AP Psychology Practice Test: Testing & Individual Differences

The correct answer is (D). Predictive validity refers to a test's ability to predict an outcome in some other area. Since the student's scores on the teacher's tests were very different than her scores on the AP Exam, the teacher's tests failed to accurately predict the student's performance on the AP Exam and therefore lack predictive validity.

The correct answer is (C). Howard Gardner described multiple intelligences, including interpersonal intelligence which refers to the ability to understand other people and interact well with them. People who demonstrate high levels of interpersonal intelligence are generally good communicators with high levels of empathy. These characteristics would be very helpful to a psychotherapist.

The correct answer is (C). Aptitude refers to the potential ability to learn something a person hasn't already learned. For example, a person with speed, strength, good eye-hand coordination, and quick reflexes would have an aptitude for learning to play baseball and may learn it quickly even though they have never played before.

The correct answer is (A). Reliability refers to the consistency of scores on an assessment. If the participants' scores varied a lot from one administration to the next, the researcher would conclude that the assessment lacked reliability.

The correct answer is (B). Intelligence tests are normed so that 100 always indicates an average score.

The correct answer is (B). Stereotype threat occurs when people who know that others who share their demographic characteristics (gender, ethnicity, age, etc.) are expected to do poorly on a particular assessment experience a decrease in their scores on that assessment.

The correct answer is (D). Intelligence scores fall in a normal distribution. In a normal distribution, approximately 34% of scores fall within one standard deviation above the mean and another 34% fall within one standard deviation below the mean. The mean score for intelligence is 100 and the standard deviation is 15 points. Therefore, a score of 85 would be one standard deviation below the mean and a score of 115 would be one standard deviation above the mean. So, 34% of people's scores would fall between 85 and 100 and another 34% would fall between 100 and 115. When these are added together, the result is 68%.

The correct answer is (C). Cattell described 2 types of intelligence: crystallized intelligence which is accumulated knowledge and vocabulary, and fluid intelligence which is the ability to reason abstractly and solve novel problems.

The correct answer is (C). When Terman began his study in 1921, there was a widespread belief that people who were gifted as children would be more likely to grow up to have problems in adulthood ("first to ripe, first to rot"). Terman wanted to show that this was not the case. Although none of his 1528 "Termites" grew up to win the Nobel Prize, they grew up to be better educated and more successful on average than their nongifted peers.

The correct answer is (D). In a normal distribution, if the mean is 80 and the standard deviation is 12, then a score of 92 would fall one standard deviation above the mean. In a normal distribution about 84% of scores would fall below one standard deviation above the mean, leaving 16% at or above one standard deviation above the mean. Therefore, since a 92% is one standard deviation above the mean in this scenario, 16% of the scores would be at or above a 92%.

The correct answer is (D). To calculate IQ using the Stanford-Binet formula, divide Mental Age by Chronological age, then multiply by 100:

12/10 = 1.2

1.2 × 100 = 120

To double check your answer, remember that 100 is an average score. So, if the mental age is higher than the chronological age, you should get an answer that is above 100.

The correct answer is (A). The standard deviation is the square root of the variance. The square root of 16 = 4.