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PSY 101 General PsychologyJulie FelenderRevised 2009

PRACTICE TEST QUESTIONS

PSYCHOLOGY and its GOALS, THE FOUR TYPES OF BEHAVIORS1. Define Psychology and briefly define each of the four types of behaviors. Then give an ex-

ample of each type of behavior somehow based around the theme of Jacob being “angry.” Your examples should be very specific. (10 points)

Psychology is the scientific study of human behavior.

The four types of behaviors are:1. Voluntary Observable Actions - Behaviors that a healthy body could control and that someone

else can notice.2. Emotions - Feelings that we literally feel; not including skin sensations, motivational states, and

opinions.3. Mental - Behaviors in our minds, cognition.4. Physiological Responses - Involuntary organ responses. Ex: heartbeat, sweat, digestion.

1. Jacob curses out loud.2. Jacob feels the emotion “anger”.3. Jacob thinks about committing violent acts.4. Jacob’s heartbeat increases and he sweats more.

For questions 2-19, use the following answers:a. Voluntary Observable Actions c. Mental Responsesb. Emotion d. Physiological Responses

2. “Angry” is an example ofB. Emotion3. “Sweating” is an example of D. Physiological Responses4. “Increased heart beat” is an example ofD. Physiological Responses5. “Snowboarding” is an example ofA. Voluntary Observable Actions6. “Hitting” is an example ofA. Voluntary Observable Actions7. “Skipping” is an example of

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A. Voluntary Observable Actions8. “Forgetting” is an example ofC. Mental Responses9. “Paying attention” is an example ofC. Mental Responses10. “Excited” is an example ofB. Emotion11. “Thinking” is an example ofC. Mental Responses12. “Information processing” is an example ofC. Mental Responses13. “Anxious” is an example ofB. Emotion14. “Concentration” is an example ofC. Mental Responses15. “Feeling peaceful” is an example ofB. Emotion16. “Breathing” is an example ofD. Physiological Responses17. When I worry, the behavior I am doing isC. Mental Responses18. When I feel worried, the behavior I am experiencing isB. Emotion19. “Dancing” is an example ofA. Voluntary Observable Actions

20. “Cognitive” means “Affect” or “Emotion”. A. True B. False

21. “Perceiving” is an example of cognition. A. True B. False

22. Which of the following is not part of Information Processing?a. Putting information into LTM. b. Recalling.. c. Eating chocolate

23. Psychology is considered a science because a. we study the biology of the person in addition to the mind. b. we test our ideas with studies. c. we observe behavior. d. psychologists have doctorate degrees.

24. Currently, psychology is defined as the scientific study of a. human behaviors b human mental responses. c. human emotions. d. introspection; looking within.

25. Psychology is defined as the study of human emotions. A. True B. False

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26. To “predict “behavior means to say why something happened.

A. True B. False 27. Which of the following is not a goal of psychology?

a. Explaining Behavior. b. Predicting Behaviorc. Helping People.

d. Describing behavior e. All of the above are our goals

28. Which of the following is not a goal of psychology?a. Explaining Behavior. b. Predicting Behavior

c. Optimizing behavior. d. Describing behavior e. All of the above are our goals

Match the following29. Experimental PsychologyDefinition: Encompasses basic research in the areas of sensation, perception, and learning.

e. These psychologists might study how issues such as self-confidence or memory skills influence learning.

30. Developmental PsychologyDefinition: Concerned with human development from conception to the end of life.

31. BiopsychologyDefinition: Focuses on the many biological processes that underlie behavior.

32. Personality PsychologyDefinition: Deals with how people differ in their individual traits. May study how people develop per-

sonality, whether personality traits can be changed, or how these qualities can be mea-sured.

33. Social PsychologyDefinition: Concerned with the ways in which we are influenced by others.

34. Cognitive PsychologyDefinition: Focuses on mental processes such as decision making, problem solving, language, and

memory.

35. Industrial-Organizational PsychologyDefinition: Looks at behavior in the workplace. May study applied issues such as increasing job

satisfaction. Also studies dynamics of workplace behavior, such as gender differences.

36. Consumer PsychologyDefinition: Investigates consumer behavior and factors that influence people to buy or not buy a

product.

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37. Forensic PsychologyDefinition: Deals with mental health issues and the legal system. May study a certain type of crimi-

nal behavior such as rape or murder.

38. Cross-cultural PsychologyDefinition: Looks at how culture influences behavior.

39. Health PsychologyDefinition: Focuses on ways to promote health and prevent illness. Wants to understand issues

such as why some people cope with stress better than others.

40. Educational PsychologyDefinition: Encompasses how people learn and how variables in an educational environment influ-

ence learning. Also looks at behavior on the teaching side.

With the followinga. Might study how to help employees feel more satisfied with their work.b. Might study the factors that influence people to buy more environmentally safe foods.c. Believe genetics influences behavior, and might study how genetics influences schizophrenia.d. If a student wanted to study why people commit murder, he or she might specialize in this field.e. These psychologists might study how issues such as self-confidence or memory skills influence learning.RESEARCH41. Psychology is a science because (remember to choose the best answer)

a. we create hypothesis. b. we test ideas with studies. c. psychologists have advanced degrees. d. we love chocolate!

42. An experiment is important because it isa. the only type of study that allows us to make predictions.b. the only type of research to study humans.c. the only study that can answer if one thing leads to another.d. the easiest type of study for psychologists to carry out.

43. An experiment is important because it is the only type of study that eliminates extra vari-ables. a. True b. False

44. A research study that eliminates extra variablesa. must have used random selection when choosing subjects.b. probably is trying to explain why something happened.

45. Why do researchers eliminate “extra variables”?a. They want to see if one thing relates to another.b. They want to see if the study participants represent the general population.c. They want to ensure there is only one variable that could influence the outcome.d. They want to see if an independent variable is correlated with a dependent variable.

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46. Random assignment is used so thata. the study represents the general population being studied.b. we can figure out why something happens.c. chocolate will harden more quickly.

47. If I want to get rid of extra variables, I could use randoma. assignment. b. selection.

48. If I want to know if one thing makes another thing happen, I would have to use randoma. assignment. b. selection.

49. I randomly choose 100 people who got sensitive care and 100 people who did not. I com-pare them, and find that those who did not are a less happy. Can I conclude that the lack of sensitive care caused the unhappiness?

a. No; this was not an experimentb. Yes, random selection was used on the causal variable.

c. Yes, random assignment was used on the causal variable.

50. Psychology is considered a science because a. we study the biology of the person in addition to the mind.b. we test our ideas with studies.c. we observe behavior.d. psychologists have doctorate degrees.

51. Currently , psychology is defined as the a. scientific study of human behaviors b. scientific study of the human mind. c.. study of human emotions. d. .study of human behavior.

52. Random assignment is useful for picking people toa. be in each group. b. be in the study.

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53. I find 100 elderly people who are taking college courses and 100 elderly people who are not. I give them a measure of memory after they’ve been in school for 2 years. I find that those who were taking classes have much better memories. Is it scientifically sound to con-clude that taking classes helped their memory? a. Yes b. No

DEVELOPMENT54. Generally speaking, the psychological study of human development is the study of

a. how we develop interactions with others.b. how we change as we get older.c. how personality changes if we’re rewarded and/or punished.d. how behavior changes if we’re rewarded and/or punished.

55. The Nature-Nurture debate is abouta. whether we learn language from out parents or whether we learn it from other peo-

ple.b. whether our parents teach us our personalities or whether we learn out personalities

from other forces.c. whether our personalities are learned or whether our genes influence our personali-

ties.

56. The Nature-Nurture debate is about whether we learn our personalities from our parents or

from outside experiences. a. True b. False

57. Generally speaking, do our personalities change or stay the same over our lifetime?a. We stay the same. b. We change

c. We stay the same on some things and change on others.

58. Generally speaking, which has a strong influence on our personalities?a. Our personal experiences. b. Our genetic make-up. c. a and b both have a strong influence on us.

59. The Nature-Nurture debate is about whether our parents teach us our personalities or whether we learn our personalities from other sources. A. True B. False

60. The Nature-Nurture debate is abouta. whether humans are born good, neutral or evil.b. whether our personalities are learned or whether our genes influence our personali-

ties.c. whether genetics affects psychological disorders such as schizophrenia or alco-

holism.d. Whether or not we all change similarly in different stages of life.

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61. Current thinking on the Nature-Nurture debate is that Nurture has a stronger effect on us than anything else. a. True b. False

62. Who studied changes in cognitive sophistication as we age?a. Erikson b. Rogers c. Felender d. Pastorino e. Piaget

63. Piaget (pronounced “pea uh jay”) studieda. how children’s emotions change with age and experience.b. how children become attached to their parents.c. how thinking changes with age and experience.d. language development.

64. Piaget (pronounced “pea uh jay”) is famous for studying a. emotions. b. mental responses. c. physiological responses.

65. The Sensorimotor stage is an important stage of cognitive development because it is whena. babies become emotionally attached to their parents.b. babies learn to move around.c. babies learn by touching and moving things.d. babies learn how to recall information on their own.

66. The Sensorimotor and preoperational stages are important milestone of cognitive develop-ment because

a. children get good at taking someone else’s perspective.b. children learn that words represent objects.c. children develop their ability to think about abstract things such as “justice”.d. a and b are both correcte. a, b, and c are all correct

67. The Sensorimotor and preoperational stages are important milestones of cognitive develop-ment because

a. children get good at taking someone else’s perspective and realizing there isn’t al-ways one correct way to view events.

b. children learn that words represent objects.c. children develop their ability to think about abstract things such as “justice”.d. b and c are both correct

68. Generally speaking, which of the following is false?a. A 1 year old is in the sensorimotor stageb. A 4 year old is in the preoperational stagec. An 8 year old is in the concrete operational stage

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d. An 11 year old is in the formal operations stagee. A 23 year old is in the post-formal operational stage

For questions #56 through #62, use the following answers: a. sensorimotor stage b. pre-operational stage c. concrete operational stage d. formal operations stage e. none of the above

69. In this stage, a person is just beginning to think and problem solve in the mind.B. Preoperational stage70. In this stage, the person has the ability to solve simple math problems in “the mind”, as long

as the problem has to do with tangible things such as people or apples.C. Concrete operational stage71. This is when children believe they are invincible, they develop an “imaginary audience” and

they are ego-centric once again.D. Formal operations stage72. The ability to test theories in a highly organized, logical fashion is best developed in this

stage.D. Formal operations stage73. Infants are in this stage.A. Sensorimotor stage74. The ability to speak develops at the end of this stage.A. Sensorimotor stage75. A child at the end of this stage has just become able to think about things even when the

child cannot see them or hear them, so playing peek-a-boo can be fun!A. Sensorimotor stage

76. For Piaget to say that a 4 year old is “egocentric”, it means that the childa. is selfish.b. has trouble focusing on, or understanding, how someone else thinks.c. b and c are both correct

77. According to Piaget, 16 year olds are “egocentric” becausea. they are selfish.b. they are finally able to think about how others see them.c. they are insecure due to a lack of emotional attachment.d. b and c are both correct according to Piaget.

78. Researchers who study the development of information processing studya. how memory works.b. how memory abilities change with age and experience.c. how emotions change with age and experience.

MEMORYFor questions 2-19, use the following answers:

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a. Sensory memory c. Working memoryb. Short term memory d. Long term memory.

79. C. Working memory transfers information from one part of memory into another.80. The part of your memory system that thinks is B. Short term memory.81. The part of your memory that imagines what you’ll do later is B. Short term memory.82. The part of your memory that recalls your semantic memories is called C. Working memory.83. The part of your memory that holds your episodic memories for permanent storage is called

D. Long term memory.84. D. Long term memory can hold an unlimited amount of information.85. A. Sensory memory holds an echo of what you just heard someone say.86. D. Long term memory is the part of your memory that can picture your high school cafeteria.87. Some Children and adults have a disorder called “Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactiv-

ity.” People with this disorder have trouble thinking about what just happened and applying it to what they need to do in the future. Which part of memory would think about what just happened and then use it to plan for the future? B. Short term memory

88. We can hold information in short term memory fora. about 2 seconds if we’re not using the information.b. about 18-30 seconds if we’re not using the information.c. as long as we’re using the information.d. a and c are correct.e. b and c are correct.

89. Marijuana reduces the number of things you can think about at one time. Which part of our memory is it affecting?a. sensory memory b. working memory

c. short term memory d. LTM

90. I can recall my own name automatically and without effort. This type of recall is calleda. elaborative b. explicit c. implicit

d. maintenance e. none of the above

91. New information gets stored in LTM most easily if wea. repeat it over and over.b. connect it to information we already know, especially if we connect it to something

important to us.

(P.S. You will need to practice getting the material out of LTM to do well on a test)

92. Sometimes, all I can think about is my dance class. According to the most current theories of memory, which part of memory thinks?a. Working Memory b. Short Term Memory C. Long Term Memory

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93. The part of your memory that thinks about what you did yesterday is _____________ and part that brings that memory to consciousness is the _________________.a. working memory; long term memoryb. short term memory; working memoryc. short term memory; long term memoryd. sensory memory; short term memorye. long term memory; long term memory

94. Generally, especially according to Social Psychologists, it seems that memory for social events is very accurate. A. True B. False

SOME REVIEW QUESTIONS:95. According to Dr. Felender, psychologists study 4 types of behaviors. These 4 categories of

behaviors are:a. voluntary observable actions, emotions, thinking and information processingb. voluntary observable actions, emotions, physiological responses and information pro-

cessingc. voluntary observable actions, emotions, physiological responses and mental re-

sponses.d. voluntary observable actions, emotions, physiological responses and thinkinge. feelings emotions, physiological responses and mental responses.

96. Which of the following statements is TRUE?a. There are two types of mental responses. They are cognition and emotions.b. There are two types of mental responses. They are information processing and emo-

tions.c. There are three types of mental responses. They are thinking, cognition and infor-

mation.d. There are two types of mental responses. They are thinking and information pro-

cessing.e. There are three types of mental responses. They are emotions, thinking, and infor-

mation processing.

97. “Information Processing” meansa. a cluster of information about a topic, stored in LTM. b. memory.

c. mental activities that allow us to use our memories. d. thinking. E. c and d are correct.

98. Cognition is defined asa. processing information about people.b. thinking and information processing.c. mental development.d. emotions.

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SOCIAL COGNITION99. Psychologists who study social cognition

a. study how our relationships lead us to form attachments.b. study how thinking changes with age and experience.c. study how we process information about people and social events.

100. When social psychologists say that we process information about people in a biased man-ner they mean that

a. information goes into long term memory by first paying attention to it, then perceiving it, then encoding it, and then storing it in LTM.

b. we do not see the world the way the world “really is.” We see things the way our schemas tell us to see things.

101. Raul sees himself as friendly and helpful, and he has many memories of times when he helped his grandmother, his employees, and his friends at church. Raul’s thoughts about himself would be called

a. long term memory. b. a script. c. a self-schema. d. a stereotype.

102. When social psychologists say that, because of our schemas, we tend to pay attention to social events in a biased manner, they mean that

a. sensory memory must first pay attention to information before we can encode it.b. we must first attend to information before we can encode, interpret, store, and then

retrieve it.c. we’re less likely to notice events that don’t fit out expectations and more likely to no-

tice events that do fit.

103. When social psychologists say we tend to store social events in a biased manner, they mean that

a. we must store information in LTM before we can recall it to STM.b. STM stores information into LTM so we can hold on to it (in LTM) for long periods of

time.c. if information fits what we believe, it’s easier to put it in LTM than if it doesn’t match

what we believe.

104. Psychologists who study social cognition might advise you that when you’re angry with your sweetie, you (Hint: the answer should be based on what you know about social cog-nition.)a. probably have an increase in blood pressure, adrenaline, heart rate and respiration b. probably are showing unconditional positive regard.

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c. might be misunderstanding what your sweetie is saying due to your own mindsets.

105. Min has just bought a new tie. He bought it because his work required it. He left it lying on the couch, and his roommates, Chris and Andre, saw it. They do not know about Min’s new job or its requirements. Andre has schemas that say, “people are nice and friendly.” Chris has a schema that says, “people are self-center snobs.” Because of their two schemas, what will the two roommates most likely think about the tie?

a. Andre will think, I need to remember ask Min what he needs a tie for; I hope everything’s okay, and Chris will think, I knew it; Min’s trying to get attention and act cool.

b. Chris and Andre both will think that Min bought this conservative tie for some serious activity he has to go to, perhaps a funeral.

c. Chris and Andre both will think Min bought it because he wants to impress his new date.

d. Chris and Andre both will think Min’s parents gave him the tie for his birthday.

*** Numbers 106 through 108 are worth 5 points each. Show five different ideas for each one. Be sure to use detailed examples, as in a story. To guide you, use the lecture notes written on your bright yellow handout from the bookstore.

106. Imagine you have a schema of your roommate as clumsy. Use your notes from the lecture on Social Cognition and give five specific examples that show the five different ways your schema will bias the way you process information about your roommate.

1. Since I have a schema of my roommate as clumsy, it will be easier for me to notice that he dropped a plate on the kitchen floor than to notice times when he stacks dishes gracefully.

Then it will be easier for me to store the broken plate into LTM because it matches my schema.

It would be easier for me to recall the last time my roommate broke something than times when my roommate stacks dishes gracefully.

Because I believe that he is clumsy, when I see him holding a plate, I think that he will drop it.

Since I believe my roommate is clumsy, I will yell at him when he is carrying plates. This is then make him more nervous, cause him to drop plates often. This outcome is more proof that my schema is right.

107. Vanessa sees herself as an angry person; this is her self-schema. Her self-schema will bias the way she processes information about her own behaviors. Give 5 specific exam-

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ples that show the 5 different ways, covered in your lecture notes, her schema will bias the way she processes information about her own behavior. Don’t let the fact that this is a self-schema confuse you, make the same kind of main points as from #106, but do it from Vanessa’s viewpoint.

108. Randy believes that if he is nice to people, they will be nice in return. This schema will bias how Randy processes information about his own and others’ interactions. Give 5 specific examples that show the 5 different ways discussed during lecture, that Randy’s schema would bias the way he processes information about his schema.

ROGERS109. __________________ psychologists believe that humans are born “loving and good”.

a. Most b. Behavioral c. Humanistic

110. Carl Rogers is considered a ____________ theorist.a. Psychodynamic b. Behavioral c. Humanistic

111. Rogers believed that we will have the most peace with ourselves if wea. love ourselves no matter what.b. love ourselves only when we live up to our own expectations.

112. Giving Unconditional Positive Regard meansa. letting someone do whatever he or she wants.b. loving or respecting someone no matter what.c. having peace with what someone else feels.d. not trying to change what someone else feels.e. using reinforcements and punishments to alter our behaviors.

113. Rogers believed that we will have the most peace with ourselves and make healthier choices if we

a. get rid of the behaviors we do that we do not like.b. treat ourselves with compassion and respect even when we do behaviors we do not

like.

114. Explain how Unconditional Positive Regard (UPR) might help a marriage last longer and be happier. This is worth 3 points, so you should write at least 3 different ways UPR might help a marriage.

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If I love myself no matter what, there’s less reason to be defensive.

I won’t be devastated if I acknowledge the fact that I did something wrong.

I’ll be at peace even if I mess up and make a mistake.