GRE Psychology Subject Test Questions
with 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.
with 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.
