Introductory Psychology – Test 4

Thursday, November 16, 2006

1.	Imagine that your sister has a child who has been diagnosed with ADHD and has been told by her doctor that he will outgrow it by adulthood. Based on recent research is this a reasonable expectation?
	a.	Yes, over 80% of children diagnosed with the disorder no longer show symptoms as adults
	b.	Yes, but only if appropriate treatment is received immediately
	c.	No, since approximately 50% of children with ADHD continue to show adult symptoms
	d.	Research does not yet speak to this issue since ADHD has been studied only in children
	e.	The diagnosis of ADHD does not yet exist

2.	Imagine that Eysenck has classified one of your roommates as an extrovert and the other as an introvert. When you come into the room you slam the door very loudly, surprising them both. Who would show more physiological arousal to this event?
	a.	The extrovert would show more physiological arousal.
	b.	They would both show the same level of arousal but the extrovert would sweat more.
	c.	They would both show the same level of arousal but the introvert would be more surprised.
	d.	This personality dimension does not allow one to predict the outcome.
	e.	The introvert would show more physiological arousal.

3.	A diet strategy that makes sense from what we know about eating behavior is to
	a.	Always eat in the presence of other people.
	b.	Highly flavor the foods you eat so they are more satisfying.
	c.	Think about your favorite foods prior to eating since this will stimulate your metabolism.
	d.	Eat the same foods each day and limit their variety.
	e.	Don’t eat anything until 8pm in the evening when metabolism is at its peak.

4.	Removing some of your clothes when you get overly warm is an example of
	a.	The operation of a negative feedback system.
	b.	A fixed action pattern.
	c.	An instinct.
	d.	A drive state.
	e.	Showing off.

5.	Allegra has always been a very anxious person. When she went to a hypnotist show she was the easiest person to hypnotize. She also has been going to therapy due to issues with past sexual abuse. What kind of disorder would you predict that Allegra had?
	a.	An Eating Disorder
	b.	A Generalized Anxiety Disorder
	c.	Schizophrenia
	d.	A Dissociative Disorder
	e.	A Somatoform Disorder

6.	Meaghan has had a bad day. She is upset and irritated and is taking it out on her boyfriend, which is highly unusual since she has always been warm, giving, and kind to him and all others who know her. According to trait theory, you would say that Meaghan has a(n) personality:
	a.	Pleasant
	b.	Irritating
	c.	Aggressive
	d.	Anti-Social
	e.	Weak

7.	If you were a school administrator who was aware of the recent research on the effects of rewards on intrinsically motivated behaviors, which of the following policies would make sense?
	a.	The use of rewards should be limited to activities that students already find interesting, thereby increasing the occurrence of intrinsically motivated behaviors.
	b.	All positive behaviors should be rewarded independent of whether students appear to initially enjoy engaging in them.
	c.	The use of rewards should be minimized in the classroom.
	d.	Negative rewards should replace positive ones.
	e.	Teachers should use rewards to motivate behavior—but primarily for activities that students initially find boring or of little interest.

8.	Sandra’s parents are always telling her different things. Like dating, her mother tells her that dating lots of boys makes you popular while her father tells her that she shouldn’t date any boys because they are only after one thing. They are always disagreeing about how Sandra should behave. This can increase Sandra’s likelihood of experiencing which disorder:
	a.	Almost any psychological disorder, due to the double bind hypothesis
	b.	Obsessive Compulsive disorder, due to her need for cleansing
	c.	Unipolar Depression, due to the Diathesis Stress Model
	d.	Bipolar Depression, due to biological consideration
	e.	Panic attacks, due to the trauma of dealing with disagreeing parents

9.	Two important factors that help us achieve our goals are
	a.	Deindividuation and self-regulatory strength.
	b.	Self-efficacy and low levels of conscientiousness.
	c.	Low intrinsic motivation and high extrinsic motivation.
	d.	Low tolerance for ambiguity and high levels of individuation.
	e.	The ability to delay gratification and self-regulatory strength.

10.	Jesper is on a diet and has just been to a party where many tasty desserts were served but he managed to eat celery and carrots instead. When he arrives home his roommates have ordered in pizza and beer and offer him some. What is the likely impact of Jesper’s earlier attempts to regulate his eating at the party?
	a.	Since the party experience has increased the strength of his self-regulation ability he will turn down the pizza.
	b.	Since the ability to resist temptations of this sort is increased in familiar situations, we can expect John to reject the pizza.
	c.	Since the earlier experience has depleted the strength of his ability to self-regulate, Jesper will be more likely to eat the pizza.
	d.	Since self-regulatory strength is highly constant across social contexts, we would predict that Jesper would turn down the pizza and beer.
	e.	Since self-regulatory strength applies only to dietary forbidden foods like desserts but not savory foods like pizza, no prediction can be made based on the information given.

11.	Kai has obsessive-compulsive disorder. If you were able to get Kai to admit that his behaviors are irrational, what would happen to his obsessive and compulsive symptoms?
	a.	This is a trick question; people with OCD never admit to the irrationality of their behaviors.
	b.	His obsessions would decrease and his compulsions would increase.
	c.	His obsessions and compulsions would no longer respond to medical treatment.
	d.	His obsessions and compulsions will decrease and eventually go away, starting from the moment he realizes his behaviors are irrational.
	e.	Kai would still be unable to stop engaging in obsessive and compulsive behaviors.

12.	The forbidden thoughts experiment conducted in class showed that:
	a.	The overwhelming majority of students want to marry at least one of the professors.
	b.	Freud’s critics (who say that Freud’s theories about sex and aggression are not valid today since they arose from the Victorian era of sexual repression) are wrong.
	c.	All thoughts are sexual or aggressive in nature.
	d.	Freud’s critics (who say that Freud’s theories about the Oedipus and Electra complexes are not valid today) are wrong.
	e.	The topics of forbidden thoughts have drastically changed over the last decade.

13.	One difference between anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa is that:
	a.	Anorexics develop more interest in food, whereas bulimics lose interest in food.
	b.	Anorexia is associated with a greater decrease in body weight than bulimia.
	c.	Anorexia is considered to be an extreme form of dieting, whereas bulimia is not.
	d.	Anorexia is treatable, but bulimia is not.
	e.	Anorexia is associated with binging episodes, but bulimia is not.

14.	__________________ is to the id, as _____________ is to the ego.
	a.	Libido; aggression
	b.	Me; I
	c.	I; me
	d.	The pleasure principle; the reality principle
	e.	The basic principle; the morality principle

15.	Caleb had been diagnosed with Hebephrenic schizophrenia. His most obvious symptom is that:
	a.	He believes the radio is sending him messages
	b.	He talks like a 3 year old
	c.	He is unresponsive to others around him
	d.	He believes he is Jesus
	e.	His body becomes inflexible

16.	Giancarlo is part of an internet dating club. His personals ad reads “If you are looking for a handsome 24 yr old male stud who likes to drink beer, smoke cigars, eat new foods, make out, and enjoy the rest of the finer things in life, then congratulations baby, you have found your match. Call me -###-####.” If Freud were your dating coach, he might warn you that Giancarlo might also be:
	a.	Talkative.
	b.	Uptight.
	c.	Shizoidal.
	d.	Castrated.
	e.	Not yet potty trained.

17.	Your roommate has been involved in a motorcycle accident with consequent damage to the frontal cortex. What change in her behavior could you reasonably anticipate?
	a.	She will be easily distracted by irrelevant stimuli in the environment when trying to perform a task.
	b.	She will be less motivated to pursue her goals.
	c.	She will have more difficulty making plans.
	d.	All of the above can be consequences of such an injury.
	e.	Only b and c are consequences of damage to the frontal cortex.

18.	Which of the following would tell you that a friend is suffering from borderline personality disorder rather than antisocial personality disorder?
	a.	Overly cautious behaviors giving the impression that a sense of self is lacking.
	b.	Low IQ, lack of remorse, and negative impulses.
	c.	No sense of self and a lack of empathy.
	d.	Strong hedonistic tendencies and a lack of concern for others.
	e.	Disturbances in identity, affect, and impulse control.

19.	In a study, extremely homophobic men shown videos of homosexual sex responded with more physiological arousal than did less homophobic individuals. Your textbook suggests that this can be explained as an example of
	a.	Fixation at an early stage of development.
	b.	The id not being able to control the ego.
	c.	Reaction formation.
	d.	High uncertainty regarding your sexual identity.
	e.	The realization principle.

20.	One of your roommates comes from a small rural town and one from a large city. Does this affect their probability of ever experiencing an episode of schizophrenia?
	a.	No, genetic factors are so important in this disorder a rural versus urban environment doesn’t matter
	b.	No, rural and urban environments do not differ in the factors associate with schizophrenia
	c.	Yes, the one from the urban environment is more at risk
	d.	Yes, the one from the rural environment is at higher risk, particularly if the parents also grew up there
	e.	Yes, the one from the rural environment is at higher risk, regardless of where the parents grew up

21.	Michael can’t control his temper and gets into a lot of fights in prison, yet he still holds a very high opinion of himself because he thinks he is perfect and that the world revolves around him. Eysenck would probably say that Michael is high in:
	a.	Introversion.
	b.	Extroversion.
	c.	Sensory stimulation.
	d.	Psychoticism.
	e.	Neuroticism.

22.	Everyday since she can remember, Cynthia has been suspicious that her little brother has dipped her toothbrush in toilet water when she is asleep, and so she has always held her breath and avoided talking to anyone at all costs while walking past people to ensure that they don’t spread rumors about her having toilet breath behind her back. This may be a symptom of:
	a.	Medical student syndrome.
	b.	Confirmation bias.
	c.	Antisocial personality disorder.
	d.	Emotional-erratic personality disorder.
	e.	Paranoid personality disorder.

23.	The fourth writing assignment for this class asked for an essay describing yourself. The task highlighted how George Kelley thought about identity, and the computerized feedback results showed the most common dimensions that college students discuss in this task. Which of the following about this approach to analyzing personality is true?
	a.	Statistically, the less number of words you use to describe yourself, the more accurate the results.
	b.	The computerized word count approach produces results almost identical to the Big Five trait approach.
	c.	This technique reveals the dimensions that most college students consciously or unconsciously pay attention to when they think about themselves or others.
	d.	This technique is more accurate than humans in revealing the dimensions that most college students consciously or unconsciously pay attention to when they think about themselves or others.
	e.	Most college students think about only seven dimensions when they think about themselves or others.

24.	You are planning to live with a new roommate next academic year and would like to know how she might behave in a variety of situations. Which of the following would allow you to do that most accurately?
	a.	You ask the future roommate how she thinks she will behave.
	b.	You give her the Rorschach projective test.
	c.	You ask her mom about how she will behave.
	d.	You predict that she will behave very much like you will behave.
	e.	You ask her current acquaintances to predict how she will behave.

25.	Natisha is very high in achievement orientation. According to your textbook, she is likely to let _________________ interfere with success in some occupations.
	a.	Emotional response to failure, which tends to be anger.
	b.	Inclination to complain and blame others when things go badly.
	c.	Proclivity to set goals that are too high.
	d.	Inability to delegate responsibility to others.
	e.	Inability to empathize with others.

26.	Which of the following species is likely to decrease the most in conscientiousness with damage to the frontal lobe?
	a.	Chimps, since they are genetically most similar to humans, and the only other species to display conscientiousness.
	b.	Orangutans, since unlike humans, the brain area for conscientiousness is located in the temporal lobe instead of the frontal lobe.
	c.	Hyenas, since they are the only other species to have more dominant females than males, which is achieved by the conscientiousness of females.
	d.	Gorillas, since they are genetically most similar to humans, and the only other species to have innate conscientiousness.
	e.	Bonobo monkeys, since they are the only other species to have language, and therefore display conscientiousness.

27.	You are a psychologist at a local retirement home. You look at the personality profiles of when residents entered the home (at an average age of about 55 years old) to when they left the retirement home (at an average age of about 70 years old). You find that the personality profiles for each person are remarkably similar over time. According to research on personality and aging, a plausible explanation for the high observed stability in personality for older people is that:
	a.	The highly stable environment for the elderly contributes to stability in personality.
	b.	Grandchildren have a major impact on the personalities of older individuals.
	c.	The residents’ personalities are not actually very stable; people’s belief that personality is stable in old age leads people to assume consistency with little behavioral evidence.
	d.	Stereotypes of the elderly play a major role in the personalities of this age group.
	e.	Cognitive deficits that come with old age don’t allow people over the age of 50 to register any changes in personality.

28.	Your friend John has just joined a dating service. The dating service sends John 20 pictures a month and he can choose his next date based only on her picture, not on any personality scales etc. He thinks this is a great way to find a date. You tell him that according to research on the Big 5, he will
	a.	Be able to find his soul mate with this approach
	b.	Be able to guess if she is Extraverted and Conscientious
	c.	Be extremely disappointed that none of his assumptions about the girl he picks are right
	d.	Be able to tell if the girl is Agreeable
	e.	Be able to discern how Neurotic the girl is

29.	Richard has been warning his wife and colleagues that he is unlikely to get the job that he really wants, even though the interviewer just told him that he is well qualified, a good fit for the company, and will receive one final follow-up interview, which he is dreading. Norem and Cantor would say that he is displaying a social-cognitive personality style called:
	a.	Introversion.
	b.	The Electra complex.
	c.	Unconditional positive regard.
	d.	Unstable self-esteem.
	e.	Defensive pessimism.

30.	Factor analysis is useful to a psychologist pursuing a trait approach to personality because it allows him or her to
	a.	Separate real traits from imaginary traits.
	b.	Group similar traits together.
	c.	Identify the causal factor behind each trait.
	d.	Increase the total number of traits that will be used to describe a person after they have filled out a questionnaire.
	e.	Determine the number of items that were on a questionnaire.

31.	In terms of defining what constitutes psychopathology, clinical psychologists are concerned with _____________, and legal professionals are concerned with _________.
	a.	Rehabilitation; treatment.
	b.	The specific form of illness; whether the person is or is not psychopathological.
	c.	Broad personality categories; physical health symptoms.
	d.	Personal irresponsibility; psychological responsibility.
	e.	Making money from the criminals; making money from the victims.

32.	Your psychology teacher is studying the personalities of the students in the class and asks everyone to fill out a personality trait questionnaire so that he can make comparisons between your personality and your classmates’ personalities, and between your classmates’ personalities and that of other Americans. Your teacher is using a (n) _____ approach.
	a.	Nomothetic
	b.	Psychodynamic
	c.	Idiographic
	d.	Projective
	e.	Positive psychology

33.	Rosa was terribly anxious when she started her first day at college. According to research on Social Comparison Theory, she wanted to be around other people probably because
	a.	It would have allowed her to assess whether the anxiety was an appropriate response.
	b.	The presence of others would have distracted her from whatever was causing her anxiety.
	c.	The presence of other people would have reduced her responsibility for whatever would happen that day.
	d.	She is a narcissist, and narcissists always look for other people to seek compliments.
	e.	She likes extroverted people.

34.	Imagine that you have a twin who has just been diagnosed with major depression. Are your chances of showing symptoms of this disorder affected by whether he or she is an identical or a fraternal twin?
	a.	No, both types of twins have equal susceptibility rates.
	b.	Yes, your chances are much greater if you are an identical twin.
	c.	It all depends upon whether you have other relatives who have also experienced depression.
	d.	It all depends on whether you are a male or a female.
	e.	It all depends on whether you were raised together or apart.

35.	Lulu visits two therapists to treat a single psychological problem. Regarding Lulu’s condition, Dr. Omberg starts the therapy session by saying “The lack of a strong welfare system and lack of family values taught to today’s youth is at the root of your problem.” On the other hand, Dr. Oostenhauser starts his session by saying, “The problem lies deep within. Tell me about your childhood.” Dr. Omberg probably has a __________ approach, whereas Dr. Oostenhauser probably has a ____________________ approach.
	a.	Communist; capitalist
	b.	Projective; defensive
	c.	Axis II; Axis I
	d.	Humanistic; psychodynamic
	e.	Antisocial; psychopathic

36.	Your friend Craig has just been diagnosed with a Personality Disorder. He is freaking out wondering if he will ever be a normal person again. You tell him:
	a.	He doesn’t need to seek treatment because he will be fine
	b.	His disorder is caused by a physical illness and that it can be treated with medicine
	c.	His anxiety suggests that he has borderline personality disorder which, compared to Axis I disorders, makes him fairly normal
	d.	That psychotherapy will help reduce the symptoms of his disorder but not completely eliminate it
	e.	That his paranoia is caused by issues with women

37.	Shortly after hyperventilating because of over-exertion you experience a panic attack. Research would suggest that
	a.	Other individuals in your family have probably suffered panic attacks
	b.	The attack was induced by low levels of carbon dioxide in your blood
	c.	Your panic attack is probably a learned response to stress
	d.	You are at a greatly reduced risk for suffering agoraphobic disorder at any time in your life
	e.	You shouldn’t exercise anymore

38.	Amarita goes back to her apartment several times a day to be sure the door is locked. She also edits her essays over and over and over again before submitting them even though she knows are probably no spelling errors. These are symptoms of
	a.	Generalized anxiety disorder.
	b.	Agoraphobia.
	c.	Obsessive-compulsive disorder.
	d.	Panic disorder.
	e.	Panic attack.

39.	You go to a costume party where no one can guess your identity. During the evening you commit a bad social faux pas by spilling your drink on another guest. The concept of deindividuation would predict that you would
	a.	Feel terrible about what you did and ruminate about it for days.
	b.	Identify yourself immediately and apologize profusely.
	c.	Blame it on someone else.
	d.	Not view it as a negative act on your part.
	e.	Think someone else caused you to spill your drink.

40.	___________ is to depression, as __________ is to schizophrenia.
	a.	Serotonin; dopamine
	b.	Neurotransmitters; hormones
	c.	Family; genetics
	d.	Hormones; immune functioning
	e.	Heart attacks; heart disease

41.	Jamarcus has just adopted a golden retriever from Town Lake Animal Shelter. He tells you that his dog is the smartest and friendliest dog he has ever seen. According to research on animal personality, you tell him:
	a.	Dogs don’t have personalities
	b.	He is projecting human traits onto animals, even though it is not possible for animals to have traits that humans have.
	c.	His dog is smart and friendly
	d.	His dog is only expressing learned behaviors
	e.	That he should have gotten some guppies because they are the only animals that have personality

42.	Sammy’s apartment is set up for a big party. In the living room, he has lots of mirrors and bright lights while the den has no mirrors and is relatively dark. During the party, he notices that people display much less inhibited behavior in the den than in the living room. A psychologist might explain this difference by noting that the two locations result in different levels of
	a.	Helplessness.
	b.	Self-awareness.
	c.	Defense mechanisms.
	d.	Homeostasis.
	e.	Sensation-seeking.

43.	Jensen gets back at his ex-girlfriend, Sally, by spreading a rumor that she has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, even though Sally does not have bipolar disorder. According to David Rosenham’s study of sane researchers in insane places, what might we expect the effect of Jensen’s rumor to be?
	a.	Sally will be sent to a mental institution for a really long time since Rosenham’s researchers were never released.
	b.	People who heard the rumor will perceive Sally’s behavior to be more manic or more depressive than it really is, since the impact of the bipolar disorder label itself is strong.
	c.	Sally will develop bipolar disorder, since Rosenham’s researchers eventually contracted the disorder that they had been diagnosed with.
	d.	Sally will develop auditory hallucinations, since Rosenham’s researchers all reported having auditory hallucinations.
	e.	People who heard the rumor will perceive Sally to be the same as always, since the impact of the bipolar disorder label itself does not affect perceptions in the absence of true bipolar behavior.

44.	Paulo loves to be around people and bases his self-importance on how many friends he has and how popular he is. According to George Kelley’s research on central traits, Paulo sees himself along which of the following dimensions:
	a.	Social Connections
	b.	Achievement Striving
	c.	Physical Appearance
	d.	Optimistic Orientation
	e.	Negative Concerns

45.	Josie tried several times to ask boys to go out on dates with her in high school. Each time, she was rejected. Josie is now in college, and does not bother to ask guys out anymore, even if they show a little bit of romantic interest. Josie is probably experiencing:
	a.	Schizophrenia
	b.	Moody personality disorder.
	c.	Antisocial personality disorder.
	d.	Borderline personality disorder.
	e.	Learned helplessness.

ANSWERS

1. c

2. e

3. d

4. a

5. d

6. a

7. e

8. a

9. e

10. c

11. e

12. b

13. b

14. d

15. b

16. a

17. d

18. e

19. c

20. c

21. d

22. e

23. c

24. e

25. d

26. a

27. a

28. b

29. e

30. b

31. b

32. a

33. a

34. b

35. d

36. d

37. a

38. c

39. d

40. a

41. c

42. b

43. b

44. a

45. e