3 MAXE · 101 HCYSP
Psychology 101
Ψ Department of Psychology
PSYCHOLOGY
EST. 2026
UNDERSTANDING MIND · BEHAVIOR · SCIENCE
PSYCH 101 Exam 3
M E M O RY · D E V E LO P M E N T · L E A R N I N G · S O C I A L PSYC H O LO G Y · T H E RA PY
COURSE CODE PSYCH 101 PROGRAM Bachelor of Arts / Bachelor of
Science — Psychology
ACADEMIC YEAR EXAM TITLE PSYCH 101 Exam 3
TOTAL QUESTIONS 88 Questions COURSE TITLE Introduction to Psychology
FORMAT Multiple Choice — Select the
Single Best Answer
EXAMINATION INSTRUCTIONS
▸ Select the single best answer for each question.
▸ Questions cover memory processes, forgetting, brain structures, development, learning, social
psychology, and therapy.
▸ Understanding key theorists, experimental paradigms, and terminology is emphasized.
▸ Correct answers and rationales appear below each question for self-assessment.
▸ All content reflects PSYCH 101 Exam 3 learning objectives.
, SECTION I — MEMORY, DEVELOPMENT, LEARNING,
Questions 1 – 88
SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY & THERAPY
1. Combining individual letters into familiar words enables you to remember more of the
letters in this sentence. This best illustrates:
A. automatic processing
B. chunking
C. the spacing effect
D. echoic memory
CORRECT ANSWER B
RATIONALE Chunking organizes individual items into larger, meaningful groups, expanding
the effective capacity of short-term memory beyond 7±2 items. Words are chunks
of letters.
2. After one chimp sees a second open a box that has food, the first opens a similar box with
great speed. This illustrates:
A. classical conditioning
B. operant conditioning
C. observational learning
D. latent learning
CORRECT ANSWER C
RATIONALE Observational learning (Bandura) occurs when an organism watches a model
perform a behavior and then imitates it. The chimp learned by watching, not
through direct reinforcement or stimulus pairing.
,3. What is the correct order of Piaget's stages of cognitive development?
A. Pre-operational, sensorimotor, concrete operational, formal operational
B. Sensorimotor, pre-operational, concrete operational, formal operational
C. Concrete operational, sensorimotor, pre-operational, formal operational
D. Formal operational, concrete operational, pre-operational, sensorimotor
CORRECT ANSWER B
RATIONALE Piaget's stages progress: Sensorimotor (0–2), Pre-operational (2–7), Concrete
Operational (7–11), Formal Operational (11+). Each stage represents qualitatively
different cognitive abilities.
4. Melissa suffered a severe viral infection during her pregnancy that caused her infant to be
born with an abnormal heart valve. In this instance, the virus was:
A. a teratogen
B. a genetic mutation
C. a chromosomal abnormality
D. an epigenetic marker
CORRECT ANSWER A
RATIONALE A teratogen is any environmental agent — virus, drug, chemical, or radiation —
that can cause harm to the developing embryo or fetus. Maternal viral infections
are a classic example.
, 5. In a well-known experiment, preschool children pounded and kicked a large inflated
Bobo doll that an adult had just beaten. The experiment served to illustrate:
A. the importance of observational learning
B. the effectiveness of punishment
C. classical conditioning of fear
D. operant conditioning of aggression
CORRECT ANSWER A
RATIONALE Bandura's Bobo doll experiment demonstrated that children learn aggressive
behaviors through observation and imitation of adult models — a cornerstone of
social learning theory.
6. Mrs. McBride can't consciously recall how frequently she criticizes her children because it
would be too anxiety-arousing to do so. Sigmund Freud would have suggested her poor
memory illustrates:
A. source amnesia
B. repression
C. retroactive interference
D. encoding failure
CORRECT ANSWER B
RATIONALE Freud proposed repression — the unconscious blocking of anxiety-provoking
memories from conscious awareness — as a defense mechanism. Modern
research provides limited support for this concept.
Psychology 101
Ψ Department of Psychology
PSYCHOLOGY
EST. 2026
UNDERSTANDING MIND · BEHAVIOR · SCIENCE
PSYCH 101 Exam 3
M E M O RY · D E V E LO P M E N T · L E A R N I N G · S O C I A L PSYC H O LO G Y · T H E RA PY
COURSE CODE PSYCH 101 PROGRAM Bachelor of Arts / Bachelor of
Science — Psychology
ACADEMIC YEAR EXAM TITLE PSYCH 101 Exam 3
TOTAL QUESTIONS 88 Questions COURSE TITLE Introduction to Psychology
FORMAT Multiple Choice — Select the
Single Best Answer
EXAMINATION INSTRUCTIONS
▸ Select the single best answer for each question.
▸ Questions cover memory processes, forgetting, brain structures, development, learning, social
psychology, and therapy.
▸ Understanding key theorists, experimental paradigms, and terminology is emphasized.
▸ Correct answers and rationales appear below each question for self-assessment.
▸ All content reflects PSYCH 101 Exam 3 learning objectives.
, SECTION I — MEMORY, DEVELOPMENT, LEARNING,
Questions 1 – 88
SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY & THERAPY
1. Combining individual letters into familiar words enables you to remember more of the
letters in this sentence. This best illustrates:
A. automatic processing
B. chunking
C. the spacing effect
D. echoic memory
CORRECT ANSWER B
RATIONALE Chunking organizes individual items into larger, meaningful groups, expanding
the effective capacity of short-term memory beyond 7±2 items. Words are chunks
of letters.
2. After one chimp sees a second open a box that has food, the first opens a similar box with
great speed. This illustrates:
A. classical conditioning
B. operant conditioning
C. observational learning
D. latent learning
CORRECT ANSWER C
RATIONALE Observational learning (Bandura) occurs when an organism watches a model
perform a behavior and then imitates it. The chimp learned by watching, not
through direct reinforcement or stimulus pairing.
,3. What is the correct order of Piaget's stages of cognitive development?
A. Pre-operational, sensorimotor, concrete operational, formal operational
B. Sensorimotor, pre-operational, concrete operational, formal operational
C. Concrete operational, sensorimotor, pre-operational, formal operational
D. Formal operational, concrete operational, pre-operational, sensorimotor
CORRECT ANSWER B
RATIONALE Piaget's stages progress: Sensorimotor (0–2), Pre-operational (2–7), Concrete
Operational (7–11), Formal Operational (11+). Each stage represents qualitatively
different cognitive abilities.
4. Melissa suffered a severe viral infection during her pregnancy that caused her infant to be
born with an abnormal heart valve. In this instance, the virus was:
A. a teratogen
B. a genetic mutation
C. a chromosomal abnormality
D. an epigenetic marker
CORRECT ANSWER A
RATIONALE A teratogen is any environmental agent — virus, drug, chemical, or radiation —
that can cause harm to the developing embryo or fetus. Maternal viral infections
are a classic example.
, 5. In a well-known experiment, preschool children pounded and kicked a large inflated
Bobo doll that an adult had just beaten. The experiment served to illustrate:
A. the importance of observational learning
B. the effectiveness of punishment
C. classical conditioning of fear
D. operant conditioning of aggression
CORRECT ANSWER A
RATIONALE Bandura's Bobo doll experiment demonstrated that children learn aggressive
behaviors through observation and imitation of adult models — a cornerstone of
social learning theory.
6. Mrs. McBride can't consciously recall how frequently she criticizes her children because it
would be too anxiety-arousing to do so. Sigmund Freud would have suggested her poor
memory illustrates:
A. source amnesia
B. repression
C. retroactive interference
D. encoding failure
CORRECT ANSWER B
RATIONALE Freud proposed repression — the unconscious blocking of anxiety-provoking
memories from conscious awareness — as a defense mechanism. Modern
research provides limited support for this concept.
