5 Steps to a 5 AP Psychology, 2014-2015 Edition (2013)
STEP 2. Determine Your Test Readiness
Chapter 3. Take a Diagnostic Exam
IN THIS CHAPTER
Summary: Get started in your review by answering the questions in the diagnostic exam. Use the answer sheet to record your answers. After you’ve finished answering the questions, check your answers in the answer key. The review chapter to which the question applies is indicated at the beginning of each answer in the key. Your results should give you a good idea of how well you’re prepared for the AP exam at this time. Follow the directions regarding scoring and interpretation. If you get all of the questions right, pass this book on to someone who needs it! Note those chapters that you need to study the most, and spend more time on them. Ready, set, go!
Key Ideas
Practice the kind of multiple-choice questions you will be asked on the AP Psychology exam.
Answer questions that approximate the coverage of topics on the real exam.
Check your work against the given answers.
Determine your areas of strength and weakness.
Identify and mark the pages to which you must give special attention.
Diagnostic Exam in AP Psychology
ANSWER SHEET
The Diagnostic/Master Exam
SECTION I
Time—49 minutes
70 Questions
Directions: Each of the questions or incomplete statements below is followed by five suggested answers or completions. Select the one that is best in each case and then fill in the corresponding oval on the answer sheet.
1. The evolutionary approach emphasizes changes in behavior
(A) resulting from cloning
(B) resulting from changes in chromosome number
(C) on the species level
(D) within cultural groups
(E) that show how behavior of monkeys compares to behavior of people
2. Which approach emphasizes the nature of people to maximize their own potential?
(A) biological
(B) behavioral
(C) cognitive
(D) humanistic
(E) sociocultural
3. Which of the following psychologists is best trained to treat people with schizophrenia?
(A) counseling
(B) clinical
(C) developmental
(D) psychometric
(E) health
4. As part of a research study, Sanjay is asked to fill out a 30-question form about his study habits. Which of the following research methods does this characterize?
(A) controlled experiment
(B) quasi-experiment
(C) naturalistic observation
(D) survey
(E) clinical
5. Why can’t a controlled experiment be designed to answer the question, “Do boys have higher self-esteem than girls?”
(A) Random selection is not possible.
(B) Random assignment is not possible.
(C) A population cannot be defined.
(D) Self-esteem cannot be operationalized.
(E) Informed consent cannot be obtained.
6. Which of the following graphs would best picture correlational data about the relationship between scores on the first psychology test and final exam in psychology for Mr. Sochet’s third-period class?
(A) a frequency polygon
(B) a histogram
(C) a line graph
(D) a box plot
(E) a scatterplot
7. Which of the following is the same for these two sets of data?
Set 1: 1, 7, 5, 9, 3
Set 2: 2, 5, 6, 5, 7
I. mean
II. median
III. mode
(A) I only
(B) II only
(C) III only
(D) I and II only
(E) I, II, III
8. Which measure of variability provides the most meaningful information about the following set of scores?
Set of scores: 12, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 17, 32
(A) mean
(B) median
(C) mode
(D) range
(E) standard deviation
9. Which of the following technologies enables psychologists to visualize brain function?
(A) EEG and EKG
(B) CAT and MRI
(C) EKG and PET
(D) PET and CAT
(E) fMRI and PET
10. Which of the following nervous systems work in opposition to each other?
(A) central and peripheral
(B) somatic and autonomic
(C) sympathetic and parasympathetic
(D) central and sympathetic
(E) somatic and peripheral
11. The unit of structure and function of the human nervous system is the
(A) neuron
(B) nerve
(C) axon
(D) reflex arc
(E) brain
12. Hormones most closely associated with stress are produced by the
(A) thyroid
(B) parathyroids
(C) pineal
(D) adrenals
(E) thalamus
13. The part of the brain most closely associated with regulation of hunger, thirst, and body temperature is the
(A) left frontal lobe
(B) right frontal lobe
(C) amygdala
(D) cerebellum
(E) hypothalamus
14. As a result of injury to her brain, Starla no longer can understand what people say to her, although she hears them. The region of the cerebral cortex most likely injured is her
(A) left temporal lobe
(B) left frontal lobe
(C) right frontal lobe
(D) right parietal lobe
(E) right occipital lobe
15. Chemical energy is transduced to the electrochemical energy of neural impulses at the
(A) cochlea
(B) retina
(C) olfactory mucosa
(D) semi-circular canals
(E) ganglion cells
16. Damage to the hammer, anvil, and stirrup can result in
(A) conduction deafness
(B) sensorineural deafness
(C) blindness
(D) color blindness
(E) loss in taste sensation
17. Although Hannah could barely hear the person on the other side of Maya whisper, Maya couldn’t hear him at all. For hearing, compared to Maya, Hannah has a
(A) lower absolute threshold
(B) lower difference threshold
(C) higher absolute threshold
(D) higher difference threshold
(E) lower tolerance
18. If you stand on one foot and close your eyes, which of the following senses prevents you from falling?
(A) gustatory
(B) olfactory
(C) kinesthetic
(D) somatosensory
(E) visual
19. Which depth cue best explains that we are able to perceive a tall building to be in front of hills about a mile away?
(A) interposition
(B) texture gradient
(C) retinal disparity
(D) convergence
(E) the phi phenomenon
20. Alpha and beta waves are characteristic of
(A) conscious awareness
(B) stage 2 sleep
(C) stage 3 sleep
(D) stage 4 sleep
(E) REM sleep
21. Monitoring by a hidden observer provides evidence for which theory of hypnosis?
(A) dissociation
(B) state
(C) diathesis-stress
(D) place
(E) activation-synthesis
22. Which of the following are stimulants?
(A) methamphetamine and codeine
(B) caffeine and morphine
(C) nicotine and cocaine
(D) alcohol and benzedrine
(E) marijuana and LSD
23. Which of the following is the result of learning?
(A) Salmon swim upstream in order to spawn.
(B) A neonate cries immediately after birth.
(C) A man blinks when a puff of air is blown into his eyes.
(D) A boy cringes when he sees lightning.
(E) A girl falls asleep when she feels tired.
24. In classical conditioning, between what two factors is a new association formed?
(A) reinforcer and unconditioned stimulus
(B) reinforcer and unconditioned response
(C) reinforcer and conditioned response
(D) unconditioned stimulus and conditioned stimulus
(E) unconditioned stimulus and unconditioned response
25. Although the pigeon was trained to peck at a yellow light, it pecks at green, red, and orange lights too. This behavior indicates the pecking behavior has been
(A) discriminated
(B) generalized
(C) extinguished
(D) spontaneously recovered
(E) punished
26. When alarms on timers started going off in the back of the classroom, students were distracted, but the teacher continued lecturing. As more alarms went off, one student got up, and the teacher nodded. The student walked toward the back of the room, and the teacher nodded. The student turned the alarms off, and the teacher thanked him. What operant conditioning process does this best illustrate?
(A) shaping
(B) generalization
(C) discrimination
(D) extinction
(E) omission training
27. After Tom’s parents told him not to take his father’s car to the movies, he did anyway. As a result, his parents took away Tom’s car keys and told him he was not permitted to drive for a month. Taking away the car keys and not letting Tom drive for a month exemplifies
(A) positive reinforcement
(B) positive punishment
(C) negative reinforcement
(D) omission training
(E) insight learning
28. JoBeth watched her mother cook dinner, then went to her room, made believe she was cooking the same dinner, and served it to her stuffed toys. JoBeth learned to cook and serve like her mother by
(A) insight learning
(B) classical conditioning
(C) operant conditioning
(D) observational learning
(E) maturation
29. In describing a ball that is both red and big, we say, “Big red ball,” rather than, “Red big ball,” in the English language. Such a rule about word order is a specific rule of
(A) grammar
(B) syntax
(C) semantics
(D) spelling
(E) deep structure
30. Ralph thinks senior citizens are the ones who back up traffic on parkway entrance ramps because senior citizens are hesitant drivers. Every time he sees lots of cars waiting to enter the parkway, he looks to see who is driving the front car. If a senior citizen is in the driver’s seat, he points it out to passengers in his car. Ralph is evidencing
(A) confirmation bias
(B) hindsight bias
(C) groupthink
(D) the availability heuristic
(E) the representativeness heuristic
31. Jho remembers which wavelengths of light are shorter than others by recalling ROYGBIV. ROYGBIV is an example of
(A) a mnemonic device
(B) the method of loci
(C) the self-reference effect
(D) constructive memory
(E) the representativeness heuristic
32. Knowing how to ride a bicycle is stored in which of our memory subsystems?
(A) explicit
(B) implicit
(C) semantic
(D) episodic
(E) declarative
33. Rather than taking the time to check the dictionary, Vinny used “i before e, except after c” to decide the spelling of “niether” (sic). To solve his spelling problem, Vinny applied
(A) Weber’s law
(B) an algorithm
(C) the law of effect
(D) the misinformation effect
(E) a heuristic
34. After hearing this list of words, “Night, snore, bed, tired, pillow, dark, yawn, blanket, toss, turn,” subjects were asked to write the words they heard. They frequently included the word sleep. This illustrates
(A) source amnesia
(B) procedural memory
(C) constructive memory
(D) retroactive interference
(E) proactive interference
35. According to the drive reduction theory, the aim of drive reduction is
(A) raising motivation
(B) homeostasis
(C) incentive
(D) to maintain a tension state
(E) to increase arousal
36. After Madison got home from the buffet (at which she stuffed herself), she went to the bathroom and made herself throw up. She does this every time she binges on food. She thinks about food a lot, craves chocolate, and would be considered of average weight. Madison is most likely suffering from
(A) anorexia nervosa
(B) bulimia nervosa
(C) set point depression
(D) dysmenorrhea
(E) type A behavior
37. Physiological arousal, expressive behaviors, and conscious experience best characterize
(A) the two factor theory
(B) motives
(C) incentives
(D) drives
(E) emotions
38. Physiological arousal is characterized by which of the following?
(A) contracted pupils and increased perspiration
(B) slowed digestion and accelerated heartbeat
(C) increased respiration and increased salivation
(D) contracted pupils and increased heartbeat
(E) dilated pupils and speeded digestion
39. Of the following, which means of communication is the most universal?
(A) English language
(B) hand gestures
(C) facial expressions
(D) vocal intonation
(E) bowing
40. A person with X, X, and Y sex chromosomes must be
(A) heterosexual
(B) homosexual
(C) bisexual
(D) male
(E) female
41. According to Lev Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory, the upper limit of a child’s zone of proximal development is the level at which the child can
(A) solve a problem only with the help of a skilled instructor
(B) solve a difficult problem working alone
(C) recognize that the volume of a liquid stays the same whether it is in a tall, narrow container or short, wide container
(D) use metacognitive skills to solve a problem
(E) perform logical deductions
42. Chemicals that cause birth defects are
(A) morphogenic
(B) homophobic
(C) homeostatic
(D) teratogenic
(E) pathogenic
43. Which controversy deals with the question of whether development is a gradual, cumulative change or a sequence of distinct stages?
(A) nature versus nurture
(B) continuity versus discontinuity
(C) stability versus change
(D) evolution versus creationism
(E) individualism versus collectivism
44. Darren is a happily married man who is a successful nursery school teacher. According to traditionalists, he has adopted the wrong
(A) gender
(B) gender identity
(C) gender role
(D) sex
(E) sexual orientation
45. Freud’s personality construct that contains psychic energy to power all personality systems and is guided by the pleasure principle is the
(A) id
(B) ego
(C) superego
(D) libido
(E) collective unconscious
46. After Rowena’s boyfriend broke up with her, Rowena had a hot fudge sundae with four scoops of ice cream and whipped cream on top. Which defense mechanism does this exemplify?
(A) projection
(B) rationalization
(C) reaction formation
(D) regression
(E) displacement
47. Aurora enjoys playing with her young nieces and nephews because they always laugh and tell her how much fun she is. So Aurora goes out of her way to visit them. Her behavior is best explained by
(A) Sternberg’s triarchic theory
(B) Gardner’s multiple intelligences theory
(C) Hering’s opponent process theory
(D) the halo effect
(E) Bandura’s reciprocal determinism theory
48. Rolf is very reserved, is inner-directed, would rather be alone than with lots of people, rarely displays emotions, and is level-headed in an emergency. On Hans Eysenck’s dimensions of personality, Rolf would be
(A) high on extroversion and high on psychoticism
(B) high on neuroticism and high on psychoticism
(C) high on extroversion and low on neuroticism
(D) low on extroversion and high on neuroticism
(E) low on extroversion and low on neuroticism
49. The Rorschach inkblot test is
(A) a personality inventory
(B) used to fingerprint suspects
(C) an aptitude test
(D) an achievement test
(E) a projective personality test
50. In a normal distribution
(A) the range is always the same
(B) the standard deviation is equal to the range
(C) the standard deviation equals about 34%
(D) the median is equal to the mode
(E) the mean is equal to the standard deviation
51. Peter Salovey and John Mayer’s concept of emotional intelligence is most similar to which of Howard Gardner’s intelligences?
(A) analytic and practical
(B) naturalist and existential
(C) interpersonal and intrapersonal
(D) bodily/kinesthetic and verbal/linguistic
(E) spatial and logical
52. All good achievement tests should have
I. content validity
II. predictive validity
III. reliability
(A) I only
(B) II only
(C) III only
(D) I and III only
(E) I, II, and III
53. All polar bears appear to have a white coat at birth. In warmer climates about 25% appear to have yellow or green coats as they age because of algae growing on them. The heritability of the white coat phenotype is
(A) 0%
(B) 25%
(C) 50%
(D) 75%
(E) 100%
54. According to Claude Steele, self-fulfilling prophecy might account for the poorer performance of African Americans on intelligence tests and girls on mathematics achievement tests because of
(A) generalized anxiety disorder
(B) stereotype threat
(C) neuroticism
(D) the primacy effect
(E) psychological profiling
55. Although your friend thinks there is nothing wrong with her, you are concerned with her behavior of unplugging every electrical item in her house every time she leaves, including all lamps, radios, the television, toaster, clocks, and telephones. Her behavior might be considered abnormal because
(A) she doesn’t know right from wrong
(B) it is atypical and violates cultural norms
(C) she thinks it interferes with her everyday life
(D) it is insane
(E) it is dangerous
56. Which of the following perspectives attributes abnormal behavior to failure to resolve unconscious conflicts?
(A) biological
(B) behavioral
(C) psychoanalytic
(D) humanistic
(E) evolutionary
57. Narcissistic personality disorder is characterized by
(A) unwarranted suspiciousness and mistrust of other people
(B) lack of interest in social relationships
(C) a grandiose sense of one’s own importance
(D) instability revolving around problems of mood and thought processes
(E) pleasure-seeking, shallow feelings, lack of conscience
58. David thought he heard a dog telling him to kill people. Hearing the dog talking is an example of
(A) a hallucination
(B) a delusion
(C) inappropriate affect
(D) incoherent speech
(E) palsy
59. The American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR)
(A) is meant to be used by psychiatrists, but not psychologists
(B) describes the causes of a variety of mental disorders
(C) explains why homosexuality should be considered a mental disorder
(D) contains case illustrations to help diagnosticians identify a client’s disorder
(E) defines categories of mental disorders in terms of symptoms
60. Which is a behavioral therapy that has proven successful in treating phobias?
(A) electroconvulsive shock treatment
(B) group therapy
(C) psychosurgery
(D) systematic desensitization
(E) rational emotive therapy
61. Psychoanalytic therapy and humanistic therapy differ in that psychoanalytic therapy focuses on
(A) the present, and humanistic therapy focuses on the future
(B) subconscious and preconscious thoughts, and humanistic therapy focuses on conscious thoughts
(C) curing illness, and humanistic therapy focuses on preventing illness
(D) fixations, and humanistic therapy focuses on insight
(E) probing past feelings, and humanistic therapy focuses on exploring feelings as they occur
62. Clients who drink too much alcohol are sometimes treated with a drug that causes nausea if the client consumes alcohol. This type of therapy is known as
(A) systematic desensitization
(B) progressive relaxation
(C) client centered therapy
(D) aversive conditioning
(E) psychodynamic therapy
63. Light therapy, consisting of exposure to bright light in the morning, has been successful in relieving symptoms of
(A) dissociative amnesia
(B) seasonal affective disorder
(C) disorganized schizophrenia
(D) obsessive-compulsive disorder
(E) Alzheimer’s disease
64. Prozac, Zoloft, and Paxil help elevate mood by
(A) increasing the availability of serotonin to post synaptic neurons
(B) decreasing the availability of norepinephrine to post synaptic neurons
(C) facilitating reuptake of serotonin
(D) acting as agonists of dopamine
(E) preventing reuptake of dopamine
65. A college professor asked a biology teacher to let a college student observe her teaching for one period. After the student observed the teacher, the professor asked the teacher to accept the student as a student teacher for 10 weeks. She agreed. The strategy the professor used to get the teacher to agree is called
(A) cognitive dissonance
(B) foot-in-the-door phenomenon
(C) obedience to authority
(D) normative social influence
(E) conformity
66. As part of each lab, Ms. Geraci requires her students to wash their glassware so it is clean for the next class. She has found that the glassware is cleaner when students wash it in full view of their classmates. This is best explained by
(A) deindividuation
(B) the mere exposure effect
(C) social facilitation
(D) social loafing
(E) superordinate goals
67. In Heartsaver AED training, the American Heart Association teaches rescuers to direct specific people standing around the victim to do specific jobs, such as calling 911. Directing specific people to perform these jobs prevents
(A) the victim from dying
(B) people from feeling scared
(C) group polarization
(D) the bystander effect
(E) a social trap
68. According to group polarization studies, after Mary and Marie (who are strongly in favor of the death penalty) discuss the issue with Lisa and Liza (who are strongly opposed to the death penalty), it is likely that
(A) all of them will be more strongly in favor of the death penalty
(B) all of them will be more strongly opposed to the death penalty
(C) Mary and Marie will be more strongly in favor of the death penalty than before, and Lisa and Liza will be more strongly opposed to the death penalty than before
(D) Mary and Marie will be less strongly in favor of the death penalty, and Lisa and Liza will be less strongly opposed to the death penalty
(E) Mary and Marie will be opposed to the death penalty, and Lisa and Liza will be in favor of the death penalty
69. The field of psychology that examines how the behavior and subjective experiences of individuals are influenced by other people is
(A) sociobiology
(B) sociology
(C) social psychology
(D) social anthropology
(E) psychopathology
70. According to evolutionary psychologists, in making a decision to help in life-or-death situations, most people will choose to help
(A) cousins sooner than siblings
(B) ill people rather than healthy people
(C) poor people rather than wealthy people
(D) close friends rather than close relatives
(E) sisters in their 20s rather than mothers in their 50s
END OF SECTION I
Answers and Explanations, Section I
1. C—(Chapter 5) The evolutionary approach looks at behaviors that have resulted from natural selection. Natural selection operates at the population or species level; an organism doesn’t evolve, a population or species does.
2. D—(Chapter 5) The humanistic approach views human nature as naturally positive and growth seeking.
3. B—(Chapter 5) While both counseling and clinical psychologists treat people, only clinical psychologists are trained to help people suffering from psychoses and other severe mental disorders.
4. D—(Chapter 6) The form with 30 questions is a questionnaire. Questionnaires and interviews are survey methods.
5. B—(Chapter 6) While people for the study can be randomly chosen from the population, they cannot be divided into the experimental and control groups without considering their sex. If sex must be considered, the subjects cannot be randomly assigned.
6. E—(Chapter 6) A scatterplot shows points on a graph. The points are determined by the values of the score on each test. For example, the score on the first test could be the x value and the score on the final could be the y value for each student. The points form a pattern. If, for example, the pattern extends from the lower left to the upper right of the graph, the correlation between the first and final exams is positive.
7. D—(Chapter 6) Both the mean and the median are 5 for each set. Adding all scores for each set, the sum is 25. Dividing by the number of scores (7) the mean is 5. The middle score for each set, when put in order, is the median. Set 1 does not have a mode.
8. E—(Chapter 6) The mean, median, and mode are measures of centrality and do not tell anything about variability. The range is a crude measure that can be misleading for this set, because 32 is so different from the rest of the set. Standard deviation is a more sensitive measure of variability.
9. E—(Chapter 7) Functional magnetic resonance imaging and positron emission tomography enable psychologists to see the parts of the brain that are functioning when a subject is engaged in a particular task. An electroencephalograph enables psychologists to see patterns of brain waves, but an electrocardiogram shows heart function. Computerized axial tomography and magnetic resonance imaging picture brain structure rather than function.
10. C—(Chapter 7) The sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems are subdivisions of the autonomic nervous system. Whereas the sympathetic usually speeds up the function of an organ, the parasympathetic typically slows it down.
11. A—(Chapter 7) A neuron is a single cell that transmits messages in our bodies. Nerves, a reflex arc, and the brain are composed of neurons. An axon is part of a neuron.
12. D—(Chapter 7) The adrenal glands secrete corticosteroids and adrenaline when we are stressed.
13. E—(Chapter 7) The tiny hypothalamus helps regulate hunger, thirst, body temperature, some biological rhythms, some emotions, heart rate, and other functions.
14. A—(Chapter 7) Starla probably has damage to Wernicke’s area, critical for understanding language, which is part of the left temporal lobe of the cerebral cortex.
15. C—(Chapter 8) Taste (gustation) and smell (olfaction) are the chemical senses. For the sense of smell, chemical energy of molecules is changed to the electrochemical energy of a neural impulse at the mucous membrane on the roof of the nose. This membrane is called the olfactory mucosa.
16. A—(Chapter 8) The hammer, anvil, and stirrup are the three tiny bones in the middle ear that transmit vibrations to the cochlea, where transduction takes place. If they are damaged, vibrations may not be transmitted, resulting in conduction deafness.
17. A—(Chapter 8) Since Hannah could hear a sound from farther away than Maya, she seems to have a lower absolute threshold for hearing than Maya.
18. C—(Chapter 8) Kinesthesis is your sense of body position and movement of individual body parts, with receptors in your muscles, tendons, and joints.
19. A—(Chapter 8) A mile is too far away for texture gradient, retinal disparity, and convergence to be factors in perceiving depth. At that distance, the fact that the building partially hides the hills behind it is a cue to which is closer.
20. A—(Chapter 9) Alpha and beta waves characterize our awake states, whereas theta and delta waves are more characteristic of sleep states.
21. A—(Chapter 9) According to the dissociation theory, hypnotized individuals experience two or more streams of consciousness cut off from each other, where the hidden observer monitors behavior.
22. C—(Chapter 9) Methamphetamine, caffeine, nicotine, cocaine, and benzedrine are all classified as stimulants.
23. D—(Chapter 10) Because of a learned association with loud thunder, lightning can evoke a cringing reaction. The other behaviors are unlearned, automatic behaviors.
24. D—(Chapter 10) Classical conditioning establishes an association between an unconditioned stimulus and a neutral stimulus that becomes a conditioned stimulus. The unconditioned stimulus is the reinforcer.
25. B—(Chapter 10) The pigeon does not discriminate among the different lights. Responding the same way to other colors of light as to yellow light is generalizing.
26. A—(Chapter 10) The teacher wanted someone to turn off the alarms. She reinforced closer and closer approximations of the desired behavior, which is known as shaping.
27. D—(Chapter 10) Tom wants to drive the car, but because of his behavior, his parents took the car away from him. This is called omission training or negative punishment.
28. D—(Chapter 10) JoBeth learned by observing her mother and imitating the behavior.
29. B—(Chapter 11) Syntax is the set of rules that regulate the order in which words can be combined into grammatically sensible sentences in a language.
30. A—(Chapter 11) Ralph is looking only for instances that uphold his hypothesis, not for instances that disconfirm it, so he is showing the confirmation bias.
31. A—(Chapter 11) Mnemonic devices are memory tricks that help us retrieve information from long-term memory.
32. B—(Chapter 11) Implicit memory stores memories of procedural skills.
33. E—(Chapter 11) A heuristic is a “rule of thumb,” a shortcut to an answer that is usually, but not always, correct.
34. C—(Chapter 11) We often incorporate information that was not presented into our memories of events.
35. B—(Chapter 12) Homeostasis is the maintenance of the steady state of metabolism in our bodies. Reestablishing equilibrium is the goal of drive reduction.
36. B—(Chapter 12) Bingeing and purging characterize bulimia nervosa.
37. E—(Chapter 12) All three factors define emotions.
38. B—(Chapter 12) The sympathetic nervous system is activated when the body is aroused, which dilates pupils, slows digestion, speeds the heart, speeds breathing, increases perspiration, etc.
39. C—(Chapter 12) Facial expressions seem to be universal across all cultures.
40. D—(Chapter 13) The Y chromosome determines that the fertilized egg will develop into a male baby, no matter how many X chromosomes are present.
41. A—(Chapter 13) The lower limit is the level at which the child can solve the problem working alone, whereas the upper limit requires the child to work hard with a mentor to solve the problem.
42. D—(Chapter 13) Chemicals that damage the embryo or fetus, such as alcohol, are teratogens.
43. B—(Chapter 13) Continuity is gradual change and discontinuity occurs in stages.
44. C—(Chapter 13) As a happily married man, Darren seems to identify himself as a heterosexual male, which is appropriate according to traditionalists. Traditionally, however, nursery school teachers are women, so being a nursery school teacher would be regarded as an inappropriate role for a male.
45. A—(Chapter 14) Of Freud’s three personality constructs (the id, ego, and superego), the id is the one guided by the pleasure principle.
46. D—(Chapter 14) Regression is a retreat to an earlier level of development characterized by more immature, pleasurable behavior (in this case oral behavior).
47. E—(Chapter 14) Reciprocal determinism theory states that characteristics of the person, the person’s behavior, and the environment all affect one another in two-way causal relationships.
48. E—(Chapter 14) According to Eysenck, neuroticism is our level of instability and extroversion is our sociability.
49. E—(Chapter 14) The Rorschach presents ambiguous inkblots so that test takers will project their unconscious thoughts or feelings onto them.
50. D—(Chapter 15) In a normal distribution, the mean, median, and mode are the same score.
51. C—(Chapter 15) Salovey and Mayer described emotional intelligence as the ability to perceive, express, understand, and regulate emotions.
52. D—(Chapter 15) All good tests must have content validity and reliability. Aptitude tests, but not achievement tests, must have predictive validity.
53. A—(Chapter 15) Heritability is the proportion of variation among individuals in a population that results from genetic causes. All polar bears inherit transparent hairs that appear white. None of the variation results from genetic causes.
54. B—(Chapter 15) Claude Steele hypothesizes that at least part of the difference in scores can be attributed to anxiety that influences members of a group concerned that their performance on a test will confirm a negative stereotype.
55. B—(Chapter 16) Abnormal behavior is statistically rare, violates cultural norms, personally interferes with day-to-day living, and legally may cause a person to be unable to know right from wrong. Her behavior seems bizarre to others, but not to her.
56. C—(Chapter 16) According to Freudian theory, all abnormal behavior results from unconscious conflicts that have not been resolved.
57. C—(Chapter 16) Narcissistic personality is characterized by preoccupation with fantasies about ultimate power, riches, brilliance, or beauty, as well as an unwarranted sense of self-importance.
58. A—(Chapter 16) A hallucination is a sensory experience in the absence of an external stimulus, which in this case is hearing a voice that isn’t there.
59. E—(Chapter 16) DSM-IV classifies disorders into 17 major categories according to their symptoms.
60. D—(Chapter 17) Systematic desensitization is the only behavioral therapy listed. It has been very helpful in lessening fear step by step.
61. E—(Chapter 17) Humanistic therapy focuses on the present and future, conscious thoughts and feelings, and promoting growth. Psychoanalytic therapy focuses on unconscious thoughts and feelings in the past and on curing illness.
62. D—(Chapter 17) Aversive conditioning is a type of counterconditioning. An association is formed between an obnoxious stimulus (such as nausea) and an unwanted behavior (such as drinking alcohol).
63. B—(Chapter 17) Bright light exposure in the morning results in lower secretion of the sleep-inducing hormone melatonin and protects against depression.
64. A—(Chapter 17) Prozac, Zoloft, and Paxil are classified as SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors), which prevent the presynaptic neuron from reabsorbing serotonin, leaving more serotonin in the synapse to bind to receptor sites on postsynaptic neurons, enabling them to fire.
65. B—(Chapter 18) Foot-in-the-door phenomenon is the tendency for a person who has agreed to a limited commitment to later agree to a more significant commitment.
66. C—(Chapter 18) Social facilitation is the improved performance of well-learned or simple tasks in the presence of others.
67. D—(Chapter 18) The bystander effect, the tendency for bystanders not to help someone in need when others are present, often results from diffusion of responsibility and lack of recognition of the need. Specifying someone to perform a specific task generally results in the person doing that job.
68. D—(Chapter 18) Research by Burnstein and Vinokur has shown that when a group is evenly split on an issue, participants in a discussion partially convince each other that their own positions are valid, and participants moderate their positions—but this seems to be true only when group members are evenly divided and equally passionate about their views.
69. C—(Chapter 18) Social psychology studies how the individual thinks about, influences, and relates to others and how others relate to him or her; sociology emphasizes the behavior and functions of groups.
70. E—(Chapter 18) According to evolutionary psychologists, our behavior tends to help perpetuate our genes. We are, thus, more likely to help close kin who are likely to reproduce than others. If we need to choose others to help in life or death situations, we will tend to choose those who may benefit us or our kin.
Scoring and Interpretation
Now that you’ve finished Section I of the diagnostic exam and scored your answers, you can figure out what your results mean. Did you answer all of the questions correctly for any chapters? Did you get all or most of the questions wrong for any chapters? Note which ones. In using this review book, you don’t need to spend as much time on a chapter with which you are very familiar as you do with a chapter that puzzles you. If you found yourself saying “Huh?” or felt “clueless,” spend more time learning the material in that chapter. If you are not reading this for the first time at the beginning of May, you have probably left yourself time to learn most information in this book.
Calculate Your Score
Multiple-Choice Questions
If you have progressed beyond Chapter 13 (Developmental Psychology) in your study of psychology and are ready to write a practice essay, try the one that follows in this book. If you haven’t studied development yet, and you really do want to write an essay, here’s a good alternative:
• Go to the College Board Web site at http://www.collegeboard.com/student/.
• Select “AP” under College Board Tests.
• Select “Psychology” under Subjects.
• Select “Sample Questions & Scoring.”
• You will arrive at a page that typically lets you select from 5 or 6 years of exams. Choose a year for which you see Scoring Guidelines available so that you’ll be able to score your response.
• Free-response question #1 for 2006 deals with research methods. This is a topic generally studied early in the course, so it might be an appropriate practice essay for you.
The Diagnostic/Master Exam
SECTION II
Time—22 minutes
Directions: Read the following question and then write your response on a separate sheet of paper. According to the College Board directions, “It is not enough to answer a question by merely listing facts. You should present a cogent argument based on your critical analysis of the question posed, using appropriate psychological terminology.”
A controversy in psychology about which psychologists have differing views is continuity versus discontinuity. Describe what is meant by continuity versus discontinuity. Explain how theories of cognitive development and personality development support each side of the controversy.
END OF DIAGNOSTIC EXAM
Essay Scoring Directions
Score your essay using this eight-point rubric or guide. Award yourself a point for each segment you answered correctly.
This essay has eight points:
Point 1: Define continuity or communicate its meaning.
Continuity is gradual or cumulative or quantitative change.
Point 2: Define discontinuity or communicate its meaning.
Discontinuity is distinct or qualitative change, or stages.
Point 3: Describe cognitive development.
Cognitive development is characterized by changes in thinking and the way people process information as they grow from birth to death.
Point 4: Give an example of a theory of cognitive development that supports continuity.
Vygotsky’s theory supports continuity.
Point 5: Give an example of a theory of cognitive development that supports discontinuity.
Piaget’s theory supports discontinuity.
Point 6: Describe personality development.
Personality development is characterized by changes in unique behaviors, attitudes, and emotions as an individual grows from birth to death.
Point 7: Give an example of a theory of personality development that supports continuity.
Behavioral studies support continuity. Kagan’s studies support continuity for temperament, activity level.
Point 8: Give an example of a theory of personality development that supports discontinuity.
Stage theories support discontinuity.
Sample Full-Credit Essay
The controversy of continuity versus discontinuity deals with the question of whether development is gradual with change accumulating until we die, or a sequence of discrete stages that differ in kind, structure, or organization.
Cognitive development refers to development of the ability to think and know. Lev Vygotsky thought that cognitive change is continuous. His sociocultural theory highlights the zone of proximal development (ZPD), which is the distance between what a child can master on his/her own and what a child can master with the assistance of others. Working close to the upper limit of a child’s capability, the instructor and child work closely together to reach that goal and then, through continued practice, the child is able to attain the goal more and more independently. When the goal is achieved without help, then that goal becomes the new lower limit for a new ZPD. So, in Vygotsky’s theory, cognitive development is gradual or continuous.
On the other hand, Jean Piaget in his theory of cognitive development thought that cognitive development is marked by stages during which children have different abilities. He named four stages: sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, and formal operational. During the sensorimotor stage, babies are unable to use symbols, whereas once in the preoperational stage, young children can.
Personality refers to the unique behaviors, attitudes, and emotions of an individual. Theorists who support continuity think that change in an individual’s personality over time is gradual, whereas theorists who support discontinuity think that change occurs in stages.