1.Cognitive psychologyMedium
Which working memory component is most heavily used when you switch between two tasks and decide what to focus on?
- AThe central executive
- BIconic memory
- CThe phonological loop
- 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
In Treisman's feature integration theory, why is finding a red X among red Os and blue Xs slow?
- ALetters cannot be searched visually
- BRed is processed more slowly than blue
- CSingle features cannot be detected without attention
- DCombining features (a conjunction) requires focused attention to each item
3.Developmental psychologyMedium
A girl pays close attention to information about "girls' toys" and quickly forgets details about "boys' toys". Which theory best explains this?
- AGender schema theory
- BAttachment theory
- CEcological systems theory
- DPsychoanalytic theory
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:
- AThat infants ignore their caregivers' facial expressions in new situations
- BThat infants cannot perceive depth
- CImprinting on the mother's face
- DSocial referencing: using a caregiver's emotion to guide behaviour
5.Social psychologyMedium
In Latané and Darley's five-step model of bystander intervention, pluralistic ignorance mainly affects which step?
- ADeciding whether the costs are worth it
- BKnowing how to give the right help
- CNoticing that something is happening
- DInterpreting the event as an emergency
6.Social psychologyHard
Why are the results of the Stanford prison experiment treated with caution today?
- AIt had too many participants to analyse
- BIt was carried out in a real prison with real inmates as the prisoners
- CIt found no differences between guards and prisoners
- DGuards were partly coached and demand characteristics were strong
7.Clinical psychologyMedium
In Beck's cognitive model of depression, the "cognitive triad" consists of negative views about:
- AOneself, the world and the future
- BBody, mind and spirit
- COne's past, present and future only
- DParents, friends and teachers
8.Clinical psychologyHard
Which brain finding has been repeatedly reported in groups of people with schizophrenia compared with controls?
- AAn enlarged frontal lobe in all patients
- BEnlarged lateral ventricles
- CA tumour in the pituitary gland
- DA complete absence of the hippocampus
2Solutions
1.Cognitive psychology
Answer: A · 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
A · The central executive
2.Cognitive psychology
Answer: D · Combining features (a conjunction) requires focused attention to each item
Why this is the answer
Single features are detected in parallel, but conjunctions of features must be bound with serial, focused attention, so search time increases with the number of items.
Answer
D · Combining features (a conjunction) requires focused attention to each item
3.Developmental psychology
Answer: A · Gender schema theory
Why this is the answer
Gender schema theory proposes that children form gender categories and attend to and remember information that fits their own gender's schema.
Answer
A · Gender schema theory
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 · Interpreting the event as an emergency
Why this is the answer
The steps are noticing, interpreting it as an emergency, taking responsibility, knowing how to help and deciding to help. Pluralistic ignorance distorts interpretation.
Answer
D · Interpreting the event as an emergency
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: A · Oneself, the world and the future
Why this is the answer
Beck proposed that depressed people hold negative views of the self, the world (or experiences) and the future, maintained by cognitive distortions.
Answer
A · Oneself, the world and the future
8.Clinical psychology
Answer: B · Enlarged lateral ventricles
Why this is the answer
Enlarged ventricles and reduced grey matter are found on average in schizophrenia. The differences are group averages and are not diagnostic for individuals.
Answer
B · Enlarged lateral ventricles
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