GALEN COLLEGE OF NURSING
PSYC 140 Module 1 Exam
Requires Respondus LockDown Browser + Webcam
Official Practice Exam · 2026/2027 Edition
50 Questions 60 Minutes 80% Passing 4 Sections
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Section 1: The Science of Psychology (Q1–Q14)
Section 2: Biology and Behavior (Q15–Q27)
Section 3: Sensation and Perception (Q28–Q39)
Section 4: States of Consciousness (Q40–Q50)
Instructions
This practice exam contains 50 multiple-choice questions divided into 4 sections. You have 60 minutes to complete the exam.
A passing score of 80% or higher is required (at least 40 correct answers). Select the single best answer for each question.
This exam requires Respondus LockDown Browser and a webcam. No notes, textbooks, or electronic devices are permitted
during the exam. Read each question carefully before answering.
PSYC 140 Module 1 — 2026/2027 | Passing Score: 80% | Page 1 of 20
,Section 1: The Science of Psychology
Q1 Question 1 of 50
A researcher observes children on a playground and records how often they share toys without being
told to do so. The researcher is not manipulating any variables and is simply documenting naturally
occurring behavior. This approach best exemplifies which research method?
A. Naturalistic observation
B. Case study
C. Correlational study
D. Experimental design
Correct Answer: A
Rationale:
Naturalistic observation involves watching and recording behavior in its natural environment without intervention. A
case study focuses on one individual in depth, a correlational study examines relationships between measured
variables, and an experiment requires manipulation of an independent variable.
Q2 Question 2 of 50
Dr. Martinez wants to test whether a new study-skills workshop improves exam scores. She randomly
assigns half of her introductory psychology students to attend the workshop and the other half to a
control group that receives no workshop. After the exam, she compares scores. The independent
variable in this study is the:
A. exam scores of the students
B. size of the control group
C. study-skills workshop
D. random assignment procedure
Correct Answer: C
Rationale:
The independent variable is the factor the researcher manipulates; here it is the presence or absence of the workshop.
Exam scores are the dependent variable (the measured outcome), and random assignment is a methodological
control, not a variable.
PSYC 140 Module 1 — 2026/2027 | Passing Score: 80% | Page 2 of 20
, Q3 Question 3 of 50
A psychology student reads a news headline claiming that eating chocolate cures depression. The
article cites a single study with 12 participants and no control group. Applying critical thinking
principles from the scientific method, the student should be most concerned about which issue?
A. The sample size was small and there was no control group
B. The study used a double-blind procedure
C. The researchers had a PhD qualification
D. The study was published in a peer-reviewed journal
Correct Answer: A
Rationale:
A sample of only 12 participants and the absence of a control group make it impossible to rule out alternative
explanations or chance findings. Peer review and researcher credentials do not compensate for fundamental design
flaws, and a double-blind procedure would actually strengthen a study.
Q4 Question 4 of 50
In a classic experiment, participants are shown a list of words and later asked to recall as many as
possible. One group studies the words in a room painted blue, and a different group studies the same
words in a room painted yellow. Both groups are tested in the blue room. This study is most directly
investigating:
A. context-dependent memory
B. the serial position effect
C. proactive interference
D. the spacing effect
Correct Answer: A
Rationale:
Context-dependent memory refers to improved recall when the environment at retrieval matches the environment at
encoding. The serial position effect concerns order of presentation, proactive interference involves prior learning
disrupting new recall, and the spacing effect relates to distributed versus massed practice.
Q5 Question 5 of 50
Sigmund Freud's psychoanalytic theory emphasized the role of unconscious conflicts in shaping
behavior. Which modern perspective in psychology shares the most conceptual overlap with Freud's
emphasis on unconscious processes?
A. Behavioral perspective
B. Humanistic perspective
C. Psychodynamic perspective
D. Evolutionary perspective
Correct Answer: C
Rationale:
The psychodynamic perspective evolved directly from Freudian psychoanalysis and retains the focus on unconscious
influences on behavior. The behavioral perspective focuses only on observable actions, the humanistic perspective
emphasizes conscious free will, and the evolutionary perspective explains behavior through natural selection.
PSYC 140 Module 1 — 2026/2027 | Passing Score: 80% | Page 3 of 20
PSYC 140 Module 1 Exam
Requires Respondus LockDown Browser + Webcam
Official Practice Exam · 2026/2027 Edition
50 Questions 60 Minutes 80% Passing 4 Sections
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Section 1: The Science of Psychology (Q1–Q14)
Section 2: Biology and Behavior (Q15–Q27)
Section 3: Sensation and Perception (Q28–Q39)
Section 4: States of Consciousness (Q40–Q50)
Instructions
This practice exam contains 50 multiple-choice questions divided into 4 sections. You have 60 minutes to complete the exam.
A passing score of 80% or higher is required (at least 40 correct answers). Select the single best answer for each question.
This exam requires Respondus LockDown Browser and a webcam. No notes, textbooks, or electronic devices are permitted
during the exam. Read each question carefully before answering.
PSYC 140 Module 1 — 2026/2027 | Passing Score: 80% | Page 1 of 20
,Section 1: The Science of Psychology
Q1 Question 1 of 50
A researcher observes children on a playground and records how often they share toys without being
told to do so. The researcher is not manipulating any variables and is simply documenting naturally
occurring behavior. This approach best exemplifies which research method?
A. Naturalistic observation
B. Case study
C. Correlational study
D. Experimental design
Correct Answer: A
Rationale:
Naturalistic observation involves watching and recording behavior in its natural environment without intervention. A
case study focuses on one individual in depth, a correlational study examines relationships between measured
variables, and an experiment requires manipulation of an independent variable.
Q2 Question 2 of 50
Dr. Martinez wants to test whether a new study-skills workshop improves exam scores. She randomly
assigns half of her introductory psychology students to attend the workshop and the other half to a
control group that receives no workshop. After the exam, she compares scores. The independent
variable in this study is the:
A. exam scores of the students
B. size of the control group
C. study-skills workshop
D. random assignment procedure
Correct Answer: C
Rationale:
The independent variable is the factor the researcher manipulates; here it is the presence or absence of the workshop.
Exam scores are the dependent variable (the measured outcome), and random assignment is a methodological
control, not a variable.
PSYC 140 Module 1 — 2026/2027 | Passing Score: 80% | Page 2 of 20
, Q3 Question 3 of 50
A psychology student reads a news headline claiming that eating chocolate cures depression. The
article cites a single study with 12 participants and no control group. Applying critical thinking
principles from the scientific method, the student should be most concerned about which issue?
A. The sample size was small and there was no control group
B. The study used a double-blind procedure
C. The researchers had a PhD qualification
D. The study was published in a peer-reviewed journal
Correct Answer: A
Rationale:
A sample of only 12 participants and the absence of a control group make it impossible to rule out alternative
explanations or chance findings. Peer review and researcher credentials do not compensate for fundamental design
flaws, and a double-blind procedure would actually strengthen a study.
Q4 Question 4 of 50
In a classic experiment, participants are shown a list of words and later asked to recall as many as
possible. One group studies the words in a room painted blue, and a different group studies the same
words in a room painted yellow. Both groups are tested in the blue room. This study is most directly
investigating:
A. context-dependent memory
B. the serial position effect
C. proactive interference
D. the spacing effect
Correct Answer: A
Rationale:
Context-dependent memory refers to improved recall when the environment at retrieval matches the environment at
encoding. The serial position effect concerns order of presentation, proactive interference involves prior learning
disrupting new recall, and the spacing effect relates to distributed versus massed practice.
Q5 Question 5 of 50
Sigmund Freud's psychoanalytic theory emphasized the role of unconscious conflicts in shaping
behavior. Which modern perspective in psychology shares the most conceptual overlap with Freud's
emphasis on unconscious processes?
A. Behavioral perspective
B. Humanistic perspective
C. Psychodynamic perspective
D. Evolutionary perspective
Correct Answer: C
Rationale:
The psychodynamic perspective evolved directly from Freudian psychoanalysis and retains the focus on unconscious
influences on behavior. The behavioral perspective focuses only on observable actions, the humanistic perspective
emphasizes conscious free will, and the evolutionary perspective explains behavior through natural selection.
PSYC 140 Module 1 — 2026/2027 | Passing Score: 80% | Page 3 of 20
