MCAT Section Bank; Behavioral
Science Questions and Answers
Shadowing task - CORRECT ANSWERS -subjects repeat speech immediately after hearing it
(usually through earphones)
Pathway of verbal inputs to the left ear - CORRECT ANSWERS -first go to the auditory cortex in
the right hemisphere and then must be processed by the language areas of the left hemisphere
The observed correlations mentioned in the passage suggest all of the following EXCEPT:
A) the study's measure of attention capabilities enhances the predictive validity of the pilot
selection test battery
B) the study's measure of attention capabilities reduces the predictive validity of the pilot
selection test battery
C) flight cadets who perform better on the task are more likely to complete training on more
advanced equipment than those whose performance is poorer.
D) flight cadets who make more errors in Phase 2 are less likely to complete training on more
advanced equipment. - CORRECT ANSWERS -B) the study's measure of attention capabilities
reduces the predictive validity of the pilot selection test battery
Flight candidates who had successfully completed two years of training (an thus reached the
point where they were flying with more advanced aircraft) have attention deployment
capabilities that predict their success in meeting with increasingly complex information
processing requirements.
Researchers conducted a replication of the pilot training study with bus drivers. How accurately
will the measure of a person's ability to redirect attention predict accident rates among drivers?
The error rates in:
A) Phase 1 will be directly related to accident rates.
B) Phase 1 will be inversely related to accident rates.
C) Phase 2 will be directly related to accident rates.
D) Phase 2 will be inversely related to accident rates. - CORRECT ANSWERS -C) Phase 2 will be
directly related to accident rates.
,The selective listening task provides a robust measure of a person's susceptibility to having a
change in the orientation of attention cause a transient disruption of attention on any task that
demands the ability to redirect attention.
Did the task used in the study fulfill the original need described in the first paragraph?
A) Yes, because cadets who completed training on more advanced equipment had performed
significantly better on the task than those who dropped out of the training earlier
B) No, because performance in Phase 2 of the task did not predict performance on other tests
used in pilot selection
C) Yes, because cadets' ability to divide attention between simultaneous inputs was predicted
by their performance in Phase 1
D) No, because cadets' performance in Phase 1 did not predict their ability to redirect attention
in Phase 2 - CORRECT ANSWERS -A) Yes, because cadets who completed training on more
advanced equipment had performed significantly better on the task than those who dropped
out of the training earlier
The answer to this question is A because the main requirement was for a test of how quickly a
flight cadet can redirect attention, and because the selective listening task fulfilled that
requirement and allowed the "modern air force" to test this ability quickly and inexpensively.
Which basic cognitive process was used by the flight cadets who were required to repeat
certain digits?
A) Divided attention
B) Sensory memory
C) Selective attention
D) Sensory coding - CORRECT ANSWERS -C) Selective attention
The shadowing task operationally defines the inputs to which subjects must attend.
By limiting the initial sample to low SES participants living in a large US city, the researchers:
A) eliminated all the variables that would have confounded interpretation of the results
,B) set up an experiment to assess how cocaine might affect the human brain
C) reduced variability due to differences in the quality of public schools
D) were unable to draw any conclusions regarding prenatal cocaine exposure - CORRECT
ANSWERS -C) reduced variability due to differences in the quality of public schools
The answer to this question is C because SES stability was mentioned in the passage and the
quality of public schools would vary if mothers from different geographic areas or cities had
participated in the study.
Interpretation of intelligence test scores is based on the assumption that the scores are
normally distributed within a population such that:
A) more than two-thirds of children will score between 85 and 115.
B) a quarter of all children will perform poorly on least one component of the exam.
C) significantly more children will score at the extremes of the scoring distribution than in the
middle.
D) only exceptionally gifted children would have IQ scores above 85 by age 6; perfect test
scores are rare during early childhood. - CORRECT ANSWERS -A) more than two-thirds of
children will score between 85 and 115.
The answer to this question is A because, based on the standardization system used to score IQ,
the Wechsler Scales of Intelligence (WISC) scores are "normalized" to a mean of 100 and a
standard deviation of 15. So 68% of the scores will be between 85 and 115.
Hypothalamus function - CORRECT ANSWERS -concerned largely with the maintenance of
homeostatic equilibrium
Researchers hypothesized that cocaine is pharmacologically active in the primate fetal brain
when pregnant primates are administered cocaine at doses typically used by human drug users.
Which experimental observation best supports their hypothesis?
A) Glucose metabolism in the fetal brain increased.
B) Imaging studies showed that cocaine entered the fetal circulation.
C) The fetus had an increase in tolerance to pain.
, D) Imaging studies showed increased internalization of dopamine receptors. - CORRECT
ANSWERS -A) Glucose metabolism in the fetal brain increased.
The answer to this question is A because cocaine is a stimulant and it would have a
physiological effect similar to stress and hence glucose metabolism is expected to increase.
Which characteristic collectively best describes the three molecules (dopamine, serotonin, and
norepinephrine) that are functionally altered in offspring as a result of fetal exposure to
cocaine? Each molecule:
A) is only manufactured in endocrine glands throughout the body
B) binds to a receptor on a postsynaptic membrane within the CNS
C) is distributed to target neurons within the cerebrospinal fluid
D) transmits signals between two neurons at a faster speed than through gap junctions. -
CORRECT ANSWERS -B) binds to a receptor on a postsynaptic membrane within the CNS
The answer is B because this is the mechanism by which neurotransmitters function.
Which statement best explains why continuous reinforcement is best for the beginning of the
acquisition phase of operant conditioning?
A) The schedule unambiguously informs the subject which behavior is correct.
B) The schedule is best matched for the motivational state of the subject.
C) This leads to the greatest accumulation of reinforcements, hence the greatest pleasure.
D) It gives subjects little time for incorrect responses. - CORRECT ANSWERS -A) The schedule
unambiguously informs the subject which behavior is correct.
The answer to this question is A because first the correct response must be unambiguously
made known to the subject, generally through a shaping procedure. Thereafter, if every correct
response is reinforced, other (incorrect) responses are infrequent and the behavior gains
strength and learning results.
Science Questions and Answers
Shadowing task - CORRECT ANSWERS -subjects repeat speech immediately after hearing it
(usually through earphones)
Pathway of verbal inputs to the left ear - CORRECT ANSWERS -first go to the auditory cortex in
the right hemisphere and then must be processed by the language areas of the left hemisphere
The observed correlations mentioned in the passage suggest all of the following EXCEPT:
A) the study's measure of attention capabilities enhances the predictive validity of the pilot
selection test battery
B) the study's measure of attention capabilities reduces the predictive validity of the pilot
selection test battery
C) flight cadets who perform better on the task are more likely to complete training on more
advanced equipment than those whose performance is poorer.
D) flight cadets who make more errors in Phase 2 are less likely to complete training on more
advanced equipment. - CORRECT ANSWERS -B) the study's measure of attention capabilities
reduces the predictive validity of the pilot selection test battery
Flight candidates who had successfully completed two years of training (an thus reached the
point where they were flying with more advanced aircraft) have attention deployment
capabilities that predict their success in meeting with increasingly complex information
processing requirements.
Researchers conducted a replication of the pilot training study with bus drivers. How accurately
will the measure of a person's ability to redirect attention predict accident rates among drivers?
The error rates in:
A) Phase 1 will be directly related to accident rates.
B) Phase 1 will be inversely related to accident rates.
C) Phase 2 will be directly related to accident rates.
D) Phase 2 will be inversely related to accident rates. - CORRECT ANSWERS -C) Phase 2 will be
directly related to accident rates.
,The selective listening task provides a robust measure of a person's susceptibility to having a
change in the orientation of attention cause a transient disruption of attention on any task that
demands the ability to redirect attention.
Did the task used in the study fulfill the original need described in the first paragraph?
A) Yes, because cadets who completed training on more advanced equipment had performed
significantly better on the task than those who dropped out of the training earlier
B) No, because performance in Phase 2 of the task did not predict performance on other tests
used in pilot selection
C) Yes, because cadets' ability to divide attention between simultaneous inputs was predicted
by their performance in Phase 1
D) No, because cadets' performance in Phase 1 did not predict their ability to redirect attention
in Phase 2 - CORRECT ANSWERS -A) Yes, because cadets who completed training on more
advanced equipment had performed significantly better on the task than those who dropped
out of the training earlier
The answer to this question is A because the main requirement was for a test of how quickly a
flight cadet can redirect attention, and because the selective listening task fulfilled that
requirement and allowed the "modern air force" to test this ability quickly and inexpensively.
Which basic cognitive process was used by the flight cadets who were required to repeat
certain digits?
A) Divided attention
B) Sensory memory
C) Selective attention
D) Sensory coding - CORRECT ANSWERS -C) Selective attention
The shadowing task operationally defines the inputs to which subjects must attend.
By limiting the initial sample to low SES participants living in a large US city, the researchers:
A) eliminated all the variables that would have confounded interpretation of the results
,B) set up an experiment to assess how cocaine might affect the human brain
C) reduced variability due to differences in the quality of public schools
D) were unable to draw any conclusions regarding prenatal cocaine exposure - CORRECT
ANSWERS -C) reduced variability due to differences in the quality of public schools
The answer to this question is C because SES stability was mentioned in the passage and the
quality of public schools would vary if mothers from different geographic areas or cities had
participated in the study.
Interpretation of intelligence test scores is based on the assumption that the scores are
normally distributed within a population such that:
A) more than two-thirds of children will score between 85 and 115.
B) a quarter of all children will perform poorly on least one component of the exam.
C) significantly more children will score at the extremes of the scoring distribution than in the
middle.
D) only exceptionally gifted children would have IQ scores above 85 by age 6; perfect test
scores are rare during early childhood. - CORRECT ANSWERS -A) more than two-thirds of
children will score between 85 and 115.
The answer to this question is A because, based on the standardization system used to score IQ,
the Wechsler Scales of Intelligence (WISC) scores are "normalized" to a mean of 100 and a
standard deviation of 15. So 68% of the scores will be between 85 and 115.
Hypothalamus function - CORRECT ANSWERS -concerned largely with the maintenance of
homeostatic equilibrium
Researchers hypothesized that cocaine is pharmacologically active in the primate fetal brain
when pregnant primates are administered cocaine at doses typically used by human drug users.
Which experimental observation best supports their hypothesis?
A) Glucose metabolism in the fetal brain increased.
B) Imaging studies showed that cocaine entered the fetal circulation.
C) The fetus had an increase in tolerance to pain.
, D) Imaging studies showed increased internalization of dopamine receptors. - CORRECT
ANSWERS -A) Glucose metabolism in the fetal brain increased.
The answer to this question is A because cocaine is a stimulant and it would have a
physiological effect similar to stress and hence glucose metabolism is expected to increase.
Which characteristic collectively best describes the three molecules (dopamine, serotonin, and
norepinephrine) that are functionally altered in offspring as a result of fetal exposure to
cocaine? Each molecule:
A) is only manufactured in endocrine glands throughout the body
B) binds to a receptor on a postsynaptic membrane within the CNS
C) is distributed to target neurons within the cerebrospinal fluid
D) transmits signals between two neurons at a faster speed than through gap junctions. -
CORRECT ANSWERS -B) binds to a receptor on a postsynaptic membrane within the CNS
The answer is B because this is the mechanism by which neurotransmitters function.
Which statement best explains why continuous reinforcement is best for the beginning of the
acquisition phase of operant conditioning?
A) The schedule unambiguously informs the subject which behavior is correct.
B) The schedule is best matched for the motivational state of the subject.
C) This leads to the greatest accumulation of reinforcements, hence the greatest pleasure.
D) It gives subjects little time for incorrect responses. - CORRECT ANSWERS -A) The schedule
unambiguously informs the subject which behavior is correct.
The answer to this question is A because first the correct response must be unambiguously
made known to the subject, generally through a shaping procedure. Thereafter, if every correct
response is reinforced, other (incorrect) responses are infrequent and the behavior gains
strength and learning results.
