All GRE Subject Test: Psychology Resources
Example Questions
Example Question #21 : Social Interactions
According to inoculation theory, which of the following would be the best protection against a persuasive attack?
Anticipating and supporting the points of the argument prior to the attack
Anticipating and discrediting the character of the attacker
Anticipating and discrediting the points of the argument prior to the attack
Providing arguments to support the initial belief prior to the attack
Anticipating and discrediting the points of the argument prior to the attack
Inoculation theory suggests that an original belief can be protected against persuasion (i.e. inoculated against a persuasive attack) by anticipating the argument before it occurs and coming up with counter arguments or discrediting the points of the argument. Other answers did include anticipating the argument, but not the second part of inoculation theory (i.e. discrediting the points of the argument). Providing arguments to support the initial belief prior to the attack could be helpful, but does not necessarily protect against a strong counter attack.
Example Question #22 : Social Interactions
Consider the following scenario: A study group of five students is meeting for a math review before a big test. On the first problem, the students work the problem separately and then share their answers. The first four students give the same answer. When it is the fifth student's turn to share, he decides to say what the other students said even though he got a different answer to the math problem.
Which classic social psychology study is illustrated best through the scenario?
Stanley Milgram's Obedience Experiment
Clark and Clark's Doll Preference Experiment
Soloman Asch's Conformity Study
Phillip Zimbardo's Prison Experiment
Soloman Asch's Conformity Study
Soloman Asch's Conformity Study had a very similar set up to the given scenario. In his experiment, a subject was asked to compare lengths of lines that had obvious differences. The subject was in a group of other "subjects" (confederates) and often conformed to the answer that all of the other group members provided rather than sticking to the obviously correct answer. Clark and Clark's doll preference study involved a task for White and Black children to select the doll that they liked most. Milgram's obedience study involved subjects obeying direct instructions from an experimenter to administer shocks to another participant (confederate). Zimbardo's prison experiment involved members of assigned groups assuming roles (i.e. prison guards, prisoners).
Example Question #1 : Attraction & Close Relationships
__________ attached people report the highest rate of happy and trusting relationships.
Securely
Ambivalent
Anxious
Avoidant
Securely
John Bowlby and colleagues have studied attachment styles and their correlates by examining the health of adult relationships. The choices provided are terms that Bowlby coined to capture the four major categories of attachment styles. As the name implies, secure attachment denotes the healthiest style and the surest predictor of happy and trusting relationships.
Example Question #2 : Attraction & Close Relationships
Which of the following is not a component of Sternberg's “Triangular Theory of Love?”
Communication
Passion
Commitment
Intimacy
Communication
Sternberg proposed a tri-pointed model of romantic love that he entitled, "Triangular Theory of Love." While communication is always at the core of a healthy relationship, it is not one of the three primary factors in his model whereas the remaining three responses listed in this question are. For Sternberg, intimacy, passion, and commitment coalesce into what he calls consummate love.
Example Question #3 : Attraction & Close Relationships
When it comes to physical attraction between people of the opposite sex, the "matching hypothesis" implies which of the following?
We seek people who are about as attractive as we are
Males seek females like their mothers, and females seek males like their fathers
We are attracted to people who reciprocate our liking of them
Females seek males who match their parents' images
We seek people who are about as attractive as we are
The 2010 movie 'She's Out of My League' captured this social psychological concept with comedic accuracy. The matching hypothesis describes the well-documented social tendency of pairing with a romantic partner who society would deem roughly equivalent in terms of physical attraction. Even if that's not what we value most highly, looks seem to set a range for whom we consider.
Example Question #21 : Social Interactions
Generally speaking, a person is not likely to be attracted to a prospective love interest who possesses which of the following traits?
Physically attractive
Opinions similar to his or her own
Near to him or her
Emotionally reserved
Also is attracted to him or her
Emotionally reserved
The disclosure reciprocity effect describes the process by which the act of two people sharing their feelings and/or secrets can facilitate emotional closeness between the two and increase attraction.
Example Question #23 : Social Interactions
Which of the following correctly identifies the sequence of group formation, according to psychologist Bruce Tuckman?
Forming, storming, norming, and performing
Norming, storming, performing, and forming
Forming, storming, performing, and norming
Storming, forming, norming, and performing
Forming, storming, norming, and performing
Tuckman proposed four elements of group formation in 1965. He proposed that all groups—from therapy groups to school boards—go through these processes. Moreover, the most typical chronological order is forming, storming, norming, and performing. He viewed this progression as both normal and healthy.
Example Question #24 : Social Interactions
A group of biologists at a university appreciate the diversity of their peers’ research in regard to subject matters ranging from oncology to environmental studies; however, they assume that a group of English majors study the same subjects in literature. Which of the following psychological terms best explains the biases that the biologists have to other majors at their university?
Out-group homogeneity
In-group heterogeneity
None of these
In-group homogeneity
Out-group heterogeneity
Out-group homogeneity
Out-group homogeneity is the assumption that the individuals in an out-group are all the same, while the individuals in a specific person’s in-group possess a wide degree of variation. In the example, the biologists appreciate the differences between their work and subject matter but cannot do the same for the English majors—the biologists assume that they study the same literary concepts.
Example Question #25 : Social Interactions
A group of biologists at a university appreciate the diversity of their peers’ research in regard to subject matters ranging from oncology to environmental studies; however, they assume that a group of English majors study the same subjects in literature. Which of the following psychological terms best explains the biases that the biologists have to other majors at their university?
None of these
Out-group heterogeneity
In-group homogeneity
In-group heterogeneity
Out-group homogeneity
Out-group homogeneity
Out-group homogeneity is the assumption that the individuals in an out-group are all the same, while the individuals in a specific person’s in-group possess a wide degree of variation. In the example, the biologists appreciate the differences between their work and subject matter but cannot do the same for the English majors—the biologists assume that they study the same literary concepts.
Example Question #1 : Cultural Influences
People from individualist cultures are least likely to do which of the following?
Express themselves directly and clearly
Develop a wide circle of acquaintances
Focus on internal attributes
Define themselves in relation to others
Define themselves in relation to others
Members of collectivist cultures are more likely to value harmony, loyalty to one's family, and hierarchical relationships. In contrast, members of individualist cultures tend to value privacy, speaking one's mind, and taking care of the self (as opposed to the family).