Psychology Degree Principles of Psychology 4

Question 1

In signal detection theory, a 'miss' occurs when:

Accepted Answer

The signal is present and the observer responds 'no'

Answer

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?

Accepted Answer

Availability heuristic

Answer

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:

Accepted Answer

They obeyed authority figures in a legitimate setting

Answer

Milgram showed that situational factors — particularly perceived authority and legitimacy — powerfully override personal morality.

Question 4

The James-Lange theory of emotion proposes that:

Accepted Answer

Physiological arousal occurs first, and emotion is the interpretation of that arousal

Answer

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?

Accepted Answer

Procedural memory

Answer

Procedural (implicit) memory stores motor skills and routines (e.g., riding a bike) and remains intact even in many forms of amnesia.

Psychology Degree Practice Test

Psychology Degree Practice Test

Psychology Degree Principles of Psychology 4