MCAT Psychology Questions with Correct Answers

What is serial conditioning? and what effect does it likely cause? Correct Answer serial conditioning is when stimuli are presented one at a time until all stimuli are done. it can cause primacy effect which means your memory of the stimuli is best for objects at the beginning of the sequence. What does spreading of activation theory refer to? Correct Answer that when a concept in the brain is activated, it also activates related concepts. like if you were presented with a picture of the united states, you'd likely then also think about things like american independence, and things the united states has done by just looking at the image. What is the behaviorist approach to learning and psychological disorders? Correct Answer that behaviors are made by classical conditioning and are learned. What is classical conditioning, and what is an example of it? Correct Answer when a potent stimulus is paired with an otherwise neutral stimulus, and then the neutral stimulus can elicit a response. ex. pavlovs dogs. the bell is the neutral stimulus, the food is the potent stimulus. the dogs paired the bell with food. What is operant conditioning? and what is an example of it? Correct Answer Consequences come to control our behavior. these consequences can be positive or negative (giving or taking away something), and be reinforcement or punishment. a postive reinforcement is like giving a candy to a dog when it properly rolls over. a negative punishment is taking away TV time for bad behavior. What is the psychodynamic approach? Correct Answer tries to understand the psychological forces that drive behavior, and how they are related to early experiences in childhood. relies heavily on conscious motivation and unconscious motivation. what is the trait theory approach? Correct Answer studies human personality, and looks at the measurement of these traits. Believes traits are relatively stable overtime, differ between people, and influence behavior. What is the humanistic theory? Correct Answer studies the whole person and their uniqueness, and how and why they perceive and interpret events a certain way. What is interceptive awareness? Correct Answer When you become more aware of things like your heat beating, your breathing, etc. that you normally do not notice. All of these things are controlled by the autonomic nervous system, so this awareness is related to the autonomic system.