1. Psychology is best defined as the scientific study of:
a) Behavior and mental processes
b) The mind and its disorders
c) Social relationships
d) Biological processes
Answer: a) Behavior and mental processes
2. The father of psychology is considered to be:
a) Sigmund Freud
b) William James
c) Wilhelm Wundt
d) John B. Watson
Answer: c) Wilhelm Wundt
3. The method of introspection was primarily used by:
a) Behaviorists
b) Humanists
c) Functionalists
d) Structuralists
Answer: d) Structuralists
4. Which school of thought in psychology emphasizes the role of the unconscious mind?
a) Behaviorism
b) Humanism
c) Psychoanalysis
d) Cognitive psychology
Answer: c) Psychoanalysis
5. Which of the following is not a part of the scientific method?
a) Observation
b) Experimentation
c) Subjective interpretation
d) Hypothesis testing
Answer: c) Subjective interpretation
6. The nervous system is divided into two major parts: the central nervous system and the:
a) Peripheral nervous system
b) Endocrine system
c) Autonomic nervous system
d) Sympathetic nervous system
Answer: a) Peripheral nervous system
7. The brain’s ability to adapt and change as a result of experience is known as:
a) Neurogenesis
b) Plasticity
c) Synaptic pruning
d) Myelination
Answer: b) Plasticity
8. The part of the brain responsible for regulating vital functions such as heartbeat and breathing is the:
a) Cerebellum
b) Medulla
c) Hippocampus
d) Thalamus
Answer: b) Medulla
9. Classical conditioning was first demonstrated by:
a) Sigmund Freud
b) B.F. Skinner
c) Ivan Pavlov
d) John Watson
Answer: c) Ivan Pavlov
10. In operant conditioning, behaviors are influenced by:
a) Rewards and punishments
b) Reflexes
c) Observational learning
d) Genetic predispositions
Answer: a) Rewards and punishments
11. The concept of “self-actualization” is most closely associated with:
a) Carl Rogers
b) Abraham Maslow
c) Sigmund Freud
d) Alfred Adler
Answer: b) Abraham Maslow
12. Which of the following best describes the role of the hippocampus in memory?
a) Storage of short-term memories
b) Encoding of long-term memories
c) Retrieval of memories
d) Processing of procedural memories
Answer: b) Encoding of long-term memories
13. Which perspective in psychology emphasizes the study of observable behavior?
a) Psychoanalytic
b) Humanistic
c) Behaviorist
d) Cognitive
Answer: c) Behaviorist
14. The placebo effect occurs when:
a) A treatment has a genuine effect on a patient
b) A patient experiences effects from an inert treatment
c) A patient is unaware of the treatment they are receiving
d) A treatment is administered in a double-blind study
Answer: b) A patient experiences effects from an inert treatment
15. The term “cognitive dissonance” refers to:
a) The discomfort we feel when our attitudes and behaviors are inconsistent
b) The confusion experienced when learning new information
c) The process of selectively forgetting unpleasant memories
d) The mental process of reorganizing information
Answer: a) The discomfort we feel when our attitudes and behaviors are inconsistent
16. The visual cliff experiment demonstrated the development of:
a) Depth perception
b) Color vision
c) Visual acuity
d) Motion perception
Answer: a) Depth perception
17. Which of the following is a neurotransmitter associated with mood regulation?
a) Dopamine
b) Acetylcholine
c) Serotonin
d) Glutamate
Answer: c) Serotonin
18. The bystander effect is most likely to occur when:
a) A person is alone
b) There is a large group of people present
c) The situation is ambiguous
d) The person knows the victim
Answer: b) There is a large group of people present
19. The basic units of heredity are known as:
a) Chromosomes
b) Genes
c) Alleles
d) Neurons
Answer: b) Genes
20. A schema is best described as:
a) A mental framework for organizing information
b) A sensory memory
c) A type of motor skill
d) A physiological response
Answer: a) A mental framework for organizing information
21. Freud’s theory of personality includes the following components:
a) Id, ego, and superego
b) Conscious, preconscious, and unconscious
c) Reality principle and pleasure principle
d) Oedipus complex and Electra complex
Answer: a) Id, ego, and superego
22. The “Big Five” personality traits include all of the following except:
a) Neuroticism
b) Extraversion
c) Openness
d) Psychoticism
Answer: d) Psychoticism
23. Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) focuses on:
a) Uncovering unconscious conflicts
b) Changing maladaptive thought patterns
c) Exploring childhood experiences
d) Improving social relationships
Answer: b) Changing maladaptive thought patterns
24. The term “learned helplessness” was coined by:
a) Martin Seligman
b) Albert Bandura
c) Carl Rogers
d) B.F. Skinner
Answer: a) Martin Seligman
25. In psychology, “groupthink” refers to:
a) The tendency for group members to conform to the consensus
b) The sharing of ideas in a brainstorming session
c) The phenomenon where individuals in a group work harder
d) The division of labor within a group
Answer: a) The tendency for group members to conform to the consensus
26. A double-blind study is designed to eliminate:
a) The placebo effect
b) Experimenter and participant bias
c) Confounding variables
d) Sampling errors
Answer: b) Experimenter and participant bias
27. The term “neurotransmitter” refers to:
a) A type of neuron
b) A chemical messenger in the brain
c) A part of the central nervous system
d) A type of hormone
Answer: b) A chemical messenger in the brain
28. Which of the following is an example of a defense mechanism?
a) Rationalization
b) Perception
c) Cognitive dissonance
d) Classical conditioning
Answer: a) Rationalization
29. The most common type of hallucination experienced by people with schizophrenia is:
a) Visual
b) Olfactory
c) Auditory
d) Tactile
Answer: c) Auditory
30. The Stanford Prison Experiment was conducted to study:
a) Obedience to authority
b) The effects of deindividuation
c) Group dynamics
d) The power of social roles
Answer: d) The power of social roles
31. Which of the following is a major focus of developmental psychology?
a) The influence of nature versus nurture
b) The study of language acquisition
c) The stages of moral development
d) All of the above
Answer: d) All of the above
32. Which psychologist is most closely associated with the theory of multiple intelligences?
a) Howard Gardner
b) Robert Sternberg
c) Charles Spearman
d) Jean Piaget
Answer: a) Howard Gardner
33. The principle that information is best remembered when it is retrieved in the same context as it was learned is known as:
a) State-dependent memory
b) Context-dependent memory
c) Transfer-appropriate processing
d) Serial position effect
Answer: b) Context-dependent memory
34. Which of the following is not a type of long-term memory?
a) Episodic memory
b) Procedural memory
c) Sensory memory
d) Semantic memory
Answer: c) Sensory memory
35. The concept of “fluid intelligence” refers to:
a) The ability to reason and solve problems in novel situations
b) The accumulation of knowledge and skills over time
c) Emotional regulation and social skills
d) Intelligence that changes over the lifespan
Answer: a) The ability to reason and solve problems in novel situations
36. Which of the following is an example of an extrinsic motivator?
a) Personal satisfaction
b) Praise from others
c) Enjoyment of the task
d) Intrinsic curiosity
Answer: b) Praise from others
37. The mere exposure effect suggests that:
a) Repeated exposure to a stimulus increases our liking of it
b) People tend to prefer familiar over novel stimuli
c) Exposure to violence leads to aggressive behavior
d) Repeated exposure to a stimulus decreases our sensitivity to it
Answer: a) Repeated exposure to a stimulus increases our liking of it
38. The term “schema” in cognitive psychology refers to:
a) A mental framework for organizing and interpreting information
b) The physiological process of memory formation
c) A specific type of memory retrieval process
d) The genetic basis of intelligence
Answer: a) A mental framework for organizing and interpreting information
39. The primary focus of behavioral psychology is on:
a) Internal mental processes
b) Genetic influences on behavior
c) Observable behaviors and their modification
d) Emotional and social development
Answer: c) Observable behaviors and their modification
40. The term “emotional intelligence” refers to:
a) The ability to recognize and manage one’s own emotions and the emotions of others
b) The capacity to solve complex logical problems
c) The intelligence measured by IQ tests
d) The ability to understand and use language effectively
Answer: a) The ability to recognize and manage one’s own emotions and the emotions of others
41. A variable that is manipulated in an experiment is called the:
a) Dependent variable
b) Control variable
c) Independent variable
d) Confounding variable
Answer: c) Independent variable
42. The process of encoding, storing, and retrieving information is known as:
a) Memory
b) Perception
c) Learning
d) Thinking
Answer: a) Memory
43. The “big five” personality traits include:
a) Openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, neuroticism
b) Sensation, perception, learning, memory, thinking
c) Intelligence, creativity, motivation, emotion, social skills
d) Psychoticism, extraversion, neuroticism, psychopathy, aggression
Answer: a) Openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, neuroticism
44. The “halo effect” refers to:
a) The tendency to judge a person’s character based on one positive trait
b) The influence of environment on cognitive development
c) The impact of stress on physical health
d) The effect of social influence on individual behavior
Answer: a) The tendency to judge a person’s character based on one positive trait
45. Which of the following is an example of an observational learning?
a) Learning to ride a bike by practicing repeatedly
b) Acquiring a new language through immersion
c) Learning how to bake a cake by watching a cooking show
d) Solving math problems through trial and error
Answer: c) Learning how to bake a cake by watching a cooking show
46. The concept of “cognitive dissonance” involves:
a) Conflicting thoughts and beliefs leading to discomfort
b) The process of adapting to new cognitive information
c) The conflict between unconscious desires and social norms
d) The influence of cognitive processes on emotional states
Answer: a) Conflicting thoughts and beliefs leading to discomfort
47. The term “self-efficacy” refers to:
a) One’s belief in their ability to succeed in specific situations
b) The tendency to conform to social norms
c) The effect of self-esteem on overall well-being
d) The impact of self-perception on social interactions
Answer: a) One’s belief in their ability to succeed in specific situations
48. The term “psychopathology” refers to:
a) The study of mental disorders and their treatment
b) The psychological processes underlying normal behavior
c) The impact of genetics on psychological traits
d) The relationship between psychology and law
Answer: a) The study of mental disorders and their treatment
49. The “zone of proximal development” is a concept introduced by:
a) Lev Vygotsky
b) Jean Piaget
c) Erik Erikson
d) B.F. Skinner
Answer: a) Lev Vygotsky
50. The “fundamental attribution error” refers to:
a) The tendency to overemphasize dispositional factors and underestimate situational factors in others’ behavior
b) The tendency to attribute our successes to internal factors and our failures to external factors
c) The process of changing one’s attitude to fit their behavior
d) The tendency to attribute emotional states to external sources
Answer: a) The tendency to overemphasize dispositional factors and underestimate situational factors in others’ behavior
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