Answers and Explanations

Discrete Practice Questions

1. D
   Jean Piaget hypothesized that new information is processed by adaptation, (B). Adaptation is too broad of an answer because it includes both assimilation, (A), and accommodation, (D). Assimilation is incorporation of new information into existing schemata. If the new information doesn’t fit, then accommodation occurs. Accommodation is the modification of existing schemata to account for new information and is thus the correct answer.
2. C
   The sensorimotor, preoperational, and concrete operational stages occur prior to adolescence. The formal operational stage generally coincides with adolescence.
3. C
   The base rate fallacy occurs when prototypical or stereotypical factors are used for analysis rather than actual data. Because the student is volunteering in a hospital with a stroke center, he sees more patients who have experienced a stroke than would be expected in a hospital without a stroke center. Thus, this experience changes his perception and results in base rate fallacy. Deductive reasoning, (A), refers to drawing conclusions by integrating different pieces of evidence. The representativeness heuristic, (B), involves categorization and classification based on how well an individual example fits its category. Confirmation bias, (D), occurs when a person only seeks information that reinforces his or her opinions.
4. A
   Fluid intelligence consists of problem-solving skills and is not one of Gardner’s seven multiple intelligences. Gardner’s theory lists linguistic, logical–mathematical, musical, visual–spatial, bodily–kinesthetic, interpersonal, and intrapersonal intelligences.
5. A
   EEG during REM is composed mainly of beta waves, which are present during alertness. SWS, (B), consists mainly of delta waves, which are not typically present during REM sleep. Stage 1 sleep, (C), consists mainly of theta waves. Meditation, (D), is quieting of the mind, and consists mainly of slow alpha and theta waves.
6. B
   Early in the evening, sleep cycles include deepening of sleep (Stages 1–2–3–4), followed either by lightening of sleep (Stages 4–3–2) and then REM, or just directly moving from Stage 4 into REM. Later in the evening, the cycle may be shortened as slow-wave sleep becomes less common.
7. C
   As light diminishes throughout the day, the pineal gland increases secretion of melatonin, resulting in sleepiness. Cortisol levels, (A), increase throughout the early morning, resulting in wakefulness. Growth hormone secretion, (B), peaks during slow-wave sleep. Oxytocin, (D), is associated with uterine contractions in childbirth, milk letdown, and bonding behavior.
8. C
   Cognitive theorists proposed in the cognitive process dream theory that wakeful and dreaming states use the same mental systems within the brain, particularly stream-of-consciousness. The activation–synthesis theory, (A), states that dreams are caused by widespread, random activation of neural circuitry. The problem solving dream model, (B), indicates that dreams are used to solve problems while sleeping due to untethering of dreams from obstacles perceived while awake. The neurocognitive theorists, (D), seek to unify cognitive and biological perspectives by correlating the subjective dream experience with the physiological experience of dreaming.
9. D
   The description of the student matches the clinical features of marijuana (cannabis) use: hunger (presumably, based on his loot), redness of the eyes, dry mouth, and euphoria. Marijuana may also cause an increased heart rate, short-term memory loss, paranoia, and—in high doses—hallucinations. Tetrahydrocannabinol is the primary active substance in marijuana.
10. C
    Syntax refers to how words are put together to form sentences and create meaning. Phonology, (A), refers to the actual sounds of a language. Semantics, (B), refers to the association of meaning with a word. Pragmatics, (D), refers to changes in usage, wording, and inflection based on context.
11. C
    A child who speaks in three-word sentences but has not yet mastered most of the fundamental rules of language, including past tense, is likely to be between two and three years old.
12. B
    Learning theory, largely based on the work of B. F. Skinner, states that parents reinforce phonemes that sound most like their language, resulting in preferential preservation of these phonemes. Nativist theory, (A), posits a critical period during which language acquisition occurs. Social interactionist theory, (C), indicates that language develops via interaction with parents and caregivers as well as a desire of the child to communicate. Neurocognitive theory, (D), is concerned with the subjective experience of dreaming and the physiology of dreaming.
13. A
    Broca’s area governs the motor function of language. A stroke that affects Broca’s area will leave receptive language intact, but word formation will be affected. A stroke affecting Wernicke’s area, (B), will make it so the individual is unable to comprehend speech. A stroke affecting the arcuate fasciculus, (C), will result in an inability to repeat words heard but spontaneous language production is intact. The superior temporal gyrus, (D), is where Wernicke’s area is located.
14. C
    The patient and her parents are describing cataplexy (a sudden loss of muscle tone and intrusion of REM sleep during waking hours, usually in response to a startling or emotional trigger) and sleep paralysis (an inability to move despite being awake, usually when waking up in the morning). These symptoms are highly suggestive of narcolepsy; in fact, some consider cataplexy to be pathognomonic for (absolutely indicative of) the disorder.
15. D
    About 75% of dreaming occurs during REM, but dreams occur in all other stages of sleep as well. More bizarre dreams are likely to occur during REM.