Exam-style practice (harder): Psychology multiple choice quiz
14 questions. Pick an answer and you'll see why right away. Options are shuffled each attempt, and the review at the end links each missed question to the dot point to revise.
Kai accidentally touches a hot pan and pulls his hand away before he feels any pain. A moment later he feels a sharp, burning pain in his fingers.
Which statement best describes what happened?
A new medication increases the effect of GABA at synapses in the brain.
Which effect would this medication most likely have?
Mia is learning a new tennis serve. Over several weeks she practises the new action every day and stops using her old technique.
Which statement about the neural changes involved is correct?
Over three months of caring for a seriously ill relative, Sam's resistance to stress briefly dropped below normal, then stayed above normal for several weeks while his cortisol levels remained high. Eventually he became run-down and caught several colds in a row.
According to Selye's General Adaptation Syndrome, during which stage were Sam's cortisol levels high and his resistance above normal, and what risk comes with this?
Jordan learns that her chemistry SAC is next week. She thinks, 'This counts towards my study score and could go badly.' She then thinks, 'I have good notes and a study group, so I can prepare.'
According to Lazarus and Folkman's Transactional Model of Stress and Coping, which option identifies her appraisals?
When Leo was six, a dog bit him, and the pain made him very frightened. Now, whenever he hears a dog bark, even out of sight, his heart races and he feels afraid.
In terms of classical conditioning, what are the conditioned stimulus and the conditioned response?
Priya's father nags her every afternoon until she tidies her room. When she tidies it, the nagging stops. Over the following weeks, Priya tidies her room earlier and more often.
Which consequence explains the change in Priya's behaviour?
Following an illness, a patient has damage to the hippocampus on both sides of the brain. Other brain regions are unaffected.
Which outcome is most likely?
The table summarises a healthy young adult's sleep across one night, recorded in a sleep laboratory.
Hour of sleep 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Minutes in NREM stage 3 35 30 15 10 5 0 0 0 Minutes in REM sleep 5 10 15 15 20 25 25 30 Which conclusion is best supported?
Nurse A wakes at 6:00 am and drives home after her shift at 11:00 pm the same day. Nurse B wakes at 6:00 am and, after a double shift, drives home at 6:00 am the next day. Neither has slept during the day.
Research comparing sleep deprivation with blood alcohol concentration (BAC) suggests their impairment is most similar to which BACs?
Tom, aged 16, cannot fall asleep before about 1:00 am, and struggles to wake at 7:00 am for school. On holidays, when he sleeps from 1:00 am to 10:00 am, he feels rested.
Which option identifies his most likely sleep disorder and an appropriate treatment?
Researchers test whether a mindfulness app reduces stress. Sixty volunteers are randomly allocated: 30 use the app for 10 minutes a day for four weeks, and 30 do nothing. Stress is measured with a self-report questionnaire. Participants know which group they are in.
Which change would best reduce the influence of participants' expectations on the results?
Halfway through a study, a participant becomes distressed and asks to stop. The researcher encourages her to continue because her data are needed to reach the planned sample size.
Which ethical guideline has been breached?
Adults with a specific phobia of spiders were treated with either a benzodiazepine or cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) including systematic desensitisation. Anxiety was rated from 0 (none) to 100 (extreme).
Group Before treatment After 6 weeks of treatment 6 months after treatment ended Benzodiazepine 80 40 75 CBT with systematic desensitisation 80 50 45 Which conclusion is best supported?