Introductory Psychology (PSY301, 2:00-3:330PM) – Test 1

Thursday, September 18, 2008

 

1.         In a study, mothers drop their kids off alone in a room, and the experimenter watches to see how the child responds.  The first child in his study is visibly upset when the mother is gone.  What would be the BEST conclusion about this child based on this experiment?

a.

The child is securely attached.

b.

The child is anxiously attached.

c.

The child is avoidantly attached.

d.

The child might be securely or anxiously attached, but more data is needed to make a classification.

e.

The child has a disorganized attachment. 

 

 

2.         John has a fear of water, but his friends convince him to try swimming at the pool one day.  As he approaches the pool, his heart begins to pound faster and faster.  Which of the following best describes what is happening?

a.

John's central nervous system has activated his sympathetic nervous system.

b.

John's central nervous system has activated his parasympathetic nervous system.

c.

John's somatic system has activated his central nervous system.

d.

John's sympathetic nervous system has activated his central nervous system.

e.

John's sympathetic nervous system has activated his nonsympathetic nervous system.

 

 

 

        3. Alfredo has a mental condition that has never been seen by doctors before.  His doctor runs many tests on him, and after watching his condition develop for many years finally comes up with a new diagnosis called “Longhorneosis”.  Which of the following medical journal titles would BEST describe the doctor’s study of Alfredo?

a.

Longhorneosis: A Case Study with Alfredo

b.

Longhorneosis: Drug Testing with Alfredo

c.

Longhorneosis: A Questionnaire Study with Alfredo

d.

Longhorneosis: An Experimental Design with Alfredo

e.

Longhorneosis: Not a Disease, A Normal Way of Life  

 

 

 

4.         A correlation between physical attractiveness and dating frequency of +0.60 would indicate that:

a.

greater physical attractiveness causes increased dating frequency.

b.

more frequent dating is associated with lower levels of physical attractiveness.

c.

it is impossible to predict levels of physical attractiveness based on knowledge of dating frequency.

d.

less frequent dating is associated with lower levels of physical attractiveness.

e.

 physical attractiveness is not at all related to dating frequency.

 

 

 


5.         After Charlie's serious motorcycle accident, doctors detected damage to his cerebellum. Charlie is most likely to have difficulty:

a.

reading printed words.

b.

understanding what others are saying.

c.

playing his guitar.

d.

tasting the flavors of foods.

e.

solving math problems.

 

 

 

6.         At the age of 22, Claire was less than 4 feet tall. Her short stature was probably influenced by the lack of a growth hormone produced by the:

a.

pancreas.

d.

cerebellum.

b.

thyroid.

e.

pituitary gland.

c.

adrenal gland.

 

 

 

7.         Hamad has just played a long, bruising football game but feels little fatigue or discomfort. His lack of pain is most likely caused by the release of:

a.

glutamate.

b.

dopamine.

c.

acetylcholine.

d.

endorphins.

e.

medulla.

 

 

 

8.         Which of the following is the best evidence that genes are linked to depression?

a.

Recent research showing that adults can re-grow neurons. 

b.

The case study of Tan.

c.

Charles Whitman, the 1966 UT tower sniper. 

d.

Cross fostering design studies.

e.

Serotonin allele studies.

 

 

 

9.         Caesar has been in an accident where he has become extremely impulsive.  He has also lost sensation in his right foot.  What lobes were likely damaged?

a.

Frontal and Parietal

d.

Occipital and Parietal

b.

Frontal and Temporal

e.

Pizzalipital and Temporal

c.

Parietal and Temporal

 

 

 

10.       The writing assignment was described as a stream of consciousness experience for all of the following reasons EXCEPT:

a.

Even though all sorts of brain and bodily processes are going on at the same time, people usually are able to focus on just one at a time. 

b.

We only partially control what we experience. 

c.

Our thoughts are continuous. 

d.

Our minds can jump from idea to idea very quickly. 

e.

The longer we write, the less complex our thoughts are.  

 

 


11.       Professor Saxton was skeptical about the accuracy of recently reported research on sleep deprivation. Which process would best enable her to assess the reliability of these findings?

a.

naturalistic observation

d.

the case study

b.

replication

e.

hindsight bias

c.

random sampling

 

 

 

12.       Dr. Shepard conducts basic research on the relationship between adults' language skills and their capacity to solve mathematical problems. Dr. Shepard is most likely a(n) ________ psychologist.

a.

cognitive

d.

social

b.

biological

e.

evolutionary

c.

clinical

 

 

 

 

13.       The homunculus theory states that an actual, tiny person inside each person’s head directs behavior.  The mind-body theory states that consciousness is controlled by a force outside of the physical world.  According to the criteria from lecture, which theory might a psychologist call a “good theory”?

a.

Mind-body theory because it has an operational definition.

b.

Homunculus theory because it makes a falsifiable prediction.

c.

Neither theory because both are actually false.

d.

Homunculus theory because it is more complex. 

e.

The mind-body theory because it’s simpler. 

 

 

 

14.       Bill implanted an electrode in a mouse’s brain but he wasn’t quite sure which part of the brain it stimulated. Every time Bill activated the electrode, the mouse fell asleep. Bill’s electrode is probably stimulating:

a.

the reticular formation

d.

the hippocampus

b.

the frontal lobe

e.

the visual cortex

c.

the temporal lobe

 

 

 

15.       Which of the following situations would cause the most amygdala activation?

a.

Ramona takes a nap. 

b.

Felix, who has always had good experiences with dogs, hears a dog barking loudly. 

c.

Debra, who enjoys the smell of cigarettes, smells a cigarette from far away. 

d.

Billy, who hates ketchup, hears a dog barking loudly.

e.

Rodrigo, who had a traumatic experience with a dog as a child, sees a dog growling.

 

 

16.       If a professor accused you of cheating on a test, your adrenal glands would probably release ________ into your bloodstream.

a.

endorphins

d.

insulin

b.

acetylcholine

e.

testosterone

c.

epinephrine

 

 

 


17.       An awareness that children's temperaments influence parents' child-rearing practices should stop us from:

a.

emphasizing the interaction of nature and nurture.

b.

assessing the stability of personality traits.

c.

blaming parents for our own dysfunctional characteristics.

d.

identifying cultural differences in child-rearing practices.

e.

seeking a therapist.

 

 

 

18.       Professor Mackey suggested that a cautious attitude toward sexual encounters has proven to be more reproductively advantageous to women than to men because the birth process is time-consuming. This suggestion best illustrates the logic of a(n) ________ theory of sexual behavior.

a.

behavior genetics

d.

gender schema

b.

social learning

e.

evolutionary

c.

Freudian

 

 

 

 

19.       If a genetically based attraction to beautiful people contributes to survival, that trait will likely be passed on to subsequent generations. This best illustrates:

a.

gender typing.

d.

mutation.

b.

natural selection.

e.

collectivism.

c.

behavior genetics.

 

 

 

 

20.       Cornelius has been diagnosed as being clinically depressed and suicidal.  He had a happy childhood and hasn’t had any stressful life events.  According to lecture what is the likely makeup of the alleles on one of the genes regulating his serotonin levels?

a.

Both short

b.

One long, one short allele

c.

Both long

d.

One short, one missing

e.

One long, one missing

 

 

 

21.       In order to assess the influence of self-esteem on interpersonal attraction, researchers either insulted or complimented college students about their physical appearance just before they went on a blind date. In this research, the dependent variable consisted of:

a.

insults or compliments.

d.

feelings of self-esteem.

b.

physical appearance.

e.

interpersonal attraction.

c.

the researchers.

 

 

 

22.       In lecture Dr. Pennebaker discussed how early childhood traumas are related to numerous negative outcomes later on in life.  Which of the following has recent research shown?

a.

Genes significantly interact with abusive early life experiences to predict later outcomes. 

b.

Attachment with one’s mother does not predict abuse. 

c.

Self-esteem is not linked to attachment. 

d.

Cross-fostering is more prevalent after childhood traumas. 

e.

Mood disorders are unrelated to early traumas.  

 

 

23.       According to a recent UT study, 44% of students blackout from drinking on their 21st birthday.  According to lecture, what happens in the brain to cause blackouts?

a.

The amygdala is unable to link an emotion to the incoming memories.

b.

The hypothalamus is unable to retrieve recently saved memories. 

c.

The hippocampus is unable to help save new memories.

d.

The hypothalamus is unable to process incoming information. 

e.

The brain is turned off and thinking is processed elsewhere in the body. 

 

 

 

24.       Gertrude just learned a new hand technique for the piano that has completely reorganized the way she thinks about music.  What process has Gertrude undergone according to Piaget?

a.

Schematization of her concrete operations

d.

Concrete learning of her formal operations

b.

Accommodation of her piano playing schema

e.

Conditional learning

c.

Perpetuation of her operational definition

 

 

 

25.       Yolanda believes that no one should assassinate a brutal dictator because murdering is against the law.  Which moral stage would Kohlberg classify Yolanda as being in and why?

a.

Conventional because her reasoning is based on complying with the law.

b.

Conventional because murdering a dictator is really a noble act. 

c.

Preconventional because her reasoning is based a social contract orientation.

d.

Preconventional because her reasoning is based on wanting to avoid personal. punishment.

e.

Post-conventional because Obama and McCain won the nominations. 

 

 

 

26.       Lie detector tests are unreliable because:

a.

The test rarely finds truly guilty people guilty.<