Psychology Degree Principles of Psychology 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: In signal detection theory, a 'miss' occurs when:
- The signal is present and the observer responds 'yes'
- The signal is absent and the observer responds 'yes'
- The signal is present and the observer responds 'no' (Correct answer)
- The signal is absent and the observer responds 'no'
Correct 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.
Question 2: Which cognitive bias leads people to overweight information that easily comes to mind when making judgments?
- Confirmation bias
- Availability heuristic (Correct answer)
- Representativeness heuristic
- Anchoring bias
Correct 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.
Question 3: Stanley Milgram's obedience experiments demonstrated that ordinary people would administer harmful shocks primarily because:
- They were inherently aggressive
- They were paid substantial amounts
- They obeyed authority figures in a legitimate setting (Correct answer)
- They could not tell the victim was in pain
Correct answer: They obeyed authority figures in a legitimate setting
Milgram showed that situational factors — particularly perceived authority and legitimacy — powerfully override personal morality.
Question 4: The James-Lange theory of emotion proposes that:
- Emotions and physiological responses occur simultaneously
- Cognitive appraisal precedes both emotion and arousal
- Physiological arousal occurs first, and emotion is the interpretation of that arousal (Correct answer)
- A subcortical emotion response precedes cortical awareness
Correct 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').
Question 5: Which memory system stores information about how to perform skills and procedures, often without conscious awareness?
- Episodic memory
- Semantic memory
- Procedural memory (Correct answer)
- Working memory
Correct 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.
Question 6: Psychologist Diana Baumrind identified which parenting style as most consistently associated with positive child outcomes such as self-reliance and social competence?
- Authoritarian
- Permissive
- Uninvolved
- Authoritative (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Authoritative
Authoritative parenting — high warmth combined with consistent, firm boundaries — is linked to the best developmental outcomes across cultures.
Question 7: The 'fight-or-flight' response is primarily triggered by activation of which nervous system branch?
- Parasympathetic nervous system
- Somatic nervous system
- Sympathetic nervous system (Correct answer)
- Enteric nervous system
Correct answer: Sympathetic nervous system
The sympathetic division accelerates heart rate, dilates pupils, and mobilizes energy — preparing the body to confront or flee a threat.
Psychology Degree Principles of Psychology 4
In signal detection theory, a 'miss' occurs when: