GRE Psychology Subject Exam-Correct
Answers
Ablation - correct answers-A surgically induced brain lesion.
Absolute refractory period - correct answers-The period that follows the onset of an
action potential. During this period, a nerve impulse cannot be initiated
Absolute threshold - correct answers-The minimum of stimulus energy needed to
activate a sensory system.
Accommodation - correct answers-A principle of Piaget's theory of cognitive
development. It occurs when cognitive structures are modified because new information
or new experiences do not fit into existing cognitive structures.
Acetylcholine - correct answers-A neurotransmitter found in both central and peripheral
nervous systems linked to Alzheimer's disease and used to transmit nerve impulses to
the muscles, respectively.
Acrophobia - correct answers-A specific phobia that is an irrational fear of heights.
ACT model (Adaptive Control of Thought) - correct answers-A model that describes
memory in terms of procedural and declarative memory.
Actor-observer effect - correct answers-The tendency of actors to see observer
behavior as due to external factors (situational factors) and the tendency of observers to
attribute actors' behaviors to internal characteristics (dispositional characteristics).
Adrenaline - correct answers-A hormone that increases energy available for "fight or
flight" reactions (also known as epinephrine).
Afterimages - correct answers-A visual sensation that appears after prolonged or
intense exposure to a stimulus.
Agnosia - correct answers-Impairments in perceptual recognition.
Agoraphobia - correct answers-An irrational fear of being in places or situations where
escape might be difficult.
,All-or-none law - correct answers-A law about nerve impulses stating that when
depolarization reaches the critical threshold (-50 millivolts) the neuron is going to fire,
each time, every time.
Alternate-form method - correct answers-In psychometrics, it is the method of using two
or more different forms of a test to determine the reliability of a particular test.
Altruism - correct answers-A form of helping behavior where the person's intent is to
benefit someone else at some cost to him- or herself.
Amnesia - correct answers-A dissociative disorder where individuals are unable to recall
past experience, but this inability is not due to a neurological disorder.
Analogy of inoculation - correct answers-McGuire's analogy that people can be
psychologically inoculated against the "attack" of persuasive communications by first
exposing them to a weakened attack.
Analyses of Variance (anovas) - correct answers-A statistical method to compare the
means of more than two groups by comparing the between-group variance to the within-
group variance.
Anchoring - correct answers-A cognitive term (a heuristic) that refers to the tendency of
people to make decisions based on reference points, or standards used to make
judgements.
Anima (animus) - correct answers-An archetype from Jung's theory referring to the
feminine behaviors in males, and the masculine behaviors in females.
Anorexia nervosa - correct answers-An eating disorder characterized by a refusal to
maintain a minimal normal body weight.
Anterograde amnesia - correct answers-Memory loss for new information following brain
injury.
Anti-social personality disorder - correct answers-A personality disorder characterized
by a pattern of disregard for, and violation of, the rights of others.
Aphagia. - correct answers-An impairment in the ability to eat.
Aphasias - correct answers-Language disorders, which are associated with Broca's and
Wernicke's areas in the brain.
Apparent motion - correct answers-An illusion that occurs when two dots flashed in
different locations on a screen seconds apart are perceived as one moving dot.
Apraxia - correct answers-An impairment in the organization of voluntary action.
,Archetypes - correct answers-The building blocks for the collective unconscious referred
to in Jung's theory of personality.
Assimilation - correct answers-A principle of Piaget's theory of cognitive development. It
is the process of understanding new information in relation to prior knowledge, or
existing schemata.
Association area - correct answers-Areas in the brain that integrate information from
different cortical regions
Atkinson-Shiffin model - correct answers-A model of memory that involves three
memory structures (sensory, short-term and long-term), and the processes that operate
these memory structures.
Attachment bond - correct answers-Evidence of a preference for the primary caregiver
and a wariness of strangers.
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADD/HD) - correct answers-A disorder
characterized by developmentally atypical inattention and/or impulsivity-hyperactivity.
Attribution theory - correct answers-Fritz Heider's theory that people tend to infer the
causes of other people's behavior as either dispositional (related to the individual) or
situational (related to the environment).
Authoritarian parenting style - correct answers-A parenting style tending to use punitive
control methods and lacking emotional warmth.
Authoritative parenting style - correct answers-A parenting style tending to have
reasonably high demands for child compliance coupled with emotional warmth.
Autism - correct answers-A disorder whose essential features are lack of
responsiveness to other people, gross impairment in communication skills, and
behaviors and interests that are repetitive, inflexibly routined and stereotyped.
Autokinetic effect - correct answers-An illusion that occurs when a spot of light appears
to move erratically in a dark room, simply because there is no frame of reference.
Availability heuristic - correct answers-A decision-making short-cut that people tend to
use when trying to decide how likely something is based upon how easily similar
instances can be imagined .
Aversion therapy - correct answers-A behavioral therapy of pairing unpleasant stimuli
with undesirable behavior.
, Balance theory - correct answers-Fritz Heider's consistency theory that is concerned
with balance and imbalance in the ways in which three elements are related
Behavioral contracts - correct answers-A therapeutic technique that is a negotiated
agreement between two parties that explicitly stipulates the behavioral change that is
desired and indicates consequences of certain acts.
Behavioral-stimulants - correct answers-A class of drugs that increase behavioral
activity by increasing motor activity or by counteracting fatigue, and which are thought to
stimulate receptors for dopamine, norepinephrine and serotonin.
Békésy's traveling wave theory - correct answers-Proposed by Von Békésy, the theory
holds that high frequency sounds maximally vibrate the basilar membrane near the
beginning of the cochlea close to the oval window and low frequencies maximally
vibrate near the apex, or tip of the cochlea.
Between-subjects design - correct answers-An experimental design whereby each
subject is exposed to only one level of each independent variable.
Binocular disparity (stereopsis) - correct answers-A cue for depth perception that
depends on the fact that the distance between the eyes provides two slightly disparate
views of the world that, when combined, give us a perception of depth.
Bi-polar disorders - correct answers-A mood disorder characterized by both depression
and mania.
Boomerang effect - correct answers-In theories of attitude persuasion, it is an attitude
change in the opposite direction of the persuader's message.
Borderline personality disorder - correct answers-A personality disorder characterized
by an instability in interpersonal behavior, mood and self-image that borders on
psychosis.
Bottom-up processing (data-driven processing) - correct answers-Information
processing that occurs when objects are recognized by the summation of the
components of incoming stimulus to arrive at the whole pattern.
Brightness - correct answers-The subjective impression of the intensity of a light
stimulus.
Brightness contrast - correct answers-In brightness perception, it refers to a when a
particular luminance appears brighter when surrounded by a darker stimulus than when
surrounded by a lighter stimulus.
Broca's aphasia - correct answers-Impairments in producing spoken language
associated with lesions to Broca's area.
Answers
Ablation - correct answers-A surgically induced brain lesion.
Absolute refractory period - correct answers-The period that follows the onset of an
action potential. During this period, a nerve impulse cannot be initiated
Absolute threshold - correct answers-The minimum of stimulus energy needed to
activate a sensory system.
Accommodation - correct answers-A principle of Piaget's theory of cognitive
development. It occurs when cognitive structures are modified because new information
or new experiences do not fit into existing cognitive structures.
Acetylcholine - correct answers-A neurotransmitter found in both central and peripheral
nervous systems linked to Alzheimer's disease and used to transmit nerve impulses to
the muscles, respectively.
Acrophobia - correct answers-A specific phobia that is an irrational fear of heights.
ACT model (Adaptive Control of Thought) - correct answers-A model that describes
memory in terms of procedural and declarative memory.
Actor-observer effect - correct answers-The tendency of actors to see observer
behavior as due to external factors (situational factors) and the tendency of observers to
attribute actors' behaviors to internal characteristics (dispositional characteristics).
Adrenaline - correct answers-A hormone that increases energy available for "fight or
flight" reactions (also known as epinephrine).
Afterimages - correct answers-A visual sensation that appears after prolonged or
intense exposure to a stimulus.
Agnosia - correct answers-Impairments in perceptual recognition.
Agoraphobia - correct answers-An irrational fear of being in places or situations where
escape might be difficult.
,All-or-none law - correct answers-A law about nerve impulses stating that when
depolarization reaches the critical threshold (-50 millivolts) the neuron is going to fire,
each time, every time.
Alternate-form method - correct answers-In psychometrics, it is the method of using two
or more different forms of a test to determine the reliability of a particular test.
Altruism - correct answers-A form of helping behavior where the person's intent is to
benefit someone else at some cost to him- or herself.
Amnesia - correct answers-A dissociative disorder where individuals are unable to recall
past experience, but this inability is not due to a neurological disorder.
Analogy of inoculation - correct answers-McGuire's analogy that people can be
psychologically inoculated against the "attack" of persuasive communications by first
exposing them to a weakened attack.
Analyses of Variance (anovas) - correct answers-A statistical method to compare the
means of more than two groups by comparing the between-group variance to the within-
group variance.
Anchoring - correct answers-A cognitive term (a heuristic) that refers to the tendency of
people to make decisions based on reference points, or standards used to make
judgements.
Anima (animus) - correct answers-An archetype from Jung's theory referring to the
feminine behaviors in males, and the masculine behaviors in females.
Anorexia nervosa - correct answers-An eating disorder characterized by a refusal to
maintain a minimal normal body weight.
Anterograde amnesia - correct answers-Memory loss for new information following brain
injury.
Anti-social personality disorder - correct answers-A personality disorder characterized
by a pattern of disregard for, and violation of, the rights of others.
Aphagia. - correct answers-An impairment in the ability to eat.
Aphasias - correct answers-Language disorders, which are associated with Broca's and
Wernicke's areas in the brain.
Apparent motion - correct answers-An illusion that occurs when two dots flashed in
different locations on a screen seconds apart are perceived as one moving dot.
Apraxia - correct answers-An impairment in the organization of voluntary action.
,Archetypes - correct answers-The building blocks for the collective unconscious referred
to in Jung's theory of personality.
Assimilation - correct answers-A principle of Piaget's theory of cognitive development. It
is the process of understanding new information in relation to prior knowledge, or
existing schemata.
Association area - correct answers-Areas in the brain that integrate information from
different cortical regions
Atkinson-Shiffin model - correct answers-A model of memory that involves three
memory structures (sensory, short-term and long-term), and the processes that operate
these memory structures.
Attachment bond - correct answers-Evidence of a preference for the primary caregiver
and a wariness of strangers.
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADD/HD) - correct answers-A disorder
characterized by developmentally atypical inattention and/or impulsivity-hyperactivity.
Attribution theory - correct answers-Fritz Heider's theory that people tend to infer the
causes of other people's behavior as either dispositional (related to the individual) or
situational (related to the environment).
Authoritarian parenting style - correct answers-A parenting style tending to use punitive
control methods and lacking emotional warmth.
Authoritative parenting style - correct answers-A parenting style tending to have
reasonably high demands for child compliance coupled with emotional warmth.
Autism - correct answers-A disorder whose essential features are lack of
responsiveness to other people, gross impairment in communication skills, and
behaviors and interests that are repetitive, inflexibly routined and stereotyped.
Autokinetic effect - correct answers-An illusion that occurs when a spot of light appears
to move erratically in a dark room, simply because there is no frame of reference.
Availability heuristic - correct answers-A decision-making short-cut that people tend to
use when trying to decide how likely something is based upon how easily similar
instances can be imagined .
Aversion therapy - correct answers-A behavioral therapy of pairing unpleasant stimuli
with undesirable behavior.
, Balance theory - correct answers-Fritz Heider's consistency theory that is concerned
with balance and imbalance in the ways in which three elements are related
Behavioral contracts - correct answers-A therapeutic technique that is a negotiated
agreement between two parties that explicitly stipulates the behavioral change that is
desired and indicates consequences of certain acts.
Behavioral-stimulants - correct answers-A class of drugs that increase behavioral
activity by increasing motor activity or by counteracting fatigue, and which are thought to
stimulate receptors for dopamine, norepinephrine and serotonin.
Békésy's traveling wave theory - correct answers-Proposed by Von Békésy, the theory
holds that high frequency sounds maximally vibrate the basilar membrane near the
beginning of the cochlea close to the oval window and low frequencies maximally
vibrate near the apex, or tip of the cochlea.
Between-subjects design - correct answers-An experimental design whereby each
subject is exposed to only one level of each independent variable.
Binocular disparity (stereopsis) - correct answers-A cue for depth perception that
depends on the fact that the distance between the eyes provides two slightly disparate
views of the world that, when combined, give us a perception of depth.
Bi-polar disorders - correct answers-A mood disorder characterized by both depression
and mania.
Boomerang effect - correct answers-In theories of attitude persuasion, it is an attitude
change in the opposite direction of the persuader's message.
Borderline personality disorder - correct answers-A personality disorder characterized
by an instability in interpersonal behavior, mood and self-image that borders on
psychosis.
Bottom-up processing (data-driven processing) - correct answers-Information
processing that occurs when objects are recognized by the summation of the
components of incoming stimulus to arrive at the whole pattern.
Brightness - correct answers-The subjective impression of the intensity of a light
stimulus.
Brightness contrast - correct answers-In brightness perception, it refers to a when a
particular luminance appears brighter when surrounded by a darker stimulus than when
surrounded by a lighter stimulus.
Broca's aphasia - correct answers-Impairments in producing spoken language
associated with lesions to Broca's area.
