AA Psychology 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What does the term 'cognitive dissonance' refer to?
- Mental discomfort from holding conflicting beliefs (Correct answer)
- A type of memory disorder
- A personality disorder
- The inability to learn new skills
Correct answer: Mental discomfort from holding conflicting beliefs
Cognitive dissonance is the psychological discomfort that arises when a person holds two or more contradictory beliefs or acts against their beliefs.
Question 2: Which part of the nervous system is responsible for the 'fight or flight' response?
- Sympathetic nervous system (Correct answer)
- Parasympathetic nervous system
- Somatic nervous system
- Central nervous system
Correct answer: Sympathetic nervous system
The sympathetic nervous system activates the body's fight-or-flight response by increasing heart rate, dilating pupils, and releasing adrenaline.
Question 3: What is the DSM primarily used for in psychology?
- Diagnosing mental disorders (Correct answer)
- Measuring intelligence
- Assessing personality traits
- Recording brain activity
Correct answer: Diagnosing mental disorders
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) is the standard classification system used by mental health professionals to diagnose mental disorders.
Question 4: In operant conditioning, what is positive reinforcement?
- Adding a desirable stimulus to increase a behavior (Correct answer)
- Removing an unpleasant stimulus to increase a behavior
- Adding an unpleasant stimulus to decrease a behavior
- Removing a desirable stimulus to decrease a behavior
Correct answer: Adding a desirable stimulus to increase a behavior
Positive reinforcement involves presenting a rewarding stimulus after a behavior to make that behavior more likely to occur again.
Question 5: What is the concept of 'nature vs. nurture' debating in psychology?
- Genetic inheritance vs. environmental influences on behavior (Correct answer)
- Conscious vs. unconscious thought
- Individual vs. group behavior
- Emotion vs. cognition
Correct answer: Genetic inheritance vs. environmental influences on behavior
The nature vs. nurture debate examines the relative contributions of genetic factors (nature) and environmental experiences (nurture) in shaping human behavior and development.
Question 6: Which stage of Piaget's cognitive development is characterized by logical thinking about concrete objects?
- Concrete operational (Correct answer)
- Preoperational
- Sensorimotor
- Formal operational
Correct answer: Concrete operational
During the concrete operational stage (ages 7–11), children develop logical thinking but primarily apply it to concrete, tangible situations.
AA Psychology 2
What does the term 'cognitive dissonance' refer to?