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Quiz Session - Attempts With Random Questions

ASPPB EPPP Exam Questions

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1.

Which of the following is considered the gold standard of assessing causality? 

  • Randomized experiments

  • Single-case experiments 

  • Quasi-experimental studies 

Correct answer: Randomized experiments

Randomized experiments allow for addressing issues of internal validity by removing one major factor of potential influence on the design. By assigning participants randomly to the control or the experimental group, the causality of an outcome can be better determined.

Single-case experiments do not involve control and experimental groups. Quasi-experimental studies do not have random condition assignments. 

2.

Michael is a clinical psychologist working in private practice in a disadvantaged rural area. One of his clients offers to pay him with eggs and poultry. Is this practice permissible according to the APA Code of Conduct?

  • Yes, under certain circumstances

  • Yes, in all circumstances

  • No, under no circumstances 

  • Only if bartering is common practice in the community

Correct answer: Yes, under certain circumstances

According to the APA Code of Conduct, barter is permissible as long as the arrangement is not exploitative and if, in the psychologist's judgment, the arrangement is not clinically contraindicated. Michael might determine that this is acceptable and non-exploitative. 

3.

Which school of psychology is responsible for the concepts of introversion and extroversion?

  • Analytical psychology

  • Psychoanalysis

  • Cognitive behavioral therapy

  • Group therapy

Correct answer: Analytical psychology

Carl Jung's analytical psychology parted ways with the older school of psychoanalysis in many ways, one of which was assessing personality along basic traits. The two major traits identified within this school are introversion, or an inward-directed personality type, and extroversion, or an externally-directed personality type. In its earliest form, this distinction was phrased in terms of where an individual seeks pleasure; either within oneself or outside the self. 

The psychoanalytic school addressed personality in terms of inner conflict between competing constituent states within the mind, such as id, ego, and superego. Cognitive behavioral therapy focuses on how maladaptive thinking patterns can lead to emotions and behaviors. The main focus of group therapy is to create a supportive environment so that people can understand themselves in the context of their relationships.

4.

Which of the following descriptions fits both the Cattell-Horn Model and Carroll's Three Stratum Model?

  • Positing that there is more than one type of intelligence

  • Suggesting that cognitive abilities are best explained by examining individual differences

  • Including eight broad factors that comprise intelligence

  • Focusing on individuals' general intelligence factor

Correct answer: Positing that there is more than one type of intelligence

The Cattell-Horn Model of intelligence posits that there are two main types of intelligence: fluid and crystallized. Carroll's Three Stratum Model posits that intelligence can be measured according to narrow cognitive abilities, eight broad factors (which include both fluid and crystallized intelligence), and a general intelligence factor. The Cattell-Horn-Carroll Integrated Model is a combination of these and is commonly used to conceptualize and describe intelligence.

5.

What is the internal force that pushes an individual toward action?

  • Motivation

  • Frustration

  • Self-determination theory

  • Drive theory

Correct answer: Motivation

Motivation is the internal force that pushes an individual toward action. It is composed of three parts: arousal, direction, and intensity. Models range from positing that motivation is due to instinctual processes to stating that it reduces the urge of a biological drive.

Frustration is linked to motivation in the sense that it can increase motivation to continue a task. Self-determination theory states that people put forth effort because they have natural growth tendencies. This theory is a separate concept from motivation. Drive theory is somewhat related to motivation in that an individual has an intrinsic need to engage in behavior that will restore balance within that individual, but it is not the actual internal force that pushes someone toward action.

6.

What was the first mood-stabilizing medication approved by the FDA?

  • Lithium

  • Zyprexa

  • Haldol

  • Thorazine

Correct answer: Lithium

Lithium, which is widely used today, was the first mood-stabilizing medication approved by the FDA. Side effects can be uncomfortable, and frequent blood levels must be drawn to guard against toxicity.

Zyprexa is an atypical antipsychotic, and Haldol and Thorazine are typical antipsychotics.

7.

In which stage of career and life development would you expect a 30-year-old woman to fall, according to Super's theory?

  • Establishment

  • Maintenance

  • Growth

  • Exploration

Correct answer: Establishment

According to Super (1985), people progress through five main stages of career and life development. The establishment stage occurs from ages 25-44 and involves stabilizing and advancing their career path. We'd expect a 30-year-old woman to be in this stage.

Growth occurs from ages 4-13 and involves knowledge accumulation about oneself and career possibilities.

Exploration occurs from ages 14-24, when people explore and weigh their career options and then implement a career path.

The maintenance stage occurs from ages 45-65 and requires a person to maintain their work and adapt as needed.

8.

A couple and their two children have been attending family therapy for one year, and you and they agree that termination will occur soon due to progress made in communication patterns and satisfaction among family members. In one session, the mother states that although she believes the family therapy has helped, she thinks you need to be more direct and confrontational. Other family members agree. 

After the session is over, what should you do?

  • Speak with a supervisor about the feedback

  • Write a discharge note and refuse to see the family again

  • Ask the family to process their comments during the session

  • Document the session but leave out parts that reference these comments

Correct answer: Speak with a supervisor about the feedback 

Psychologists should feel comfortable seeking consultation from supervisors and colleagues, especially in difficult circumstances, such as after poor feedback. Talking about this case with a supervisor may help you gain perspective on the case, learn from the experience, and better serve your clients in the future. 

The APA Code of Ethics specifies that psychologists are bound by the principles of maleficence and nonmaleficence, so ethically, you should seek ways to improve your practice and ways of relating to your clients.

9.

Which of the following does not describe attention?

  • Perception

  • Wakefulness

  • Attending to a stimulus

  • Concentration

Correct answer: Perception

Attention can have more than one meaning, depending on the context in which it is being used. It can mean attending to a particular stimulus, it can simply mean being awake, or it can mean concentrating purposefully on one thing. 

Perception deals with the detection and interpretation of sensory stimuli. It is a separate cognitive function from attention and does not describe attention accurately.

10.

As part of a program evaluation (PE), a clinical psychologist is interested in whether the program her agency provides to support veterans is actually working. 

What is the first step in this process? 

  • Identifying and engaging stakeholders 

  • Conducting a needs assessment 

  • Performing a formative evaluation 

Correct answer: Identifying and engaging stakeholders 

A program evaluation (PE) is meant to evaluate the value that a social program provides to those it intends to serve. This process goes through several steps, starting with identifying and engaging the stakeholders in the process. Stakeholders can be a broad category, but in this case, it would apply mainly to the veterans who are being served by the program. 

The next step in the PE process may be a needs assessment to determine how closely the aims of the program meet the needs of those it intends to serve. Finally, a formative evaluation would look at all of these findings and offer improvement suggestions.

11.

A war veteran is interested in receiving treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). You have never treated a veteran, but you agree to see him after making arrangements with another psychologist who has extensive experience in this area to supervise you during the client's course of treatment.

Is this considered an example of maleficence?

  • No, because supervision is an appropriate method of obtaining competence.

  • No, because psychologists can treat all disorders and situations after completing their doctoral education.

  • Yes, because even with supervision, you are not competent in this area.

  • Yes, because you did not specialize in veteran treatment during your doctoral program.

Correct answer: No, because supervision is an appropriate method of obtaining competence.

Maleficence refers to the concept of "doing harm" to an individual. Nonmaleficence, or "do no harm", is one of the general principles of the APA's ethical code. This situation is not considered an example of maleficence because you are seeking close supervision from someone with knowledge of treating PTSD in war veterans. It would be considered maleficence if you had agreed to see the client without any additional training or supervision.

No psychologist can be trained to treat all disorders and all situations. Doctoral education prepares psychologists to enter the field, but they must obtain appropriate competence via training, consultation, and supervised experience to engage in practice with a specific population.

Obtaining supervision from an expert would help you to develop competence in this new area, so agreeing to treat the patient while being supervised would not be considered maleficence.

Finally, you can obtain competence in an area of psychology, even if it wasn't your focus during your doctoral program. It is appropriate to develop competence in new areas by obtaining proper supervision, consultation, and training.

12.

A psychologist is conducting a cognitive assessment of a child and gives the parent consent paperwork to sign. After the psychologist hands the forms to the parent, it becomes clear that the parent cannot read. 

What should the psychologist do?

  • Ask the parent if they would like the psychologist to read the forms aloud

  • Find someone to provide consent on behalf of the parent

  • Document that the client was unable to provide informed consent

  • Decline services to the family

Correct answer: Ask the parent if they would like the psychologist to read the forms aloud

According to Standard 3.10, psychologists are required to obtain informed consent before beginning therapy, assessment, or consulting. In this case, the psychologist should tactfully ask the parent if they would like the psychologist to read the forms out loud, then have the parent sign the forms. If the parent cannot read the forms, they are not providing informed consent, as they will not be able to understand that to which they are consenting. 

Finding someone to provide consent on behalf of the parent isn't the best option, because this would likely require the parent to have an individual who has power of attorney or some form of guardianship. Finding someone to provide consent in this manner could be a lengthy process and delay the parent and child's access to treatment. Documenting that the client was unable to provide informed consent is also not an acceptable option, as informed consent is an ethical obligation. Finally, declining services would mean that the family goes without treatment. Psychologists are ethically obligated to ensure equal access to the benefits of psychological services, so declining treatment when there is a viable solution would represent an ethical violation.

13.

Jorge has been donating a significant portion of his time to help at a local homeless shelter. Most of the people in his life barely know that he does this; he makes no effort to hide his volunteering, but he also does not advertise it. When asked, Jorge says that he does it because he feels that the community as a whole needs help. 

What type of altruism is presented here?

  • Collectivism

  • Egoism

  • Principlism

Correct answer: Collectivism

Altruism is more complicated than simply doing the right thing. It comes from a set of motivations that can have many layers. In some cases, altruism can be a function, as it is here, of collectivism—the idea that one's efforts should benefit a larger group. 

Other forms of altruism include egoism (pursuing altruistic activity to benefit oneself) and principlism (pursuing altruism because of one's values to that effect).

14.

You are working in a mental hospital reviewing a patient chart before meeting with the treatment team to discuss the incoming patient. This patient seems to have a deficiency in gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). 

Given this deficiency, which clinical presentation is expected? 

  • Epilepsy

  • Schizophrenia

  • Parkinson's disease

Correct answer: Epilepsy

Gamma-aminobutyric acid is an amino acid that is the main inhibitory CNS neurotransmitter. Although it is associated with various areas such as balance and sleep patterns, its deficiency is implicated in epilepsy. 

GABA deficiency is not associated with schizophrenia or Parkinson's disease. 

15.

William is feeling good about his results on a final exam for a difficult class. He attributes his success to spending time mastering the content, as he knew what to expect in terms of topics covered. This is in contrast to his usual low effort in studying. He feels as though he always had control over the outcome due to his effort. 

According to Weiner (1985), how would his attribution set look in this situation?

  • Changeable cause, internal locus of control, controllable

  • Stable cause, external locus of control, uncontrollable

  • Stable cause, internal locus of control, controllable

Correct answer: Changeable cause, internal locus of control, controllable

Weiner (1985) proposed a schema of emotional attribution for events and behavior. According to Weiner's theory, there are three dimensions in which these phenomena are gauged. First, the event or behavior is assessed for its causation stability; in other words, was this outcome due to a stable cause such as personality or an unstable cause such as extraordinary effort? Second, the locus of control is assessed; that is, was the control of the situation internal or external? Finally, was any control over the outcome possible in the first place?

In this example, William attributes his success to studying and not temperament (unstable cause), and he felt that he had control over the outcome, which was controllable (internal locus of control, controllable).

16.

You are meeting with an adult client for the first time because of social anxiety. During the intake interview, the client mentions that he was hospitalized three years ago for telling his psychiatrist at the time that he was thinking of killing himself. In the office, he laughs and makes a comment about how "everyone just wants to take everyone else so seriously these days." 

Which of the following is the best way to proceed in assessing this client for suicide risk? 

  • Acknowledge that sometimes what people say is not what they mean, but be sure to conduct an assessment of suicide risk 

  • Agree with the client in order to build rapport and plan to ask him in future sessions about suicidal thinking

  • Tell the client that suicide is not a joke and suggest hospitalization or a safety contract 

  • Examine the seriousness of the past suicide threat 

Correct answer: Acknowledge that sometimes what people say is not what they mean, but be sure to conduct an assessment of suicide risk 

Psychologists should be aware of how to assess suicide risk thoroughly and appropriately for clients without offending them. In this situation, you should take a moment to validate and acknowledge the client's feelings about his hospitalization but also emphasize the importance of honesty. Explicitly ask him if he has had recent thoughts of wanting to die and, depending on his answer, continue to assess the degree of risk.

Since assessment of suicide risk should be a part of every evaluation conducted with a client, it's important to ask about suicidal thinking during the current session. Recommending hospitalization or a safety contract without further assessment would be too abrupt, as further assessment is needed to determine the level of risk. While an assessment of suicide risk requires a clinician to examine the seriousness of the current suicide threat, examining the seriousness of the past threat is not as relevant as examining the current risk. It does not appear that the client is currently threatening suicide, so the past threat would be one risk factor considered in the overall assessment of current suicide risk. 

17.

Which of the following is not an accurate statement about positive psychology theory?

  • It is part of pop psychology, and there is little evidence supporting its applicability to clinical interventions.

  • It is a strength-based approach to human psychology.

  • It calls for a balanced approach to psychology, in which the psychologist acknowledges strengths rather than focusing solely on pathology or distress.

  • It is based upon culture-free strengths and virtues associated with thriving.

Correct answer: It is part of pop psychology, and there is little evidence supporting its applicability to clinical interventions.

This statement is not accurate. There has been research supporting the effectiveness of interventions based on positive psychology. For example, one study showed that a positive psychology intervention for depression was highly attended, and participants found it to be more satisfying than CBT. Several additional research findings have supported the use of positive psychology interventions.

The other statements about positive psychology are true.

18.

What are the three levels of the PASS model in order, starting at the lowest level?

  • Regulation of attention, receipt and retention of information, and programming of behavior

  • Programming of behavior, regulation of attention, and receipt and retention of information

  • Receipt and retention of information, programming of behavior, and regulation of attention

  • Perception of data, receipt and retention of information, and regulation of arousal

Correct answer: Regulation of attention, receipt and retention of information, and programming of behavior

The three levels of the PASS model, which is based on Luria's three-level theory of higher cortical functions, are regulation of attention, receipt and retention of information, and programming of behavior. The PASS model asserts that the brain is composed of interdependent systems with separate functions.

19.

Christina is having dinner in a crowded restaurant. Suddenly, she hears someone say her name at a table across the room. Is this an example of a bottom-up mechanism, a top-down mechanism, or neither? 

  • Bottom-up

  • Top-down

  • Neither

Correct answer: Bottom-up

The processing of information in the environment relies on two complementary systems. A bottom-up mechanism is when qualities of a certain stimulus demand our attention without our intention, such as hearing our name said in a crowded room. A top-down mechanism would be intentional and focused on the part of the perceiver.

20.

Which of the following terms refers to an individual's knowledge base or range of acquired skills?

  • Crystallized intelligence

  • Fluid intelligence

  • Recall intelligence

  • Occupational intelligence

Correct answer: Crystallized intelligence

Crystallized intelligence refers to an individual's knowledge base or range of acquired skills and is dependent on cultural exposure. Fluid intelligence refers to nonverbal and non-culturally based abilities such as new learning.

Recall intelligence and occupational intelligence are both fabricated terms.

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