Worksheets25/26 Midterm Review
Total questions: 100
Worksheet time: 50mins
A researcher defines "happiness" as a score of 80 or higher on a specific psychological scale. This is an example of:
A hypothesis
An operational definition
Hindsight bias
A theory
Researchers want to test the effect of caffeine on attention. What is caffeine in the experiment?
Independent Variable
Dependant variable
Confounding variable
Third variable
A student believes they knew the outcome of a basketball game all along only after the game has ended. This is:
Overconfidence
Hindsight bias
Confirmation bias
Perceiving order in random events
If a researcher repeats a study with different participants to see if the findings hold true, they are engaging in:
Peer review
Meta-analysis
Replication
Random sampling
A potential flaw in survey research where participants answer in ways they believe will be viewed favorably is:
Self-report bias
Sampling bias
Social desirability bias
Hindsight bias
Which research method allows a researcher to study one individual in great depth to reveal universal principles?
Naturalistic observation
Case study
Experiment
Meta-analysis
To ensure a sample fairly represents a population, every member must have an equal chance of inclusion. This is:
Representative sampling
Convenience sampling
Random sampling
Stratified sampling
A correlation coefficient of -0.85 indicates:
A weak positive relationship
A strong negative relationship
No relationship
A cause-and-effect relationship
Which graph is used to plot scores and show the strength of a correlation?
Histogram
Normal curve
Scatter plot
Bar graph
The perception of a relationship between two variables when none actually exists is called:
Hindsight bias
Regression toward the mean
Illusory correlation
The third variable problem
In an experiment studying the effect of caffeine on memory, memory is the:
Dependent variable
Confounding variable
Independent variable
Control variable
Random assignment is used in experiments to:
Ensure the sample is representative of the population
Minimize pre-existing differences between groups
Control the independent variable
Avoid the placebo effect
In a double-blind procedure:
Only the participants are unaware of the treatment
Only the researchers are unaware of the treatment
Both participants and researchers are unaware of the treatment
The control group receives a placebo
Which ethical principle requires participants be told the purpose of the study after it is finished?
Informed consent
Confidentiality
Protection from harm
Debriefing
The most frequently occurring score in a distribution is the:
Mean
Median
Mode
Range
A distribution with two distinct peaks is known as:
Normal
Skewed
Bimodal
Bell-shaped
A p-value of .03 in a psychological study indicates:
The results are not significant
There is a 3% chance the results are due to the independent variable
The results are statistically significant
The effect size is very small
Which measure of variation describes how much scores vary around the mean?
Range
Percentile rank
Standard deviation
Median
If a student scores in the 85th percentile, this means:
They got 85% of the questions right
85% of all students scored lower than them
They scored 15 points above the mean
Their IQ is 85
An Institutional Review Board (IRB) is responsible for:
Publishing research in peer-reviewed journals
Calculating statistical significance
Monitoring and approving research involving humans
Training research confederates
Evolutionary psychologists use which concept to explain why humans have a fear of snakes?
Eugenics
Natural selection
Genetic predisposition
Nurture
Identical twins are more likely to have similar personalities than fraternal twins because they:
Share a more similar environment
Share 100% of their genes
Are always the same sex
Experience identical twin studies
Which part of the nervous system is responsible for the "fight or flight" response?
Somatic nervous system
Parasympathetic nervous system
Sympathetic nervous system
Central nervous system
The "rest and digest" function is mediated by the:
Autonomic nervous system
Parasympathetic nervous system
Sympathetic nervous system
Spinal reflex arc
Which neurons take information from the brain to the muscles?
Sensory neurons
Interneurons
Motor neurons
Glial cells
The brief electrical charge that travels down an axon is the:
Threshold
Resting potential
Action potential
Reuptake
During the refractory period, a neuron:
Fires a second impulse
Pumps sodium ions back outside the cell
Experiences depolarization
Reaches the threshold of excitation
The "all-or-none response" refers to the fact that:
All neurons in a cluster fire at once
A neuron either fires completely or not at all
Neurotransmitters are either excitatory or inhibitory
The brain uses all its power for one task
Which neurotransmitter is most closely linked to muscle action and memory, and its blockage causes Myasthenia Gravis?
Dopamine
Serotonin
Acetylcholine
Endorphins
Agonists are chemicals that:
Block the effects of neurotransmitters
Mimic or strengthen the effects of neurotransmitters
Prevent the reuptake of dopamine
Cause withdrawal symptoms
Which brain structure acts as the "sensory relay center"?
Hypothalamus
Amygdala
Thalamus
Medulla
Damage to the cerebellum would most likely result in:
Loss of memory
Difficulty with balance and coordination
Inability to speak
Loss of vision
The "master gland" of the endocrine system is the:
Adrenal gland
Thyroid gland
Pituitary gland
Pineal gland
Which lobe of the brain is responsible for planning, judgment, and muscle movements?
Occipital
Parietal
Frontal
Temporal
Broca’s area is primarily involved in:
Language comprehension
Visual processing
Speech production
Auditory perception
The large band of neural fibers connecting the two brain hemispheres is the:
Cerebral cortex
Corpus callosum
Reticular formation
Hippocampus
A patient who can see a word but cannot name it until they draw it with their left hand likely has:
A brain lesion
Wernicke’s aphasia
A split brain
Prosopagnosia
Which sleep stage is associated with "paradoxical sleep" where the brain is active but the body is immobilized?
NREM 1
NREM 2
NREM 3
REM
The theory that dreams are the brain's attempt to make sense of random neural activity is:
Consolidation theory
Activation-synthesis theory
Psychoanalytic theory
Circadian rhythm theory
A person who stops breathing repeatedly during the night suffers from:
Narcolepsy
Insomnia
Sleep apnea
Somnambulism
The absolute threshold is the minimum stimulation needed to detect a stimulus ____ of the time.
10%
50%
75%
100%
Weber’s Law states that for two stimuli to be perceived as different, they must differ by:
A constant minimum amount
A constant minimum percentage
At least 10 units
Random intervals
Sensory adaptation explains why:
You can hear your name in a crowded room
You stop noticing the smell of your own house after a few minutes
You can see color in the dark
Your eyes adjust to a dark room
Transduction in the eye occurs in the:
Lens
Pupil
Retina
Optic nerve
Which theory explains color vision by suggesting we have red, green, and blue receptors?
Opponent-process theory
Frequency theory
Trichromatic theory
Place theory
The inability to recognize familiar faces is called.
Blindsight
Prosopagnosia
Aphasia
Agnosia
Place theory explains how we hear.
Low pitches
High pitches
Loud sounds
Soft sounds
Which sense is the only one NOT processed first in the thalamus?
Gustation
Olfaction
Vision
Kinesthesia
The sense of body movement and position, including balance, is the:
Kinesthetic sense
Vestibular sense
Somatosensory sense
Olfactory sense
Gate-control theory suggests that pain signals can be blocked by:
The brainstem
The spinal cord
The thalamus
The amygdala
Bottom-up processing begins with:
Experience and expectations
Sensory receptors
Higher-level mental processes
Emotional states
A "perceptual set" is a tendency to:
Perceive things as they are
Notice certain aspects of data while ignoring others based on expectations
Use bottom-up processing exclusively
Experience hallucinations
The "Cocktail Party Effect" is an example of:
Change blindness
Inattentional blindness
Selective attention
Perceptual constancy
Which Gestalt principle explains our tendency to fill in gaps to create a whole object?
Proximity
Similarity
Continuity
Closure
Retinal disparity is a _____ cue for perceiving depth.
Monocular
Binocular
Perceptual
Gradient
Parallel lines appearing to converge in the distance is the monocular cue of:
Interposition
Relative size
Linear perspective
Texture gradient
A mental image or "best example" of a category is a:
Concept
Algorithm
Prototype
Schema
Using a "rule of thumb" to solve a problem quickly is a(n):
Algorithm
Heuristic
Mental set
Insight
Searching for information that only confirms your pre-existing beliefs is:
Hindsight bias
Availability heuristic
Confirmation bias
Framing
The inability to see a new use for an object outside its traditional purpose is:
Functional fixedness
Mental set
Belief perseverance
Convergent thinking
Which type of thinking is required for multiple-choice tests to find the single best solution?
Divergent thinking
Creative thinking
Convergent thinking
Emotional intelligence
Implicit memory, such as riding a bike, is processed in the:
Hippocampus
Basal ganglia and cerebellum
Cerebral cortex
Amygdala
Semantic memory refers to:
Personal life stories
Motor skills
General facts and knowledge
Emotional memories
The "spacing effect" suggests that:
Cramming is effective for long-term retention
Distributed study yields better retention
We remember the middle of a list best
Hierarchies prevent forgetting
Which component of working memory handles auditory information?
Visuospatial sketchpad
Phonological loop
Central executive
Sensory register
Short-term memory typically has a capacity of:
2±1 items
7±2 items
15±5 items
Unlimited items
Retrograde amnesia is the inability to:
Form new memories
Retrieve old memories
Learn new skills
Use language
If you can't remember your new phone number because your old one keeps coming to mind, you are experiencing:
Retroactive interference
Proactive interference
Encoding failure
Source amnesia
The "misinformation effect," studied by Elizabeth Loftus, occurs when:
We forget the source of a memory
Misleading information is incorporated into a memory
We repress traumatic events
We use mnemonics incorrectly
State-dependent memory suggests you will remember information better if you are in the same _____ as when you learned it.
Physical location
Physiological or mental state
Social group
Time of day
Intelligence quotient (IQ) was historically calculated as:
Chronological age / Mental age × 100
Mental age / Chronological age × 100
Mental age + Chronological age
Percentile rank × 100
The extent to which a test yields consistent results is its:
Validity
Reliability
Standardization
Normalization
A test designed to predict future performance is a(n):
Achievement test
Aptitude test
Intelligence test
Personality test
The "Flynn Effect" refers to the observation that:
Intelligence scores have decreased over time
Intelligence scores have increased over time
Men are smarter than women
IQ is 100% genetic
Stereotype threat can lead to:
Improved performance on tests
Underperformance due to worry about confirming a negative stereotype
Increased reliability of intelligence tests
The development of a growth mindset
Which of Howard Gardner’s intelligences involves the ability to understand oneself?
Interpersonal
Intrapersonal
Naturalistic
Bodily-kinesthetic
A "fixed mindset" is the belief that:
Intelligence can be developed
Qualities are unchangeable traits
Effort is the key to success
Everyone is born with equal potential
Which type of validity assesses whether a test measures the abstract psychological idea it claims to?
Predictive validity
Construct validity
Split-half validity
Content validity
Information that is learned unconsciously, such as space and time, is processed through:
Effortful processing
Automatic processing
Shallow processing
Deep processing
Method of loci is a mnemonic technique that uses:
Acronyms
Rhymes
Visualizations of familiar spatial environments
Grouping bits of information
Teratogens are most dangerous during which period of development?
Puberty
Adulthood
Prenatal development
Adolescence
A child who thinks their father wants a toy truck for his birthday is demonstrating:
Conservation
Egocentrism
Object permanence
Theory of mind
In Piaget's stages, a child who understands that water poured into a different shaped glass is still the same amount has mastered:
Reversibility
Conservation
Animism
Abstract thinking
Vygotsky's "Zone of Proximal Development" refers to the gap between:
Nature and nurture
What a child can do alone vs. with support
Sensorimotor and preoperational stages
Identity and role confusion
Harry Harlow's monkey study demonstrated that attachment is primarily based on:
Nourishment
Contact comfort
Imprinting
Genetic predisposition
An authoritative parenting style is characterized by:
High demandingness and low responsiveness
Low demandingness and high responsiveness
High demandingness and high responsiveness
Low demandingness and low responsiveness
Erikson’s stage for adolescence is:
Trust vs. Mistrust
Autonomy vs. Shame
Identity vs. Role Confusion
Integrity vs. Despair
Which identity status involves being in the middle of a crisis and exploring choices without a commitment?
Identity Achievement
Identity Foreclosure
Identity Moratorium
Identity Diffusion
The smallest unit of language that carries meaning is a:
Phoneme
Morpheme
Syntax
Semantics
"Go car" is an example of:
Cooing
Babbling
Telegraphic speech
Overgeneralization
A child’s first menstrual period is called:
Spermarche
Puberty
Menarche
Menopause
Fluid intelligence, the ability to reason speedily, typically _____ with age.
Increases
Decreases
Stays the same
Doubles
Which attachment style in adults is characterized by distrust and a tendency to close oneself off?
Secure
Anxious
Avoidant
Disorganized
The "Social Clock" refers to:
The time it takes to learn a language
Culturally preferred timing of social events like marriage
The circadian rhythm
The speed of cognitive processing
A longitudinal study follows:
Different ages at one time
The same people over a long period
Only twins
Animals in natural habitats
"Personal fables" in adolescence lead to the belief that one is:
Constantly being watched by others
Unique and invincible
Mentally inferior
Part of a macrosystem
According to Ecological Systems Theory, the "microsystem" is the:
Broad cultural values
Indirect social settings
Immediate environment (family, friends)
Connections between different settings
A child who is able to reverse thoughts and understand logic but not yet think abstractly is in which Piaget stage?
Sensorimotor
Preoperational
Concrete Operational
Formal Operational
"Imaginary audience" refers to the adolescent belief that:
They are the main character in a book
Others are constantly observing and judging them
Their parents cannot understand them
They have special powers
The ability to use accumulated knowledge and skills (crystallized intelligence) typically _____ as we age.
Decreases
Increases
Fluctuates
Disappears
