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MATSEC IM Psychology study materials
MATSEC IM Psychology study resources

MATSEC IM Psychology practice questions

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Question 1Psychology (Intermediate Level, MATSEC syllabus content)

In operant conditioning, which consequence increases the future probability of a behaviour by removing an aversive stimulus?

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

Explanation

Negative reinforcement strengthens behaviour because performing it terminates or avoids an unpleasant stimulus, such as taking a painkiller to stop a headache. The key point is that the behaviour increases while a stimulus is removed. Punishment procedures decrease behaviour, and extinction removes the reinforcement contingency altogether.

Question 2Psychology (Intermediate Level, MATSEC syllabus content)

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

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

Explanation

Atkinson and Shiffrin's model proposes that environmental input first enters the sensory register, where it persists very briefly. Attention transfers selected information to the short-term store, and rehearsal enables transfer to the long-term store. The other sequences place the stores in an order that contradicts this architecture.

Question 3Psychology (Intermediate Level, MATSEC syllabus content)

Which research design compares the same participants measured under two or more conditions?

  1. Repeated measures Correct answer.
  2. Independent measures
  3. Correlational
  4. Matched pairs

Explanation

Repeated measures uses the same individuals in every condition, so participant variables are held constant and fewer participants are needed. Independent measures and matched pairs instead compare separate groups of people. Correlational designs do not manipulate conditions at all.

Question 4Psychology (Intermediate Level, MATSEC syllabus content)

In Pavlov's classical conditioning experiments, the food presented to the dog functioned as which element?

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

Explanation

Food naturally elicits salivation without prior training, so it is the unconditioned stimulus. The bell begins as a neutral stimulus and becomes a conditioned stimulus once it reliably predicts food. Salivation to the bell is the conditioned response.

Question 5Psychology (Intermediate Level, MATSEC syllabus content)

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

  1. Amygdala
  2. Medulla oblongata
  3. Hippocampus Correct answer.
  4. Cerebellum

Explanation

The hippocampus is critical for forming and consolidating new explicit or declarative memories, as shown by patient studies of medial temporal lobe damage. The cerebellum supports motor learning and classical conditioning of simple reflexes. The amygdala is mainly involved in emotional processing and the medulla regulates vital autonomic functions.

Question 6Psychology (Intermediate Level, MATSEC syllabus content)

In Piaget's theory, what does the term conservation refer to?

  1. Understanding that quantity stays the same despite changes in appearance Correct answer.
  2. The tendency to focus on only one feature of an object
  3. The ability to imitate another person's actions
  4. The process of fitting new information into existing schemas

Explanation

Conservation is the understanding that properties such as volume or number remain constant even when the physical arrangement changes. Preoperational children typically fail conservation tasks and instead show centration. Assimilation and imitation describe different processes within the theory.

Question 7Psychology (Intermediate Level, MATSEC syllabus content)

Which type of variable is deliberately manipulated by the researcher in an experiment?

  1. Independent variable Correct answer.
  2. Confounding variable
  3. Extraneous variable
  4. Dependent variable

Explanation

The independent variable is the factor the experimenter sets or changes across conditions. The dependent variable is what is measured as an outcome. Confounding and extraneous variables are unwanted influences that the researcher tries to control rather than deliberately manipulate.

Question 8Psychology (Intermediate Level, MATSEC syllabus content)

Which description best matches the id in Freud's structural model of personality?

  1. It operates on the pleasure principle and seeks immediate gratification Correct answer.
  2. It is the part of the mind that stores repressed memories
  3. It represents internalised moral standards learned from caregivers
  4. It operates on the reality principle and mediates between other parts

Explanation

Freud described the id as the primitive, unconscious source of instinctual drives operating on the pleasure principle. The ego works on the reality principle and negotiates between the id and the superego. The superego embodies moral standards acquired through socialisation.

Question 9Psychology (Intermediate Level, MATSEC syllabus content)

A student studies for a test in a noisy room and later performs well in a similar noisy environment. Which concept best explains this outcome?

  1. Encoding specificity Correct answer.
  2. The serial position effect
  3. Spontaneous recovery
  4. Proactive interference

Explanation

Encoding specificity holds that retrieval is improved when the context at recall matches the context at encoding. Studying and testing in similar noisy conditions provides matching retrieval cues. Spontaneous recovery, interference, and serial position effects describe different memory phenomena.

Question 10Psychology (Intermediate Level, MATSEC syllabus content)

A teacher awards a token each time a pupil completes five maths problems, and tokens can be exchanged for a prize. Which schedule of reinforcement is being used?

  1. Fixed ratio Correct answer.
  2. Variable ratio
  3. Fixed interval
  4. Variable interval

Explanation

A fixed ratio schedule reinforces after a set number of responses, here five completed problems. Interval schedules depend on elapsed time rather than response count. Variable schedules change the requirement unpredictably and produce steadier responding.

Question 11Psychology (Intermediate Level, MATSEC syllabus content)

A researcher reports a correlation of minus 0.78 between hours of sleep and reported fatigue. Which interpretation is most appropriate?

  1. Reported fatigue causes reduced sleep
  2. More sleep is associated with lower reported fatigue Correct answer.
  3. There is no relationship between the variables
  4. More sleep causes higher reported fatigue

Explanation

A strong negative correlation means that as one variable rises the other tends to fall, so more sleep accompanies lower fatigue. Correlation alone cannot establish causation or its direction. A coefficient of minus 0.78 also indicates a substantial relationship rather than none.

Question 12Psychology (Intermediate Level, MATSEC syllabus content)

A child who can only solve problems using objects and cannot yet reason abstractly is most likely in which of Piaget's stages?

  1. Preoperational
  2. Formal operational
  3. Concrete operational Correct answer.
  4. Sensorimotor

Explanation

Concrete operational children can reason logically about tangible situations but struggle with abstract or hypothetical problems. Preoperational children lack conservation and logical operations, formal operational thinkers can reason abstractly, and sensorimotor infants learn through action and perception.

Question 13Psychology (Intermediate Level, MATSEC syllabus content)

In a memory experiment, participants who were shown a list of words later recalled more items from the beginning and end than from the middle. What does this pattern illustrate?

  1. The Stroop effect
  2. The serial position effect Correct answer.
  3. State-dependent forgetting
  4. The primacy of schemas

Explanation

The serial position effect describes better recall of early items, called the primacy effect, and late items, called the recency effect. Primacy is attributed to long-term storage and recency to short-term storage. The Stroop effect concerns interference in colour naming, and schemas and state dependency involve different processes.

Question 14Psychology (Intermediate Level, MATSEC syllabus content)

Which statement best describes the role of the superego in Freud's theory?

  1. It internalises moral rules and produces guilt when they are violated Correct answer.
  2. It seeks immediate satisfaction of instinctual needs
  3. It stores procedural memories for motor skills
  4. It plans realistic strategies to satisfy the id

Explanation

The superego develops through identification with caregivers and represents internalised moral standards, generating guilt or pride. The id pursues immediate gratification, while the ego mediates realistically between internal demands and external reality. Procedural memory is a cognitive concept unrelated to Freud's structure.

Question 15Psychology (Intermediate Level, MATSEC syllabus content)

A psychologist wants to reduce the chance that demand characteristics affect a study. Which procedure is most directly aimed at this problem?

  1. Using a single-blind procedure so participants do not know the hypothesis Correct answer.
  2. Increasing the sample size
  3. Using a correlational rather than experimental design
  4. Randomly selecting participants from the population

Explanation

Demand characteristics arise when participants guess the hypothesis and alter their behaviour accordingly. Concealing the hypothesis through a single-blind procedure reduces this influence. Larger samples, correlational designs, and random selection address other issues such as sampling and generalisability.

Question 16Psychology (Intermediate Level, MATSEC syllabus content)

Which statement correctly distinguishes classical from operant conditioning?

  1. Classical conditioning requires reinforcement, whereas operant conditioning does not
  2. Operant conditioning involves only involuntary reflexes, whereas classical conditioning involves voluntary actions
  3. Classical conditioning associates stimuli, whereas operant conditioning associates behaviour with consequences Correct answer.
  4. Classical conditioning was studied by Skinner, whereas operant conditioning was studied by Pavlov

Explanation

Classical conditioning pairs a neutral stimulus with an unconditioned stimulus so that the stimulus comes to elicit a response. Operant conditioning changes the likelihood of a behaviour through its consequences. The other statements reverse the key features or attribute the research to the wrong scientists.

Question 17Psychology (Intermediate Level, MATSEC syllabus content)

A person's heart rate increases and pupils dilate when they are suddenly frightened. Which division of the nervous system is responsible?

  1. Somatic nervous system
  2. Central nervous system
  3. Parasympathetic nervous system
  4. Sympathetic nervous system Correct answer.

Explanation

The sympathetic division of the autonomic nervous system prepares the body for action by increasing heart rate, dilating pupils, and mobilising energy. The parasympathetic division promotes rest and digestion. The somatic nervous system controls voluntary muscles, and the central nervous system comprises the brain and spinal cord.

Question 18Psychology (Intermediate Level, MATSEC syllabus content)

Which ethical safeguard is most directly concerned with protecting participants from physical or psychological harm?

  1. Debriefing only at the end of the study
  2. Reporting the results in a peer-reviewed journal
  3. Using a matched pairs design
  4. Obtaining informed consent and allowing withdrawal Correct answer.

Explanation

Protection from harm requires that participants understand what they are agreeing to, can withdraw at any time, and are not exposed to avoidable risk. Informed consent and the right to withdraw are core safeguards. Debriefing is valuable but cannot by itself prevent harm, and design and publication choices address different ethical or methodological concerns.

Question 19Psychology (Intermediate Level, MATSEC syllabus content)

A test is administered twice to the same group, and the two sets of scores are strongly correlated. Which property of the test is being assessed?

  1. Construct validity
  2. Inter-rater reliability
  3. Test-retest reliability Correct answer.
  4. Face validity

Explanation

Test-retest reliability is established by administering the same measure on two occasions and correlating the scores. Inter-rater reliability concerns agreement between different observers. Construct and face validity concern whether a test measures the intended concept and whether it appears to do so.

Question 20Psychology (Intermediate Level, MATSEC syllabus content)

Which statement best reflects the behaviourist view of language acquisition?

  1. Language is learned through imitation, reinforcement, and association Correct answer.
  2. Language develops through a fixed sequence of cognitive stages
  3. Language depends on an innate universal grammar
  4. Language is acquired mainly through insight learning

Explanation

Behaviourists such as Skinner argued that language is acquired through imitation of models, reinforcement of utterances, and association between words and objects. Chomsky instead proposed an innate universal grammar. Cognitive stage accounts and insight learning are not the behaviourist explanation.

Question 21Psychology (Intermediate Level, MATSEC syllabus content)

A researcher finds that participants who eat breakfast report higher concentration scores, but participants who eat breakfast also sleep longer. Which issue does the sleep difference illustrate?

  1. A floor effect
  2. A demand characteristic
  3. A confounding variable Correct answer.
  4. A ceiling effect

Explanation

A confounding variable is an uncontrolled factor that varies systematically with the independent variable and could explain the outcome. Because breakfast eaters also sleep longer, the effect on concentration cannot be attributed to breakfast alone. Demand characteristics concern participant expectations, while ceiling and floor effects concern restricted score ranges.

Question 22Psychology (Intermediate Level, MATSEC syllabus content)

Which finding from studies of divided attention best supports the idea that attentional capacity is limited?

  1. Recognition memory exceeds recall memory
  2. Reaction time increases as stimulus intensity decreases
  3. Performance on two demanding tasks declines compared with performing each alone Correct answer.
  4. Practice on a single task always improves performance

Explanation

If attention had unlimited capacity, two concurrent demanding tasks would not interfere. The decline in performance when tasks compete supports a limited-capacity model in which resources must be shared. The other findings concern practice effects, memory measures, and stimulus intensity rather than divided attention.

Question 23Psychology (Intermediate Level, MATSEC syllabus content)

In a study, the same participants rate a series of faces for trustworthiness, and the order of faces is randomised for each participant. Why is randomisation of order important here?

  1. It eliminates experimenter bias
  2. It increases the reliability of the rating scale
  3. It guarantees the sample is representative of the population
  4. It controls for order effects such as practice and fatigue Correct answer.

Explanation

Randomising the order of stimuli across participants prevents systematic order effects, such as practice, fatigue, or carryover, from consistently influencing one condition. It does not make the sample representative, improve scale reliability, or remove experimenter bias, which require different procedures.

Question 24Psychology (Intermediate Level, MATSEC syllabus content)

A clinician notes that a patient shows reduced emotional responsiveness and impaired fear conditioning after damage to a specific brain region. Which region is most implicated?

  1. Hippocampus
  2. Thalamus
  3. Amygdala Correct answer.
  4. Broca's area

Explanation

The amygdala is central to emotional processing, particularly fear learning and the expression of conditioned fear. Damage can produce reduced fear responses and impaired fear conditioning while leaving declarative memory relatively intact. The hippocampus supports declarative memory, Broca's area supports speech production, and the thalamus relays sensory information.

Question 25Psychology (Intermediate Level, MATSEC syllabus content)

A researcher reports that a new therapy produced a large improvement in a treatment group, but participants were assigned to the therapy because they had the most severe symptoms. What is the central threat to the study's validity?

  1. Selection bias arising from non-random assignment Correct answer.
  2. Experimenter expectancy affecting the outcome
  3. A ceiling effect on the outcome measure
  4. Instrumentation decay across the study

Explanation

When participants are assigned on the basis of symptom severity, the groups differ systematically before treatment begins, so improvement cannot be attributed to the therapy alone. This is selection bias, and random assignment is the usual safeguard. Instrumentation decay, ceiling effects, and experimenter expectancy are different threats.

Question 26Psychology (Intermediate Level, MATSEC syllabus content)

In the MATSEC psychology syllabus, which research method involves observing participants in their natural environment without the researcher deliberately manipulating any variable?

  1. Naturalistic observation Correct answer.
  2. Laboratory experiment
  3. Field experiment
  4. Correlational survey

Explanation

Naturalistic observation records behaviour as it occurs in a real-world setting, with no deliberate manipulation of variables by the researcher. This gives high ecological validity but weak control over extraneous factors.

Question 27Psychology (Intermediate Level, MATSEC syllabus content)

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

  1. The dendrites Correct answer.
  2. The myelin sheath
  3. The terminal buttons
  4. The axon

Explanation

Dendrites are the branching extensions that pick up neurotransmitters from neighbouring neurons and transmit the resulting electrical signal toward the soma. The axon instead conducts the impulse away from the cell body.

Question 28Psychology (Intermediate Level, MATSEC syllabus content)

According to the multi-store model of memory, which store holds information for roughly 18 to 30 seconds when it is not rehearsed?

  1. Sensory memory
  2. Short-term memory Correct answer.
  3. Long-term memory
  4. Procedural memory

Explanation

In Atkinson and Shiffrin's model, short-term memory has a limited duration of about 18 to 30 seconds and a capacity of roughly seven items. Without rehearsal, its contents decay or are displaced.

Question 29Psychology (Intermediate Level, MATSEC syllabus content)

Which term describes the tendency to overestimate the influence of internal personality factors and underestimate situational factors when explaining other people's behaviour?

  1. Conformity
  2. The self-serving bias
  3. Cognitive dissonance
  4. The fundamental attribution error Correct answer.

Explanation

The fundamental attribution error is the bias toward explaining others' actions in terms of disposition while neglecting situational pressures. It differs from self-serving bias, which concerns attributions about one's own outcomes.

Question 30Psychology (Intermediate Level, MATSEC syllabus content)

In classical conditioning, what is a neutral stimulus called once it has come to elicit the conditioned response on its own?

  1. The conditioned stimulus Correct answer.
  2. The unconditioned response
  3. The reinforcer
  4. The unconditioned stimulus

Explanation

After repeated pairing with an unconditioned stimulus, a previously neutral stimulus acquires the ability to trigger the response and is then termed the conditioned stimulus. The response it evokes is the conditioned response.

Question 31Psychology (Intermediate Level, MATSEC syllabus content)

Which stage of Erikson's psychosocial theory centres on the crisis of intimacy versus isolation?

  1. Adolescence
  2. Middle adulthood
  3. Young adulthood Correct answer.
  4. Infancy

Explanation

Erikson placed intimacy versus isolation in young adulthood, where the task is to form close, committed relationships. Earlier adolescence concerns identity, and later middle adulthood concerns generativity.

Question 32Psychology (Intermediate Level, MATSEC syllabus content)

Which approach to psychology emphasises that people are motivated by an innate drive toward personal growth and self-actualisation?

  1. Cognitive psychology
  2. Humanistic psychology Correct answer.
  3. Behaviourism
  4. Psychodynamic psychology

Explanation

Humanistic psychology, associated with Maslow and Rogers, stresses free will, self-concept and the drive toward self-actualisation. It explicitly rejects the determinism of behaviourism and psychodynamic theory.

Question 33Psychology (Intermediate Level, MATSEC syllabus content)

Which measure of central tendency is most affected by a single extreme outlier in a set of scores?

  1. The range
  2. The mode
  3. The mean Correct answer.
  4. The median

Explanation

The mean uses every score in its calculation, so one extreme value can pull it strongly in that direction. The median and mode depend on position or frequency and are far more resistant to outliers.

Question 34Psychology (Intermediate Level, MATSEC syllabus content)

A researcher conditions a dog to salivate to a tone paired with food, then repeatedly presents the tone without food until salivation stops. Which process has occurred?

  1. Spontaneous recovery
  2. Discrimination
  3. Extinction Correct answer.
  4. Generalisation

Explanation

Extinction is the gradual weakening and disappearance of a conditioned response when the conditioned stimulus is repeatedly presented without the unconditioned stimulus. The learned association is suppressed rather than erased.

Question 35Psychology (Intermediate Level, MATSEC syllabus content)

A witness reports that the robber wore a red jacket, but the robber actually wore a green one. The witness has confidently incorporated misleading information from a leading question. Which memory phenomenon is illustrated?

  1. Anterograde amnesia
  2. Proactive interference
  3. The recency effect
  4. The misinformation effect Correct answer.

Explanation

The misinformation effect occurs when post-event information distorts a person's recollection of an original event, and confidence is no guarantee of accuracy. Loftus demonstrated this with leading questions about details of witnessed scenes.

Question 36Psychology (Intermediate Level, MATSEC syllabus content)

In an experiment, participants are randomly allocated to conditions to make the groups equivalent before the manipulation. Which purpose does random allocation most directly serve?

  1. Controlling participant variables so groups are comparable Correct answer.
  2. Removing the need for informed consent
  3. Ensuring the measure is reliable across time
  4. Increasing the ecological validity of the task

Explanation

Random allocation distributes individual differences such as age, ability and motivation evenly across conditions, reducing the chance that participant variables confound the result. It does not make the setting more realistic or improve test-retest reliability.

Question 37Psychology (Intermediate Level, MATSEC syllabus content)

A student who normally finds maths difficult solves a problem easily after watching a confident classmate work through a similar example. Which concept best explains this improvement?

  1. Negative reinforcement
  2. Vicarious reinforcement Correct answer.
  3. Extinction
  4. Punishment

Explanation

Vicarious reinforcement occurs when observing another person being rewarded or succeeding increases the likelihood that the observer imitates the behaviour. Bandura's social learning theory emphasises this observational route to learning.

Question 38Psychology (Intermediate Level, MATSEC syllabus content)

Which statement best describes the function of the hippocampus in memory?

  1. It stores all procedural skills permanently
  2. It is critical for consolidating new declarative memories Correct answer.
  3. It controls the reflex arc of the spinal cord
  4. It regulates hunger and body temperature

Explanation

The hippocampus is essential for forming and consolidating new declarative or explicit memories, as shown by patient H.M. and by animal lesion studies. Procedural skills and many other functions depend on different structures.

Question 39Psychology (Intermediate Level, MATSEC syllabus content)

A child reasons that a tall thin glass holds more juice than a short wide one, focusing only on the height of the liquid. According to Piaget, which limitation does this illustrate?

  1. Reversibility
  2. Object permanence
  3. Centration Correct answer.
  4. Abstract reasoning

Explanation

Centration is the tendency to focus on one salient dimension of a problem while ignoring others, which explains failure on conservation tasks in the preoperational stage. Reversibility, the ability to reverse mental operations, is not yet available.

Question 40Psychology (Intermediate Level, MATSEC syllabus content)

In a study of helping behaviour, the probability of a bystander intervening decreases as the number of other witnesses increases. Which explanation is most consistent with this finding?

  1. The mere exposure effect
  2. Diffusion of responsibility Correct answer.
  3. Group polarisation
  4. Social facilitation

Explanation

Diffusion of responsibility holds that when many people are present, each feels less personally accountable for acting. This helps explain the bystander effect observed by Darley and Latané.

Question 41Psychology (Intermediate Level, MATSEC syllabus content)

A patient reports persistent low mood, loss of interest in activities and disturbed sleep for several months. Which diagnostic category do these features most directly suggest?

  1. Bipolar I disorder
  2. Obsessive-compulsive disorder
  3. Generalised anxiety disorder
  4. Major depressive disorder Correct answer.

Explanation

Persistent low mood together with anhedonia, sleep disturbance and duration of weeks to months are core features of major depressive disorder. A diagnosis also requires impairment and exclusion of other causes.

Question 42Psychology (Intermediate Level, MATSEC syllabus content)

Which statement best captures the difference between a hypothesis and an operational definition in psychological research?

  1. A hypothesis describes the sample, while an operational definition describes the population
  2. A hypothesis is always proven true, while an operational definition is provisional
  3. A hypothesis is a broad theory, while an operational definition is a statistical test
  4. A hypothesis is a testable prediction, while an operational definition specifies how a variable is measured Correct answer.

Explanation

A hypothesis states a testable prediction about the relationship between variables, whereas an operational definition states precisely how each variable will be manipulated or measured. Operational definitions make replication possible.

Question 43Psychology (Intermediate Level, MATSEC syllabus content)

A researcher calculates a standard deviation of zero for a set of scores. What must be true of those scores?

  1. The mean of the scores is zero
  2. Every score in the set is identical Correct answer.
  3. Half the scores are above the mean
  4. The distribution is negatively skewed

Explanation

Standard deviation measures average spread around the mean, so a value of zero means there is no variation at all and every score equals the mean. The mean itself need not be zero.

Question 44Psychology (Intermediate Level, MATSEC syllabus content)

Which feature distinguishes a true experiment from a quasi-experiment?

  1. Use of a control group
  2. Measurement of a dependent variable
  3. Collection of quantitative data
  4. Random assignment of participants to conditions Correct answer.

Explanation

The defining feature of a true experiment is random assignment, which allows causal claims by equating groups. Quasi-experiments compare pre-existing groups and therefore cannot fully rule out confounds.

Question 45Psychology (Intermediate Level, MATSEC syllabus content)

A therapist helps a client challenge irrational beliefs such as 'I must be perfect at everything' and replace them with more realistic appraisals. Which therapeutic approach is being used?

  1. Psychoanalysis
  2. Cognitive behavioural therapy Correct answer.
  3. Electroconvulsive therapy
  4. Systematic desensitisation

Explanation

Cognitive behavioural therapy targets distorted or irrational cognitions and the behaviours that maintain them, using techniques such as cognitive restructuring. It is structured, present-focused and evidence-based for anxiety and depression.

Question 46Psychology (Intermediate Level, MATSEC syllabus content)

A researcher finds that a new drug reduces symptoms compared with a placebo, but the effect is statistically significant only because the sample was extremely large. Which concept does this illustrate?

  1. Statistical significance does not guarantee practical importance Correct answer.
  2. The study lacked a control condition
  3. A Type II error has occurred
  4. The dependent variable was not operationalised

Explanation

With very large samples, even trivial differences can reach statistical significance, so effect size and practical relevance must also be considered. Significance indicates that a difference is unlikely to be due to chance, not that it matters clinically.

Question 47Psychology (Intermediate Level, MATSEC syllabus content)

In a within-subjects design, the same participants complete all conditions. Which threat is most directly addressed by counterbalancing the order of conditions?

  1. Order effects such as practice and fatigue Correct answer.
  2. Demand characteristics arising from the experimenter
  3. Low inter-rater reliability of the measure
  4. Sampling bias in the recruitment of participants

Explanation

Counterbalancing varies the order in which conditions are experienced so that practice, fatigue and boredom effects are spread across conditions rather than systematically favouring one. It does not eliminate experimenter effects or sampling bias.

Question 48Psychology (Intermediate Level, MATSEC syllabus content)

A patient with damage to the ventromedial prefrontal cortex shows intact intelligence and memory but makes repeatedly poor personal and social decisions. Which interpretation best fits this pattern?

  1. Social behaviour is unaffected by brain injury
  2. Declarative memory is stored in the prefrontal cortex
  3. Emotional and somatic signals are needed to guide advantageous real-life decisions Correct answer.
  4. General intellectual ability depends entirely on the prefrontal cortex

Explanation

Damasio's work on such patients suggests that bodily and emotional signals normally tag options as advantageous or risky, and without them reasoning in personal and social contexts breaks down. General intellect and memory remain largely intact.

Question 49Psychology (Intermediate Level, MATSEC syllabus content)

A researcher reports a strong association between ice-cream sales and drowning rates across months. Which conclusion is most defensible?

  1. Drowning causes increased ice-cream sales
  2. A third variable such as hot weather may account for both, so causation cannot be inferred Correct answer.
  3. The correlation proves the hypothesis that ice cream is dangerous
  4. Eating ice cream directly causes drowning

Explanation

A correlation between two variables does not establish which causes which, or whether a confounding third variable drives both. Warm weather plausibly increases both swimming and ice-cream consumption, illustrating the third-variable problem.

Question 50Psychology (Intermediate Level, MATSEC syllabus content)

Which statement best explains why the Strange Situation procedure is used in attachment research?

  1. It records the parents' own childhood memories of attachment
  2. It measures the infant's intelligence quotient at twelve months
  3. It observes infant responses to separation and reunion to classify attachment patterns Correct answer.
  4. It assesses the physical growth of the infant over time

Explanation

Ainsworth's Strange Situation systematically observes how an infant reacts to brief separations from and reunions with the caregiver, allowing classification into secure, insecure-avoidant and insecure-resistant patterns. The focus is on the quality of the attachment relationship, not on intelligence or physical growth.