Free CLEP Introduction to Educational Psychology Practice Questions

Sample Practice Questions

Try these 10 sample questions from the CLEP Introduction to Educational Psychology practice bank. Each includes the answer and explanation. Continue with the interactive practice above to review the full question set.

1. 1According to Huitt's account of attention, why might a teacher ask students to recall relevant prior learning just before presenting a new idea?

   1. A.A known pattern can make students more likely to attend to the new stimulus.Correct answer: A
   2. B.A known pattern can redirect attention away from the new stimulus.
   3. C.Prior learning lets new information enter working memory without attention.
   4. D.Prior learning makes all features of the new stimulus equally salient.

   Explanation: Huitt states that "individuals are more likely to pay attention if the stimulus activates a known pattern." Recalling relevant prior learning may activate such a pattern, helping direct attention to the new material.

   Reference: The Information Processing Approach to Cognition — Stage theory model, sensory memory

2. 2Before any conditioning, a puff of air naturally causes an eye blink. What is the puff of air in this relationship?

   1. A.An unconditioned stimulusCorrect answer: A
   2. B.A conditioned stimulus
   3. C.An unconditioned response
   4. D.A conditioned response

   Explanation: Huitt and Hummel describe the unconditioned stimulus as one that "will naturally (without learning) elicit or bring about a relexive response". The air puff is the stimulus, while blinking is the response; conditioning has not yet occurred.

   Reference: An Introduction to Classical (Respondent) Conditioning — Major concepts, unconditioned stimulus

3. 3A child uses an existing mental category to interpret an unfamiliar animal. Which Piagetian process is illustrated?

   1. A.AssimilationCorrect answer: A
   2. B.Accommodation
   3. C.Conservation
   4. D.Reversibility

   Explanation: Huitt and Hummel describe assimilation as using the environment so that it "can be placed in preexisting cognitive structures." The child applies an existing category; accommodation would change the structure itself.

   Reference: Piaget's Theory of Cognitive Development — Adaptation, assimilation and accommodation

4. 4A student believes she can successfully carry out a particular mathematics task. Which concept best describes this belief?

   1. A.Self-efficacyCorrect answer: A
   2. B.Extrinsic reward
   3. C.Learned helplessness
   4. D.Task value

   Explanation: Huitt describes self-efficacy as "the belief that a particular action is possible and that the individual can accomplish it". The student's judgment concerns her capability for the task, rather than a reward, perceived lack of control, or the value of the task.

   Reference: Motivation to Learn: An Overview — Social Cognition

5. 5Which statement captures Gardner's view of the relationship among the intelligences in his theory?

   1. A.They are relatively independent capacities.Correct answer: A
   2. B.They are interchangeable names for one capacity.
   3. C.They are all expressions of language ability.
   4. D.They develop in the same pattern across individuals.

   Explanation: Gardner writes that people have "a small number of relatively independent intelligences". Relative independence means that the capacities need not be identical or equally strong; he also acknowledges both genetic components and opportunities to practice.

   Reference: An Interview on Children and Multiple Intelligences — Question 1, nature of intelligence

6. 6A teacher checks student understanding during a unit and adjusts the next lesson based on the results. What is the primary assessment purpose?

   1. A.FormativeCorrect answer: A
   2. B.Summative
   3. C.Normative placement
   4. D.Final certification

   Explanation: APA states that "Formative assessments are used to guide and shape classroom instruction directly." Using evidence to adjust the next lesson serves that formative purpose.

   Reference: Pre-K to 12 Teaching Principle: Assessment — Principle 18

7. 7A lesson objective asks students to identify causes of the American Revolution. Which activity most directly aligns with that intended outcome?

   1. A.Sort statements into causes and noncauses of the revolution.Correct answer: A
   2. B.Arrange revolutionary battles in chronological order.
   3. C.List prominent people who served after the revolution.
   4. D.Locate the major colonial cities on a historical map.

   Explanation: The IRIS Center describes teachers who "design appropriate and effective instructional activities to guide students toward mastery of those outcomes." Classifying causes directly practices the intended outcome; the other history activities practice different skills.

   Reference: Content Standards: Implementing the Instructional Cycle — Page 11, introduction

8. 8A study uses a coin-toss-like process to assign students to a new instructional program or a comparison condition. Which design feature is illustrated?

   1. A.Random assignmentCorrect answer: A
   2. B.Convenience sampling
   3. C.Naturalistic observation
   4. D.Retrospective matching

   Explanation: IES describes randomized controlled trials as using "a process like a coin toss, to assign individuals to the treatment or comparison group." The random process assigns study conditions rather than merely selecting or observing participants.

   Reference: Evaluation Design Options and Considerations — Quasi-Experimental Designs and Randomized Controlled Trials

9. 9A student uses a recognized cultural variety of a language. What can an educator conclude from that language variety alone?

   1. A.The variation alone does not establish a language disorder.Correct answer: A
   2. B.A disorder is established if the variety differs from classroom norms.
   3. C.A disorder is established if the variety is used at home and at school.
   4. D.A disorder is ruled out if the student also uses the standard variety.

   Explanation: ASHA states that "A regional, social, or cultural/ethnic variation of any spoken language or symbol system is not considered a disorder of speech or language". Its clinical guidance also discusses "childhood language disorders across dialects". A variety alone therefore neither establishes a disorder nor rules out a coexisting disorder.

   Reference: Language in Brief — Language Disorder

10. 10In Huitt's stage model, attention to an incoming stimulus at the sensory-memory stage supports which transition?

    1. A.From sensory memory to short-term memoryCorrect answer: A
    2. B.From short-term memory to long-term memory
    3. C.From long-term memory to short-term memory
    4. D.From long-term memory to sensory memory

    Explanation: Huitt explains that "the learner attend to the information at this initial stage in order to transfer it to the next one." In the stage model the transition described is from sensory memory to short-term memory.

    Reference: The Information Processing Approach to Cognition — Stage theory model, sensory memory