AP Psych Barrons

100)/15 = 2. Z scores are a measure of the distance from the mean in units of standard
deviation, so Banu has a z score of +2, making possible answers D and E. Percentile is a
measure of the percent of test takers who scored at or below a particular score. We know that
50 percent of the test takers scored at or below the mean. We know that an additional 34
percent of scores fall between the mean and one standard deviation above the mean, and we
know that another 13.5 percent of scores fall between one and two standard deviations above
the mean. Adding these numbers together tells us that Banu scored at the 97.5th percentile,
making the answer E.
96. (E) Positive symptoms of schizophrenia are ones that are related to excesses rather than deficits.
Having hallucinations, perceiving sensory stimulation when none exists, is a positive symptom.
Flat affect and catatonia are negative symptoms since they are deficits in emotion and
movement, respectively. Greater sensitivity to others and reduced depression are positive
things, but they are not symptoms of schizophrenia.
97. (A) Broca’s area is typically in the left frontal lobe. Broca’s area controls our ability to use our
mouths to form the words we wish to say. In most people, language functions are controlled
mostly by the left hemisphere. The frontal lobe has many important functions relating to
movement; it also houses the motor cortex.
98. (E) GAD, generalized anxiety disorder, results in the client experiencing a constant, low-level
feeling of tension. Such feelings can be treated with mild sedatives such as Valium. Tricyclic
antidepressants are most often used to treat depression. Thorazine and Haldol are typically used
to treat schizophrenia. Lithium has been shown to be helpful in treating the manic phase of
bipolar disorder.
99. (E) Group polarization is the phenomenon that, given time together to discuss something, groups
of like-minded individuals will often come to hold more extreme ideas than those with which
they entered the group. One possible reason for this phenomenon is that in the group, the
responsibility for the extreme decision seems to be divided among the group’s members. Outgroup
bias is the prejudice people feel against members of other groups. Self-fulfilling
prophecy is the idea that one person’s expectations about another person can influence the
second person’s behavior. Self-serving bias is the tendency to take greater responsibility for
successful outcomes than unsuccessful ones. The fundamental attribution error is the tendency
to underestimate the influence of situational factors on other people’s behavior.
100. (A) In a positively skewed distribution, there are more low scores than high scores. Typically,
one or several unusually high scores, or outliers, skews the distribution. As a result, the mean is
pulled up, toward the extreme scores, and is therefore higher than the median. Outliers
generally have no effect on the mode, the most frequently occurring score, so it is difficult to
make a general statement about the relationship of skew to the mode.