Page 1 of 87
PYC1512 FOUNDATIONS OF SUB-DISCIPLINES OF
PSYCHOLOGY (UNISA) ACTUAL EXAM QUESTIONS AND
CORRECT DETAILED ANSWERS LATEST UPDATE THIS
YEAR
EXAM COVERAGE — PYC1512 FOUNDATIONS OF SUB-DISCIPLINES OF PSYCHOLOGY (UNISA)
The PYC1512 exam covers introductory knowledge from intrapersonal and health domains of
psychology, with emphasis on biological, cognitive, developmental, personality, social,
community, health, and abnormal psychology from diverse cultural perspectives including
African contexts .
Biological Psychology — Neuron structure (dendrites, soma, axon, myelin sheath, presynaptic
terminals); glia (astrocytes, ependymal cells, oligodendrocytes, Schwann cells, microglia);
central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) vs peripheral nervous system (somatic and
autonomic nervous systems); sympathetic (fight-or-flight) and parasympathetic (rest-and-digest)
divisions; brain structures (hindbrain, midbrain, forebrain); cerebral cortex and lobes; genes and
genetics (Mendel, chromosomes, genes, genetic code, types of RNA, mutations, sex-linked
genes); epigenetics (environmental influences on gene expression without DNA sequence
changes); stress and emotions (facial feedback hypothesis) .
Developmental Psychology — Domains of development (physical, cognitive, social); African
perspectives (emergence principle, participative learning within families/communities);
Vygotsky's Sociocultural Theory (zone of proximal development); Freud's Psychosexual Stages
(oral, anal, phallic, latency, genital); Piaget's Cognitive Development Stages (sensorimotor,
preoperational, concrete operational, formal operational); Erikson's Psychosocial Stages (trust vs
mistrust, autonomy vs shame, initiative vs guilt, industry vs inferiority, identity vs role confusion,
intimacy vs isolation, generativity vs stagnation, integrity vs despair) with focus on adolescent
stage (identity vs role confusion); Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems Theory (microsystem,
mesosystem, exosystem, macrosystem, chronosystem) .
Personality and Social Psychology — Trait theories; psychoanalytic theory; humanistic
approaches; social cognition; African perspectives on personality and social behaviour.
Abnormal Psychology (African Context) — Definitions of abnormality; cultural formulations;
common disorders (depression, anxiety, schizophrenia) in African settings; traditional healing
and explanatory models.
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Community and Health Psychology — Health promotion; community interventions;
biopsychosocial model; illness prevention; psychological aspects of physical health; thriving
communities.
Social Development — Two complementary processes contributing to child's social
development (likely attachment theory and social learning) .
PYC1512 LATEST EXAM — 200 RANDOMIZED SCENARIO-BASED MCQS
1. A student is reading her textbook while hearing a TV in another room and feeling an itch on
her neck. According to PYC1512, all these simultaneous experiences are a function of:
A) The endocrine system
B) The nervous system
C) The digestive system
D) The muscular system
Answer: B
RATIONALE: Everything we do is a function of the messages being relayed by various sensory
nerves—synaptic transfers take place and brain areas spring into action to enable every task .
2. Which part of a neuron is described as the main mass containing the nucleus and organelles
where metabolism takes place?
A) Dendrites
B) Axon
C) Soma
D) Myelin sheath
Answer: C
, Page 3 of 87
RATIONALE: The soma is the main mass of a neuron, containing the nucleus, ribosomes, and
mitochondria, where neuron metabolism takes place .
3. A client touches a hot stove and immediately withdraws her hand. The specialized branches
that receive this sensory information from other neurons are called:
A) Axons
B) Dendrites
C) Synaptic clefts
D) Glial cells
Answer: B
RATIONALE: Dendrites are lined with synaptic receptors which enable them to receive
information from other neurons .
4. A researcher is studying how a headache medication travels through neural pathways. The
space between the transmitting neuron's axon terminal and the receiving neuron's dendrite
membrane is known as the:
A) Myelin sheath
B) Synaptic cleft
C) Axon hillock
D) Node of Ranvier
Answer: B
RATIONALE: The synaptic cleft is the space separating the pre-synaptic and post-synaptic
membranes, containing cellular fluid through which transmitter substances diffuse .
, Page 4 of 87
5. Which glial cells are star-shaped and serve to provide structural matrix for neurons, dilate
blood vessels in areas of neural activity, and protect the blood-brain barrier?
A) Ependymal cells
B) Oligodendrocytes
C) Astrocytes
D) Schwann cells
Answer: C
RATIONALE: Astrocytes are star-shaped cells that provide a structural matrix for neurons,
provide nutrients, and protect the blood-brain barrier by preventing toxins from entering the
brain .
6. A patient has a spinal cord injury that severs communication between the brain and the lower
body. The brain loses sensation and motor control from that segment down because:
A) The spinal cord only processes reflexes
B) All sensory and motor information travels through tracts of axons in the spinal cord
C) The brain cannot regenerate neurons
D) Glial cells stop functioning after injury
Answer: B
RATIONALE: All information is carried through tracts of axons located in the spinal cord; if the
spinal cord is cut, the brain loses sensation and motor control from that segment and below it .
7. When a student decides to stop all other activities, sit at a desk, and start studying, which
part of the nervous system is primarily responsible for carrying motor messages from the CNS to
PYC1512 FOUNDATIONS OF SUB-DISCIPLINES OF
PSYCHOLOGY (UNISA) ACTUAL EXAM QUESTIONS AND
CORRECT DETAILED ANSWERS LATEST UPDATE THIS
YEAR
EXAM COVERAGE — PYC1512 FOUNDATIONS OF SUB-DISCIPLINES OF PSYCHOLOGY (UNISA)
The PYC1512 exam covers introductory knowledge from intrapersonal and health domains of
psychology, with emphasis on biological, cognitive, developmental, personality, social,
community, health, and abnormal psychology from diverse cultural perspectives including
African contexts .
Biological Psychology — Neuron structure (dendrites, soma, axon, myelin sheath, presynaptic
terminals); glia (astrocytes, ependymal cells, oligodendrocytes, Schwann cells, microglia);
central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) vs peripheral nervous system (somatic and
autonomic nervous systems); sympathetic (fight-or-flight) and parasympathetic (rest-and-digest)
divisions; brain structures (hindbrain, midbrain, forebrain); cerebral cortex and lobes; genes and
genetics (Mendel, chromosomes, genes, genetic code, types of RNA, mutations, sex-linked
genes); epigenetics (environmental influences on gene expression without DNA sequence
changes); stress and emotions (facial feedback hypothesis) .
Developmental Psychology — Domains of development (physical, cognitive, social); African
perspectives (emergence principle, participative learning within families/communities);
Vygotsky's Sociocultural Theory (zone of proximal development); Freud's Psychosexual Stages
(oral, anal, phallic, latency, genital); Piaget's Cognitive Development Stages (sensorimotor,
preoperational, concrete operational, formal operational); Erikson's Psychosocial Stages (trust vs
mistrust, autonomy vs shame, initiative vs guilt, industry vs inferiority, identity vs role confusion,
intimacy vs isolation, generativity vs stagnation, integrity vs despair) with focus on adolescent
stage (identity vs role confusion); Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems Theory (microsystem,
mesosystem, exosystem, macrosystem, chronosystem) .
Personality and Social Psychology — Trait theories; psychoanalytic theory; humanistic
approaches; social cognition; African perspectives on personality and social behaviour.
Abnormal Psychology (African Context) — Definitions of abnormality; cultural formulations;
common disorders (depression, anxiety, schizophrenia) in African settings; traditional healing
and explanatory models.
, Page 2 of 87
Community and Health Psychology — Health promotion; community interventions;
biopsychosocial model; illness prevention; psychological aspects of physical health; thriving
communities.
Social Development — Two complementary processes contributing to child's social
development (likely attachment theory and social learning) .
PYC1512 LATEST EXAM — 200 RANDOMIZED SCENARIO-BASED MCQS
1. A student is reading her textbook while hearing a TV in another room and feeling an itch on
her neck. According to PYC1512, all these simultaneous experiences are a function of:
A) The endocrine system
B) The nervous system
C) The digestive system
D) The muscular system
Answer: B
RATIONALE: Everything we do is a function of the messages being relayed by various sensory
nerves—synaptic transfers take place and brain areas spring into action to enable every task .
2. Which part of a neuron is described as the main mass containing the nucleus and organelles
where metabolism takes place?
A) Dendrites
B) Axon
C) Soma
D) Myelin sheath
Answer: C
, Page 3 of 87
RATIONALE: The soma is the main mass of a neuron, containing the nucleus, ribosomes, and
mitochondria, where neuron metabolism takes place .
3. A client touches a hot stove and immediately withdraws her hand. The specialized branches
that receive this sensory information from other neurons are called:
A) Axons
B) Dendrites
C) Synaptic clefts
D) Glial cells
Answer: B
RATIONALE: Dendrites are lined with synaptic receptors which enable them to receive
information from other neurons .
4. A researcher is studying how a headache medication travels through neural pathways. The
space between the transmitting neuron's axon terminal and the receiving neuron's dendrite
membrane is known as the:
A) Myelin sheath
B) Synaptic cleft
C) Axon hillock
D) Node of Ranvier
Answer: B
RATIONALE: The synaptic cleft is the space separating the pre-synaptic and post-synaptic
membranes, containing cellular fluid through which transmitter substances diffuse .
, Page 4 of 87
5. Which glial cells are star-shaped and serve to provide structural matrix for neurons, dilate
blood vessels in areas of neural activity, and protect the blood-brain barrier?
A) Ependymal cells
B) Oligodendrocytes
C) Astrocytes
D) Schwann cells
Answer: C
RATIONALE: Astrocytes are star-shaped cells that provide a structural matrix for neurons,
provide nutrients, and protect the blood-brain barrier by preventing toxins from entering the
brain .
6. A patient has a spinal cord injury that severs communication between the brain and the lower
body. The brain loses sensation and motor control from that segment down because:
A) The spinal cord only processes reflexes
B) All sensory and motor information travels through tracts of axons in the spinal cord
C) The brain cannot regenerate neurons
D) Glial cells stop functioning after injury
Answer: B
RATIONALE: All information is carried through tracts of axons located in the spinal cord; if the
spinal cord is cut, the brain loses sensation and motor control from that segment and below it .
7. When a student decides to stop all other activities, sit at a desk, and start studying, which
part of the nervous system is primarily responsible for carrying motor messages from the CNS to
