that has been created
Things that look alike get grouped together
The Ebbinghaus illusion demonstrates how our perception of an object's size can be influenced by?
The size of objects surrounding the target object
The distance between the object and the observer
The brightness of the surrounding background
The color contrast between the object and its surroundings
What is not one of the three properties of sound?
Timbre
Wavelength
Intensity
Amplitude
What are two examples of perception being subjective?
Inattentional blindness and change blindness
Linear perspective and interposition
Amplitude and wavelength
Hammer and stirrup
In the auditory system, what is the correct sequence for how sound is converted into neural signals?
Hair cells → eardrum → auditory nerve → cochlea
Eardrum vibrates → bones amplify sound → hair cells in cochlea → auditory nerve
Cochlea vibrates → eardrum amplifies → hair cells → temporal lobe
Stirrup → eardrum → hammer → auditory nerve
What brain area regulates circadian rhythms?
Corpus Callosum
parietal lobe
Hypothalamus
Cerebellum
How does psychology define consciousness?
A) Personal awareness of internal and external stimuli
B) Understanding your thoughts
C) Knowing that you are human
D) Being asleep
Which of the following best describes the function of melatonin in regulating sleep?
It increases alertness and body temperature in response to daylight.
It is secreted by the hypothalamus and reduces REM sleep.
It is released by the pineal gland in response to darkness and promotes drowsiness.
It blocks the effects of circadian rhythms on hormone secretion.
Which of the following sleep stages is characterized by high-frequency brain activity, irregular breathing, and muscle paralysis?
Stage 1.
Stage 2.
Slow-wave sleep (Stages 3 & 4).
REM sleep.
Which feature best characterizes Stage 2 sleep?
Dominant delta waves and deepest sleep
High-frequency activity with muscle atonia and irregular breathing
Theta waves with brief sleep spindles and K-complexes
Beta waves similar to alert wakefulness
Which cognitive and motor ability is not impaired by sleep deprivation according to Van Dongen, Maislin, & Mullington (2003)?
A. Perception
B. Reaction time
C. Short term memory
D. Coordination
Which of the following best explains why circadian rhythms can still function without external cues like sunlight or clocks?
They depend entirely on melatonin levels
They are regulated by internal “biological clocks”
They only reset when exposed to light
They are alerted to noise
Which of the following statements about sleep apnea is TRUE?
Sleep apnea is characterized by repeated pauses in heart rate during sleep
Sleep apnea is characterized by repeated pauses in breathing during sleep
Sleep apnea occurs when the brain produces excessive melatonin, causing prolonged periods of unconsciousness.
Sleep apnea is characterized by more vivid dreams during sleep
Which is true about how sedative/depressant drugs work?
Mimics GABA to inhibit activity in brainstem
Mimics serotonin in sensory areas of brain
Can mimic or prevent re-uptake of dopamine in “reward center”
Mimics natural cannabinoid to turn off dopamine inhibition in central brain areas
Select the most correct response: Night terrors...
Are more intense than nightmares
Are the same as nightmares
Are depression-arousing dreams
Are the cause of narcolepsy
Which of the following is the most common sleep disorder?
Narcolepsy
Sleep Apnea
Sleep Paralysis
Insomnia
According to Freud’s Psychoanalytic Theory, dreams primarily serve which function?
To rehearse daily experiences and strengthen memory networks.
To process random neural activity generated by the brainstem.
To fulfill unconscious wishes and desires.
To help individuals solve real-life problems in a safe environment.
Which of the following statements accurately describes the role of serotonin and dopamine in psychoactive drug effects?
Most drugs act by blocking acetylcholine receptors in the hippocampus.
Psychoactive drugs often act as agonists or antagonists for dopamine and serotonin.
Only hallucinogens affect dopamine, while stimulants affect serotonin.
Sedatives increase serotonin levels in the brain’s reward center.
When are dreams most likely to be remembered?
After avoiding REM sleep altogether
When a person wakes up during a dream and tries to recall it right away
After waiting until the afternoon to think about the dream
When sleep occurs only in non-REM stages
According to the activation-synthesis model, what causes dreams to occur?
The fulfillment of unconscious wishes
The brain’s attempt to make sense of random neural activity
The consolidation of emotional experiences
Rehearsal of daily memories during sleep
Which drug type increases dopamine activity in the brain’s reward center by preventing its reuptake?
Hallucinogens
Opiates
Stimulants
Sedatives
Which of the following is NOT true about dreams
Dream content is often linked to daily life
People remember almost all of their dreams
Dreams are most memorable when a person wakes up while dreaming
Conscious control over dreams is possible
What is a lucid dream?
A dream a person cannot remember after waking
A dream that only occurs during non-REM sleep
A dream in which the person is aware they are dreaming and may control it
A dream that always reflects hidden unconscious content
The idea that Memory is better when the retrieval conditions match the encoding conditions is called:
Repeated practice
Pattern recognition
The iconic memory effect
The encoding specificity principle
What key idea about memory is illustrated by the following example: trying to identify the correct “Apple” or “Starbucks” logo out of a line up?
Memory has an unlimited capacity for visual details.
Short-term memory can hold about seven items at once.
Memory is reconstructive, so we often remember the general gist rather than precise details of familiar items.
Encoding is always more accurate for pictures than for words.
According to the Pezdek et al. (2020) study on marijuana and memory, what was the main finding about people who were high on marijuana?
They showed more false memories than both sober users and non-users.
They showed fewer false memories than non-users.
Their memory for events was unaffected compared to being sober.
They only made more errors when recalling unimportant details, not in eyewitness-type decisions.
Which sequence correctly represents the three stages of memory?
Storage → Encoding → Retrieval
Retrieval → Encoding → Storage
Encoding → Storage → Retrieval
Encoding → Retrieval → Storage
What is the correct sequence by which information gets stored in memory?
Sensory input -> Long term memory
Sensory Memory -> Short Term Memory -> Sensory Input -> Long Term Memory
Short Term Memory -> Long Term Memory -> Sensory Input -> Sensory Memory
Sensory Input -> Sensory Memory -> Short Term Memory -> Long Term Memory
What are the two major sub-categories of Long-Term Memory?
Procedural and Emotional Conditioning
Explicit and Implicit Memory
Episodic and Semantic
Procedural and Priming
What is approximate short-term memory capacity for units of information?
3
7
5
unlimited
What is dementia?
A progressive neurological condition that is a single disease
A progressive neurological condition that impairs cognitive function and increases in severity over time
A progressive neurological condition that doesn't necessarily interfere with daily life
A progressive neurological condition characterized by an increase in cognitive abilities
Which of the following best describes the function of encoding in memory?
Understanding the meaning of information
Getting information into memory
Retrieving stored information
Filtering out irrelevant information
According to George Sperling’s research on sensory memory, visual sensory memory (iconic memory) has:
A. A small capacity and long durability
B. A small capacity and brief durability
C. A large capacity and brief durability
D. No capacity and long durability
Which of the following is NOT true of the forgetting curve?
We are able to remember most of what we encode, regardless of the retrieval timing or the amount of practice/rehearsal.
Forgetting is not linear, but curvilinear
Most information is forgotten soon after learning
Subsequent rate of forgetting is non-uniform
According to Roediger and Karpicke (2006), what did their research reveal about the effectiveness of retrieval practice compared to re-reading?
Re-reading produced better long-term retention than retrieval practice.
Retrieval practice produced better long-term retention than re-reading.
Both methods were equally effective.
Retrieval only worked for short-term recall.
Which of the following best illustrates retroactive interference?
You keep remembering your old phone number instead of your new one.
You call your new partner by your ex’s name.
You can’t remember Spanish vocabulary after learning German.
You forget where you parked today because you're thinking about yesterday's spot.
Which of the following procedures is most likely to improve the accuracy of eyewitness identifications from a lineup?
Telling the witness, “The suspect is definitely in this lineup.”
Telling the witness, “You have to pick someone.”
Warning the witness that the suspect may not be present in the lineup.
Asking the witness, “Which one is he?” while pointing toward the lineup.
Which statement best describes flashbulb memories?
They are perfectly accurate and never change over time.
They only form for positive, happy events.
They are forgotten at about the same rate as regular memories, but people tend to feel more confident in them.
They can only form if a person learns about an event from the news, not from direct experience.
A person who cannot form new conscious memories after a head injury most likely has:
Retrograde amnesia
Dissociative amnesia
Anterograde amnesia
Infantile amnesia
What type of forgetting is characterized as the weakening of memories due to the passage of time?
Decay
Retroactive interference
Proactive interference
Intentional forgetting
Not being able to remember your new professor's name because you keep thinking of your professor from last year is an example of what?
Retroactive interference
Proactive interference
Both proactive and retroactive interference
Neither proactive or retroactive interference
What is the main benefit of retrieval practice in learning?
It allows students to memorize information more quickly
It strengthens memory and helps identify knowledge gaps
It increases motivation through positive reinforcement
It minimizes the effects of interference
Why is H.M.’s case foundational to psychology/neuroscience?
He developed profound anterograde amnesia for explicit/declarative memories, showing the hippocampus is critical for memory consolidation.
He lost all childhood memories but could form new ones normally.
He showed language is localized to the occipital lobe.
He proved psychosurgery cures epilepsy without side effects.
Reinforcement is a concept of which of the following schools?
Behaviorist
Psychoanalytics
Gestalt Psychology
Cognitive Psychology
Trephining, one of the earliest known forms of psychosurgery, was believed to serve which purpose according to early explanations?
To increase intelligence by removing “extra” brain tissue
To release spirits thought to cause disorders such as epilepsy or headaches
To treat infections caused by head wounds
To strengthen the frontal lobes for better reasoning
What do correlational studies look at?
Finding definite cause-and-effect relationships
The relationship between two variables
Observing independent variable effects on dependent variables
Unique experiences of a single subject
Experimental studies do not:
Directly manipulate the independent variable
Observe its effects on the dependent variable
Tell you directly what causes something
Manipulate the dependent variable
All of the above
A case study ...
Gives detailed descriptive data on a particular subject
Summarizes a larger study
Identifies correlation and causation within a study
Provides the most logical conclusion that can be drawn from a study
What was the primary ethical problem with the Willowbrook State School hepatitis studies (1950s–1970s)?
Failure to randomize participants properly
Coercive and misleading consent for a vulnerable population
Not publishing the results in a peer-reviewed journal
Paying participants excessive compensation
All research involving human subjects should adhere to the following guidelines EXCEPT:
Avoid unnecessary suffering
Avoid deception
Involve voluntary consent
Be conducted by qualified experimenters
Which of the following best describes the role of the Institutional Review Board (IRB) in psychological research?
To ensure that researchers' hypotheses are correct.
To determine publication bias in research studies.
To maximize potential benefits and minimize risks to participants.
To perform statistical analyses on collected data.
The process of determining an answer to a research question through probability is:
hypothesis
Statistical analysis
measurement
Data collection
Which of the following best describes the role of glial cells in the nervous system?
They transmit electrical impulses between neurons.
They insulate, support, and remove waste around neurons.
They generate action potentials.
They store neurotransmitters in the synapse.
Which of the following is true about the somatic and automatic nervous system?
The somatic nervous system controls automatic functions, while the autonomic system controls voluntary movement.
The somatic nervous system connects to muscles and sensory receptors, while the autonomic system connects to the heart, blood vessels, smooth muscles, and glands.
The somatic nervous system communicates only with the spinal cord, while the autonomic system communicates only with the brain.
The somatic nervous system operates only during waking hours, while the autonomic system operates only during sleep.
Which part of the brain is NOT in the hindbrain?
Medulla
Pons
Cerebellum
Hypothalamus
Damage to Broca’s area most directly results in:
Difficulty producing words
Difficulty understanding words
Loss of emotional control
Visual impairment
The left hemisphere of the brain is specialized for all these things EXCEPT:
Verbal information
Understand verbal information
Interpreting emotional content
Word formation
Damage to Wernicke’s area most likely produces which consequence?
Impaired speech articulation with good comprehension
Loss of motor coordination
Fluent but nonsensical speech with poor comprehension
Inability to form new memories
Which of the following is NOT a property of cones?
Daytime vision
color vision
Adapt quickly to darkness
Peripheral vision
Prosopagnosia is:
The inability to connect complex motor movements
The inability to form new memories
The inability to recognize faces
The inability to speak
What is psychophysics?
The branch of psychology that studies the relationship between physical stimuli and the sensations and perceptions they produce
The study of underlying conditions that relate to perception
The branch of psychology that relates to human and robotic interaction
The study of dynamics between axons and neurons in relation to cognition
What is an absolute threshold in psychophysics?
The highest intensity of a stimulus—such as light, sound, or taste—that an organism can perceive
The last stimulus that an organism is capable of remembering
The stimulus that is the most significant to an organism
The weakest intensity of a stimulus—such as light, sound, taste, or touch—that an organism can perceive
According to the Opponent Process Theory, which of the following statements is true?
The retina contains three receptors sensitive to red, green, and blue light.
Colors are perceived through the additive mixing of red, green, and blue wavelengths.
Some color pairs (like red-green or yellow-blue) cannot be seen together because certain receptors are excited by one wavelength and inhibited by the other.
Afterimages occur because of optical refraction in the lens.
Which scenario best illustrates sensory adaptation?
After a few minutes, you stop feeling your watch on your wrist.
By mid-semester, you’ve “learned” to ignore your roommate’s loud chewing.
You turn up the TV when traffic noise spikes unpredictably.
Doubling a weight is needed before you notice it’s heavier.
Which type of photoreceptor is primarily responsible for night and peripheral vision?
Cones
Fovea cells
Rods
Bipolar neurons
What formula do you use to calculate absolute thresholds?
Change Blindness
Just noticeable difference
Visual Angle
Weber’s Law
What is the correct path of light entering your eyeball?
Enters through pupil, and is reflected by lens on to the retina
Enters through lens, and is reflected by pupil on to the retina
Enters through retina, and is reflected by pupil on to the lens
Enters through pupil, and is reflected by retina on to the lens
Which of the following lists the three basic properties of light as discussed in class?
Reflection, refraction, and focus
Wavelength, amplitude, and purity
Contrast, brightness, and saturation
Ambience, optic array, and perception
Which is NOT a characteristic of bottom-up processing?
Putting together parts to form a whole
The process is concerned with details
Detecting features of a stimulus before recognizing it
Using knowledge of a whole to interpret the parts
Which statement correctly distinguishes binocular from monocular depth cues?
Retinal disparity and convergence are monocular, motion parallax and linear perspective are binocular.
Retinal disparity and convergence require both eyes, while motion parallax and pictorial cues work with one eye or even in still images.
All four cues (retinal disparity, convergence, motion parallax, pictorial cues) are binocular only.
None of these cues provide depth information beyond arm’s length
