1.Cognitive psychologyMedium
Which working memory component is most heavily used when you switch between two tasks and decide what to focus on?
- AThe visuospatial sketchpad
- BIconic memory
- CThe central executive
- DThe phonological loop
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
In prospect theory, losses typically feel:
- AAbout twice as strong as gains of the same size
- BStrong only when they are certain
- CWeaker than gains of the same size
- DExactly as strong as gains of the same size, on average
3.Developmental psychologyMedium
A 9-month-old finds a toy hidden under cloth A several times. The toy is then hidden under cloth B in full view, but the infant searches under A again. This is:
- ACentration
- BThe A-not-B error
- CConservation failure
- DAnimism
4.Developmental psychologyHard
Adults rarely remember events from before the age of about 3. Which explanation is commonly given for this infantile amnesia?
- AImmature brain systems and limited language and self-concept at encoding
- BYoung children experience no events worth remembering
- CMemories from infancy are all repressed because they are deeply traumatic
- DInfants have no ability to learn
5.Social psychologyMedium
On a New York subway, a man who collapsed while carrying a cane was helped more often than a man who smelt of alcohol. Which model best explains this?
- AThe arousal: cost–reward model
- BSocial identity theory
- CThe empathy–altruism hypothesis
- DThe matching hypothesis
6.Social psychologyHard
Why are the results of the Stanford prison experiment treated with caution today?
- AIt had too many participants to analyse
- BIt found no differences between guards and prisoners
- CIt was carried out in a real prison with real inmates as the prisoners
- DGuards were partly coached and demand characteristics were strong
7.Clinical psychologyMedium
Motivational interviewing is especially used to help clients who:
- AHave hallucinations that need immediate medication and hospital care
- BFear a single specific object
- CFeel ambivalent about changing a behaviour such as drinking
- DNeed a formal diagnosis for insurance
8.Clinical psychologyHard
A 22-year-old has had hallucinations and delusions for two months, after which they fully resolve. No mood episode occurred. Which diagnosis fits best?
- ASchizophrenia
- BSchizoaffective disorder
- CSchizophreniform disorder
- DBrief psychotic disorder
2Solutions
1.Cognitive psychology
Answer: C · The central executive
Why this is the answer
The central executive controls attention, coordinates the subsystems and handles task switching and planning. It has very limited capacity.
Answer
C · The central executive
2.Cognitive psychology
Answer: A · About twice as strong as gains of the same size
Why this is the answer
Kahneman and Tversky found that the value function is steeper for losses than for gains, so a loss of €100 hurts more than a €100 gain pleases.
Answer
A · About twice as strong as gains of the same size
3.Developmental psychology
Answer: B · The A-not-B error
Why this is the answer
Piaget saw the A-not-B error as evidence that object permanence is still incomplete. Other researchers link it to immature memory and inhibitory control.
Answer
B · The A-not-B error
4.Developmental psychology
Answer: A · Immature brain systems and limited language and self-concept at encoding
Why this is the answer
Explanations include immature hippocampal and prefrontal systems, and the lack of language and a sense of self needed to organise autobiographical memories.
Answer
A · Immature brain systems and limited language and self-concept at encoding
5.Social psychology
Answer: A · The arousal: cost–reward model
Why this is the answer
Piliavin and colleagues proposed that bystanders weigh the costs of helping and not helping. Higher perceived costs made helping the "drunk" less likely.
Answer
A · The arousal: cost–reward model
6.Social psychology
Answer: D · Guards were partly coached and demand characteristics were strong
Why this is the answer
Recordings and interviews suggest guards were encouraged to be tough and some acted a role, raising doubts about the conclusion that the situation alone produced the cruelty.
Answer
D · Guards were partly coached and demand characteristics were strong
7.Clinical psychology
Answer: C · Feel ambivalent about changing a behaviour such as drinking
Why this is the answer
Motivational interviewing (Miller and Rollnick) is a collaborative style that resolves ambivalence and strengthens the client's own motivation for change, widely used in addiction.
Answer
C · Feel ambivalent about changing a behaviour such as drinking
8.Clinical psychology
Answer: C · Schizophreniform disorder
Why this is the answer
Schizophreniform disorder has the symptoms of schizophrenia but lasts between one and six months. Duration is the main feature separating it from brief psychotic disorder and schizophrenia.
Answer
C · Schizophreniform disorder
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