MS MS in Psychology 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which therapy, developed by Aaron Beck, focuses on identifying and restructuring distorted thought patterns?
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) (Correct answer)
- Psychoanalysis
- Humanistic therapy
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy
Correct answer: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) targets maladaptive thinking patterns (cognitive distortions) and associated behaviors, replacing them with more accurate, adaptive alternatives.
Question 2: What does 'reliability' mean in the context of psychological measurement?
- Consistency of a measure across repeated administrations (Correct answer)
- Accuracy in measuring the construct it claims to measure
- Cultural fairness of a psychological test
- The range of scores a test can produce
Correct answer: Consistency of a measure across repeated administrations
Reliability refers to the degree to which a measurement yields consistent, stable results across time, raters, or equivalent test forms.
Question 3: Which type of memory stores general factual knowledge about the world, independent of personal experience?
- Semantic memory (Correct answer)
- Episodic memory
- Procedural memory
- Working memory
Correct answer: Semantic memory
Semantic memory is the component of long-term declarative memory that stores general world knowledge, facts, and concepts not tied to specific personal experiences.
Question 4: What is 'operant conditioning' as described by B.F. Skinner?
- Learning through consequences — reinforcement increases behavior, punishment decreases it (Correct answer)
- Learning through association of neutral and unconditioned stimuli
- Imitation of observed behaviors from models
- Insight learning through sudden cognitive restructuring
Correct answer: Learning through consequences — reinforcement increases behavior, punishment decreases it
Operant conditioning is the learning process in which behavior is shaped by its consequences: reinforcement strengthens future behavior and punishment weakens it.
Question 5: What does the 'DSM-5' refer to in clinical psychology?
- Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition (Correct answer)
- Dynamic System Model for psychiatric assessment
- Differential Symptom Measurement scale version 5
- Developmental Stage Mapping framework
Correct answer: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition
The DSM-5, published by the American Psychiatric Association in 2013, is the standard classification system for mental disorders used in clinical diagnosis across the US.
Question 6: Which phenomenon occurs when the presence of others improves performance on well-learned tasks?
- Social facilitation (Correct answer)
- Social loafing
- Groupthink
- Bystander effect
Correct answer: Social facilitation
Social facilitation is the tendency for people to perform well-practiced or simple tasks better when others are watching, due to increased arousal from an audience.
MS MS in Psychology 2
Which therapy, developed by Aaron Beck, focuses on identifying and restructuring distorted thought patterns?