Psychology Questions - All Grades

By using a random sample of a population for a study, scientists

1. are able to question every member of the target population
2. use proportionately representative subgroups of the target population
3. hope to avoid bias in their study
4. are ensured that the study will be easily replicated

The statement that "the whole is greater than the sum of its parts" characterizes which of the following theories or perspectives?

1. biological
2. social learning
3. behaviorism
4. Gestalt psychology

The basic belief of                         is that human behavior develops in response to rewards and punishment received

1. social cognitive theory
2. behaviorism
3. psychoanalytic theory
4. humanistic psychology

Which psychologist created the Classical Conditioning theory by having a dog associate food with a ringing bell?

1. Jean Piaget
2. Alfred Hitchcock
3. Ivan Pavlov
4. Mary Ainsworth

The relationship between smoking cigarettes and living a long, healthy life is an example of a(n)

1. positive correlation.
2. negative correlation.
3. dependent variable.
4. independent variable.

Which of the following is NOT a part of the scientific method?

1. generating a theory
2. conducting experiments
3. asking questions
4. influencing behavior

According to Freud, the psychological structure of the mind that represents basic drives is the

1. id.
2. ego.
3. superego.
4. archetype.

In Freud's theory of personality, the                 is the part of the personality in touch with reality.

1. unconscious
2. superego
3. ego
4. id

What psychological perspective focuses on the role of thoughts in determining behavior?

1. humanistic
2. cogntivie
3. psychoanalytic
4. learning

What is something that produces a reaction called?

1. a response
2. a stimulus
3. a reinforcer
4. a conditioned response

Which school of psychology focuses on how mental processes help organisms adapt to their environment?

1. behaviorism
2. functionalism
3. psychoanalysis
4. structuralism

Cognitive distortions, bizarre mannerisms, and eccentric appearance are characteristics of                                          

1. Narcissistic Personality Disorder
2. Antisocial Personality Disorder
3. Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder
4. Schizotypal Personality Disorder

Which of the following is an example of a cognitive activity?

1. crying
2. exercising
3. dreaming
4. laughing

A view of oneself as an individual is a person's

1. congruence.
2. self-esteem.
3. positive regard.
4. self-concept.

A viral epidemic has spread across the globe, killing millions of people. You work for the Bureau of Health, a government agency that has developed two substances. Your organization knows that one of them will be a useful vaccine, but you don't know which one. You also know that the other one is likely to be deadly to most people.

Once you figure out which substance is the vaccine you can use it to save millions of lives. The only way to identify the vaccine is for you yourself to secretly test the substances on a minimum of 200 patients in the Bureau of Health facilities, against their will. It is expected that approximately half of the patients will slowly and painfully die from this testing.

You will need to sneak in and personally inject the patients with the substances one by one, killing 100 of them. Once testing is complete the effects of the substances will be identified, and you will be able to start saving lives with your vaccine.

Is it morally appropriate for you to personally kill 100 patients with a deadly injection in order to identify a vaccine that will save millions of lives?

1. Yes
2. No

The weakest amount of a stimulus that can be sensed is known as

1. sensory adaptation.
2. absolute threshold.
3. difference threshold.
4. signal-detection theory.

When a person is frightened, epinephrine and norepinephrine are released into the bloodstream from the

1. brain
2. adrenal glands
3. pituitary
4. thyroid gland

When participants' illnesses change because they believe a treatment will have an effect, they are exhibiting?

1. free association
2. a self-fulfilling prophecy
3. the placebo effect
4. a conditioned reflex

Which school of psychology breaks down conscious experience into objective sensations and subjective feelings?

1. behaviorism
2. functionalism
3. psychoanalysis
4. structuralism

According to Maslow's hierarchy of needs, which of the following needs must come first?

1. need to have a group of friends
2. need to feel safe from danger
3. need to reach your potential
4. need to have food and water