Sample Questions for Evaluation 4 – General Psychology – Dr. Green
1. A bank teller was so distracted by the sight of a bank robber's weapon that she failed to perceive
important features of the criminal's physical appearance. This best illustrates:
a) manifest content.
b) REM rebound.
c) change blindness.
d) selective attention.
2. REM sleep is called paradoxical sleep because:
a) our nervous system is highly active, while our voluntary muscles hardly move.
b) it leads to highly imaginative dreams that are perceived as colorless images.
c) we are deeply asleep but can be awakened easily.
d) our heart rate is slow and steady, while our breathing is highly irregular.
3. Forty-year-old Lance insists that he never dreams. Research suggests that he probably:
a) experiences more Stage 4 sleep than most people.
b) passes through the sleep cycle much more rapidly than most people.
c) dreams during Stage 4 rather than during REM sleep.
d) would report a vivid dream if he were awakened during REM sleep.
4. The two-factor theory of emotion places more emphasis on the importance of ________ than does
the James-Lange theory.
a) catharsis
b) cognitive activity
c) subjective well-being
d) physiological arousal
5. Hypnosis involves a state of:
a) elevated autonomic arousal.
b) increased physical stamina.
c) heightened openness to suggestion.
d) improved perceptual skills.
6. A need refers to:
a) a rigidly patterned behavioral urge characteristic of all people.
b) a desire to perform a behavior in order to avoid punishment.
c) a physiological state that usually triggers motivational arousal.
d) anything that is perceived as having positive or negative value in motivating behavior.
7. Research on the physiological basis of hunger has indicated that:
a) hunger continues in humans whose cancerous stomachs have been removed.
b) the secretion of ghrelin is reduced when the stomach is empty.
c) there is no relationship between stomach contractions and the experience of hunger.
d) rats whose stomachs have been removed must be force-fed to prevent starvation.
8. Teens who use alcohol prior to sexual intercourse experience:
a) reduced self-awareness and are more likely to use condoms.
b) reduced self-awareness and are less likely to use condoms.
c) enhanced self-awareness and are less likely to use condoms.
d) enhanced self-awareness and are more likely to use condoms.
9. People who are high in achievement motivation prefer ________ tasks; people who are low in
achievement motivation prefer ________ tasks.
a) moderately difficult; very easy or very difficult
b) very easy or moderately difficult; very difficult
c) very difficult or very easy; moderately difficult
d) very difficult; very easy
10. The basic components of emotion are:
a) cognition, affect, and behavior.
b) expressive behaviors, physiological arousal, and conscious experience.
c) sympathetic arousal, parasympathetic inhibition, and cognitive labeling.
d) physical gestures, facial expressions, and psychological drives.
11. The feel-good, do-good phenomenon refers to the fact that when people feel happy they:
a) make decisions more effectively.
b) experience a more positive self-image.
c) report greater satisfaction with their whole lives.
d) are more willing to help others.
e) perceive the world as a safer place.
12. The general adaptation syndrome describes stages in the:
a) body's response to aerobic exercise.
b) body's response to prolonged stress.
c) process of parasympathetic arousal.
d) conditioning of the immune response.
13. Imitating another person's facial expression of emotion is most likely to facilitate:
a) parasympathetic nervous system activity.
b) the feel-good, do-good phenomenon.
c) an empathic response.
d) the catharsis of aggressive feelings.
14. Haley's parents bought her a used bicycle for her birthday. She was thrilled until she learned that her
best friend received a brand new bicycle to celebrate Groundhog Day. Haley's declining satisfaction
illustrates the:
a) two-factor theory.
b) relative deprivation principle.
c) adaptation-level phenomenon.
d) catharsis hypothesis.
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15. The text defines stress as:
a) the blocking of an attempt to reach some important goal.
b) the experience of conflicting motives that produce anxiety and tension.
c) physical, emotional, or mental exhaustion.
d) the process by which we appraise and cope with environmental threats and challenges.
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Answer Key
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