Chapter 12: Practice Test – Flashcards

1. The subfield of psychology that provides psychology's contribution to the prevention and treatment of illness is known as A) medical psychology. B) health psychology. C) behavioral psychology. D) psychobiology. E) organizational psychology.

2. The text defines stress as A) the experience of conflicting motives that produce anxiety and tension. B) the method in which we argue with loved ones. C) the blocking of an attempt to reach some important goal. D) physical, emotional, or mental exhaustion. E) the process by which we perceive and respond to environmental threats and challenges.

3. The catharsis hypothesis refers to the idea that A) every emotion is preceded by cognition. B) humans tend to adapt to a given level of stimulation. C) anger is reduced by aggressive action or fantasy. D) successful performance is influenced by level of physiological arousal. E) different emotions are associated with similar physiological reactions.

4. When the mayor ordered a salary increase for the city's police officers, there was a sudden loss of morale among the city's firefighters. The firefighters' sudden dissatisfaction best illustrates the A) James-Lange theory. B) adaptation-level phenomenon. C) spillover effect. D) two-factor theory. E) relative deprivation principle.

5. Milan is upset with his wife because she was over an hour late in picking him up at the airport. He is likely to deal most effectively with his feelings of irritation toward her by telling her A) "I'm really angry that I had to wait so long for you to get here." B) "From now on, I'll ask someone at the office to pick me up." C) "Darn it, why can't you be more responsible?" D) "I'm dying of hunger! It's 7:45 and I haven't had dinner yet." E) "I was starting to worry that you had a car accident on your way over here."

6. After receiving an unexpected "A" on his psychology test, Jordan was easily persuaded to baby-sit his little sister while his parents went out for dinner. This best illustrates the A) catharsis hypothesis. B) adaptation-level phenomenon. C) feel-good, do-good phenomenon. D) relative deprivation principle. E) facial feedback effect.

7. Carroll Izard has suggested that love is a mixture of interest-excitement and A) pride. B) surprise. C) fear. D) joy. E) lust.

8. Research suggests that monkeys reared in the wild fear snakes because they A) are biologically predisposed to fear nearly all primitive forms of life. B) have a particularly strong nervous system reaction to snake bites. C) have encountered snakes near dead monkeys. D) have observed other monkeys' fearful reactions to snakes. E) frequently compete with snakes for control of territory and natural resources.

9. In describing the two dimensions of emotion, fear is to terror as anger is to A) shame. B) grief. C) guilt. D) pain. E) rage.

10. A television producer believes that violent TV programs provide viewers an opportunity to reduce their own anger through fantasy. The producer appears to accept the A) James-Lange theory. B) adaptation-level principle. C) relative deprivation principle. D) catharsis hypothesis. E) two-factor theory.

11. People are fearful of so many different objects and events because A) the nervous system is naturally aroused by novel and unfamiliar stimuli. B) they learn to fear things associated with naturally painful or traumatic experiences. C) they are biologically predisposed to be most fearful of things that most threaten their physical survival. D) they are biologically predisposed to fear almost anything. E) the brain reacts to most new stimuli with a fear response.

12. A wage increase of $1000 is more likely to improve the subjective well-being of low-income workers than of middle-income executives. This illustrates the importance of A) the feel-good, do-good phenomenon. B) the general adaptation syndrome. C) the diminishing returns phenomenon. D) the spillover effect. E) the critical period hypothesis.

13. Subjective well-being among university and college students A) correlates positively with the extent to which love is valued and positively with the extent to which money is valued. B) correlates positively with the extent to which love is valued and does not correlate with the extent to which money is valued. C) does not correlate with the extent to which love is valued and correlates positively with the extent to which money is valued. D) does not correlate with the extent to which love is valued and does not correlate with the extent to which money is valued. E) correlates positively with the extent to which love is valued and negatively with the extent to which money is valued.

14. Researchers have found that certain factors are related to happiness. One of these is that happy people tend to A) be well educated. B) have many children. C) have a satisfying marriage or close friendship. D) be over 50 years old. E) be physically attractive.

15. A disturbing implication of the adaptation-level phenomenon is that A) people who lose some of their wealth will never experience normal levels of happiness. B) seeking happiness through financial security requires ever-increasing wealth. C) middle-income people are destined to be perpetually unhappy. D) comparing ourselves with those who are less fortunate increases our insecurity. E) people who experience frustration will often resort to violence.

16. The facial expressions associated with particular emotions are A) learned in early childhood. B) different in Eastern and Western cultures. C) the same throughout the world. D) more similar in adults than they are in children or adolescents. E) more similar in women than in men.

17. Researchers have found that people experience cartoons as more amusing while holding a pen with their teeth than while holding it with their lips. This finding best serves to support the A) relative deprivation principle. B) Cannon-Bard theory. C) adaptation-level principle. D) James-Lange theory. E) catharsis hypothesis.

18. The most unambiguous nonverbal clue to our specific emotional state is provided by our A) respiration rate. B) hand gestures. C) facial muscles. D) body posture. E) pupil contraction and dilation.

19. It has been suggested that baring the teeth is universally associated with the expression of anger because this ability to convey threats has helped humans to survive. This suggestion best illustrates the A) evolutionary perspective. B) relative deprivation principle. C) Cannon-Bard theory. D) two-factor theory. E) adaptation-level principle.

20. Couples who are passionately in love most frequently communicate intimacy by means of A) averted glances. B) contraction of the pupils. C) winking. D) prolonged eye-gazing. E) raising just the inner parts of the eyebrows.

21. The suggestion that "a happy face creates a merry soul" is most consistent with the A) Cannon-Bard theory. B) catharsis hypothesis. C) adaptation-level principle. D) James-Lange theory. E) relative deprivation principle.

22. Researchers who explore emotion from a social-cultural level of analysis are especially likely to emphasize cultural differences in A) autonomic nervous system arousal. B) the adaptation-level phenomenon. C) emotional expressiveness. D) the spillover effect. E) amygdala responsiveness

23. Research has shown that neck-level spinal cord injuries reduce the intensity of certain emotional experiences. This finding supports the A) Cannon-Bard theory. B) adaptation-level principle. C) James-Lange theory. D) catharsis hypothesis. E) relative deprivation principle.

24. According to the ________, you would be able to experience emotion even without sympathetic nervous system arousal. A) Cannon-Bard theory B) James-Lange theory C) two-factor theory D) catharsis hypothesis E) adaptation-level principle

25. Increased activity in the right prefrontal cortex is to ________ as increased activity in the left frontal lobe is to ________. A) anger; fear B) disgust; joy C) love; hate D) elation; depression E) love; lust

26. The polygraph measures the changes in ________ that accompany emotion. A) blood sugar level B) hormone secretions C) pupil dilation D) heart rate E) facial expression

27. An inexperienced pilot prepares for an emergency landing after her single-engine plane loses power. Her emotional arousal is likely to be accompanied by A) decreased respiration. B) pupil constriction. C) increased blood sugar levels. D) increased salivation. E) decreased perspiration.

28. According to the Cannon-Bard theory, the experience of an emotion A) depends on the intensity of physiological arousal. B) can occur only after physiological arousal. C) occurs simultaneously with physiological arousal. D) precedes physiological arousal. E) is similar across cultures worldwide.

29. Evidence that visual input is routed from the thalamus directly to the amygdala has been used to support the claim that A) the cortex sends more neural projections to the amygdala than it receives back. B) emotion tends to distort our perceptions of the world. C) a visual stimulus always triggers a stronger emotional response than does an auditory stimulus. D) some emotional reactions may occur without conscious thinking. E) blind people must learn expressions of emotion.

30. When confronted by an armed robber, your emotional arousal is likely to be accompanied by A) decreases in blood sugar levels. B) slowing of digestion. C) increases in salivation. D) constriction of pupils to increase visual acuity. E) decreases in respiration rate.

31. When students perceive the arousal that accompanies test-taking as energizing rather than debilitating, they experience much less anxiety. This is best understood in terms of the A) relative deprivation principle. B) James-Lange theory. C) adaptation-level principle. D) catharsis hypothesis. E) two-factor theory.

32. One problem with the use of the polygraph for lie detection is that A) polygraph assessments are more expensive than brain scans. B) anxiety, irritation, and guilt feelings all prompt similar physiological reactivity. C) emotions involve expressive behaviors as well as autonomic nervous system arousal. D) innocent people are presumed to be guilty at the very beginning of any lie detector test. E) polygraphs can cause autonomic nerve damage in rare cases.

33. For purposes of lie detection, investigators have most commonly made use of a(n) A) electrocardiograph. B) electroencephalograph. C) myograph. D) tomograph. E) polygraph.

34. Observers watching fearful faces show more brain activity in the ________ than do those watching angry faces. A) cerebellum B) thalamus C) amygdala D) hippocampus E) medulla

35. Astrid was emotionally aroused by a TV horror movie. She became extremely angry when her younger brother momentarily blocked her view of the screen. When her movie viewing was interrupted by a phone call from her boyfriend, however, she experienced unusually intense romantic feelings. Astrid's different emotional reactions to her brother and her boyfriend are best explained by the A) catharsis hypothesis. B) James-Lange theory. C) adaptation-level principle. D) two-factor theory. E) Cannon-Bard theory.

36. Which of the following suggests that the experience of emotion results from an awareness of our own physiological responses to an emotion-arousing event? A) the Cannon-Bard theory B) the catharsis hypothesis C) the James-Lange theory D) the adaptation-level phenomenon E) the relative deprivation principle

37. The two-factor theory of emotion places more emphasis on the importance of ________ than do other theories of emotion. A) cognitive activity B) subjective well-being C) physiological arousal D) catharsis E) overt behavior

38. A small cluster of neurons, the nucleus accumbens, is highly active when people experience A) pleasure. B) anger. C) fear. D) depression. E) disgust.

39. Boyd, a suspect in a criminal investigation, has agreed to take a lie detector test. The machine used in this test is most likely to measure his A) blood sugar levels. B) pupil dilation. C) hormone secretions. D) perspiration levels. E) eye movements.

40. According to the Cannon-Bard theory, body arousal is related to the subjective awareness of emotion in the same way as the ________ is related to the ________. A) parasympathetic nervous system; thalamus B) sympathetic nervous system; cortex C) thalamus; hypothalamus D) cerebellum; cortex E) parasympathetic nervous system; sympathetic nervous system

41. Jeff, who is 14, engages in rigorous tennis drills or competitive play at least four hours every day because he wants to master the sport and play on one of the best college teams in the country. His goal and behavior best illustrate the concept of A) set point. B) 360-degree feedback. C) human factors psychology. D) achievement motivation. E) homeostasis.

42. The consumption of carbohydrates is most likely to A) lower the body's set point. B) decrease blood glucose levels. C) reduce tension and anxiety. D) prevent bulimia nervosa. E) activate the lateral hypothalamus

43. Aptitude tests are specifically designed to A) predict ability to learn a new skill. B) compare an individual's abilities with those of highly successful people. C) assess learned knowledge or skills. D) assess the ability to produce novel and valuable ideas. E) measure educational achievement.

44. In very stressful or embarrassing situations, Sanura is able to maintain her poise and help others to feel comfortable. Sanura's ability best illustrates the value of A) extrinsic motivation. B) heritability. C) divergent thinking. D) savant syndrome. E) emotional intelligence.

45. The confirmation bias refers to the tendency to A) search for information that supports our preconceptions. B) judge the likelihood of events on the basis of how easily we can remember examples of them. C) overestimate the accuracy of our beliefs and judgments. D) overestimate the degree to which other people share our beliefs. E) use heuristics instead of algorithms to solve problems.

46. A single, memorable case of welfare fraud has a greater impact on estimates of the frequency of welfare abuse than do statistics showing that this case is actually the exception to the rule. This illustrates that judgments are influenced by the A) confirmation bias. B) representativeness heuristic. C) belief perseverance phenomenon. D) framing effect. E) availability heuristic.

47. Karl and Dee had a joyful wedding ceremony. After their painful divorce, however, they began to remember the wedding as a somewhat hectic and unpleasant event. Their recollections best illustrate the nature of A) proactive interference. B) memory construction. C) the spacing effect. D) the serial position effect. E) repression.

48. When we fall in love, we tend to overestimate how much we liked our partner when we first began dating. This best illustrates the dynamics of A) automatic processing. B) the spacing effect. C) proactive interference. D) the serial position effect. E) memory construction.

49. The psychologist most closely associated with the study of operant conditioning was A) Skinner. B) Pavlov. C) Watson. D) Bandura. E) Garcia.

50. Which of the following is an unconditioned response? A) playing jump rope B) running through a maze to get a food reward C) sweating in hot weather D) clapping after a thrilling concert performance E) getting money as a reward

51. Color constancy refers to the fact that A) light waves reflected by an object remain constant despite changes in lighting. B) objects are perceived to be the same color even if the light they reflect changes. C) the perceived color of an object has a constant relation to its brightness. D) the frequency of light waves is directly proportional to the light's wavelength. E) colors remain the same hue even when the tint changes under our difference threshold.

52. Damage to the basilar membrane is most likely to result in A) loss of movement. B) accommodation. C) conduction hearing loss. D) loss of the sense of balance. E) nerve deafness.

53. For Regis to think it's wrong to drive over the speed limit simply because he might get punished for doing so is demonstrating Kohlberg's ________ stage of morality. A) conventional B) postconventional C) preconventional D) preoperational E) formal operational

54. A child's realization that others may have beliefs which the child knows to be false best illustrates that the child is not completely A) assimilated. B) egocentric. C) imprinted. D) habituated. E) accommodated.

55. An integrated understanding of gender differences in behavior in terms of gender roles, sex hormones, and individual expectations regarding gender appropriate behavior is most clearly provided by A) gender schema theory. B) molecular genetics. C) a biopsychosocial approach. D) evolutionary psychology. E) social learning.

56. Gender identity refers to A) one's biological sex. B) the sense of being male or female. C) the set of expected behaviors for males and for females. D) how masculine a boy is or how feminine a girl is. E) a person's identification with the parent of the opposite sex.

57. When people are experiencing vivid dreams A) their bodies often move in accordance with what they dream. B) their eyes are likely to move under their closed eyelids. C) they are more likely to sleepwalk than during any other stage of sleep. D) their slow brain-wave patterns indicate that they are deeply asleep. E) they intermittently stop breathing.

58. If your ________ is destroyed, the left side of your brain could not control the movements of your right hand. A) cerebral cortex B) amygdala C) hippocampus D) angular gyrus E) corpus callosum

59. A meta-analysis is most useful when: A) there are not enough subjects in an experiment. B) a particular issue has generated a large number of studies, some of which have produced weak or contradictory results. C) the statistical analysis indicates that the results are statistically significant but the hypothesis is not supported. D) the experiment has never been replicated.

60. Wilhelm Wundt's laboratory work involved experimental studies of A) animal intelligence. B) personality development. C) learning and memory. D) reactions to sensory stimulation. E) association and generalization.