ATI RN
Psychology 2301 Exam 1
1. Neural plasticity is ________.
- A. the process by which neurotransmitters are broken down in the brain.
- B. the flexibility of the brain—existing neural circuits can change or new ones can be made.
- C. strong evidence of brain damage, leading to the development of a mental disorder.
- D. the best indicator of temperament and its effect on the personality development of a child.
Correct answer: B
Rationale: Neural plasticity refers to the brain's flexibility to change existing neural circuits or create new ones. Choice A is incorrect as it describes neurotransmitter breakdown, not neural plasticity. Choice C is incorrect because neural plasticity does not necessarily indicate brain damage leading to mental disorders. Choice D is incorrect because neural plasticity is not specifically related to temperament or personality development in children.
2. What is extinction, and how might it be used in treating a disorder?
- A. Extinction strengthens the conditioned response by continuously pairing the conditioned stimulus with the unconditioned stimulus.
- B. Extinction is the process of eliminating a conditioned response by repeatedly presenting the conditioned stimulus without the unconditioned stimulus.
- C. Extinction is ineffective and is not used in treating disorders.
- D. Extinction is the process of intensifying the conditioned response by pairing the conditioned stimulus with a stronger unconditioned stimulus.
Correct answer: B
Rationale: Extinction is the process of eliminating a conditioned response by repeatedly presenting the conditioned stimulus without the unconditioned stimulus. This process helps in reducing or eliminating undesired behaviors or responses. Choice A is incorrect because extinction weakens the conditioned response by breaking the association between the conditioned stimulus and the unconditioned stimulus. Choice C is incorrect as extinction is a widely used technique in behavioral therapies for treating disorders. Choice D is incorrect as extinction aims to reduce the conditioned response, not intensify it.
3. Which parental style is characterized by warmth, control, and communication?
- A. Authoritarian
- B. Permissive/indulgent
- C. Authoritative
- D. Neglectful/uninvolved
Correct answer: C
Rationale: The correct answer is C, Authoritative. The authoritative parenting style is characterized by a balance of warmth, control, and communication. This style promotes a nurturing environment where parents set clear rules and boundaries while also being responsive to their child's needs. Choice A, Authoritarian, is characterized by strict rules and high control with less warmth and communication. Choice B, Permissive/indulgent, involves high warmth but low control, where rules are not clearly established. Choice D, Neglectful/uninvolved, lacks both warmth and control, with little to no communication or involvement in the child's life.
4. Freud's psychosexual stage that occurs between the ages of 3 and 5 and includes the Oedipal period is the ________ stage.
- A. genital
- B. oral
- C. phallic
- D. latency
Correct answer: C
Rationale: Freud's psychosexual stage that occurs between the ages of 3 and 5, including the Oedipal period, is the phallic stage. During this stage, children experience the Oedipus or Electra complex, where they develop unconscious sexual desires for the opposite-sex parent and see the same-sex parent as a rival. The genital stage (Choice A) is the final stage where mature sexual interests emerge, oral (Choice B) and anal stages precede the phallic stage, and latency (Choice D) is a stage following the phallic stage characterized by a focus on developing social and cognitive skills.
5. The genetic influences that determine behavior may never be fully understood due to ________
- A. the ease of researching to differentiate between the effects of the environment and the effects of genes.
- B. the likelihood that most behaviors are determined by the interaction of many genes and the environment.
- C. the tendency to rely on twin studies in genetic research.
- D. our significant understanding of how genes impact brain chemistry.
Correct answer: B
Rationale: The correct answer is B because most behaviors are influenced by a complex interaction of many genes and the environment. Choice A is incorrect because it states that it is easy to differentiate between the effects of the environment and genes, which is not the case. Choice C is incorrect because although twin studies are commonly used in genetic research, this alone does not hinder the full understanding of genetic influences on behavior. Choice D is incorrect because even though we have some understanding of how genes impact brain chemistry, this does not mean that we fully understand the genetic influences on behavior.
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