Download General Psychology Midterm and more Exams Psychology in PDF only on Docsity! General Psychology Midterm misattribution - Krista's best friend has a huge crush on a guy in their physics class. When Krista hears he is now single, she immediately tells her friend. A few days later, though, her friend tells her the same news—as if she hadn't heard it from Krista in the first place! What type of distortion error has Krista's friend made? psychology - The systematic, objective study of our mental activity and behavior is called nurture - Your family recently adopted a dog from an animal shelter. Initially, the dog seemed nervous and territorial, but after a few weeks, she became affectionate and calm. Which of the following must play some role in the dog's behavior? the adaptive purpose of specific traits and characteristics - Charles Darwin and William James both understood the importance of the mechanism of evolution. - Natural selection is to a large extent, behavior is directed by mental processes that operate at a subconscious level. - When attempting to understand the connection between psychological and physical problems, Freud concluded that Gestalt theory - According to this school of thought, the whole of personal experience is different than the sum of its parts. She helps teach behavior modification techniques to patients with anxiety, so they can practice avoiding faulty ways of thinking. - 1 | P a g e Dr. Tucker incorporates principles from behaviorism into her therapy practice when she thinks it may be effective in helping her patients. Which of the following is an example of how Dr. Tucker might use her knowledge of behaviorism to help people with psychological problems? Few cognitive psychologists recognize the importance that the brain plays in cognition. - Which of these statements about contemporary psychology is not accurate? culture - Beliefs, values, norms, rules, and customs that people learn from those who share a language or environment comprise biological; social - Ralph loves his birthday, but he tends to eat too much throughout the day. At the _________ level, there may be hormonal reasons why Ralph is prone to overeating. At the _________ level, it is hard for Ralph to turn down second helpings when his friends keep buying him meals. personality psychology - Marwan has been shy his whole life, and he is not sure what underlies this trait. Which subfield of psychology might hold some answers for Marwan? cultural - Raj is interested in how religious beliefs influence political engagement. Which level of analysis best fits Raj's research questions? Your dependent variable has two operational definitions. - You are doing an experiment to test whether exercise improves self-control in children. Half of the children will jump rope for five minutes before being left alone in a room with a bowl of candy. The other half of the children will color for five minutes before being left alone in the room with the candy. You plan to measure how long it takes for each child to begin eating the candy as well as how much candy the children consume. Which statement about your research is true? risk/benefit ratio - Professor Newton is planning a research study with human participants, who will have to wear a head-mounted eye-tracking device during data collection. While the device is not painful or dangerous, it can be a bit uncomfortable, and some participants may get a headache from wearing 2 | P a g e While hiking in the mountains in Alaska, Pete encountered a giant grizzly bear. He immediately felt his heart rate increase, his breathing become rapid, and sweat drip down his back. These events were most likely due to effects of the neurotransmitter called survival; thought - The lower parts of the brain function primarily in __________, whereas the outer layer of the brain functions mainly in __________. fMRI - Frank is studying the effects of concussion on memory. He wants to observe the brain activity of victims as they perform memory tasks in real time. Which of the following brain imaging methods is the most appropriate for the study? genotype - Laura's mother died from Huntington's disease. Unfortunately, after opting to take a genetic test, it was determined that Laura's __________ predisposed her to Huntington's disease. sympathetic - While on spring break in Acapulco, May decided to do some cliff diving. As she stood at the edge of a 50-foot cliff, her heart raced, her respiration increased, and she sweated profusely. Which of the following divisions of May's autonomic nervous system had been activated by this experience? This question cannot be answered without knowing how intelligent or shy the people who raised these siblings are. - Janna and Sarah are identical twins who were raised apart. Lisa and Shirley are nonrelated adopted siblings who were raised in the same home. Which pair would you expect to be more similar in personality traits like intelligence and shyness? somatic; peripheral - James is a painter who continuously must adjust the tension of his brush-holding hand to execute strokes. The ability to control his grip is supported by the __________ nervous system, a subdivision of his __________ nervous system. if Chris receives an injection of testosterone, he will be able to perform sexually. - 5 | P a g e After Chris was diagnosed with testicular cancer, he opted to have both testicles surgically removed. In terms of his ability to engage in sexual activity after surgery, we can reasonably expect that Jackie, because although there are some differences, research suggests men's and women's brains are in similar most ways. - Jackie and Roberto are having an argument. Roberto claims that men's and women's brains are more different in their structure and capabilities than they are similar. Jackie argues that they are similar in most ways. Given current research findings, who is most correct? plasticity - After his stroke, Brian slowly recovered function in his right arm. The property of the brain that supports learning and recovery of functions lost after brain trauma and that reflects the interactive nature of biological and environmental influences is called Timothy will lack testosterone and will probably be unable to achieve an erection - Timothy was born without testes. With respect to hormone production and sexual behavior, which of the following is the most likely outcome? brain reorganization - Seven-year-old Samantha suffered trauma to the language centers in the left hemisphere of her brain as a result of a bicycle accident. Although she did have some language deficits after the trauma, she eventually was able to recover much of what she'd lost because new growth in non- affected areas of the brain made up for the damage. This ability to recover from brain trauma in this fashion is an example of interpreter - When asked a question about information processed in his right hemisphere, split-brain patient J.W.'s left brain could not verbalize an accurate reply. However, he still came up with an answer that showed a logical attempt to construct a world that made sense. In this way, the left hemisphere is often called the subliminal processing - Tawny has had a strong desire for a Dr Pepper all day. She isn't sure why, because she rarely drinks this beverage. But her roommate, Abigail, reminded her that last night several of the people they were out with were drinking Dr Pepper. Which of the following has Tawny experienced? 6 | P a g e There is a limit to how much attention is available for our conscious experience, which is what helps us respond quickly to new information—an important ability when driving a car. - Your dad has a bad habit of texting while he drives. You've reminded him how dangerous this can be, but he wants to know why texting poses such a hazard. Which of the following is the most scientifically informed response? there is no one area of the brain that is responsible for general "awareness" on its own. - Ayelet is a research assistant in a lab at her university. Her lab studies the way sensory information is processed, and their latest results suggest that different neural processes are associated with different types of information, such as recognizing faces or understanding grammatical phrases. The results support the global workspace model, which posits that Luckily, because the incident is taking place in his right visual field, G.C. is able to warn the woman about the cord before she trips. - Split-brain patient G.C. is in line at a coffee shop when he witnesses a woman in his right visual field about to trip over an electrical cord on the floor. What happens next? circadian - Dwayne loves going to Las Vegas. Even when he is inside the casinos, where there are no windows to give him light cues, he still feels sleepy by midnight, because his body still shows ______________ rhythms. The paradox lies in the fact that some parts of the brain are more active during REM sleep than they are during wakefulness. - Why is REM sleep sometimes called paradoxical sleep? ALL OPTIONS ARE CORRECT - Tom awoke from the strangest dream. He remembers vivid emotions, sights, and even smells, but the content was very scattered and illogical. Why might this be so? Meredith's plan to pull an all-nighter studying for her Chinese exam - According to the consolidated theory of why sleep is important, which of these activities would be a bad idea? sleep apnea - 7 | P a g e According to the text, what is the most important prenatal phase of development for organ formation? ambivalent - Peipei's mother brings her two-year-old daughter to see a new doctor. Peipei's mother leaves the room and Peipei is momentarily left alone with the doctor. When Peipei's mother returns and hugs Peipei, Peipei looks at her mother and smiles, but at the same time she yells and pushes her mother away. Peipei has most likely formed a(n) __________ attachment with her mother. fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS). - Sydney has been drinking during her pregnancy. By doing so, she is putting her baby at risk of a severe disorder called sensorimotor; appear to lose interest in the ball and not look for it - One-year-old Jerome is in the __________ stage of cognitive development. Thus, when his mother shows Jerome a ball and then hides it behind her back, we would expect him to __________. Fourteen-month-old Noreen's first word was "ball." Now she calls anything round that rolls a "ball." - Which of the following is an example of Piaget's concept of assimilation? sensorimotor; appear to lose interest in the ball and not look for it - One-year-old Jerome is in the __________ stage of cognitive development. Thus, when his mother shows Jerome a ball and then hides it behind her back, we would expect him to __________. secondary sex characteristics - After Theo turned 13, he noticed that his voice deepened, and the hair on his arms and legs grew thicker and darker. Both of these physical changes are considered to be typical changes in boys' __________ that occur during puberty. share a secure attachment relationship. - Vidhya takes her 1-year-old son, Venkat, to visit a daycare center where she plans to enroll him. Venkat eagerly explores the playroom as long as Vidhya is present. When his mom leaves the room, Venkat becomes distressed and appears to look for her. When Vidhya returns, he quickly calms down and returns to playing. This is the type of interaction you might observe between a child and a parent who 10 | P a g e gender roles - Charlie is sick. His primary doctor is out of town, so his mom takes him to a new doctor, who is female. Later, Charlie asks his mom, "Can women become doctors? I thought that men became doctors and that women became nurses." Clearly, Charlie's emerging view of __________ indicates his beliefs about what occupations are appropriate for males and females. in a high-stress environment. - Mary started menstruating six months earlier than all the other girls in her class. A possible explanation could be that Mary is intimacy versus isolation - After a series of semiserious intimate relationships, 25-year-old Stacy is seriously considering finding a life partner. According to Erikson's theory, we would expect her to be at the __________ stage of psychosocial development. "Between the ages of 20 and 40, we all begin to experience a steady decline, so you're probably already headed downhill right along with me." - Jake just turned 25 and Joseph just turned 30. Jake teases Joseph about being an "old man" and tells him that since he's 30, "it's all downhill" for him. Evidently, 25-year-old Jake feels that he is presently exempt from the mental and physical decline associated with aging and that, for Joseph, it has already started. Which of the following statements could Joseph correctly employ in his defense? identity - According to Erikson, what is the primary task of adolescence? driving while listening to the radio - Morris is 85 years old. Which of the following tasks would you expect him to have the most difficulty with? conventional - Damian is a new driver and likes to speed, but he usually abides by the posted speed limit because he doesn't want to get a ticket or lose his driving privileges. What level of moral reasoning is Damian working from? moses - 11 | P a g e Among the following people, who is likely to experience the greatest life satisfaction and the best health? transduction - The start gun goes off to signal the beginning of the race. Before the runners can interpret the meaning of the noise, however, their sensory receptors must translate the sound waves into neural signals the brain can understand in a process called perception. - When we detect physical stimuli, such as odors, light, and sound, we call this integrity versus despair - Hilda is 80 years old and finds herself spending more time looking back on her long life. According to Erikson's theory, we would expect her to be at the __________ stage of psychosocial development. vestibular - Celeste's new hobby is slacklining, or walking on low ropes loosely strung a few feet off the ground between two trees or poles. To avoid falling, Celeste relies on her __________ sense to maintain balance. Weber's law - Carlos accidentally added an extra tablespoon of sugar into a cake batter. This probably won't matter much, although the same tablespoon of sugar would be noticeable if he put it in his cup of tea. What explains this difference? fast fibers - The myelinated axons of which nerves carry pain information to the brain? sensory adaptation - When Marla first moved to New York City, she could hardly sleep because of all the noise coming from the nearby street. After a month or two, she stopped noticing these noises, and now she feels like she would have a hard time sleeping in a quiet country village. What explains this change? 12 | P a g e Dave observed that after returning from the vet, whenever he took his dog Smooches near his car, she began to shake and whine. Which of the following types of learned response was Smooches exhibiting? US; UR - A sudden puff of air in his left eye caused Bill to blink. In terms of classical conditioning, the air puff was a/an ______________ and the blink was a/an ______________. conditioning is how we adapt to our environments - A child has learned to avoid his father in the morning because his father is always grouchy at that time. Generally, being able to learn what stimuli predict pleasure or pain is consistent with Pavlov's belief that ______________. CS; CR - After a large balloon burst loudly and suddenly at her birthday party, Cindy showed a fear of balloons. In terms of the acquisition phase of classical conditioning, the balloon is the ____ and her fear is the ____. generalization - When Ibrahim was six years old, he became terrified when the family's parrot flew at him and bit him on the nose. Since then, he's been afraid of all birds. Ibrahim's bird phobia illustrates the classical conditioning process of ______________. preparedness - The concept of biological ______________ can partially explain why 2-year-old Jason quickly acquired a fear of fire and did not show any fear of his mother's shoes. reduced - Maurice is taking a class in which he is tested every two weeks. He decides to "cram" for the first test and receives a poor grade. According to the "Law of Effect," the probability of Maurice cramming before the second test has likely been ______________. shaping - Employing a process known as ______________, when Brice was first training his dog to do a "high five" he gave it a treat for any behavior, such as lifting its paw, that approximated the desired end-goal behavior of a "high five." 15 | P a g e negative reinforcement - After getting a bad sunburn, before heading out for a day at the beach, Stanley slathers on sunscreen to avoid getting sunburned. In this case, Stanley's use of sunscreen has likely been acquired by way of ____________. negative punishment - After she gets a speeding ticket, Susan's parents take her driver's license away for a month. This is an example of ____________. She would likely be more productive than someone paid by the hour. - Doris works in a factory where she is paid $10 for every toy she assembles. Given that she is on a fixed-ratio schedule of reinforcement, which pattern of behavior can we generally expect from her? Teen #2 - Teenager #1 returned home late from a date and his parents grounded him for a month. Teenager #2 also arrived home late, but his parents told him that if he is home on time on subsequent dates, he will get an increase in his allowance. Which teen should we expect to be on time on later dates? the rat will have more difficulty learning the task than a normal rat. - In a study on the biological bases of learning, lab rat A is given a drug that blocks dopamine activity in its brain. Thereafter, the rat is placed in an operant chamber where a lever-pressing task is shaped through positive reinforcement. We should expect that: insight - After struggling with a complex math problem, Stacey takes a short break. While making herself a cup of tea, she suddenly comes up with a solution. "Aha!" moments such as this are a form of ______________ learning that occurs in the apparent absence of reinforcement. observational learning; model - Your younger daughter watches your older daughter mow the lawn. Later, your younger daughter attempts to mow the lawn. According to the principles of ______________, your older daughter has acted as a ______________. 16 | P a g e vicarious conditioning - A 5-year-old observes his father yelling at his older brother, who dropped and broke his dinner plate while removing it from the table. Thereafter, due to ______________, the 5-year-old is very cautious when removing his own plate. meme - It is generally considered to be a bad idea to text while driving. A bit of knowledge such as this that can be passed from one person to another is known as a __________. mirror neurons - During the winter Olympics, a skier had a terrible fall. The observers all cringed. It was as if they had fallen themselves and were able to feel the pain of the fallen athlete. According to the biological basis of observational learning, the action of ______________ might underpin the observers' behavior. change blindness - Mindy had watched her favorite movie nearly a dozen times before she noticed that, in one scene, the color of the leading lady's cardigan changes abruptly. Mindy could hardly believe she had never noticed this in the past, but this phenomenon is known as which of the following? storage; retrieval - Keisha had a memorable night at a close friend's wedding. Between the beautiful scenery, the touching vows, and the dancing, this wedding was epic. While the memories have already been encoded, these two phases of memory will allow Keisha to remember and talk about this night for years to come. attention - Having limited _______ helps us to function in the world, because otherwise, we would be swamped with irrelevant information. filter theory - Sandy has a huge crush on Casey. When he is nearby, Sandy doesn't pay attention to anything or anyone else. Psychologist Donald Broadbent explained that we selectively attend to the most important information in this model he developed. chunking - 17 | P a g e