AP Psychology : History and Principles of Psychology

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for AP Psychology

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Example Questions

Example Question #71 : History And Principles Of Psychology

Which of the following influential psychologists helped to change the language, and therefore attitude, of psychology by using a "person-centered approach", treating those undergoing psychotherapy as "clients" instead of "patients"?

Possible Answers:

Carl Rogers

None of these

Erik Erikson

Mary Ainsworth

Abraham Maslow

Correct answer:

Carl Rogers

Explanation:

Carl Rogers, among many other contributions to psychology including his nineteen propositions, developed a "person-centered approach" to psychotherapy that changed the stigma that surrounds  being a patient of mental health. The other choices are incorrect. Abraham Maslow was a humanist who created Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Erik Erikson was a developmental psychologist who created the life-stage virtue and coined the term “identity crisis”. Last, Mary Ainsworth created the strange situation design to study attachment in young children. 

Example Question #72 : History And Principles Of Psychology

Which of the following humanistic psychologists is most known for creating a hierarchy of needs, but also developed a set of traits common to the "self-actualized person" (i.e. such qualities as truth, beauty, goodness, justice, simplicity, etc.)?

Possible Answers:

Carl Rogers

None of these

Erik Erikson

Abraham Maslow

Albert Ellis

Correct answer:

Abraham Maslow

Explanation:

Abraham Maslow is most well known for creating "Maslow's hierarchy of needs" but also wrote extensively about the self-actualized person, including a list of 17 qualities of the self-actualizing individual. The other choices are incorrect. Carl Rogers designed the person-centered strategy to psychotherapy. Erik Erikson was a developmental psychologist who created the life-stage virtue and coined the term “identity crisis”. Last, Albert Ellis developed Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy or REBT and is considered the most influential psychologist second only to Freud. 

Example Question #73 : History And Principles Of Psychology

Which of the following was the developmental psychologist who coined the phrase "identity crisis"? He also developed nine stages of psychosocial development that mark an individual's journey from infancy to adulthood, which include hope (stage 1) and wisdom (stage 8). 

Possible Answers:

Erik Erikson

Sigmund Freud 

Abraham Maslow

Jean Piaget

None of these

Correct answer:

Erik Erikson

Explanation:

Erik Erikson, a psychoanalyst and developmental psychologist, developed the "Erikson life-stage virtue" with his wife Joan. In his theory of psychosocial development, we first build hope (age 0-2), then will (1-3), purpose (3-6), competence (6-11 or primary school age), fidelity (12-18 or secondary school age), love (18-25 or adulthood), care (26-64 or adulthood), wisdom (65+) and the ninth stage developed by his wife in her 90s which theorizes that as we grow old, we go through each stage again concurrently. The other choices are incorrect. Abraham Maslow was a humanist who created Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Sigmund Freud was the father of psychoanalysis; he wrote extensively and fathered several theories such as his psychosexual development theory, the id, ego and superego, and theories of the unconscious. Last, Jean Piaget was a developmental psychologist who created the theory of cognitive development; he is considered to be the most influential developmental psychologist.

Example Question #74 : History And Principles Of Psychology

Which of the following was the influential psychologist who began his career in psychology working with Sigmund Freud, and made a break from the psychoanalytic movement to found and develop individual psychology, which purported a holistic approach to psychoanalysis: scrutinizing the patient's entire environment?

Possible Answers:

Carl Jung

Alfred Adler

Alfred Binet

Jean Piaget

Josef Breuer 

Correct answer:

Alfred Adler

Explanation:

A colleague of Freud, Alfred Adler left the school of psychoanalysis and emigrated to America. His individual psychology does not focus on the patient as an individual, as the name suggests, but views the patient as an indivisible whole, including their relationships and their environment which were previously ignored in psychoanalysis. The other choices are incorrect. Jean Piaget was a developmental psychologist who created the theory of cognitive development; he is considered to be the most influential developmental psychologist. Alfred Binet developed the first intelligence test, consisting of 30 tasks. Carl Jung founded analytical psychology and coined several phrases such as archetype, collective unconscious, and introversion and extroversion. Last, Josef Breuer was mentor to Sigmund Freud; he developed talking therapy with patient Anna O.

Example Question #75 : History And Principles Of Psychology

Which of the following was the developmental psychologist who created a theory of cognitive development that includes the sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational and formal operational stages? He has been called the most influential developmental psychologist to date.

Possible Answers:

Jerome Bruner

Jean Piaget

Erik Erikson

Alfred Adler

Sigmund Freud

Correct answer:

Jean Piaget

Explanation:

Jean Piaget's influence on the scientific world certainly did not stop at the bounds of psychology. An epistemologist by trade, he developed "Piaget's theory of cognitive development" which outlined the four stages of a child's information processing or thought. The other choices are incorrect. Sigmund Freud was the father of psychoanalysis; he wrote extensively and fathered several theories such as his psychosexual development theory, the id, ego and superego, and theories of the unconscious. Erik Erikson was a developmental psychologist who created the life-stage virtue and coined the term “identity crisis.” Last, Alfred Adler was an early psychologist who created the individual approach to psychoanalysis, positing that each patient should be viewed holistically. 

Example Question #76 : History And Principles Of Psychology

Which of the following was the developmental psychologist who created the theory of attachment using the "Strange Situation" design?

Possible Answers:

Mary Ainsworth

John Bowlby

Jean Piaget

Harry Harlow

None of these

Correct answer:

Mary Ainsworth

Explanation:

Mary Ainsworth is most well known for her development of the Strange Situation design which was designed to study emotional attachment in early stages of childhood, resulting in the attachment theory. The other choices are incorrect. Jean Piaget was a developmental psychologist who created the theory of cognitive development; he is considered to be the most influential developmental psychologist. Harry Harlow is best known for studying maternal separation, dependency, and social isolation using rhesus monkeys. Last, John Bowlby developed the attachment theory of maternal deprivation. 

Example Question #77 : History And Principles Of Psychology

Which of the following was the influential psychologist who developed Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy which set the stage for cognitive-behavioral therapies to evolve?

Possible Answers:

Abraham Maslow

None of these

Carl Jung

Albert Ellis

Carl Rogers

Correct answer:

Albert Ellis

Explanation:

Considered one of the most influential psychologists, second only to Freud, Albert Ellis developed REBT in 1955 in order to help clients resolve emotional and behavioral problems and move towards happier, healthier mental states. Ellis's work set the foundation for the development of other cognitive-behavioral therapies (CBT) and changed the practice of clinical psychology. The other choices are incorrect. Carl Jung founded analytical psychology and coined several phrases such as archetype, collective unconscious, and introversion and extroversion. Abraham Maslow was a humanist who created Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Last, Carl Rogers designed the person-centered strategy to psychotherapy. 

Example Question #78 : History And Principles Of Psychology

Which of the following was the positive psychologist who developed the theory of learned helplessness, which describes the behavior of one who has been repeatedly exposed to painful stimuli?

Possible Answers:

Albert Bandura

Daniel Kahneman

Philip Zimbardo

Martin Seligman

None of these

Correct answer:

Martin Seligman

Explanation:

Martin Seligman developed the theory of learned helplessness. He is a positive psychologist who promotes mental well-being through the creation of self-help programs and lectures. The other choices were incorrect. Daniel Kahneman is an economic psychologist who researches judgment and decision making in behavioral economics. Albert Bandura is most well known for his Bobo doll experiment with young children; he developed the theory of social learning. Last, Philip Zimbardo is most well known for his Stanford prison experiment. 

Example Question #79 : History And Principles Of Psychology

John Locke described the human mind at birth as a tabula rasa, meaning __________.

Possible Answers:

"blank slate"

"slow worker"

"open book"

"magical tool"

"wise judge"

Correct answer:

"blank slate"

Explanation:

Locke, a staunch Empiricist, believed that we can only acquire knowledge from observation and experience; in fact, he argued that we are born without any knowledge at all. Thus, he considered the human mind at birth a tabula rasa, or "blank slate".

Example Question #80 : History And Principles Of Psychology

Albert Bandura was famous for championing which learning theory?

Possible Answers:

Cognitive reappraisal

Behaviorism

Classical conditioning

Operant conditioning

Social learning

Correct answer:

Social learning

Explanation:

Albert Bandura is the creator of the social learning theory. This theory states that people can learn simply by observing others in a social context. His most famous social learning experiment was the Bobo Doll experiment.

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