Answers) Plus Rationales 2026 Q&A | Instant Download Pdf
Question 1
A researcher wants to determine whether a new therapy reduces depression compared to
standard treatment. Which design is most appropriate?
A) Case study
B) Correlational design
C) Randomized controlled trial
D) Cross-sectional survey
Answer
Answer: C
Rationale
RCTs are the gold standard for determining causality because participants are randomly assigned to
conditions, reducing bias and confounding variables.
Question 2
Which neurotransmitter is most associated with mood regulation and depression?
A) Dopamine
B) Serotonin
C) Acetylcholine
D) GABA
Answer
Answer: B
Rationale
Serotonin is strongly implicated in mood regulation, and many antidepressants target serotonergic
pathways.
Question 3
,A psychologist violates confidentiality when:
A) A client discloses past trauma
B) A client becomes angry in session
C) A client poses a credible threat to others
D) A client misses appointments
Answer
Answer: C
Rationale
Duty to warn/protect overrides confidentiality when there is imminent risk of harm to identifiable
individuals.
Question 4
What is the primary purpose of informed consent?
A) To protect the therapist legally
B) To ensure client autonomy in treatment decisions
C) To diagnose mental disorders
D) To increase treatment compliance
Answer
Answer: B
Rationale
Informed consent ensures clients understand treatment risks, benefits, and alternatives, supporting
ethical autonomy.
Question 5
Which schedule of reinforcement produces the highest and most persistent response rate?
A) Fixed ratio
B) Variable ratio
C) Fixed interval
D) Variable interval
2
,Answer
Answer: B
Rationale
Variable ratio schedules (e.g., gambling) produce high and resistant response rates due to
unpredictability.
Question 6
Which test is most appropriate for measuring personality traits?
A) WAIS-IV
B) MMPI-2
C) BDI-II
D) WISC-V
Answer
Answer: B
Rationale
The MMPI-2 is a widely used self-report personality assessment designed to identify psychopathology
and personality structure.
Question 7
A patient understands spoken language but has slow, effortful, poorly articulated speech after
a left frontal stroke. The best localization is:
A) Occipital cortex
B) Broca's area
C) Amygdala
D) Wernicke's area
Answer
Answer: B
Rationale
3
, The vignette specifically reflects the defining feature of Broca's area: a dominant-hemisphere frontal
region important for motor speech production.
Question 8
A patient produces fluent but largely meaningless speech and has impaired comprehension
after a temporal lesion. The best localization is:
A) Broca's area
B) Primary motor cortex
C) Cerebellum
D) Wernicke's area
Answer
Answer: D
Rationale
The vignette specifically reflects the defining feature of Wernicke's area: a dominant-hemisphere
temporal region important for language comprehension.
Question 9
A 4-year-old boy has delayed speech, avoids eye contact, lines up toys repetitively, and is
highly distressed by minor changes in routine. Which diagnosis is most likely?
A) Social (pragmatic) communication disorder
B) Autism spectrum disorder (ASD)
C) Selective mutism
D) Intellectual disability
Answer
Answer: B
Rationale
ASD requires deficits in social communication and interaction plus restricted, repetitive behaviors
(lining up toys, insistence on sameness). Symptoms present in early childhood.
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