CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY
PSYCHOLOGY 150 EXAM 2026 PRACTICE
QUESTIONS WITH ANSWERS ORIGINAL
QUESTIONS, DETAILED RATIONALES &
STUDY GUIDE
1. A researcher wants to determine whether sleep deprivation causes
poorer memory performance. Participants are randomly assigned
either to sleep for eight hours or remain awake for most of the night
before completing a memory test. Which variable is the dependent
variable?
A. Amount of sleep
B. Assignment to the experimental group
C. Memory-test performance
D. Participant age
Answer: C. Memory-test performance
Rationale: The dependent variable is the outcome that researchers
measure to determine whether it changes as a consequence of the
independent variable. Here, the researchers manipulate the amount of
sleep and measure participants' memory performance. Therefore,
memory-test performance is the dependent variable, whereas sleep
duration is the independent variable.
2. A psychologist observes that students who report exercising more
frequently tend to report lower levels of academic stress. What
conclusion is most scientifically appropriate?
A. Exercise definitely causes academic stress to decrease.
B. Academic stress definitely causes students to exercise less.
1
,C. Exercise frequency and academic stress are negatively correlated.
D. Exercise has no relationship with psychological well-being.
Answer: C. Exercise frequency and academic stress are negatively
correlated.
Rationale: A negative correlation means that as one variable
increases, the other tends to decrease. However, correlation alone
cannot establish causation because third variables or reverse
causation may explain the relationship. A controlled experiment would
be necessary to make a stronger causal claim.
3. A psychologist defines “test anxiety” as the score obtained by a
participant on a standardized 20-item anxiety questionnaire
administered immediately before an examination. This definition is
an example of:
A. A hypothesis
B. An operational definition
C. A theory
D. Random assignment
Answer: B. An operational definition
Rationale: An operational definition specifies exactly how an abstract
psychological concept will be measured or manipulated in a study.
Because “test anxiety” is operationalized as a specific questionnaire
score, the researcher has converted an abstract construct into
something measurable.
4. Why is random assignment particularly important in an
experimental study?
2
,A. It guarantees that the experiment will produce significant results.
B. It eliminates the need for a control group.
C. It helps distribute preexisting participant characteristics across
groups.
D. It ensures that every participant receives the experimental treatment.
Answer: C. It helps distribute preexisting participant characteristics
across groups.
Rationale: Random assignment gives each participant an equal
chance of being placed in any experimental condition. This reduces
systematic differences between groups before the manipulation occurs,
making it easier to attribute differences in outcomes to the
independent variable.
5. A researcher discovers that participants perform better on a
cognitive task when the room is quiet than when the room is noisy.
The researcher concludes that environmental noise affects cognitive
performance. Which feature of the study most directly supports a
causal interpretation?
A. The participants were randomly assigned to conditions.
B. The researcher used a large vocabulary test.
C. The participants knew the study hypothesis.
D. The researcher collected demographic information.
Answer: A. The participants were randomly assigned to conditions.
Rationale: Random assignment helps control for preexisting
differences among participants. When researchers also manipulate the
independent variable and control relevant conditions, differences in
the dependent variable can more confidently be attributed to the
manipulation.
3
, 6. Which statement best illustrates the principle of neuroplasticity?
A. Neurons never change after childhood.
B. The brain can reorganize and modify neural connections in response
to experience.
C. All brain regions perform identical functions.
D. Psychological learning occurs independently of neural activity.
Answer: B. The brain can reorganize and modify neural connections
in response to experience.
Rationale: Neuroplasticity refers to the brain's ability to change its
structure and functioning through learning, experience,
environmental stimulation, and sometimes recovery from injury.
Synaptic strengthening and the formation or elimination of neural
connections are important mechanisms underlying this adaptability.
7. Which part of a neuron is primarily responsible for receiving
signals from other neurons?
A. Axon
B. Myelin sheath
C. Dendrites
D. Terminal buttons
Answer: C. Dendrites
Rationale: Dendrites are branching structures that receive incoming
signals from other neurons and transmit information toward the cell
body. The axon generally carries neural impulses away from the cell
body toward other neurons, muscles, or glands.
4
PSYCHOLOGY 150 EXAM 2026 PRACTICE
QUESTIONS WITH ANSWERS ORIGINAL
QUESTIONS, DETAILED RATIONALES &
STUDY GUIDE
1. A researcher wants to determine whether sleep deprivation causes
poorer memory performance. Participants are randomly assigned
either to sleep for eight hours or remain awake for most of the night
before completing a memory test. Which variable is the dependent
variable?
A. Amount of sleep
B. Assignment to the experimental group
C. Memory-test performance
D. Participant age
Answer: C. Memory-test performance
Rationale: The dependent variable is the outcome that researchers
measure to determine whether it changes as a consequence of the
independent variable. Here, the researchers manipulate the amount of
sleep and measure participants' memory performance. Therefore,
memory-test performance is the dependent variable, whereas sleep
duration is the independent variable.
2. A psychologist observes that students who report exercising more
frequently tend to report lower levels of academic stress. What
conclusion is most scientifically appropriate?
A. Exercise definitely causes academic stress to decrease.
B. Academic stress definitely causes students to exercise less.
1
,C. Exercise frequency and academic stress are negatively correlated.
D. Exercise has no relationship with psychological well-being.
Answer: C. Exercise frequency and academic stress are negatively
correlated.
Rationale: A negative correlation means that as one variable
increases, the other tends to decrease. However, correlation alone
cannot establish causation because third variables or reverse
causation may explain the relationship. A controlled experiment would
be necessary to make a stronger causal claim.
3. A psychologist defines “test anxiety” as the score obtained by a
participant on a standardized 20-item anxiety questionnaire
administered immediately before an examination. This definition is
an example of:
A. A hypothesis
B. An operational definition
C. A theory
D. Random assignment
Answer: B. An operational definition
Rationale: An operational definition specifies exactly how an abstract
psychological concept will be measured or manipulated in a study.
Because “test anxiety” is operationalized as a specific questionnaire
score, the researcher has converted an abstract construct into
something measurable.
4. Why is random assignment particularly important in an
experimental study?
2
,A. It guarantees that the experiment will produce significant results.
B. It eliminates the need for a control group.
C. It helps distribute preexisting participant characteristics across
groups.
D. It ensures that every participant receives the experimental treatment.
Answer: C. It helps distribute preexisting participant characteristics
across groups.
Rationale: Random assignment gives each participant an equal
chance of being placed in any experimental condition. This reduces
systematic differences between groups before the manipulation occurs,
making it easier to attribute differences in outcomes to the
independent variable.
5. A researcher discovers that participants perform better on a
cognitive task when the room is quiet than when the room is noisy.
The researcher concludes that environmental noise affects cognitive
performance. Which feature of the study most directly supports a
causal interpretation?
A. The participants were randomly assigned to conditions.
B. The researcher used a large vocabulary test.
C. The participants knew the study hypothesis.
D. The researcher collected demographic information.
Answer: A. The participants were randomly assigned to conditions.
Rationale: Random assignment helps control for preexisting
differences among participants. When researchers also manipulate the
independent variable and control relevant conditions, differences in
the dependent variable can more confidently be attributed to the
manipulation.
3
, 6. Which statement best illustrates the principle of neuroplasticity?
A. Neurons never change after childhood.
B. The brain can reorganize and modify neural connections in response
to experience.
C. All brain regions perform identical functions.
D. Psychological learning occurs independently of neural activity.
Answer: B. The brain can reorganize and modify neural connections
in response to experience.
Rationale: Neuroplasticity refers to the brain's ability to change its
structure and functioning through learning, experience,
environmental stimulation, and sometimes recovery from injury.
Synaptic strengthening and the formation or elimination of neural
connections are important mechanisms underlying this adaptability.
7. Which part of a neuron is primarily responsible for receiving
signals from other neurons?
A. Axon
B. Myelin sheath
C. Dendrites
D. Terminal buttons
Answer: C. Dendrites
Rationale: Dendrites are branching structures that receive incoming
signals from other neurons and transmit information toward the cell
body. The axon generally carries neural impulses away from the cell
body toward other neurons, muscles, or glands.
4
