ap psychology multiple choice exam questions
with Solved Answers
1.Which of the following is best defined as a relatively permanent change
in behavior due to experience?
A) acquisition
B) stimulus
C) learning
D) habituation
E) response: C) learning
2.Lynn is teaching learning. Every time she claps her hands, Charlie turns
off the light. When Randy claps in approval of Lynn's presentation, Charlie
does not turn the light off. What concept has Charlie demonstrated?
A) habituation
B) discrimination
C) spontaneous recovery
D) extinction
E) habituation: B) discrimination
3.Classical conditioning is the type of learning in which a person links two
or more stimuli and
A) forgets about them
B) lays them out in sequence
C) shuts down
D) anticipates events
E) receives a reward: D) anticipates events
4.In classical conditioning, the unconditioned stimulus
A) naturally triggers a response
B) is a naturally occurring response
C) is initially irrelevant, and then comes to trigger a response
D) objectively studies psychology
E) is Pavlovian: A) naturally triggers a response
5.Students are accustomed to a bell ringing to indicate the end of a class
pe- riod. The principal decides to substitute popular music for the bell to
indicate the end of each class period. Students quickly respond to the
music in the same way they did to the bell. What principle does this
illustrate?
A) acquisition
B) habituation
C) generalization
D) functional fixedness
,E) stimulus: C) generalization
6.The work of Ivan Pavlov and John Watson fits best into which of
psycholo- gy's perspectives?
A) humanism
B) gestalt psychology
C) trait theory
D) behaviorism
E) neuropsychology: D) behaviorism
7.What do we call the kind of learning in which behavior is strengthened
if followed by a reinforcer?
A) operant condition
B) respondent behavior
C) classical condition
D) shaping
E) punishment: A) operant condition
8.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: A)
something that elicits a response after association with a reinforcer
9.Thorndike's principle that behaviors followed by favorable
consequences become more likely is known as what?
A) law of effect
B) operant condition
C) shaping
D) respondent behavior
E) discrimination: A) law of effect
10.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
11.What do we call it when the CR decreases as the CS is repeatedly
present- ed alone?
A) generalization
B) discrimination
,C) spontaneous recovery
, D) extinction
E) acquisition: D) extinction
12.The basic idea behind classical condition is that the organism
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: A) associates events
13.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
14.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: A) respondent behavior
15.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
acci- dental timing of rewards
16.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
17.Which ability is a good predictor of good adjustment, better grades,
and social success?
A) self-control
with Solved Answers
1.Which of the following is best defined as a relatively permanent change
in behavior due to experience?
A) acquisition
B) stimulus
C) learning
D) habituation
E) response: C) learning
2.Lynn is teaching learning. Every time she claps her hands, Charlie turns
off the light. When Randy claps in approval of Lynn's presentation, Charlie
does not turn the light off. What concept has Charlie demonstrated?
A) habituation
B) discrimination
C) spontaneous recovery
D) extinction
E) habituation: B) discrimination
3.Classical conditioning is the type of learning in which a person links two
or more stimuli and
A) forgets about them
B) lays them out in sequence
C) shuts down
D) anticipates events
E) receives a reward: D) anticipates events
4.In classical conditioning, the unconditioned stimulus
A) naturally triggers a response
B) is a naturally occurring response
C) is initially irrelevant, and then comes to trigger a response
D) objectively studies psychology
E) is Pavlovian: A) naturally triggers a response
5.Students are accustomed to a bell ringing to indicate the end of a class
pe- riod. The principal decides to substitute popular music for the bell to
indicate the end of each class period. Students quickly respond to the
music in the same way they did to the bell. What principle does this
illustrate?
A) acquisition
B) habituation
C) generalization
D) functional fixedness
,E) stimulus: C) generalization
6.The work of Ivan Pavlov and John Watson fits best into which of
psycholo- gy's perspectives?
A) humanism
B) gestalt psychology
C) trait theory
D) behaviorism
E) neuropsychology: D) behaviorism
7.What do we call the kind of learning in which behavior is strengthened
if followed by a reinforcer?
A) operant condition
B) respondent behavior
C) classical condition
D) shaping
E) punishment: A) operant condition
8.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: A)
something that elicits a response after association with a reinforcer
9.Thorndike's principle that behaviors followed by favorable
consequences become more likely is known as what?
A) law of effect
B) operant condition
C) shaping
D) respondent behavior
E) discrimination: A) law of effect
10.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
11.What do we call it when the CR decreases as the CS is repeatedly
present- ed alone?
A) generalization
B) discrimination
,C) spontaneous recovery
, D) extinction
E) acquisition: D) extinction
12.The basic idea behind classical condition is that the organism
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: A) associates events
13.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
14.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: A) respondent behavior
15.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
acci- dental timing of rewards
16.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
17.Which ability is a good predictor of good adjustment, better grades,
and social success?
A) self-control
