AAMC Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of
Behavior || Questions and 100% Accurate Answers.
In helping to explain the results of the study, which other concept would be most similar to a
homophilous social network?
A. Reference group
B. Secondary group
C. Out-group
D. Social group correct answers A. Reference group. A reference group is a group of people we
use to evaluate our own behavior.
Which concept is most relevant for explaining the relationship between social resources and
birth-weight outcomes that was found in the first study in the passage?
A. Poverty
B. Heredity
C. Social networks
D. Socialization
Passage: Low birth weight is a risk factor associated with less favorable health and
developmental outcomes later in childhood and adolescence. In the United States, low birth
weight is disproportionately prevalent among racial and ethnic minority groups and has been
linked to specific environmental and social characteristics of neighborhoods.
Using data from approximately 100,000 live births in Chicago, a study found low birth weight to
be related to the presence of environmental stressors, such as high violent crime rates, and to a
scarcity of social resources, such as limited reciprocal exchange among neighbors. In addition to
these neighborhood characteristics, the investigators discovered a correct answers C. Social
network. The passage describes the concept of reciprocal exchange is a social resource. This is a
social network process. I originally put poverty, but these people were never described as having
lack of material resources, more a lack of social resources.
The tendency of doctors to use a physician-centered communication style more often with Black
patients is an example of:
A. prejudice.
B. stereotyping.
C. discrimination.
D. ethnocentrism. correct answers C. discrimination. The doctor is changing their behavior based
directly on the ethnicity of the patient. Prejudice is incorrect because prejudice is an attitude not
a behavior. Stereotypes is cognition regarding groups, not behavior.
,Another researcher reviews the study described in the passage and suggests that the medical
mistrust experienced by Black men can be explained, in part, by the concept of institutional
discrimination. Which statement best describes that concept?
A. Discrimination is not systematic, except when observed within institutions.
B. If they have a history of unfair treatment, institutions are labeled as discriminatory.
C. When several individuals exhibit prejudiced attitudes within an institution, then that
institution will also be discriminatory.
D. As opposed to discriminatory acts committed by individuals, there are institutional policies
that disadvantage certain groups and favor others. correct answers D. This is the best option
because it clearly defines the difference between institutional discrimination and individual
discrimination.
What is retrograde memory? correct answers Memory of events before a certain time, such as
before a brain injury.
What is anterograde memory? correct answers ability to form long-term memories after brain
injury.
What is semantic memory? correct answers facts and general knowledge
What is the role of Wernicke's area? correct answers language comprehension and speech
processing
What is the role of the reticular activating system? correct answers involved in controlling
alertness
While Person A was in a coma, researchers considered stimulating her brain to bring her out of
the comatose state. The researchers would most likely have stimulated the:
A. Wernicke's area.
B. parietal lobes.
C. reticular activating system.
D. somatosensory cortex. correct answers C. reticular activating system. This brain area is
directly involved in controlling alertness.
A team of researchers wanted to test whether the James-Lange theory of emotional arousal could
explain subjects' physical and emotional experiences while they viewed clips from a horror film.
Which of the following scenarios is most consistent with the James-Lange theory?
A. The participants felt general excitement and simultaneously experienced physical symptoms
of autonomic arousal, such as a racing heart.
B. The participants experienced physical symptoms of autonomic arousal, such as a racing heart,
and then they reported that they felt afraid.
C. The participants felt fear, and then began to experience physical symptoms of autonomic
arousal, such as a racing heart.
,D. The participants showed physical symptoms of autonomic arousal, such as a racing heart, and
then they reported that they felt general excitement. correct answers B is correct. According to
the James-Lange theory, physiological arousal precedes the identification of emotion. An
individual first experiences the physiological symptoms of a given emotion and then labels this
emotion. (A states cannon bard theory)
A teacher rewards his students by distributing plastic chips. Students receive a chip for each
instance of desirable behavior. At the end of each month, they can exchange their chips for
prizes. The teacher sees major decreases in undesirable behaviors as a result of this system,
which is known as:
A. aversive conditioning.
B. operant extinction.
C. a token economy.
D. an unconditioned stimulus. correct answers C is correct. Rewarding individuals with
secondary reinforcers that can be exchanged for appetitive stimuli is typical of a token economy.
The finding in the last paragraph regarding the retrieval of related words (not words that were
ever read) supports:
A.spreading activation.
B.depth of processing.
C.the serial position effect.
D.the existence of visuospatial sketchpad. correct answers The correct answer is option A. False
memories of words that are semantically or associatively related to studied words is consistent
with spreading activation, which suggests that when a concept is activated, the activation spreads
to related concepts.
What is depth of processing? correct answers Depth of processing refers to the type of attention
applied to words during encoding.
Which conclusion can be drawn from Figure 2 based on the recall pattern of participants without
memory impairments? (Figure shows clear primacy and recency effect in memory patterns)
A.Short term memory is the activated part of sensory memory.
B.Short term memory is the activated part of long term memory.
C.Short term memory and long term memory are uniform and function similarly.
D.Short term memory and long term memory represent separate memory systems. correct
answers The correct answer is D. Because there is a clear separation between the primacy and
recency effects in Figure 2, these data support the dissociability of long term memory and short
term memory, the idea that STM and LTM are separate systems.
Is proactive interference expected in Alzheimer patients for the word list used in the study?
A.Yes, because their memory is weaker than all other groups, making them most vulnerable to
proactive interference
, B.Yes, because their working memory appears to be functioning, and that is where proactive
interference takes place
C.No, because proactive interference requires information, previously stored in long term
memory, which can impede the learning of new information
D.No, because proactive interference requires an intact temporal cortex, and Alzheimer patients
have damage to the temporal cortex correct answers The correct answer is C. Proactive
interference involves the interference of information from long term memory with new
information. Figure 2 suggests that Alzheimer patients are unable to commit information to long
term memory, which makes proactive interference unlikely for this population.
What is proactive interference? correct answers the disruptive effect of prior learning on the
recall of new information
What is meritocracy? correct answers government or the holding of power by people selected on
the basis of their ability.
Wat is social reproduction? correct answers As recounted in the passage, the stories of Alice and
Bill do not represent social reproduction, which refers to the perpetuation of inequalities through
social institutions (such as education or the economy).
The finding that incidence rates cut across demographic groups contradicts the perception that
child maltreatment is subject to:
A.social reproduction.
B.institutional discrimination.
C.social stratification.
D.cultural relativism. correct answers Social stratification refers to the objective hierarchy in a
society, and often more specifically addresses the class-based hierarchy. Based on the passage,
the assumption that child maltreatment is stratified is not supported by the finding of incidence
rates cutting across demographic groups. Thus, C is correct.
What is confirmation bias? correct answers Confirmation bias is the tendency to favor
information that confirms existing beliefs. It can involve biases in the search for evidence and in
the interpretation of evidence. Confirmation bias has also been found to be stronger for
emotionally charged topics.
From the perspective of conflict theory, which pair of factors would be assumed to have the
greatest impact on patients' relationships with their doctors?
A.Norms and rituals
B.Power and status
C.Aggression and attachment
D.Conformity and assimilation correct answers The conflict theory perspective emphasizes
social relations of capital, power, and status as the driving forces in society. Thus, option B is
correct.
