GRE Psychology Subject Test UPDATED
ACTUAL Questions and CORRECT
Answers
Ablation - CORRECT ANSWER - A surgically induced brain lesion.
Absolute refractory period - CORRECT ANSWER - The period that follows the onset of
an action potential. During this period, a nerve impulse cannot be initiated
Absolute threshold - CORRECT ANSWER - The minimum of stimulus energy needed to
activate a sensory system.
Accommodation - CORRECT ANSWER - A 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 - CORRECT ANSWER - A 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 - CORRECT ANSWER - A specific phobia that is an irrational fear of heights.
ACT model (Adaptive Control of Thought) - CORRECT ANSWER - A model that
describes memory in terms of procedural and declarative memory.
Actor-observer effect - CORRECT ANSWER - The 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 - CORRECT ANSWER - A hormone that increases energy available for "fight
or flight" reactions (also known as epinephrine).
,Afterimages - CORRECT ANSWER - A visual sensation that appears after prolonged or
intense exposure to a stimulus.
Agnosia - CORRECT ANSWER - Impairments in perceptual recognition.
Agoraphobia - CORRECT ANSWER - An irrational fear of being in places or situations
where escape might be difficult.
All-or-none law - CORRECT ANSWER - A 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 - CORRECT ANSWER - In psychometrics, it is the method of
using two or more different forms of a test to determine the reliability of a particular test.
Altruism - CORRECT ANSWER - A form of helping behavior where the person's intent is
to benefit someone else at some cost to him- or herself.
Amnesia - CORRECT ANSWER - A dissociative disorder where individuals are unable to
recall past experience, but this inability is not due to a neurological disorder.
Analogy of inoculation - CORRECT ANSWER - McGuire'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) - CORRECT ANSWER - A statistical method to compare
the means of more than two groups by comparing the between-group variance to the within-
group variance.
,Anchoring - CORRECT ANSWER - A 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) - CORRECT ANSWER - An archetype from Jung's theory referring to the
feminine behaviors in males, and the masculine behaviors in females.
Anorexia nervosa - CORRECT ANSWER - An eating disorder characterized by a refusal
to maintain a minimal normal body weight.
Anterograde amnesia - CORRECT ANSWER - Memory loss for new information
following brain injury.
Anti-social personality disorder - CORRECT ANSWER - A personality disorder
characterized by a pattern of disregard for, and violation of, the rights of others.
Aphagia. - CORRECT ANSWER - An impairment in the ability to eat.
Aphasias - CORRECT ANSWER - Language disorders, which are associated with Broca's
and Wernicke's areas in the brain.
Apparent motion - CORRECT ANSWER - An illusion that occurs when two dots flashed
in different locations on a screen seconds apart are perceived as one moving dot.
Apraxia - CORRECT ANSWER - An impairment in the organization of voluntary action.
Archetypes - CORRECT ANSWER - The building blocks for the collective unconscious
referred to in Jung's theory of personality.
, Assimilation - CORRECT ANSWER - A 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 - CORRECT ANSWER - Areas in the brain that integrate information
from different cortical regions
Atkinson-Shiffin model - CORRECT ANSWER - A model of memory that involves three
memory structures (sensory, short-term and long-term), and the processes that operate these
memory structures.
Attachment bond - CORRECT ANSWER - Evidence of a preference for the primary
caregiver and a wariness of strangers.
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADD/HD) - CORRECT ANSWER - A disorder
characterized by developmentally atypical inattention and/or impulsivity-hyperactivity.
Attribution theory - CORRECT ANSWER - Fritz 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 - CORRECT ANSWER - A parenting style tending to use
punitive control methods and lacking emotional warmth.
Authoritative parenting style - CORRECT ANSWER - A parenting style tending to have
reasonably high demands for child compliance coupled with emotional warmth.
Autism - CORRECT ANSWER - A 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.
ACTUAL Questions and CORRECT
Answers
Ablation - CORRECT ANSWER - A surgically induced brain lesion.
Absolute refractory period - CORRECT ANSWER - The period that follows the onset of
an action potential. During this period, a nerve impulse cannot be initiated
Absolute threshold - CORRECT ANSWER - The minimum of stimulus energy needed to
activate a sensory system.
Accommodation - CORRECT ANSWER - A 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 - CORRECT ANSWER - A 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 - CORRECT ANSWER - A specific phobia that is an irrational fear of heights.
ACT model (Adaptive Control of Thought) - CORRECT ANSWER - A model that
describes memory in terms of procedural and declarative memory.
Actor-observer effect - CORRECT ANSWER - The 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 - CORRECT ANSWER - A hormone that increases energy available for "fight
or flight" reactions (also known as epinephrine).
,Afterimages - CORRECT ANSWER - A visual sensation that appears after prolonged or
intense exposure to a stimulus.
Agnosia - CORRECT ANSWER - Impairments in perceptual recognition.
Agoraphobia - CORRECT ANSWER - An irrational fear of being in places or situations
where escape might be difficult.
All-or-none law - CORRECT ANSWER - A 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 - CORRECT ANSWER - In psychometrics, it is the method of
using two or more different forms of a test to determine the reliability of a particular test.
Altruism - CORRECT ANSWER - A form of helping behavior where the person's intent is
to benefit someone else at some cost to him- or herself.
Amnesia - CORRECT ANSWER - A dissociative disorder where individuals are unable to
recall past experience, but this inability is not due to a neurological disorder.
Analogy of inoculation - CORRECT ANSWER - McGuire'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) - CORRECT ANSWER - A statistical method to compare
the means of more than two groups by comparing the between-group variance to the within-
group variance.
,Anchoring - CORRECT ANSWER - A 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) - CORRECT ANSWER - An archetype from Jung's theory referring to the
feminine behaviors in males, and the masculine behaviors in females.
Anorexia nervosa - CORRECT ANSWER - An eating disorder characterized by a refusal
to maintain a minimal normal body weight.
Anterograde amnesia - CORRECT ANSWER - Memory loss for new information
following brain injury.
Anti-social personality disorder - CORRECT ANSWER - A personality disorder
characterized by a pattern of disregard for, and violation of, the rights of others.
Aphagia. - CORRECT ANSWER - An impairment in the ability to eat.
Aphasias - CORRECT ANSWER - Language disorders, which are associated with Broca's
and Wernicke's areas in the brain.
Apparent motion - CORRECT ANSWER - An illusion that occurs when two dots flashed
in different locations on a screen seconds apart are perceived as one moving dot.
Apraxia - CORRECT ANSWER - An impairment in the organization of voluntary action.
Archetypes - CORRECT ANSWER - The building blocks for the collective unconscious
referred to in Jung's theory of personality.
, Assimilation - CORRECT ANSWER - A 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 - CORRECT ANSWER - Areas in the brain that integrate information
from different cortical regions
Atkinson-Shiffin model - CORRECT ANSWER - A model of memory that involves three
memory structures (sensory, short-term and long-term), and the processes that operate these
memory structures.
Attachment bond - CORRECT ANSWER - Evidence of a preference for the primary
caregiver and a wariness of strangers.
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADD/HD) - CORRECT ANSWER - A disorder
characterized by developmentally atypical inattention and/or impulsivity-hyperactivity.
Attribution theory - CORRECT ANSWER - Fritz 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 - CORRECT ANSWER - A parenting style tending to use
punitive control methods and lacking emotional warmth.
Authoritative parenting style - CORRECT ANSWER - A parenting style tending to have
reasonably high demands for child compliance coupled with emotional warmth.
Autism - CORRECT ANSWER - A 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.
