AP Psychology : Subdisciplines and Approaches
Study concepts, example questions & explanations for AP Psychology
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Example Questions
Example Question #1 : Subdisciplines And Approaches
What is the highest step on Maslow's hierarchy of needs?
Need for safety
Physiological needs
Need for self-actualization
Need for love
Need for esteem
Need for self-actualization
Maslow structured his hierarchy of needs in the following order: physiological needs, need for safety, need for love, need for esteem, and then the need for self-actualization. Ideally, people reach this last step in order to completely fulfill their potential.
Example Question #1 : Subdisciplines And Approaches
Which psychologist is most commonly associated with humanistic psychology?
B.F. Skinner
Sigmund Freud
Albert Bandura
Ivan Pavlov
Carl Rogers
Carl Rogers
Carl Rogers pioneered the humanistic psychology movement. Freud was known for the psychoanalytic approach to psychology, Skinner and Pavlov for the behavioral approach, and Bandura for the social learning approach.
Example Question #2 : Subdisciplines And Approaches
Which is not a characteristic of the psychoanalytic approach to psychology?
Internal impulses
The unconscious mind
Dream symbolism
Sigmund Freud
External rewards and punishments
External rewards and punishments
External rewards and punishments are a characteristic of the behavioral approach.
Example Question #3 : Subdisciplines And Approaches
A wife is angry with her husband for not listening to her when, in reality, she is the one who does not listen. Which defense mechanism is she using?
Repression
Denial
Intellectualization
Projection
Reaction formation
Projection
Projection is a defense mechanism in which an individual misattributes his or her negative impulses onto another person. This often occurs when said individual has trouble acknowledging his or her own motivations and feelings.
Example Question #5 : Subdisciplines And Approaches
What is the difference between Freudians and neo-Freudians?
Neo-Fruedians incorporated theories on genetics into Freud's ideas.
Neo-Freudians expanded Freud's theories to include social and cultural ideas.
Neo-Freudians focused on developing a more favorable view of women than Freud had.
There is no difference.
Neo-Freudians rejected Freud's ideas in favor of humanism.
Neo-Freudians expanded Freud's theories to include social and cultural ideas.
Neo-Freudians dissented from Freud only to bring social and cultural ideas into his established theories.
Example Question #6 : Subdisciplines And Approaches
Alfred Adler and Carl Jung are best known as which kind of psychologists?
Cognitive
Neo-Freudian
Humanistic
Psychoanalytic
Behaviorist
Neo-Freudian
Adler and Jung are the best known Neo-Freudians. They accepted the basic tenets of Freud's theories but later dissented from him to develop their own theories.
Example Question #7 : Subdisciplines And Approaches
Which is not one of the Big Five personality traits?
Neuroticism
Extraversion
Conscientiousness
Happiness
Agreeableness
Happiness
Happiness is not one of the Big Five personality traits. The other four choices are, along with openness.
Example Question #8 : Subdisciplines And Approaches
Which of the following is not a fundamental part of Freud's psychoanalytic theory?
Id
Ego
Superid
Superego
Superid
The superid is not a part of Freud's psychological theory.
According to Freud, the id is the unorganized part of personality structure that contains instinctual drives and the source of our needs and wants. The superego is the part of personality structure that reflects proper behavior and morals, often referred to as a "conscience." The ego is the reality principle of our personality stucture and works to balance the wants of the id and superego.
Example Question #9 : Subdisciplines And Approaches
A cognitive psychologist would most likely be interested in which of the following?
Working memory
The sensorimotor stage
Psychodynamic theory
The bystander effect
Anxiety disorders
Working memory
Working memory refers to the "workspace" with which we perform mental operations, such as doing mental math. This concept is most in line with cognitive psychology, as cognition refers to mental operations. While there may be aspects of cognition in each of the other choices, those concepts are more likely to be studied by developmental, social, or abnormal psychologists.
Example Question #10 : Subdisciplines And Approaches
Which of the following corresponds to the subfield of psychologists who want to determine what happens to the brain when people analyze a problem or become emotional?
Social Psychology
Educational Psychology
Clinical Psychology
Developmental Psychology
Biological Psychology
Biological Psychology
The key words in this question concerns "what happens to the brain".
Define the subfields:
Biological analyzes how behaviors and mental processes are shaped by the brain.
Clinical concerns treatment of behavioral and mental disorders among the population.
Developmental examines changes in behavioral and thought processes over time.
Educational is the branch studying learning.
Social examines the relationships between people.
The best answer is biological psychology.
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