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