Psy 112: General Psychology FYE

Fall 2007

Sample Final Exam (Exam 3)

Prof. Conway

 

Please choose the best and/or most complete answer for each of the following questions.

 

1. Positive psychology is the study of how to avoid negative states such as depression.

 

      a. true

      b. false

 

2. The concept of “dynamic equilibrium” was applied in class most directly to:

 

      a. positive individuals.

      b. positive experiences.

      c. positive institutions.

 

3. According to research discussed in class, people tend to experience more pleasure when:

 

      a. engaging in challenging tasks.

      b. engaging in pleasurable activities.

 

4. According to Alfie Kohn, wealth is a fairly good predictor of a person’s happiness.

 

      a. true

      b. false

 

5. According to Kohn (1993), being wealthier is associated with greater anxiety.

 

      a. true

      b. false

 

6.   Alfie Kohn (1993) argued that the pursuing “the American dream” of wealth generally promotes happiness.

 

      a. true

      b. false

 

7. Comparing how much money and possessions you have, to how much someone else has, pertains to the:

 

      a. relative deprivation principle.

      b. adaptation-level principle.

 

8. Sax and Astin (1997) reported a study on the effects of service-learning.  They claimed that the strongest effects were found on:

 

      a. life skills.

      b. academic development.

      c. political campaigning.

      d. civic engagement.

 

9. Sax and Astin (1997) would probably predict that engaging in service-learning during a Psy 112 course would have short-term but not long-term effects on students.

 

      a. true

      b. false

 

10. Stress is the process by which we perceive and respond to certain events, called stressors, that we appraise as threatening or challenging.

 

      a. true

      b. false

 

11. Positive life changes can be a major source of stress.

 

      a. true

      b. false

 

12. In August 2005, Hurricane Katrina devastated large parts of the coast of the Gulf of Mexico (e.g., New Orleans).  Now that the immediate effects of the disaster are over a year and a half in the past, evidence from previous research indicates that the surviving victims’ depression and anxiety levels should be pretty much back to normal.

 

      a. true

      b. false

 

13. Talking to others about our problems usually ________________ our ability to cope with stressful events.

 

      a. has no effect on

      b. increases

      c. decreases

      d. has an unpredictable effect on

 

14. When faced with a stressor you engage in behaviors meant to make that stressor go away.  This is known as:

 

      a. avoidant coping.

      b. active coping.

 

15. Your resistance to stress is highest during the ___________ phase of the general adaptation syndrome.

 

      a. first

      b. second

      c. third

 

16. Stress researchers believe that most of the harmful effects of stress come from:

 

      a. disasters and traumatic events.

      b. relatively minor inconveniences of everyday life.

 

17. Your experienced level of stress over this exam:

 

      a. depends on how you appraise the exam.

      b. is probably the same as that of the other students in the class.

 

18. In an experiment by McCann and Holmes (1984) discussed in class, aerobic exercise was shown to be more effective than relaxation exercises as a way of reducing depression.

 

      a. true

      b. false

 

19. In class I stated that ________________ is a relaxation technique useful for stress-related physical problems such as migraine headaches.

 

      a. progressive muscle relaxation

      b. biofeedback

      c. aerobic exercise

      d. meditation

 

20. The basic assumption underlying _____________ personality assessments is that if you present someone with an ambiguous stimulus, the interpretation for the stimulus will come from within and reflect the person’s inner needs and feelings.

 

      a. self-report

      b. Big Five

      c. projective

 

21. Sarah is torn between the need to study for an exam and her desire to go out with her friends. She decides that she will go out later only if she completes her studying. This realistic decision most directly reflects the influence of Sarah's:

 

      a. id.

      b. ego.

      c. superego.

      d. unconscious.

 

22. The overly neat and orderly person would be described by Freud as being:

 

      a. orally retentive.

      b. anally retentive.

      c. a phallic personality.

 

23. The Freudian stage involving feelings of competition with the same-sex parent is the __________ stage.

 

      a. anal

      b. oral

      c. phallic

      d. genital

 

24. If a little girl expresses a wish to marry her father, a psychoanalyst would most likely see this as being tied to:

 

      a. an oral fixation.

      b. an anal fixation.

      c. the Oedipus complex

      d. the Electra complex.

 

25. The process by which a phallic conflict is resolved, according to Freud, is:

 

      a. fixation.

      b. identification.

      c. repression.

      d. regression.

 

26. According to the 2005 National Comorbidity Survey Replication, the lifetime prevalence of an anxiety disorder is:

 

      a. just under 50%.

      b. about 2%.

      c. about 20%.

      d. just under 30%.

 

27. The most prevalent current view of abnormal behavior is that:

 

      a. abnormal behavior is caused by evil spirits.

      b. all abnormal behavior can be cured with drugs.

      c. abnormal behavior can be thought of as a disease.

      d. abnormal behavior is quite uncommon.

 

28. Behaving in ways that are harmful to oneself and others is:

 

      a. deviance.

      b. maladaptive behavior.

      c. personal distress.

      d. insanity.

 

29. The current diagnostic manual for classifying psychological disorders is called the:

 

      a. ADM II-R.

      b. ODM IV-TR.

      c. ASM II-TR.

      d. DSM IV-TR.

 

30. Roger has been extremely anxious for much of the past year, but can't explain why.  He may be experiencing:

 

      a. a generalized anxiety disorder.

      b. a phobic disorder.

      c. an obsessive-compulsive disorder.

      d. a panic disorder.

 

 31. If a child is stung by a bee and then develops a phobia of bees, as described in class it is likely that the process involved in the development of the fear response was:

 

      a. hormonal fluctuations.

      b. classical conditioning.

      c. operant conditioning.

      d. cognitive factors.

 

32. Sue is in a constant state of anxiety when she is in situations from which she perceives no escape if something bad happens.  Sue's diagnosis is most likely:

 

      a. agoraphobia.

      b. specific phobia.

      c. generalized anxiety disorder.

      d. obsessive-compulsive disorder.

 

33. Joe checked the stove many times a day to make sure that it had been turned off and checked the door at least 10 times before bed to make sure it was locked. If Joe is prevented from checking, he experiences intense anxiety.  This checking is an example of _______________.

 

      a. a phobia.

      b. psychosis.

      c. an obsession.

      d. a compulsion.

 

34. According to standard criteria discussed in class, difficulty concentrating is listed as a symptom for a depressive disorder.

 

a. true

b. false

 

35. As discussed in class, research has shown that ______________ can play a role in causing depression.

 

      a. abnormal brain structures

      b. auditory hallucinations

      c. classical conditioning

      d. irrational cognitions

 

36. A symptom of schizophrenia is:

 

      a. having multiple personalities.

      b. hallucinations.

 

37. Rosenhan’s (1973) study involved people gaining entry to psychiatric institutions by faking a symptom associated with:

 

      a. depression

      b. phobias

      c. obsessive-compulsive disorder

      d. schizophrenia

 

38. Rosenhan’s (1973) Table 1 indicated that which of the following was most likely to stop and chat when approached?

 

      a. psychiatrists.

      b. nurses and attendants.

      c. college faculty.

 

39. A therapist uses conditioning techniques to deal with clients’ abnormal behavior.  According to in-class discussion this therapist is most likely a:

 

      a. positive psychologist.

      b. psychiatrist.

      c. psychoanalyst.

      d. clinical psychologist.

 

40. Sara just completed psychotherapy for depression.  In her therapy sessions, she talked with her therapist about Sara’s relationships with her husband and the ways in which this relationship is similar to her relationship with her father.  From this description, it sounds like Sara participated in:

 

      a. psychoanalysis.

      b. rational-emotive behavior therapy.

      c. behavioral therapy.

 

41. The purpose of techniques such as free association and dream analysis are:

 

      a. to tap the unconscious.

      b. to encourage relaxation.

      c. to expose irrationally negative thought patterns.

      d. to provide unconditional positive regard.

 

42. Rational-emotive behavior therapy says that negative emotions are due to:

 

      a. unconscious conflicts.

      b. unfortunate experiences.

      c. intellectual deficits.

      d. irrational, unrealistic beliefs.

 

43. As discussed in class, when systematic desensitization is used to treat a fear of the dark, before therapy the phobic situation (the dark) is considered:

 

      a. an unconditioned stimulus.

      b. a neutral stimulus.

      c. an unconditioned response.

      d. a neutral response.

 

44. When systematic desensitization is used to treat a fear of the dark, the phobic situation can be paired with reassuring social interaction (i.e., “just talkin’”) to induce relaxation.  As discussed in class, the reassuring social interaction is considered:

 

      a. an unconditioned stimulus.

      b. a neutral stimulus.

      c. an unconditioned response.

      d. a neutral response.

 

45. Outcome studies have generally supported the effectiveness of therapy in treating psychological disorders.

 

      a. true

      b. false

 

46. Prozac reduces depression by:

 

      a. increasing the release of serotonin in the brain.

      b. keeping serotonin in the synapses of the brain longer.

 

47. Anti-anxiety drugs (e.g., valium) reduce anxiety by:

 

      a. increasing the release of serotonin in the brain.

      b. reducing brain activity associated with anxiety.

 

48. Putnam (2000) gave several explanations he considered plausible for the decline in civic engagement, and one of them was increased time spent watching TV.

 

      a. true

      b. false

 

49. Robert Putnam’s work pertains most directly to Americans’:

 

      a. social identity.

      b. personal identity.

      c. cognitive development.

      d. operant conditioning.

 

50. As discussed in class, there is evidence that communities with greater civic engagement have:

 

      a. better schools.

      b. lower incidence of psychological disorders.

      c. both a and b.

      d. neither a nor b.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Answers to Sample Final Exam

 

 

1.

b

16.

b

31.

b

46.

b

2.

a

17.

a

32.

a

47.

b

3.

a

18.

a

33.

d

48.

a

4.

b

19.

b

34.

a