A student spends much time socializing with friends instead of studying for an important exam because he is afraid to find out whether he has what it takes to pass the exam. This student is engaging in what psychologists call

a. the consistency paradox.
b. self-handicapping behavior.
c. self-efficacy.
d. fixation.


Answer: b. self-handicapping behavior.

Psychology

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According to the developmental cascade model of depression, the higher proportion of females relative to males who succumb to depression in adolescence and adulthood may be due to a greater importance placed on _________.

A. the developmental task of achieving autonomy from parents B. the developmental task of forming close relationships with others C. dieting D. succeeding in school

Psychology

Which of the following provides evidence for the role of environment in obesity?

a. Some children inherit a tendency to turn extra calories into fat. b. Identical twins have similar body weights regardless of whether they were reared together or apart. c. Watching TV seems to have an effectchildren's weight. d. Obese children have higher levels of testosterone.

Psychology

Sam has a real clunker of a car that has stalled on him numerous times. He tells his friends that he is getting a brand new car, but then he checks out the prices and realizes that he cannot afford a new car. When his friends ask him when he is getting the new car, he responds that he does not know what he was thinking. He could never give up this car. "It's a classic.". Sam is using the defense

mechanism known as a. displacement. b. rationalization. c. compensation. d. sublimation.

Psychology

A stimulus with a value of 1 jnd is just above the

a. difference threshold. b. absolute threshold. c. receiver-operating characteristic. d. response bias. e. long-term potentiation.

Psychology