MCAT P/S WRONG ANSWER EXPLANATIONS

ingroup

"Us"—people with whom we share a common identity.

Deviance

Behavior that violates the standards of conduct or expectations of a group or society-doesnt necessarily mean they are doing something immoral. Consider a vegetarian: their behavior would be considered deviant because their behavior is different than what the majority considers normal and acceptable-therefore this is an example of deviant behavior that is not immoral

A country experiencing a demographic transition would see what happen to their birth and death rates?

Birth rates would decrease and death rates would decrease

Another example of confounding variable

Passage is examining labor force participation of women and relationship to their fertility rates In the study, age acts as confounding variable because it correlates with both labor force participation(age affected whether women participated in the labor force) and fertility rate(age affected how many children women had)

Question about intrinsic motivation

Question asks how a parent should positively reinforce a behavior that child is already intrinsically motivated to do my answer: provide the child with consistent rewards to positively reinforce the behavior correct answer: do not provide any reinforcement to the behavior this is correct because it is a well-documented phenomenon that when an intrinsic behavior is reinforced by external rewards the desire to do the task and the performance for the task are affected

self concept

all our thoughts and feelings about ourselves, in answer to the question, "Who am I?"

left brain functions

analytical thought, detail oriented perception, ordered sequencing, rational thought, verbal, cautious, planning, math/science, logic, right field of vision, right motor functions

right brain functions

art and music, creativity, intuitive thought, holistic perception, random sequencing, emotional thought, nov-verbal, adventurous, impulsive, creative writing, art, imagination, controls left side of body, processes left side of visual field

conflict theory question

asks what a conflict theorist would think. my answer: a conflict theorist would say that medicine is a part of a superstructure, brought about for economic gain for one group of people correct answer: a conflict theorist would say that medicine is a part of a superstructure, brought about for reasons of economics, power, or status for one or more groups of people. This was a case of there being an answer to the question that was more complete or better than the one i choose. It would be best to slow down on these questions because they are very nuanced

beta waves

awake and alert

theta waves

brain waves indicating the early stages of sleep

Demographic transition

change from high birth rates and high mortality rates to low birth rates and low mortality rates

differential association theory

deviance is a learned behavior that results from continued exposure to others who violate norms and laws-how this happens is when a person forms relationships with people who are deviant or violate norms regularly because they are exposed and normalized and subsequently learn the deviant behavior

question about what is not likely to cause MDD

my answer: long term drug use that increases the number of serotonin receptors in the brain correct answer: decreasing the levels of THI, the main inhibitor of tryptophan hydroxylase tryptophan hydroxylase is an enzyme that converts tryptophan(precursor to serotonin) to serotonin -eventually decreasing its inhibitor would mean increasing its activity which would promote more serotonin and less MDD symptoms

what is the most likely reason that supplemental tryptophan can be used to treat MDD but artificial serotonin cannot

my answer: serotonin will be broken down during digestion correct answer: tryptophan can cross the BBB while serotonin cannot

K complexes and sleep spindles

occur during stage 2 sleep are EEG waves

social transmission

occurs when ideas and behaviors are transmitted throughout a single group

expectancy effects

occurs when participants behave in a way they believe is expected in a study, based on the observation of others.

p and q vs p^2 and q^2

p is the frequency of the dominant allele alone q is the frequency of the recessive allele alone p^2 is the frequency of the homozygous dominant genotype. If a question says that a survey finds that 5/10 people are homozygous dominant for a certain allele then this means use p^2 q^2 is the frequency of the homozygous recessive genotype. If a question says that a survey finds that 5/10 people are homozygous recessive for a certain allele this means use q^2

self awareness

peak level of consciousness, which signifies the perception of the autobiographical character of a person's life experiences

question of knowing principles

question asks which of the following is not a possible result of ear damage? my answer: loss of balance correct answer: decreased feature detection This is correct because as I was thinking during the exam, feature detection is a visual process and theres no indication from the passage that it is related to hearing. hearing and balance are moderately closely related(damage to the inner ear can result in balance loss)

another data based statistical reasoning question

question asks which statement cant be concluded based on the results? cant believe im missing these questions

diffusion(sociology)

refers to a process being transmitted across groups. In this discrete question it refers to diffusion across SES groups.

self-actualization

refers to the individuals striving to reach their potential and develop their inherent talents and capabilities

Sleep stages

relaxed stage (alpha waves) stage 1 (early sleep) (hallucinations) stage 2 (sleep spindles - bursts of activity) (sleep talk) stage 3 (transition phase) (delta waves) stage 4 (delta waves) (sleepwalk/talk + wet the bed) stage 5 (REM) (sensory-rich dreams) (paradoxical sleep)

What is the symbolic interactionist perspective on deviance?

society is a product of everyday social interactions of individuals, which means that looking how normal everyday people behave and interact helps us to better understand and define deviance

self-serving bias

take credit for success, deny responsibility for failure

Hawthorne effect

the alteration of behavior by the subjects of a study due to their awareness of being observed.

self-efficacy

the belief that one can perform adequately in a particular situation

Validity

the extent to which a test measures or predicts what it is supposed to

Reliability

the extent to which a test yields consistent results, as assessed by the consistency of scores on two halves of the test, on alternate forms of the test, or on retesting eg. the MCAT. if you took the MCAT once a year every year without any prep or practice should score the same on the test every year due to the test-test reliability.

Primary deviance

the first act of rule breaking that may incur a label of "deviant" and thus influence how people think about and act toward you. If people dont notice your deviant behavior because they are also deviant then that behavior can still be classified as primary deviance. Eg. an athlete who uses steriods when all his teammates already do so, his actions will go unnoticed

gender identity

the individual's sense of being male or female

Medicalization

the process by which problems or issues not traditionally seen as medical come to be framed as such

self-handicapping

the process of developing(in anticipation of failure) behavioral reactions or explanations that minimize personal responsibility for the failure

Data based and statistical reasoning

the question asks if an activist uses the passage study to argue that policies preventing downward social mobility should be adopted in order to reduce the incidence of psychiatric disorders. Is this conclusion supported by the study? my answer: yes, the study shows correlation between downward social mobility and incidence of psychiatric disorders correct answer; no, because the researchers did not show a causal relationship between downward social mobility and incidence of psychiatric disorders Where I went wrong was not identifying the assumption of a causal link in the activists argument. They assume(wrongly) that downward social mobility causes psychiatric disorders.

alpha waves

the relatively slow brain waves of a relaxed, awake state

vehicle control

this has everything you are administering except the level of the IV ex. placebo pill

self perception theory

we observe ourselves and our actions to figure out why we act as we do

trans theoretical model of change

• Pre-contemplation no interest in change, no desire for information • Contemplation Beginning to believe a change is needed • Preparation needs to assist in planning for change • Action actually making changes, ID barriers and facilitate change Maintenance- sustaining over time Notes: First step is to identify risk factors. Relapse- some clients go back to step 1 or 2. They view it as a learning process.

Another example of mediating variable

In a study looking at education level attainment and spending habits, income would be the mediating(logical link) that explains the

gender role

a set of expected behaviors for males or for females

primary group

a small social group whose members share personal and lasting relationships

Reference group

a social group that serves as a point of reference in making evaluations and decisions

Internal validity

-a study that is well constructed has large random samples, safeguards against confounding variables, reasonable and reliable processes and instruments -the degree to which changes in the dependent variable are due to the manipulation of the independent varaible

how long must a MDE(symptoms of depression) last before a person can be diagnosed?

2 weeks

gender schema

A cognitive concept or general belief based on one's experiences—in this case, a child's understanding of sex differences.

Phenomenological study

A study primarily concerned with identifying the "essence" or the "invariant theme" of a phenomena as experienced by people.

Central tendency bias

A type of response set in which the respondent is reluctant to give extreme ratings and instead rates in the direction of the mean of the total group.

Glucogenic and Ketogenic amino acids

Glucogenic amino acids can be broken down to form pyruvate which can be used for gluconeogenesis. Ketogenic amino acids can be broken down to acetyl-coa to form ketone bodies or fatty acids or they may enter the citric acid cycle

An schizophrenic individual with the thought insertion delusion believes that?

He believes that thoughts have inserted into his head by other people against his will

catalytic efficiency

Kcat/Km

Mediating vs Moderating variable vs Confounding variable

Mediating variable- provides a logical link between the IV and the DV(female employment -> family planning programs -> female fertility) Moderating variable- attenuates or strengthens a given relationship ("relationship between female employment and fertility strengthened by moderating variable") Confounding variable- affects both the IV and the DV

Strain theory

Merton's theory that deviance occurs when a society does not give all its members equal ability to achieve socially acceptable goals

Nonverbal vs verbal communication

Nonverbal- body-language, eye contact, proximity of communication and non-linguistic communication(tone, intonation and rate of speech Verbal- semantics, syntax and morphology

Question about determining the validity of the study

Question asks which of the following presents the greatest challenge to the validity of the study? my answer: caregivers tend to vary their responses on burden posed by their relatives based on recent events correct answer: circumstances other than psychotic relapse can contribute to the outcome variable caregivers varying their responses could be an issue with the reliability of the questionnaire used not validity. This suggests that answers may change over time BUT, not that the questionnaire is measuring something other than the burden posed by the relatives to the caretakers

Question asking a hypothetical situation, asking you to use results from the study to make a conclusion

Question asks- if person in the study experienced high levels of state anxiety at time of purchase an no post-purchase dissonance, then it is most likely this individual? my answer- it is most likely this individual has high TA(trait anxiety) which explains their high SA correct answer-alleviated internal tension by after the purchase by rationalizing their decision. I got this question incorrect because I was too set on selecting an answer that used info from the passage. However all the other answers can be ruled out. This question was more about eliminating the wrong answer choices and using logic. IT IS NOT NECESSARY TO CHOOSE AN ANSWER SOLELY BECAUSE IT CONTAINS INFO FROM THE PASSAGE. This is something I need to be aware of. The correct answer, although not talked about explicitly in the passage is still correct.

Reasoning about design and execution of research question

Question asks: A preventative test for discerning early onset hearing loss is to test individual's ability to: My answer: discern the difference between high and low frequencies correct answer: discern the difference between "pat" and "bat" (discerning between high frequency consonants) my answer is incorrect because the passage never states that early onset hearing loss is marked by difficulty discerning between high and low frequencies, just that hearing loss BEGINS with high frequencies For these types of questions need to really stick to what is said in the passage and not go out of scope. The answers in P/S tend to be very tricky due to this aspect.

Question about how a symbolic interactionist would interpret something

Question: with which of the following statements about stereotypes would an individual who believes in symbolic interactionism most strongly agree? My answer: stereotypes are jointly constructed models of groups of people within society Correct answer: stereotypes mean different things to the individuals within the group being stereotyped than to outsiders This is the correct answer because symbolic interactionism is a theory about societal structure that emphasizes the subjective interpretation of social structures that define an individuals reality

Which of the following biases are associated with Likert scales?

Social desirability bias Acquiescence bias Central tendency bias

The probability of an allele being lost due to random chance?

The frequency of that allele will determine its chance of being lost due to random chance. If the allele frequency is low, the chance of it being lost is higher.

Question about what would reduce a person's immediate post purchase dissonance

The question asks which factor would most decrease a person's post-purchase dissonance. My answer- training employees to give the participant compliments at the time of purchase correct answer- increasing the number of personnel available to answer questions My answer is incorrect because giving compliments would increase self-confidence but self confidence, according to the study does not have as much of an acute effect on immediate post-purchase dissonance. Another answer choice that was tempting said increasing the return date from 7 days to 14 days. The key here is to look at the wording and to use some common sense. The person's anxiety most likely stems from not knowing return policies or the entire process, however, if there are multiple employees on deck this would alleviate some anxiety. remember to look at how the questions affect the variables in the passage and if that matches what the question is looking for. For P/S the answers aren't always going to be so cut and dry and may require some intuition/common sense

What is the Acquiescence bias?

The tendency to agree rather than disagree with items on questionnaires.

This question is asking about reducing bias in a study

This question is asking what way researchers can reduce bias in the study. my answer- inform the participants that words were evenly distributed between the three categories correct answer- having independent raters score the words prior to the study as opposed to afterwards -my answer is incorrect because informing participants about an aspect of the research design can actually introduce MORE bias. By scoring the words prior to the data you are removing the chance of favorable interpretation of the words that fit your predictions. This question ultimately required you to rule out the dumb answer. I am not sure why I chose that answer in retrospect. I need to use more common sense and logic. My brain turns off I swear...

Transcriptionally active vs silent

heterochromatin- transcriptionally silent low levels of histone acetylation and high levels of DNA methylation - makes DNA tightly wound euchromatin - transcriptionally active high levels of histone acetylation and low levels of DNA methylation - makes DNA loosely wound

self esteem

how much you value, respect and feel confident about yourself

Labeling theory

in this theory a behavior is deviant if people have judged the behavior and labeled it as deviant Primary deviance: does not have big consequences, very little push back. If an athlete uses steroids but rest of his friends and teammates do then his actions go unnoticed Secondary deviance: can produce more serious consequences, severe negative reactions that produce a stigmatizing label that can result in even more deviant behavior.

social proof

influence tactic that relies on the tendency people have to behave in a particular way because others are doing so.

enzyme turnover number

maximum number of substrate converted to product per active site per enzyme per time

gender conditioning

means by which, in part, gender roles are established. This social conditioning stems from societal reinforcements and punishments of gender-related behaviors.

Elaboration Likelihood model

model that explains how attitudes are formed and how they are likely to be changed three ways 1)message characteristics-message itself, clarity, logic, grammar, delivery 2)source characteristics-environment around the message and speakers background(trustworthy?credible?knowledgeable?good speaker?) where is info coming from(college poll, psych survey, etc) 3)target characteristic-characteristics of listener mood, alertness, self-esteem, intelligence

Secondary deviance

more serious consequences, characterized by a severe negative reaction that results in a stigmatizing label that may produce even more deviance