AQA Approaches in Psychology Practice Test

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• Which concept explains the persistence of a costly trait like a peacock's tail because it signals quality to mates?
• What is a strength of using the scientific method in psychology?
• Which statement best describes defence mechanisms in Freudian theory?
• In Freud's Little Hans case, what did the horse symbolize?
• Which is identified as a strength of Skinner's studies?
• In Grootherst et al.'s twin meta-analysis of OCD, inheritance contributed more to OCD in which group?
• In evolutionary explanations, which concept explains why a trait like the peacock's tail increases mating success despite survival costs?
• According to Freud's theory, what determines future development?
• Self is defined as
• Which evolutionary mechanism explains the peacock's tail despite predation risk?
• The MAOA gene is linked to aggression in about one third of men. Which gene is this?
• Which brain region is primarily involved in recognizing threat and initiating the fight-or-flight response?
• What is a key challenge when generalizing animal studies to humans in evolutionary psychology?
• In cognitive theory, the sequence leading to a response begins with:
• According to behaviorist principles, which methods can help reduce a phobia through learning processes?
• What does the concept of a semantic network involve?
• What is a limitation of laboratory experiments used by behaviourists?
• What is negative reinforcement?
• In animal research within behaviourism, what is a key concern when extrapolating to humans?
• A critique of evolutionary explanations of behaviour is that they tend to ignore what?
• In genetics, what does concordance rate measure?
• Which statement correctly distinguishes primary reinforcers from secondary reinforcers?
• What are unconscious strategies used by the ego to manage the conflict between the id and the superego?
• Which statement describes how genes influence behavior in the biological framework?
• What defines cognitive neuroscience and its methods?
• Which structure of personality is primarily responsible for primitive drives and immediate gratification?
• What is a common criticism of applying the scientific method to psychology?
• Which component mediates between instinctual desires and reality?
• What does the emergence of cognitive neuroscience seek to explain?
• What is a key strength of using laboratory experiments in cognitive psychology?
• Latent stage is characterized by which of the following?
• Watson and Rayner's Little Albert study aimed to determine whether humans learn through classical conditioning and whether fear can be conditioned in a child.
• In twin studies, what does concordance measure?
• What does the cognitive approach use to explain how the mind works?
• Which of the following describes the private nature of mental processes?
• What occurs during extinction in classical conditioning?
• In cognitive psychology, how is forgetting understood?
• What is dream analysis and how is it used in psychoanalysis?
• Which personality structure is described as entirely unconscious and composed of selfish, aggressive instincts that demand immediate gratification?
• Which statement best captures Bartlett's War of the Ghosts memory study?
• A key criticism of the psychodynamic approach noted in the evaluation is that its concepts are untestable and it relies on which type of data?
• Which brain region is most closely associated with language comprehension?
• Name a classic experiment demonstrating operant conditioning.
• The development of a genetically predisposed disorder like schizophrenia may depend on what?
• Which gene variant has been linked to aggression in some studies, with around one-third of men carrying it?
• What is the difference between bottom-up and top-down processing?
• In spreading activation, what happens when one concept is activated?
• What is the primary goal of psychoanalytic therapy in the psychodynamic approach?
• Who is regarded as the founder of psychology and defined psychology as the science of consciousness using introspection?
• Which part of the personality represents internalized moral standards and the ideal self?
• Which statement best characterizes the role of observation in Social Learning Theory?
• The scientific process in psychology is rooted in which philosophical viewpoint?
• Genes are made of which molecule and are inherited?
• The biological approach maintains that behaviour is rooted in what?
• Which structure acts as the reality check balancing the demands of the id and the superego?
• Which term describes private operations of the mind such as perception and attention that mediate between stimulus and response?
• Which cognitive neuroscience method measures electrical activity of the brain with electrodes placed on the scalp?
• Which of the following is a weakness of Pavlov's study?
• Which of the following is NOT among the four factors affecting imitation in social learning theory?
• According to a behaviorist, a phobia can develop through which process?
• Which term refers to the part of the mind we are aware of on a daily basis?
• Which of the following is a feature of the fight-or-flight response?
• What is meant by fixation in Freud's psychosexual theory?
• Which term refers to chemicals in the brain that regulate psychological functioning?
• What is localisation of function and give an example studied in brain research?
• What stimulus was paired with a white rat to condition fear in Little Albert?
• According to the biological approach, which of the following factors is considered to influence behaviour?
• What is a defence mechanism? Give two examples.
• Which statement best captures the central assumption of the Biological approach?
• Which defense mechanism involves attributing one's unacceptable impulses to others?
• What is a weakness of the social learning theory evaluation?
• The Phallic stage is associated with which complexes?
• According to empiricism, where does knowledge come from in psychology?
• What is a schema in psychology?
• Unresolved Anal stage conflict leads to which outcome?
• Give one strength and one limitation of using animal studies in the Biological approach.
• Which approach posits that behaviour is influenced by early childhood experiences and is driven by instincts such as sex and life?
• Which of the following is cited as a weakness of the Little Albert study?
• What is the role of the central executive in the Working Memory Model?
• The term "biological structure" refers to what?
• Which statement correctly describes a strength and a limitation of the cognitive approach?
• What did Loftus and Palmer study primarily investigate?
• Which statement best represents a pro of schemas?
• How does the endocrine system transmit its messages?
• What is a potential consequence of evolutionary pressures on social behaviour like aggression?
• Which statement best describes reinforcement in learning?
• Live models include teachers, siblings, and parents; symbolic models are people in the media. Which is an example of a symbolic model?
• During synaptic transmission, what happens when neurotransmitters bind to receptors on the postsynaptic neuron?
• Which term describes an observer associating with a role model and wanting to be like them?
• What is a common criticism of older twin studies in genetics?
• In Simmons and Chabris' inattentional blindness experiment, what percentage of participants noticed the unexpected gorilla?
• Which defense mechanism involves refusing to accept reality?
• Which type of neuron carries sensory information from receptors to the central nervous system?
• Modelling, from the observer's perspective, involves imitating the role model's behaviour; from the role model's perspective, it is the precise demonstration of a behaviour that may be imitated. What is this process called?
• In twin studies, concordance refers to:
• Why is the psychodynamic approach criticized for reliability and falsifiability?
• Why is genetic/evolutionary explanation of behaviour difficult to test experimentally in humans?
• What does behavioural shaping refer to in operant conditioning?
• What does the term 'Self' refer to in Rogers' framework?
• What term describes copying the behaviour of others?
• What is positive reinforcement?
• What was the main finding of Loftus and Palmer (1974) regarding leading questions?
• Why might aggressive MAOA gene carriers have an evolutionary advantage?
• Which hormone released by the pituitary gland is associated with labor contractions and social bonding?
• What is the role of evolution in the Biological approach?
• Rogers distinguishes which concepts relating to the self?
• What items was Albert's fear generalized to?
• Which pair best represents the two viewpoints described about behaviour in early psychology?
• What is Displacement?
• Name two brain regions commonly associated with localisation of function (e.g., language and memory).
• If a child imitates an actor after seeing them rewarded on a show, what process is at work?
• Which of the following is an example of a secondary reinforcer?
• Which mediational process involves noticing certain behaviours?
• In the study by Dabbs and colleagues, higher testosterone levels were found in individuals with a history of which type of crimes?
• Humanistic counselling is best described as
• Wundt's approach emphasised which concepts as central to psychology?
• Retention refers to remembering the behaviour. Which option best completes this definition?
• Name a classic experiment demonstrating classical conditioning.
• What does fMRI measure to infer brain activity?
• In Maslow's hierarchy, which level is associated with self-actualisation?
• What are the two types of conditioning used by the behavioural approach?
• What is the primary purpose of a Skinner Box in behavioral research?
• The MAOA gene is associated with which behavioral tendency?
• Monozygotic twins share approximately what percentage of their DNA?
• Which stage comes after the Phallic stage?
• What method did Wilhelm Wundt emphasise to study mental processes?
• What are the processing stages described by the computer (informational) processing model?
• Which defense mechanism involves forcing distressing memories out of the conscious mind?
• What outcome arises from unresolved conflict in the Oral stage?
• Which term is associated with inherited characteristics that can be passed to offspring?
• According to Darwin's theory, what leads traits to become common in a population?
• Which research methods are most often used to study genetic influences on behaviour in the Biological approach?
• The genotype refers to:
• Which statement correctly describes the autonomic nervous system and its subdivisions?
• Which neurotransmitter is commonly linked to schizophrenia and reward pathways, illustrating neurochemistry's role in behaviour?
• In Skinner's box, what happens when the rat presses the lever?
• Which approach emphasizes mental processes and active processing of information?
• What is the purpose of free association in psychodynamic therapy?
• Which statement best captures the main assumptions of the Behaviourist approach?
• In cognitive neuroscience, which brain region is linked to processing guilt?
• Which is a limitation of the Little Hans evaluation?
• In the Anal stage, what is the focus of pleasure?
• Which techniques are used in psychodynamic therapy?
• What is a common criticism of laboratory tasks in cognitive psychology?
• Which statement best reflects a core assumption of the cognitive approach?
• Mediational processes in Social Learning Theory refer to which of the following?
• How does Social Learning Theory extend the Behaviourist approach?
• Which statement best describes a methodological weakness when studying evolution of behaviour?
• Free will is defined as
• In the Biological approach, what does the term heritability estimate refer to?
• In Higgins et al's token economy study for cocaine addicts, what was the reinforcing mechanism?
• What are the components of personality according to Freud?
• Which statement is true about operant conditioning?
• What is the central assumption of the Biological approach in psychology?
• Motor reproduction refers to whether the behaviour is physically possible to carry out. Which option best describes this?
• What ethical considerations arise in animal research in the Behaviourist tradition?
• In the biological approach, which components are said to have a major impact on behavior?
• What is a strength of the social learning theory evaluation?
• How many psychosexual stages did Freud propose?
• Darwin's natural selection posits what process that produces better-suited individuals?
• Regarding the evaluation of the psychodynamic approach, which statement best captures its status?
• What structure connects the two cerebral hemispheres and allows communication between them?
• Self-Actualisation refers to
• Which component embodies the moral standards and how we ought to be?
• Evolution is defined as which of the following?
• Which statement describes a weakness of Wundt's work?
• Which gland is described as the master gland that regulates other glands and is controlled by the hypothalamus?
• Which term describes the part of the mind that balances impulses with reality?
• What is a weakness of the fight-or-flight response when activated repeatedly?
• Which term describes observable characteristics that result from an interaction between genes and the environment?
• Cognitive approach focuses on how mental processes affect behaviour. Which statement best describes it?
• In the behaviourist view, what is said about genes and behaviour?
• What is the difference between phenotype and genotype?
• What is the phallic stage, and why is it significant in Freud's theory?
• How could cognitive psychology contribute to treatments such as cognitive behavioral therapy?
• In sexual selection, which trait in peacocks is often cited as advantageous for mating?
• Which best describes the central nervous system?
• Which method provides the best temporal resolution for studying rapid cognitive processes?
• In Rogers' theory, which term describes the 'I' and 'me' and relates to the sense of self?
• In modelling, which process involves paying attention to the model's behaviour to learn it?
• Congruence occurs when
• Which imaging technique is commonly used to identify which brain regions are active during emotional tasks (e.g., guilt)?
• In forgetting, which process failure is NOT typically implicated?
• Which term describes the observer’s process of wanting to be like a role model?
• Which statement best captures a core assumption of the psychodynamic approach?
• Bandura's Bobo doll study found that exposure to an aggressive model led to which outcome in children?
• What are limitations of the Psychodynamic approach?
• Which brain region is most closely associated with speech production?
• Which statement best describes humanistic psychology?
• Nestadt et al. found that first-degree relatives of OCD sufferers had approximately what increased risk?
• What is a key limitation of the Behaviourist approach?
• Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs is described as
• Genotype is defined as what?
• Which term describes the part of the mind that we are unaware of but which continues to direct much of our behaviour?
• In Nestadt et al.'s family study of OCD, first-degree relatives of OCD sufferers had approximately what increased risk compared to relatives of healthy controls?
• What is reductionism, and how is it viewed within the Biological approach?
• In the case of Henry Molaison, removal of the hippocampus left him with severe amnesia and a specific memory problem. Which memory process was specifically impaired?
• Not directly experienced but occurs through observing someone else being reinforced for their behaviour. What is this called?
• Which of the following is a mediational process in modelling?
• Cognitive neuroscience is defined as which of the following?
• What is the Oedipus complex?
• Which of the following describes a strength of Wundt's work?
• What is transference in psychodynamic theory?
• Which statement is a strength of the Watson and Rayner evaluation of the Little Albert study?
• What did Freud's psychosexual stages propose about personality development?
• Why is the concordance rate not 100% in monozygotic twins for a disorder?
• A common weakness of the cognitive approach is?
• The cognitive approach posits that human behaviour is governed by:
• Which statement best distinguishes the Working Memory Model from the Multi-Store Model?
• In Freud's Oral stage, what is the focus of pleasure?
• A common weakness of the biological approach is that it often cannot establish causation due to:
• Which of the following was cited as a strength of Pavlov's conditioning study?
• In which setting would a behaviourist expect to generalize findings from animal experiments?
• Which statement most accurately reflects the evolutionary basis of behaviour and the role of culture?
• Which statement best describes the brain and nervous system in the biological approach?
• Which model posits separate sensory, short-term, and long-term stores with linear transfer of information?
• Which statement about the psychodynamic approach's evaluation is true?
• In Darwin's natural selection, which process leads to advantageous traits becoming more common in a population?
• What is one role of estrogen in the female reproductive system?
• The process whereby cognitive psychologists draw conclusions about mental processes from observed behaviour is called what?
• The spinal cord gives rise to pairs of spinal nerves that connect with specific muscles or organs. What are these nerves called?
• In Pavlov's experiments, what served as the unconditioned stimulus?
• Burrnett et al. found guilt activates which brain area?
• Which statement correctly distinguishes classical conditioning from operant conditioning?
• Which neurotransmitter is commonly associated with a calming effect on mood?
• What is listed as a weakness of the behavioural theories overall?
• What is the role of schemas in memory encoding and retrieval?
• During the Genital stage, what becomes conscious?
• In operant conditioning, which of the following is an example of reinforcement?
• How does the psychodynamic approach explain defence mechanisms like repression?
• Loftus and Palmer's findings have important implications for eyewitness testimony because they show that:
• Which statement best describes the genotype-phenotype-environment relationship?
• Pavlov's experiments demonstrated which form of learning?
• What is a schema in cognitive psychology?
• One strength of the cognitive approach is?
• Which statement aligns with the behaviourist view?
• Motivation means there has to be a reason to copy their behaviour. Which option best represents this mediational process?