Psychology 101
2 MAXE · 101 YSP
Ψ Department of Psychology
PSYCHOLOGY
EST. 2026
UNDERSTANDING MIND · BEHAVIOR · SCIENCE
Psychology 101 Exam 2
CO N S C I O US N E SS · L E A R N I N G · M E M O RY · CO G N I T I O N & I N T E L L I G E N C E
COURSE CODE PSY 101 PROGRAM Bachelor of Arts / Bachelor of
Science — Psychology
ACADEMIC YEAR EXAM TITLE Psychology 101 Exam 2
TOTAL QUESTIONS 81 Questions COURSE TITLE Introduction to Psychology
FORMAT Multiple Choice — Select the
Single Best Answer
EXAMINATION INSTRUCTIONS
▸ Select the single best answer for each question.
▸ Questions cover consciousness and sleep, classical and operant conditioning, memory processes,
cognition, language, and intelligence.
▸ Understanding key theorists, experimental paradigms, and terminology is emphasized.
▸ Correct answers and rationales appear below each question for self-assessment.
▸ All content reflects PSY 101 Exam 2 learning objectives.
, SECTION I — CONSCIOUSNESS, LEARNING, MEMORY,
Questions 1 – 81
COGNITION & INTELLIGENCE
1. The "aha!" experience is known as ________.
A. latent learning
B. insight learning
C. thoughtful learning
D. serial enumeration
CORRECT ANSWER B
RATIONALE Insight learning (Köhler) involves a sudden realization of a problem's solution —
the "aha!" moment — as demonstrated by chimpanzees suddenly using tools to
reach bananas after a period of apparent contemplation.
2. A circadian cycle is about ________ hours long.
A. 1.5
B. 12
C. 6
D. 24
CORRECT ANSWER D
RATIONALE Circadian rhythms follow an approximately 24-hour cycle, regulated by the
suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN). The sleep-wake cycle is the most prominent
example. Ultradian rhythms (A, B) are shorter cycles within the 24-hour period.
,3. What term do psychologists use to describe our tendency to search for evidence that
supports our belief and to ignore evidence that might disprove it?
A. confirmation bias
B. convergent thinking
C. availability heuristic
D. representativeness heuristic
CORRECT ANSWER A
RATIONALE Confirmation bias (Wason) is the tendency to seek, interpret, and remember
information that confirms preexisting beliefs while discounting contradictory
evidence — one of the most robust cognitive biases.
4. A farmer is being troubled by coyotes eating his sheep. He kills a sheep and laces its body
with a nausea-inducing drug, leaving it where coyotes roam, hoping they will learn not to
eat sheep. The farmer is attempting to apply the principle of ________.
A. observational learning
B. latent learning
C. instrumental conditioning
D. conditioned taste aversion
CORRECT ANSWER D
RATIONALE Conditioned taste aversion (Garcia) is a form of classical conditioning where an
animal associates the taste of a food with illness, even with a long delay between
ingestion and sickness. It is biologically prepared and highly resistant to
extinction.
, 5. A test is said to be reliable if ________.
A. a person's score on a test is pretty much the same every time he or she takes it
B. it contains an adequate sample of the skills it is supposed to measure
C. its results agree with a more direct measure of what the test is designed to predict
D. it is culture-fair
CORRECT ANSWER A
RATIONALE Reliability refers to consistency of measurement — a test yields similar scores
upon repeated administration. Option B describes content validity. Option C
describes criterion validity. Option D addresses cultural fairness.
6. Forgetting in long-term memory is most likely due to __________.
A. interference from other information
B. decay or disuse
C. encoding failure
D. none of these
CORRECT ANSWER A
RATIONALE Interference theory holds that forgetting in LTM results primarily from
competition among memories — proactive interference (old disrupts new) and
retroactive interference (new disrupts old). Decay (B) plays a smaller role in LTM.
7. Which is the most likely prototype for the concept "vehicle"?
A. glider
B. car
C. scooter
D. bicycle
CORRECT ANSWER B
RATIONALE A prototype (Rosch) is the most typical example of a category. "Car" is the most
prototypical vehicle for most people — it has more characteristic features of the
category than gliders, scooters, or bicycles.
2 MAXE · 101 YSP
Ψ Department of Psychology
PSYCHOLOGY
EST. 2026
UNDERSTANDING MIND · BEHAVIOR · SCIENCE
Psychology 101 Exam 2
CO N S C I O US N E SS · L E A R N I N G · M E M O RY · CO G N I T I O N & I N T E L L I G E N C E
COURSE CODE PSY 101 PROGRAM Bachelor of Arts / Bachelor of
Science — Psychology
ACADEMIC YEAR EXAM TITLE Psychology 101 Exam 2
TOTAL QUESTIONS 81 Questions COURSE TITLE Introduction to Psychology
FORMAT Multiple Choice — Select the
Single Best Answer
EXAMINATION INSTRUCTIONS
▸ Select the single best answer for each question.
▸ Questions cover consciousness and sleep, classical and operant conditioning, memory processes,
cognition, language, and intelligence.
▸ Understanding key theorists, experimental paradigms, and terminology is emphasized.
▸ Correct answers and rationales appear below each question for self-assessment.
▸ All content reflects PSY 101 Exam 2 learning objectives.
, SECTION I — CONSCIOUSNESS, LEARNING, MEMORY,
Questions 1 – 81
COGNITION & INTELLIGENCE
1. The "aha!" experience is known as ________.
A. latent learning
B. insight learning
C. thoughtful learning
D. serial enumeration
CORRECT ANSWER B
RATIONALE Insight learning (Köhler) involves a sudden realization of a problem's solution —
the "aha!" moment — as demonstrated by chimpanzees suddenly using tools to
reach bananas after a period of apparent contemplation.
2. A circadian cycle is about ________ hours long.
A. 1.5
B. 12
C. 6
D. 24
CORRECT ANSWER D
RATIONALE Circadian rhythms follow an approximately 24-hour cycle, regulated by the
suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN). The sleep-wake cycle is the most prominent
example. Ultradian rhythms (A, B) are shorter cycles within the 24-hour period.
,3. What term do psychologists use to describe our tendency to search for evidence that
supports our belief and to ignore evidence that might disprove it?
A. confirmation bias
B. convergent thinking
C. availability heuristic
D. representativeness heuristic
CORRECT ANSWER A
RATIONALE Confirmation bias (Wason) is the tendency to seek, interpret, and remember
information that confirms preexisting beliefs while discounting contradictory
evidence — one of the most robust cognitive biases.
4. A farmer is being troubled by coyotes eating his sheep. He kills a sheep and laces its body
with a nausea-inducing drug, leaving it where coyotes roam, hoping they will learn not to
eat sheep. The farmer is attempting to apply the principle of ________.
A. observational learning
B. latent learning
C. instrumental conditioning
D. conditioned taste aversion
CORRECT ANSWER D
RATIONALE Conditioned taste aversion (Garcia) is a form of classical conditioning where an
animal associates the taste of a food with illness, even with a long delay between
ingestion and sickness. It is biologically prepared and highly resistant to
extinction.
, 5. A test is said to be reliable if ________.
A. a person's score on a test is pretty much the same every time he or she takes it
B. it contains an adequate sample of the skills it is supposed to measure
C. its results agree with a more direct measure of what the test is designed to predict
D. it is culture-fair
CORRECT ANSWER A
RATIONALE Reliability refers to consistency of measurement — a test yields similar scores
upon repeated administration. Option B describes content validity. Option C
describes criterion validity. Option D addresses cultural fairness.
6. Forgetting in long-term memory is most likely due to __________.
A. interference from other information
B. decay or disuse
C. encoding failure
D. none of these
CORRECT ANSWER A
RATIONALE Interference theory holds that forgetting in LTM results primarily from
competition among memories — proactive interference (old disrupts new) and
retroactive interference (new disrupts old). Decay (B) plays a smaller role in LTM.
7. Which is the most likely prototype for the concept "vehicle"?
A. glider
B. car
C. scooter
D. bicycle
CORRECT ANSWER B
RATIONALE A prototype (Rosch) is the most typical example of a category. "Car" is the most
prototypical vehicle for most people — it has more characteristic features of the
category than gliders, scooters, or bicycles.
