Psych 101 CLEP practice test questions 2021 | 90 test
questions from the college board website
The focus of psychological science is the attempt to relate overt responses to
observable environmental stimuli." This statement is most closely associated with which
approach? Answ- Behavioral
Which research design is most appropriate for establishing a cause-and-effect
relationship between two variables? Answ- Experimental
The science of psychology is typically dated from the establishment of the late-
nineteenth-century Leipzig laboratory of Answ- Wilhelm Wundt
The requirement that prospective participants know the general nature of a study so that
they can decide whether to participate is a major part of Answ- informed consent
The statement "Response latency is the number of seconds that elapses between the
stimulus and the response" is an example of Answ- an operational definition
As blind children learn to read braille, the amount of sensory cortex devoted to their
finger tips increases. Which process is responsible for this allotment of brain activity?
Answ- Plasticity
A neuron is said to be polarized when Answ- it is in a resting state
Down syndrome is caused by Answ- an extra chromosome
One common technique used in studying infant perception and cognition involves
measuring a decreased response to a stimulus that an infant has been exposed to
previously. This research technique is called Answ- habituation
Damage to an individual's parietal lobes is most likely to result in Answ- reduced
sensitivity to touch
Hadidjah is a manager conducting an interview with a job applicant. During their
conversation her attention is diverted when she hears her name mentioned by two
employees talking in the hall outside her office door. Hadidjah's attention being drawn to
the employees in the hall can best be explained by Answ- the cocktail party
phenomenon
According to the activation-synthesis hypothesis of dreaming, dreams serve which of
the following purposes? Answ- To make sense of random neural activity during sleep
, The opponent-process theory in vision best explains which of the following? Answ-
Color afterimages
The receptors for hearing are the Answ- hair cells on the basilar membrane
A picture of a road receding in the distance represents the depth perception cue known
as Answ- linear perspective
Brain waves during REM sleep generally appear as Answ- rapid low-amplitude waves
Which type of sleep pattern becomes less prevalent as one moves from infancy to
adulthood? Answ- REM
According to current psychological research, hypnosis is most useful for what? Answ-
pain control
Checking the coin return every time one passes a vending machine is a type of
behavior probably being maintained by which of the following schedules of
reinforcement? Answ- Variable ratio only
Making the amount of time a child can spend playing video games contingent on the
amount of time the child spends practicing the piano is an illustration of Answ- operant
conditioning
Which of the following strategies undermines the effectiveness of punishment? Answ-
Delaying punishment
A teacher tells a child to sit down in class. Over the course of several days, the child
stands up more and more frequently, only to be told to sit down each time. It is most
likely that the teacher's reprimands are serving as Answ- a reinforcer
Which of the following is a secondary reinforcer? Answ- Money
Shortly after learning to associate the word "dog" with certain four-legged furry animals,
young children will frequently misidentify a cow or a horse as a dog. This phenomenon
is best viewed as an example of Answ- overextension
If on the last day of a psychology class a student is asked to remember what was done
in class each day during the term, she will likely be able to remember best the activities
of the first and last class meetings. This situation is an example of Answ- the serial
position effect
Proactive interference describes a process by which Answ- prior learning interferes with
subsequent learning
questions from the college board website
The focus of psychological science is the attempt to relate overt responses to
observable environmental stimuli." This statement is most closely associated with which
approach? Answ- Behavioral
Which research design is most appropriate for establishing a cause-and-effect
relationship between two variables? Answ- Experimental
The science of psychology is typically dated from the establishment of the late-
nineteenth-century Leipzig laboratory of Answ- Wilhelm Wundt
The requirement that prospective participants know the general nature of a study so that
they can decide whether to participate is a major part of Answ- informed consent
The statement "Response latency is the number of seconds that elapses between the
stimulus and the response" is an example of Answ- an operational definition
As blind children learn to read braille, the amount of sensory cortex devoted to their
finger tips increases. Which process is responsible for this allotment of brain activity?
Answ- Plasticity
A neuron is said to be polarized when Answ- it is in a resting state
Down syndrome is caused by Answ- an extra chromosome
One common technique used in studying infant perception and cognition involves
measuring a decreased response to a stimulus that an infant has been exposed to
previously. This research technique is called Answ- habituation
Damage to an individual's parietal lobes is most likely to result in Answ- reduced
sensitivity to touch
Hadidjah is a manager conducting an interview with a job applicant. During their
conversation her attention is diverted when she hears her name mentioned by two
employees talking in the hall outside her office door. Hadidjah's attention being drawn to
the employees in the hall can best be explained by Answ- the cocktail party
phenomenon
According to the activation-synthesis hypothesis of dreaming, dreams serve which of
the following purposes? Answ- To make sense of random neural activity during sleep
, The opponent-process theory in vision best explains which of the following? Answ-
Color afterimages
The receptors for hearing are the Answ- hair cells on the basilar membrane
A picture of a road receding in the distance represents the depth perception cue known
as Answ- linear perspective
Brain waves during REM sleep generally appear as Answ- rapid low-amplitude waves
Which type of sleep pattern becomes less prevalent as one moves from infancy to
adulthood? Answ- REM
According to current psychological research, hypnosis is most useful for what? Answ-
pain control
Checking the coin return every time one passes a vending machine is a type of
behavior probably being maintained by which of the following schedules of
reinforcement? Answ- Variable ratio only
Making the amount of time a child can spend playing video games contingent on the
amount of time the child spends practicing the piano is an illustration of Answ- operant
conditioning
Which of the following strategies undermines the effectiveness of punishment? Answ-
Delaying punishment
A teacher tells a child to sit down in class. Over the course of several days, the child
stands up more and more frequently, only to be told to sit down each time. It is most
likely that the teacher's reprimands are serving as Answ- a reinforcer
Which of the following is a secondary reinforcer? Answ- Money
Shortly after learning to associate the word "dog" with certain four-legged furry animals,
young children will frequently misidentify a cow or a horse as a dog. This phenomenon
is best viewed as an example of Answ- overextension
If on the last day of a psychology class a student is asked to remember what was done
in class each day during the term, she will likely be able to remember best the activities
of the first and last class meetings. This situation is an example of Answ- the serial
position effect
Proactive interference describes a process by which Answ- prior learning interferes with
subsequent learning
