Question 1

Which of the following best illustrates the representativeness heuristic?

Accepted Answer

Judging a person’s likelihood of being a librarian based on how closely they match your stereotype of a librarian, rather than considering the actual base rate of librarians in the population.

Question 2

A student is given a math problem and repeatedly tries the same unsuccessful approach, failing to consider alternative strategies. This is an example of:

Accepted Answer

Mental set

Question 3

Which scenario best demonstrates functional fixedness?

Accepted Answer

Failing to realize that a paperclip can be used to unlock a door, because you only see it as something to hold papers together.

Question 4

In the Stroop task, participants are asked to name the color of the ink a word is printed in, rather than the word itself. Why is this task difficult?

Accepted Answer

Reading is automatic, so the meaning of the word interferes with naming the ink color.

Question 5

Which of the following is an example of top-down processing?

Accepted Answer

Interpreting a blurry image as a dog because you expect to see a dog in the context.

Question 6

A child in Piaget’s preoperational stage is shown two identical glasses of juice. The juice from one glass is poured into a taller, thinner glass. The child says the taller glass has more juice. This demonstrates a lack of:

Accepted Answer

Conservation

Question 7

According to Vygotsky, scaffolding is most effective when:

Accepted Answer

An adult provides support that is gradually removed as the child becomes more competent within the zone of proximal development.

Question 8

Which of the following best describes the difference between phonetic decomposition and whole-word recognition in reading?

Accepted Answer

Phonetic decomposition involves sounding out words letter by letter, while whole-word recognition relies on identifying words as a single unit.

Question 9

Which statement about the WAIS (Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale) is correct?

Accepted Answer

It measures intelligence using four main subscales: verbal comprehension, perceptual reasoning, working memory, and processing speed.

Question 10

Which research design is best suited for studying age-related changes over time in the same group of individuals?

Accepted Answer

Longitudinal design

Question 11

A person is faced with a stressful situation and decides to gather information and make a plan to solve the problem. This is an example of:

Accepted Answer

Problem-focused coping

Question 12

Which of the following best illustrates the concept of stereotype threat?

Accepted Answer

A woman performs worse on a math test after being reminded of the stereotype that women are bad at math.

Question 13

Which scenario best demonstrates the difference between the fight-or-flight response and the tend-and-befriend response?

Accepted Answer

During a crisis, one person runs away or confronts the threat (fight-or-flight), while another seeks social support and helps others (tend-and-befriend).

Question 14

Which of the following is a risk factor for coronary heart disease (CHD)?

Accepted Answer

Chronic stress

Question 15

Which statement about the Flynn effect is accurate?

Accepted Answer

Average IQ scores have increased over generations, likely due to environmental factors such as improved nutrition and education.

Question 16

A child is able to think logically about concrete objects but struggles with abstract concepts. According to Piaget, this child is most likely in which stage?

Accepted Answer

Concrete operational stage

Question 17

Which of the following best describes the difference between assimilation and accommodation?

Accepted Answer

Assimilation involves incorporating new information into existing schemas, while accommodation involves modifying schemas to fit new information.

Question 18

Which scenario best illustrates the post-hoc fallacy?

Accepted Answer

Assuming that because a child started walking after eating a new food, the food caused the child to walk.

Question 19

Which of the following is an example of a placebo effect in complementary and alternative medicine (CAM)?

Accepted Answer

A patient reports feeling better after receiving a sugar pill, believing it was a real medication.

Question 20

Which formula best represents the calculation of IQ using the original ratio method?

Accepted Answer

$$ IQ = \frac{	ext{Mental Age}}{	ext{Chronological Age}} 	imes 100 $$

Introduction to Psychology: Study Guide for Cognition, Intelligence, Development, and Stress

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