MCAT Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations Practice Test 1

A team of engineers constructing signal lights for airplanes that they can use to guide them to runways are attempting to determine the brightness needed for the pilot to be able to detect the tower at 1 mile away. They set the light to a test brightness and establish communication with an inbound pilot. When the pilot is 1 mile away from the tower, he says he cannot see the light. In terms of Signal Detection Theory, what would this be called?

Karl Marx originated the Conflict Theory, in which he based his hypothesis on the theory that power drives relationships within society. Which of the following statements would correlate most accurately to the Conflict Theory?

Rational choice theory is premised on the concept that actions are chosen based on the benefit to the individual. The three main assumptions of rational theory are completeness, transitivity, and independence of variables. This is most accurately described as what kind of system?

The Industrial Revolution saw a massive movement into urbanization for living spaces in the United States. Which of the following is NOT a benefit seen to those who choose to move from rural to urban areas?

The World Systems Theory divides the world as a unit into three subcategories: core countries, periphery countries, and semi-periphery countries. Which of the following answers correlates best with semi-periphery countries?

An individual presents to the clinic for initial evaluation and establishment of care. The patient was born 46, XY, but identifies as a female. Her preferred pronouns are She/Her. Additionally, she is sexually active with females only. What would describe the gender and orientation of this individual?

New York City is home to over 7 million inhabitants from a diverse range of backgrounds. Although the city itself has characteristics, there are several smaller areas, usually congregations of people from the same nationality, who adhere to customs from their prior country of inhabitance. For example, in Little Italy, a small town in the city, it is still customary to greet people with cheek kisses. This is an example of what kind of phenomenon?

A scientist carrying out experiments on hearing aids fits 30 mice that were genetically modified to lose their hearing with the latest technology and were tested to press a lever when they heard a bell. This was set to varying levels of power. At 80% power, 20 mice pressed the lever. At 70% power, 15 mice pressed the lever. At 60% power, 10 mice pressed the lever. Which of the following power levels corresponds to the absolute threshold for hearing the decibels produced by the bell?

Karen is a college student working on developing a stronger sense of self-esteem and self-efficacy with her therapist. She has noticed a great change in her ability to handle situations after 3 months of therapy. Which of the following would NOT be a strategy that her therapist would ask her to employ to raise her sense of self-efficacy?

David is a nationally ranked cellist who recently accepted a scholarship to a major college to perform in the orchestra. Over the summer, he has been given a packet of sheet music to be proficient in by fall semester. David is a perfectionist when it comes to his craft. He always compares himself to better players, and is very hard on himself when he cannot master a section of one of his pieces. Which of the following answers best describes David?