PSYC 101
General Psychology
Proctored Midterm Exam
2026
(Questions & Answers)
Multiple Choice (12 Questions)
1. Case: A nurse observes a patient with PTSD experiencing flashbacks.
Q: Which brain structure is most implicated?
• A. Hippocampus
• B. Amygdala
• C. Cerebellum
• D. Thalamus
Answer: B
Rationale: Amygdala mediates fear and emotional memory.
2. Case: A patient reports difficulty with working memory after head trauma.
Q: Which lobe is most affected?
• A. Occipital
• B. Parietal
• C. Frontal
• D. Temporal
Answer: C
Rationale: Frontal lobe supports executive functions and working memory.
3. Case: A nurse uses positive reinforcement to encourage medication adherence.
Q: Which psychological theory applies?
• A. Classical conditioning
• B. Operant conditioning
• C. Cognitive dissonance
• D. Social learning
Answer: B
Rationale: Operant conditioning uses reinforcement/punishment.
4. Case: A patient fears injections after associating them with pain.
Q: Which learning principle explains this?
• A. Habituation
• B. Classical conditioning
• C. Operant conditioning
• D. Observational learning
Answer: B
Rationale: Neutral stimulus (injection) paired with pain → conditioned fear.
5. Case: A nurse notes a patient’s irrational beliefs worsening anxiety.
Q: Which therapy targets these beliefs?
,• A. Psychoanalysis
• B. Cognitive-behavioral therapy
• C. Humanistic therapy
• D. Behavioral therapy
Answer: B
Rationale: CBT challenges and restructures maladaptive thoughts.
6. Case: A patient shows decreased motivation after dopamine depletion.
Q: Which disorder is most likely?
• A. Parkinson’s disease
• B. Alzheimer’s disease
• C. Schizophrenia
• D. Depression
Answer: A
Rationale: Dopamine loss in basal ganglia → Parkinson’s.
7. Case: A nurse observes groupthink in a clinical team.
Q: Which factor contributes most?
• A. Open dissent
• B. Strong leader pressure
• C. Diverse perspectives
• D. Independent thinking
Answer: B
Rationale: Leader pressure suppresses dissent → groupthink.
8. Case: A patient reports learned helplessness after repeated failures.
Q: Which psychologist proposed this concept?
• A. Freud
• B. Seligman
• C. Skinner
• D. Bandura
Answer: B
Rationale: Seligman’s experiments demonstrated learned helplessness.
9. Case: A nurse uses Maslow’s hierarchy to prioritize care.
Q: Which need must be addressed first?
• A. Self-actualization
• B. Safety
• C. Physiological
• D. Esteem
Answer: C
Rationale: Physiological needs are foundational.
10. Case: A patient imitates a nurse’s calm behavior during stress.
Q: Which learning principle applies?
• A. Classical conditioning
• B. Operant conditioning
• C. Observational learning
• D. Habituation
Answer: C
Rationale: Bandura’s social learning theory.
11. Case: A patient with depression shows low serotonin levels.
, Q: Which medication class targets this?
• A. Benzodiazepines
• B. SSRIs
• C. Antipsychotics
• D. Stimulants
Answer: B
Rationale: SSRIs increase serotonin availability.
12. Case: A nurse observes a patient’s defense mechanism of projection.
Q: Which behavior illustrates this?
• A. Denying illness
• B. Attributing own anger to others
• C. Forgetting traumatic events
• D. Rationalizing poor choices
Answer: B
Rationale: Projection = attributing personal feelings to others.
True/False (8 Questions)
13. Case: The sympathetic nervous system increases heart rate during stress.
Answer: True
Rationale: SNS activates fight-or-flight.
14. Case: Cognitive dissonance occurs when beliefs and behaviors align.
Answer: False
Rationale: It occurs when they conflict.
15. Case: Freud’s superego represents moral conscience.
Answer: True
Rationale: Superego internalizes societal norms.
16. Case: Short-term memory can hold unlimited information.
Answer: False
Rationale: Capacity ~7±2 items.
17. Case: The placebo effect demonstrates mind-body interaction.
Answer: True
Rationale: Belief influences physiological outcomes.
18. Case: Piaget’s sensorimotor stage involves abstract reasoning.
Answer: False
Rationale: Sensorimotor = sensory exploration, not abstract thought.
19. Case: The limbic system regulates emotion and memory.
Answer: True
Rationale: Includes amygdala and hippocampus.
20. Case: Operant conditioning requires pairing of neutral and unconditioned stimuli.
Answer: False
Rationale: That’s classical conditioning.
Short Answer (8 Questions)
General Psychology
Proctored Midterm Exam
2026
(Questions & Answers)
Multiple Choice (12 Questions)
1. Case: A nurse observes a patient with PTSD experiencing flashbacks.
Q: Which brain structure is most implicated?
• A. Hippocampus
• B. Amygdala
• C. Cerebellum
• D. Thalamus
Answer: B
Rationale: Amygdala mediates fear and emotional memory.
2. Case: A patient reports difficulty with working memory after head trauma.
Q: Which lobe is most affected?
• A. Occipital
• B. Parietal
• C. Frontal
• D. Temporal
Answer: C
Rationale: Frontal lobe supports executive functions and working memory.
3. Case: A nurse uses positive reinforcement to encourage medication adherence.
Q: Which psychological theory applies?
• A. Classical conditioning
• B. Operant conditioning
• C. Cognitive dissonance
• D. Social learning
Answer: B
Rationale: Operant conditioning uses reinforcement/punishment.
4. Case: A patient fears injections after associating them with pain.
Q: Which learning principle explains this?
• A. Habituation
• B. Classical conditioning
• C. Operant conditioning
• D. Observational learning
Answer: B
Rationale: Neutral stimulus (injection) paired with pain → conditioned fear.
5. Case: A nurse notes a patient’s irrational beliefs worsening anxiety.
Q: Which therapy targets these beliefs?
,• A. Psychoanalysis
• B. Cognitive-behavioral therapy
• C. Humanistic therapy
• D. Behavioral therapy
Answer: B
Rationale: CBT challenges and restructures maladaptive thoughts.
6. Case: A patient shows decreased motivation after dopamine depletion.
Q: Which disorder is most likely?
• A. Parkinson’s disease
• B. Alzheimer’s disease
• C. Schizophrenia
• D. Depression
Answer: A
Rationale: Dopamine loss in basal ganglia → Parkinson’s.
7. Case: A nurse observes groupthink in a clinical team.
Q: Which factor contributes most?
• A. Open dissent
• B. Strong leader pressure
• C. Diverse perspectives
• D. Independent thinking
Answer: B
Rationale: Leader pressure suppresses dissent → groupthink.
8. Case: A patient reports learned helplessness after repeated failures.
Q: Which psychologist proposed this concept?
• A. Freud
• B. Seligman
• C. Skinner
• D. Bandura
Answer: B
Rationale: Seligman’s experiments demonstrated learned helplessness.
9. Case: A nurse uses Maslow’s hierarchy to prioritize care.
Q: Which need must be addressed first?
• A. Self-actualization
• B. Safety
• C. Physiological
• D. Esteem
Answer: C
Rationale: Physiological needs are foundational.
10. Case: A patient imitates a nurse’s calm behavior during stress.
Q: Which learning principle applies?
• A. Classical conditioning
• B. Operant conditioning
• C. Observational learning
• D. Habituation
Answer: C
Rationale: Bandura’s social learning theory.
11. Case: A patient with depression shows low serotonin levels.
, Q: Which medication class targets this?
• A. Benzodiazepines
• B. SSRIs
• C. Antipsychotics
• D. Stimulants
Answer: B
Rationale: SSRIs increase serotonin availability.
12. Case: A nurse observes a patient’s defense mechanism of projection.
Q: Which behavior illustrates this?
• A. Denying illness
• B. Attributing own anger to others
• C. Forgetting traumatic events
• D. Rationalizing poor choices
Answer: B
Rationale: Projection = attributing personal feelings to others.
True/False (8 Questions)
13. Case: The sympathetic nervous system increases heart rate during stress.
Answer: True
Rationale: SNS activates fight-or-flight.
14. Case: Cognitive dissonance occurs when beliefs and behaviors align.
Answer: False
Rationale: It occurs when they conflict.
15. Case: Freud’s superego represents moral conscience.
Answer: True
Rationale: Superego internalizes societal norms.
16. Case: Short-term memory can hold unlimited information.
Answer: False
Rationale: Capacity ~7±2 items.
17. Case: The placebo effect demonstrates mind-body interaction.
Answer: True
Rationale: Belief influences physiological outcomes.
18. Case: Piaget’s sensorimotor stage involves abstract reasoning.
Answer: False
Rationale: Sensorimotor = sensory exploration, not abstract thought.
19. Case: The limbic system regulates emotion and memory.
Answer: True
Rationale: Includes amygdala and hippocampus.
20. Case: Operant conditioning requires pairing of neutral and unconditioned stimuli.
Answer: False
Rationale: That’s classical conditioning.
Short Answer (8 Questions)
