AP Psychology : History and Research

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for AP Psychology

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Example Questions

Example Question #33 : Fundamental Psychological Theories

Your boss is furious because this month's sales are significantly lower than usual, a result of you and your coworkers being too social around the office. Everyone in the office is disappointed and angry about their performance. You, in particular, have been a distraction to everyone in the office, and your boss is quite upset. When you get home, you channel all of your frustration and anger into cleaning your house. This is an example of which of the following?

Possible Answers:

Displacement 

Repression 

Regression 

Projection 

Sublimation 

Correct answer:

Sublimation 

Explanation:

The correct answer is sublimation. Sublimation is defined as the conversion of sexual or aggressive impulses into socially acceptable behaviors. In this case, you were able to convert your anger into a more productive, socially acceptable activity: cleaning. Defense mechanisms are created by the ego to reduce anxiety and distort reality. Defense mechanisms consist of sublimation, repression, regression, reaction formation, projection, rationalization, displacement, and fixation.

Example Question #34 : Fundamental Psychological Theories

According to Gestalt principles of perceptual organization, humans mostly organize their perceptual world by:

Possible Answers:

Responding separately to individual elements of visual input

Mechanically processing similar elements and separating dissimilar elements

Instantly and spontaneously organizing shapes and patterns of objects

Learning how to form patterns and associations of objects 

Correct answer:

Instantly and spontaneously organizing shapes and patterns of objects

Explanation:

According to Gestalt principles of perceptual organization, the human brain is dynamic. When we encounter sensory input such as shapes and patterns, we instantly organize them into unified wholes instead of individual clusters. This process is spontaneous and inevitable, and occurs without learning. 

Example Question #32 : Fundamental Psychological Theories

Which of the following statements would not be made by a Neo-Freudian?

Possible Answers:

"People are motivated by feelings of inferiority and striving for superiority." 

"Children pass through a series of stages in which they experience pleasure from a specific object."

"Personality is shaped by more than just early childhood experiences." 


"Men experience womb envy when they are envious of a woman's ability to carry a child."

"The unconscious consists of the personal and collective unconscious." 

Correct answer:

"Children pass through a series of stages in which they experience pleasure from a specific object."

Explanation:

Neo-Freudians were theorists who disagreed with some of the tenets of Sigmund Freud's theory. They included Karen Horney, Alfred Adler, Carl Jung, Erik Erikson, and Erich Fromm. Freud made the statement that children pass through a series of psychosexual stages. He believed that each stage involved children receiving pleasure from a specific part of the body. If children were not able to successfully complete the stage, then they would become fixated as adults. The stages include oral, anal, phallic, latency, and genital. All of the other statements are consistent with the theories of Neo-Freudians. Erik Erikson believed personality was shaped by more than early childhood experiences, and proposed his own psychosocial stages that spanned from infancy to late adulthood. Karen Horney disagreed with the idea of penis envy, and proposed the concept of womb envy. Alfred Adler believed people were motivated by feelings of inferiority. Carl Jung asserted the concept of the personal and collective unconscious, which includes unconscious concepts that are shared among members of the same species. 

Example Question #37 : Fundamental Psychological Theories

Julian Rotter, the first psychologist to use the term “social learning theory,” developed a form of behaviorism that is considered less radical than Skinner’s because it takes into account which of the following?

Possible Answers:

Only human subjects

Only social experiences

External stimuli

Internal, subjective experiences

Correct answer:

Internal, subjective experiences

Explanation:

Rotter is known as a proponent of expanding behaviorism to include internal subjective experiences. Unlike Skinner, he did not believe that learning and behavior could be explained by only focusing on what was objectively, empirically observed. Rather, he sought to integrate the notion of the individual’s perceptions and beliefs into the study of learning.

Example Question #35 : Fundamental Psychological Theories

Which of the following best represents the primary criticism of Skinner’s theory of behaviorism by later psychologists such as Rotter and Bandura?

Possible Answers:

It did not emphasize conscious, cognitive processes

It focused on the study of individual subjects in an isolated environment

All of these

It failed to include the influence of social experiences

Correct answer:

All of these

Explanation:

Rotter was among the first psychologists to integrate the influence of social experiences into behaviorist learning theory. He is credited with recognizing that human beings do not function in isolation. Rather, we are actively engaged in conscious cognitive processing of our environment and assessing consequences such as risk and reward in relation to our behavior. 

Example Question #36 : Fundamental Psychological Theories

According to Rotter’s social learning theory, behavioral outcomes are governed by which of the following?

Possible Answers:

Because reinforcement always has the same value for all people

Because stimuli has the same value for all people

Objective expectations of the outcomes or results of our behavior 

Subjective expectations of the outcomes or results of our behavior

Correct answer:

Subjective expectations of the outcomes or results of our behavior

Explanation:

According to Rotter, behavioral outcomes are governed by subjective expectations of the outcomes or results of our behavior. This is because different types of reinforcement have different values, depending on the person. What is reinforcing for one person may not matter to another. For example, one child may learn to clean his room when promised time to play computer games while another may respond to a chance to play outdoors.

Example Question #41 : Fundamental Psychological Theories

In social learning theory, the term “locus of control” refers to which of the following?

Possible Answers:

A person’s tendency to feel powerful or powerless in his or her life

All of these

Perceptions about the influence of fate and luck in our lives 

Our beliefs about the source of our reinforcers 

Correct answer:

All of these

Explanation:

In social learning theory, the term “locus of control” refers to the belief that individuals hold about the source of reinforcement for his or her own behavior. In other words, some people believe that they have an ability to exert control over their own lives (i.e. internal locus of control) while others believe that their lives are mostly controlled by luck or fate (i.e. external locus of control).

Example Question #41 : Fundamental Psychological Theories

Research has shown that people with an internal locus of control are more likely to do which of the following?

Possible Answers:

All of these

They are more popular and receive higher grades in school

They suffer from high blood pressure 

They are more prone to depression and anxiety  

Correct answer:

They are more popular and receive higher grades in school

Explanation:

“Locus of control” is one of the most frequently studied psychological constructs. It is a major component of social learning theory and refers to an individual’s belief regarding their ability to exert control over their own lives. In general, individuals with an internal locus of control tend to see themselves as more powerful in their own lives, and this belief is associated with greater health, lower stress and more freedom of choice. Individuals with an external locus of control tend to view themselves as less powerful in their lives and may be more susceptible to depression, anxiety, stress and high blood pressure.

Example Question #42 : Fundamental Psychological Theories

The most important distinction between researchers known as “radical behaviorists” and those classified as “methodological behaviorists” is best described by which of the following?

Possible Answers:

The latter does not utilize precisely defined concepts

The former relies solely upon the observation of overt behavior and environmental stimuli

Modern psychology no longer considers there to be any true distinction between these types of behaviorists

The former is rigorous and controlled, which the latter is not  

Correct answer:

The former relies solely upon the observation of overt behavior and environmental stimuli

Explanation:

Whether classified as “radical” or “methodological,” a behaviorist is defined as a researcher who uses rigorous and controlled methods as well as precisely defined concepts. “Methodological behaviorists” diverged from the earlier “radical behaviorists” due to the inclusion of subjective internal experience in their understanding of behavior. This was opposed to strict object empirical observation of behavior that was characteristic of radical behaviorists.

Example Question #43 : Fundamental Psychological Theories

Kohler’s learning experiments with apes on the island of Tenerife (an island off the coast of Africa) are famous due to his discovery that animals learn through which of the following processes?

Possible Answers:

Human-lead training and conditioning

Operant techniques, such as “shaping”

Problem-solving, much like human beings do

Trial and error, until they stumble on a correct response 

Correct answer:

Problem-solving, much like human beings do

Explanation:

Kohler went to the island of Tenerife to study apes, with no intention of training or shaping their behavior. He wanted to determine whether apes were capable of problem solving. His first insight to this phenomena was the result of observing a female ape who could not reach some fruit. He placed a stick within her reach and waited. He observed her notice the stick, initiate play with it, abandon it, and then realize that it could be used to pull the fruit closer. On successive tries, her skill at using the stick to reach fruit increased. This was the first time a psychologist noted that animals were capable of learning through problem solving, like humans. 

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