MCAT Psychology 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which theory of emotion proposes that physiological arousal and the cognitive label applied to that arousal together produce the emotional experience?
- James-Lange theory
- Cannon-Bard theory
- Schachter-Singer two-factor theory (Correct answer)
- Lazarus cognitive appraisal theory
Correct answer: Schachter-Singer two-factor theory
The Schachter-Singer two-factor theory holds that emotion = physiological arousal + cognitive label assigned to explain that arousal.
Question 2: A surgeon who has operated thousands of times can perform routine incisions while simultaneously planning the next surgical step. This demonstrates which concept?
- Dual process theory — System 2 thinking
- Automaticity through procedural learning (Correct answer)
- Explicit memory consolidation
- Divided attention failure
Correct answer: Automaticity through procedural learning
Automaticity occurs when a skill becomes so well-practiced it requires minimal conscious attention, freeing cognitive resources for other tasks.
Question 3: In Milgram's obedience studies, the factor most effective at reducing participants' compliance with authority was:
- Increasing the apparent pain of the victim
- Removing the authority figure from the room
- Having two confederates refuse to continue (Correct answer)
- Telling participants the study was about punishment
Correct answer: Having two confederates refuse to continue
When confederates modeling defiance were present, obedience rates dropped dramatically, showing social support for resistance reduces compliance.
Question 4: A child who can only understand the world from their own perspective and has difficulty recognizing that others have different viewpoints is exhibiting:
- Object permanence failure
- Egocentrism (Correct answer)
- Conservation failure
- Animism
Correct answer: Egocentrism
Egocentrism, characteristic of Piaget's preoperational stage, is the inability to adopt another's perspective or recognize that others see things differently.
Question 5: According to signal detection theory, a radiologist who sets a very liberal criterion to catch all cancers, even at the cost of many false positives, is said to have:
- High sensitivity and high d-prime
- A low threshold (beta) and many misses
- A lenient criterion (low beta) producing many false alarms (Correct answer)
- High specificity and low sensitivity
Correct answer: A lenient criterion (low beta) producing many false alarms
A lenient (low beta) criterion means the observer says 'yes' (signal present) even when uncertain, resulting in many hits but also many false alarms.
Question 6: The concept of 'cognitive dissonance' predicts that when a person behaves in a way inconsistent with their beliefs, they will most likely:
- Ignore the inconsistency entirely
- Change their behavior immediately
- Alter their attitude to align with the behavior (Correct answer)
- Experience heightened motivation to repeat the behavior
Correct answer: Alter their attitude to align with the behavior
Cognitive dissonance causes psychological discomfort, which people typically reduce by changing their attitudes to match their behavior (post hoc rationalization).
Question 7: Which sleep stage is characterized by large-amplitude, low-frequency delta waves and is most important for physical restoration and immune function?
- Stage 1 (N1) sleep
- Stage 2 (N2) sleep
- REM sleep
- Stage 3 (N3) slow-wave sleep (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Stage 3 (N3) slow-wave sleep
Stage 3 (N3) slow-wave sleep features delta waves and is associated with growth hormone release, physical restoration, and immune system consolidation.
MCAT Psychology 3
Which theory of emotion proposes that physiological arousal and the cognitive label applied to that arousal together produce the emotional experience?