All GRE Subject Test: Psychology Resources
Example Questions
Example Question #221 : Gre Subject Test: Psychology
Why is it inappropriate to infer casual conclusions from correlative data?
One variable can be related to another without causing the other variable
Cause-and-effect conclusions require longitudinal data
Correlations require larger samples
Correlative data contains more than two variables
One variable can be related to another without causing the other variable
Correlations explain the strength and direction of the relationship between two variables; however, these relationships do not indicate direct causality. For instance, the relationship can be caused by a third variable, called a confounding variable. Correlations—no matter how strong—do not imply causation.
Example Question #222 : Gre Subject Test: Psychology
Internal review boards (IRBs) set ethical guidelines for institutional research. Which of the following studies have been considered unethical by modern standards?
None of these
All of these
Zimbardo's Stanford Prison Experiment
Milgram's Obedience and Authority Experiment
Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment
All of these
Modern IRBs have set standards for the ethical treatment of subjects. Each of the studies listed violated the regulations set by IRBs. Milgram’s use of deception violated the rights of his subjects and may have exposed them to unnecessary mental anguish. Zimbardo’s prison experiment was not terminated after “prison guards” inhumanely abused “inmates,” which resulted in both physical and mental harm of subject’s well being. Last, researchers in the Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment did not provide treatments to subjects in order to observe the final stages of the disease, which resulted in the death and suffering of many individuals. Each of these violated the rights of subjects involved in varying degrees.
Example Question #221 : Gre Subject Test: Psychology
Internal review boards (IRBs) set ethical guidelines for institutional research. Which of the following studies have been considered unethical by modern standards?
Zimbardo's Stanford Prison Experiment
Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment
None of these
All of these
Milgram's Obedience and Authority Experiment
All of these
Modern IRBs have set standards for the ethical treatment of subjects. Each of the studies listed violated the regulations set by IRBs. Milgram’s use of deception violated the rights of his subjects and may have exposed them to unnecessary mental anguish. Zimbardo’s prison experiment was not terminated after “prison guards” inhumanely abused “inmates,” which resulted in both physical and mental harm of subject’s well being. Last, researchers in the Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment did not provide treatments to subjects in order to observe the final stages of the disease, which resulted in the death and suffering of many individuals. Each of these violated the rights of subjects involved in varying degrees.
Example Question #1 : Experimental
Which of the following mental processes are promoted by intrinsic motivation, persistence, and expertise?
Convergent thinking
Functional fixedness
Crystallized intelligence
Creativity
Creativity
Creativity is another word for divergent thinking, a type of problem solving ability wherein a person’s brain searches various areas as it seeks the solution to a particular problem. Certain traits—including intrinsic motivation, persistence, expertise, nonconformity, and curiosity—can help promote creative thinking.
Example Question #2 : Experimental
Which of the following terms is used to describe the increase in IQ scores over the past century?
Cattell-Horn-Carroll Theory
Zeigarnik effect
Flynn effect
Hawthorne effect
Flynn effect
The "Flynn effect" describes the increase in IQ scores that has been observed over the past century. On the other hand, the "Zeigarnik effect" is the tendency to remember unfinished tasks better than completed ones. The "Hawthorne effect" is the change in people's behaviors while they are being observed, and can occur in research subjects. Last, the "Cattell-Horn-Carroll theory" or CHC theory is the most supported intelligence theory, and states that intelligence includes three strata: general ability or "g," broad abilities, and several narrow abilities.
Example Question #3 : Experimental
Which of the following situations is an example of using fluid (Gf) intelligence abilities?
Bob can recite all of the former presidents of the United States from memory.
Bob remembers how to ride a bike even after not riding one for several years.
Bob solves a math equation using familiar formulas.
Bob is given a math problem using concepts he has never tackled before but is able to arrive at the correct answer.
Bob is given a math problem using concepts he has never tackled before but is able to arrive at the correct answer.
Fluid intelligence involves the ability to reason and solve novel problems. The example of Bob solving an unfamiliar math problem is the only example that involves a novel situation. Bob being able to recite the former presidents and solve a math problem using familiar formulas are examples of crystallized intelligence (Gc), which refers to stored knowledge. Bob remembering how to ride a bike does not fit into Gc and Gf theory, but rather is an example of procedural/implicit memory.
Example Question #2 : Theories Of Intelligence
Who is often considered the father of the multiple intelligences theory?
Sigmund Freud
Stuart Richie
Howard Gardner
Jakob Pietschnig
Mary Ainsworth
Howard Gardner
Howard Gardner is the father of the theory of Multiple Intelligences, which divides intellectual intelligence into seven different modalities (music, logical/mathematical, bodily/kinesthetic, visual/spatial, interpersonal, intrapersonal, linguistic).
Example Question #1 : Sensation & Perception
People's ability to discern one conversation or focus on one point from another, prioritized by interest, is known as which of the following?
Cocktail party effect
Divided attention
Aural wandering
Specific attention
Attentional spotlight
Cocktail party effect
The cocktail party effect, demonstrated and named by Colin Cherry, illustrates people's ability to selectively attend to common stimuli--even in the presence of several conflicting conversations or auditory stimuli--which the brain identifies as more important. This is demonstrated by people's ability to hear their name, or the voice of a partner or friend, more clearly than other stimuli in a crowded environment.
Example Question #1 : Sensation & Perception
Which of the following does not act as a cue for depth perception?
Motion parallax
None of these
Interposition
Binocular disparity
Dark adaptation
Dark adaptation
In 1709, George Berkeley noted various depth cues in the human visual system, including interposition, which refers to the depth cue wherein one object covers or overlaps with another object. A second cue is motion parallax wherein the disparity in speed and motion gives us cues about the relative depth of parts of the object. The last cue is binocular disparity, also known as stereopsis. This cue is linked to the fact that our different eyes provide us with two slightly different views of the world around us. When the brain adds together these two images, we get a perception of depth.
Example Question #2 : Sensation & Perception
Sensory integration can be best describe as which of the following?
A change in afference caused by external stimuli
When a mixture of lights add together and create the perception of color
The process of combining different sensory signals
A mathematical technique for computing definite integrals of one real variable
None of these
The process of combining different sensory signals
The correct answer is the process of combining different sensory signals. To give cause or equal opportunity to each sense and a mathematical technique for computing definite integrals of one real variable are answers that utilize the incorrect definition of integration for this problem. When a mixture of lights add together and create the perception of color is additive color mixture.