APA Cheat Sheet 2026

The 30 highest-yield APA facts, distilled from real exam questions. Print it, save it as a PDF, or study it here — free, no sign-up.

1. Which of the following is a common intervention used by health psychologists? → Cognitive-behavioral therapy
2. In Milgram's obedience studies, the majority of participants delivered shocks up to what voltage level? → 450 volts
3. The 'mere exposure effect' states that: → Familiarity with a stimulus increases liking for it
4. The hypothalamus plays a critical role in: → Regulating homeostasis and controlling the pituitary gland
5. Which disorder is characterized by persistent, excessive worry about various aspects of life? → Generalized anxiety disorder
6. Which developmental milestone typically occurs first in infant motor development? → Rolling over
7. In the DSM-5, Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is characterized by excessive anxiety and worry occurring more days than not for at least: → 6 months
8. The 'availability heuristic' leads people to judge the likelihood of an event based on: → How easily examples come to mind
9. What diagnostic category in the DSM-5 includes anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge-eating disorder? → Feeding and Eating Disorders
10. What is 'chunking' in the context of working memory? → Grouping individual items into meaningful units to increase effective memory capacity
11. Which brain structure serves as the primary relay station for sensory information (except olfaction) on its way to the cerebral cortex? → Thalamus
12. The 'self-serving bias' is the tendency to: → Attribute successes to internal factors and failures to external factors
13. Erikson's stage of 'Trust vs. Mistrust' occurs during which period? → Infancy (birth–18 months)
14. What is 'conservation' in Piaget's theory? → Recognizing that quantity stays the same despite changes in appearance
15. Which neurotransmitter is primarily associated with the regulation of mood, sleep, and appetite? → Serotonin
16. Harlow's studies with rhesus monkeys demonstrated that infant attachment is primarily based on: → Contact comfort
17. Which therapy approach, developed by Marsha Linehan, is specifically designed for Borderline Personality Disorder? → Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
18. The cerebellum is primarily responsible for: → Coordinating voluntary movement, balance, and fine motor control
19. What does Vygotsky's Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) describe? → The range between what a child can do alone and with guidance
20. According to Aaron Beck, depression is maintained by a 'cognitive triad' of negative views about: → The self, the world, and the future
21. Which attachment style, identified by Ainsworth, is characterized by distress at separation and resistance to comfort upon reunion? → Anxious-ambivalent (resistant) attachment
22. Which APA ethical principle requires psychologists to be honest and non-deceptive in their work? → Integrity
23. Which term describes the tendency for raters to give all employees ratings clustered near the midpoint of a scale? → Central tendency error
24. Myelin sheaths surrounding axons primarily serve to: → Increase the speed of neural transmission
25. What is 'workforce diversity training' designed to achieve in organizations? → Reduce implicit biases and improve inclusion for members of underrepresented groups
26. What is the primary focus of clinical psychology? → Diagnosing and treating mental disorders
27. Which assessment center technique requires candidates to sort and respond to a simulated set of memos, emails, and tasks as if they are on the job? → In-basket exercise
28. Which measure of central tendency is most affected by extreme outliers? → Mean
29. What is one common assessment tool used by clinical psychologists to diagnose mental disorders? → Rorschach Inkblot Test
30. What is 'social loafing'? → Reduced individual effort when working in a group compared to working alone