AP PSYCHOLOGY EXAM PRACTICE
QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
When asked which of two countries has a larger population, participants are likely to
judge the country that is more familiar to them as being more populous. Which of the
following best explains this finding?
A) The means-end analysis
B) The representativeness heuristic
C)The availability heuristic
D) Algorithms
E) Inductive reasoning - Correct Answers -C) The availability heuristic
An individual with damage to Wernicke's area is most likely to have difficulty
A) Identifying an object held in the hand but not seen
B) Planning what to wear to a party
C) Remembering the name of a person in a photograph
D) Comprehending a spoken request for information
E) Distinguishing between red and green - Correct Answers -D) Comprehending a
spoken request for information
The psychoanalytic concept of repression suggests a difficulty in the functioning of
which aspect of memory?
A) Encoding
B) Short-term memory
C) Procedural memory
D) Explicit memory
E) Retrieval - Correct Answers -E) Retrieval
Which psychologist reported that infant attachment to another goes beyond the
satisfaction of the need for nourishment?
A) Albert Bandura
B) Jean Piaget
C) Harry Harlow
D) Erik Erikson
E) Konrad Lorenz - Correct Answers -C) Harry Harlow
Edward L. Thorndike argued that responses that lead to satisfying outcomes are more
likely to be repeated, and that responses followed by unpleasant outcomes are less
likely to be repeated. This became known as the law of
,A) Reinforcement
B) Associations
C) Punishment
D) Effect
E) Outcomes - Correct Answers -D) Effect
When trying to solve a problem, Bret uses a logical, step-by-step formula called
A) A heuristic
B) Incubation
C) Insight
D) Priming
E) An Algorithm - Correct Answers -E) An algorithm
It is well established that certain autonomic responses such as heart rate, perspiration,
and respiration change under stress. In view of the fact that people generally have
stronger autonomic responses when lying than when telling the truth, it follows that the
polygraph would be a foolproof approach to lie detection. Which statement best explains
why the polygraph is not more widely used in courtrooms an in testing of job applicants?
A) Most people can avoid detection when they lie
B) Physiological arousal is much the same for several emotions, so the poly graph
cannot always reliably distinguish guilt from other reactions
C) A significant number of people show paradoxical autonomic reactions, responding
more strongly when telling the truth than when lying
D) In controlled studies, the polygraph has correctly identified guilty individuals in only a
small percentage of cases
E) Th polygraph has been shown to be reli - Correct Answers -B) Psychological arousal
is much the same for several emotions, so the polygraph cannot always reliably
distinguish guilt from other reactions.
The principles of operant conditioning are best illustrated by
A) Exposing a client to anxiety-provoking stimuli
B) Replacing a response to a stimulus with an alternative response
C) Deep relaxation techniques
D) A token economy to reinforce adaptive behaviors
E) Development of intrinsic motivation - Correct Answers -D) A token economy to
reinforce adaptive behaviors
A man is feeling depressed about his inability to support his family after losing his job.
The fact that the patient is currently unemployed is coded on which axis in the
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR)?
A) Axis I
B) Axis II
C) Axis III
D) Axis IV
E) Axis V - Correct Answers -D) Axis IV
, Researchers find that there is a significant, positive correlation between the number of
hours students sleep and their grades. The researchers would be justified in concluding
that
A) Earning good grades causes people to sleep more
B) Sleeping more causes students to perform better in school
C) Students who earn good grades tend to sleep more than those who do not
D) More sleep has a beneficial impact on students' grades
E) Sleep deprivation has no impact on school performance - Correct Answers -C)
Students who earn good grades tend to sleep more than those who do not
In phase one of a study, a researcher classically conditions a dog to salivate to the
ringing of a bell. In the second phase, the researcher pairs a flashing light with the
ringing of the bell. After several pairings of the light and the bell, the dog will
A) No longer salivate when the bell is rung
B) Only salivate when the bell is rung
C) Salivate when the light is flashed
D) Stop salivating when the light is flashed
E) Salivate when the researcher comes into the room - Correct Answers -C) Salivate
when the light is flashed
Jason is attending a parade the features the local high school band. Jason's friend
Brent plays the trombone in the band. It is difficult for Jason to hear Brent play at the
parade. Which of the following would best allow Jason to hear Brent's trombone?
A) Sensory adaptation
B) Selective attention
C) Perceptual constancy
D) Weber's Law
E) Functional fixedness - Correct Answers -B) Selective attention
Questions 13-15 refer to the information below.
A psychologist describes the following steps to a client, while the client is practicing
relaxation techniques, in order to treat the client's psychological disorder:
1. You are entering a large building.
2. You are pressing a button for an elevator.
3. You are stepping into an elevator.
4. You are watching the doors close after entering the elevator.
5. You are traveling five floors on the elevator.
Which of the following categories would most likely represent the diagnosis associated
with this set of behaviors?
A) Mood disorder
B) Anxiety disorder
C) Dissociative disorder
D) Schizophrenic disorder
QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
When asked which of two countries has a larger population, participants are likely to
judge the country that is more familiar to them as being more populous. Which of the
following best explains this finding?
A) The means-end analysis
B) The representativeness heuristic
C)The availability heuristic
D) Algorithms
E) Inductive reasoning - Correct Answers -C) The availability heuristic
An individual with damage to Wernicke's area is most likely to have difficulty
A) Identifying an object held in the hand but not seen
B) Planning what to wear to a party
C) Remembering the name of a person in a photograph
D) Comprehending a spoken request for information
E) Distinguishing between red and green - Correct Answers -D) Comprehending a
spoken request for information
The psychoanalytic concept of repression suggests a difficulty in the functioning of
which aspect of memory?
A) Encoding
B) Short-term memory
C) Procedural memory
D) Explicit memory
E) Retrieval - Correct Answers -E) Retrieval
Which psychologist reported that infant attachment to another goes beyond the
satisfaction of the need for nourishment?
A) Albert Bandura
B) Jean Piaget
C) Harry Harlow
D) Erik Erikson
E) Konrad Lorenz - Correct Answers -C) Harry Harlow
Edward L. Thorndike argued that responses that lead to satisfying outcomes are more
likely to be repeated, and that responses followed by unpleasant outcomes are less
likely to be repeated. This became known as the law of
,A) Reinforcement
B) Associations
C) Punishment
D) Effect
E) Outcomes - Correct Answers -D) Effect
When trying to solve a problem, Bret uses a logical, step-by-step formula called
A) A heuristic
B) Incubation
C) Insight
D) Priming
E) An Algorithm - Correct Answers -E) An algorithm
It is well established that certain autonomic responses such as heart rate, perspiration,
and respiration change under stress. In view of the fact that people generally have
stronger autonomic responses when lying than when telling the truth, it follows that the
polygraph would be a foolproof approach to lie detection. Which statement best explains
why the polygraph is not more widely used in courtrooms an in testing of job applicants?
A) Most people can avoid detection when they lie
B) Physiological arousal is much the same for several emotions, so the poly graph
cannot always reliably distinguish guilt from other reactions
C) A significant number of people show paradoxical autonomic reactions, responding
more strongly when telling the truth than when lying
D) In controlled studies, the polygraph has correctly identified guilty individuals in only a
small percentage of cases
E) Th polygraph has been shown to be reli - Correct Answers -B) Psychological arousal
is much the same for several emotions, so the polygraph cannot always reliably
distinguish guilt from other reactions.
The principles of operant conditioning are best illustrated by
A) Exposing a client to anxiety-provoking stimuli
B) Replacing a response to a stimulus with an alternative response
C) Deep relaxation techniques
D) A token economy to reinforce adaptive behaviors
E) Development of intrinsic motivation - Correct Answers -D) A token economy to
reinforce adaptive behaviors
A man is feeling depressed about his inability to support his family after losing his job.
The fact that the patient is currently unemployed is coded on which axis in the
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR)?
A) Axis I
B) Axis II
C) Axis III
D) Axis IV
E) Axis V - Correct Answers -D) Axis IV
, Researchers find that there is a significant, positive correlation between the number of
hours students sleep and their grades. The researchers would be justified in concluding
that
A) Earning good grades causes people to sleep more
B) Sleeping more causes students to perform better in school
C) Students who earn good grades tend to sleep more than those who do not
D) More sleep has a beneficial impact on students' grades
E) Sleep deprivation has no impact on school performance - Correct Answers -C)
Students who earn good grades tend to sleep more than those who do not
In phase one of a study, a researcher classically conditions a dog to salivate to the
ringing of a bell. In the second phase, the researcher pairs a flashing light with the
ringing of the bell. After several pairings of the light and the bell, the dog will
A) No longer salivate when the bell is rung
B) Only salivate when the bell is rung
C) Salivate when the light is flashed
D) Stop salivating when the light is flashed
E) Salivate when the researcher comes into the room - Correct Answers -C) Salivate
when the light is flashed
Jason is attending a parade the features the local high school band. Jason's friend
Brent plays the trombone in the band. It is difficult for Jason to hear Brent play at the
parade. Which of the following would best allow Jason to hear Brent's trombone?
A) Sensory adaptation
B) Selective attention
C) Perceptual constancy
D) Weber's Law
E) Functional fixedness - Correct Answers -B) Selective attention
Questions 13-15 refer to the information below.
A psychologist describes the following steps to a client, while the client is practicing
relaxation techniques, in order to treat the client's psychological disorder:
1. You are entering a large building.
2. You are pressing a button for an elevator.
3. You are stepping into an elevator.
4. You are watching the doors close after entering the elevator.
5. You are traveling five floors on the elevator.
Which of the following categories would most likely represent the diagnosis associated
with this set of behaviors?
A) Mood disorder
B) Anxiety disorder
C) Dissociative disorder
D) Schizophrenic disorder
