ELITE COMPREHENSIVE
ADVANCED PLACEMENT (AP) PSYCHOLOGY
COMPREHENSIVE MULTIPLE-CHOICE PRACTICE
EXAM
FULL-YEAR REVIEW — COGNITION • BIOLOGY •
LEARNING • SOCIAL • PERSONALITY • DISORDERS
SPRING EXAMINATION MAY 2026
Which of the following best describes a discriminative stimulus?
A) something that elicits a response after association with a reinforcer
B) innately reinforcing stimulus
C) something that when removed increases the likelihood of the behavior
D) an event that decreases the behavior it follows
E) an amplified stimulus feeding back information to responses
• something that elicits a response after association with a reinforcer
Thorndike's principle that behaviors followed by favorable consequences become more likely is
known as what?
A) law of effect
B) operant condition
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,C) shaping
D) respondent behavior
E) discrimination
• law of effect
All of the following are examples of primary reinforces except a
A) rat's food reward in Skinner box
B) cold drink on hot day
C) high score on exam for which student studied diligently
D) hug from loved one
E) large meal following fast
• C) high scores on exam for which student studied diligently
What do we call it when the CR decreases as the CS is repeatedly presented alone?
A) generalization
B) discrimination
C) spontaneous recovery
D) extinction
E) acquisition
• D) extinction
The basic idea behind classical condition is that the organism
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,A) associates events
B) associates behavior and resulting events
C) voluntarily operates on the environment
D) associates response with a consequence
E) quits responding when reward stops
• Associates events
What do we call the reappearance, after a rest period, of an extinguished response?
a. acquisition
b. spontaneous recovery
c. discrimination
d. operant conditioning
e. classical conditioning
• B) spontaneous recovery
What do we call behavior that occurs as an automatic response to some stimulus?
A) respondent behavior
B) operant behavior
C) extinguished behavior
D) biofeedback condition
E) skinnerian conditioning
• respondent behavior
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, Superstitious behavior can be produced by
A) careful manipulation of a classical conditioning experiment
B) the accidental timing of rewards
C) possession of a large number of traditionally lucky items
D) cognitive awareness of superstitious behavior in others
E) the change in a reinforcement schedule from ratio to interval
• B) the accidental timing of rewards
What do we call a desire to perform a behavior in order to receive promised rewards or to avoid
threatened punishment?
A) latent learning
B) extrinsic motivation
C) intrinsic motivation
D) insight learning
E) emotion-focused coping
• B) extrinsic motivation
Which ability is a good predictor of good adjustment, better grades, and social success?
A) self-control
B) locus of control
C) problem-focused coping
D) learned helplessness
E) emotion-focused coping
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ADVANCED PLACEMENT (AP) PSYCHOLOGY
COMPREHENSIVE MULTIPLE-CHOICE PRACTICE
EXAM
FULL-YEAR REVIEW — COGNITION • BIOLOGY •
LEARNING • SOCIAL • PERSONALITY • DISORDERS
SPRING EXAMINATION MAY 2026
Which of the following best describes a discriminative stimulus?
A) something that elicits a response after association with a reinforcer
B) innately reinforcing stimulus
C) something that when removed increases the likelihood of the behavior
D) an event that decreases the behavior it follows
E) an amplified stimulus feeding back information to responses
• something that elicits a response after association with a reinforcer
Thorndike's principle that behaviors followed by favorable consequences become more likely is
known as what?
A) law of effect
B) operant condition
1|Page
,C) shaping
D) respondent behavior
E) discrimination
• law of effect
All of the following are examples of primary reinforces except a
A) rat's food reward in Skinner box
B) cold drink on hot day
C) high score on exam for which student studied diligently
D) hug from loved one
E) large meal following fast
• C) high scores on exam for which student studied diligently
What do we call it when the CR decreases as the CS is repeatedly presented alone?
A) generalization
B) discrimination
C) spontaneous recovery
D) extinction
E) acquisition
• D) extinction
The basic idea behind classical condition is that the organism
2|Page
,A) associates events
B) associates behavior and resulting events
C) voluntarily operates on the environment
D) associates response with a consequence
E) quits responding when reward stops
• Associates events
What do we call the reappearance, after a rest period, of an extinguished response?
a. acquisition
b. spontaneous recovery
c. discrimination
d. operant conditioning
e. classical conditioning
• B) spontaneous recovery
What do we call behavior that occurs as an automatic response to some stimulus?
A) respondent behavior
B) operant behavior
C) extinguished behavior
D) biofeedback condition
E) skinnerian conditioning
• respondent behavior
3|Page
, Superstitious behavior can be produced by
A) careful manipulation of a classical conditioning experiment
B) the accidental timing of rewards
C) possession of a large number of traditionally lucky items
D) cognitive awareness of superstitious behavior in others
E) the change in a reinforcement schedule from ratio to interval
• B) the accidental timing of rewards
What do we call a desire to perform a behavior in order to receive promised rewards or to avoid
threatened punishment?
A) latent learning
B) extrinsic motivation
C) intrinsic motivation
D) insight learning
E) emotion-focused coping
• B) extrinsic motivation
Which ability is a good predictor of good adjustment, better grades, and social success?
A) self-control
B) locus of control
C) problem-focused coping
D) learned helplessness
E) emotion-focused coping
4|Page
