AP Psychology
Unit VI Practice Exam
Fall Semester 2014
Bacile
Unit VI: Learning & Memory
Corresponding Chapter(s): Modules 26-35
Topic: Learning & Memory (7-9%)
PRACTICE EXAM MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS
1.
Pavlov became interested in conditioning when he observed laboratory dogs:
a. Salivating right before food was placed in their mouths
b. Failing to salivate when food was placed in their mouths
c. Salivating only when food was placed in their mouths
d. Salivating right after they had swallowed food
e. Salivating when food was placed in front of them
2.
In Pavlov’s original experiment on classical conditioning, the unconditioned response (UCR) was:
a. The sound of a tone
b. Salivation elicited by a tone
c. The presentation of meat powder following a tone
d. Salivation elicited by food
e. Salivation elicited by the sound of food
3.
A conditioned stimulus is:
a. A stimulus that elicits an unconditioned response without previous conditioning
b. An unlearned reaction that occurs without previous conditioning
c. A previously neutral stimulus that, through conditioning, acquires the capacity to elicit a conditioned response
d. A learned reaction that occurs because of previous conditioning
e. A stimulus that elicits an unconditioned response after conditioning
4.
Carson used to enjoy lime sherbet, and when he was in Mexico he tried frozen lime margaritas. After his fourth margarita Carson
became extremely ill. Now he finds that even the sight of lime sherbet can make him feel queasy. In this example, the conditioned
response is:
a. The lime margaritas that Carson consumed
b. The illness that followed the fourth margarita
c. The sight of lime sherbet
d. The queasiness that Carson feels when he sees lime sherbet
e. None of the above
5.
Classical conditioning could account for how a child learns to:
a. Talk
b. Play baseball
c. Walk
d.
e.
Love the smell of her father’s cologne
Become potty trained
6.
The continued presentation of the conditioned stimulus without the unconditioned stimulus will result in the gradual disappearance of
the conditioned response. This phenomenon is known as:
a. Repression
d. Conditioned forgetting
b. Inhibition
e. Extinction
c. Suppression
7.
When Lindsay was nine years old, the neighbor’s Chihuahua bit her ankle. Today, Lindsay is still terrified of Chihuahuas, but she likes all
other types of dogs. Lindsay’s fear illustrates the process of:
a. Instinctive drift
d. Negative avoidance
b. Stimulus discrimination
e. Secondary avoidance
c. Stimulus generalization
8.
Learning to tie one’s shoes is most likely acquired via the process of:
a. Operant conditioning
b. Spontaneous recovery
c. Classical conditioning
d.
e.
Learned helplessness
Higher-order conditioning
9.
The Law of Effect states that _____ lead to the _____ of the association between the stimulus and a response.
a. Reinforcers; weakening
d. Unsatisfying events; strengthening
b. Punishers; strengthening
e. Satisfying events; strengthening
c. Strong unconditioned stimuli; quickening
10. Danny’s skill at hitting a baseball gradually improves as his attempts produce more frequent & longer-distance hits. This is an example
of:
a. Shaping
d. Stimulus discrimination
b. Stimulus generalization
e. Innate stimulus response
c. Extinction
11. Micah really enjoyed his mom’s homemade apple pie, and he would have a huge slice every time she baked it. When he went to visit a
friend, he tried a piece of apple pie that his friend’s mom had made. Unfortunately, it was terrible. Now Micah will only eat his mom’s
apple pie; if anyone else offers him a piece of pie he politely turns them down. Micah’s behavior toward apple pie illustrates the concept
of:
a. Stimulus discrimination
d. Observational learning
b. Stimulus generalization
e. Behavioral learning
c. Noncontingent reinforcement
12. Assuming that the reinforcer is the sound of a rattle, Johnny’s shaking of the rattle is reinforced according to which of the following
schedules?
a. Continuous reinforcement
d. Variable-ratio
b. Fixed-interval
e. Interval-ratio
c. Variable-interval
13. Negative reinforcement _______ the rate of a response; punishment ______ the rate of a response.
a. Increases; decreases
d. Increases; does not affect
b. Decreases; increases
e. Does not affect; increases
c. Decreases; decreases
14. The behavior that would be most difficult to extinguish would be the one that was:
a. Reinforced every time it occurred
d. Reinforced by your parents
b. Shaped
e. Punished intermittently
c. Reinforced intermittently
15. The newest winning numbers in the state lottery are announced on the local television station every Saturday night, at the end of the
news hour. People who are watching for the lottery numbers will have their “watching” reinforced on:
a. A fixed-ratio schedule
d. A fixed-interval schedule
b. A variable-ratio schedule
e. A fixed-variable schedule
c. A variable-interval schedule
16. When Skyler was first training his dog, Smooches, to heel he would give Smooches a treat when she stayed close during walks. Now
Smooches stays right by Skyler’s side, even when she is not on her leash. In this case:
a. The dog treats were negative reinforcers for staying close
b. Staying close was a positive reinforcer for receiving dog treats
c. Staying close was a negative reinforcer for receiving dog treats
d. The dog treats were positive reinforcers for staying close
e. The dog treats were a neutral reinforcer for staying close
17. Any event that follows a behavior and results in the behavior having a lower probability of happening in the future is known as a:
a. Negative reinforcer
d. Vicarious conditioner
b. Positive reinforcer
e. Negative conditioner
c. Punisher
18. Learning that takes place by watching another person is referred to as:
a. Operant conditioning
b. Noncontingent learning
c. Observational learning
d.
e.
Classical conditioning
Behavioral learning
19. ______ is to operant conditioning as ______ is to classical conditioning.
a. Skinner; Pavlov
b. Bandura; Pavlov
c. Pavlov; Skinner
d. Pavlov; Thorndike
e. Skinner; Seligman
20. Jessica’s mother was upset to find that Jessica had used her crayons to draw flowers on her bedroom wall. Her mother took the crayons
away and made Jessica wash the drawings off of the wall. Which of the following best describes Jessica’s punishment?
a. Punishment by application
b. Punishment by removal
c. Punishment by both application and removal
d. Punishment by negative reinforcement
e. Punishment by both positive and negative reinforcement
21. Wolfgang Kohler determined that his chimpanzee’s two-stick solution to the banana problem was an example of insight learning
because it was:
a. Intelligent
b. Sudden and rapid
c. The result of trial-and-error
d. Arrived at after a long period of time
e. Based on natural biological behaviors
22. Which of the following scenarios illustrates a variable interval schedule of reinforcement?
a. Receiving a paycheck every two weeks
b. Holding regular, but unpredictable, fire drills
c. Earning a prize for every five books read in the library’s summer reading program
d. Receiving five additional vacation days for each year of employment at a company
e. Brushing and flossing teeth immediately before a dental exam
23. In Edward Tolman’s maze study, the fact that the group of rats receiving reinforcement only after the tenth day of the study solved the
maze far more quickly that did the rats who had been reinforced from the first day can be interpreted to mean that these particular rats:
a. Were much smarter than the other rats
b. Had already learned the maze in the first nine days
c. Had the opportunity to cheat by watching the other rats
d. Were very hungry, and therefore, learned much more quickly
e. Were able to learn only because they had not received much reinforcement
24. Attention, memory, imitation and motivation are the four elements required for the process of:
a. Insight
d. Observational learning
b. Latent learning
e. Spontaneous recovery
c. Learned helplessness
25. The order of the basic memory processes in which information enters our memory system and is later used is:
a. Encoding – retrieval – storage
d. Acquisition – encoding – retrieval
b. Encoding – storage – retrieval
e. Storage – encoding – retrieval
c. Storage – retrieval – acquisition
26. Jorge listens attentively to the State of the Union Address and translates the information into new memories. The main memory process
that accounts for the fact that Jorge is able to form new memories as information is encountered for the first time is:
a. Encoding
d. Priming
b. Storage
e. Trimming
c. Retrieval
27. Shayla is able to retain the vocabulary she learned in her first semester Spanish class after the class has ended. The main memory
process that accounts for the fact that Shayla can hold information in her memory for extended periods of time is:
a. Encoding
d. Storage
b. Retrieval
e. Decoding
c. Chunking
28. Kiana was given a list of words as part of a memory test that included: “dog, pail and hate.” Later, she recalled these words as: “dig,
paint, and hard.” Kiana’s error in recall suggests that she had encoded the original word list:
a. Phonemically
d. Structurally
b. Semantically
e. Explicitly
c. Implicitly
29. A memory code that emphasizes the meaning of verbal input is called:
a. A structural code
b. A phonemic code
c. A semantic code
d.
e.
An episodic code
A morphemic code
30. Xavier was given a list of words as part of a memory test that included: “dog, pail and hate.” Later, he recalled these words as: “log, whale
and late.” Xavier’s error in recall suggests that he had encoded the original word list:
a. Phonemically
d. Retroactively
b. Structurally
e. Morphemically
c. Semantically
31. Which of the following is an example of implicit memory?
a. Knowing how to ride a bicycle
b. Multiplying 2 times 4
c. Knowing the name of an acquaintance
d. Thinking back on the first day of school
e. Remembering the definition of the word psychology
32. Which type of memory can a person use to keep the flow of conversation going by allowing the person to remember what was just said?
a. Iconic memory
d. Network memory
b. Echoic memory
e. Long-term memory
c. Procedural memory
33. Elaboration involves:
a. The creation of visual images to represent words
b. Decreasing the complexity of the material to be remembered
c. Forming two kinds of memory code for each word
d. Linking a stimulus to other information at the time of encoding
e. Combining two types of encoding for a single word
34. Karina is given a list of words to memorize so she forms a mental image for each word on the list. Calvin is given the same list of words,
however, he thinks of words that rhyme with each of the words on the list. Based on the research that has focused on the process of
encoding, you should expect that on a test of memory:
a. Both Karina and Calvin will recall the same number of words
b. Karina will recall more words than Calvin
c. Calvin will recall more words than Karina
d. Karina is more likely to make “look-alike” errors in recall
e. Calvin is more likely to make “look-alike” errors in recall
35. Self-referent encoding involves:
a. The creation of visual images to represent words
b. Making the material personally meaningful
c. Forming two kinds of memory codes for each word
d. Linking a stimulus to other information at the time of encoding
e. Forming either semantic or visual codes
36. The Atkinson-Shiffrin model of memory proposes that memory has:
a. Sensory, short-term, medium-term and long-term stores
b. Short, medium and long-term stores
c. Four different memory stores
d. Working and sensory memory
e. Sensory, short-term and long-term stores
37. When you listen to a lecture, the information is held in ______ memory until you write it in to your notes.
a. Trace
d. Long-term
b. Sensory
e. Sensory
c. Short-term
38. Jade rearranges the letter HI TRE DBA T into “hit red bat.” This is an example of:
a. Chunking
d.
b. Elaboration
e.
c. Rehearsal
Clustering
Looping
39. Miles has very vivid memories of a car accident he witnessed five years ago. When he closes his eyes and thinks about the accident, he
feels as if he can recall every detail of it, right down to the brand name printed on the tires of one of the cars. This type of memory is
called:
a. Sensory memory
d. An implicit memory
b. Procedural memory
e. Episodic memory
c. A flashbulb memory
40. Meredith is trying to memorize the various eras and periods in the geologic table. She begins by memorizing the Cenozoic, Mesozoic and
Paleozoic as three eras. She then memorizes the three periods from the Cenozoic, the three periods from the Mesozoic and the six
periods from the Paleozoic. Meredith’s method of organizing the material she is trying to remember illustrates the concept of:
a. Conceptual hierarchies
d. Source monitoring
b. Levels-of-processing
e. Semantic networks
c. The serial-position effect
41. Brock was describing the inside of his doctor’s office to one of his friends. In his description he mentioned that there were two diplomas
on the wall, despite the fact that there are no diplomas displayed in his doctor’s office. Brock’s error in recall illustrates:
a. The role of semantic networks in long-term memory
b. The need for conceptual hierarchies in long-term memory
c. The need for a good executive control system in short-term memory
d. A flaw in chunking and rehearsal
e. The role of schemas in long-term memory
42. Connectionist models of memory tend to be based on:
a. How computers process information
b. How neural networks handle information
c. The principles of operant conditioning
d.
e.
The principles of Gestalt psychology
The principles of classical conditioning
43. The “tip of the tongue” phenomenon refers to:
a. Saying something before you’ve had a chance to think about it
b. Dreamlike material that is often recalled during REM sleep
c. A mnemonic device used to help you store information in long-term memory
d. Feeling like you know something that you are unable to recall
e. Recalling something without being able to verbalize it
44. Tyler witnessed an automobile accident and heard one of the bystanders casually mention that the driver was probably intoxicated.
Even though the driver had not been drinking, and had never crossed the center line, Tyler tells the investigator that the car had been
“weaving all over the road.” Tyler’s faulty recall illustrates:
a. Proactive interference
d. Context-dependent memory
b. Implicit memory adjustment
e. The misinformation effect
c. Mood-dependent memory
45. Gregory is telling Molly a joke when she suddenly stops to tell him that she had told him the same joke last week. In this example,
Gregory:
a. Has apparently made a source-monitoring error
b. Appears to have made a reality-monitoring error
c. Is demonstrating the misinformation effect
d. Is experiencing proactive interference
e. Is experiencing retroactive interference
46. An essay exam is most similar to the _______ method of measuring retention.
a. Recognition
b. Recall
c. Relearning
d.
e.
Production
Encoding
47. You move into a new house & memorize your new phone number. Now, you can’t remember your old phone number. This is an example
of:
a. Proactive interference
d. Anterograde amnesia
b. Retrograde amnesia
e. Retroactive interference
c. Motivated forgetting
48. Proactive interference occurs when:
a. New information impairs the retention of previously learned information
b. Previously learned information interferes with the retention of new information
c. A person loses memories of events that occurred prior to a head injury
d. A person loses memories of events that occurred after a head injury
e. A person loses memories of events that occurred early in their life due to aging
49. Which of the following terms is synonymous with “motivated forgetting”?
a. Regression
b. Repression
c. Sublimation
d.
e.
Rationalization
Amnesia
50. Dave is thrown from his motorcycle and suffers a severe blow to the head, resulting in the loss of memory for events that occurred
before the accident. This is an example of:
a. Retrograde amnesia
d. Retroactive interference
b. Anterograde amnesia
e. Proactive interference
c. Motivated forgetting
51. Procedural memory:
a. Is memory for factual information
b. Is memory for actions, skills and operations
c. Is made up of chronological recollections of personal experiences
d. Contains general knowledge that is not necessarily dated
e. Is memory of names, dates and faces
52. Sarah can remember the names of the first two people she was introduced to at Ted’s birthday party, as well as the names of the last
two people she met; however, the names of the dozen or so people in between are gone. This is an example of:
a. The cocktail party effect
d. The tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon
b. The serial position effect
e. The encoding specificity effect
c. The state-dependent effect
53. If you read a book when you are feeling sad, you are most likely to remember the details of the book:
a. When you are feeling sad
d. When you are inattentive
b. When you are feeling happy
e. At any time, regardless of your circumstances
c. When you are focused
54. Sarah did not pay attention to Jamal when he was speaking. As a result, Sarah “forgot” what Jamal had said. Sarah’s experience is an
example of:
a. Encoding failure
d. Retroactive interference
b. Memory trace decay
e. Retrograde amnesia
c. Proactive interference
55. To ensure proper retrieval of the math concepts you learned in class, the best place to take your final exam for math is:
a. Any classroom, as long as your math teacher is present
b. A special testing room that is used for all school exams
c. The math classroom, in the same seat you’ve been assigned to all year
d. An empty classroom with white walls, to prevent distractions
e. An auditorium with comfortable chairs that reduce physical stress