Practice test for Psychological Therapies 

Note: These questions are part of a larger data base of questions & are selected 
to represent the type of question you should expect on exams. Exam questions, 
however, may deal with topics not covered in the practice tests or in lectures but are discussed in 
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Use these sample questions to test yourself & to practice for the test. 

1.  Cara is going to a therapist to gain a better understanding of why she has self-destructive 
relationships with all of her friends. This type of therapy is known as __________ therapy.

•  insight 
 •  action 
  •  behavioral 
   •  biomedical
  
2.  The hidden meaning of a dream is the __________ content, 
according to Freud.

•  repressed 
 •  latent 
  •  manifest 
   •  sexual 

3.  Through the use of __________ a person-centered therapist conveys they are trying 
to understand the experience of the person they are working with.

•  reflection 
 •  unconditional positive regard 
  •  empathy 
   •  authenticity

4.  What differentiates motivational interviewing from person-centered therapy?

•  Motivational interviewing has specific goals of reducing ambivalence about change and 
increasing intrinsic motivation to bring changes about while traditional person-centered 
therapy does not. 
•  Motivation interviewing focuses on unconscious motives while traditional 
person-centered therapy focuses on the self. 
•  Motivation interviewing allows the client to talk about anything they wish while 
traditional person-centered therapy is more direct. 
•  Motivation interviewing is a behavioral therapeutic technique while person-centered 
therapy is a biomedical therapy.

5.  Which of the following clients would probably get the least benefit from a humanistic therapy?

•  Colin, who is bright but confused about self-image 
 •  Cole, who is very talkative and open in discussing feelings 
  •  Colleen, who enjoys exploring the inner workings of the mind 
   •  Cody, who has a hard time putting thoughts and feelings into words 
       in a logical manner

6.  To overcome her fear of balloons, because of the loud sound they might suddenly 
make should they pop, Bella must sit in a room filled with balloons while the therapist 
continuously pops each one. After a while, Bella realizes that her fear is unjustified 
and begins to pop balloons herself. This technique is known as

•  systematic desensitization. 
 •  aversion therapy. 
  •  flooding. 
   •  extinction. 
  
7.  Megan's daughter Kayla was afraid of dogs. Megan took Kayla to a therapist to help 
her overcome her fear but was surprised when the therapist brought a dog into the room. 
At first Kayla was asked to watch from across the room as the therapist showed her how 
to approach and pet the dog and not grab its tail. Eventually Kayla was asked to come 
over and mimic the behavior she had observed. After a few sessions, Kayla was no longer 
fearful of dogs. What technique did the therapist use with Kayla?

•  virtual exposure 
 •  aversion therapy 
  •  flooding 
   •  participant modeling

8.  Maria sat down with her daughter Zoe, and together wrote out a list of things Zoe was 
expected to do each day and the rewards she would get if she accomplished them, as well 
as the penalties she would face if she did not do them. This is most like which technique?

•  token economy 
 •  time-out 
  •  extinction 
   •  contingency contracting

9.  For both children and adults, and for many undesirable behaviors, the use of __________ 
or some form of "time-out" can be quite effective.

•  arbitrary inference 
 •  extinction 
  •  positive reinforcement 
   •  negative reinforcement

10.  Stephan gets a text message from his girlfriend saying that she will have to work 
overtime tonight. Stephan immediately assumes his girlfriend is seeing someone else 
at work. Beck would say that Stephan has engaged in what type of distorted thinking?

•  arbitrary inference 
 •  selective thinking 
  •  overgeneralization 
   •  personalization
  
11.  Devin's wife comes home angry from her job, and he immediately assumes he has 
done something wrong. Such irrational thinking is an example of 

•  overgeneralization. 
 •  personalization. 
  •  arbitrary inference 
   •  selective thinking.

12.  Latanya tends to blow negative events out of proportion to their importance 
(magnification) while ignoring relevant positive events (minimization). What 
therapeutic technique may work best to help Latanya?

•  group therapy 
 •  virtual therapy 
  •  bilateral anterior cingulotomy 
   •  rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT) 

13.  Which therapy style requires the therapist to actively confront client's irrational 
believes?

•  person-centered 
 •  frontal lobotomy 
  •  rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT) 
   •  cognitive restructuring

14.  Family therapy is a form of group therapy in which

•  non-professionals lead a selected group of family members with similar concerns. 
 •  the entire family participates as no one person is seen as a problem. 
  •  family member meet to single out the individual that is causing the problem in 
      the family dynamic. 
    •  psychology professionals treat their own family members.

15.  Dr. Phelps uses an eclectic approach to her work as a therapist, what specifically 
is she doing?

•  Dr. Phelps tends to rely on the unconscious as the source for all therapeutic treatments. 
 •  Dr. Phelps tends to rely on the behavioral approach in the treatment of her clients. 
  •  Dr. Phelps uses only the newest and most innovative treatment of her clients. 
   •  Dr. Phelps uses one, or a combination, of any number of therapeutic treatments 
       depending on the situation.

16.  With regard to treatment of psychological disorders, many psychological 
professionals believe medications work best in combination with

•  electroconvulsive therapy. 
 •  psychotherapy. 
  •  psychosurgery. 
   •  deep brain stimulation.

17.  Typical antipsychotic drugs work by blocking what neurotransmitter?

•  norepinephrine 
 •  serotonin 
  •  dopamine 
   •  epinephrine

18.  Bradley has been on an antipsychotic drug for many years to control his schizophrenia. 
He has developed repetitive, involuntary jerks and movements of the face, lips, legs, and 
body. These side effects make up a syndrome known as

•  the "Thorazine shuffle." 
 •  neurolepsis. 
  •  tardive dsykinesia. 
   •  psychotic syndrome.

19.  As part of the medical treatment trail she is participating in for severe and suicidal 
depression, Kierra was given ___________, which is being investigated due to its 
seemingly immediate, although short-term effects.

•  ketamine 
 •  lithium 
  •  valproic acid 
   •  paroxetine
  
20.  In bilateral anterior cingulotomy

•  the front of the brain is cut away from the back. 
 •  a thin wire electrode is used to destroy a small area of brain tissue. 
  •  an electric shock is used to stimulate certain areas of the brain. 
   •  a drug is injected into the brain to destroy a large area of brain tissue.



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  Strange, is it not? that of the myriads who 
Before us pass'd the door of Darkness through 
     Not one returns to tell us of the Road, 
     Which to discover we must travel too. 

- Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam