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Unit 3 Psychology
Practice Exam Question and Answer Booklet

Duration: 15 minutes reading time, 90 minutes writing time

Structure of book:

Section Number of questions Number of questions to Number of marks

be answered
A 45 45 45
B 9 9 35
C 1 1 10
Total 90

 Students are permitted to bring into the examination room: pens, pencils, highlighters, erasers and
rulers.
 Students are not permitted to bring into the examination room: blank sheets of paper and/or white
out liquid/tape.
 No calculator is allowed in this examination.

Materials supplied:
 This question and answer booklet of 17 pages.

Instructions:
 You must complete all questions of the examination.
 Write all your answers in the spaces provided in this booklet.
Unit 3 Psychology Engage Education Foundation

Section A – Multiple-choice questions

Instructions
Answer all questions by circling your choice.
Choose the response that is correct or that best answers the question.
A correct answer scores 1, an incorrect answer scores 0.
Marks will not be deducted for incorrect answers.
No marks will be given if more than one answer is completed for any question.

Questions
Question 1
The convoluted layer or covering of the brain is called the:

A. Corpus callosum
B. Frontal lobe
C. Cerebral cortex
D. Neuronal cover

Question 2
The role of the corpus callosum is to:

A. Allow the hemispheres of the brain to interact with each other

B. Allow the brain to interact with the muscles of the body
C. Allow the body to send sensory information to the brain
D. Protect the brain from damage

Question 3
Bob sustained a significant injury to the left hemisphere of his brain in an accident. How would this most
likely affect his abilities and behaviour?

A. He now has difficulty recognising the faces of people he knows

B. He now has difficulty speaking and writing
C. He now has difficulty detecting emotion in other people’s faces
D. He now has a less active imagination than he did before the accident

Question 4
The primary motor cortex can be found in which lobe of the brain?

A. The Parietal lobe

B. The Frontal lobe
C. The Occipital lobe
D. The Temporal lobe

Question 5
What is the main function of the temporal lobe?

A. Receiving and processing sound

B. Receiving and processing visual information
C. Allowing us to sense the position of our body in space
D. Coordinating the movements of the muscles of the body

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Engage Education Foundation Unit 3 Psychology

Question 6
Jane has had her corpus callosum severed. In an experiment a psychologist shows an apple to her left
eye only, covering her right eye. He then asks Jane to name the object. The most likely outcome of this
experiment is that she:

A. Cannot name the object and does not recognise it

B. Recognises the object, and after a pause of a few seconds can correctly name it as an apple
C. Immediately names the object correctly as an apple
D. Recognises the object, but cannot name it

Question 7
A MRI scan can give accurate information on ________ of the brain

A. The function
B. The structure
C. Neither the function nor the structure
D. Both the function and the structure

Question 8
The Autonomic Nervous System is divided into the:

A. Central and Peripheral Nervous Systems

B. Parasympathetic and Peripheral Nervous Systems
C. Sympathetic and Peripheral Nervous System
D. Sympathetic and Parasympathetic Nervous System

Question 9
Howard is out walking when he sees a snake. His heartbeat increases and his pupils dilate as his
_______ nervous system is activated. However, he then realises the ‘snake’ is only a stick. He calms
down, his heartbeat decreasing and his pupils constricting as his ______ nervous system takes control.

The missing words are:

A. Parasympathetic; somatic
B. Sympathetic; autonomic
C. Autonomic; somatic
D. Sympathetic; parasympathetic

Question 10
Dr Anderson asks twenty of his patients being treated for insomnia to write a record of their experiences
and symptoms. This is an example of:

A. The placebo effect

B. Self report
C. Single blind procedure
D. A biased and unreliable experiment

Question 11
The right hemisphere is most active when:

A. Reading a book
B. Picking up a football with your right hand
C. Critically analysing an experiment
D. Doing a jigsaw puzzle

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Question 12
Janet is walking to her friend’s house, checking the street signs as she walks, while concentrating on the
story her mother is telling her on her mobile phone. This is an example of:

A. Divided attention
B. Selective attention
C. Controlled learning
D. Parallel learning

Question 13
According to Alan Baddeley’s model of working memory, the three subsystems of working memory are:

A. The phonological loop; short term memory and the visuospatial sketchpad
B. Sensory memory; short term memory and long term memory
C. The phonological loop, the central executive and the visuospatial sketchpad
D. Echoic memory, iconic memory and sensory memory

Question 14
Anne has just had a Psychology lesson. According to the forgetting curve, as developed by Ebbinghaus,
if she does no further study to rehearse the information she has learnt, in one week Anne will remember
approximately how much information she learnt during the lesson?

A. 37%
B. 52%
C. 10%
D. 21%

Question 15
John fell off a ladder and hit his head. Since the accident he has been unable to remember the names
and faces of the nurses who attend to him. In fact, he introduces himself to them again and again,
unable to remember that they have met before. John is suffering from what type of amnesia?

A. Partial
B. Anterograde
C. Retrograde
D. Proactive

Question 16
In a healthy person, age will most likely affect memory in what way?

A. Procedural memory will decline

B. Semantic memory will decline, but procedural memory will not
C. Episodic memory will be fairly resistant to decline, while semantic memory will decline to a
greater extent
D. Semantic memory will be fairly resistant to decline, while episodic memory will decline to a
greater extent

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Engage Education Foundation Unit 3 Psychology

Question 17
Dan has just landed in England after a long international flight. During the flight he was unable to sleep at
all due to the crying of a baby who was on board. Because of this, he has not slept for over twenty-four
hours. When he arrives at his hotel, Dan immediately falls asleep. What is his sleep most likely to be
characterised by?

A. He will spend the same amount of time in REM sleep as he usually would, but will sleep for twice
as long as usual
B. He will sleep for exactly the same amount of time as usual and spend the same amount of time
in REM sleep as usual
C. He will not sleep for significantly less or more time than usual, but will spend twice the amount of
time in REM sleep as usual
D. He will wake up many times during his sleep, and therefore will have far less REM sleep than
usual

Question 18
Janice has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. This is most likely caused by:

A. Old age
B. Degeneration of brain tissue due to disuse
C. Changes in neurotransmitter production
D. A blow to head

Question 19
The last type of memory that will be effected by Alzheimer’s disease is usually:

A. Semantic memory
B. Procedural memory
C. Iconic memory
D. Short term memory

Question 20
Stage 4 sleep is characterised by:

A. Mainly theta waves

B. Theta waves and k complexes and sleep spindles
C. More than 50% theta waves, and some delta waves
D. More than 50% delta waves

Question 21
Relatively, the most sensitive form of retrieval is ______ while the least sensitive is _______.

A. Serial recall; free recall

B. Recognition; relearning
C. Cued recall; free recall
D. Relearning; free recall

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Question 22
Jane has only slept for three hours in the past two days. How will this sleep deprivation affect her ability
to perform tasks?

A. Her ability to perform simple tasks will be unaffected, but she will have a greater difficulty
performing complex tasks
B. Her ability to perform both complex and simple tasks will be unaffected
C. She will have a greater difficulty performing both complex and simple tasks
D. Her ability to perform complex tasks will be unaffected, but she will have a greater difficulty
performing simple tasks

Question 23
The function of the autonomic nervous system accounts for:

A. The voluntary movements of the muscles

B. The ability to breathe while asleep
C. The transfer of sensory information from sensory receptors to the brain
D. The ability to recognise threats

Question 24
The aim of chunking is to:

A. Increase the capacity of STM

B. Allow for better encoding
C. Increase the capacity of LTM
D. Increase the duration of STM

Question 25
Fabio is an excellent basketball player. His sister asks him to fill in on her netball team because she thinks
the skills he has in basketball will mean he can also play netball. However, Fabio is a terrible netball
player. He cannot remember the rules and keeps trying to run with the ball. This is an example of:

A. Retroactive interference
B. Retrograde interference
C. Proactive interference
D. Proactive amnesia

Question 26
Where is the somatosensory area located?

A. The parietal lobe

B. The occipital lobe
C. The temporal lobe
D. The frontal lobe

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Engage Education Foundation Unit 3 Psychology

Questions 27 to 29 relate to the following information:

Dr Peterson conducted an experiment to investigate the effect of caffeine on memory. To do this he
divided his sample into two. The first group were given a list of ten Spanish words to memorise, then
asked to recall them ten minutes later. The second group drank a cup of coffee before memorising the
same list of Spanish words, then asked to recall them ten minutes later.

Question 27
The independent variable in this experiment was:

A. Caffeine or no caffeine
B. Amount of words memorised
C. The amount of words that could be recalled
D. Amount of caffeine consumed

Question 28
The dependent variable in this experiment was:

A. The amount of caffeine consumed

B. Improvement of memory
C. The amount of words recalled by the participants
D. The effect of caffeine on memory

Question 29
The experimental research design that was used in this experiment was:

A. Independent groups design

B. Repeated measures design
C. Matched participants design
D. Matched groups design

Question 30
Jeremy hit his head after falling off his bike. When asked by doctors, he was unable to remember what
had happened immediately prior to the accident. This can be explained by:

A. Proactive interference
B. A lack of consolidation
C. Anterograde amnesia
D. Decay theory

Question 31
The memory of how to ride a bike is an example of:

A. Declarative memory
B. Semantic memory
C. Episodic memory
D. Procedural memory

Question 32
The decay theory describes forgetting as occurring because:

A. Physical changes to neurons occur during learning, but do not consolidate

B. The chemical trace a new memory forms fades over time when used too often
C. The chemical trace a new memory forms fades over time through disuse
D. As a person grows older, their ability to retrieve memories becomes impaired

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Question 33
The phenomenon known as ‘tip of the tongue’ can best be explained by:

A. Memories decay over time

B. The right cue being unavailable
C. Incomplete encoding of the information
D. A lack of concentration

Question 34
At her high school reunion, Janice was embarrassed in front of a large crowd. Now, whenever she
remembers this traumatic experience she deliberately blocks the memory by thinking of something else.
This is an example of:

A. Consolidation theory
B. Repression
C. Interference
D. Suppression

Question 35
Iconic memory has a duration of approximately:

A. 0.1 seconds
B. 0.3 - 0.4 seconds
C. 1-1.5 seconds
D. 3-4 seconds

Question 36
Echoic memory has a duration of approximately:

A. 0.1 seconds
B. 0.3 - 0.4 seconds
C. 1-1.5 seconds
D. 3-4 seconds

Question 37
What is a disadvantage of the use of brain stimulation to examine the function of the brain?

A. It is extremely painful to the patient

B. Patients are most likely to be permanently impaired as a result
C. It is an extremely invasive technique
D. The doctors cannot be certain about what areas of the brain are controlling specific functions

Question 38
Delta waves are characterised by:

A. High frequency and high amplitude

B. Low frequency and high amplitude
C. High frequency and low amplitude
D. Low frequency and low amplitude

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Engage Education Foundation Unit 3 Psychology

Question 39
Which of the following is true about an average night’s sleep for a healthy adult?

A. Deeper sleep occurs earlier in the sleep cycle

B. Dreams are more frequent early in the sleep cycle
C. Periods of REM sleep occur, on average, every 30 minutes
D. No dreams occur in NREM sleep

Question 40
Damage to the hippocampus can result in:

A. Retrograde amnesia
B. Anterograde amnesia
C. Death
D. Paralysation

Question 41
After suffering a stroke, the right side of Malcolm’s body has become paralysed. The location of the
stroke is therefore the:

A. Right frontal lobe

B. Left parietal lobe
C. Left frontal lobe
D. Right frontal lobe

Question 42
When conducting an experiment, Dr Hanson uses a single blind procedure. This is intended to prevent
what extraneous variable?

A. The order effect

B. Experimenter bias
C. The placebo effect
D. Prior knowledge of the participants

Question 43
After being allocated, a group of participants who are not exposed to the independent variable are
known as:

A. The experimental group

B. The control group
C. The dependent group
D. The independent group

Question 44
An advantage of a matched-participants design is that:

A. All extraneous variables are eliminated

B. Most extraneous variables in relation to the characteristics of participants are eliminated
C. The placebo effect is eliminated
D. Experimenter bias is eliminated

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Question 45
When performing experiments, Dr Fredericks always ensures participants who do not speak English very
well have an interpreter provided. Dr Fredericks is adhering to the ethical principle of:

A. Justice
B. Informed consent
C. Beneficence
D. Respect for persons

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Engage Education Foundation Unit 3 Psychology

Section B – Short-answer questions

Instructions
Answer all questions in the spaces provided.
Questions
Question 1
Identify and explain one physiological characteristic that could distinguish an altered state of
consciousness from normal waking consciousness.

1 mark

Question 2
Identify and explain one psychological characteristic that could distinguish an altered state of
consciousness from normal waking consciousness.

1 mark

Question 3
What is the function of the electro-oculargram (EOG) when measuring states of consciousness?

1 mark

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Question 4
Identify and describe the brainwaves that distinguish each of the four stages of NREM sleep. In your
answer refer to the features which make each stage of sleep unique from each other in terms of
brainwave activity.

4 marks

Question 5
How are patients diagnosed with Broca’s aphasia impaired? With reference to the role of Broca’s area,
why are sufferers affected in this way?

2 marks

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Engage Education Foundation Unit 3 Psychology

Question 6
Elsie is in hospital after a serious fall in which she hit her head. Doctors tell Elsie they wish to perform a
PET scan on her to establish whether she suffered any brain damage in the fall.

a. How is a PET scan performed?

3 marks

b. Identify one advantage and one disadvantage of using a PET scan on Elsie.

2 marks

c. Identify and briefly describe an alternative brain recording and imaging technique that could be used
on Elsie to investigate the function of her brain

2 marks

Question 7
Complete the following table, identifying the capacity and duration of the three memory stores as
identified in Atkinson-Shiffrin’s multi-store model of memory:

Capacity Duration
Sensory memory

Short term memory

Long term memory

6 marks

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Question 8
What is the difference between maintenance and elaborative rehearsal? In your answer, explain which
method of rehearsal leads to better retention of learned information and why this is so.

3 marks

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Engage Education Foundation Unit 3 Psychology

Question 9
A psychology teacher, Mr Brown, wished to perform an experiment on students in his class of Year 12
Psychology students. He told the students that if they participated they would gain extra marks on an
upcoming assessment. The participants gave verbal consent to participate in the experiment. Mr Brown
told them they could not withdraw once they had agreed to participate as this would skew the results of
the experiment.

The class was divided into two groups by being drawn out of a hat. The first group, Group A, had twenty
words read out loud to them by Mr Brown, and then were immediately instructed to write down as many
words as they could remember from the list. The second group, Group B, was read the same list of
twenty words, then told to recite the seven times table. Only then were they permitted to write down as
many words as they could remember from the list.

The two groups then switched tasks. Group A had a different set of twenty words read out to them, then
had to recite the seven times tables before writing down as many as they could remember. Group B was
read the same new set of twenty words, and was instructed to write down all the words they could
remember immediately after their teacher stopped reading the list.

Mr Brown set a level of significance at 0.05. He calculated the p value to be 0.04

a. With reference to the serial position effect, what is the most likely outcome of this experiment and
why would this have occurred?

3 marks

b. Were the two groups randomly allocated? Why or why not?

1 mark

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Unit 3 Psychology Engage Education Foundation

c. Identify the experimental research design used in this experiment.

1 mark

d. What is a possible extraneous variable that could result from the use of this experimental research
design, and what is one way to eliminate it?

2 mark

e. Can the results of this experiment be generalised? Why or why not?

1 mark

f. What does the test of statistical significance tell us about the results of the experiment?

1 mark

g. Identify one ethical principle that has been breached in this experiment and explain how it has been
breached.

1 mark

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Engage Education Foundation Unit 3 Psychology

Section C – Extended response questions

Instructions
Answer the question in 200-300 words in the space provided.

Question
Vince is in his Psychology exam. He looks up at the clock and sees there is five minutes to go.

Describe and explain the ways in which the different lobes in Vince’s brain are working separately and
together as he finishes his exam. In your answer, also refer to the interaction between the hemispheres of
the brain.

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10 marks

End of Booklet

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