instruction stringlengths 1 7.34k | input listlengths 1 8 | output stringlengths 1 11.4k |
|---|---|---|
Fiona is deciding what college she should attend in the fall. She made a list of all of the pros and cons for every school she's considering. As she deliberately and consciously weighs each choice, which brain region is primarily activated? | [
"(A)Temporal lobe (B)Prefrontal cortex (C)Limbic systemn (D)Reticular formation (E)Parietal lobe"
] | (B)The prefrontal cortex is responsible for reasoning and decision making, both needed by Fiona to decide where to attend school. The temporal lobe, choice A, is responsible for processing auditory information. The limbic system, choice C, regulates emotional responses and memory formation. When stimulated, the reticul... |
Stimulation of the somatosensory cortex would most likely lead to which of the following? | [
"(A)Moving your right hand to pick up a penciln (B)Hearing your favorite song on the car radion (C)Increased heart rate and feeling your fingers tingling before a job interviewn (D)Feeling your hair brushing against your foreheadn (E)Turning to pay attention to a car backfiring as it drives past"
] | (D)The somatosensory cortex, located in the parietal lobe, is responsible for processing touch sensations, including pain, temperature, and pressure. Thus, feeling the pressure of your hair touching your face would be the result of the actions of the parietal lobe. Choice A is referring to the processing done by the mo... |
Which of the following best demonstrates the concept of brain plasticity? | [
"(A)Railroad worker Phineas Gage reportedly experienced a change in personality after an accident where a metal rod passed through his frontal lobe",
" (B)After researchers implanted electrodes into the motor cortex of a paralyzed patientn Gayle was able to control a prosthetic hand with her thoughts",
" (C)... | (D)Plasticity refers to changes in the brain that occur during ones lifetime due to experience. Thus, Jills experience best exemplifies this concept. Phineas Gages experience, choice A, provided evidence that the frontal lobe was central to personality. Choice B demonstrates that an implant can be wired to the motor co... |
Aidan has red hair, but both of his parents have brown hair. Aidan has inherited (A)two dominant genes. | [
"(B)two recessive genes",
" (C)one dominant gene and one recessive gene",
" (D)one dominant gene only. (E)one recessive gene only."
] | (B)Red hair is caused by a recessive gene. In order for the red hair to be expressed, both genes in a pair must be recessive. The gene for brown hair is dominant. Thus, even though both of Aidans parents have brown hair, they each carry a recessive red hair gene that is passed to their offspring. Since Aidan has red ha... |
Physician Paul Broca saw a patient called Tan. The patient was called this because after his stroke, it was the only word he could say. Broca suspected that a specific area of Tan's brain had been damaged. Where is the region that Broca proposed was responsible for the production of speech? | [
"(A)The corpus callosum (B)The right temporal loben (C)The right parietal lobe (D)The left frontal loben (E)The cerebellum"
] | (D)Brocas area, as it is now called, is located in the left frontal lobe. It is primarily associated with the ability to speak. The corpus callosum, choice A, is a band of fibers that connects the left and right hemispheres of the brain. Choices B and C, the right temporal lobe and the right parietal lobe, are unrelate... |
Evolutionary psychologists attempt to explain the existence of beneficial psychological traits as the products of natural selection. Which of the following researchers was a primary contributor to this perspective? | [
"(A)Walter Penfield (B)Wilhelm Wundt (C)John Locken (D)Edward Titchener (E)Charles Darwin"
] | (E)Charles Darwin, in On the Origin of Species, suggested that an evolutionary process of natural selection led to certain beneficial physical and behavioral traits being passed down through generations. Walter Penfield, choice A, was known for his work in mapping the motor cortex. Wilhelm Wundt, choice B, established ... |
The research of Roger Sperry and Michael Gazzaniga established that | [
"(A)being raised in stimulating environments leads to changes in neural structure",
" (B)areas of the body that require fine motor controln such as the hands took up more space in the motor cortex",
" (C)bumps on the skull were associated with specific traits",
" (D)the building blocks of the nervous sys... | (E)Sperry and Gazzaniga studied individuals whose hemispheres had been divided by cutting the corpus callosum to reduce seizures caused by epilepsy. By using specialized testing where visual images were presented to either the left or the right visual fields, they were able to establish that the hemispheres were respon... |
Stroke patients may be able to produce fluent speech, but the phrases lack meaning. Which area of the brain has most likely been damaged? | [
"(A)Limbic system (B)Brocas area (C)Somatosensory cortexn (D)Wernickes area (E)Thalamus"
] | (D)Carl Wernicke first established that if an area in the left temporal region was damaged, the person would have difficulty producing meaningful speech and understanding language. The limbic system, choice A, is comprised of the hypothalamus, hippocampus, and amygdala. These are involved in regulating homeostasis (hyp... |
Thomas Bouchard, in the Minnesota Twin Study, reunited many twins separated at birth to study the impact of genetics on their cognitive and personality traits. Which of the following findings supports the hypothesis that genes play an important role in the development of differences in human traits, such as intelligenc... | [
"(A)Monozygotic twins are less similar than fraternal twins on intelligence test scores",
" (B)Identical twins reared apart are as similar to one another as identical twins reared together",
" (C)There has been a steady increase in performance on intelligence testsn known as the Flynn effect",
" (D)Identi... | (B)If identical twins are more similar than fraternal twins in a specific trait, such as intelligence, this is evidence of the impact of genes. Identical twins share twice as many genes in common on average as do fraternal twins. Identical twins reared separately share all of their genes in common but have been raised ... |
Giacomo Rizzolatti wired monkeys with electrodes implanted next to the motor cortex to monitor neural activity involved in formulating plans and performing physical actions. He found that when a monkey put a peanut into its mouth, these neurons would fire. He also found that when the monkeys watched either other monkey... | [
"(A)synaptic receptors. (B)mirror neurons. (C)glial cells",
" (D)interneurons. (E)agonists."
] | (B)Mirror neurons are cells that fire equally when we perform an action and when we watch someone else perform the same action. Synaptic receptors, choice A, are embedded in the postsynaptic membrane and are designed to bind with neurotransmitters. Glial cells, choice C, assist neurotransmitters by helping provide nour... |
Rosenzweig investigated the impact of the environment on the cerebral cortex. Twelve sets of 3 male laboratory rats, each set from the same litter, were randomly assigned to different environments. Each group was supplied with adequate food and water. One member of each group was assigned to a different sort of cage: a... | [
"(A)This was a correlational study; researchers investigated the relationship between two variables",
" (B)This was a naturalistic observation; the rats were carefully observed in their environment",
" (C)This was an experiment; the rats were randomly assigned to different conditions",
" (D)This was a long... | (C)Since the rats were randomly assigned to different conditions, Rosenzweig was conducting an experiment to determine if a cause-and-effect relationship existed. A correlational study, choice A, does not involve the manipulation of an independent variable across different groups. Choice B, a naturalistic observation, ... |
Rosenzweig investigated the impact of the environment on the cerebral cortex. Twelve sets of 3 male laboratory rats, each set from the same litter, were randomly assigned to different environments. Each group was supplied with adequate food and water. One member of each group was assigned to a different sort of cage: a... | [
"(A)The sex of each ratn (B)The measured differences of the cerebral cortexesn (C)The nourishment provided (D)The different cage environmentsn (E)The natural intelligence of the rats"
] | (D)The independent variable is manipulated across the different groups. In this study, rats were raised in different environments. Choice A, the sex of each rat, was not manipulated. All subjects were male rats. Choice B is the dependent variable because it is the measured outcome of the manipulation. Choice C is incor... |
Rosenzweig investigated the impact of the environment on the cerebral cortex. Twelve sets of 3 male laboratory rats, each set from the same litter, were randomly assigned to different environments. Each group was supplied with adequate food and water. One member of each group was assigned to a different sort of cage: a... | [
"(A)This technique allows the study to be replicated by other researchers",
" (B)This technique equalizes any differences among the different rats in each group",
" (C)This technique allows researchers to generalize their results to the larger population",
" (D)This technique allows the researchers to dete... | (E)By keeping the researcher blind as to which condition the rats were raised in, this technique helps control for experimenter bias. Choice A is incorrect because it is the operational definitions of the variables that allows the research to be replicated accurately. To equalize the groups, choice B, random assignment... |
Rosenzweig investigated the impact of the environment on the cerebral cortex. Twelve sets of 3 male laboratory rats, each set from the same litter, were randomly assigned to different environments. Each group was supplied with adequate food and water. One member of each group was assigned to a different sort of cage: a... | [
"(A)been a dependent variable",
" (B)increased confidence in the internal validity of the study",
" (C)acted as a confounding variable",
" (D)led to a negative correlation. (E)been a placebo."
] | (C)Any variable that is not controlled for, such as the handling of the rats, could act as a confounding variable. If so, the researchers would have less confidence that the changes in the cortex were actually due to the differences in the environments in which the rats were raised. A dependent variable, choice A, is t... |
A biological psychologist interested in the role of the hippocampus in memory might surgically remove the hippocampus from a rat's brain and then assess the rat's ability to complete a variety of memory tasks. The technique of destroying cells to measure their impact on brain functioning is called | [
"(A)electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). (B)a lobotomy",
" (C)lesioning. (D)split-brain. (E)neurogenesis."
] | (C)Lesioning is a technique where brain cells are destroyed so that researchers can determine the effects on behavior. Electroconvulsive therapy, choice A, is used primarily to treat severe depression. In this therapy, an electric current is run through the brain, intentionally creating a seizure. A lobotomy, choice B,... |
Biological psychologists may use indirect methods to assess brain damage. A patient was shown a drawing of a house and asked to copy it. The drawing below shows the original (model) drawing on the left and the patient's drawing on the right. Based on the patient's copy, which of the following appears to have sustained ... | [
"(A)The optic nerve (B)The reticular formationn (C)The right hemisphere (D)The cerebellumn (E)The limbic system"
] | (C)Hemi-inattention occurs when an individual sustains brain damage to the right hemisphere of the brain, causing the person to ignore the stimuli in the left visual field. This patient ignores the left side of the house shown in the model drawing and so does not represent that side in his or her drawing. Since this pa... |
A psychologist who suggests that low levels of serotonin and norepinephrine are associated with depression would most likely be considered a(n) | [
"(A)evolutionary psychologist. (B)cognitive psychologist",
" (C)developmental psychologist. (D)biological psychologist",
" (E)health psychologist."
] | (D)Biological psychologists study the relationship between behavior and both the brain and nervous system. Such a psychologist would be primarily interested in how an imbalance in neurotransmitters might influence a persons emotional state. An evolutionary psychologist, choice A, would be interested in identifying the ... |
Which of the following would a biological psychologist focus on when understanding happiness? | [
"(A)Using a more positive explanatory stylen (B)Finding out why life is worth living and experiencing flown (C)The role of dopamine in producing feelings of pleasuren (D)Determining if a person has an internal or an external locus of controln (E)Comparing oneself to others"
] | (C)A biological psychologist is interested in the relationship between behavior and both the brain and nervous system. When researching happiness, a biological psychologist would be interested in how the neurotransmitter dopamine is involved in a persons experience. Choice A, using a positive explanatory style, would b... |
If a psychologist uses functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) as a part of his or her research, with what perspective does the psychologist most likely identify? | [
"(A)Cognitive (B)Evolutionary (C)Behavioraln (D)Biological (E)Psychodynamic"
] | (D)Since biological psychologists focus on the connection between physiological processes and behavior, they would be most likely interested in being able to see what is happening in the brain while it is working. Cognitive psychologists, choice A, are interested in how thought processes impact behavior. Evolutionary p... |
Psychologists who study the influence of genes and environment on individual differences in behavior are called | [
"(A)evolutionary psychologists",
" (B)social-cultural psychologists. (C)psychiatrists",
" (D)cognitive psychologists. (E)behavior geneticists."
] | (E)Behavior geneticists study the role of genetics in behavior. Evolutionary psychologists, choice A, are interested in identifying beneficial traits that are the result of natural selection. Social-cultural psychologists, choice B, focus on how behavior and cognition change through different social and cultural contex... |
Which of the following best represents the information presented? | [
"(A)During a typical nightn younger people go through the sleep cycle more often than older people",
" (B)Older people spend less time during a typical nights sleep in NREM-3 than younger people",
" (C)Younger people are awakened more during the night than older people",
" (D)REM sleep comes right after N... | (B)Based on the figure, after the first cycle of sleep, most older adults spend little time in deep sleep and more time in lighter sleep. This makes choice E incorrect. Younger people at the beginning of a nights sleep experience regular periods of deep sleep. Choices A and C are incorrect because older people apparent... |
Which of the following best describes the circadian rhythm? | [
"(A)False sensory experiences that happen during stage 1 sleepn (B)The period of time when large slow delta waves are producedn (C)The sleep stage when bursts of activity are produced in the brainn (D)During REM sleep when new neural connections are strengthenedn (E)A biological process that cycles between sle... | (E)A circadian rhythm is a biological process that regulates periods of wakefulness and sleep. Choice A refers to hypnagogic experiences, such as feelings of floating, that occur during NREM sleep. Choice B refers to NREM-stage 3 sleep when delta waves are produced. Choice C concerns the sleep spindles produced during ... |
As an individual drifts into stage 1 sleep, he or she might experience vivid hallucinations of images or sounds or might feel that his or her still body is moving. These sensations are referred to as | [
"(A)delusions. (B)apnea. (C)manifest content",
" (D)hypnagogic. (E)REM rebound."
] | (D)Hypnagogic sensations are vivid hallucinations that occur soon after a person falls asleep. Delusions, choice A, are false beliefs. Apnea, choice B, is a disorder where an individual stops breathing during a nights sleep. The manifest content, choice C, refers to the narrative of a dream. REM rebound, choice E, occu... |
Which light-sensitive brain region is responsible for activating circadian rhythms and inducing sleep? | [
"(A)Medulla (B)Suprachiasmatic nucleus (C)Cerebellumn (D)Reticular formation (E)Somatosensory cortex"
] | (B)When light dims, the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), which is located in the hypothalamus, leads the pineal gland to increase the production of the hormone melatonin, making a person sleepy. The medulla, choice A, is located in the brainstem and regulates heart rate and breathing. The cerebellum, choice C, coordinate... |
Which of the following best describes the process of consolidation that occurs in REM sleep? | [
"(A)A period of increased production of human growth hormone by the pituitary glandn (B)The time during which the brain attempts to make sense of random neural signals produced by the ponsn (C)When the production of ghrelinn a hormone that stimulates hunger sensations increasesn (D)When recent memories are sto... | (D)Memory consolidation occurs during REM sleep. This is the time when new neural connections are strengthened, thereby helping transfer temporarily stored information to long-term storage. Increased production of human growth hormone, choice A, occurs during NREM sleep. Choice B refers to the activation-synthesis theo... |
Why is REM sleep considered paradoxical? | [
"(A)The brain is highly activen but motor function is virtually absent",
" (B)After REM sleep deprivationn there is a tendency to spend more time in REM sleep during the next days sleep cycle",
" (C)Delta waves are present during REM",
" (D)Infants spend more of their time asleep in REM than do adults",
... | (A)REM is considered paradoxical sleep because the brain is highly active, with beta waves being produced, but motor messages are inhibited in the brainstem. Choice B refers to REM rebound. Choice C is incorrect as delta waves, which indicate deep sleep, are present during NREM-stage 3 sleep. Although choice D does cor... |
With continued use, a person may experience a gradual decrease in his or her reaction to a drug. This is called | [
"(A)withdrawal. (B)diathesis stress. (C)tolerance",
" (D)generalization. (E)plasticity."
] | (C)Tolerance to a drug develops gradually. The more a person takes a drug, the more the person must take to get the same effect. Withdrawal, choice A, occurs when a person is physically addicted to a drug and has negative symptoms when he or she stops using it. Diathesis stress, choice B, is an explanation for why cert... |
Which of the following is used primarily for pain relief? | [
"(A)Depressants (B)Stimulants (C)Hallucinogensn (D)Narcotics (E)Inhalants"
] | (D)Narcotics, such as morphine, heroin, or oxycodone, are used primarily for pain relief. Depressants (choice A), such as alcohol, slow down the body by depressing the nervous system. Stimulants (choice B), such as cocaine, lead to an increase in heart rate. They also elevate the blood pressure and speed up body functi... |
Kathy had a vivid dream of seeing brightly colored jeweled rings on each of her fingers. When she awoke, she consulted an online dream dictionary that suggested each jewel represented a value in herself that others admire. According to Sigmund Freud, this explanation represents | [
"(A)the manifest content of the dream. (B)a flashbulb memory",
" (C)the latent content of the dream",
" (D)her prototype of the concept. (E)top-down processing."
] | (C)According to Freud, the symbolic, hidden meaning of the dream is the latent content. While manifest content, Choice A, is a Freudian concept, it refers to a dreams conscious narrative. Choice B, a flashbulb memory, refers to a detailed, emotionally charged memory. A prototype, Choice D, is the best example of a cate... |
Kate is relaxed, has her eyes closed, and is lying in bed ready to sleep. If Kate's brain waves were being monitored on an electroencephalograph (EEG), what type of brain waves would you most likely see? | [
"(A)Theta (B)Delta (C)Alpha (D)Betan (E)Sleep spindles"
] | (C)Alpha waves are present when a person is awake but relaxed. Theta waves, choice A, are associated with both NREM-stage 1 and NREM-stage 2 sleep. Delta waves, choice B, are present during stage-3 sleep, which is deep sleep. Beta waves, choice D, are present when a person is awake and alert but are also present during... |
Tack experiences sudden attacks of sleepiness where he falls to the ground and is unable to move. Tack most likely has | [
"(A)sleep apnea. (B)night terrors. (C)narcolepsy",
" (D)insomnia. (E)restless leg syndrome."
] | (C)Narcolepsy is a sleep disorder characterized by periods when a person feels overwhelmingly sleepy and falls asleep at inconvenient times. Since the person drops into REM sleep, he or she loses muscle tone. Sleep apnea, choice A, occurs when a person stops breathing during a nights sleep. Night terrors, choice B, occ... |
Kenneth abused prescription narcotics after knee surgery left him in constant pain. With the supervision of his doctor, he stopped taking the drugs. Within 24 hours, Kenneth experienced muscle aches, agitation, insomnia, sweating, and vomiting. These symptoms indicate that | [
"(A)Kenneth was psychologically addicted to the narcotics",
" (B)narcotics speed up Kenneths central nervous system",
" (C)narcotics are not addictive",
" (D)Kenneth had a physical dependence on the drugs",
" (E)Kenneth will be unable to stop taking the drugs."
] | (D)Since Kenneth is experiencing withdrawal symptoms after discontinuing the use of narcotics, he has developed a physical dependence on the drugs. Choice A is incorrect as such an outcome cannot be determined by the evidence provided in the scenario. Choices B and C are incorrect because narcotics are highly addictive... |
Which of the following theorists first suggested that the unconscious mind is a reservoir of unacceptable thoughts, feelings, and wishes that directs our behavior? | [
"(A)Carl Jung (B)Carl Rogers (C)Karen Horneyn (D)Sigmund Freud (E)John Allan Hobson"
] | (D)Sigmund Freud first suggested that the unconscious mind acts is a repository of unacceptable feelings, thoughts, and wishes that direct our behavior. Carl Jung, choice A, was a prominent Freudian psychologist, but not the first to suggest that the unconscious mind directs human behavior. Carl Rogers, choice B, is a ... |
Researchers are investigating the impact of alcohol on judgment. Male subjects, aged 21–40, drank alcohol until they reached a blood alcohol content of 0.08%. Subjects were then asked to take 9 steps, heel to toe, along a straight line, turn, and walk back. The researchers observed to see if the subjects took an incorr... | [
"(A)Blood alcohol content of 0.08% (B)Alcohol consumedn (C)The number of incorrect steps taken (D)Age of the subjectsn (E)Judgment"
] | (C)The dependent variable is the measured outcome of manipulating the independent variable. An operational definition is a specific statement of how researchers measure the outcome. Thus, the operational definition goes beyond judgment, choice E, to how judgment will be measured. In this case, researchers measure judgm... |
Researchers are investigating the impact of alcohol on judgment. Male subjects, aged 21–40, drank alcohol until they reached a blood alcohol content of 0.08%. Subjects were then asked to take 9 steps, heel to toe, along a straight line, turn, and walk back. The researchers observed to see if the subjects took an incorr... | [
"(A)Make sure that subjects drink the same amount of alcohol",
" (B)Randomly sample the participants from the population",
" (C)Randomly assign subjects to an experimental or to a placebo group",
" (D)Use a correlational study instead of an experiment",
" (E)Replicate the study."
] | (C)The belief that a treatment will work can lead to the placebo effect. To control for this, researchers should use a placebo group where participants receive a fake treatment. Doing so will help researchers determine whether it is the alcohol or the preconceived beliefs about alcohols effects that make a difference i... |
Judith had a dream of being in a room full of stacked pancakes where she must eat her way out. Her analyst suggested that dreaming of pancakes indicates that Judith has several multilayered problems in her life that she needs to address. Her analyst's suggestion best reflects the focus of which of the following psychol... | [
"(A)Behavioral (B)Psychodynamic (C)Humanisticn (D)Evolutionary (E)Biological"
] | (B)Psychodynamic psychologists focus on unconscious motives. They may interpret the symbolic, or latent, content of dreams to provide insight into what has been repressed to the unconscious. The behavioral perspective, choice A, focuses on observable behavior that has been learned from the environment. Humanistic psych... |
Hobson and McCarley suggested that dreams occurred because the pons sent random signals to the cortex during REM that were integrated by the frontal lobe. Such an explanation for the existence of dreams reflects which of the following psychological perspectives? | [
"(A)Cognitive (B)Psychodynamic (C)Behavioraln (D)Evolutionary (E)Biological"
] | (E)Biological psychologists focus on how the functioning of the nervous system produces thoughts and behavior. The activation-synthesis model suggests that dreams are a biological byproduct of an active brain. The explanation of biological psychologists for dreams reflects this perspective. The cognitive perspective, c... |
Think about what your brain and body are doing right now: somehow these letters are getting from the page into your brain [1], and you are comprehending that the letters make words that make sense. [2] While you are reading, you might feel cold or notice that your shoes are too tight [3], and somehow all those messages... | [
"(A)Perceptions are encountered by our brains and interpreted because of our past experiences",
" (B)Human brains are wired to understand languagen so the letters are interpreted by our brains",
" (C)Light reflected from the page passes through the pupil and is projected onto the retina",
" (D)The process... | (C)At point [1] in the excerpt, the process of vision is being described. The image from the letters on the page are sensed by the eye as described in choice C. Choice A is not specific to this part of the excerpt. Choices B and D are factually incorrect statements about how language is processed by the brain. Choice E... |
Think about what your brain and body are doing right now: somehow these letters are getting from the page into your brain [1], and you are comprehending that the letters make words that make sense. [2] While you are reading, you might feel cold or notice that your shoes are too tight [3], and somehow all those messages... | [
"(A)Sensation (B)Transduction (C)Potentiationn (D)Perception (E)Adaptation"
] | (D)At point [2] in the excerpt, the viewer is finding meaning from the sensations (reading the words), which is a perceptual process. Choice A is wrong because the sensation process occurred earlier in the excerpt. Choice B, transduction, is a different step in the process. Transduction occurs when sensations are turne... |
Think about what your brain and body are doing right now: somehow these letters are getting from the page into your brain [1], and you are comprehending that the letters make words that make sense. [2] While you are reading, you might feel cold or notice that your shoes are too tight [3], and somehow all those messages... | [
"(A)Motor cortex (B)Brocas arean (C)Ventromedial hypothalamus (D)Frontal loben (E)Somatosensory cortex"
] | (E)Perceptions like the feeling of cold on your skin or the tightness of shoes are perceived in the sensory or somatosensory cortex in the brain. The motor cortex, choice A, is responsible for voluntary movements. Choice B, Brocas area, is involved in speech. The ventromedial hypothalamus, choice C, is part of the syst... |
Think about what your brain and body are doing right now: somehow these letters are getting from the page into your brain [1], and you are comprehending that the letters make words that make sense. [2] While you are reading, you might feel cold or notice that your shoes are too tight [3], and somehow all those messages... | [
"(A)Thalamus (B)Parietal lobe (C)Synaptic gapn (D)Central nervous system (E)Amygdala"
] | (A)All messages received through our senses (except smell) pass through the thalamus first before being sent elsewhere in the brain. Choice B, parietal lobe, is one of the lobes of the brain. Choice C, synaptic gap, is a specific part of the neural transmission process. Choice D, central nervous system, is close to bei... |
Which of the following is the best example of a sensation? | [
"(A)Light entering the eye and activating rods and cones in the retinan (B)Feature detectors firing in the occipital lobe in response to impulses from the eyen (C)Autonomic nervous system activation because of a perceived threatn (D)Dopamine passing through a synaptic gap and activating the next neuronn (E)The ... | (A)The term sensation refers to the activation of one of our senses (sight, hearing, touch, smell, taste, or the vestibular sense). The example of light activating rods and cones in the retina is the best example in this set. Choices B and E refer to examples (or definitions) of perception, not sensation. Choices C and... |
The following statement is an example of which term? That bird in the tree made noise, and those sound waves traveled through the air and into my ear, where the sound waves moved neural cells in the cochlea. | [
"(A)Perception (B)Sensory adaptation (C)Trichromatic theoryn (D)Sensation (E)Convergence"
] | (D)The term sensation refers to the activation of one of our senses. The statement clearly refers to a sensation: hearing. Sound waves are detected in the cochlea by the movements of hair cells, which fire neurons. Choice A is incorrect because the example does not refer to the sounds being interpreted. Choices B, C, a... |
Which of the following is the best example of a perception? | [
"(A)Light entering the eye through the pupil and activating neurons in the retina (B)Feature detectors firing in the occipital lobe in response to seeing a circle on a page (C)Sympathetic nervous system activation because of a friend jumping out at you from around a corner (D)Dopamine passing through a synaptic gap... | (B)The term perception refers to the brain interpreting (finding meaning in) sensations. Sensations start in one of the five senses, which sends neural messages to the brain. Perception occurs when the brain makes meaning out of these impulses. The example of feature detectors firing in the optical cortex (located in t... |
You encounter a piece of abstract art at the museum, and it looks completely different from any art you've seen before. You are struggling to figure out what the artist was trying to represent in this piece of art. Which of the following perceptual processes might be most applicable to this example? | [
"(A)Bottom-up processing (B)Selective attentionn (C)Top-down processing (D)Opponent-process theoryn (E)Kinesthetic sense"
] | (C)Top-down processing is a perceptual process occurring when we use past knowledge or rules to help us interpret sensations. Bottom-up processing, choice A, is the opposite. It occurs when we encounter unfamiliar stimuli and have to start at the bottom, building a perception by looking piece by piece to build an overa... |
You can tell if someone is whispering because you can see his or her lips moving, but the person is too far away for you to hear the sounds of the whispers. Which of the following terms would be the most useful if you tried to explain this phenomenon? | [
"(A)Difference threshold (B)Sensory adaptationn (C)Vestibular sense (D)Webers law (E)Absolute threshold"
] | (A)Bottom-up processing is a perceptual process occurring when we encounter unfamiliar stimuli and have to start at the bottom, building a perception by looking piece by piece to build an overall perception. In bottom-up processing, we use past knowledge or rules to help us interpret sensations. Choice B, selective att... |
Which of the following is the best definition of difference threshold? | [
"(A)The minimum amount of energy or chemicals detectable by our senses in (B)How much a sensation needs to change in order for us to detect that changen (C)When our brain uses past knowledge or rules to help us interpret sensationsn (D)The difference between excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmittersn which de... | (E)The absolute threshold is the minimum amount of a sensation (in this example, sound waves) that we can perceive. Choice A, difference threshold, is a similar concept. However, it refers to how much a sensation needs to change in order for us to detect that change. Choice B, sensory adaptation, refers to the process ... |
We are bombarded with many stimuli all the time. Which of the following concepts would you use to explain to someone why we consciously perceive only a few of these stimuli? | [
"(A)Bottom-up processing (B)Kinesthesis (C)Blind spotn (D)Selective attention (E)Figure-ground"
] | (B)Difference thresholds are the amount stimuli have to change in order for us to perceive a change in the stimulus. For example, a difference threshold is how much louder something needs to be in order for us to be able to tell that it got louder. Choice A is a definition of absolute threshold. Choice C is a definitio... |
You may be deep in thought as you try to answer this question, and you may not be aware of other events occurring around you. Which psychological term best explains this phenomenon? | [
"(A)Absolute threshold (B)Selective attentionn (C)Mindfulness (D)Precognition (E)Perception"
] | (D)Our consciousness, specifically our working memory, focuses on only one or a few stimuli at a time. These stimuli are the ones that get perceived. This process is called selective attention. Choice A, bottom-up processing, refers to the process of building a perception piece by piece. However, it doesnt explain why ... |
Which of the following lists the parts of the eye most relevant to the processing of visual sensations? | [
"(A)Cornea cochlea lens pupil (B)Iris fovean frontal lobe visual cortex (C)Gate-control theoryn Brocas area optic chiasm (D)Medulla optic nerven feature detectors (E)Pupil lens retina rods conesn optic nerve"
] | (B)Humans focus on one or a few stimuli at a time instead of the hundreds of stimuli that bombard us. The stimuli we focus on are the ones that we perceive. This process is called selective attention. Choice A, absolute threshold, refers to the minimum amount of a stimulus that we can perceive. However, absolute thresh... |
Which of the following is the most useful analogy for the role the pupil plays in the process of vision? | [
"(A)A telescope bringing light into focusn (B)A movie screen with light projected onto it (C)A smartphonen interpreting incoming messages in useful ways (D)A curtainn opening or closing to let in the right amount of lightn (E)A contrast button on a keyboardn adding or taking away light to make an image more... | (E)Light enters the eye through the pupil, is focused by the lens, and then activates rods and cones in the retina. Then, nerve impulses travel to the brain via the optic nerve. Choice A includes some parts of the eye. However, it also includes the cochlea, which is part of the ear. The other choices (B, C, and D) all ... |
Which of the following is the most useful analogy for the role the lens plays in the process of vision? | [
"(A)A telescope bringing light into focusn (B)A movie screen with light projected onto it (C)A smartphonen interpreting incoming messages in useful ways (D)A curtainn opening or closing to let in the right amount of lightn (E)A contrast button on a keyboardn adding or taking away light to make an image more... | (D)The pupil dilates or contracts to let more or less light into the eye. Choice A is a good analogy for the lens of the eye. Choice B is a useful analogy for the retina. Choices C and E are not useful analogies for any structure in the eye. |
Which of the following is the most useful analogy for the role the retina plays in the process of vision? | [
"(A)A telescope bringing light into focusn (B)A movie screen with light projected onto it (C)A smartphonen interpreting incoming messages in useful ways (D)A curtainn opening or closing to let in the right amount of lightn (E)A contrast button on a keyboardn adding or taking away light to make an image more ... | (A)The lens in the eye changes shape to focus light onto the retina, much like adjusting a telescope can bring an image into focus. Choice B is a useful analogy for the retina. Choice D is a good analogy for the role of the pupil in the eye. Choices C and E are not useful analogies for any structure in the eye. |
What causes the blind spot in the eye? | [
"(A)The occipital lobe doesnt have enough feature detectors to cover the entire retinan so some spots in the retina are in effect blind",
" (B)Eyes are spaced apart on the human facen so there is a small space in the middle that falls between the visual fields; this is the blind spot",
" (C)The place wher... | (B)The retina in the eye is a lot like a movie screen. Light enters the eye through the pupil, is focused by the lens, and is projected onto the retina. (At the retina, specialized neurons like rods and cones fire in response to the focused light.) Choice A is a useful analogy for the lens in the eye. Choice D is a goo... |
In the back of each eye, the optic nerve connects to one of the important structures in the eye. What is that structure, and what phenomenon does this connection cause? | [
"(A)Retina; blind spot (B)Lens; retinal disparityn (C)Iris; color constancy (D)Cornea; glaucoman (E)Pupil; binocular vision"
] | (C)The place where the optic nerves connect to each retina does not contain receptor cells, creating a blind spot in each eye. Choice A is an incorrect statement about feature detectors. Choice B is true in a sense. Eyes are spaced apart on the human face. However, the visual fields of the two eyes overlap. So, this do... |
Which of the following is an example of the process of transduction? | [
"(A)Sound waves entering the ear and moving the eardrumn (B)Chewing food and absorbing chemicals into the tonguen (C)Tipping your head back while practicing yogan (D)Light activating rods and conesn firing neurons in the optic nerven (E)Neurons in the prefrontal cortex firing in response to making a difficult ... | (A)The place where the optic nerve connects to the retina in each eye does not contain receptor cells, creating a blind spot in each eye. Choices B, C, D, and E all mention an accurate structure in the eye. However, the optic nerve doesnt connect with any of the structures listed. In addition, none of the phenomena lis... |
In every example of sensation and perception, either energy or chemicals are turned into neural impulses. What is this process called? | [
"(A)Transduction (B)Bottom-up processing (C)Convergencen (D)Perceptual set (E)Action potential"
] | (D)Transduction occurs when energy or chemicals are changed into neural impulses. For example, light entering the eye is changed into neural impulses when rods and cones are activated and then send messages to the brain via the optic nerve. In this way, transduction is the last step in sensation and the first step in p... |
Which of the following terms is the most clear stage or process that marks where the process of sensation ends and where perception begins? | [
"(A)Kinesthesis (B)Gestalt (C)Depolarizationn (D)Transduction (E)Dissociation"
] | (A)Transduction occurs when either energy or chemicals are changed into neural impulses. Choices B, C, and D are not relevant to the process of transduction. Choice E, action potential, refers to a step in the process of neural transmission in which the electrical charge moves down the axon. |
Where does transduction occur in the ear? | [
"(A)Tympanic membrane (B)Hammer (C)Cochlea (D)Anviln (E)Thalamus"
] | (D)During transduction, sensations (either energy or chemicals) are changed into neural impulses in our senses. Perception occurs when these neural impulses are interpreted in the brain. Kinesthesis, choice A, refers to our sense of movement and body position. Choice B, Gestalt, refers to a set of principles that descr... |
Which two theories, when combined, best explain how humans perceive color? | [
"(A)Gestalt and vestibular theoriesn (B)Trichromatic and opponent-process theoriesn (C)Bottom-up and top-down theoriesn (D)Figure-ground and signal detection theoriesn (E)Absolute threshold and difference threshold theories 162.Which sensation and perception theory can most easily explain the phenomena of color... | (C)When sound waves move fluid in the cochlea, tiny hair cells move and then activate neurons that send neural impulses to the brain. This transformation of sound waves into neural impulses is an example of transduction. The tympanic membrane, hammer, and anvil (choices A, B, and D) are all parts of the ear that play a... |
Some psychological concepts are very similar. Which of the following concepts is most similar to the cocktail party effect? | [
"(A)Identity formation (B)Spotlight syndromen (C)Selective attention (D)Egocentrismn (E)Self-reference effect"
] | (B)Humans perceive color because combinations of different cones in the eye fire in response to different colors (trichromatic theory) and because cones are linked in opposing color pairs (opponent-process theory). Choices A and D include valid sensation and perception terms. However, neither of these pairs of terms re... |
You and your friends go to an art opening because the gallery promised to show art like no one has seen before—you won't know what you are looking at, but your conception of art will be expanded. Which of the following perceptual principles will you most likely use since the art will be very abstract and unfamiliar? | [
"(A)Top-down processing (B)Signal detection theoryn (C)Selective attention (D)Opponent-process theoryn (E)Bottom-up processing"
] | (D)If you stare at something that is red for long enough and then quickly stare at a white surface, you perceive a green afterimage. You perceive the opposite (complementary) color because the red and green cones are paired in the retina and because the red cones are fatigued due to constant exposure. When you look awa... |
Professor Benjamin holds up a pound of feathers and a one-pound weight. He says, If these two identical weights felt the same, we wouldn't need the science of psychology; we would need only physics. Professor Benjamin is probably trying to make a point about which of the following processes? | [
"(A)Perception (B)Sensation (C)Transductionn (D)Kinesthesis (E)Vestibular"
] | (C)Selective attention is one of the major factors determining what stimuli we perceive (because we pay attention to those stimuli). This is similar to the cocktail party effect, instantly noticing when someone says our name even in the midst of a noisy environment. Identity formation (choice A) and egocentrism (choice... |
You are at a party with your friend Fred. The DJ is playing music you don't really like, and she's playing it very loudly. Fred shouts to you, I THINK SHE IS ACTUALLY PLAYING THIS SONG LOUDER THAN THE LAST ONE! You shout back, HOW CAN YOU ACTUALLY TELL? Which sensation principle determines whether or not Fred might act... | [
"(A)Signal detection theory (B)Difference thresholdn (C)Binocular cues (D)Trephination (E)Perceptual set"
] | (E)You use bottom-up processing when you need to build a perception of an unfamiliar object. You examine each piece of the experience and figure out how the pieces all fit together into something you can understand and/or perceive. This is likely the process you would have to use at this very avant-garde art opening. T... |
The vice principal of your school, Mr. Drumknott, explains the school dress code to you (again) and then asks you if you understand. You feel embarrassed and admit to Mr. Drumknott that you don't understand because you didn't really hear what he said. Which of the following terms might help best explain why you didn't ... | [
"(A)Transduction (B)Difference thresholdn (C)Selective attention (D)Projectionn (E)Operant conditioning"
] | (A)This demonstration makes the point that humans perceive the world in ways that may not be accurate according to physics. Humans perceive that the pound of feathers is lighter than the one-pound weight. That difference in perception is worthy of studying (hence the need for psychology, not just physics). Professor Be... |
Someone challenges you to explain exactly what you are seeing right now and how you are seeing it. Which of the following terms are you most likely to use in your answer? | [
"(A)Sensation threshold selective attention transductionn (B)Optic nerve cochlea hair cells Gestaltn (C)Monocular cues binocular cues convergence perceptionn (D)Pupil lens retina optic nerven (E)Signal detection theory opponent-process theoryn trichromatic theory 169.Someone challenges you to expl... | (B)The difference threshold is the minimum amount a sensation has to change in order for a difference to be noticed. The volume would have had to exceed the difference threshold for Fred to perceive whether or not this song is louder than the last one. Signal detection theory, choice A, is involved in all perceptual ev... |
You are watching the final round of the gymnastics championship at your school. The captain of the team, Sybil Ramkin, just finished an amazing routine on the uneven bars. As you watch her, you wonder how she knows where she is in space as she flips around the bar and how she makes sure she's in the right position to l... | [
"(A)Vestibular system and sense of touchn (B)Kinesthesis and vision (C)Hearing (inner ear) and gustationn (D)Proprioception and olfactionn (E)Transduction and kinesthesis"
] | (C)You do not perceive sensations unless you selectively attend (pay attention) to them. Its possible that youve heard this lecture so many times from Mr. Drumknott that you didnt selectively attend to it this time. Choice A, transduction, describes the stage when sensations change into perceptions. Transduction does n... |
You are hanging out with your nephew Rufus at the park. Suddenly, Rufus looks at you excitedly and says, Did you hear that? Someone is playing that song you like over in the neighborhood, while he points out into the neighborhood. You don't hear anything, but you smile and nod to be polite. Which perceptual principle e... | [
"(A)Difference threshold (B)Proprioceptionn (C)Absolute threshold (D)Transduction (E)Structuralism"
] | (D)If you want to describe exactly what you are seeing at any given moment, you will need to use a list of the parts of the eye. Choices A, B, C, and E are random collections of terms from the sensation and perception unit. Any of these terms individually might be involved in the process of what you are seeing right no... |
You are lying on your back in the park, staring at the clouds. Suddenly, you realize that a group of clouds to the left looks exactly like the face of your school mascot. What area of sensation and perception research and thinking might be most interested in perceptual issues related to you seeing your school mascot in... | [
"(A)Functionalists (B)Structuralists (C)Psychodynamicn (D)Gestalt (E)Naturalistic observation"
] | (A)Hearing involves sound waves moving the eardrum, which moves fluid in the cochlea, which moves hair cells, which cause neural impulses to go to the temporal lobe where they are perceived. Choice B includes the term frontal lobe, which is out of place in this list. Choice C includes the terms pitch and tone, which ar... |
You are invited to an art class by one of your friends. She tells you that the art class will be a lot of fun because it will focus on how to portray depth more accurately in pencil and charcoal drawings. Which of the following perceptual principles is most relevant to this art class? | [
"(A)Binocular cues (B)Top-down processingn (C)Retinal disparity (D)Bottom-up processingn (E)Monocular cues"
] | (B)The sensory systems of kinesthesis (understanding our bodys position in space) and vision (getting visual feedback on where we are and where we need to be) are the two most relevant sensory systems responsible for the gymnastics performance. All of the other choices (A, C, D, and E) include at least one irrelevant o... |
Leonard is on a trip to a debate tournament in a small, rural town he's never visited before. When he gets out of the van, Leonard immediately smells a strong odor of manure. Leonard wonders how anyone lives in the town with the constant smell of manure. What psychological principle explains why residents of the town d... | [
"(A)Sensory adaptation (B)Habituation (C)Perceptual setn (D)Dissociation (E)Defense mechanism"
] | (C)The absolute threshold is the minimum amount of a sensation that you can perceive. In this case, its the minimum amount of sound energy you can perceive. The absolute threshold for sound typically goes up as you age and as your hearing deteriorates, which may explain why Rufus hears the song and you dont. Choice A, ... |
When he was growing up, Samuel visited his aunt's house every day after school. His aunt had a large portrait titled Lord Havelock hanging over the fireplace. When his aunt first acquired the portrait, it startled Samuel. After a few weeks, he eventually stopped noticing and seeing it when he visited his aunt. What psy... | [
"(A)Sensory adaptation (B)Habituation (C)Blind spotn (D)Occipital lobe (E)Perceptual omission"
] | (D)The Gestalt psychologists tried to uncover the reasons why people perceive groups of stimuli as a whole instead of just seeing the individual elements of a group. For some reason, your brain reorganized the individual stimuli of those clouds into the whole of the school mascot. Gestalt researchers would be intereste... |
Mr. Slant, who bills himself as a mental psychological stage performer, claims to be able to see auras that are in the infrared and ultraviolet spectrum. Which of the following psychological principles would researchers test in Mr. Slant in order to check his claim? | [
"(A)Difference threshold (B)Proprioceptionn (C)Absolute threshold (D)Transduction (E)Structuralism"
] | (E)Since this is a drawing class, students learn how to use drawing techniques to create depth, distance, and so on in their drawings. All of these techniques rely on monocular depth cues (cues that you can perceive with one eye) since they are drawn on a two-dimensional surface (the paper). Binocular cues (choice A) a... |
The research of which two psychologists established the basis for the difference threshold? | [
"(A)Hubel and Wiesel (B)Skinner and Watsonn (C)Bandura and Beck (D)Weber and Fechnern (E)Seligman and Peterson"
] | (A)Sensory adaptation occurs when a sense is constantly stimulated with the same sensation and a person experiences decreasing responsiveness to that stimuli due to the constant stimulation. If a person is surrounded by the same smell for a long period of time, he or she stops smelling it—like the residents of the town... |
Which two psychologists helped establish how the brain physiologically reacts to visual stimuli? | [
"(A)Hubel and Wiesel (B)Gazzaniga and Sperryn (C)Eagleman and Ramachandran (D)Weber and Fechnern (E)Gage and Wearing"
] | (B)Habituation occurred when Samuel stopped noticing a frequently encountered stimulus—the portrait. Habituation is similar to the process of sensory adaptation, choice A. Sensory adaptation, though, is decreased responsiveness of the sense because of constant exposure to a stimulus. There is a physiological blind spot... |
During brain surgery to remove a tumor in a patient's occipital lobe, a surgeon implants several very small microphones to listen for neurons firing as the patient looks at visual stimuli. The work of which researchers established the basis for this medical practice? | [
"(A)Nation and Benjamin (B)Weber and Fechnern (C)Sternberg and Gardner (D)Gazzaniga and Sperryn (E)Hubel and Wiesel"
] | (C)Mr. Slant claims he can see in the infrared and ultraviolet spectrum. Seeing infrared and ultraviolet light waves are beyond the absolute threshold for human eyes, so researchers would likely check his visual absolute threshold carefully in order to check Mr. Slants claim. Choices A and B are concepts related to per... |
A researcher is interested in what factors influence which sensations we perceive and which sensations we don't notice. She decides to design an experiment to test her theory that distraction determines which visual stimuli are remembered. Which of the following is the researcher most likely to choose as an independent... | [
"(A)Transduction (B)Selective attentionn (C)Absolute threshold (D)Perceptual constancyn (E)Sensory habituation"
] | (D)Ernst Weber and Gustav Fechner performed experiments separately. They theorized about the impact of changes in sensations and how these changes impact a persons perceptions of differences and changes in sensations. The psychologists mentioned in the other choices (choices A, B, C, and E) were not involved in researc... |
Which of the following is likely to be an operational definition of absolute threshold that a researcher might use during a study? | [
"(A)The random assignment to experimental or control conditionsn (B)How intensely (bright loudn etc.) the stimuli are presented during the experimentn (C)The minimum amount of stimulus a participant perceives in 50% of the trialsn (D)The precise definitions of the operations involved in the methodology of the ... | (A)David Hubel and Torsten Wiesel won the Nobel Prize for discovering groups of neurons in the visual cortex in animals that respond to specific visual stimuli (feature detectors). The researchers mentioned in choices B, C, and D were all involved in some type of biopsychological research but not specifically reactions... |
Would it be possible to assign participants randomly to the experimental group and to the control group in a study about color blindness? | [
"(A)Yes; random assignment is always possible if the sample is chosen carefully",
" (B)Yes; random assignment is always used in the experimental method",
" (C)It is impossible to determine whether random assignment can be used before the experiment begins",
" (D)No; since the study is about color blindness... | (E)David Hubel and Torsten Wiesel won the Nobel Prize for discovering groups of neurons in the visual cortex in animals that respond to specific visual stimuli (feature detectors). This research established that a firing neuron can be detected by listening for the sound of that neural firing. The researchers mentioned ... |
A patient reports that she is having trouble perceiving objects in her right visual field. She says that she's not blind—I can see stuff on the right side, but I just can't tell what it is until I look at it dead on. Which of the psychological perspectives might be most useful when trying to explain the cause of this v... | [
"(A)Biological perspective (B)Evolutionary perspectiven (C)Psychoanalytic perspective (D)Cognitive perspectiven (E)Sociocultural perspective"
] | (B)Since this researcher wants to test the impact of distraction on perception, she is likely to design a way to influence participants selective attention and then measure how that affects the memory of visual stimuli. Transduction, choice A, is a physiological process that changes stimuli into neural impulses. Absolu... |
The concept of perceptual set is most relevant to which psychological perspective? | [
"(A)Biological (B)Evolutionary (C)Psychoanalyticn (D)Cognitive (E)Humanist"
] | (C)Operational definitions are used by researchers to measure variables in a study. This researcher would need to define precisely how he or she will measure absolute threshold. That is typically defined as the minimum amount of stimulus a person can detect half the time. Choices A and B are possible elements of the re... |
Sociocultural psychologists would be most interested in research about how people from different cultures differ in their use of which of the following perceptual clues? | [
"(A)Monocular cues (B)Blind spot (C)Transductionn (D)Absolute threshold (E)Difference threshold"
] | (D)Since this study is about color blindness, the researcher would most likely have to use at least two groups of participants: one group of color-blind participants and one group of people who are not color-blind. That is not true random assignment. The other responses (choices A, B, C, and E) include factually incorr... |
The table below describes the behaviors of a rat named Sniffy. The psychologist working with Sniffy was investigating how giving or taking away food pellets related to whether Sniffy stood on her hind legs or not. In each of the four conditions listed in the table, Sniffy received a food pellet or a food pellet was tak... | [
"(A)Negative reinforcement (B)Classical conditioningn (C)Positive reinforcement (D)Negative punishmentn (E)Positive punishment"
] | (A)The biological perspective researches explanations for human thinking and behavior that are related to biology—genetics, brain chemistry, and/or brain structure. The symptoms this patient is reporting are most likely caused by a biological cause. Potentially, the patient is experiencing an issue in the visual cortex... |
The table below describes the behaviors of a rat named Sniffy. The psychologist working with Sniffy was investigating how giving or taking away food pellets related to whether Sniffy stood on her hind legs or not. In each of the four conditions listed in the table, Sniffy received a food pellet or a food pellet was tak... | [
"(A)Negative reinforcement (B)Classical conditioningn (C)Positive reinforcement (D)Negative punishmentn (E)Positive punishment"
] | (D)The cognitive perspective explains human thinking and behavior by examining how we think about our current experiences and remember past experiences. Perceptual sets relate to our cognitive interpretations of stimuli; they are the mental rules we use to change stimuli into perceptions. The perspectives listed in cho... |
The table below describes the behaviors of a rat named Sniffy. The psychologist working with Sniffy was investigating how giving or taking away food pellets related to whether Sniffy stood on her hind legs or not. In each of the four conditions listed in the table, Sniffy received a food pellet or a food pellet was tak... | [
"(A)Negative reinforcement (B)Classical conditioningn (C)Positive reinforcement (D)Negative punishmentn (E)Positive punishment"
] | (A)Sociocultural psychologists research how psychological principles impact thinking and behavior differently in different cultures. Most sensation and perception principles operate similarly across cultures. However, some principles, like monocular cues, are culture bound. In other words, these cues influence percepti... |
The table below describes the behaviors of a rat named Sniffy. The psychologist working with Sniffy was investigating how giving or taking away food pellets related to whether Sniffy stood on her hind legs or not. In each of the four conditions listed in the table, Sniffy received a food pellet or a food pellet was tak... | [
"(A)Negative reinforcement (B)Classical conditioningn (C)Positive reinforcement (D)Negative punishmentn (E)Positive punishment"
] | (C)In the cell marked with the number 1, Sniffy received a food pellet and then performed the target behavior (standing on her hind legs). This is positive reinforcement—when an organism receives a stimulus and repeats a target behavior. Choices A, D, and E correspond to other cells in the table. Choice B, classical co... |
A friend came to visit Dana and knocked on the door. After Dana opened the door, her dog Phinny saw the stranger and barked like crazy. This happened the next few times that a stranger knocked on Dana's door. Now Phinny barks whenever she hears anything that sounds like someone is knocking on the door. In this example,... | [
"(A)Hearing a knock (B)Barking (C)Opening the doorn (D)Seeing a stranger (E)Generalization"
] | (A)In the cell marked with the number 2, one of Sniffys food pellets was taken away but she still performed the desired behavior (standing on her hind legs). This is negative reinforcement—when an organism gets a stimulus taken away and still repeats a target behavior. Choices C, D, and E correspond to other cells in t... |
A friend came to visit Dana and knocked on the door. After Dana opened the door, her dog Phinny saw the stranger and barked like crazy. This happened the next few times that a stranger knocked on Dana's door. Now Phinny barks whenever she hears anything that sounds like someone is knocking on the door. In this example,... | [
"(A)Hearing a knock (B)Barking (C)Opening the doorn (D)Seeing a stranger (E)Generalization"
] | (E)In the cell marked with the number 3, Sniffy received a food pellet but did not do the desired behavior (standing on her hind legs). This is positive punishment—when an organism receives a stimulus but does not repeat the target behavior. Choices A, C, and D correspond to other cells in the table. Choice B, classica... |
A friend came to visit Dana and knocked on the door. After Dana opened the door, her dog Phinny saw the stranger and barked like crazy. This happened the next few times that a stranger knocked on Dana's door. Now Phinny barks whenever she hears anything that sounds like someone is knocking on the door. Which of the fol... | [
"(A)Hearing a knock (B)Barking (C)Opening the doorn (D)Seeing a stranger (E)Generalization"
] | (D)In the cell marked with the number 4, one of Sniffys food pellets was taken away and she did not do the desired behavior (standing on her hind legs). This is negative punishment—when an organism gets a stimulus removed and does not repeat the target behavior. Choices A, C, and E correspond to other cells in the tabl... |
A friend came to visit Dana and knocked on the door. After Dana opened the door, her dog Phinny saw the stranger and barked like crazy. This happened the next few times that a stranger knocked on Dana's door. Now Phinny barks whenever she hears anything that sounds like someone is knocking on the door. The scenario say... | [
"(A)Discrimination (B)Spontaneous recovery (C)Extinctionn (D)Reinforcement (E)Generalization"
] | (D)For many dogs, seeing a stranger will automatically cause barking, making it an unconditioned stimulus. Hearing a knock, choice A, was previously a neutral stimulus. A neutral stimulus is a stimulus that doesnt automatically cause a specific response. Choice B, barking, is the response. At the beginning of the scena... |
What type of conditioning involves pairing a neutral stimulus with a stimulus that already causes an automatic response? | [
"(A)Operant conditioning (B)Classical conditioningn (C)Positive reinforcement (D)Negative reinforcementn (E)Conjoined conditioning"
] | (A)Hearing a knock was previously a neutral stimulus. After several pairings of hearing a knock on the door and seeing a stranger (the unconditioned stimulus—choice D), barking (choice B) became a conditioned response to the conditioned stimulus of the knock on the door. Choice C, opening the door, is related to seeing... |
What type of conditioning involves either providing or taking away a stimulus after an organism responds and then watching to see if the organism repeats that response? | [
"(A)Operant conditioning (B)Classical conditioningn (C)Positive reinforcement (D)Negative reinforcementn (E)Secondary reinforcement"
] | (B)For many dogs, seeing a stranger (choice D) will automatically cause barking. So, seeing the stranger is an unconditioned stimulus causing the unconditioned response of barking. After several pairings of hearing a knock on the door (choice A—the conditioned stimulus) and of seeing a stranger, barking became a condit... |
Which type of conditioning is most like the common practice of providing rewards for desired behaviors? | [
"(A)Observational learning (B)Classical conditioningn (C)Positive conditioning (D)Advantage learningn (E)Operant conditioning"
] | (E)Generalization occurs when any stimulus similar to the original conditioned stimulus elicits the conditioned response. In this case, Phinny is conditioned to bark (CR) at any stimulus similar to the knock on the door. Choice A, discrimination, occurs when an organism responds only to the original conditioned stimulu... |
Which of the following summaries best describes classical conditioning? | [
"(A)Adding a stimulus or removing a stimulus after a response in order to influence an organisms behaviorsn (B)Waiting until an organism does something close to what the researcher wants it to do and giving the organism a rewardn (C)Finding a stimulus that automatically causes a response and pairing that with a n... | (B)Classical conditioning involves pairing a neutral stimulus (like the sound of a bell) with a stimulus (like food) that already automatically causes a response (like salivation). Eventually, the previously neutral stimulus (the sound of the bell) will cause the response (salivation) all on its own. Choice A, operant ... |
Which of the following summaries best describes operant conditioning? | [
"(A)Examine how an organism interprets an eventn and then modify the event to better match the organisms cognitive interpretation of the event",
" (B)Rewarding an organism will strengthen the researchers relationship with that organismn and the organism will be more likely to do what the researcher wants",
"... | (A)To condition an organism operantly, a researcher waits until the organism behaves (like a rat pushing a level) and then the researcher provides a stimulus (like a food pellet). At that point the organism may—or may not—repeat the behavior. Classical conditioning, choice B, involves pairing a neutral stimulus with a ... |
What term would a behaviorist use for an external event or object that elicits a behavior in an organism? | [
"(A)Punishment (B)Reward (C)Instinct (D)Responsen (E)Reinforcement"
] | (E)The common practice of providing a reward for desired behavior is very similar to the concept of positive reinforcement used during operant conditioning. Choice A, observational learning, is a different kind of learning where researchers learn by watching a model perform behaviors. Rewards are not an element of clas... |
Which of the following is the best definition of a stimulus? | [
"(A)An external event or object that elicits a behavior in an organismn (B)An external object that increases the chance an organism will repeat a behaviorn (C)Energy or a chemical that activates one of the human sensesn (D)A physical reaction or behavior elicited by an external event or objectn (E)An external o... | (C)Classical conditioning involves pairing stimuli: a neutral stimulus paired with a stimulus that automatically causes a response. Choices A and B describe operant conditioning, not classical conditioning. Choice D doesnt make sense. Researchers dont use reinforcements (operant conditioning) along with unconditioned r... |
Which term would a learning researcher use for a physical reaction or behavior elicited by an external event or object? | [
"(A)Punishment (B)Reward (C)Instinct (D)Responsen (E)Reinforcement"
] | (D)Operant conditioning involves providing rewards (positive reinforcements) for behaviors that approximate the desired target behaviors. Choices A and B refer to cognitive interpretations and relationships, which are not a part of either behaviorism or operant conditioning. Choice C describes classical conditioning. C... |
Which of the following is the best definition of a response? | [
"(A)A cognitive interpretation or a memory of an eventn (B)An external event or object that elicits a behavior in an organismn (C)A long-term change in behavior caused by past experiencesn (D)External energy or chemicals that are changed into neural impulsesn (E)A physical reaction or behavior elicited by an ex... | (B)Behaviorists research how conditioning influences behavior. They do this by studying how different stimuli, which are external events that elicit behaviors, relate to responses. These responses can be physical reactions or behaviors. Punishment (choice A) and reinforcement (choice E) are kinds of stimuli in the cont... |
Which term describes something that automatically causes a physical reaction? | [
"(A)Conditioned stimulus (B)Unconditioned stimulusn (C)Conditioned response (D)Unconditioned responsen (E)Behavioral contingency"
] | (A)Behaviorists research how conditioning influences human behavior. They do this by studying how different stimuli, which are external events that elicit behaviors, relate to responses. These responses can be physical reactions or behaviors. Choice B is the definition of a reinforcement. Choice C is similar to the def... |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.