1.Cognitive psychologyMedium
In Baddeley and Hitch's working memory model, which component handles verbal and acoustic information?
- AThe episodic buffer
- BThe phonological loop
- CThe central executive
- DThe visuospatial sketchpad
Introduction to Psychology: cram pack
Formula sheets, the key method steps for every topic and 8 practice problems, with full solutions at the back.
1Practice problems
2.Cognitive psychologyHard
Readers stumble on "The horse raced past the barn fell" before understanding it. What does this show about sentence processing?
- APeople build an interpretation word by word and must revise it when it fails
- BGrammar plays no role in understanding
- CPeople wait until the end of a sentence before interpreting it
- DShort sentences are always harder than long ones
3.Developmental psychologyMedium
Fantz showed infants pairs of patterns and measured how long they looked at each. Many young infants looked longest at:
- ABlank grey cards
- BPrinted text
- CPlain coloured discs
- DFace-like patterns
4.Developmental psychologyHard
On a visual cliff set to a moderate drop, most infants crossed when their mother smiled but few crossed when she showed fear. This shows:
- AImprinting on the mother's face
- BThat infants ignore their caregivers' facial expressions in new situations
- CThat infants cannot perceive depth
- DSocial referencing: using a caregiver's emotion to guide behaviour
5.Social psychologyMedium
Exposing people to weak arguments against their view, along with rebuttals, makes them more resistant to later persuasion. This is:
- AReactance theory
- BThe sleeper effect
- CThe elaboration likelihood model
- DInoculation theory
6.Social psychologyHard
The Implicit Association Test (IAT) measures attitudes by:
- AObserving behaviour in natural settings
- BMeasuring heart rate while participants talk with out-group members
- CAsking direct questions about prejudice
- DReaction times when pairing concepts with evaluative words
7.Clinical psychologyMedium
A person has distressing symptoms that started two weeks after a serious car crash and have lasted ten days. Which diagnosis is most appropriate?
- APost-traumatic stress disorder
- BAcute stress disorder
- CGeneralised anxiety disorder
- DAdjustment disorder
8.Clinical psychologyHard
A therapist using exposure therapy discovers that the client silently repeats "I'm safe" during sessions and is making little progress. What is the best explanation?
- AExposure therapy never works for anxiety
- BThe phrase is a positive symptom of psychosis
- CThe client needs more relaxation training before any further exposure is attempted
- DThe phrase acts as a safety behaviour that prevents full learning from exposure
2Solutions
1.Cognitive psychology
Answer: B · The phonological loop
Why this is the answer
The phonological loop stores and rehearses speech-based information. The sketchpad handles visual and spatial information, the central executive directs attention.
Answer
B · The phonological loop
2.Cognitive psychology
Answer: A · People build an interpretation word by word and must revise it when it fails
Why this is the answer
Readers commit early to "raced" as the main verb. "Fell" forces reanalysis to "the horse (that was) raced past the barn fell", showing incremental parsing.
Answer
A · People build an interpretation word by word and must revise it when it fails
3.Developmental psychology
Answer: D · Face-like patterns
Why this is the answer
Fantz's research suggested that even very young infants prefer complex, face-like stimuli, supporting an early bias towards social information.
Answer
D · Face-like patterns
4.Developmental psychology
Answer: D · Social referencing: using a caregiver's emotion to guide behaviour
Why this is the answer
Sorce and colleagues showed that in ambiguous situations infants look to caregivers' emotional expressions and adjust their actions accordingly.
Answer
D · Social referencing: using a caregiver's emotion to guide behaviour
5.Social psychology
Answer: D · Inoculation theory
Why this is the answer
McGuire's inoculation theory proposes that small doses of counterarguments motivate people to build defences for their attitudes.
Answer
D · Inoculation theory
6.Social psychology
Answer: D · Reaction times when pairing concepts with evaluative words
Why this is the answer
The IAT compares response times for categorisation tasks; faster responses for some pairings are taken to indicate stronger automatic associations. Its predictive validity for behaviour is debated.
Answer
D · Reaction times when pairing concepts with evaluative words
7.Clinical psychology
Answer: B · Acute stress disorder
Why this is the answer
Acute stress disorder covers trauma symptoms lasting from three days to one month after the event. If symptoms persist beyond a month, PTSD may be diagnosed.
Answer
B · Acute stress disorder
8.Clinical psychology
Answer: D · The phrase acts as a safety behaviour that prevents full learning from exposure
Why this is the answer
Covert safety behaviours, such as mental rituals, let clients attribute their safety to the behaviour rather than learning the situation is safe. Therapists aim to identify and drop them.
Answer
D · The phrase acts as a safety behaviour that prevents full learning from exposure
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