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The CLEP Introductory Psychology exam covers material that is usually taught in a one-semester undergraduate introductory course in psychology. The exam contains approximately 95 questions to be answered in 90 minutes. Some of these are pretest questions that will not be scored.
CLEP Introductory Psychology exam content: The percentages next to the main topics indicate the approximate percentage of exam questions on that topic.
History, Approaches, and Methods (11–12%): History of psychology Approaches: biological, biopsychosocial, behavioral, cognitive, humanistic, and psychodynamic Research methods: experimental, clinical, and correlational Ethics in research Biological Bases of Behavior (8–9%): Endocrine system Etiology Functional organization of the nervous system Genetics Neuroanatomy Physiological techniques Sensation and Perception (7–8%): Attention Other senses: somesthesis, olfaction, gustation, and vestibular system Perceptual development Perceptual processes Receptor processes: vision and audition Sensory mechanisms: thresholds and adaptation States of Consciousness (5–6%): Hypnosis and meditation Psychoactive drug effects Sleep and dreaming Learning (8–9%): Biological bases Classical conditioning Cognitive process in learning Observational learning Operant conditioning Cognition (8–9%) Intelligence and creativity Language Memory Thinking and problem solving Motivation and Emotion (5–6%): Biological bases Hunger, thirst, sex, and pain Social motivation Theories of emotion Theories of motivation Developmental Psychology Across the Lifespan (8–9%): Dimensions of development: physical, cognitive, social, and moral Gender identity and sex roles Heredity-environment issues Research methods: longitudinal, and cross-sectional Theories of development Personality (7–8%) Assessment techniques Growth and adjustment Personality theories and approaches Self-concept and self-esteem Psychological disorders and health (8–9%): Affective disorders Anxiety disorders Dissociative disorders Eating disorders Health, stress, and coping Personality disorders Psychoses Somatoform disorders Theories of psychopathology Treatment of psychological disorders (6–7%): Behavioral therapies Biological and drug therapies Cognitive therapies Community and preventive approaches Insight therapies: psychodynamic and humanistic approaches Social Psychology (9–10%): Aggression/antisocial behavior Attitudes and attitude change Attribution processes Conformity, compliance, and obedience Group dynamics Interpersonal attraction Stereotypes, prejudice, discrimination, prosocial behavior Statistics, Tests, and Measurement (3–4%): Descriptive statistics Inferential statistics Measurement of intelligence Reliability and validity Samples, populations, and norms Types of tests
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