BAPSY Exploring Theories and Concepts 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: In Maslow's hierarchy of needs, which level must generally be satisfied before 'esteem needs' can be addressed?
- Physiological needs
- Safety needs
- Love and belonging needs (Correct answer)
- Self-actualization
Correct answer: Love and belonging needs
Maslow's hierarchy places love and belonging (social) needs just below esteem needs, so they must be met first.
Question 2: Cognitive dissonance theory predicts that when people hold conflicting beliefs, they will:
- Ignore one belief entirely
- Experience psychological discomfort and seek to reduce it (Correct answer)
- Become more committed to both beliefs simultaneously
- Report satisfaction with the inconsistency
Correct answer: Experience psychological discomfort and seek to reduce it
Festinger's cognitive dissonance theory states that conflicting cognitions create uncomfortable tension that motivates attitude or behavior change.
Question 3: In operant conditioning, a 'variable ratio' schedule of reinforcement produces:
- Slow, steady response rates
- High, steady response rates resistant to extinction (Correct answer)
- Rapid responding only immediately after reinforcement
- Responding that pauses after each reinforcement
Correct answer: High, steady response rates resistant to extinction
Variable ratio schedules produce the highest and most persistent response rates because the reinforcement is unpredictable.
Question 4: Which concept describes the tendency to conform to the actions of a majority, even when those actions may be incorrect?
- Obedience
- Social facilitation
- Informational social influence
- Normative social influence (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Normative social influence
Normative social influence occurs when people conform to gain social approval or avoid rejection, not because they believe the group is correct.
Question 5: The biopsychosocial model of mental health asserts that psychological disorders are best explained by:
- Biological factors alone
- Social and environmental factors exclusively
- An interaction of biological, psychological, and social factors (Correct answer)
- Unconscious conflicts and repressed memories
Correct answer: An interaction of biological, psychological, and social factors
The biopsychosocial model integrates biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors to provide a comprehensive account of mental health.
Question 6: Piaget's concept of 'assimilation' refers to:
- Changing existing schemas to accommodate new information
- Incorporating new information into existing cognitive schemas (Correct answer)
- The process of reaching cognitive equilibrium
- Creating entirely new schemas when existing ones fail
Correct answer: Incorporating new information into existing cognitive schemas
Assimilation is the cognitive process of integrating new experiences into existing mental frameworks without changing those frameworks.
Question 7: Which of the following is a core assumption of the behavioral perspective in psychology?
- Behavior is primarily driven by unconscious impulses
- Mental processes are more important than observable behavior
- Behavior is learned through interaction with the environment (Correct answer)
- Innate instincts determine most human actions
Correct answer: Behavior is learned through interaction with the environment
Behaviorism holds that all behavior is learned through conditioning and environmental reinforcement rather than internal mental states.
BAPSY Exploring Theories and Concepts 3
In Maslow's hierarchy of needs, which level must generally be satisfied before 'esteem needs' can be addressed?