AP Psychology : Influential Psychologists

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for AP Psychology

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Example Questions

Example Question #201 : History And Research

Which psychologist matches the given description?

This Swiss psychologist is known for his work in developmental psychology. This psychologist broke down children's psychological development into four stages: sensorimotor stage, preoperational stage, concrete operational stage, and formal operational stage. 

Possible Answers:

Alfred Binet

Alfred Bandura

Sigmund Freud

Philip Zimbardo 

Jean Piaget 

Correct answer:

Jean Piaget 

Explanation:

The correct answer is Jean Piaget. In conjunction with the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Tests, Piaget's findings changed the face of the modern education system.

Example Question #202 : History And Research

Which psychologist matches the given description?

This psychologist was the first female president of the American Psychological Association. Despite attending classes at Harvard as a "guest" and presenting her thesis to faculty, this psychologist was denied a degree because of her gender. 

Possible Answers:

Mary Ainsworth

Mary Whiton Calkins

Mamie Phipps Clark 

Karen Horney

Sabrina Spielrein

Correct answer:

Mary Whiton Calkins

Explanation:

The correct answer is Mary Whiton Calkins. Calkins was elected President of the APA in 1905. Although she did not receive a degree from Harvard, Calkins was granted a Doctorate of Letters from Columbia in 1909, and a Doctorate of laws from Smith College—her alma mater—in 1910.

Example Question #31 : Influential Psychologists

Which psychologist matches the given description?

This American psychologist is known for coining the term "operant conditioning"—training behavior through the use of reinforcements. This psychologist observed the proper timing of the reinforcement through the use of an apparatus that bears his name. 

Possible Answers:

Ivan Pavlov 

Edward Thorndike

B.F. Skinner

Jean Piaget

Albert Bandura

Correct answer:

B.F. Skinner

Explanation:

The correct answer is B.F. Skinner. Skinner—a behavioral psychologist—invented the Skinner box to study the effect of reinforcement on learning. Using the Skinner box, pigeons were taught to peck at the same spot in order to be rewarded with food. 

Example Question #32 : Influential Psychologists

Which psychologist matches the given description?

This psychologist's famous "bobo doll" experiment, discovered that modeling was an important aspect of leaning behavior. His experiment provided evidence that suggested that violent television shows had an effect on the level of violence seen in a child’s play behavior. 

Possible Answers:

Albert Bandura

Philip Zimbardo

Alfred Adler 

Leon Festinger 

Alfred Binet 

Correct answer:

Albert Bandura

Explanation:

The correct answer is Albert Bandura. Bandura's 1961 experiment has been repeated and cited many times over the years as concerns in order to find a correlation between the prevalence of violent video games and television shows and rising trends of social violence.

Example Question #213 : History And Research

Which psychologist matches the given description?

This Swiss psychologist and Neo-Freudian thinker helped to found the field of analytic psychology. Working closely with Sigmund Freud, this psychologist became fascinated with the subconscious and began to conduct dream studies and psychoanalysis. Despite being close to Freud, this psychologist rejected Freud's emphasis on sex as a root of dysfunction and eventually deviated from many other Freudian beliefs.  

Possible Answers:

Carl Jung

Wilhelm Wundt 

B.F. Skinner

Anna Freud

Leon Festinger

Correct answer:

Carl Jung

Explanation:

The correct answer is Carl Jung. Jung is a popular Neo-Freudian thinker, who actually studied with Freud in person. Although the two had a close friendship, problems emerged when Jung began doubting Freud's methods. 

Example Question #213 : History And Research

Which psychologist matches the given description?

This German psychologist was the first to found an experimental lab for psychology. His work helped to build the foundation for cognitive psychological research. 

Possible Answers:

B.F. Skinner

Sigmund Freud

Carl Jung

Philip Zimbardo 

Wilhelm Wundt

Correct answer:

Wilhelm Wundt

Explanation:

The correct answer is Wilhelm Wundt. Wundt was a well-known structural psychologist. His first lab was opened at the University of Leipzig in 1879. He studied three main areas—mental functioning, thoughts, images/feelings—that are now the three main areas of study in cognitive psychology. 

Example Question #214 : History And Research

Which psychologist matches the given description?

This American psychologist founded the field of client-centered or "humanist" psychology. This psychologist believed that therapists should have unconditional positive regard for their clients. 

Possible Answers:

Philip Zimbardo

Carl Rogers

B.F. Skinner

Albert Bandura

Richard von Krafft-Ebing

Correct answer:

Carl Rogers

Explanation:

The correct answer is Carl Rogers. Rodgers was one of the first psychologists to focus on the self-actualization of his clients. 

Example Question #216 : History And Research

Which psychologist matches the given description?

This Austrian psychologist is most often associated with the psychoanalytic perspective. Through free association, this psychologist diagnosed patients with many disorders including the Oedipal Complex, penis envy, and repression. This psychologist was also known for defining the id, ego, and superego—the three forces that make up a person’s psyche. 

Possible Answers:

B.F. Skinner

Fritz Perls 

Sigmund Freud

Albert Bandura

Richard von Krafft-Ebing

Correct answer:

Sigmund Freud

Explanation:

The answer is Sigmund Freud. Freud is one of the most popular names in psychology. He is attributed with finding the psychoanalytic approach to psychology. Although many of his findings (e.g. the Oedipal Complex and penis envy) have become outdated and proven false, Freudian Psychology still remains important to the field. 

Example Question #215 : History And Research

Which psychologist matches the given description?

This psychologist's Stanford Prison Experiment discovered that prison hierarchy in the American prison system had the capacity to be psychologically damaging to both the prisoners and the guards of the institutions. 

Possible Answers:

Carl Jung

Philip Zimbardo 

Richard von Krafft-Ebing

B.F. Skinner

Albert Bandura

Correct answer:

Philip Zimbardo 

Explanation:

Philip Zimbardo is the correct answer. The Stanford Prison Experiment is infamously known for going awry and ending over a week ahead of schedule. Despite having been carried out in 1971, little reform has been made in American prisons. The war crimes committed at Abu Ghraib are often compared to the findings of this study. 

Example Question #217 : History And Research

Which of the following psychologist was considered to be a behaviorist?

Possible Answers:

Carl Jung

Sigmund Freud

Karen Horney

B. F. Skinner

Erick Erickson

Correct answer:

B. F. Skinner

Explanation:

B. F. Skinner was the only psychologist listed that adhered to he behaviorist school of psychological inquiry. Skinner is considered to be a fundamental behavioral psychologist. 

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