AP PSYCHOLOGY EXAM QUESTIONS
WITH CORRECT ANSWERS
1. Which of the following is used to reduce the
effects of confounding variables in experiments?
(A) Descriptive statistics
(B) Inferential statistics
(C) Meta-analysis
(D) An algorithm
(E) Random assignment - Correct Answers -E
2. Thomas gained a lot of weight because he was
eating too many sweets. A psychologist suggested
to Thomas that he pair the pleasant taste of sweets
with the taste of something he finds unpleasant.
So, Thomas put broccoli, which he hates, in his
ice cream, cake, and pie. He now feels nauseated
at the sight of dessert and avoids eating it. This
technique is known as
(A) flooding
(B) a token economy
(C) client-centered therapy
(D) systematic desensitization
(E) aversion therapy - Correct Answers -E
3. Which of the following is reduced during
a fight-or-flight reaction?
(A) Adrenaline level
(B) Glucose level
(C) Respiration rate
(D) Heart rate
(E) Digestion - Correct Answers -E
4. Ana injured her eye in an accident and has to wear
a patch over the eye while it heals. Which of the
following cues would she best be able to use to
make judgments about the distance objects are
from her?
(A) Convergence
(B) Binocular disparity
(C) Linear perspective
,(D) Similarity
(E) Closure - Correct Answers -C
5. During therapy sessions, Gerry's therapist often
rephrases things that Gerry has said or asks for
clarification. This action is consistent with what
aspect of client-centered therapy?
(A) Empathy
(B) Unconditional positive regard
(C) Genuineness
(D) Active listening
(E) Self-worth - Correct Answers -D
6. A psychologist gives the same test to a class of
students at the beginning of the day and again at
the end of the school day. The extent to which test
scores are similar across the two administrations
demonstrates which of the following test
properties?
(A) Validity
(B) Reliability
(C) Standardization
(D) Statistical significance
(E) Utility - Correct Answers -B
7. An animal will gain weight when
(A) it establishes homeostasis
(B) its ventromedial hypothalamus is damaged
(C) it reaches its set point
(D) its basal metabolism rate increases
(E) releasing factors are present - Correct Answers -B
8. When Sophie reads her history assignments,
she goes over them very carefully and tries to
memorize each fact. Emma, on the other hand,
studies by trying to relate the new information
to things she has experienced, been told about
by others, or seen in movies and on television.
Emma's performance on history tests will
probably be better than Sophie's due to
differences in
(A) retrograde amnesia
(B) selective attention
(C) levels of processing
(D) source monitoring
(E) clustering - Correct Answers -C
, 9. Mary participates in an exercise program because
she experiences an increase in energy and feelings
of well-being at the end of each exercise session.
The best explanation for Mary's perseverance in
the program is that exercise
(A) reduces her level of gamma-aminobutyric
acid (GABA)
(B) reduces her level of acetylcholine
(C) reduces her level of glutamate
(D) increases her level of teratogens
(E) increases her level of endorphins - Correct Answers -E
10. Which of the following supports the
opponent-process theory of color vision?
(A) Color constancy
(B) Feature detection
(C) Subtractive color mixing
(D) Afterimages
(E) Parallel processing - Correct Answers -D
11. What is the correct chronological order of the
following perspectives of psychology, from past
to present?
I. Behaviorism
II. Psychoanalysis
III. Structuralism
IV. Humanism
(A) I, II, III, IV
(B) II, III, IV, I
(C) I, IV, III, II
(D) III, II, I, IV
(E) III, II, IV, I - Correct Answers -D
12. Incentive theories of motivation explain the desire
of people to achieve goals in terms of
(A) maintenance of physiological equilibrium
(B) internal states of tension that need to be
resolved
(C) external stimuli that have the capacity to
affect behavior
(D) tendencies that strike a balance between
biological and social needs
(E) resolution of cognitive dissonance - Correct Answers -C
13. In elementary school, Lisa learned to speak some
WITH CORRECT ANSWERS
1. Which of the following is used to reduce the
effects of confounding variables in experiments?
(A) Descriptive statistics
(B) Inferential statistics
(C) Meta-analysis
(D) An algorithm
(E) Random assignment - Correct Answers -E
2. Thomas gained a lot of weight because he was
eating too many sweets. A psychologist suggested
to Thomas that he pair the pleasant taste of sweets
with the taste of something he finds unpleasant.
So, Thomas put broccoli, which he hates, in his
ice cream, cake, and pie. He now feels nauseated
at the sight of dessert and avoids eating it. This
technique is known as
(A) flooding
(B) a token economy
(C) client-centered therapy
(D) systematic desensitization
(E) aversion therapy - Correct Answers -E
3. Which of the following is reduced during
a fight-or-flight reaction?
(A) Adrenaline level
(B) Glucose level
(C) Respiration rate
(D) Heart rate
(E) Digestion - Correct Answers -E
4. Ana injured her eye in an accident and has to wear
a patch over the eye while it heals. Which of the
following cues would she best be able to use to
make judgments about the distance objects are
from her?
(A) Convergence
(B) Binocular disparity
(C) Linear perspective
,(D) Similarity
(E) Closure - Correct Answers -C
5. During therapy sessions, Gerry's therapist often
rephrases things that Gerry has said or asks for
clarification. This action is consistent with what
aspect of client-centered therapy?
(A) Empathy
(B) Unconditional positive regard
(C) Genuineness
(D) Active listening
(E) Self-worth - Correct Answers -D
6. A psychologist gives the same test to a class of
students at the beginning of the day and again at
the end of the school day. The extent to which test
scores are similar across the two administrations
demonstrates which of the following test
properties?
(A) Validity
(B) Reliability
(C) Standardization
(D) Statistical significance
(E) Utility - Correct Answers -B
7. An animal will gain weight when
(A) it establishes homeostasis
(B) its ventromedial hypothalamus is damaged
(C) it reaches its set point
(D) its basal metabolism rate increases
(E) releasing factors are present - Correct Answers -B
8. When Sophie reads her history assignments,
she goes over them very carefully and tries to
memorize each fact. Emma, on the other hand,
studies by trying to relate the new information
to things she has experienced, been told about
by others, or seen in movies and on television.
Emma's performance on history tests will
probably be better than Sophie's due to
differences in
(A) retrograde amnesia
(B) selective attention
(C) levels of processing
(D) source monitoring
(E) clustering - Correct Answers -C
, 9. Mary participates in an exercise program because
she experiences an increase in energy and feelings
of well-being at the end of each exercise session.
The best explanation for Mary's perseverance in
the program is that exercise
(A) reduces her level of gamma-aminobutyric
acid (GABA)
(B) reduces her level of acetylcholine
(C) reduces her level of glutamate
(D) increases her level of teratogens
(E) increases her level of endorphins - Correct Answers -E
10. Which of the following supports the
opponent-process theory of color vision?
(A) Color constancy
(B) Feature detection
(C) Subtractive color mixing
(D) Afterimages
(E) Parallel processing - Correct Answers -D
11. What is the correct chronological order of the
following perspectives of psychology, from past
to present?
I. Behaviorism
II. Psychoanalysis
III. Structuralism
IV. Humanism
(A) I, II, III, IV
(B) II, III, IV, I
(C) I, IV, III, II
(D) III, II, I, IV
(E) III, II, IV, I - Correct Answers -D
12. Incentive theories of motivation explain the desire
of people to achieve goals in terms of
(A) maintenance of physiological equilibrium
(B) internal states of tension that need to be
resolved
(C) external stimuli that have the capacity to
affect behavior
(D) tendencies that strike a balance between
biological and social needs
(E) resolution of cognitive dissonance - Correct Answers -C
13. In elementary school, Lisa learned to speak some
