Introductory Psychology – Test 3

November 14, 2005

 

Write your name and UTEID on both the ScanTron and on THIS test.  Be sure and record the form number on the ScanTron.

 

1.       Dr. Flemming is taking the history of a new patient.  The patient is a 22-year-old male.  When he was 7, he began capturing and torturing small animals.  People who know him describe him as charming, but not as caring.  He has never had a real job, but instead has started scheming people, particularly older women who are taken in by his charming ways, out of their money.  What mental disorder is this patient most likely to have?

a.       Borderline personality disorder because he seems to fear being alone but cannot get close to people

b.       Antisocial personality disorder because of his disregard for others

c.       Hebephrenic schizophrenia because his behavior reflects the undeveloped morals of a child

d.       Schizoid disorder because he does not seem to have genuine emotional responses to people

e.       Aggressive dissociative disorder because he is aggressive towards animals and unable to connect with people

 

2.       How are the psychodynamic perspective and the trait perspective of personality similar to each other, but BOTH different from the learning and socialization theory of personality?

a.       The psychodynamic perspective and trait perspective say that we are the sum of our traits; the learning and socialization theory says there is a deep, core self that acquires new knowledge and changes as a function of this knowledge.

b.       The psychodynamic perspective and trait perspective believe that Neuroticism, especially as related to sex, is the most powerful aspect of personality; the learning and socialization theory says that personality can be changed through learning.

c.       The psychodynamic perspective and learning and socialization theory are from the early 1900s; the trait perspective is more recent.

d.       The psychodynamic perspective and trait perspective say that we begin as blank slates; the learning and socialization theory say that some of personality is in-born.

e.       The psychodynamic perspective and trait perspective say that genes play a role in determining personality; the learning and socialization theory does not.

 

3.       Some psychologists would consider dysthymia __________ disorder because __________.

a.       an anxiety; it often co-occurs with OCD

b.       a childhood; it often first appears before age 10

c.       a personality; it lasts such a long time

d.       a hard word to spell; is has so many consonants

e.       a thought; it mirrors many of the symptoms of schizophrenia

 

4.       Autism most profoundly impairs

a.       interpersonal attachment.

b.       the ability to learn new skills.

c.       cognitive processes.

d.       mood states.

e.       the ability to perceive salty tastes.

 

 

5.       The humanistic approach to personality would be most consistent with which type of methodology:

a.       trait

b.       script theory

c.       nomothetic

d.       social learning and imaging methods (such as fMRI)

e.       idiographic

 

6.       The personality traits of shyness, fearfulness, and anxiousness have been associated with

a.       serial murders.

b.       the frontal lobes.

c.       the amygdala.

d.       the pons.

e.       the reticular system.

 

7.       Kasha had her purse stolen last week as she walked out of a club downtown.  The incident happened very quickly, but she remembers that it was a tall man with brown eyes and hair.  He was athletic, had a beard, and ran away rapidly.  At the police station a few days later, Kasha was able to pick the thief out of a line-up of possible suspects.  Did Kasha likely pick the right person?

a.       No, because vision is very focused under stress, and she probably made up some of the details.

b.       Yes, because memory is very accurate when attention is focused on remembering like it is during major life events.

c.       No, because the information about the man was only processed by sensory memory and couldn’t last until a line-up.

d.       Yes, because she was the only person to see the man, and eye witness accounts are highly reliable.

e.       No, because the brain is unable to process and remember any information about events that happen so quickly.

 

8.       Bethany is often described as a very calm, unemotional person, but she has some peculiar behavioral patterns.  For example, Bethany really likes eating and doesn’t seem to have any body image problems.  However, whenever she sees a sad movie or is around someone who is crying, she develops a stomach ache and usually runs to the closest bathroom to vomit.  What disorder might the psychologist say Bethany suffers from?

a.       Somatoform disorder

b.       Bulimia

c.       Fugue states

d.       Panic attacks

e.       Dissociation disorder

 

9.       About a month after the Texas A&M Bonfire disaster, there was an increased rate of illness as well as fighting among the Aggie students.  Why might this have happened?

a.       People were in the adaptation phase of a disaster where they stopped thinking about the bonfire.  They could now devote their energy to other things.

b.       Most people had stopped talking about the disaster even though they were still thinking about it.  This holding back resulted in increased stress reactions

c.       People began blaming one another about what happened.  This blame-game phenomenon led to increased fights and poorer sleep.  Consequently, the loss of sleep caused reduced immune function activity which caused greater illness rates.

d.       They were more stressed than usual because of the “anniversary reaction”

e.       Students were talking so much about the disaster that it led to fighting among them

10.   Projective approaches to measuring personality work because of their reliance on the test taker’s:

a.       Situationism

b.       Relationship with the test maker

c.       Schemas and selective search

d.       Levels of dopamine

e.       Cerebral hemisphere activation

 

11.   Self reports of personality can present many problems, including people not knowing their own behavior and people intentionally lying to look better.  There are many methods of personality assessment that have been shown to help us detect, manage, or avoid these problems, including all of the following EXCEPT:

a.       Observing behavior directly

b.       Including a lie scale

c.       Using projective assessments

d.       Stressing the importance of being honest on a self-report

e.       Using informant reports

 

12.   Which of the following behaviors are you most likely to display when speaking to a high status person? 

a.       You will cover your mouth when he speaks, showing you are submissive to him.

b.       You will mumble a lot.

c.       You will change the pitch of your voice to match his. 

d.       You will use “you” a lot in your speech.

e.       You will change the pitch of your voice to be higher than his. 

 

13.   Memory is not like a __________, but rather like a __________.

a.       video recording; song

b.       story; song

c.       story; motion picture

d.       worn left shoe; pair of blue velvet gloves

e.       video recording; story

 

14.   Over the last ten years, many people have entered psychotherapy and, with much guidance from their therapist, have discovered that they were repeatedly sexually abused in a ritualistic fashion when they were children.  Many report witnessing the mutilation and killing of children.  According to research, what is the most likely explanation for the appearance of these memories?

a.       these are true memories that have been successfully repressed.  They are only able to become conscious through the process of cryptomnesia

b.       these are a form of flashbulb memories that were burned into memory because of their powerful emotional association

c.       these memories have been “forgotten” because of blocking.  On a certain level, people remembered the events much like the tip of the tongue phenomenon.

d.       these are most likely to be false memories and the result of confabulation brought about by a therapist who strongly suggests that early events took place

e.       these memories are buried because of anterograde amnesia brought about by years of alcohol abuse following the early sexual abuse

 

15.   Which of the following is true?

a.       The Whorff hypothesis states that we remember colors by linking them in our minds to other images that are the same color.

b.       The essence of Freud’s approach is that anxiety results from the clash between interal drives and the constraints of the culture.  The ways we manage this anxiety dictate our personality and mental health. 

c.       Iconic memory is the same as flashbulb memory except iconic memories refer to language and thought whereas flashbulb memories are linked to vision and visual images. 

d.       Schizophrenia and unipolar depression are genetically very similar which explains why the symptoms are virtually identical.

e.       Life is like a bowl of cherries that taste suspiciously like marbles dipped in soap.

 

16.   When people use techniques such as grouping,

a.       they have to remember approximately four times the normal amount (the 4-times rule).

b.       they do not have to store unique information about objects.

c.       they do not have access to all of their mental information.

d.       they store all of their memories in the right hemisphere.

e.       they promote cognitive economy.

 

17.   Geronimo met a girl at the bar last Friday.  They talked for about 20 minutes, and then her friends told her they needed to leave.  As she was walking out of the bar, she shouted her phone number to Geronimo.  What part of his memory will likely process this information?

a.       The information will be processed by the photographic memory because numbers are easier to remember if you visualize them.

b.       The information will go directly to long term memory because he is motivated to call her again.

c.       Only the first and last numbers of the phone number can be remembered because of the serial position effect.

d.       The information will be processed in short term memory and could reach long term memory through rehearsal.

e.       The information will be processed in the icortical memory because all memories go from icortical to short term to long term memory.

 

18.   Which method would Freud most likely use?

a.       Free association because immediate thoughts are not random.

b.       Asking patients to keep a journal to help bring the unconscious forward.

c.       Dream interpretation because dreams are straightforward and simple to interpret.

d.       Personality questionnaire because people are aware of their conflict.

e.       Asking a patient’s father to come to a session to help work through the Electra complex.

 

19.   If a psychologist shows you pictures and has you write about what you think is happening in the lives of the people in those pictures, he or she is likely interested in personality and using the ____________________ to measure your ________________________.

a.       Thematic Apperception Test (TAT); need for appreciation, affluence, and people.

b.       Therapeutic Apperception Test (TAT); need for appreciation, affiliation, and perception.

c.       Tolerance for Answering Test Questions (TATQ); need for this test to be completed. 

d.       Thematic Apperception Test (TAT); need for achievement, affiliation, and power.

e.       Therapeutic Apperception Test (TAT); need for success, attachment, and control.

 

20.   The crux of what theory is that unconscious wishes and desires influence behavior?

a.       psychodynamic

b.       trait

c.       social-cognitive

d.       humanistic

e.       neo-Piaget

 

21.   People with anxiety disorders tend to

a.       focus on others' attempts to try to cheer them up.

b.       interpret ambiguous behaviors as dangerous.

c.       suppress or stifle thoughts of fearful stimuli.

d.       assume that most stimuli are nonthreatening, unless given reason to fear it.

e.       laugh at danger.

 

22.   Lester was telling his friends about a recent fishing trip.  In it, he recounted how he caught several 90 pound catfish.  He looked up and noticed his friend with his hand covering his mouth.  Lester should interpret this behavior as:

a.       His friend is shocked and amazed about the story and the fish that he caught.

b.       His friend is bored with the story and trying not to yawn.

c.       His friend is having trouble believing that Lester really caught the fish.

d.       His friend wants to tell his own story too but has to cover his mouth to keep from interrupting.

e.       Lester should not read anything into the behavior.  It’s meaningless.

 

23.   David recently broke up with Shelley, the co-worker that he had been dating.  After the break-up, Shelley became really aggressive at work.  She would drive by his house at night to see if he was home, and she would stalk him on the weekends.  She even threatened to kill herself if David wouldn’t start dating her again.  Shelley would most likely be diagnosed as having which of the following disorders?

a.       Borderline personality disorder because she seems to fear being alone.

b.       Obsessive-compulsive disorder because she can’t stop thinking about David or following him.

c.       Narcissistic disorder because she is behaving in ways that society would deem irrational.

d.       Schizoid disorder because she is paranoid that David might be with another girl.

e.       Aggressive depressive disorder because is becoming aggressive and threatening suicide.

 

24.   Rates of schizophrenia in different cultures seem to be determined

a.       by diet and alcohol abuse – ironically, the poorer the diet and the more alcohol consumed, the lower the rates of schizophrenia.

b.       by genetics and the environment, though rates of schizophrenia tend to be similar across cultures.

c.       by beliefs about reality and perceptions.

d.       by cultural tolerance for certain behavioral patterns, such as hallucinations.

e.       by the level of education people usually reach.

 

25.   A basic component of script theory involves

a.       a prototypical exemplar.

b.       the assumption that people have generalized roles that change in any given context.

c.       the assumption that common situations are comprised of a series of linked events.

d.       really good actors.

e.       defining attributes with firm boundaries.

 

26.   The __________ helps in consolidation, while memories are stored in __________.

a.       frontal lobe; the hippocampus

b.       frontal lobe; the basal ganglia

c.       chapter outline; my class notes

d.       medial temporal lobe; the cortical areas used to perceive the stimuli

e.       medial temporal lobe; the hippocampus

 

27.   Sun Mee is afraid to leave her dorm and walk to class or to any other place because she’s afraid of having a panic attack while walking there.  She is unable to go by bicycle, because the sidewalks and roads are busy and it’s hard to avoid people. Sun Mee’s disorder would most likely be diagnosed as:

a.       a dissociative disorder

b.       posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

c.       a panic disorder with agoraphobia

d.       generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)

e.       a somatoform disorder

 

28.   Within a 4-week period, Latisha completely changed from being hostile and isolated to becoming warm and friendly.  Which of the following would NOT be a good explanation of this change:

a.       Her parents were killed in an airplane crash

b.       She underwent a quantum change in personality after taking a long walk

c.       She started taking a drug that affected her serotonin levels

d.       She changed her diet by reducing carbohydrates (rice and potatoes) and increasing her protein levels (more fish and red meat)

e.       She quit a job where she was under constant pressure and her boss was abusive

 

29.   Who of the following would be most likely to commit suicide?

a.       Jin, who has been suffering from generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) for 10 years

b.       Sanjay, who feels paralyzed by his collection of phobias

c.       Vishal, who has recently been hospitalized for his catatonic schizophrenia

d.       Michaela, who just married Roger and is experiencing unipolar depression

e.       Thurston, who has been suffering from bipolar depression and substance abuse

 

30.   Which of the following is FALSE about the DSM-IV?

a.       The DSM-IV requires information about patients’ early childhood experiences in order to make adequate personality classifications

b.       It is possible to classify someone as having a somatoform disorder by knowing the DSM-IV

c.       The DSM system can classify people along both Axis I and Axis II

d.       Some of the classifications in the DSM system have been influenced by political and not scientific considerations

e.       In a few years, the DSM-IV will be replaced by the DSM-V

 

31.   Remembering the Little League game in which you pitched a no-hitter and knowing what a no-hitter is are examples of what types of memory, respectively?

a.       motor; semantic

b.       motor; episodic

c.       episodic; semantic

d.       implicit; explicit

e.       implicit; semantic

 

32.   The M'Naughten rule (which is the basis of the insanity defense) focuses on:

a.       whether the accused is capable of understanding the charges against him or her.

b.       whether the accused is responsible for his or her actions.

c.       all of the other answers are true.

d.       whether the accused experienced overwhelming emotional impulses at the time of a crime.

e.       whether the accused knows right from wrong.

 

33.   According to Bayes' theorem, if you find out that someone you know got a cavity after rarely brushing his teeth, how will you change your estimate of the likelihood of getting a cavity if you decide to stop brushing?

a.       Bayes' theorem does not apply to this example.

b.       It depends on how long you intend to go without brushing.

c.       T x E = 45 x pi

d.       You will predict that it is more likely that you will get a cavity if you stop brushing.

e.       You will predict that it is less likely that you will get a cavity if you stop brushing.

 

34.   Peggy took her I.Q. test about an hour after she had taken her final exam for her Biochemistry class.  The night before, she had gotten only 3 hours of sleep because she was up studying for the Biochemistry final.  A few weeks later, Peggy gets her Biochemistry test back and learns she got an A.  She also gets her I.Q. test back, but she learns that she scored very low.  You can reassure Peggy by telling her that the I.Q. test may not be accurate.  If arguing from a measurement perspective, what reason should you give?

a.       X = T + E, where T = True ability and E = environmental enrichment.  Peggy’s test score is a combination of her true ability and how she was impacted by how enriched and stimulating her testing environment is.  She must have been tested in a dull, quiet, boring environment. 

b.       Tests are not perfect measures.  Maybe Peggy got another Peggy’s test results. 

c.       Tests are not perfect measures.  They are affected by error.  This error of measurement can be affected by things like stress and lack of sleep. 

d.       Tests are always pretty good measures of ability.  However, I.Q. tests don’t predict real world behavior or happiness, so Peggy shouldn’t care what her score is.

e.       Tests are not perfect measures.  Peggy’s may have been scored wrong.  After all, if she can earn an A in Biochemistry, she must have a high I.Q..

 

35.   If your young niece describes a person she knows as being "sort of nice" what personality approach is she using?

a.       a type approach

b.       sort of a vague theory

c.       a psychodynamic approach

d.       a trait approach

e.       a social-cognitive approach

 

36.   Mike had difficulty talking and describing pictures and events.  When watching the Longhorns score a touchdown, he might say something like, “Vince throw ball.  Guy catch.  Touchdown.”  Mike may have:

a.       damage to Broca’s area because he can only speak in short sentences.

b.       damage to Wernicke’s area because he seems to have a problem with function words.

c.       damage to the hypothalamus because he has problems remembering an event.

d.       damage to Wernicke’s area because he can only speak in short sentences.

e.       damage to Broca’s area because he seems to have a problem with function words.

 

37.   How well do patients with frontal lobe damage do in memory tasks?

a.       They do not have profound memory loss, but they do tend to forget the time sequence of events.

b.       very poorly on all memory tasks.

c.       It depends on the type of memory task:  they do well at remembering names and facts but poorly on faces and images.

d.       They do not have profound memory loss, but they do tend to forget autobiographical information.

e.       very well since competing cues often associated extreme emotions are blocked.

 

38.   Freud believed that many things that we perceive, say, and do are the result of unconscious processes.  In modern research, Freud’s belief:

a.       has been supported in the case of subliminal perception but not with free associations and “Freudian slips.”

b.       has been supported by research in cognitive psychology;  although Freud’s observations were correct, they don’t necessarily support his overarching psychodynamic theory.

c.       has been supported in some cases but not others;  the weight of evidence now proves that his general psychodynamic model is, in fact, highly accurate.

d.       is now explained by his own mental disorder of reaction formation (probably due to issues with his older cousin, Hans Fleick).

e.       has been completely discredited;  there is no evidence for subliminal perception or other unconscious processes and influence awareness.

 

39.   Nima loved chocolate.  She was hungry and craving chocolate cake.  She saw some cake in a nearby coffee shop and went to buy it.  According to Freud’s basic processes, which process is responsible for going to the coffee shop?

a.       The id because chocolate could satisfy the thanatos instinct.

b.       The id because it’s always seeking pleasure.

c.       The ego because it wants to satisfy desires.

d.       The superego because it wants what is best for self.

e.       The superego because going to the coffee shop was probably unconscious.

 

40.   Andy is taking an exam to get into graduate school.  Many of his friends are also taking the exam, and many have spent a lot of money on books and classes to prepare for the test.  Because of his beliefs about intelligence, Andy is not doing any preparation for the test.  What type of intelligence theorist is Andy most likely to be?