MCAT Psy Domain 1: Psychology Welcome to your MCAT Psy Domain 1: Psychology 1. MCAT Psy: Psychology In the context of developmental psychology, which theory posits that children actively construct their understanding of the world through their experiences and interactions? Freud's psychosexual stages Erikson's stages of psychosocial development Kohlberg's stages of moral development Piaget's stages of cognitive development None 2. MCAT Psy: Psychology Which concept explains the reduced effort individuals put into tasks when they are working in a group compared to when they are working alone? Groupthink Social loafing Deindividuation Group polarization None 3. MCAT Psy: Psychology Which of the following best describes the concept of "flashbulb memory"? A highly detailed, exceptionally vivid 'snapshot' of the moment and circumstances in which a piece of surprising and consequential (or emotionally arousing) news was heard. The phenomenon where people remember more information if it is presented in small, spaced-out sessions over a longer period of time. The tendency for individuals to favor information that confirms their preconceptions or hypotheses, disregarding or minimizing contradictory evidence. A cognitive bias that describes the systematic errors made when people evaluate or try to find reasons for their own and others' behaviors. None 4. MCAT Psy: Psychology According to Maslow's hierarchy of needs, which level must be fulfilled before an individual can achieve esteem needs? Physiological needs Safety needs Love and belonging needs Self-actualization needs None 5. MCAT Psy: Psychology Which neurotransmitter is primarily involved in the brain's reward and pleasure centers, and is also linked to addiction? Acetylcholine GABA Dopamine Serotonin None 6. MCAT Psy: Psychology In the context of operant conditioning, what is the term for removing an unpleasant stimulus to increase the likelihood of a behavior being repeated? Positive reinforcement Negative reinforcement Positive punishment Negative punishment None 7. MCAT Psy: Psychology What term is used to describe the improvement in group performance on tasks that are simple or well-practiced as a result of the presence of others? Social facilitation Social inhibition Conformity Compliance None 8. MCAT Psy: Psychology Which psychological perspective emphasizes the role of unconscious processes and childhood experiences in shaping behaviors and personality? Behaviorism Cognitive psychology Psychodynamic perspective Humanistic psychology None 9. MCAT Psy: Psychology Which theory of emotion would suggest that physiological arousal and the emotional experience occur simultaneously? James-Lange Theory Cannon-Bard Theory Schachter-Singer Theory Lazarus Theory None 10. MCAT Psy: Psychology The "Bystander Effect" is less likely to occur in which of the following situations? When the incident occurs in a crowded area When the incident is ambiguous When the bystanders are in a hurry When there is a clear need for help and few bystanders None 11. MCAT Psy: Psychology Which principle explains the tendency for people to remember the first and last items in a series better than the middle items? Serial position effect Recency effect Primacy effect Chunking None 12. MCAT Psy: Psychology Which phenomenon describes when individuals attribute their successes to internal factors and their failures to external factors? Fundamental attribution error Self-serving bias Confirmation bias Actor-observer bias None 13. MCAT Psy: Psychology What term is used to describe a mental state where an individual is unable to reconcile new information with existing beliefs, leading to discomfort? Cognitive dissonance Confirmation bias Cognitive assimilation Cognitive accommodation None 14. MCAT Psy: Psychology In the context of social psychology, which concept refers to the adjustment of one's behaviors, attitudes, or beliefs to align with those of a group, due to real or imagined pressure? Compliance Conformity Obedience Persuasion None 15. MCAT Psy: Psychology Which type of memory is responsible for the ability to perform tasks without conscious thought, such as riding a bicycle? Procedural memory Episodic memory Semantic memory Working memory None 16. MCAT Psy: Psychology What is the psychological term for the improvement of performance on simple or well-learned tasks in the presence of others? Social facilitation Social loafing Group polarization Groupthink None 17. MCAT Psy: Psychology Which concept in psychology describes the phenomenon where exposure to a stimulus influences a response to a subsequent stimulus, without conscious guidance or intention? Priming Habituation Sensitization Conditioning None 18. MCAT Psy: Psychology According to Erikson's stages of psychosocial development, what is the central issue faced during adolescence? Integrity vs. Despair Identity vs. Role Confusion Initiative vs. Guilt Industry vs. Inferiority None 19. MCAT Psy: Psychology Which theory suggests that the mere presence of a weapon in a social interaction can intensify aggressive thoughts and feelings, leading to increased aggression? Social learning theory Cognitive dissonance theory Weapon focus effect Weapons effect None 20. MCAT Psy: Psychology In the context of attribution theory, what term describes the tendency for observers to attribute other people's behavior to internal or dispositional factors and underestimate the influence of situational factors? Actor-observer bias Self-serving bias Fundamental attribution error Halo effect None 21. MCAT Psy: Psychology Which psychological model proposes that people are motivated to engage in behaviors based on their beliefs about health, perceived threat of illness, and the perceived benefits versus barriers to action? Maslow's hierarchy of needs Health Belief Model Biopsychosocial model Cognitive dissonance theory None 22. MCAT Psy: Psychology In the context of memory, what is the term for the phenomenon where information learned earlier interferes with the ability to recall information learned later? Retroactive interference Proactive interference Anterograde amnesia Retrograde amnesia None 23. MCAT Psy: Psychology Which theory of emotion posits that physiological arousal and the cognitive interpretation of that arousal produce the experience of emotion? James-Lange Theory Cannon-Bard Theory Schachter-Singer Theory Lazarus Theory None 24. MCAT Psy: Psychology What concept in social psychology refers to the adjustment of one's behavior or thinking to coincide with a group standard as a result of real or imagined group pressure? Normative social influence Informational social influence Social facilitation Social loafing None 25. MCAT Psy: Psychology Which type of schema involves a set of beliefs and expectations about a particular social group that can affect perception and behavior? Role schema Person schema Self-schema Stereotype None 26. MCAT Psy: Psychology What is the psychological term for the study of how people think about, influence, and relate to one another in social contexts? Social cognition Cognitive psychology Behavioral psychology Personality psychology None 27. MCAT Psy: Psychology Which concept refers to an individual's consistent pattern of thought, feeling, and behavior, which is unique to each person and remains relatively stable over time? Personality Temperament Character Attitude None 28. MCAT Psy: Psychology In the realm of observational learning, what term is used to describe the process of watching others and then imitating their behavior? Classical conditioning Operant conditioning Modeling Habituation None 29. MCAT Psy: Psychology What term is used to describe a widespread cultural belief that one's society, culture, or country is superior to all others? Ethnocentrism Cultural relativism Xenophobia Nationalism None 30. MCAT Psy: Psychology Which memory system has a virtually unlimited capacity and can store information for potentially a lifetime? Sensory memory Short-term memory Working memory Long-term memory None 31. MCAT Psy: Psychology Which term describes the phenomenon where people tend to comply more readily with a large request after having agreed to a small request? Foot-in-the-door technique Door-in-the-face technique Low-ball technique That's-not-all technique None 32. MCAT Psy: Psychology In psychological research, what term is used to describe a detailed analysis of a single individual, group, event, or situation? Case study Survey Experiment Observation None 33. MCAT Psy: Psychology Which of the following best describes "group polarization"? The tendency for a group's prevailing attitudes to become stronger and more extreme following group discussions The tendency of individuals to perform tasks better in the presence of others The process by which individual effort decreases when group size increases The adoption of group norms by engaging with a group None 34. MCAT Psy: Psychology Which term is used in psychology to describe the discrepancy between one's private beliefs and public behavior in order to avoid social rejection? Cognitive dissonance Public compliance Social identity Conformity None 35. MCAT Psy: Psychology What psychological construct refers to the belief in one's capabilities to organize and execute the courses of action required to manage prospective situations? Self-efficacy Locus of control Self-actualization Self-esteem None 36. MCAT Psy: Psychology What is the term for the systematic error of inappropriately applying human attributes to non-human entities or objects? Anthropomorphism Personification Anthropocentrism Animism None 37. MCAT Psy: Psychology Which of the following best defines "deindividuation"? The reduction in self-awareness and sense of individuality when individuals are part of a group The increase in aggressive behavior towards an out-group The enhancement of a group's prevailing attitudes through discussion within the group The process by which individuals adopt the behaviors and beliefs of the group they have joined None 38. MCAT Psy: Psychology In the context of memory, what is the effect called when current emotions influence how events are remembered? Mood-congruent memory State-dependent memory Emotional memory enhancement Flashbulb memory None 39. MCAT Psy: Psychology What psychological principle explains the observation that people are more likely to remember unusual or distinctive information compared to common information? The von Restorff effect The serial position effect The primacy effect The recency effect None 40. MCAT Psy: Psychology What term is used to describe a form of social influence where an individual performs an action under the direct authority of another person, typically disregarding personal conscience? Conformity Compliance Obedience Persuasion None 1 out of 40 Time is Up! Time's up