Psychology 101 Exam 1 Practice Questions PDF

Psychology 101:01 Spring 2025 Exam 1 Practice Questions (Without Answers) – Complete 1.​ After learning in your psychology class that people tend to be attracted to others who are similar to themselves, you share this finding with a friend. Yo...

Psychology 101:01 Spring 2025 Exam 1 Practice Questions (Without Answers) – Complete 1.​ After learning in your psychology class that people tend to be attracted to others who are similar to themselves, you share this finding with a friend. Your friend says, “That’s obvious – everyone knows that!” Your friend seems to be exhibiting: a.​ the placebo effect. b.​ the hindsight bias. c.​ the expectancy effect. d.​ response bias. 2.​ In a study on mood and helping behavior, Dr. Beifong had one group of participants receive compliments from a research assistant before being asked to donate money to a charity organization and had another group of participants receive criticism from a research assistant before being asked to donate money. Dr. Beifong measured the difference between the two groups of participants in the amount of money donated to the charity. Dr. Beifong conducted _____ research. a.​ correlational b.​ experimental c.​ survey d.​ case study 3.​ In a study on the effects of emotional disclosure on happiness, while participants in a different condition are asked to write expressively about a traumatic experience they have had, participants in Toph’s condition are asked to write about something mundane (such as what they ate for breakfast). Neither Toph nor the researcher giving instructions to the participants know whether she is in the experimental or control condition. This study is using _____ procedures and Toph is in the _____ condition. a.​ single-blind; experimental b.​ single-blind; placebo control c.​ double-blind; experimental d.​ double-blind; placebo control 4.​ In order to study how well SAT scores predict college GPA, Suki should employ the _____ method. a.​ observational b.​ case study c.​ experimental d.​ correlational 5.​ Mai is conducting a study on the effects of exercise on depression. She has the treatment group jog together in a park for 30 minutes 5 times a week for 2 months. The control group watches TV together in Mai’s lab during the same time periods. The results show that, after 2 months, the treatment group has a lower average level of depression than the control group. Which of the following is a potential confound in this experiment? a.​ exercise vs. TV b.​ depression vs. anxiety c.​ being outside vs. inside d.​ jogging vs. sitting 6.​ In Dr. Vega’s study on the effect of caffeine on mood, she makes sure the only difference between the treatment and control groups’ experience during the study is that the treatment group consumes caffeine, whereas the control group does not. In doing so, Dr. Vega is using _____ to _____. a.​ random assignment; eliminate potential confounds b.​ experimental control; eliminate potential confounds c.​ random assignment; increase generalizability d.​ experimental control; increase generalizability 7.​ Dr. Marwani wants to identify predictors of students’ GPA at graduation, and finds that the correlation between conscientiousness (a personality trait) and GPA is 0.43, whereas the correlation between amount of time spent on Facebook and GPA is -.37. Dr. Marwani concludes that a high GPA is predicted by: a.​ high conscientiousness and lots of time on Facebook. b.​ high conscientiousness and little time spent on Facebook. c.​ low conscientiousness and lots of time on Facebook. d.​ low conscientiousness and little time spent on Facebook. 8.​ If Korra wants to study the relationship between students’ exercise patterns and their sleep quality, she should use the _____ method. a.​ experimental b.​ correlational c.​ case study d.​ naturalistic observational 9.​ Bolin is conducting an experiment on the effect of laughter on stress. ½ of his participants watch videos of Trevor Noah (a comedian); the other ½ watch videos of the news. The participants who watch the news are in the: a.​ experimental condition. b.​ control condition. c.​ observational condition. d.​ treatment condition. 10.​Jinora’s results show that there is a correlation between childhood obesity and time spent watching television. However, Jinora further discovers that parental stress levels predict both childhood obesity and time children spend watching television. In this study, parental stress is a(n): a.​ third variable b.​ random variable c.​ independent variable d.​ dependent variable 11.​ Dr. Ozai just read an article describing an experiment on the effect of doing a morning meditation on the stress level of students in elementary schools. He wants to replicate this study, but the authors of the article did not specify how they measured students’ stress. Therefore, this study is lacking: a.​ an operational definition. b.​ an independent variable. c.​ generalizability. d.​ random assignment. 12.​To test the effect of collaboration on prejudice, the treatment group does collaborative tasks with people of different ethnicities; the control group does the tasks individually. Both groups are given the same amount of time and no participants are permitted to use their phone. The researchers are using: a.​ random sampling b.​ experimental control c.​ double-blind procedures d.​ random assignment 13.​In his study on meditation and gratitude, Dr. Strand wants to ensure that there are no initial differences between his experimental and control groups before he has the experimental group meditate for 20 minutes. To do so, he should use: a.​ random assignment. b.​ random sampling. c.​ experimental control. d.​ double-blind procedures. 14.​Zuko wants to find out about the relation between patient satisfaction and smoking behavior among patients at a medical group. To get a group of participants for his study, Zuko gets a list of all of the patients at the medical group and picks 100 of them by chance. Zuko is using ____ so that he can ____. a.​ random assignment; rule out confounds b.​ random assignment; get a representative sample c.​ random sampling; rule out confounds d.​ random sampling; get a representative sample 15.​Dr. Strickland is studying the link between students’ beliefs about climate change and their use of environmentally-friendly products. Dr. Strickland should probably use the _____ method. a.​ survey b.​ observational c.​ experimental d.​ case study 16.​If _____ is(are) damaged, the action potential will travel more slowly than normal. a.​ myelin sheath b.​ the synapse c.​ receptors d.​ neurotransmitters 17.​The burst of electrical activity sent down an axon when a neuron sends information is called a(n): a.​ synaptic gap. b.​ neurotransmitter. c.​ action potential. d.​ blood-brain barrier. 18.​The part of the neuron that receives information from the sending neuron is the: a.​ axon. b.​ dendrite. c.​ myelin sLin. d.​ synapse. 19.​Once the level of electrical activity in a neuron reaches _____, an action potential will occur. a.​ the excitatory level b.​ the synapse c.​ the spinal cord d.​ threshold 20.​When an inhibitory signal occurs, the likelihood that the next neuron will fire: a.​ increases. b.​ stays the same. c.​ decreases. d.​ depends on the type of neurotransmitter. 21.​After going for a long run, Pichu experiences feelings of pleasure due to the increased release of: a.​ epinephrine b.​ acetylcholine c.​ endorphins d.​ GABA 22.​Azula is very anxious and tense. The type of drug that would help to calm her is a(n): a.​ GABA agonist. b.​ GABA antagonist. c.​ endorphin agonist. d.​ endorphin antagonist. 23.​Botulism, a food-borne toxin that causes muscle paralysis, is a(n): a.​ dopamine antagonist. b.​ dopamine agonist. c.​ acetylcholine antagonist. d.​ acetylcholine agonist. 24.​Ron is given Narcan, which is an _____ _____. As a result, he experiences pain throughout his body. a.​ acetylcholine agonist b.​ acetylcholine antagonist c.​ endorphin agonist d.​ endorphin antagonist 25.​Drugs that block the reuptake of serotonin are used to treat: a.​ depression. b.​ schizophrenia. c.​ Alzheimer’s disease. d.​ Parkinson’s disease. 26.​A deer just ran out in front of Ty Lee’s car, almost causing her to hit it. Her heart is pounding rapidly due to the increase in _____ that she is experiencing. a.​ endorphins. b.​ dopamine. c.​ acetylcholine. d.​ epinephrine. 27.​When Korra has a stress response, her levels of _____ become elevated. a.​ serotonin. b.​ GABA. c.​ acetylcholine. d.​ norepinephrine. 28.​When Katara grabbed her hot plate from the microwave, she immediately removed her hand from it (she subsequently realized that the plate was very hot). This reflexive behavior was initiated by neurons in Katara’s: a.​ brain. b.​ glial cells. c.​ spinal cord. d.​ synapse. 29.​When Kyoshi finds out that her sister is in the hospital, her heart begins to beat faster, her breathing accelerates, and her muscles become tense as a result of her _____ nervous system’s activity. a.​ central b.​ somatic c.​ sympathetic d.​ parasympathetic 30.​When Naomi wants to swing her tennis racquet, her _____ is activated. a.​ somatic nervous system b.​ autonomic nervous system c.​ endocrine system d.​ parasympathetic nervous system 31.​Chemicals that travel through the bloodstream to give messages to parts of the body and are regulated by the endocrine system are called: a.​ agonists b.​ hormones c.​ neurotransmitters d.​ axons 32.​The body’s “master gland,” found in the brain, is called the: a.​ adrenal gland b.​ pituitary gland c.​ thyroid gland d.​ hypothalamus 33.​When you bang your shin, the type of cell that carries messages from receptors in your shin to your brain is a(n): a.​ sensory neuron. b.​ motor neuron. c.​ glial cell. d.​ neurotransmitter. 34.​While participating in a study, Amon is asked to look at pictures of happy, sad, and neutral faces while a machine produces pictures of her brain activity. Amon is participating in a study using: a.​ an MRI. b.​ a CAT scan c.​ an EEG d.​ an fMRI 35.​After experiencing a stroke, Martine lost her ability to hear. Apparently, the stroke damaged her: a.​ reticular formation b.​ cerebellum c.​ medulla d.​ thalamus 36.​After a biking accident, Pete has difficulty typing fluidly on his computer, although he has no trouble producing or comprehending language. Pete’s _____ was likely to have been injured in the accident. a.​ medulla b.​ thalamus c.​ hippocampus d.​ cerebellum 37.​A deer just ran out in front of Mai’s car, almost causing her to hit it. Although Mai had been relaxing while driving, when the deer ran out in front of her car, she quickly snapped to attention due to the functioning of her: a.​ thalamus. b.​ occipital lobes. c.​ reticular formation. d.​ amygdala. 38.​Which lobe is in blue? a.​ frontal b.​ parietal c.​ occipital d.​ temporal 39.​ Which of the following parts of the body has the largest corresponding area on the motor cortex? a.​ wrists b.​ fingers c.​ legs d.​ back 40.​As a result of a stroke, Ralph has much difficulty understanding what others say. He experienced damage to his: a.​ Broca’s area b.​ Wernicke’s area c.​ sensory cortex d.​ motor cortex 41.​Which part of your cortex processes the feeling of a dog licking your foot? a.​ frontal lobes b.​ parietal lobes c.​ occipital lobes d.​ temporal lobes 42.​After a skiing accident caused damage to her _____ lobe, Ikki’s vision was impaired. a.​ frontal b.​ parietal c.​ occipital d.​ temporal 43.​When Meelo learned how to speak Italian, the language-processing area of her brain grew bigger with new synapses and neural connections. This reflects: a.​ plasticity. b.​ neurogenesis. c.​ mirror neurons. d.​ the homunculus. 44.​In the video we saw in class, for Gill, who has been blind since birth, and Michelle, who is temporarily blind, which part of the brain was used to process the touch sensations in their fingertips while reading Braille? a.​ somatosensory cortex b.​ motor cortex c.​ visual cortex d.​ auditory cortex 45.​Gill’s and Michelle’s (from the previous question) brains experienced: a.​ paralysis. b.​ reuptake. c.​ the development of mirror neurons. d.​ plasticity. 46.​Hahn tells his friends that he needs to go to sleep after their study session rather than studying all night because sleeping will help to consolidate his memory of what he learned. Hahn is a proponent of the _____ theory of sleep. a.​ evolutionary/adaptive b.​ restorative c.​ information processing d.​ activation synthesis 47.​The theory suggesting that we turn random neural signals into dreams is _____ theory. a.​ Freudian b.​ the information processing c.​ the preserving neural pathways d.​ the activation synthesis 48.​According to Freud, dreams reflect: a.​ events that we experienced that day. b.​ our unconscious desires. c.​ random firing of visual and motor neurons. d.​ the need to keep our brains active during sleep. 49.​When you touch your baby niece’s cheek, she turns her head toward your hand and opens her mouth. She is exhibiting the _____ reflex. a.​ Moro b.​ Babinsky c.​ sucking d.​ rooting 50.​When baby Aiwei is tilted backward, her arms suddenly extend her sides. Aiwei is exhibiting the _____ reflex. ​ a.​ rooting b.​ grasping c.​ Moro d.​ Babinski