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Twenty representative CLEP Intro Psychology questions, each with the answer and a short explanation of why the wrong choices trap test-takers.
By Alex Stone5 min readLast fact-checked January 1970
Twenty practice questions for CLEP Introductory Psychology, in the real exam's style. Score 16 of 20 here and you are in passing range. Miss more than four, and the pattern of your misses points straight at the topic to review next. Every question below is explained on video, including why the wrong answers trap most test-takers.
What students preparing for this exam tell us is that steady practice in the exam's format, with an explanation for every miss, is what moves a score. Use these the same way: answer, check, and read why the wrong choices are tempting. For the full plan around them, see the CLEP Introductory Psychology pillar guide.
Watch the full video walkthrough above, then test yourself on the twenty questions below. Each one is explained on the video, including why the wrong answers trap most test-takers.
1. The basic cell of the nervous system that transmits signals is the: neuron. The neuron is the nervous system's basic signaling cell. The synapse is the gap between neurons, and dendrites are the branches that receive incoming signals.
2. The chemical messengers that carry signals across the gap between neurons are called: neurotransmitters. Neurotransmitters, like dopamine and serotonin, carry signals across the synapse from one neuron to the next.
3. The part of the brain that controls balance and coordinated movement is the: cerebellum. The cerebellum, at the back of the brain, coordinates balance and smooth movement. The hippocampus, by contrast, is central to forming memories.
4. The brain structure most important for forming new long-term memories is the: hippocampus. The hippocampus is essential for forming new long-term memories. The amygdala, right beside it, processes emotions like fear.
5. The branch of the nervous system that prepares the body for fight or flight is the: sympathetic nervous system. The sympathetic nervous system triggers the fight-or-flight response, raising heart rate and energy. The parasympathetic system then calms the body back down.
6. Pavlov's dogs learning to salivate at a bell is an example of: classical conditioning. Classical conditioning pairs a neutral stimulus, the bell, with a meaningful one, food, until the neutral stimulus alone triggers the response.
7. Learning shaped by rewards and punishments is called: operant conditioning. Operant conditioning, studied by B. F. Skinner, shapes behavior through consequences: rewards make a behavior more likely and punishments less likely.
8. Memory that holds a small amount of information for only a few seconds is: short-term memory. Short-term memory holds about seven items for a few seconds. Long-term memory, by contrast, can store vast information for years.
9. A mental shortcut that speeds up decisions but can cause errors is a: heuristic. A heuristic is a mental shortcut that speeds up judgments but can lead to bias. An algorithm, by contrast, is a step-by-step method that guarantees the right answer.
10. Grouping individual items into larger meaningful units to remember them better is called: chunking. Chunking groups items into larger units, like remembering a phone number in pieces, which expands how much short-term memory can hold.
11. The psychologist who proposed stages of cognitive development in children was: Jean Piaget. Jean Piaget proposed that children move through stages of cognitive development, from sensorimotor exploration to abstract reasoning.
12. Sigmund Freud's theory emphasized the influence of the: unconscious mind. Freud's psychoanalytic theory held that unconscious drives and early childhood experiences shape personality and behavior.
13. At the very top of Maslow's hierarchy of needs is: self-actualization. In Maslow's hierarchy, basic needs like food and safety come first, and self-actualization, reaching one's full potential, sits at the very top.
14. The strong emotional bond between an infant and a caregiver is called: attachment. Attachment is the close emotional bond between infant and caregiver. Mary Ainsworth's research identified secure and insecure attachment styles.
15. The theory that we feel emotion as a result of noticing our body's arousal is the: James-Lange theory. The James-Lange theory proposes that emotion follows from bodily reactions, for example feeling afraid because you notice your heart racing.
16. Persistent, excessive worry and fear that disrupts daily life characterizes an: anxiety disorder. Anxiety disorders involve excessive, persistent fear or worry. Mood disorders, by contrast, mainly affect emotional state, as in depression.
17. The disorder marked by alternating periods of mania and depression is: bipolar disorder. Bipolar disorder involves swings between manic highs and depressive lows. Schizophrenia, by contrast, involves a break from reality with symptoms like hallucinations.
18. The therapy that focuses on changing unhealthy thoughts and behaviors is: cognitive behavioral therapy. Cognitive behavioral therapy helps people identify and change distorted thoughts and unhelpful behaviors, and it is widely used for anxiety and depression.
19. The tendency to blame a person's character rather than their situation is the: fundamental attribution error. The fundamental attribution error is our tendency to overweigh personality and underweigh circumstances when explaining other people's behavior.
20. People being less likely to help when others are present is called the: bystander effect. The bystander effect describes how the presence of others lowers any one person's likelihood of helping, partly because responsibility feels spread across the group.
The point of twenty questions is not the twenty, it is the pattern. Mark which topic each miss came from, then spend your next session on that topic alone. None of it requires starting over, only tightening the spots that cost you points.
A single twenty-question set is a snapshot, not a study plan. To pass with margin you need volume: enough questions, in the exam's format, with explanations that turn a wrong answer into a correction. That is what Flying Prep's CLEP Introductory Psychology practice is built for: every question explained, with a free trial before you decide.
About 16. A passing score works out to roughly 80 percent, so clearing 16 of 20 consistently across a few sets puts you in passing range.
No. These are representative practice questions in the exam's style. The real exam draws from a much larger pool, which is why practice volume, not memorizing any single set, is what moves your score.
The Flying Prep CLEP Introductory Psychology question bank has every question explained and reviewed against the current outline. Start a free trial and drill the topics your misses point to.
Alex Stone founded Flying Prep after earning her bachelor's degree from Thomas Edison State University using 27 CLEP and DSST exams to test out of 99 credits. She built Flying Prep to help working adults and returning students take the same path.
See the full CLEP Introductory Psychology study guide for the practice quiz, study plan, and credit details.