PAST PAPER - 1999

1. For several weeks-ever since she did not receive a raise that was given to several colleagues-Enid has lacked
energy, has been unable to go to work, and has expected bad things to happen every day. Of the following,
she is most likely experiencing
A. post traumatic stress
B. hypochondria
C. depression
D. fugue

2. Phobic and panic disturbances are examples of which of the following kinds of disorder?
A. Schizophrenic
B. Anxiety
C. Somatoform
D. Dissociative

3. In Sigmund Freud's view, the role of the ego is to

A. make the individual feel inferior to others
B. mediate among the id, the superego, and reality
C. serve the demands of the unconscious
D. serve the demands of the superego

4. One major objection to the early Skinnerian approach to psychology is that it

A. did not take into account internal thoughts and feelings
B. did not take into account overt physical behaviors
C. did not take into account accumulated experiences
D. focused primarily on the unconscious

5. The coiled tube in the inner ear that contains the auditory receptors is called the
A. semicircular canal
B. pinna
C. cochlea
D. oval window

6. One of the consistent research findings in the area of facial expressions and emotion is the
A. universality of facial expressions across cultures
B. vast differences in facial expressions between males and females
C. way children's facial expressions differ from adults'
D. way in which individuals' facial expressions change as they get older
7. Punishment is most effective in eliminating undesired behavior when the
A. behavior is complex
B. behavior was very recently acquired
C. punishment is delivered soon after the behavior
D. punishment is delivered by someone with authority

8. John suffered a head injury in an accident five years ago. He now has clear memories of events that
occurred before the accident, but he has great difficulty remembering any of the experiences he has had since
the accident. John's symptoms describe
A. anterograde amnesia
B. Broca's aphasia
C. selective amnesia
D. retroactive interference

9. Drive reduction as a motivational concept is best exemplified by which of the following?

A. Electric stimulation to the pleasure center of the brain
B. A monkey using its tail as a fifth limb to climb higher in a tree
C. The injection of heroin by an addict to avoid withdrawal symptoms
D. The enjoyment of a frightening movie

10. Drawing a random sample of people from a town for an interview study of social attitudes ensures that
A. each person in town has the same probability of being chosen for the study
B. an equal number of males and females are selected for interviews
C. the study includes at least some respondents from every social class in town
D. the sample will be large enough even though some people may refuse to be interviewed

11. Gustatory receptors are sensitive to all of the following taste qualities EXCEPT
A. bitter
B. sweet
C. spicy
D. sour
12. Which of the following scattergrams represents the data above? -D
13. When a list of words is learned in order, the words most likely to be forgotten are those that are
A. at the beginning of the list
B. in the middle of the list
C. hardest to pronounce
D. easiest to spell

14. The rules of grammar are rules of

A. phonemes
B. morphemes
C. syntax
D. semantics

15. Psychologists who emphasize the importance of personality traits are most often criticized for
A. being naïve and overly optimistic
B. overestimating the number of basic traits
C. underestimating the role of emotions
D. underestimating the variability of behavior from situation to situation

16. According to the Stanford-Binet formula for an intelligence quotient (IQ), the IQ of a ten-year-old child
with a mental age of eight and a half years is
A. 85
B. 95
C. 100
D. 115

17. The precipitous decline of the inpatient populations of state and county mental hospitals since the
1950's can be attributed to which of the following?
I. Declining incidence of severe mental illnesses
II. A policy of deinstitutionalization
III. New drug therapies
A. I only
B. II only
C. III only
D. II and III only

18. According to research on attraction, people are most likely to be attracted to others who are
A. very different from themselves
B. similar to themselves in many ways
C. barely known or complete strangers
 D. less physically attractive than they themselves are

19. An individual's ability to remember the day he or she first swam the length of a swimming pool is most
clearly an example of which of the fol- lowing kinds of memory?
A. Semantic
B. Procedural
C. Priming
D. Episodic

20. Hans Selye's general adaptation syndrome is an attempt to explain

A. personality traits
B. artificial intelligence
C. organic retardation
D. reactions to stress

21. The result of the evolutionary process that preserves traits that enhance the adaptation of an organism
and suppresses traits that do not is called
A. habituation
B. natural selection
C. eugenics
D. species assimilation

22. According to the graph above, the greatest degree of attitude change is likely to be produced by which of
the following forms of advertising?
A. Radio only
B. Newspaper only
C. Easy messages in the newspaper and difficult messages on television
 D. Easy messages on television and difficult messages in the newspaper

23. Figures such as the one above are used in which of the following kinds of test?
A. Verbal intelligence
B. Nonverbal intelligence
C. Self-report personality
D. Projective personality

24. Intense artificial light is most successfully used as therapy for

A. disorganized schizophrenia
B. seasonal affective disorder
C. bipolar disorder
D. panic disorder

25. Which of the following situations poses an approach-approach conflict for a person who listens only to
classical music?
A. Having to sit through a good friend's rehearsal for a violin recital
B. Attending a classical music event
C. Being offered a cash bonus for ushering at an all-Beethoven concert
D. Choosing to study with one of two friends, both of whom listen to classical music while studying

26. In the James-Lange theory of emotion, which of the following immediately precedes an emotion?
A. Recollection of similar past experiences
B. Experience of physiological changes
C. Appraisal of cognitive factors
D. Initiation of a fixed-action pattern

27. Which of the following research methods is being used if the same subjects are tested at two, four, and six
years of age?
A. Cross-cultural
B. Longitudinal
C. Cross-sectional
D. Projective

28. Which of the following is a circadian rhythm?

A. Jet lag experienced after an airline flight from Los Angeles to Tokyo
B. A cycle of biological functioning that lasts about 24 hours
C. The series of five stages that people go through during a normal night's sleep
D. The systematic alternation between alpha waves and delta waves during the different sleep stages
29. According to cognitive dissonance theory, human beings are motivated to
A. maintain an optimal level of arousal
B. satisfy basic needs such as hunger before proceeding to higher needs such as self- actualization
C. reduce tensions produced by inconsistent thoughts
D. satisfy needs resulting from tissue deficits

30. An important difference between humanistic and psychoanalytic approaches is that humanistic
psychologists believe in the importance of
A. learning
B. free will
C. determinism
D. unconscious processes

31. The most distinctive characteristic of the experimental method is that it

A. studies a few people in great depth
B. is an efficient way to discover how people feel
C. seeks to establish cause-effect relationships
D. provides a chronological basis for reaching conclusions

32. The performance of the group on which an IQ test is standardized sets the
A. extent to which IQ is determined by environment
B. criteria for the diagnostic significance of intelligence
C. degree of validity of the IQ test
D. norms against which the performance of later test takers can be evaluated

33. Processing every possible combination of the letters DBRI to arrive at the word BIRD is an example of
the use of
A. an algorithm
B. an expert system
C. a hypothesis
D. a heuristic

34. In experimental psychology, a significant difference refers to a

A. difference not likely due to chance
B. difference not likely due to faulty design
C. result that departs from previous findings
D. result that proves a new theory
35. Although Paul seems bright and capable to his parents and friends, he has been failing in school. Paul
agrees to speak with a psychologist, who suggests that his problems stem from internal processes such as
unrealistic expectations and negative thinking. The psychologist's view is typical of which of the following
models of behavior?
A. Humanistic
B. Cognitive
C. Sociobiological
D. Behavioral

36. Mary Ainsworth's Strange Situation paradigm is typically used to test young children's
A. intelligence
B. reaction time
C. attachment
D. incidental learning
37. Taking a painkiller to relieve a toothache is behavior learned through which of the fol- lowing processes?
A. Punishment
B. Positive reinforcement
C. Negative reinforcement
D. Omission training

38. Montgomery prepares his résumé carelessly and arrives late for his job interview. He is rejected by the
prospective employer. Montgomery concludes that "It's all a matter of dumb luck, anyway." Montgomery's
judgment of his situation most clearly reflects
A. the mechanism of reaction formation
B. unconscious inference
C. fixation and regression
D. external locus of control

39. Learned helplessness is most likely to result when

A. responses have no effect on the environment
B. a response is reinforced independently
C. reinforcement occurs on an intermittent schedule
D. an organism receives negative reinforcement

40. In Stanley Milgram's obedience experiments, subjects were LEAST likely to deliver maxi- mum levels of
shock when the
A. experiment was conducted at a prestigious institution
B. "learner" screamed loudly in pain
C. "learner" said that he had a heart condition
 D. subjects observed other subjects who refused to obey the experimenter's orders

41. In rational-emotive therapy, the therapist helps clients by

A. using unconditional positive regard
B. promoting transference
C. confronting clients with their faulty logic
D. providing an environment in which new behaviors and emotions can be rehearsed

42. Metacognition refers to

A. mental retardation
B. artificial intelligence
C. thinking without theory
D. thinking about thinking
43. A double-blind control is essential for which of the following?
A. A study of relationships among family members
B. An experiment to determine the effect of a food reward on the bar-pressing rate of a rat
C. Assessment of a treatment designed to reduce schizophrenic symptoms
D. A survey of drug use among teenagers

44. For most people, speech functions are primarily localized in the
A. right cerebral hemisphere
B. left cerebral hemisphere
C. occipital lobe
D. cerebellum

45. People who have experienced severe damage to the frontal lobe of the brain seldom regain their ability to
A. make and carry out plans
B. process auditory information
C. process olfactory information
D. integrate their multiple personalities

46. A test that is labeled an achievement test is most likely to be given to

A. predict an individual's ability to succeed in a particular job
B. allow a student to be exempted from a college course
C. assess the mental age of a gifted eight-year-old
D. determine whether a person is an extrovert or an introvert

47. The phenomenon of transference is a recognized component of which of the following therapeutic
treatments?
 A. Flooding
B. Systematic desensitization
C. Psychoanalysis
D. Family therapy

48. Contemporary definitions of abnormal behavior typically characterize such behavior as all of the
following EXCEPT
A. maladaptive
B. inappropriate
C. due to inappropriate child-rearing practices
D. disturbing to the individual exhibiting the behavior
49. A nine-year-old girl first learning about her capabilities on the playground and in the class- room would
be in which of Erikson's stages of development?
A. Industry vs. inferiority
B. Identity vs. role confusion
C. Integrity vs. despair
D. Trust vs. mistrust

50. Which of the following therapeutic approaches is most likely to be criticized because it does not treat the
underlying cause of the disorder?
A. Cognitive
B. Behavioral
C. Biological
D. Phenomenological

51. Which of the following will NOT increase behavioral and mental activity?
A. Cocaine
B. Benzedrine
C. Amphetamines
D. Barbiturates

52. Behavior therapists emphasize which of the following in their treatment of clients?
A. Freedom of choice about the future
B. The uncovering of unconscious defense mechanisms
C. Responses that have been reinforced in the past
D. Repressed aggressive impulses

53. Which of the following is a brain-imaging technique that produces the most detailed picture of brain
structure?
 A. Electroencephalography (EEG)
B. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
C. Positron emission tomography (PET)
D. Computerized axial tomography (CAT)

54. Cognitive theorists emphasize the

A. formation and modification of schemas
B. impact of rewards and punishments
C. individual's desire to become self-actualized
D. social norms that determine expected behavior

55. Which of the following areas of the body has the largest number of sensory neurons?
A. Back
B. Foot
C. Ear
D. Lips

56. Noam Chomsky's view of language proposes that

A. there is an inherent language acquisition device
B. thinking is merely subvocal language
C. different levels of language ability are hereditarily determined
D. language is learned principally through verbal reinforcement

57. The role of the parasympathetic division of the autonomic nervous system is to
A. prepare the body to cope with stress
B. promote rapid cognitive processing
C. prompt the body to use its resources in responding to environmental stimuli
D. establish homeostasis after a fight-or-flight response

58. A man who experiences sudden blindness on witnessing the death of his wife is probably suffering from
a
A. psychosis
B. multiple personality disorder
C. panic disorder
D. conversion disorder

59. Which of the following methods is used in studies designed to determine the primary components of
intelligence?
A. Test-retest
 B. Random sampling
C. Factor analysis
D. Standardization

60. A normally functioning 65-year-old who cannot solve abstract logic puzzles as quickly as he did when he
was younger is experiencing a
A. phenomenon that is uncommon for people of his age
B. decrease in his crystallized intelligence
C. decrease in his fluid intelligence
D. difficulty with concrete operational thinking
61. When a pair of lights flashing in quick succession seems to an observer to be one light moving from place
to place, the effect is referred to as
A. stroboscopic movement
B. the phi phenomenon
C. autokinetic motion
D. binocular vision

62. Which of the following occurs when a neuron is stimulated to its threshold?
A. The movement of sodium and potassium ions across the membrane creates an action potential.
B. The neuron hyperpolarizes.
C. Neurotransmitters are released from the dendrites.
D. The neuron's equilibrium potential is reached.

63. Wolfgang Köhler considered a chimpanzee's sudden solving of a problem evidence of

A. instinct
B. learning set
C. insight
D. spontaneous recovery

64. Which of the following is the most appropriate criterion for evaluating the predictive validity of an
intelligence test?
A. Mental age
B. Chronological age
C. Scholastic aptitude
D. School grades

65. A teacher who is mistakenly informed that a student is learning disabled begins to treat that student
differently from others. The teacher does not call on the student in class or help her with challenging
material. The student's grades gradually decline. This result is an example of which of the following?
 A. Reactance
B. Actor-observer bias
C. Self-fulfilling prophecy
D. Fundamental attribution error

66. When struck by light energy, cones and rods in the retina generate neural signals that then activate the
A. parietal lobe
B. ganglion cells
C. bipolar cells
D. optic nerve fibers

67. The thalamus processes information for all of the following senses EXCEPT
A. smell
B. hearing
C. taste
D. vision

68. The longer an individual is exposed to a strong odor, the less aware of the odor the individual becomes.
This phenomenon is known as sensory
A. adaptation
B. awareness
C. reception
D. overload

69. Which type of psychologist would be interested primarily in studying whether people behave differently
in groups than they do when alone?
A. Cognitive
B. Developmental
C. Social
D. Clinical

70. The basic purpose of the DSM-IV-TR is to

A. provide a set of diagnostic categories for classifying psychological disorders
B. provide a clear distinction between neurosis and psychosis
C. describe the psychoanalytic approach to psychological disorders
D. identify childhood experiences that contribute to psychological disorders
71. An individual survives a period of captivity and exhibits behaviors that include anxiety, inability to
concentrate, depression, edginess, and the reexperience of stressful events. These symptoms illustrate which
of the following disorders?
A. Major depression
B. Hypochondriasis
C. Histrionic
D. Post-traumatic stress

72. Which of the following theoretical frameworks would argue most strongly that a healthy child will
choose what is good for his or her growth?
A. Psychoanalytic
B. Behavioral
C. Humanistic
D. Psychodynamic

73. The ability to choose specific stimuli to learn about, while filtering out or ignoring other information, is
called
A. selective attention
B. subliminal perception
C. masking
D. shadowing

74. A two-year-old child is frightened by a small dog. A few weeks later the same child sees a cat and becomes
frightened. The child's reaction is most likely an example of which of the following?
A. Stimulus discrimination
B. Second-order conditioning
C. Stimulus generalization
D. Spontaneous recovery

75. A researcher asks elementary, junior high, senior high, and college students to define the term
"cheating," and analyzes differences in their definitions across age groups. This is an example of which type
of study?
A. Longitudinal
B. Sequential
C. Cross-sectional
D. Case study