GRE Subject Test: Psychology : Experimental

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for GRE Subject Test: Psychology

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All GRE Subject Test: Psychology Resources

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Example Questions

Example Question #4 : Hormonal Factors

A 19 year old female is walking home from her friends apartment when a dog beings to follow her. The girl is very nervous and begins to run. She makes it home and lays down on the couch. After a couple minutes she feels relaxed. Which of the following neurotransmitters is at a high level during relaxation?

Possible Answers:

Epinephrine

Norepinephrine

Acetylcholine

Dopamine

None of these

Correct answer:

Acetylcholine

Explanation:

Relaxation indicates that the body possesses a high level of acetylcholine. This is know as the "rest and digest" stage. Epinephrine and norepinephrine perform the opposite task of acetylcholine and are "fight or flight" neurotransmitters. Last, dopamine is a pleasure hormone

Example Question #82 : Experimental

Gina is in the middle of her workday, she is fully focused and alert to the new information she is reviewing on her computer screen. After a while, she sits back in her chair and takes a few deep breaths with her eyes closed to relax. What of the following pairs of brain waves and corresponding hertz best identifies what  Gina's brain is producing while concentrating and while at rest?

Possible Answers:

Beta 4-8 hertz and alpha 13-30 hertz

Alpha 13-30 hertz and alpha 8-13 hertz

Theta 4-8 hertz and beta 13-30 hertz

None of these

Beta 13-30 hertz and alpha 8-13 hertz

Correct answer:

Beta 13-30 hertz and alpha 8-13 hertz

Explanation:

Beta brainwaves function at 13-30 hertz and they are associated with being alert, active, or concentrated. On the other hand, alpha brainwaves function at 8-13 hertz and are associated with daydreaming and more relaxed states of mind. Alpha waves are responsible for the calming feeling that one experiences when they close their eyes and take a few deep breaths.

Example Question #81 : Experimental

Insomnia is best defined as which of the following?

Possible Answers:

An excess of sleep

The ability to fall asleep at inopportune times

The inability to breathe while sleeping

Disorder marked by constant sleep spindles

The inability to fall asleep or stay asleep

Correct answer:

The inability to fall asleep or stay asleep

Explanation:

Insomnia is best defined as "the inability to fall asleep or stay asleep." It is commonly characterized by symptoms associated with having trouble falling asleep or staying asleep

Example Question #82 : Experimental

On a normal night, a person goes through different stages of sleep. During which stage of sleep is the largest amount acetylcholine (i.e. the "rest and digest" hormone) released?

Possible Answers:

NREM1

REM

All of these

NREM2

NREM3

Correct answer:

REM

Explanation:

During REM sleep there is an increase in the amount of acetylcholine released. During all stages of NREM sleep there is minimal acetylcholine release.

Example Question #83 : Experimental

On a normal night, a person goes through different stages of sleep. During which stage of sleep does a person experience twitches, hypnic jerks and hypnagogic hallucinations?

Possible Answers:

NREM3

NREM2

REM

None of these

NREM1

Correct answer:

NREM1

Explanation:

When a person is falling asleep they experience twitching, hypnic jerks and hypnagogic hallucinations. This all occurs in the first stage of sleep, NREM 1.An easy way to remember this is to think if someone wakes you up shortly after you fall asleep. You may recall a vivid hallucination but you were not yet in REM sleep, the stage of dreams.

Example Question #84 : Experimental

On a normal night, a person goes through different stages of sleep. During which stage of sleep can delta waves be seen, the slowest of all sleep waves?

Possible Answers:

NREM3

REM

NREM2

None of these

NREM1

Correct answer:

NREM3

Explanation:

During stage NREM 3 there are delta waves present on EEG. These are the slowest of all sleep brain waves and signifies the deepest, most restful stage of sleep.

Example Question #85 : Experimental

Albert recently suffered brain damage and can no longer recognize familiar faces. Which of the following is Albert experiencing?

Possible Answers:

Anomia

Apraxia

Akathisia 

Agnosia

Prosopagnosia

Correct answer:

Prosopagnosia

Explanation:

“Prosopagnosia” is the inability to recognize familiar faces. The other choices are incorrect. “Agnosia” is the inability to recognize familiar objects. “Akathisia” is a feeling of restlessness and agitation that may be caused by antipsychotic medications. “Anomia” is difficulty with naming objects. “Apraxia” is the inability to perform skilled movements. 

Example Question #86 : Experimental

Which of the following is not a characteristic of Phenylketonuria (PKU)?

Possible Answers:

It can be treated with a low protein diet

It involves a build up of phenylalanine in the body

It is a genetic disorder

It is caused by a third 21st chromosome

If left untreated it can result in intellectual disability

Correct answer:

It is caused by a third 21st chromosome

Explanation:

All of the responses are true of PKU except that it is caused by a third 21st chromosome. Down Syndrome is caused by an extra copy of the 21st chromosome. Symptoms typically include delayed development, intellectual disability, and specific facial features. Unfortunately Down Syndrome cannot be managed by a change in diet. The most helpful interventions for Down Syndrome include parents, therapists, and teachers working together to support the child early on. 

Example Question #87 : Experimental

Long term memory can be divided into two categories, commonly referred to as which of the following?

Possible Answers:

Priming and explicit memory

Deep and shallow processing

Semantic and episodic memory

Declarative and non-declarative memory

Episodic and procedural memory

Correct answer:

Declarative and non-declarative memory

Explanation:

Declarative and non-declarative, or implicit and explicit memory, are the two different categories of long term memory; they both are responsible for different types of memory encoding/retrieval, and their neural actions and reactions take place in different parts of the brain.

Example Question #1 : Types Of Memory

A student is cramming for a final examination, and decides to use a cue in the form of a nursery rhyme to remember a particularly hard formula. On the morning of the examination, the student is so nervous that she forgets the nursery rhyme. She cannot correctly answer the questions related to the formula. This scenario is an example of which of the following errors in memory?

Possible Answers:

Procedural error

Storage error

Declarative error

Recall error

Encoding error

Correct answer:

Recall error

Explanation:

A retrieval error—in this case, a feature cue error—in memory is any error, which results from a failure to correctly recall information that was successfully stored in long-term memory. If a cue fails to produce a strong enough association with a word or an interfering event prevents complete remembering of a prior event, then a retrieval error is said to have occurred.

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