Principles of Psychology Flashcards
7 cards from real Psychology Degree practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Principles of Psychology flashcards as text
In signal detection theory, a 'miss' occurs when:
Answer: The signal is present and the observer responds 'no'
A miss (false negative) occurs when a signal is actually present but the observer fails to detect it.
Which cognitive bias leads people to overweight information that easily comes to mind when making judgments?
Answer: Availability heuristic
The availability heuristic causes people to judge likelihood based on how easily examples come to mind, often leading to errors in probability estimation.
Stanley Milgram's obedience experiments demonstrated that ordinary people would administer harmful shocks primarily because:
Answer: They obeyed authority figures in a legitimate setting
Milgram showed that situational factors — particularly perceived authority and legitimacy — powerfully override personal morality.
The James-Lange theory of emotion proposes that:
Answer: Physiological arousal occurs first, and emotion is the interpretation of that arousal
James and Lange independently proposed that we feel emotion because we notice our body's physiological responses (e.g., 'I am afraid because I am trembling').
Which memory system stores information about how to perform skills and procedures, often without conscious awareness?
Answer: Procedural memory
Procedural (implicit) memory stores motor skills and routines (e.g., riding a bike) and remains intact even in many forms of amnesia.
Psychologist Diana Baumrind identified which parenting style as most consistently associated with positive child outcomes such as self-reliance and social competence?
Answer: Authoritative
Authoritative parenting — high warmth combined with consistent, firm boundaries — is linked to the best developmental outcomes across cultures.
The 'fight-or-flight' response is primarily triggered by activation of which nervous system branch?
Answer: Sympathetic nervous system
The sympathetic division accelerates heart rate, dilates pupils, and mobilizes energy — preparing the body to confront or flee a threat.