Question 1

Which of the following best defines psychology?

Accepted Answer

The scientific study of behavior and mental processes.

Question 2

A researcher wants to test whether sleep deprivation causes decreased attention in college students. Which research design would best allow the researcher to infer causation?

Accepted Answer

Experimental design with random assignment.

Question 3

Which of the following is an example of external validity in psychological research?

Accepted Answer

The extent to which study findings generalize to other settings or populations.

Question 4

A psychologist is interested in the relationship between stress and academic performance. She finds that as stress increases, academic performance decreases. Which statistical concept best describes this relationship?

Accepted Answer

Negative correlation ($$r \u003c 0)$$

Question 5

Which school of psychology focuses on observable behaviors rather than internal mental processes?

Accepted Answer

Behaviorism

Question 6

A biopsychosocial approach to understanding depression would include which of the following?

Accepted Answer

Examining biological, psychological, and social factors.

Question 7

Which of the following is an example of a research ethics concern?

Accepted Answer

Obtaining informed consent from participants.

Question 8

Which part of the neuron receives incoming signals from other neurons?

Accepted Answer

Dendrites

Question 9

Which neurotransmitter is most closely associated with mood regulation and is often linked to depression when levels are low?

Accepted Answer

Serotonin

Question 10

A patient suffers damage to the hippocampus. Which function is most likely to be impaired?

Accepted Answer

Formation of new memories

Question 11

Which of the following best illustrates neural plasticity?

Accepted Answer

A stroke patient regains movement in her arm after months of physical therapy.

Question 12

Which of the following correctly matches a gene-related term with its definition?

Accepted Answer

Phenotype: The observable characteristics resulting from gene expression.

Question 13

Which system is responsible for the 'fight or flight' response?

Accepted Answer

Sympathetic nervous system

Question 14

Which gland is primarily responsible for regulating metabolism?

Accepted Answer

Thyroid gland

Question 15

Which sense is most directly involved in proprioception?

Accepted Answer

Sense of body position and movement

Question 16

Which process converts physical energy from the environment into neural signals?

Accepted Answer

Transduction

Question 17

A person is able to listen to music while reading a book and smelling food cooking in the kitchen. This ability is best explained by which concept?

Accepted Answer

Parallel processing

Question 18

Which of the following is an example of internal validity in a psychological experiment?

Accepted Answer

The degree to which the experiment rules out alternative explanations for the results.

Question 19

Which function is associated with the occipital lobe of the brain?

Accepted Answer

Processing visual information

Question 20

A researcher wants to study the effect of caffeine on memory. She randomly assigns participants to receive either caffeine or a placebo and measures their memory performance. Which concept is illustrated by this method?

Accepted Answer

Random assignment

Core Concepts and Study Guide for Introductory Psychology

Study Guide - Practice Questions

Study Guide - Flashcards