MS Master of Psychology 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the concept of 'attachment theory' as developed by John Bowlby?
- Infants form strong emotional bonds with caregivers that serve as a secure base for exploration and shape future relationships (Correct answer)
- Children attach to all adults equally during development
- Attachment bonds only form after age three
- Secure attachment requires fathers as primary caregivers
Correct answer: Infants form strong emotional bonds with caregivers that serve as a secure base for exploration and shape future relationships
Bowlby's attachment theory holds that infants have an innate need to form close emotional bonds with caregivers, with the quality of early attachment shaping expectations about relationships throughout life.
Question 2: In neuropsychology, what is the function of the prefrontal cortex?
- Executive functions including planning, decision-making, impulse control, and working memory (Correct answer)
- Processing visual information from the eyes
- Regulating breathing and heart rate
- Storing long-term emotional memories
Correct answer: Executive functions including planning, decision-making, impulse control, and working memory
The prefrontal cortex supports executive functions — the cognitive processes that regulate goal-directed behavior, including planning, cognitive flexibility, inhibitory control, and working memory.
Question 3: What is the difference between reliability and validity in psychological assessment?
- Reliability is consistency across measurements; validity is whether the test measures what it claims to measure (Correct answer)
- Reliability and validity always occur together in good tests
- Validity is statistical; reliability is conceptual
- Both terms refer to how accurately a test predicts future behavior
Correct answer: Reliability is consistency across measurements; validity is whether the test measures what it claims to measure
A reliable test produces consistent results across administrations, while a valid test accurately measures the construct it claims to assess; a test can be reliable but not valid.
Question 4: What does the concept of 'self-efficacy' in Bandura's social cognitive theory refer to?
- An individual's belief in their own ability to successfully perform specific tasks (Correct answer)
- Objective measurement of a person's actual skills
- The tendency to imitate observed behaviors
- A person's overall intelligence level
Correct answer: An individual's belief in their own ability to successfully perform specific tasks
Self-efficacy is the subjective belief in one's capability to execute behaviors required to produce specific outcomes, strongly predicting motivation, persistence, and achievement.
Question 5: What is the bystander effect in social psychology?
- The tendency for individuals to be less likely to help in an emergency when other people are present (Correct answer)
- The increased likelihood of prosocial behavior in public settings
- The effect of witnesses on criminal behavior rates
- Increased anxiety when observed by a crowd
Correct answer: The tendency for individuals to be less likely to help in an emergency when other people are present
The bystander effect (Darley & Latané) demonstrates that as the number of bystanders increases, the likelihood that any individual will intervene in an emergency decreases due to diffusion of responsibility.
Question 6: What does the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual's (DSM-5) multiaxial system revision mean for clinical diagnosis?
- DSM-5 eliminated the multiaxial system, integrating all diagnoses into a single axis approach (Correct answer)
- DSM-5 added additional axes beyond the original five
- The multiaxial system was expanded to include social factors
- DSM-5 kept the multiaxial system unchanged from DSM-IV
Correct answer: DSM-5 eliminated the multiaxial system, integrating all diagnoses into a single axis approach
DSM-5 eliminated the multiaxial system (Axes I–V from DSM-IV) and replaced it with a non-axial diagnosis approach that integrates clinical disorders, personality disorders, and general medical conditions into a single list.
MS Master of Psychology 2
What is the concept of 'attachment theory' as developed by John Bowlby?