Psychology: Complete Exam Q&A
Collection
For Advanced Psychology Students
Prepared for Comprehensive Exam Preparation
Date: June 11, 2025
This document provides a comprehensive set of exam-style questions and detailed
answers for psychology students at moderate, advanced, and very advanced levels. It
covers key areas of psychological theory, research, and application to prepare students
for academic success.
, Contents
1 Introduction 3
2 Questions and Answers 3
2.1 Moderate: What is the difference between classical and operant condition-
ing? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
2.2 Moderate: Explain the concept of cognitive dissonance and provide an
example. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
2.3 Advanced: How does the working memory model differ from the multi-
store model of memory? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
2.4 Very Advanced: Critically evaluate the role of the central executive in
Baddeley’s working memory model. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
2.5 Moderate: What are the key stages of Piaget’s theory of cognitive devel-
opment? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
2.6 Advanced: How does Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory contrast with Pi-
aget’s cognitive development theory? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
2.7 Very Advanced: Evaluate the empirical support for Vygotsky’s Zone of
Proximal Development in modern educational settings. . . . . . . . . . . 4
2.8 Moderate: What is the bystander effect, and what factors influence it? . 5
2.9 Advanced: How does social identity theory explain intergroup conflict? . 5
2.10 Very Advanced: Critically analyze the application of social identity theory
to reducing prejudice in diverse workplaces. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
2.11 Moderate: What is the difference between explicit and implicit memory? 5
2.12 Advanced: How does the dual-process theory explain decision-making pro-
cesses? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
2.13 Very Advanced: Evaluate the neural evidence supporting dual-process the-
ories of decision-making. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
2.14 Moderate: What are the main symptoms of major depressive disorder
according to the DSM-5? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
2.15 Advanced: Compare the efficacy of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)
and SSRIs in treating major depressive disorder. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
2.16 Very Advanced: Discuss the neurobiological mechanisms underlying the
efficacy of CBT for depression. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
2.17 Moderate: What is the role of the amygdala in emotional processing? . . 7
2.18 Advanced: How does the prefrontal cortex interact with the amygdala in
emotion regulation? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
2.19 Very Advanced: Critically examine the role of PFC-amygdala connectivity
in anxiety disorders. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
2.20 Moderate: What is the Hawthorne effect in psychological research? . . . 8
2.21 Advanced: How does the ecological validity of psychological experiments
impact research findings? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
2.22 Very Advanced: Evaluate the trade-offs between internal and ecological
validity in neuroimaging studies of cognition. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
3 Notes for Exam Preparation 8
4 References 9
1
Collection
For Advanced Psychology Students
Prepared for Comprehensive Exam Preparation
Date: June 11, 2025
This document provides a comprehensive set of exam-style questions and detailed
answers for psychology students at moderate, advanced, and very advanced levels. It
covers key areas of psychological theory, research, and application to prepare students
for academic success.
, Contents
1 Introduction 3
2 Questions and Answers 3
2.1 Moderate: What is the difference between classical and operant condition-
ing? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
2.2 Moderate: Explain the concept of cognitive dissonance and provide an
example. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
2.3 Advanced: How does the working memory model differ from the multi-
store model of memory? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
2.4 Very Advanced: Critically evaluate the role of the central executive in
Baddeley’s working memory model. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
2.5 Moderate: What are the key stages of Piaget’s theory of cognitive devel-
opment? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
2.6 Advanced: How does Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory contrast with Pi-
aget’s cognitive development theory? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
2.7 Very Advanced: Evaluate the empirical support for Vygotsky’s Zone of
Proximal Development in modern educational settings. . . . . . . . . . . 4
2.8 Moderate: What is the bystander effect, and what factors influence it? . 5
2.9 Advanced: How does social identity theory explain intergroup conflict? . 5
2.10 Very Advanced: Critically analyze the application of social identity theory
to reducing prejudice in diverse workplaces. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
2.11 Moderate: What is the difference between explicit and implicit memory? 5
2.12 Advanced: How does the dual-process theory explain decision-making pro-
cesses? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
2.13 Very Advanced: Evaluate the neural evidence supporting dual-process the-
ories of decision-making. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
2.14 Moderate: What are the main symptoms of major depressive disorder
according to the DSM-5? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
2.15 Advanced: Compare the efficacy of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)
and SSRIs in treating major depressive disorder. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
2.16 Very Advanced: Discuss the neurobiological mechanisms underlying the
efficacy of CBT for depression. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
2.17 Moderate: What is the role of the amygdala in emotional processing? . . 7
2.18 Advanced: How does the prefrontal cortex interact with the amygdala in
emotion regulation? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
2.19 Very Advanced: Critically examine the role of PFC-amygdala connectivity
in anxiety disorders. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
2.20 Moderate: What is the Hawthorne effect in psychological research? . . . 8
2.21 Advanced: How does the ecological validity of psychological experiments
impact research findings? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
2.22 Very Advanced: Evaluate the trade-offs between internal and ecological
validity in neuroimaging studies of cognition. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
3 Notes for Exam Preparation 8
4 References 9
1
