AP Psychology Unit 3 Practice Test & Exam | 12 Questions

1. [Skill: 1A | Topic: 3.4] A preschool teacher reports the following observations about Maya, who is 4 years old: - Maya frequently uses a banana as a “phone” during pretend play. - When shown two identical, equal-sized balls of clay, Maya agrees they have the same amount. - After the teacher rolls one ball into a long “snake” shape, Maya says the snake has “more clay” because it looks longer. Which of the following best explains Maya’s thinking using Piaget’s theory of cognitive development?

(A)Maya is in the sensorimotor stage and has not yet developed object permanence.(B)Maya is in the preoperational stage and demonstrates symbolic thought but lacks conservation.(C)Maya is in the concrete operational stage and can use logical operations to understand conservation tasks.(D)Maya is in the formal operational stage and can reason abstractly about hypothetical transformations.

2. [Skill: 3A | Topic: 3.4] A psychologist administers two different cognitive tests to three age groups. Test V measures vocabulary knowledge. Test P measures rapid pattern reasoning with novel shapes. Average scores (higher = better): - Age 25: Test V = 72, Test P = 88 - Age 45: Test V = 76, Test P = 82 - Age 65: Test V = 75, Test P = 70 Based on typical changes in adult cognition, which conclusion is most consistent with the results?

(A)Test V likely reflects fluid intelligence, which tends to remain stable with age.(B)Test P likely reflects crystallized intelligence, which tends to decline with age.(C)Test V likely reflects crystallized intelligence, which tends to remain relatively stable with age.(D)Both Test V and Test P likely reflect crystallized intelligence because both involve learned information.

3. [Skill: 1A | Topic: 3.5] A developmental psychologist uses a classic language task with toddlers. The researcher shows a picture of one bird and says, “This is a wug.” Then the researcher shows a picture of two birds and asks, “Now there are two. There are two ___.” Many toddlers respond, “wugs.” Which of the following best explains what the toddlers’ responses demonstrate about language?

(A)Language is a shared system of arbitrary, rule-governed symbols that can be used generatively to create new utterances.(B)Language development depends primarily on learning fixed phrases through imitation and reinforcement.(C)Language is mainly the ability to understand meaning (semantics) rather than to apply rules for word formation.(D)Language development occurs when infants begin producing telegraphic speech that omits function words.

4. [Skill: 1A | Topic: 3.5] A parent keeps a log of their child’s vocalizations: • 4 months: produces extended vowel sounds such as “oooh” and “aaah” when content • 10 months: repeatedly produces syllables such as “ba-ba-ba” and “da-da-da” • 14 months: says “milk” to request a drink • 24 months: says “want milk” and “more cookie” Which sequence correctly matches these observations to the typical stages of language development?

(A)Cooing → Babbling → One-word stage → Telegraphic speech(B)Babbling → Cooing → One-word stage → Telegraphic speech(C)Cooing → One-word stage → Babbling → Telegraphic speech(D)Cooing → Babbling → Telegraphic speech → One-word stage

5. **1. [Skill: 2A | Topic: 3.6]** A researcher is studying 9-year-old Maya’s social-emotional development using Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory. Maya’s caregiver recently lost access to employer-provided childcare because the caregiver’s workplace changed its benefits policy. As a result, Maya now spends afternoons with an older neighbor, and Maya has become more withdrawn at school. Which part of the ecological system is BEST illustrated by the workplace policy change affecting Maya’s development?

(A)Microsystem, because the policy directly changes Maya’s day-to-day interactions with her caregiver(B)Mesosystem, because the policy describes connections among Maya’s immediate settings (home and school)(C)Exosystem, because the policy is an external setting that affects Maya indirectly through the caregiver(D)Macrosystem, because the policy represents broad cultural values about what children need to develop

6. **2. [Skill: 2A | Topic: 3.6]** A school psychologist interviews 16-year-old Devin, who says, “When I walk into the cafeteria, it feels like everyone is staring at me and judging what I’m wearing. Also, I know adults worry about risky driving, but I’m different—nothing bad would happen to me.” Which pair of concepts BEST explains Devin’s statements?

(A)Separation anxiety and secure attachment(B)Imaginary audience and personal fable(C)Identity diffusion and identity foreclosure(D)Authoritarian parenting and permissive parenting

7. [Skill: 1A | Topic: 3.7] A researcher is studying classical conditioning in rabbits using a tone and a mild puff of air to the eye. The air puff reliably causes the rabbit to blink. The researcher randomly assigns rabbits to one of four procedures during training: - Group 1: Tone begins 0.5 seconds before the air puff and overlaps with it. - Group 2: Tone and air puff begin at the exact same time. - Group 3: Air puff occurs first; the tone begins immediately after the air puff ends. - Group 4: Tone occurs alone (no air puff is ever delivered). After several trials, the researcher tests whether the tone alone elicits a blink. Which group is most likely to show the strongest conditioned response (blink) to the tone during the test?

(A)Group 1(B)Group 2(C)Group 3(D)Group 4

8. [Skill: 1A | Topic: 3.7] A student eats a seafood dish for the first time and later that night develops intense nausea from a stomach virus. After recovering, the student feels nauseated when smelling seafood and begins avoiding not only the original dish but also other fish-based foods. Which option best explains the student’s avoidance behavior?

(A)The student developed a taste aversion through one-trial learning, and the nausea response generalized to similar stimuli (other seafood smells/tastes).(B)The student habituated to the smell of seafood, leading to a reduced nausea response over repeated exposures.(C)The student’s nausea is an unconditioned response that can occur only when the stomach virus (unconditioned stimulus) is present.(D)The student’s avoidance is best explained by higher-order conditioning in which the stomach virus becomes a conditioned stimulus for nausea.

Refer to the figure below.

9. 1. [Skill: 3A | Topic: 3.8] A researcher trains four rats to press a lever for a food pellet. Each rat is placed on a different reinforcement schedule. The researcher records each rat’s responding using cumulative response records (steeper slope = faster response rate; horizontal segments = pauses). Which cumulative record is MOST consistent with a variable-ratio (VR) schedule of reinforcement? [Image Cue]: Four-panel cumulative response record graph titled "Cumulative Records by Schedule". X-axis: Time (minutes). Y-axis: Cumulative Lever Presses. Panel 1: overall moderate, steady slope with small irregularities and no long pauses. Panel 2: "scalloped" pattern—repeating cycles of pause followed by accelerating responses. Panel 3: very steep, steady slope with little to no pausing. Panel 4: high response rate with clear post-reinforcement pauses (brief flat segments) followed by rapid responding (break-and-run).

(A)Panel 1(B)Panel 2(C)Panel 3(D)Panel 4

10. 2. [Skill: 2A | Topic: 3.8] A parent wants their child to say “please” when requesting a cookie. At first, the parent gives the child a sticker any time the child makes a polite sound (e.g., “p…”). Over several days, the parent only gives a sticker when the child says “please” clearly, and later only when the child says “please” in a calm voice while making eye contact. After earning 10 stickers, the child can trade them in for 20 minutes of extra tablet time. Which option BEST identifies the learning process and the type of reinforcer the sticker represents?

(A)Shaping using successive approximations; the sticker is a secondary reinforcer.(B)Observational learning; the sticker is a primary reinforcer.(C)Negative reinforcement; the sticker is a primary reinforcer.(D)Positive punishment; the sticker is a secondary reinforcer.

11. [Skill: 1A | Topic: 3.9] A psychologist is studying how children learn aggressive behavior. Forty 6-year-old children are randomly assigned to one of two conditions: Condition 1 (Reward Model): Children watch a short video in which an adult hits an inflatable toy. The adult is then praised and given a prize. Condition 2 (Punished Model): Children watch the same aggressive behavior, but the adult is scolded and made to sit alone. After the video, each child is placed in a room with the same inflatable toy. Children in Condition 1 show significantly more hitting than children in Condition 2. Which of the following best explains the difference between the groups?

(A)Children learned through observational learning (vicarious conditioning) that aggression is rewarded or punished(B)Children demonstrated latent learning because they formed a cognitive map of the room containing the toy(C)Children solved the aggression task through insight learning that occurred without observing others(D)Children showed classical conditioning because the toy became a conditioned stimulus paired with praise

12. [Skill: 2A | Topic: 3.9] A researcher is studying learning in rats using a maze. For 10 days, Group E is allowed to freely explore the maze for 10 minutes per day, but no food reward is present. Group N does not enter the maze during this period. On Day 11, both groups are placed in the maze, and food is placed at the end. Results show: - Group E reaches the food quickly and makes few wrong turns. - Group N takes much longer and makes many wrong turns. Which concept best explains Group E’s rapid improvement on Day 11?

(A)Latent learning, because Group E acquired information about the maze layout without reinforcement and later demonstrated it(B)Vicarious conditioning, because Group E learned by watching another rat receive food(C)Insight learning, because Group E suddenly solved the maze without prior experience in it(D)Classical conditioning, because the maze cues were repeatedly paired with food during Days 1–10

AP Psychology Unit 3: Development and Learning Practice Exam

Exam Details

A. Multiple-Choice Questions (12 Questions)

AP Psychology Unit 3: Development and Learning Practice Exam

Exam Details

A. Multiple-Choice Questions (12 Questions)