Psych Exam 3

Question 1

Burnout

Answer 1

Physical and emotional exhaustion caused by long-term stress and overwork.

Question 2

Challenge

Answer 2

A stressor seen as an opportunity for growth or mastery.

Question 3

Compassion Fatigue

Answer 3

Emotional exhaustion from caring for others in distress.

Question 4

Cortisol

Answer 4

A hormone released during stress that helps regulate energy but harms health if chronically high.

Question 5

Primary Appraisal

Answer 5

The first step in stress evaluation-deciding if something is a threat or challenge.

Question 6

Rational Coping

Answer 6

Facing and solving stressors directly instead of avoiding them.

Question 7

Reframing

Answer 7

Changing your perspective on a stressor to reduce its impact.

Question 8

Repressive Coping

Answer 8

Avoiding thinking about or denying stressful feelings.

Question 9

Secondary Appraisal

Answer 9

Assessing whether you have the resources to handle a stressor.

Question 10

Threat

Answer 10

A stressor viewed as potentially harmful or overwhelming.

Question 11

Stress

Answer 11

The body’s and mind’s response to challenges or threats.

Question 12

How does having control over a stressor change its impact on the stress response and performance?

Answer 12

Having control over a stressor lowers stress and improves performance.

Question 13

How did psychologist Hans Selye describe the response to stress?

Answer 13

Described the body’s stress response as the General Adaptation Syndrome (alarm, resistance, exhaustion)

Question 14

What are the health effects of chronic stress, and how are they related to the physiological responses to short-term stress?

Answer 14

Leads to heart disease, weakened immunity, and cell aging due to prolonged cortisol exposure.

Question 15

How does personality influence an individual’s response to stressors?

Answer 15

Type A personality Is combative, competitive, angry. Type B personality likes collaboration and acceptance. Optimism vs pessimism. Type A copes much better

Question 16

Social Support and Religion

Answer 16

Support networks and faith reduce stress and promote long-term health.

Question 17

Alarm, Resistance, Exhaustion

Answer 17

Alarm - initial response to stress, body releases cortisol and adrenaline, fight or flight. Resistance - body adapts to stressor and tries to maintain normal functioning. Exhaustion - body’s resources are depleted and it can no longer cope w the stressor

Question 18

Accommodation

Answer 18

Changing existing mental schemas to include new information.

Question 19

Assimilation

Answer 19

Fitting new experiences into preexisting schemas.

Question 20

False Belief Test

Answer 20

Measures whether a child understands that others can hold beliefs different from reality.

Question 21

Identity Crisis

Answer 21

A period of uncertainty while developing a sense of self.

Question 22

Joint attention

Answer 22

When two people focus on the same object, showing shared awareness

Question 23

Object Permanence

Answer 23

Knowing that objects exist even when out of sight.

Question 24

Protracted Adolescence

Answer 24

The modern extension of adolescence into early adulthood.

Question 25

Social Referencing

Answer 25

Using others’ emotional cues to guide one’s own behavior.

Question 26

Teratogen

Answer 26

Any harmful substance that can damage a developing fetus.

Question 27

What were Jean Piaget’s developmental stages, and what abilities characterized each stage?

Answer 27

Sensorimotor, pre operational, concrete operational, formal operational stage.

Question 28

Preoperational stage

Answer 28

2-6 years. Child is unaware of subjectivity due to exhibiting egocentrism - lack of understanding that others have different perspectives.

Question 29

Sensorimotor stage

Answer 29

Up to 24 months. Babies learn through their senses. Learn object permanence and start using schemas to understand the world around them

Question 30

Concrete Operational Stage

Answer 30

6 to 11 years. Children can logically think about and manipulate objects and events, but struggle with "what if" and hypothetical situations (abstract). Conservation - ability to understand that a quantity remains the same despite changes in its appearance

Question 31

Formal Operational Stage

Answer 31

11+ years. Can discuss abstract concepts

Question 32

How do psychologists determine what babies understand if they can’t talk?

Answer 32

They use measures like gaze duration and surprise reactions to see what babies notice or expect. If a baby looks longer at an impossible event (ex. ball floating), it shows they understand something about how the world works.

Question 33

What is the Strange Situation Test, and what does each outcome show about attachment?

Answer 33

It measures how babies respond when separated and reunited with their caregiver- secure, avoidant, anxious, or disorganized

Question 34

Secure attachment style

Answer 34

Formed through consistent , responsive caregiving

Question 35

Anxious attachment style

Answer 35

Inconsistent or unavailable caregiving. When caregivers aren't consistent, baby may become anxious or unsure of caregivers reliability

Question 36

Disorganized attachment style

Answer 36

Babies show conflicting behavior because their caregiver is both a source of comfort and fear. Often due to abuse

Question 37

Why are babies born with such underdeveloped brains, relative to other mammals (we discussed two reasons)?

Answer 37

Humans are born early so the baby’s head can fit through the birth canal. It also allows for more brain development through learning after birth.

Question 38

Piaget Morals

Answer 38

Piaget said children move from heteronomous morality, where rules come from authority and breaking them means punishment, to autonomous morality, where rules are seen as agreements that can change based on fairness and intention.

Question 39

Kohlberg Morals

Answer 39

Kohlberg described three levels: preconventional (right and wrong are based on rewards or punishments), conventional (behavior follows social rules and approval), and postconventional (judgments are guided by personal moral principles and justice).

Question 40

What is the relationship between adolescence and risk-taking, and what experiment shows this?

Answer 40

A: Teens take more risks because their reward systems mature faster than their impulse control. The driving simulation with peers nearby demonstrates that risk-taking increases when others are watching.

Question 41

How do cognitive abilities and quality of life change with age and marriage?

Answer 41

Older adults lose processing speed but retain knowledge and emotional skills, focusing more on meaningful relationships. In marriage, happiness dips during midlife but usually rises again later.

Question 42

Study

Answer 42

study the study

Question 43

Factor Analysis

Answer 43

A statistical method that finds clusters of related personality traits.

Question 44

Fixation

Answer 44

Getting stuck in a psychosexual stage due to unresolved conflict.

Question 45

Lake Wobegon Effect

Answer 45

The tendency to overestimate one’s abilities compared to others (ex. above average driver)

Question 46

Locus of Control

Answer 46

The belief that life events are controlled internally or by outside forces.

Question 47

Projection

Answer 47

Attributing one’s unwanted feelings to others (ex. someone who is attracted to a coworker may accuse their coworker of flirting with them)

Question 48

Rationalization

Answer 48

Creating logical excuses for behavior that feels wrong.

Question 49

Reaction Formation

Answer 49

Acting opposite to one’s true feelings.

Question 50

Repertory Grid

Answer 50

A tool made to see how someone compares things in their life and how they think about people or situations.

Question 51

Repression

Answer 51

Unconsciously blocking out painful or unacceptable thoughts.

Question 52

Rorschach Inkblot Test

Answer 52

A projective test where interpretations of inkblots reveal inner thoughts.

Question 53

Self-Actualization

Answer 53

Achieving one’s fullest potential.

Question 54

Self-Concept

Answer 54

A person’s understanding of who they are.

Question 55

Self-Esteem

Answer 55

How positively or negatively one feels about oneself.

Question 56

Self-narrative

Answer 56

The personal story one tells to make sense of their life.

Question 57

Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)

Answer 57

A projective test using storytelling about pictures to reveal motives

Question 58

What are the five traits in the Five Factor Model of personality?

Answer 58

The Big Five are Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism.

Question 59

How do trait-based, psychodynamic, humanistic, and social-cognitive theories differ?

Answer 59

Trait theories describe personality through measurable traits; psychodynamic theory focuses on unconscious conflicts; humanistic theory emphasizes growth and free will; and social-cognitive theory studies interactions between thinking and environment. Trait and psychodynamic approaches rely on tests (like the Five Factor inventory or projective tests) but can oversimplify or lack scientific support.

Question 60

In Freud’s theory, what are the three components of the mind and their functions?

Answer 60

The id seeks pleasure, the superego enforces morals, and the ego balances the two realistically. Together, they shape thoughts, emotions, and behaviors.

Question 61

How can personality differences be measured in the brain or body?

Answer 61

Traits like introversion and neuroticism relate to different brain arousal and reactivity levels. For instance, introverts show higher cortical activity, making them more sensitive to stimulation.

Question 62

What did Alfred Adler say about birth order and personality?

Answer 62

Adler said that your place in the family can shape your personality. He believed the oldest child often becomes responsible and protective, the second child is competitive and wants to catch up, and the youngest child is playful but may depend more on others.