Individual Psychology and Behavior

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AP Psychology › Individual Psychology and Behavior

Questions 1 - 10
1

Which of the following is true regarding subliminal perceptions?

They are defined as the perception of stimuli which are presented too weakly or quickly to be recognized consciously.

They are highly effective at influencing behavior.

They are used frequently by advertisers to increase the sales of products.

They can produce significant changes in a person's emotions.

Explanation

Subliminal perceptions are those that involve stimuli occurring too weakly or quickly to be recognized consciously. When these were first discovered, there was much excitement and concern over the potential applications of non-conscious perceptions to the field of advertising. Although many subliminal ads were created and tested, it has since become apparent that they are largely ineffective. Although subliminal perceptions can alter behavior in laboratory settings, they fail to have a significant impact on human behavior—especially in the area of complex decision making that interested marketers. Subliminal perceptions also fail to produce significant changes in emotions, and—if anything—have a weak or negligible effect at best.

2

Which of the following is not a monocular depth cue?

Retinal disparity

Relative size cue

Texture gradient

Linear perspective

Explanation

“Retinal disparity” is a binocular depth cue, not a monocular cue. The other answers—relative size cue, texture gradient, and linear perspective—are all monocular cues.

3

Which of these is not a monocular depth cue?

Retinal disparity

Perspective

Relative size

Occlusion

Texture gradient

Explanation

Our brains use the differences in the location of an object on our retinas in order to judge their relative distance from one another. This requires two eyes, and thus is binocular. The other cues listed require only one eye (monocular).

4

Which of the following is true regarding subliminal perceptions?

They are defined as the perception of stimuli which are presented too weakly or quickly to be recognized consciously.

They are highly effective at influencing behavior.

They are used frequently by advertisers to increase the sales of products.

They can produce significant changes in a person's emotions.

Explanation

Subliminal perceptions are those that involve stimuli occurring too weakly or quickly to be recognized consciously. When these were first discovered, there was much excitement and concern over the potential applications of non-conscious perceptions to the field of advertising. Although many subliminal ads were created and tested, it has since become apparent that they are largely ineffective. Although subliminal perceptions can alter behavior in laboratory settings, they fail to have a significant impact on human behavior—especially in the area of complex decision making that interested marketers. Subliminal perceptions also fail to produce significant changes in emotions, and—if anything—have a weak or negligible effect at best.

5

Which of the following is not a monocular depth cue?

Retinal disparity

Relative size cue

Texture gradient

Linear perspective

Explanation

“Retinal disparity” is a binocular depth cue, not a monocular cue. The other answers—relative size cue, texture gradient, and linear perspective—are all monocular cues.

6

How did Noam Chomsky propose that we acquire language?

We are born with an innate capacity to rapidly learn language

We acquire language through teachings from caregivers and peers

We acquire the native language of our parents

We acquire the dominant language of the society in which we live

Explanation

Noam Chomsky proposed that we all are born with a "language acquisition device" in our minds, which gives us universal principles of human language. We learn our language's own "settings" for human communication according to these universal principles. For instance, if all human language has temporal tenses, we learn how our particular language expresses tense. Although the behaviorists believe we only learn language through our environment, Chomsky pointed out that we learn language very quickly through processes that appear similar to the human species, regardless of environment.

7

Which of the following is not a symptom of a panic disorder?

Low blood pressure

Nausea

Dizziness

Intense feeling of dread

Chest pain

Explanation

Panic disorders are quite common. During a panic attack, an individual will have a higher heart rate along with physiological symptoms that may make them feel physically ill. Fear of future anxiety attacks also may trigger worse symptoms.

8

Which of these characteristics is a basic tenet of a fantasy-prone personality?

Vivid imagination

Dislike of authority

Strong fluid reasoning

Left-handedness

Ability to speak a second language

Explanation

Those with a fantasy-prone personality spend much time daydreaming, thus utilizing their vivid imagination. They are often able to recall their fantasies with near perfect accuracy.

9

Hank has recently been attending sessions with a psychoanalyst. He has developed an attachment to his analyst and feels very emotionally involved with her. This is an example of which of the following?

Transference

Countertransference

Reaction

None of these

Explanation

Transference is when a patient reacts to the analyst as if they were an important person in the patient's life. The patient develops an emotional attachment to the analyst. The opposite, when an analyst develops feeling of personal attachment or significance towards a patient, is called countertransference.

10

A baby girl is sitting in a high chair. Her father is playing with her by ducking down below the table and popping back up. His daughter seems very distressed by this game. Which of the following best describes why this game of peekaboo is upsetting for her?

She has not yet developed object permanence

She fears the rapid motion

She is insecurely attached to her father

She has an innate fear of heights

Explanation

Object permanence is the understanding that even though an object has disappeared from view, that disappearance is probably temporary: the object has not disappeared totally from existence. Infants do not achieve this understanding until around eight months of age. Because of this, the baby girl likely believes her father no longer exists when he disappears from view, which is upsetting.

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