Psychology – Exam Questions &
Step-by-Step Solutions
Date: June 12, 2025
Instructions
This practice test features 15 advanced multiple-choice questions for 2025 psychology exams,
such as AP Psychology or GRE Subject Test in Psychology, covering biological, cognitive,
developmental, social, abnormal, and research methods topics. Each question includes four
answer choices and a step-by-step solution to clarify reasoning and enhance exam readiness.
Read questions carefully, select the best answer, and review solutions to master concepts and
strategies.
1 Multiple-Choice Questions
1. Which brain structure is most critical for memory consolidation in 2025 sleep stud-
ies?
A. Amygdala
B. Hippocampus
C. Cerebellum
D. Thalamus
Correct Answer: B. Hippocampus
Step-by-Step Solution:
1. Identify the function: Memory consolidation transfers short-term memories to long-
term storage, often during sleep.
2. Match to brain structure: The hippocampus is critical for forming and consolidating
declarative memories, per 2025 sleep research.
3. Eliminate alternatives: The amygdala (A) processes emotions, cerebellum (C) coordi-
nates movement, and thalamus (D) relays sensory information.
4. Confirm: Recent studies emphasize the hippocampus’s role in sleep-dependent mem-
ory consolidation.
Exam Tip: Link brain structures to specific cognitive functions.
2. A person overestimates the risk of shark attacks after watching a documentary. This
reflects:
A. Confirmation bias
B. Availability heuristic
C. Representativeness heuristic
D. Anchoring bias
Correct Answer: B. Availability heuristic
Step-by-Step Solution:
1. Define the behavior: Overestimating risk based on recent exposure suggests a cogni-
tive bias.
2. Identify the bias: The availability heuristic leads to judgments based on easily recalled
events, like a vivid documentary.
3. Eliminate alternatives: Confirmation bias (A) seeks confirming evidence, representa-
1
, tiveness heuristic (C) uses prototypes, and anchoring bias (D) relies on initial data.
4. Confirm: The documentary’s salience drives the risk overestimation.
Exam Tip: Differentiate biases by their cognitive triggers.
3. According to 2025 research, what most fosters secure attachment in infants?
A. Consistent caregiver responsiveness
B. High socioeconomic status
C. Early daycare exposure
D. Genetic predisposition
Correct Answer: A. Consistent caregiver responsiveness
Step-by-Step Solution:
1. Define attachment: Secure attachment, per Ainsworth, involves trust in caregivers.
2. Identify key factor: 2025 studies highlight consistent responsiveness as critical for
secure base formation.
3. Eliminate alternatives: Status (B), daycare (C), and genetics (D) influence but are
secondary to responsiveness.
4. Confirm: Responsive caregiving fosters security in the Strange Situation.
Exam Tip: Link attachment to specific caregiver behaviors.
4. A team ignores safety concerns to meet a deadline, reflecting:
A. Bystander effect
B. Groupthink
C. Social loafing
D. Deindividuation
Correct Answer: B. Groupthink
Step-by-Step Solution:
1. Analyze the scenario: Ignoring concerns for consensus suggests a group dynamic.
2. Identify the phenomenon: Groupthink, per Janis, prioritizes harmony over critical
evaluation.
3. Eliminate alternatives: Bystander effect (A) involves inaction in emergencies, social
loafing (C) reduced effort, and deindividuation (D) loss of self-awareness.
4. Confirm: The team’s deadline focus suppresses dissent, typical of groupthink.
Exam Tip: Match group behaviors to social psychology concepts.
5. Which 2025 DSM-5 criterion is central to obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)?
A. Hallucinations
B. Intrusive thoughts
C. Mood swings
D. Social avoidance
Correct Answer: B. Intrusive thoughts
Step-by-Step Solution:
1. Define OCD: OCD involves obsessions (intrusive thoughts) and compulsions.
2. Match to criterion: Intr thoughts are central per DSM-5 (2025).
3. Eliminate alternatives: Hallucinations (A) relate to psychosis, mood swings (C) to
bipolar disorder, and avoidance (D) to social anxiety.
4. Confirm: Intrusive thoughts drive compulsive behaviors in OCD.
Exam Tip: Use DSM-5 criteria for accurate diagnosis.
6. A study tests exercise’s effect on mood. What is the dependent variable?
A. Exercise frequency
2
Step-by-Step Solutions
Date: June 12, 2025
Instructions
This practice test features 15 advanced multiple-choice questions for 2025 psychology exams,
such as AP Psychology or GRE Subject Test in Psychology, covering biological, cognitive,
developmental, social, abnormal, and research methods topics. Each question includes four
answer choices and a step-by-step solution to clarify reasoning and enhance exam readiness.
Read questions carefully, select the best answer, and review solutions to master concepts and
strategies.
1 Multiple-Choice Questions
1. Which brain structure is most critical for memory consolidation in 2025 sleep stud-
ies?
A. Amygdala
B. Hippocampus
C. Cerebellum
D. Thalamus
Correct Answer: B. Hippocampus
Step-by-Step Solution:
1. Identify the function: Memory consolidation transfers short-term memories to long-
term storage, often during sleep.
2. Match to brain structure: The hippocampus is critical for forming and consolidating
declarative memories, per 2025 sleep research.
3. Eliminate alternatives: The amygdala (A) processes emotions, cerebellum (C) coordi-
nates movement, and thalamus (D) relays sensory information.
4. Confirm: Recent studies emphasize the hippocampus’s role in sleep-dependent mem-
ory consolidation.
Exam Tip: Link brain structures to specific cognitive functions.
2. A person overestimates the risk of shark attacks after watching a documentary. This
reflects:
A. Confirmation bias
B. Availability heuristic
C. Representativeness heuristic
D. Anchoring bias
Correct Answer: B. Availability heuristic
Step-by-Step Solution:
1. Define the behavior: Overestimating risk based on recent exposure suggests a cogni-
tive bias.
2. Identify the bias: The availability heuristic leads to judgments based on easily recalled
events, like a vivid documentary.
3. Eliminate alternatives: Confirmation bias (A) seeks confirming evidence, representa-
1
, tiveness heuristic (C) uses prototypes, and anchoring bias (D) relies on initial data.
4. Confirm: The documentary’s salience drives the risk overestimation.
Exam Tip: Differentiate biases by their cognitive triggers.
3. According to 2025 research, what most fosters secure attachment in infants?
A. Consistent caregiver responsiveness
B. High socioeconomic status
C. Early daycare exposure
D. Genetic predisposition
Correct Answer: A. Consistent caregiver responsiveness
Step-by-Step Solution:
1. Define attachment: Secure attachment, per Ainsworth, involves trust in caregivers.
2. Identify key factor: 2025 studies highlight consistent responsiveness as critical for
secure base formation.
3. Eliminate alternatives: Status (B), daycare (C), and genetics (D) influence but are
secondary to responsiveness.
4. Confirm: Responsive caregiving fosters security in the Strange Situation.
Exam Tip: Link attachment to specific caregiver behaviors.
4. A team ignores safety concerns to meet a deadline, reflecting:
A. Bystander effect
B. Groupthink
C. Social loafing
D. Deindividuation
Correct Answer: B. Groupthink
Step-by-Step Solution:
1. Analyze the scenario: Ignoring concerns for consensus suggests a group dynamic.
2. Identify the phenomenon: Groupthink, per Janis, prioritizes harmony over critical
evaluation.
3. Eliminate alternatives: Bystander effect (A) involves inaction in emergencies, social
loafing (C) reduced effort, and deindividuation (D) loss of self-awareness.
4. Confirm: The team’s deadline focus suppresses dissent, typical of groupthink.
Exam Tip: Match group behaviors to social psychology concepts.
5. Which 2025 DSM-5 criterion is central to obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)?
A. Hallucinations
B. Intrusive thoughts
C. Mood swings
D. Social avoidance
Correct Answer: B. Intrusive thoughts
Step-by-Step Solution:
1. Define OCD: OCD involves obsessions (intrusive thoughts) and compulsions.
2. Match to criterion: Intr thoughts are central per DSM-5 (2025).
3. Eliminate alternatives: Hallucinations (A) relate to psychosis, mood swings (C) to
bipolar disorder, and avoidance (D) to social anxiety.
4. Confirm: Intrusive thoughts drive compulsive behaviors in OCD.
Exam Tip: Use DSM-5 criteria for accurate diagnosis.
6. A study tests exercise’s effect on mood. What is the dependent variable?
A. Exercise frequency
2
