Psychology: Full-Length Mock Exam with Solutions

Psychology: Full-Length Mock
Exam with Solutions

For Advanced Psychology Students

Prepared for Comprehensive Exam Preparation

Date: June 11, 2025




This document provides a full-length mock exam with 50 exam-style questions and
detailed, verified solutions for psychology students at moderate to very advanced levels.
It covers core and specialized areas to ensure academic success.

, Contents

1 Introduction 3

2 Mock Exam Questions and Solutions 3
2.1 Moderate: What distinguishes classical conditioning from operant condi-
tioning? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
2.2 Moderate: What is cognitive dissonance, and how is it resolved? . . . . . 3
2.3 Advanced: How does Baddeley’s working memory model advance beyond
the multi-store model? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
2.4 Very Advanced: Critically evaluate the central executive’s role in Badde-
ley’s model, focusing on empirical challenges. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
2.5 Moderate: What are Piaget’s four stages of cognitive development? . . . 4
2.6 Advanced: Compare Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory to Piaget’s cognitive
development theory. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
2.7 Very Advanced: Assess the empirical support for Vygotsky’s ZPD in digital
learning environments. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
2.8 Moderate: What is the bystander effect, and what factors drive it? . . . 4
2.9 Advanced: How does social identity theory explain prejudice in social
groups? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
2.10 Very Advanced: Critically analyze social identity theory’s application to
reducing intergroup conflict in schools. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
2.11 Moderate: What is the difference between explicit and implicit memory? 5
2.12 Advanced: How does the dual-process theory account for heuristic-based
decision-making? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
2.13 Very Advanced: Evaluate the neural evidence for dual-process theory in
moral decision-making. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
2.14 Moderate: What are the DSM-5 criteria for major depressive disorder? . 6
2.15 Advanced: Compare CBT and SSRIs for treating major depressive disorder. 6
2.16 Very Advanced: Analyze the neurobiological changes induced by CBT in
depression treatment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
2.17 Moderate: What is the amygdala’s role in emotional processing? . . . . . 6
2.18 Advanced: How does the prefrontal cortex regulate amygdala activity in
emotional responses? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
2.19 Very Advanced: Critically examine PFC-amygdala connectivity in obsessive-
compulsive disorder (OCD). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
2.20 Moderate: What is the placebo effect in psychological research? . . . . . 7
2.21 Advanced: How does experimenter bias influence psychological research
outcomes? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
2.22 Very Advanced: Evaluate the impact of experimenter bias on neuroimag-
ing studies of emotion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
2.23 Moderate: What is Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, and how does it explain
motivation? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
2.24 Advanced: How does self-determination theory enhance Maslow’s hierar-
chy in motivation research? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
2.25 Very Advanced: Critically assess SDT’s applicability to motivation in col-
lectivist cultures. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
2.26 Moderate: What is the DSM-5 definition of schizophrenia? . . . . . . . . 8


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