PSY 101 INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHOLOGY:
COMPREHENSIVE EXAMINATION – 2026/2027
ACADEMIC YEAR
UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY
200 VERIFIED QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS COVERING
FIVE CORE DOMAINS
Section A: History and Perspectives of Psychology (Questions 1-
10)
1. The word "psychology" comes from which language?
• A) Latin
• B) Spanish
• C) Greek
• D) Italian
Correct answer: C
Rationale: The word psychology derives from the Greek words "psyche" (meaning
soul or mind) and "logos" (meaning study), making it the "study of the mind or
soul" .
2. Psychology is defined as the scientific study of:
• A) People and things
• B) Emotions and beliefs
• C) Perception and religion
• D) Mind and behaviour
,Correct answer: D
Rationale: Psychology is the scientific study of the mind and behaviour. This
encompasses mental processes, observable actions, and their underlying biological
and environmental influences .
3. Which school of psychology, founded by John B. Watson and later expanded
by B.F. Skinner, strictly studies measurable behaviors and rejects internal
mental states as subjects of scientific inquiry?
• A) Cognitive psychology
• B) Behaviorism
• C) Humanistic psychology
• D) Psychoanalysis
Correct answer: B
Rationale: Behaviorism focuses exclusively on observable, measurable behavior and
the environmental stimuli that control it. Watson and Skinner argued that internal
mental states are not appropriate subjects for scientific study .
4. The humanistic approach in psychology emphasizes:
• A) Unconscious conflicts
• B) Free will, personal growth, and inherent goodness
• C) Observable behavior
• D) Neural mechanisms
Correct answer: B
Rationale: Humanistic psychologists Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow emphasized
self-actualization, free will, and the positive potential of humans. This contrasts with
psychoanalysis (unconscious drives) and behaviorism (environmental control) .
,5. Sigmund Freud's theory of psychoanalysis stresses the importance of:
• A) Conscious thought only
• B) Observable behavior
• C) The unconscious mind and early childhood experiences
• D) Genetic predispositions
Correct answer: C
Rationale: Freud proposed that hidden conflicts in the unconscious mind, often
rooted in early childhood experiences, influence behavior and personality. He used
techniques like dream analysis to access the unconscious .
6. The cognitive revolution in psychology brought a renewed focus on:
• A) Reflexes and conditioning
• B) Brain anatomy
• C) Unconscious dynamics
• D) Mental processes such as memory, thinking, and problem-solving
Correct answer: D
Rationale: The cognitive revolution shifted psychology's focus back to mental
processes, including memory, thinking, problem-solving, and language. This
movement emerged in the 1950s-1960s as a response to behaviorism's exclusive
focus on observable behavior .
7. Nature is to ________ as nurture is to ________.
• A) Environment/genes
, • B) Conscious/unconscious
• C) Genes/environment
• D) Unconscious/conscious
Correct answer: C
Rationale: The nature-nurture debate concerns the relative contributions of genetic
inheritance (nature/genes) and environmental factors (nurture/experience) to human
behavior and development .
8. Darwin's theory of ________ argued that physiological characteristics evolve
because they are useful to the organism.
• A) Extreme usefulness
• B) Natural endowment
• C) Natural selection
• D) Natural wellbeing
Correct answer: C
Rationale: Darwin's theory of natural selection proposed that traits that enhance
survival and reproduction are more likely to be passed on to future generations. This
framework influenced evolutionary psychology .
9. The belief that the mind is fundamentally different from the body is called:
• A) Mindism
• B) Dualism
• C) Centralism
• D) Specialism
COMPREHENSIVE EXAMINATION – 2026/2027
ACADEMIC YEAR
UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY
200 VERIFIED QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS COVERING
FIVE CORE DOMAINS
Section A: History and Perspectives of Psychology (Questions 1-
10)
1. The word "psychology" comes from which language?
• A) Latin
• B) Spanish
• C) Greek
• D) Italian
Correct answer: C
Rationale: The word psychology derives from the Greek words "psyche" (meaning
soul or mind) and "logos" (meaning study), making it the "study of the mind or
soul" .
2. Psychology is defined as the scientific study of:
• A) People and things
• B) Emotions and beliefs
• C) Perception and religion
• D) Mind and behaviour
,Correct answer: D
Rationale: Psychology is the scientific study of the mind and behaviour. This
encompasses mental processes, observable actions, and their underlying biological
and environmental influences .
3. Which school of psychology, founded by John B. Watson and later expanded
by B.F. Skinner, strictly studies measurable behaviors and rejects internal
mental states as subjects of scientific inquiry?
• A) Cognitive psychology
• B) Behaviorism
• C) Humanistic psychology
• D) Psychoanalysis
Correct answer: B
Rationale: Behaviorism focuses exclusively on observable, measurable behavior and
the environmental stimuli that control it. Watson and Skinner argued that internal
mental states are not appropriate subjects for scientific study .
4. The humanistic approach in psychology emphasizes:
• A) Unconscious conflicts
• B) Free will, personal growth, and inherent goodness
• C) Observable behavior
• D) Neural mechanisms
Correct answer: B
Rationale: Humanistic psychologists Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow emphasized
self-actualization, free will, and the positive potential of humans. This contrasts with
psychoanalysis (unconscious drives) and behaviorism (environmental control) .
,5. Sigmund Freud's theory of psychoanalysis stresses the importance of:
• A) Conscious thought only
• B) Observable behavior
• C) The unconscious mind and early childhood experiences
• D) Genetic predispositions
Correct answer: C
Rationale: Freud proposed that hidden conflicts in the unconscious mind, often
rooted in early childhood experiences, influence behavior and personality. He used
techniques like dream analysis to access the unconscious .
6. The cognitive revolution in psychology brought a renewed focus on:
• A) Reflexes and conditioning
• B) Brain anatomy
• C) Unconscious dynamics
• D) Mental processes such as memory, thinking, and problem-solving
Correct answer: D
Rationale: The cognitive revolution shifted psychology's focus back to mental
processes, including memory, thinking, problem-solving, and language. This
movement emerged in the 1950s-1960s as a response to behaviorism's exclusive
focus on observable behavior .
7. Nature is to ________ as nurture is to ________.
• A) Environment/genes
, • B) Conscious/unconscious
• C) Genes/environment
• D) Unconscious/conscious
Correct answer: C
Rationale: The nature-nurture debate concerns the relative contributions of genetic
inheritance (nature/genes) and environmental factors (nurture/experience) to human
behavior and development .
8. Darwin's theory of ________ argued that physiological characteristics evolve
because they are useful to the organism.
• A) Extreme usefulness
• B) Natural endowment
• C) Natural selection
• D) Natural wellbeing
Correct answer: C
Rationale: Darwin's theory of natural selection proposed that traits that enhance
survival and reproduction are more likely to be passed on to future generations. This
framework influenced evolutionary psychology .
9. The belief that the mind is fundamentally different from the body is called:
• A) Mindism
• B) Dualism
• C) Centralism
• D) Specialism
