AP Psychology : Individual Psychology and Behavior
Study concepts, example questions & explanations for AP Psychology
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Example Questions
Example Question #21 : Cognition
In school, Tim learned the basics of Spanish grammar; however, after learning this new information, Tim cannot seem to recall the French he learned several months ago. Which of the following could be causing Tim's inability to recall past learning?
Retrieval failure
Decay
Proactive interference
Retroactive interference
Relearning
Retroactive interference
Retroactive interference is when newly learned information causes people to forget old information.
Example Question #22 : Cognition
Thomas has a biochemistry exam as well as a rather difficult physics assignment due tomorrow. He decides to finish the physics assignment first and spend the rest of the night (and possibly the morning) studying for biochemistry. Which of the following is Thomas trying to avoid by prioritizing his school tasks in this particular way?
Misattribution
Proactive interference
None of these
Amnesia
Retroactive interference
Retroactive interference
Thomas decides to finish his physics homework before starting his long night of biochemistry studying because he does not want any of the material from his physics assignment to interfere with the concepts he has to study for his biochemistry exam. In doing so, Thomas avoids retroactive interference, which occurs when learning new information makes it harder to recall something learned earlier. If Thomas had studied biochemistry before doing his physics assignment, then there would be an increased probability that the physics assignment might obscure his knowledge of the biochemistry concepts he had studied beforehand.
Example Question #25 : Memory
What is effortful processing (with regards to encoding memory)?
When we make a conscious effort to remember something.
None of these answers is accurate.
When we are emotionally processing a difficult event.
When we experience cognitive strain in trying to remember something.
When we must make a conscious effort to put something to memory.
When we must make a conscious effort to put something to memory.
Effortful processing occurs when something necessitates our conscious effort and attention to commit something to memory. This most often occurs with complex ideas or tasks and things that do not automatically catch our attention or may not immediately interest us.
Example Question #22 : Cognition
What is an example of the spacing effect?
None of these answers is accurate.
Where things that are farther apart appear to be more similar.
When we remember something more clearly that happened a very long time ago.
When we warp our memories with the passage of time.
When we remember things from disturbed or chopped up study session as opposed to long ones with little breaks.
When we remember things from disturbed or chopped up study session as opposed to long ones with little breaks.
Contrary to popular belief, big "cramming sessions" are not effective ways to remember material. Rather, the spacing effect phenomena demonstrates that studying things in small chunks with measured periods of time in between fosters better memory encoding.
Example Question #31 : Cognition
What is mood-congruent memory?
The tendency not to remember things when we are depressed
The tendency to warp all of our memories according to current positive feelings
None of these answers is accurate.
The tendency to recall memories that are congruent with your current emotional state
The tendency to warp all of our memories according to current negative feelings
The tendency to recall memories that are congruent with your current emotional state
Mood-congruent memory is the tendency to recall memories that are congruent with your current emotional state, often leading to temporarily biased views of the past. For instance, if we are mad at someone, we are more likely to remember negative memories associated with them as opposed to the potentially large amount of positive ones. This has a tendency to reinforce and perpetuate our current emotional states.
Example Question #32 : Cognition
What did Elizabeth Loftus reveal about the nature of memories?
That no one truly remembers anything
That through suggestion and questioning, memories could be easily planted and hence false
All of these answers are accurate.
That memories can be traced to certain parts of the brain
That we have a surprisingly good ability to record memories, almost like cameras
That through suggestion and questioning, memories could be easily planted and hence false
Elizabeth Loftus revealed that many memories could be planted or fabricated by using subtle ways to make people believe they remembered a particular event, such as suggesting, questioning, or making a person doubt themselves by claiming they may have repressed the memory of it.
Example Question #33 : Cognition
What does the context-dependent theory of memory posit?
That certain memories are more accessible in the physical place in which they were experienced
That in certain contexts we will only remember physical details but nothing else
That in certain contexts we are prone to forget certain things
None of these answers is accurate.
That how good your memory is depends on the context in which you were raised
That certain memories are more accessible in the physical place in which they were experienced
The context-dependent theory of memory posits that certain memories are more accessible in the physical place in which they were experienced. That is, they may be harder to access in areas where the memory was not experienced. This is a classic example of going back to a place and having a "rush of memories" coming back to you.
Example Question #34 : Cognition
What is anterograde amnesia?
None of these answers is accurate.
Memory loss for events that occurred later in life
Memory loss for events that transpired following immediately after trauma.
All of these answers are accurate.
Memory loss for events that occurred before the age of three.
Memory loss for events that transpired following immediately after trauma.
Anterograde amnesia is memory loss for events that transpired following immediately after trauma. Retrograde amnesia refers to memory loss for events that preceded the traumatic event.
Example Question #35 : Cognition
Which of the following psychologists is famous for research on false memories?
Wolfgang Köhler
Hermann Ebbinghaus
Noam Chomsky
George A. Miller
Elizabeth Loftus
Elizabeth Loftus
Elizabeth Loftus has had a long and distinguished career studying eyewitness memory and the creation of false memories. In one of her well-known experiments, participants remembered the speed of a car as being faster or slower depending on the wording of the question. In another experiment, she demonstrated that about 25 percent of people could be convinced that they remembered being lost in a mall as a small child, even though this event never actually happened to them.
Example Question #36 : Cognition
After suffering damage to her hippocampus, Pauline can still remember her past perfectly; however, she constantly forgets information she learned only moments earlier. Which of the following diagnoses best identifies Pauline’s condition?
Anterograde amnesia
Retrograde amnesia
Echoic memory
Amnesia
Anterograde amnesia
“Anterograde amnesia” is caused by damage to the hippocampus and results in the inability to create new memories. “Retrograde amnesia” is also caused by damage to the hippocampus, but is characterizes with the inability to remember anything that occurred before a certain time. These individuals can still form new memories. “Amnesia” is too general of term and is incorrect. Last, “echoic memory” is not associated with forgetting information.
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