EPPP General 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which theorist proposed the concept of the 'zone of proximal development' (ZPD) to describe the difference between what a learner can do independently and what they can achieve with guidance?
- Jean Piaget
- Lev Vygotsky (Correct answer)
- Erik Erikson
- Albert Bandura
Correct answer: Lev Vygotsky
Lev Vygotsky introduced the ZPD as the range of tasks a child can perform with the help of a more skilled partner but cannot yet accomplish alone.
Question 2: In a double-blind randomized controlled trial, neither the participants nor the researchers assessing outcomes know who is in the treatment group. This design feature primarily controls for:
- Selection bias and demand characteristics
- Expectancy effects and experimenter bias (Correct answer)
- Regression to the mean and attrition
- Instrumentation effects and history threats
Correct answer: Expectancy effects and experimenter bias
Double-blinding controls for expectancy effects (placebo response) from participants and experimenter bias in outcome measurement.
Question 3: According to the DSM-5, a diagnosis of Major Depressive Disorder requires the presence of at least five symptoms during the same two-week period, with at least one being:
- Insomnia or hypersomnia
- Depressed mood or loss of interest/pleasure (Correct answer)
- Significant weight change or fatigue
- Feelings of worthlessness or excessive guilt
Correct answer: Depressed mood or loss of interest/pleasure
DSM-5 specifies that depressed mood or markedly diminished interest or pleasure (anhedonia) must be among the five required symptoms for an MDD diagnosis.
Question 4: A psychologist using Motivational Interviewing (MI) reflects a client's ambivalence about changing their alcohol use by summarizing both sides of their conflict. This technique is called:
- Affirmation
- Double-sided reflection (Correct answer)
- Rolling with resistance
- Developing discrepancy
Correct answer: Double-sided reflection
A double-sided reflection acknowledges both the client's reasons for change and their reasons for maintaining the status quo, validating ambivalence without judgment.
Question 5: Which of the following is an example of a Type I error in hypothesis testing?
- Failing to reject a false null hypothesis
- Rejecting a true null hypothesis (Correct answer)
- Accepting the alternative hypothesis when it is false
- Setting the alpha level too conservatively
Correct answer: Rejecting a true null hypothesis
A Type I error (false positive) occurs when a researcher incorrectly rejects a null hypothesis that is actually true.
Question 6: Erik Erikson's psychosocial stage for young adulthood (approximately ages 20–40) centers on the conflict of:
- Identity vs. Role Confusion
- Intimacy vs. Isolation (Correct answer)
- Generativity vs. Stagnation
- Integrity vs. Despair
Correct answer: Intimacy vs. Isolation
The central challenge of Erikson's young adulthood stage is developing intimate, committed relationships versus remaining socially isolated.
Question 7: A psychologist administers two different IQ tests to the same client one week apart and obtains nearly identical scores. This finding is BEST evidence for the tests':
- Content validity
- Concurrent validity
- Test-retest reliability (Correct answer)
- Internal consistency
Correct answer: Test-retest reliability
Test-retest reliability is demonstrated when a measure yields consistent scores across two administrations separated by a short time interval.
EPPP General 3
Which theorist proposed the concept of the 'zone of proximal development' (ZPD) to describe the difference between what a learner can do independently and what they can achieve with guidance?