GRE Psychology Subject Test
QUESTIONS & ANSWERS(RATED A+)
Ablation - ANSWERA surgically induced brain lesion.
Absolute refractory period - ANSWERThe period that follows the onset of an action
potential. During this period, a nerve impulse cannot be initiated
Absolute threshold - ANSWERThe minimum of stimulus energy needed to activate a
sensory system.
Accommodation - ANSWERA principle of Piaget's theory of cognitive development. It
occurs when cognitive structures are modified because new information or new
experiences do not fit into existing cognitive structures.
Acetylcholine - ANSWERA neurotransmitter found in both central and peripheral
nervous systems linked to Alzheimer's disease and used to transmit nerve impulses
to the muscles, respectively.
Acrophobia - ANSWERA specific phobia that is an irrational fear of heights.
ACT model (Adaptive Control of Thought) - ANSWERA model that describes
memory in terms of procedural and declarative memory.
Actor-observer effect - ANSWERThe tendency of actors to see observer behavior as
due to external factors (situational factors) and the tendency of observers to attribute
actors' behaviors to internal characteristics (dispositional characteristics).
Adrenaline - ANSWERA hormone that increases energy available for "fight or flight"
reactions (also known as epinephrine).
Afterimages - ANSWERA visual sensation that appears after prolonged or intense
exposure to a stimulus.
Agnosia - ANSWERImpairments in perceptual recognition.
Agoraphobia - ANSWERAn irrational fear of being in places or situations where
escape might be difficult.
All-or-none law - ANSWERA law about nerve impulses stating that when
depolarization reaches the critical threshold (-50 millivolts) the neuron is going to fire,
each time, every time.
Alternate-form method - ANSWERIn psychometrics, it is the method of using two or
more different forms of a test to determine the reliability of a particular test.
,Altruism - ANSWERA form of helping behavior where the person's intent is to benefit
someone else at some cost to him- or herself.
Amnesia - ANSWERA dissociative disorder where individuals are unable to recall
past experience, but this inability is not due to a neurological disorder.
Analogy of inoculation - ANSWERMcGuire's analogy that people can be
psychologically inoculated against the "attack" of persuasive communications by first
exposing them to a weakened attack.
Analyses of Variance (anovas) - ANSWERA statistical method to compare the
means of more than two groups by comparing the between-group variance to the
within-group variance.
Anchoring - ANSWERA cognitive term (a heuristic) that refers to the tendency of
people to make decisions based on reference points, or standards used to make
judgements.
Anima (animus) - ANSWERAn archetype from Jung's theory referring to the feminine
behaviors in males, and the masculine behaviors in females.
Anorexia nervosa - ANSWERAn eating disorder characterized by a refusal to
maintain a minimal normal body weight.
Anterograde amnesia - ANSWERMemory loss for new information following brain
injury.
Anti-social personality disorder - ANSWERA personality disorder characterized by a
pattern of disregard for, and violation of, the rights of others.
Aphagia. - ANSWERAn impairment in the ability to eat.
Aphasias - ANSWERLanguage disorders, which are associated with Broca's and
Wernicke's areas in the brain.
Apparent motion - ANSWERAn illusion that occurs when two dots flashed in different
locations on a screen seconds apart are perceived as one moving dot.
Apraxia - ANSWERAn impairment in the organization of voluntary action.
Archetypes - ANSWERThe building blocks for the collective unconscious referred to
in Jung's theory of personality.
Assimilation - ANSWERA principle of Piaget's theory of cognitive development. It is
the process of understanding new information in relation to prior knowledge, or
existing schemata.
Association area - ANSWERAreas in the brain that integrate information from
different cortical regions
, Atkinson-Shiffin model - ANSWERA model of memory that involves three memory
structures (sensory, short-term and long-term), and the processes that operate these
memory structures.
Attachment bond - ANSWEREvidence of a preference for the primary caregiver and
a wariness of strangers.
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADD/HD) - ANSWERA disorder characterized
by developmentally atypical inattention and/or impulsivity-hyperactivity.
Attribution theory - ANSWERFritz Heider's theory that people tend to infer the
causes of other people's behavior as either dispositional (related to the individual) or
situational (related to the environment).
Authoritarian parenting style - ANSWERA parenting style tending to use punitive
control methods and lacking emotional warmth.
Authoritative parenting style - ANSWERA parenting style tending to have reasonably
high demands for child compliance coupled with emotional warmth.
Autism - ANSWERA disorder whose essential features are lack of responsiveness to
other people, gross impairment in communication skills, and behaviors and interests
that are repetitive, inflexibly routined and stereotyped.
Autokinetic effect - ANSWERAn illusion that occurs when a spot of light appears to
move erratically in a dark room, simply because there is no frame of reference.
Availability heuristic - ANSWERA decision-making short-cut that people tend to use
when trying to decide how likely something is based upon how easily similar
instances can be imagined .
Aversion therapy - ANSWERA behavioral therapy of pairing unpleasant stimuli with
undesirable behavior.
Balance theory - ANSWERFritz Heider's consistency theory that is concerned with
balance and imbalance in the ways in which three elements are related
Behavioral contracts - ANSWERA therapeutic technique that is a negotiated
agreement between two parties that explicitly stipulates the behavioral change that is
desired and indicates consequences of certain acts.
Behavioral-stimulants - ANSWERA class of drugs that increase behavioral activity by
increasing motor activity or by counteracting fatigue, and which are thought to
stimulate receptors for dopamine, norepinephrine and serotonin.
Békésy's traveling wave theory - ANSWERProposed by Von Békésy, the theory
holds that high frequency sounds maximally vibrate the basilar membrane near the
beginning of the cochlea close to the oval window and low frequencies maximally
vibrate near the apex, or tip of the cochlea.
QUESTIONS & ANSWERS(RATED A+)
Ablation - ANSWERA surgically induced brain lesion.
Absolute refractory period - ANSWERThe period that follows the onset of an action
potential. During this period, a nerve impulse cannot be initiated
Absolute threshold - ANSWERThe minimum of stimulus energy needed to activate a
sensory system.
Accommodation - ANSWERA principle of Piaget's theory of cognitive development. It
occurs when cognitive structures are modified because new information or new
experiences do not fit into existing cognitive structures.
Acetylcholine - ANSWERA neurotransmitter found in both central and peripheral
nervous systems linked to Alzheimer's disease and used to transmit nerve impulses
to the muscles, respectively.
Acrophobia - ANSWERA specific phobia that is an irrational fear of heights.
ACT model (Adaptive Control of Thought) - ANSWERA model that describes
memory in terms of procedural and declarative memory.
Actor-observer effect - ANSWERThe tendency of actors to see observer behavior as
due to external factors (situational factors) and the tendency of observers to attribute
actors' behaviors to internal characteristics (dispositional characteristics).
Adrenaline - ANSWERA hormone that increases energy available for "fight or flight"
reactions (also known as epinephrine).
Afterimages - ANSWERA visual sensation that appears after prolonged or intense
exposure to a stimulus.
Agnosia - ANSWERImpairments in perceptual recognition.
Agoraphobia - ANSWERAn irrational fear of being in places or situations where
escape might be difficult.
All-or-none law - ANSWERA law about nerve impulses stating that when
depolarization reaches the critical threshold (-50 millivolts) the neuron is going to fire,
each time, every time.
Alternate-form method - ANSWERIn psychometrics, it is the method of using two or
more different forms of a test to determine the reliability of a particular test.
,Altruism - ANSWERA form of helping behavior where the person's intent is to benefit
someone else at some cost to him- or herself.
Amnesia - ANSWERA dissociative disorder where individuals are unable to recall
past experience, but this inability is not due to a neurological disorder.
Analogy of inoculation - ANSWERMcGuire's analogy that people can be
psychologically inoculated against the "attack" of persuasive communications by first
exposing them to a weakened attack.
Analyses of Variance (anovas) - ANSWERA statistical method to compare the
means of more than two groups by comparing the between-group variance to the
within-group variance.
Anchoring - ANSWERA cognitive term (a heuristic) that refers to the tendency of
people to make decisions based on reference points, or standards used to make
judgements.
Anima (animus) - ANSWERAn archetype from Jung's theory referring to the feminine
behaviors in males, and the masculine behaviors in females.
Anorexia nervosa - ANSWERAn eating disorder characterized by a refusal to
maintain a minimal normal body weight.
Anterograde amnesia - ANSWERMemory loss for new information following brain
injury.
Anti-social personality disorder - ANSWERA personality disorder characterized by a
pattern of disregard for, and violation of, the rights of others.
Aphagia. - ANSWERAn impairment in the ability to eat.
Aphasias - ANSWERLanguage disorders, which are associated with Broca's and
Wernicke's areas in the brain.
Apparent motion - ANSWERAn illusion that occurs when two dots flashed in different
locations on a screen seconds apart are perceived as one moving dot.
Apraxia - ANSWERAn impairment in the organization of voluntary action.
Archetypes - ANSWERThe building blocks for the collective unconscious referred to
in Jung's theory of personality.
Assimilation - ANSWERA principle of Piaget's theory of cognitive development. It is
the process of understanding new information in relation to prior knowledge, or
existing schemata.
Association area - ANSWERAreas in the brain that integrate information from
different cortical regions
, Atkinson-Shiffin model - ANSWERA model of memory that involves three memory
structures (sensory, short-term and long-term), and the processes that operate these
memory structures.
Attachment bond - ANSWEREvidence of a preference for the primary caregiver and
a wariness of strangers.
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADD/HD) - ANSWERA disorder characterized
by developmentally atypical inattention and/or impulsivity-hyperactivity.
Attribution theory - ANSWERFritz Heider's theory that people tend to infer the
causes of other people's behavior as either dispositional (related to the individual) or
situational (related to the environment).
Authoritarian parenting style - ANSWERA parenting style tending to use punitive
control methods and lacking emotional warmth.
Authoritative parenting style - ANSWERA parenting style tending to have reasonably
high demands for child compliance coupled with emotional warmth.
Autism - ANSWERA disorder whose essential features are lack of responsiveness to
other people, gross impairment in communication skills, and behaviors and interests
that are repetitive, inflexibly routined and stereotyped.
Autokinetic effect - ANSWERAn illusion that occurs when a spot of light appears to
move erratically in a dark room, simply because there is no frame of reference.
Availability heuristic - ANSWERA decision-making short-cut that people tend to use
when trying to decide how likely something is based upon how easily similar
instances can be imagined .
Aversion therapy - ANSWERA behavioral therapy of pairing unpleasant stimuli with
undesirable behavior.
Balance theory - ANSWERFritz Heider's consistency theory that is concerned with
balance and imbalance in the ways in which three elements are related
Behavioral contracts - ANSWERA therapeutic technique that is a negotiated
agreement between two parties that explicitly stipulates the behavioral change that is
desired and indicates consequences of certain acts.
Behavioral-stimulants - ANSWERA class of drugs that increase behavioral activity by
increasing motor activity or by counteracting fatigue, and which are thought to
stimulate receptors for dopamine, norepinephrine and serotonin.
Békésy's traveling wave theory - ANSWERProposed by Von Békésy, the theory
holds that high frequency sounds maximally vibrate the basilar membrane near the
beginning of the cochlea close to the oval window and low frequencies maximally
vibrate near the apex, or tip of the cochlea.
