MCAT; Psychological, Social, and
Biological Foundations of Behavior
Questions and Verified Answers
Difference Threshold - CORRECT ANSWERS -Measures the subject's ability to detect a change in
a signal rather than the presence of a signal
Perception Threshold - CORRECT ANSWERS -Measures the subject's ability to detect the
presence of a stimulus
Top-Down Processing - CORRECT ANSWERS -The use of preexisting knowledge to organize
individual features into a unified whole
**Recognition of an object by memories and expectations with little attention to detail
**Faster and prone to more mistakes
Vestibular System - CORRECT ANSWERS -The sensory system that responds to gravity and keeps
people informed of their body's location in space
Kinesthetic Sense - CORRECT ANSWERS -Sense of the location of body parts in relation to the
ground and each other
**The ability to tell where ones body is in space
Bottom-Up processing - CORRECT ANSWERS -Analysis that begins with the sense receptors and
works up to the brain's integration of sensory information
**Recognition of objects by parallel processing and feature detection
**Slower and less prone to mistakes
Charles Bonnet Syndrome - CORRECT ANSWERS -A disorder in which patients in the process of
losing their sight begin to perceive visual stimuli that are not actually present
,Binocular Vision - CORRECT ANSWERS -The ability to focus the two eyes in a coordinated
manner in order to see one image
Parallel Processing - CORRECT ANSWERS -The processing of many aspects of a problem
simultaneously
**The brain's natural mode of information processing for many functions, including vision.
Contrasts with the step-by-step (serial) processing of most computers and of conscious problem
solving.
Functionalism - CORRECT ANSWERS -A school of psychology that focused on how our mental
and behavioral processes function - how they enable us to adapt, survive, and flourish
**Macro-level theory focused on how parts of a society move together
Conflict Theory - CORRECT ANSWERS -A theoretical framework in which society is viewed as
composed of groups that are competing for scarce resources
**Focuses on how unequal division of resources leads to the creation of power differentials
Symbolic Interactionism - CORRECT ANSWERS -A theoretical perspective in which society is
viewed as composed of symbols that people use to establish meaning, develop their views of
the world, and communicate with one another
Social Constructionism - CORRECT ANSWERS -A sociological theory that argues that people
actively shape their reality through social interaction; it is therefore something that is
constructed, not inherent; it looks to uncover the ways in which individuals and groups
participate in the construction of their perceived social reality
Output - CORRECT ANSWERS -The response that results from the registration of environmental
information
Feedback in an Information System - CORRECT ANSWERS -Refers to output that is then used as
a further input to elicit another response
General Adaptation Syndrome - CORRECT ANSWERS -Selye's concept of the body's adaptive
response to stress in three phases—alarm, resistance, exhaustion
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - CORRECT ANSWERS -An anxiety disorder associated with
serious traumatic events and characterized by such symptoms as survivor guilt, reliving the
trauma in dreams, numbness and lack of involvement with reality, or recurrent thoughts and
images
, Generalized Anxiety Disorder - CORRECT ANSWERS -A mental health diagnosis in which an
individual remains consistently fearful or anxious for a period of at least six months
Sensory Adaptation - CORRECT ANSWERS -diminished sensitivity as a consequence of constant
stimulation
Folkway - CORRECT ANSWERS -A norm governing everyday behavior whose violation raises
comparatively little concern
Mores - CORRECT ANSWERS -Norms that are widely observed and have great moral significance
Androcentric Culture - CORRECT ANSWERS -a culture that is male-oriented; the male is
considered the norm and is consistently preferred across the various aspects of the culture
DSM-5 - CORRECT ANSWERS -The American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical
Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition; a widely used system for classifying psychological
disorders
Intellectual Intelligence Disorder - CORRECT ANSWERS -An indicator is an IQ score less than 70
Social Control - CORRECT ANSWERS -The way in which society tries to regulate the behaviors of
its members
**Sanctions for reward or punishment are commonly used
Anticipatory Socialization - CORRECT ANSWERS -Processes of socialization in which a person
rehearses for future positions, occupations, and social relationships
Normative Social Influence - CORRECT ANSWERS -Influence resulting from a person's desire to
gain approval or avoid disapproval
Korsakoff's Syndrome - CORRECT ANSWERS -An alcohol related disorder marked by extreme
confusion, memory impairment, and other neurological symptoms like thiamine deficiency
**Can also be caused by malnutrition
Schizophrenia - CORRECT ANSWERS -A group of severe disorders characterized by disorganized
and delusional thinking, disturbed perceptions, and inappropriate emotions and actions
Alzheimer's disease - CORRECT ANSWERS -A progressive and irreversible brain disorder
characterized by gradual deterioration of memory, reasoning, language, and, finally, physical
functioning\
Biological Foundations of Behavior
Questions and Verified Answers
Difference Threshold - CORRECT ANSWERS -Measures the subject's ability to detect a change in
a signal rather than the presence of a signal
Perception Threshold - CORRECT ANSWERS -Measures the subject's ability to detect the
presence of a stimulus
Top-Down Processing - CORRECT ANSWERS -The use of preexisting knowledge to organize
individual features into a unified whole
**Recognition of an object by memories and expectations with little attention to detail
**Faster and prone to more mistakes
Vestibular System - CORRECT ANSWERS -The sensory system that responds to gravity and keeps
people informed of their body's location in space
Kinesthetic Sense - CORRECT ANSWERS -Sense of the location of body parts in relation to the
ground and each other
**The ability to tell where ones body is in space
Bottom-Up processing - CORRECT ANSWERS -Analysis that begins with the sense receptors and
works up to the brain's integration of sensory information
**Recognition of objects by parallel processing and feature detection
**Slower and less prone to mistakes
Charles Bonnet Syndrome - CORRECT ANSWERS -A disorder in which patients in the process of
losing their sight begin to perceive visual stimuli that are not actually present
,Binocular Vision - CORRECT ANSWERS -The ability to focus the two eyes in a coordinated
manner in order to see one image
Parallel Processing - CORRECT ANSWERS -The processing of many aspects of a problem
simultaneously
**The brain's natural mode of information processing for many functions, including vision.
Contrasts with the step-by-step (serial) processing of most computers and of conscious problem
solving.
Functionalism - CORRECT ANSWERS -A school of psychology that focused on how our mental
and behavioral processes function - how they enable us to adapt, survive, and flourish
**Macro-level theory focused on how parts of a society move together
Conflict Theory - CORRECT ANSWERS -A theoretical framework in which society is viewed as
composed of groups that are competing for scarce resources
**Focuses on how unequal division of resources leads to the creation of power differentials
Symbolic Interactionism - CORRECT ANSWERS -A theoretical perspective in which society is
viewed as composed of symbols that people use to establish meaning, develop their views of
the world, and communicate with one another
Social Constructionism - CORRECT ANSWERS -A sociological theory that argues that people
actively shape their reality through social interaction; it is therefore something that is
constructed, not inherent; it looks to uncover the ways in which individuals and groups
participate in the construction of their perceived social reality
Output - CORRECT ANSWERS -The response that results from the registration of environmental
information
Feedback in an Information System - CORRECT ANSWERS -Refers to output that is then used as
a further input to elicit another response
General Adaptation Syndrome - CORRECT ANSWERS -Selye's concept of the body's adaptive
response to stress in three phases—alarm, resistance, exhaustion
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - CORRECT ANSWERS -An anxiety disorder associated with
serious traumatic events and characterized by such symptoms as survivor guilt, reliving the
trauma in dreams, numbness and lack of involvement with reality, or recurrent thoughts and
images
, Generalized Anxiety Disorder - CORRECT ANSWERS -A mental health diagnosis in which an
individual remains consistently fearful or anxious for a period of at least six months
Sensory Adaptation - CORRECT ANSWERS -diminished sensitivity as a consequence of constant
stimulation
Folkway - CORRECT ANSWERS -A norm governing everyday behavior whose violation raises
comparatively little concern
Mores - CORRECT ANSWERS -Norms that are widely observed and have great moral significance
Androcentric Culture - CORRECT ANSWERS -a culture that is male-oriented; the male is
considered the norm and is consistently preferred across the various aspects of the culture
DSM-5 - CORRECT ANSWERS -The American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical
Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition; a widely used system for classifying psychological
disorders
Intellectual Intelligence Disorder - CORRECT ANSWERS -An indicator is an IQ score less than 70
Social Control - CORRECT ANSWERS -The way in which society tries to regulate the behaviors of
its members
**Sanctions for reward or punishment are commonly used
Anticipatory Socialization - CORRECT ANSWERS -Processes of socialization in which a person
rehearses for future positions, occupations, and social relationships
Normative Social Influence - CORRECT ANSWERS -Influence resulting from a person's desire to
gain approval or avoid disapproval
Korsakoff's Syndrome - CORRECT ANSWERS -An alcohol related disorder marked by extreme
confusion, memory impairment, and other neurological symptoms like thiamine deficiency
**Can also be caused by malnutrition
Schizophrenia - CORRECT ANSWERS -A group of severe disorders characterized by disorganized
and delusional thinking, disturbed perceptions, and inappropriate emotions and actions
Alzheimer's disease - CORRECT ANSWERS -A progressive and irreversible brain disorder
characterized by gradual deterioration of memory, reasoning, language, and, finally, physical
functioning\
