Question 1

If a trait has high heritability, __________.

Accepted Answer

A)   its genotype is strong
B)   its phenotype is strong
C)   its variability in the population is largely genetically determined
D)   it cannot be influenced by changes in the environment C

Question 2

Your text reports a study in which male and female college students took a math test. Half the students were told that the test had shown sex differences in the past. The remainder were told the test was fair. This study examined the phenomenon known as __________. The dependent variable was __________.

Accepted Answer

A)   stereotype threat; test performance
B)   stereotype threat; the description of the test
C)   schema priming; test performance
D)   schema priming; the description of the test A

Question 3

Tacit knowledge refers to __________.

Accepted Answer

A)   verbal ability, as assessed by lexical decision tasks
B)   working memory, as assessed by active-span tasks
C)   practical know-how gained from experience
D)   processing speed as assessed by choice reaction time tasks C

Question 4

An organism's genetic blueprint is called its __________.

Accepted Answer

A)   expression
B)   dominant gene
C)   genotype
D)   phenotype

Question 5

Dr. Munakata subscribes to a psychometric view of intelligence. This means that she believes that intelligence may be best understood by __________.

Accepted Answer

A)   examining the correlations among tests of specific abilities
B)   investigating the potential neural basis of mental abilities
C)   studying age-related changes in mental abilities as children develop
D)   determining how specific abilities helped humans adapt and survive in the evolutionary past

Question 6

What is the Flynn effect?

Accepted Answer

A)   the role of genetic inheritance in the development of intelligence
B)   the effects of cultural expectations on intelligence scores
C)   the high correlation between multiple intelligences
D)   the recent worldwide improvement in intelligence scores

Question 7

Simple and choice reaction time are __________ correlated with IQ scores. Raven's Progressive Matrices Scores are __________ correlated with the rate of glucose metabolism.

Accepted Answer

A)   positively; positively
B)   positively; negatively
C)   negatively; positively
D)   negatively; negatively

Question 8

Pierette can retain the many pieces of information required to solve complex, time-consuming problems. In addition, she is able to devote attention to the problem without becoming distracted. Pierette is likely to score well on a measure of __________.

Accepted Answer

A)   inspection time
B)   perseveration
C)   mental speed
D)   working memory capacity

Question 9

Which of the following pieces of evidence is incorrectly tagged with its role in supporting or contradicting Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences?

Accepted Answer

A)   the intercorrelations among the different forms of intelligence-supports
B)   savant syndrome-supports
C)   brain damage-supports
D)   the intuitive distinction between talent and intelligence-contradicts

Question 10

Your friend is designing a study for her honors thesis in psychology. She plans to ask white and African American sixth graders to write periodic affirmation essays about their positive qualities and the things they value. She will track their grades over the course of the school year. Based on your knowledge of stereotype threat research, what effect do you think the essays might have on the grades of the African American students?

Accepted Answer

A)   The essays will produce sizeable improvements in the students' performance, and these gains will persist for a long time.
B)   The essays will produce sizeable improvements in the students' performance, but they will be short-lived.
C)   The essays will produce lasting gains in performance, but the gains will be very modest in size.
D)   The essays will have little or no effect on students' performance.

Question 11

Tim has difficulty directing his attention as he is solving a problem. Uris's working memory capacity appears greatly reduced. The functioning of Tim's __________ lobe may be impaired. Uris is displaying a potential deficit in __________ lobe functioning.

Accepted Answer

A)   frontal; frontal
B)   parietal; parietal
C)   frontal; parietal
D)   parietal; frontal

Question 12

The racial differences in intelligence test performance __________.

Accepted Answer

A)   are fixed and immutable
B)   are probably genetically determined
C)   are probably environmentally determined
D)   should be used to judge individuals

Question 13

Which psychologist is most closely associated with the hierarchical model of intelligence, and why?

Accepted Answer

A)   Gardner; he posited a large number of relatively independent types of intelligence.
B)   Sternberg; he proposed several different types of intelligence.
C)   Binet; he suggested that intelligence is essentially a unitary ability.
D)   Spearman; he proposed that intelligence comprises both general and specific abilities.

Question 14

Ms. Fiore, an eighth-grade teacher, is fond of saying, "Failure is merely an opportunity." Ms. Fiore encourages her students to adopt a __________ mind-set.

Accepted Answer

A)   development
B)   fixed
C)   discovery
D)   growth

Question 15

Kiran is from India. John is Native American. Hung-Chu is Taiwanese. The intelligence of each of these students may be underestimated by typical American intelligence tests and testing procedures. Which of the following alternatives INCORRECTLY identifies a reason that a particular student's score may be underestimated?

Accepted Answer

A)   Kiran may be reluctant to guess when they are unsure of the answer.
B)   Hung-Chu may not wish to achieve a score that sets her apart from others.
C)   Hung-Chu may have difficulty making the rapid, decisive responses American tests require.
D)   John may prefer to deliberate, rather than move quickly through the test, as is often necessary on American tests.

Question 16

Your text reviews biological and cultural explanations for the gender difference in performance on math and spatial tasks. Which of the following alternatives best describes the extent to which the two accounts have been supported by research?

Accepted Answer

A)   The biological account has received mixed support. The cultural explanation has received more support.
B)   Both accounts have received mixed support.
C)   The biological account has received substantial support. The cultural explanation has received only mixed support.
D)   The cultural account has been largely replaced by the biological explanation.

Question 17

With regard to the role of the environment in influencing intelligence scores, which of the following statements is FALSE?

Accepted Answer

A)   Spending a longer time in an impoverished environment leads to a lower IQ score.
B)   Spending a longer time in an enriched environment leads to a higher IQ score.
C)   The Flynn effect cannot be explained genetically.
D)   The correlation between brothers' IQ scores does not vary with the separation in age of the brothers.

Question 18

If intelligence is a unitary phenomenon, rather than a diverse collection of specialized abilities, then one might expect __________.

Accepted Answer

A)   a good deal of variability in scores across the different components of an IQ test
B)   little variability in scores across the different components of an IQ test
C)   low average scores on an IQ test
D)   high average scores on average test

Question 19

PFIT theory integrates the contributions of the __________ lobe and the __________ lobe to intelligence.

Accepted Answer

A)   parietal; temporal
B)   occipital; frontal
C)   parietal; frontal
D)   temporal; occipital

Question 20

Rosa is a toddler in Sao Paulo, Brazil. That she is learning language is __________. That she is learning Portuguese is __________.

Accepted Answer

A)   environmental; environmental, too
B)   environmental; genetic
C)   genetic; genetic, too
D)   genetic; environmental

Exam 11: Intelligence