Psychology: Themes and Variations
Sixth-Edition–Aligned Practice Examination 2026 | 100
Multiple-Choice Questions with Answers and Italicized
Rationales
This is an original psychology practice exam designed around major introductory psychology themes. It
is not a reproduction of copyrighted textbook test-bank questions or an official examination.
Questions 1–25: Research Methods and Biological Foundations
1. Which goal of psychology involves describing behavior accurately?
A. Prediction
B. Description
C. Control
D. Replication
Correct answer: B. Description
Rationale: Description involves observing and recording behavior systematically. Prediction and
control require additional analysis beyond simply identifying what occurs.
2. A researcher wants to determine whether sleep duration affects test performance. Which variable
is the independent variable?
A. Test performance
B. Sleep duration
C. Student age
D. Classroom size
Correct answer: B. Sleep duration
Rationale: The independent variable is the factor manipulated or varied by the researcher. In
this study, sleep duration is changed to examine its effect on test performance.
3. Which variable is the dependent variable in the same study?
A. Sleep duration
B. Test performance
C. Time of day
D. Number of researchers
,Correct answer: B. Test performance
Rationale: The dependent variable is the outcome measured by the researcher. Here, test
performance is measured after differences in sleep duration.
4. What is the primary advantage of a true experiment?
A. It proves that every participant behaves identically.
B. It can help establish cause-and-effect relationships.
C. It never requires ethical review.
D. It eliminates the need for measurement.
Correct answer: B. It can help establish cause-and-effect relationships.
Rationale: Random assignment and experimental control allow researchers to determine
whether changes in an independent variable cause changes in a dependent variable.
5. What is random assignment used for?
A. To ensure that participants are assigned to groups by personal preference
B. To reduce preexisting differences between experimental groups
C. To guarantee a large sample
D. To prevent participants from withdrawing
Correct answer: B. To reduce preexisting differences between experimental groups
Rationale: Random assignment distributes participant characteristics across groups, reducing
the likelihood that group differences are caused by preexisting factors.
6. What does a positive correlation indicate?
A. As one variable increases, the other tends to increase.
B. One variable causes the other to increase.
C. The variables are unrelated.
D. Both variables decrease in every case.
Correct answer: A. As one variable increases, the other tends to increase.
Rationale: A positive correlation indicates that two variables tend to move in the same direction.
Correlation alone does not establish causation.
7. A correlation coefficient of r = -0.90 indicates:
, A. A strong negative relationship
B. A weak positive relationship
C. No relationship
D. A perfect positive relationship
Correct answer: A. A strong negative relationship
Rationale: Correlation coefficients range from −1.00 to +1.00. A value of −0.90 represents a
strong inverse relationship.
8. What is the purpose of a control group?
A. To receive every treatment at once
B. To provide a comparison with the experimental group
C. To replace random assignment
D. To guarantee the desired hypothesis
Correct answer: B. To provide a comparison with the experimental group
Rationale: A control group provides a baseline against which the effects of the experimental
treatment can be evaluated.
9. What is informed consent?
A. Permission obtained after the study ends
B. An agreement to participate after receiving relevant information about the study
C. A guarantee that no risks exist
D. A requirement that participants cannot withdraw
Correct answer: B. An agreement to participate after receiving relevant information about the study
Rationale: Informed consent requires participants to receive adequate information about
procedures, risks, benefits, and their right to withdraw.
10. Why is deception sometimes used in psychological research?
A. To increase participant harm
B. To prevent participants’ expectations from influencing behavior
C. To eliminate the need for consent
D. To avoid analyzing results
Correct answer: B. To prevent participants’ expectations from influencing behavior
Rationale: Limited deception may be used when necessary to preserve the validity of a study,
but it must be ethically justified and followed by debriefing.
Sixth-Edition–Aligned Practice Examination 2026 | 100
Multiple-Choice Questions with Answers and Italicized
Rationales
This is an original psychology practice exam designed around major introductory psychology themes. It
is not a reproduction of copyrighted textbook test-bank questions or an official examination.
Questions 1–25: Research Methods and Biological Foundations
1. Which goal of psychology involves describing behavior accurately?
A. Prediction
B. Description
C. Control
D. Replication
Correct answer: B. Description
Rationale: Description involves observing and recording behavior systematically. Prediction and
control require additional analysis beyond simply identifying what occurs.
2. A researcher wants to determine whether sleep duration affects test performance. Which variable
is the independent variable?
A. Test performance
B. Sleep duration
C. Student age
D. Classroom size
Correct answer: B. Sleep duration
Rationale: The independent variable is the factor manipulated or varied by the researcher. In
this study, sleep duration is changed to examine its effect on test performance.
3. Which variable is the dependent variable in the same study?
A. Sleep duration
B. Test performance
C. Time of day
D. Number of researchers
,Correct answer: B. Test performance
Rationale: The dependent variable is the outcome measured by the researcher. Here, test
performance is measured after differences in sleep duration.
4. What is the primary advantage of a true experiment?
A. It proves that every participant behaves identically.
B. It can help establish cause-and-effect relationships.
C. It never requires ethical review.
D. It eliminates the need for measurement.
Correct answer: B. It can help establish cause-and-effect relationships.
Rationale: Random assignment and experimental control allow researchers to determine
whether changes in an independent variable cause changes in a dependent variable.
5. What is random assignment used for?
A. To ensure that participants are assigned to groups by personal preference
B. To reduce preexisting differences between experimental groups
C. To guarantee a large sample
D. To prevent participants from withdrawing
Correct answer: B. To reduce preexisting differences between experimental groups
Rationale: Random assignment distributes participant characteristics across groups, reducing
the likelihood that group differences are caused by preexisting factors.
6. What does a positive correlation indicate?
A. As one variable increases, the other tends to increase.
B. One variable causes the other to increase.
C. The variables are unrelated.
D. Both variables decrease in every case.
Correct answer: A. As one variable increases, the other tends to increase.
Rationale: A positive correlation indicates that two variables tend to move in the same direction.
Correlation alone does not establish causation.
7. A correlation coefficient of r = -0.90 indicates:
, A. A strong negative relationship
B. A weak positive relationship
C. No relationship
D. A perfect positive relationship
Correct answer: A. A strong negative relationship
Rationale: Correlation coefficients range from −1.00 to +1.00. A value of −0.90 represents a
strong inverse relationship.
8. What is the purpose of a control group?
A. To receive every treatment at once
B. To provide a comparison with the experimental group
C. To replace random assignment
D. To guarantee the desired hypothesis
Correct answer: B. To provide a comparison with the experimental group
Rationale: A control group provides a baseline against which the effects of the experimental
treatment can be evaluated.
9. What is informed consent?
A. Permission obtained after the study ends
B. An agreement to participate after receiving relevant information about the study
C. A guarantee that no risks exist
D. A requirement that participants cannot withdraw
Correct answer: B. An agreement to participate after receiving relevant information about the study
Rationale: Informed consent requires participants to receive adequate information about
procedures, risks, benefits, and their right to withdraw.
10. Why is deception sometimes used in psychological research?
A. To increase participant harm
B. To prevent participants’ expectations from influencing behavior
C. To eliminate the need for consent
D. To avoid analyzing results
Correct answer: B. To prevent participants’ expectations from influencing behavior
Rationale: Limited deception may be used when necessary to preserve the validity of a study,
but it must be ethically justified and followed by debriefing.
