AP Practice Test Psychology

Question 1

Milgram's famous shock experiment required participants' obedience and demonstrated the existence of what psychological phenomenon?

Accepted Answer

The power of authority

Answer

Stanley Milgram's famous shock experiment demonstrated that individuals are surprisingly willing to obey commands from an authority figure, even when those commands conflict with their personal conscience. The study highlighted the profound influence of perceived 'power of authority' on human behavior, showing how people can be compelled to act against their moral judgment.

Question 2

Which of the following is an illustration of the fundamental attribution error?

Accepted Answer

Jensen is tripped in the hallway and believes the other person did it on purpose.

Answer

The fundamental attribution error is the tendency to overestimate the impact of dispositional factors (like personality or intent) and underestimate the impact of situational factors when explaining other people's behavior. Jensen, attributing the tripping to the other person's deliberate action rather than a possible accident, exemplifies this error by focusing on intent over circumstance.

Question 3

What exactly is a stereotype threat?

Accepted Answer

Fear of confirming negative stereotypes about one's race, ethnicity, or sexual orientation

Answer

Stereotype threat is a psychological phenomenon where individuals experience anxiety or concern about confirming a negative stereotype about their social group. This fear can lead to decreased performance in tasks related to the stereotype, as the individual's cognitive resources are diverted by the pressure of potentially fulfilling the negative expectation.

Question 4

What exactly is a morpheme?

Accepted Answer

The smallest unit of language capable of carrying meaning.

Answer

In linguistics, a 'morpheme' is defined as the smallest meaningful unit in a language. Unlike a phoneme, which is the smallest unit of sound, a morpheme carries semantic meaning or grammatical function, such as prefixes, suffixes, or root words.

Question 5

Which social psychology pioneer conducted a famous conformity experiment in which subjects were required to match lines?

Accepted Answer

Solomon Asch

Answer

Solomon Asch is renowned for his groundbreaking conformity experiments conducted in the 1950s. In these studies, participants were asked to match the length of a line with one of three comparison lines, often giving incorrect answers to conform with a group of confederates. This research vividly demonstrated the powerful influence of social pressure on individual judgment and behavior.