AP Psych Final Essay 2016

procedural memory

-a driving-related skill that is performed w/ little attention or awareness (muscle memory)

heuristic

-a specific problem-solving strategy and why she was using it on the drive EX:when she got lost she called her parents for help

circadian rhythms

-because she has to cross different time zones, she will have to drive when she would normally be asleep, putting her at risk for an accident

retinal disparity

-difference btwn 2 eyes or retinas w/ ability to perceive depth while driving EX: use difference btwn the images on her two retinas to judge the distance btwn her car and the car in front of her

motor neurons

-enable her movement in context of driving a car EX:"allow her to press the gas pedal in her car"

Self-fulfilling prophecy

-his (or other's) expectation that he would not do well resulted in him not doing well

Retroactive Interference

-learning new info may impair recall of perviously learned info, hindering his success w/ task

Sympathetic Nervous system

-negative impact -heart rate, blood pressure, sweating EX:Excessive arousal (anxiousness, alertness) produced by the sympathetic nervous system

inattentional blindness

-not seeing or noticing a specific external object because attention is directed elsewhere EX: because she was focused on picking a song, she didn't notice the car in front of her and she rear-ended it

distributed practice

-study is spread out over multiple time periods for greater success

Q1

Ashley planned to drive from New York to California to attend college. However, shortly after departing, she became uncertain about which roads to take and called her parents for assistance with directions. Because she was distracted, she drove off the side of the road and grazed the front bumper of her car on the guardrail. Fortunately, the car was not too badly damaged, so she continued on her journey. Although she ultimately made it to CA, she had a lingering fear of guardrails for several months following her experience. Part A: Explain how each of the following might have helped Ashley drive from New York to California. Definitions alone will not score. -Motor neurons -retinal disparity -heuristic -procedural memory Part B: Explain how each of the following might have led Ashley to be have a negative experience on her trip from New York to California. Definitions alone will not score. -circadian rhythms -conditioned response -in-attentional blindness

Q2

In a geography course, Danny is required to learn the capital cities of every country of the world. At the end of the semester, the professor will randomly select twenty countries and give each student an oral quiz on the capital cities in front of the class. Part A: Explain how each of the following might help Danny succeed with his task. Definitions alone will not score -distributed practice -a mnemonic device -secondary reinforcer -big five trait of conscientiousness Part B: Explain how each of the following might hinder Danny's success with his task. Definitions alone will not score -retroactive interference -self-fulfilling prophecy -sympathetic nervous system

Big Five Trait of Conscientiousness

enduring traits of conscientiousness (organization, responsibility) would result in improved studying/performance

secondary reinforcer

include a previously administered secondary reinforcers such as money, grades, praise as a way of helping him succeed.

mnemonic device

memory aid (acronym or chunking) to help remember terms for greater success

conditioned response

the stimulus of hitting the guard rail created a conditioned response of being afraid of guardrails