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WACE Psychology study materials
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WACE Psychology practice questions

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Question 1Biological psychology

Which part of a neuron receives incoming signals from other neurons?

  1. The axon hillock
  2. The dendrites Correct answer.
  3. The myelin sheath
  4. The axon terminals

Explanation

Dendrites are branched extensions that carry electrical and chemical signals toward the cell body, where they are integrated. They are the main receptive surface of a neuron. The other structures listed serve transmitting, insulating, or spike-initiating functions.

Question 2Biological psychology

A neuron at rest has a membrane potential of about -70 mV, meaning the inside of the cell is negatively charged relative to the outside. Which term describes this state?

  1. The action potential threshold
  2. The absolute refractory period
  3. The refractory hyperpolarisation
  4. The resting membrane potential Correct answer.

Explanation

The resting membrane potential is the steady voltage across the membrane of a neuron that is not actively firing, generated mainly by uneven distribution of ions and selective permeability to potassium. It is conventionally around -70 mV in many neurons.

Question 3Biological psychology

During an action potential, which ion rushes into the neuron to cause the rising phase of depolarisation?

  1. Chloride ions
  2. Sodium ions Correct answer.
  3. Potassium ions
  4. Calcium ions

Explanation

Voltage-gated sodium channels open at threshold, allowing sodium to flow down its concentration gradient into the cell, which rapidly depolarises the membrane. Potassium efflux then drives repolarisation.

Question 4Biological psychology

Which neurotransmitter is most strongly associated with the brain's reward pathway and is the target of drugs such as cocaine and amphetamines?

  1. Serotonin
  2. Dopamine Correct answer.
  3. Acetylcholine
  4. GABA

Explanation

Dopamine signalling in the mesolimbic pathway is central to reward and reinforcement, and stimulant drugs increase dopamine activity in this circuit. This is why dopamine is described as a key reward neurotransmitter.

Question 5Biological psychology

Which brain structure is most closely associated with the formation of new declarative memories?

  1. The medulla oblongata
  2. The hippocampus Correct answer.
  3. The thalamus
  4. The cerebellum

Explanation

The hippocampus is critical for consolidating new explicit or declarative memories, as shown by patients with hippocampal damage who cannot form new factual memories. The cerebellum and medulla serve motor and autonomic functions respectively.

Question 6Biological psychology

Which division of the nervous system prepares the body for fight-or-flight responses?

  1. The sympathetic division Correct answer.
  2. The parasympathetic division
  3. The enteric division
  4. The somatic division

Explanation

The sympathetic division of the autonomic nervous system mobilises the body during stress, increasing heart rate, dilating pupils, and redirecting blood flow to muscles. The parasympathetic division generally promotes calming and restorative functions.

Question 7Biological psychology

Which technique measures electrical activity of the brain through electrodes placed on the scalp and has excellent temporal resolution?

  1. Positron emission tomography
  2. Electroencephalography Correct answer.
  3. Computerised tomography
  4. Magnetic resonance imaging

Explanation

Electroencephalography records summed electrical activity of cortical neurons via scalp electrodes, allowing changes to be tracked on a millisecond timescale. Its spatial resolution is comparatively poor.

Question 8Biological psychology

A split-brain patient is shown an object only in the left visual field. Which statement best describes what typically happens?

  1. The patient cannot name the object but may identify it by touch with the left hand Correct answer.
  2. The patient can name the object easily because the left hemisphere receives the input
  3. The patient can name the object only after it is presented a second time
  4. The patient cannot see the object at all because the left visual field is blind

Explanation

Visual input from the left visual field crosses to the right hemisphere, which in most people lacks the language capacity to name objects. With the corpus callosum severed, the information cannot reach the speaking left hemisphere, yet the right hemisphere can guide the left hand to select the object.

Question 9Biological psychology

Reuptake inhibitors treat depression because they act by doing which of the following?

  1. Blocking the release of neurotransmitter from the presynaptic terminal
  2. Destroying neurotransmitter molecules before they can bind
  3. Increasing the time neurotransmitters remain in the synaptic cleft Correct answer.
  4. Reducing the number of receptors on the postsynaptic membrane

Explanation

Reuptake inhibitors block transporter proteins that normally remove neurotransmitter from the synapse, so transmitter stays in the cleft longer and stimulates postsynaptic receptors more. This prolongs signalling rather than changing release or receptor number directly.

Question 10Biological psychology

A drug binds to a receptor and activates it, producing a response similar to the natural neurotransmitter. This drug is best described as which of the following?

  1. A reuptake inhibitor
  2. An agonist Correct answer.
  3. An enzyme inhibitor
  4. An antagonist

Explanation

An agonist is a substance that binds to a receptor and mimics the action of the endogenous neurotransmitter, triggering a biological response. Antagonists bind without activating the receptor and block the natural transmitter.

Question 11Biological psychology

After a neuron fires, there is a brief period during which it cannot fire again regardless of stimulus strength. This period is called which of the following?

  1. The relative refractory period
  2. The summation interval
  3. The absolute refractory period Correct answer.
  4. The resting potential plateau

Explanation

During the absolute refractory period, voltage-gated sodium channels are inactivated and cannot reopen, so no new action potential can be generated no matter how strong the stimulus. This enforces the one-way propagation of the impulse.

Question 12Biological psychology

A student studies late at night and later recalls the material better after a full night's sleep than after staying awake. Which explanation best fits current understanding of sleep and memory?

  1. Sleep temporarily suppresses hippocampal activity to prevent interference
  2. Sleep supports consolidation of newly formed memories into more stable traces Correct answer.
  3. Sleep reduces the amount of information encoded so only key facts remain
  4. Sleep increases neurotransmitter release at the neuromuscular junction

Explanation

Sleep, especially slow-wave and REM sleep, is thought to support memory consolidation, in which newly encoded memories are stabilised and integrated with existing knowledge. This helps explain the recall advantage after sleeping.

Question 13Biological psychology

Which statement best describes the role of the myelin sheath in neural transmission?

  1. It increases the speed of impulse conduction along the axon Correct answer.
  2. It stores neurotransmitters until release
  3. It generates the resting membrane potential
  4. It connects the axon to the dendrites of the next neuron

Explanation

Myelin insulates segments of the axon, forcing the action potential to jump between nodes of Ranvier in saltatory conduction, which greatly increases conduction velocity. It does not itself generate voltage or store transmitter.

Question 14Biological psychology

Which neurotransmitter is the main inhibitory transmitter in the adult central nervous system?

  1. Glutamate
  2. GABA Correct answer.
  3. Dopamine
  4. Noradrenaline

Explanation

GABA is the principal inhibitory neurotransmitter in the adult brain, generally hyperpolarising neurons and reducing their likelihood of firing. Glutamate, by contrast, is the main excitatory transmitter.

Question 15Biological psychology

A person suffers damage to the cerebellum. Which difficulty would be most expected?

  1. Forming new factual memories
  2. Producing fluent speech after damage to language areas
  3. Regulating body temperature through sweating
  4. Coordinating smooth, balanced voluntary movements Correct answer.

Explanation

The cerebellum fine-tunes motor coordination, posture, and balance, so cerebellar damage typically produces clumsiness, unsteady gait, and poorly coordinated movement. Language, declarative memory, and thermoregulation depend mainly on other structures.

Question 16Biological psychology

Which statement about hemispheric lateralisation is most accurate?

  1. Both hemispheres perform every function equally and identically
  2. The right hemisphere controls the right side of the body
  3. The left hemisphere is typically dominant for language in most people Correct answer.
  4. Lateralisation means each hemisphere works in complete isolation

Explanation

In most people the left hemisphere is dominant for language production and comprehension, while the right hemisphere contributes more to certain spatial and emotional functions. Lateralisation is relative specialisation, not absolute separation.

Question 17Biological psychology

A researcher wants to identify which brain regions are active while a participant performs a mental rotation task, with good spatial localisation. Which method is most suitable?

  1. Electroencephalography
  2. Functional magnetic resonance imaging Correct answer.
  3. Galvanic skin response recording
  4. Electromyography

Explanation

Functional MRI detects changes in blood oxygenation that accompany neural activity, giving good spatial localisation of active regions during a cognitive task. EEG has better timing but poorer spatial precision.

Question 18Biological psychology

Which sequence correctly describes transmission across a chemical synapse?

  1. Transmitter binds postsynaptic receptors, calcium enters the terminal, an action potential arrives, vesicles release transmitter
  2. Vesicles release transmitter, an action potential arrives, calcium enters the terminal, transmitter binds postsynaptic receptors
  3. Calcium enters the terminal, transmitter binds postsynaptic receptors, an action potential arrives, vesicles release transmitter
  4. Action potential arrives, calcium enters the terminal, vesicles release transmitter, transmitter binds postsynaptic receptors Correct answer.

Explanation

The arriving action potential depolarises the axon terminal, opening voltage-gated calcium channels; calcium influx triggers vesicle fusion and transmitter release into the cleft, where the transmitter binds receptors on the postsynaptic membrane. The order of these events is fixed.

Question 19Biological psychology

Which structure links the nervous system to the endocrine system by controlling the pituitary gland?

  1. The hypothalamus Correct answer.
  2. The corpus callosum
  3. The pons
  4. The amygdala

Explanation

The hypothalamus regulates the pituitary gland both through releasing hormones and through neural connections, making it a key interface between neural and hormonal systems. It also helps regulate temperature, hunger, and circadian rhythms.

Question 20Biological psychology

A person with damage to the occipital lobe would most likely experience difficulty with which function?

  1. Controlling fine finger movements
  2. Regulating hunger and thirst
  3. Processing visual information Correct answer.
  4. Understanding spoken language

Explanation

The occipital lobe contains the primary visual cortex and associated visual areas, so damage there can produce visual field deficits or impaired visual perception. Language comprehension, motor control, and hunger regulation depend on other regions.

Question 21Biological psychology

Which explanation best accounts for why an action potential travels in one direction along an axon?

  1. The refractory period prevents backward re-excitation of recently active membrane Correct answer.
  2. Neurotransmitters are only released at the dendrites
  3. Myelin is present only on the postsynaptic side of the synapse
  4. Sodium channels open only at the cell body

Explanation

After a region of membrane fires, its sodium channels are inactivated during the absolute refractory period, so the impulse cannot immediately turn back on the segment it just passed. This forces propagation forward toward fresh membrane.

Question 22Biological psychology

Two stimuli arrive at different dendrites of the same neuron at almost the same moment, and their combined effect triggers an action potential although neither alone would. This is an example of which process?

  1. Saltatory conduction
  2. Synaptic pruning
  3. Spatial summation Correct answer.
  4. Temporal summation

Explanation

Spatial summation occurs when excitatory inputs from different locations on the neuron arrive close together in time and their graded potentials add up at the axon hillock to reach threshold. Temporal summation instead involves repeated inputs at the same site over a short interval.

Question 23Biological psychology

A patient can understand language and knows what they want to say but produces slow, effortful, telegraphic speech. Which area is most likely damaged?

  1. The primary somatosensory cortex
  2. Broca's area Correct answer.
  3. The right occipital lobe
  4. Wernicke's area

Explanation

Broca's area in the left frontal lobe supports the production of articulate speech, so damage produces non-fluent, effortful output while comprehension is largely preserved. Wernicke's area damage instead impairs comprehension with fluent but meaningless speech.

Question 24Biological psychology

Which statement best explains why drugs that increase dopamine activity can become addictive?

  1. They block all dopamine receptors so the brain compensates permanently
  2. They produce repeated strong reward signals that reinforce drug-seeking behaviour Correct answer.
  3. They directly destroy the neurons of the reward pathway
  4. They act only on the spinal cord and bypass brain circuits

Explanation

Drugs such as stimulants raise dopamine transmission in reward circuits, and the repeated surge reinforces the behaviours that led to drug use through operant conditioning and neuroadaptation. Over time this can drive compulsive seeking.

Question 25Biological psychology

A researcher finds that people who sleep poorly show poorer performance on a memory test, and concludes that poor sleep causes memory failure. Which criticism of this conclusion is most valid?

  1. Memory tests are never reliable measures of cognitive function
  2. The hippocampus is irrelevant to memory performance
  3. Sleep quality cannot be measured objectively in research
  4. Correlational data cannot establish causation without controlling for other variables Correct answer.

Explanation

The finding describes an association, and a third variable such as stress, illness, or motivation could affect both sleep and memory. Causal claims require controlled designs, such as experimental manipulation of sleep, that rule out confounds.

Question 26Biological psychology

Which part of the neuron receives incoming signals from other neurons and carries them toward the cell body?

  1. The dendrites Correct answer.
  2. The axon terminals
  3. The nodes of Ranvier
  4. The myelin sheath

Explanation

Dendrites are branched extensions that collect chemical messages from neighbouring neurons and conduct the resulting electrical change toward the soma, where the signal is integrated. The axon instead carries an impulse away from the cell body toward its terminals.

Question 27Biological psychology

A person's blood pressure and heart rate rise sharply, digestion slows, and the pupils widen during a sudden scare. Which branch of the autonomic nervous system directly produces these changes?

  1. The parasympathetic division
  2. The sympathetic division Correct answer.
  3. The enteric division
  4. The somatic division

Explanation

The sympathetic division of the autonomic nervous system mobilises the body for vigorous activity, raising heart rate and blood pressure, dilating the pupils and inhibiting digestion. The parasympathetic division generally produces the opposite, restorative effects.

Question 28Biological psychology

Which statement best describes the endocrine system's mode of communication compared with the nervous system?

  1. It works only during childhood growth and then becomes inactive in adulthood
  2. It transmits electrical impulses along dedicated nerve fibres to single target cells
  3. It communicates only within the central nervous system and never reaches peripheral organs
  4. It releases hormones into the bloodstream, so effects are slower and often longer lasting Correct answer.

Explanation

Endocrine glands secrete hormones into the blood, which distributes them throughout the body so that only cells with matching receptors respond. This hormonal route is slower than neural transmission but typically produces more prolonged effects.

Question 29Biological psychology

A neuron at rest has a membrane potential of about -70 mV. Sodium-potassium pumps move three sodium ions out and two potassium ions in for each cycle. What is the main contribution of these pumps to the resting membrane potential?

  1. They make the inside of the cell more positive by importing extra sodium ions
  2. They generate a small negative charge inside the membrane by exporting more positive ions than they import Correct answer.
  3. They equalise ion concentrations on both sides, removing any membrane potential
  4. They have no effect on charge and only recycle neurotransmitters after release

Explanation

Because each pump cycle expels three positive sodium ions while admitting only two positive potassium ions, the interior loses net positive charge and becomes slightly more negative. This electrogenic contribution adds to the negative resting potential produced by the membrane's selective permeability.

Question 30Biological psychology

A patient who has suffered a stroke is unable to form new declarative memories but can still learn a new motor skill through repeated practice, without recalling the practice sessions. Which brain structure is most likely damaged?

  1. The medulla oblongata
  2. The corpus callosum
  3. The thalamus
  4. The hippocampus Correct answer.

Explanation

The hippocampus is critical for consolidating new explicit or declarative memories, so its damage produces dense anterograde amnesia for facts and events. Procedural learning such as motor skills depends on other structures, including the basal ganglia and cerebellum, which explains the preserved skill learning.

Question 31Biological psychology

A drug blocks the enzyme that normally breaks down a neurotransmitter in the synaptic cleft. What effect would this most likely have on postsynaptic activity?

  1. It would increase the number of receptors available on the postsynaptic membrane
  2. It would prevent the action potential from being generated in the presynaptic neuron
  3. It would reduce postsynaptic stimulation by removing transmitter from the cleft
  4. It would prolong and intensify postsynaptic stimulation by keeping transmitter present longer Correct answer.

Explanation

When the degrading enzyme is inhibited, neurotransmitter remains in the synaptic cleft for longer and can bind repeatedly to receptors. The result is prolonged and stronger postsynaptic activation, which is why enzyme inhibitors can boost signalling.

Question 32Biological psychology

In a study, participants who were briefly shown a fearful face showed greater activity in the amygdala than participants shown a neutral face. Which conclusion is best supported by this finding?

  1. The amygdala has no role in emotional processing
  2. The amygdala is responsible for recognising faces in general
  3. The amygdala causes people to feel fear in all situations
  4. The amygdala is involved in processing emotionally salient, threatening stimuli Correct answer.

Explanation

Greater amygdala activity to fearful than neutral faces indicates that this structure responds to emotionally significant, potentially threatening cues. The design shows an association with threat processing, not that the amygdala single-handedly generates all fear experience.

Question 33Biological psychology

A drug is described as an antagonist at dopamine receptors. Which outcome would best indicate that this drug has produced its intended central effect?

  1. Dopamine is broken down more rapidly in the synaptic cleft
  2. Postsynaptic dopamine receptors are blocked, reducing dopamine signalling Correct answer.
  3. More dopamine receptors are inserted into the postsynaptic membrane
  4. Dopamine release from the presynaptic neuron increases sharply

Explanation

An antagonist binds to receptors without activating them, occupying the site so that the natural neurotransmitter cannot act. The defining sign of its central effect is therefore reduced dopamine signalling at postsynaptic receptors.

Question 34Biological psychology

A researcher wants to compare the volume of a specific deep brain structure between two groups of living participants, without exposing them to ionising radiation. Which method is most appropriate?

  1. Electroencephalography
  2. Structural magnetic resonance imaging Correct answer.
  3. Positron emission tomography
  4. Transcranial magnetic stimulation

Explanation

Structural MRI uses strong magnetic fields and radio waves to produce detailed images of brain anatomy, allowing volume measurement of deep structures without ionising radiation. PET would require a radioactive tracer, and the other techniques do not provide structural images.

Question 35Cognitive psychology

Which component of working memory is responsible for holding and manipulating verbal and auditory information?

  1. The central executive
  2. The visuospatial sketchpad
  3. The phonological loop Correct answer.
  4. The episodic buffer

Explanation

Baddeley's model divides working memory into specialised subsystems. The phonological loop stores speech-based information briefly, whereas the sketchpad handles visual and spatial material and the central executive allocates attention.

Question 36Cognitive psychology

In classical conditioning, a neutral stimulus that comes to elicit a response after being paired with an unconditioned stimulus is called the:

  1. Conditioned stimulus Correct answer.
  2. Reinforcer
  3. Unconditioned response
  4. Unconditioned stimulus

Explanation

Learning occurs when a previously neutral cue reliably predicts the unconditioned stimulus. That cue then becomes the conditioned stimulus and acquires the capacity to evoke a conditioned response on its own.

Question 37Cognitive psychology

According to the Atkinson–Shiffrin multi-store model, which sequence correctly describes the flow of information?

  1. Long-term memory, then short-term memory, then sensory memory
  2. Sensory memory, then long-term memory, then short-term memory
  3. Short-term memory, then sensory memory, then long-term memory
  4. Sensory memory, then short-term memory, then long-term memory Correct answer.

Explanation

The multi-store model proposes that environmental input first registers briefly in sensory memory. Attended information is transferred to short-term memory, and rehearsal allows it to move into long-term memory.

Question 38Cognitive psychology

Which type of long-term memory stores personal experiences tied to a particular time and place?

  1. Semantic memory
  2. Episodic memory Correct answer.
  3. Conditioned memory
  4. Procedural memory

Explanation

Tulving distinguished between memory for events and memory for general knowledge. Episodic memory records autobiographical events with contextual details such as when and where they occurred.

Question 39Cognitive psychology

A schema is best described as:

  1. A mental framework that organises knowledge and guides interpretation Correct answer.
  2. A gradual decline in response when a stimulus is repeatedly presented
  3. A reflexive response elicited by an unconditioned stimulus
  4. A temporary store that holds about seven chunks of information

Explanation

Schemas are organised knowledge structures built from prior experience. They allow people to interpret new information quickly but can also distort encoding and recall to fit expectations.

Question 40Cognitive psychology

A student studies in a quiet room and later takes the test in the same room, performing better than students tested elsewhere. This illustrates:

  1. Proactive interference
  2. Spacing effect
  3. State-dependent retrieval
  4. Context-dependent retrieval Correct answer.

Explanation

Context-dependent retrieval occurs when the external environment at recall matches the encoding environment. The matching room cues the stored information, improving access at test time.

Question 41Cognitive psychology

Which term describes the tendency to seek out information that confirms existing beliefs while ignoring contradictory evidence?

  1. Availability heuristic
  2. Hindsight bias
  3. Anchoring bias
  4. Confirmation bias Correct answer.

Explanation

Confirmation bias is a systematic tendency to favour evidence consistent with prior beliefs. It distorts both the search for information and the weighting given to evidence once found.

Question 42Cognitive psychology

A dog is trained to salivate to a bell paired with food. Later the bell is presented repeatedly without food and the salivation gradually stops. This process is known as:

  1. Stimulus generalisation
  2. Discrimination
  3. Extinction Correct answer.
  4. Spontaneous recovery

Explanation

Extinction occurs when the conditioned stimulus is repeatedly presented without the unconditioned stimulus, so the conditioned response weakens. The association is not erased, which is why spontaneous recovery can later occur.

Question 43Cognitive psychology

In operant conditioning, a teacher removes a homework assignment whenever the class behaves well, and good behaviour increases. This is an example of:

  1. Negative punishment
  2. Positive reinforcement
  3. Positive punishment
  4. Negative reinforcement Correct answer.

Explanation

Negative reinforcement increases behaviour by removing an aversive stimulus as a consequence. The key feature is that the behaviour strengthens because something unpleasant is taken away.

Question 44Cognitive psychology

A rat learns to press a lever only when a green light is on, receiving reinforcement on a variable-ratio schedule. Which pattern of responding is most likely?

  1. High, steady response rates with brief pauses after reinforcement Correct answer.
  2. Very low response rates that increase only near scheduled reinforcement times
  3. Rapid responding that stops entirely once the light is removed
  4. Slow, steady responding with almost no pauses

Explanation

Variable-ratio schedules produce high and persistent response rates because the number of responses required changes unpredictably. The occasional pause after reinforcement is characteristic of ratio schedules.

Question 45Cognitive psychology

A patient can clearly remember events from before a car accident but cannot form new memories of daily events afterwards. This condition is:

  1. Proactive interference
  2. Anterograde amnesia Correct answer.
  3. Source amnesia
  4. Retrograde amnesia

Explanation

Anterograde amnesia is an inability to form new declarative memories after the onset of injury, while older memories remain accessible. Retrograde amnesia, by contrast, affects memories formed before the event.

Question 46Cognitive psychology

The primacy effect in free recall is best explained by the fact that early list items:

  1. Are acoustically similar to later items
  2. Are still in short-term memory at the end of the list
  3. Have been rehearsed and transferred to long-term memory Correct answer.
  4. Occupy the recency portion of the serial position curve

Explanation

Early items receive more rehearsal because they enter an empty short-term store, so they are more likely to be encoded into long-term memory. This produces better recall of first items, the primacy effect.

Question 47Cognitive psychology

Which statement best reflects the levels-of-processing account of memory?

  1. Memory depends mainly on how long information is rehearsed
  2. Memory depends mainly on the depth of encoding, with semantic processing producing the best retention Correct answer.
  3. Memory depends mainly on the amount of information presented
  4. Memory depends mainly on the sensory modality through which information arrives

Explanation

Craik and Lockhart argued that retention depends on how deeply material is processed rather than on rehearsal duration. Semantic encoding, which links meaning to existing knowledge, produces stronger memory than shallow physical or acoustic processing.

Question 48Cognitive psychology

A witness recalls a robbery and confidently identifies a suspect, but later evidence shows the identification was wrong. Which concept best explains why confidence is a poor indicator of accuracy?

  1. Metacognitive illusion Correct answer.
  2. Eidetic imagery
  3. Flashbulb memory
  4. Misinformation effect

Explanation

Confidence reflects a person's belief about their memory rather than the reliability of the underlying trace. This mismatch between subjective confidence and objective accuracy is a metacognitive illusion that affects eyewitness testimony.

Question 49Cognitive psychology

Which of the following best describes the availability heuristic?

  1. Judging the frequency of an event by its base rate in the population
  2. Adjusting an estimate insufficiently from a starting value
  3. Estimating the likelihood of an event by how easily examples come to mind Correct answer.
  4. Preferring information that supports an existing belief

Explanation

The availability heuristic relies on the ease with which instances can be retrieved from memory. Vivid or recent events are overestimated because they are easy to recall, even when their actual frequency is low.

Question 50Cognitive psychology

In a problem-solving task, a person keeps using a familiar method even though a simpler solution exists. This obstacle to problem solving is called:

  1. The mental set Correct answer.
  2. Divergent thinking
  3. Convergent thinking
  4. Functional fixedness

Explanation

A mental set is a tendency to apply a previously successful strategy regardless of whether it suits the current problem. Functional fixedness, by contrast, concerns failing to see new uses for familiar objects.