MCAT - PSYCH
Index of refraction of the eye
1.4, the cornea bends light
In order for generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) to be diagnosed it must have lasted ________
6 months
reaction formation (defense mechanism)
- Preventing unacceptable thoughts or behaviors from being expressed by exaggerating opposite thoughts or types of behaviors. EX: Jane hates nursing. She attended nursing school to please her parents. During career day, she speaks to prospective students about the excellence of nursing as a career.
sublimation (defense mechanism)
- Rechanneling of drives or impulses that are personally or socially unacceptable into activities that are constructive. EX: Mom of son killed by drunk driver, president of MADD.
Calcitonin
↑ Calcium on bone ↑ Calcium excretion from kidneys ↓ Calcium in blood ↓ Calcium absorption in gut
What is the biological basis of depression
↑glucocorticoids, ↓norepinephrine, serotonin & dopamine
What is the biological basis for bipolar disorders
↑norepinephrine & serotonin, also heritable
Parathyroid hormone
↓ Calcium in bone ↓ Calcium excretion from kidneys ↑ Calcium in blood ↑ Calcium absorption in gut Also ACTIVATES Vitamin D (CALCITRIOL)
How does estrogen affect milk production
↓ milk production
Hawthorne effect
A change in a subject's behavior caused simply by the awareness of being studied
How does the diathesis-stress model relate biological predispositions to environmental factors
A diagnostic model that proposes that a disorder may develop when an underlying DIATHESIS or vulnerability is coupled with a precipitating event i.e you get depressed after losing your job and the psychologists says its because you have a genetic predisposition for depression, and the job loss was a trigger
Leptin
A hormone produced by adipose (fat) cells that acts as a SATIETY factor in regulating appetite. Appetite suppressing hormone
Representative heuristic
A mental shortcut whereby people classify something according to how similar it is to a typical case Generalizations about people and events (i.e people are rude to you every time you went to the post office so you conclude that the post office has rude people)
method of loci
A mnemonic technique that involves associating items on a list with a sequence of familiar physical locations
Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM)
A model of persuasion maintaining that there are two different routes to persuasion: the CENTRAL ROUTE (quality of argument will determine persuasion) and the PERIPHERAL ROUTE(superficial, i.e attractiveness, popularity) Focuses on the why and how of persuasion
Spotlight model
A model of visual attention. Shifts in attention precede the movement of our eyes
Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR)
A stress reduction strategy based on developing a state of consciousness that attends to ongoing events in a receptive and non-judgmental way. i.e meditation
A different area of the brain will be activated when looking at a face, as opposed to when looking at letters, how is this an example of feature detection theory
A theory of visual perception that proposes that certain NEURONS FIRE for individual and specific features of a visual stimulus such as shape, color, line, movements, etc.
concurrent validity
A type of criteoreon validity. the extent to which two measures of the same trait or ability agree Does the new IQ test i created lead to similar results in the regular IQ test
cohort study
A type of epidemiologic observational study where a group of exposed individuals (individuals who have been exposed to the potential risk factor) and a group of non-exposed individuals are followed over time to determine the incidence of disease - i feel like this can be seen as the opposite of case control (which looks back in time at risk factors for people who either have the disease or dont) Group of people who share a common characteristics and followed by scientists over time, (they might be given surveys every few years), and then scientists try to make sense of that data i.e group of people exposed to radiation and so scientists decided to follow them to asess whether they might be at an increased risk of cancer
Case-control study
A type of epidemiologic observational study where a group of individuals with the diseases, referred to as cases, are compared to individuals without the disease, referred to as controls Start with an outcome, then look back at risk factors Typically looks at data retrospectively
Alzheimers is a degenerative brain disorder linked to a loss of what kind of neurotransmitter in neurons that link the hippocampus
Acetylcholine
What are hair cells at the base of the basilar membrane activated by?
Activated by high frequency sounds
What kind of attribution bias is this: I don't have time to workout because I'm so busy, but Sarah is too lazy to workout
Actor-observer bias. This is when you attribute your behavior to external factors (situational) but attribute others to internal factors (dispositional)
What raises our difference threshold
Adaptation, this is because when you get used to a stimulus it would probably take a much higher level of stimulus for you to notice something
How does addiction affect the nucleus accumbens
Addiction is biologically based. Enjoyable behaviors produce activity in dopamine circuits in the brain, most notably the nucleus accumbens (PLEASURE CENTER of the brain) Many addictive drugs share the characteristics of stimulating the release of dopamine in the nucleus accumbens - drugs also prevents the REUPTAKE of dopamine, this will eventually lead to LESS RECEPTORS on the post synaptic neuron
In Erikson's stages of psychosocial development the conflict of IDENTITY vs CONFUSION is in relation to which stage? A) Adolescence B)Early Adulthood C)School age D)Middle age
Adolescent (12-20) this is when they struggle with figuring out who they are (identity) Early adulthood (20-40) face the conflict of INTIMACY vs ISOLATION, this is when they are trying to figure out loving others and committing, i.e marriage
What resolution should a child in the early childhood stage of Erikson's psychosocial development pass?
Age 1-3, the conflict is Autonomy vs shame/doubt and the successful resolution is achieving a sense of self-control and independence (for example my nephew Bolu is in this stage, he's 17 months, likes to take more control while doing things now, like when eating, playing, etc)
How is algorithm used for problem solving and decision making
Algorithm - step by step procedure (i.e doing a math problem)
Self-Efficacy Theory
An individual's belief that he or she is capable of performing a task - depends on if you've done it before, if you've seen others perform the task successfully, your knowledge, etc
subjective norms
An individual's perceptions about whether significant others think he or she should (or should not) perform the behavior in question Cares about what others think
Anterograde amnesia is caused by damage to the hippocampus, how does it affect encoding
Anterograde amnesia is marked by an INABILITY to encode NEW MEMORIES - when i think of anterograde amnesia, i should think of the movie 50 first dates
affect
Appearance of observable emotions, feelings, mood
Lazarus theory of emotion
Appraisal first- then physiological and emotion happens at the same time
What connects Broca's Area (produces speech) and Wernicke's Area (language comprehension)
Arcuate Fasciculus A stroke affecting Arcuate Fasciculus will result in an inability to REPEAT WORDS heard but spontaneous language production is intact
Prototype Willingness Model (PWM)
Behavior is a function of: past behavior, attitudes, subjective norms, our intentions, our willingness to engage in a specific type of behavior, and prototypes/models. Argues that a lot of our behavior is carried out from PROTOTYPING (models)
B.F Skinner
Behaviorist that developed the theory of operant conditioning by training pigeons and rats
What did Francis Galton believe about intelligence
Believed it was GENETICALLY determined. Said it could be quantified by testing certain cognitive task
What is Noam Chomsky's theory of language development?
Believed that children dont acquire the wealth of vocabulary simply through environmental influences, GENETICS and HEREDITY are also involved Says that quality of reading education also plays a role
What was the Social cognitive perspective on personality
Believed that individuals react with their environment in a cycle called RECIPROCAL DETERMINISM. People mold their environments according to their personalities and those environments in turn shape their thoughts, feelings and behavior
Jung is a psychoanalyst, what were his views on collective unconscious
Believed that the collective unconscious LINKS all humans together Said personality is influenced by ARCHETYPES
Alder and Horney were also psychoanalyst, what did they believe the unconscious was motivated by
Believed that the unconscious was motivated by SOCIAL URGES
What EEG waves are associated with being awake
Beta and alpha - beta (focused, alert), alpha (relaxed, creative)
What EEG waves are associated with REM sleep
Beta waves
How is bipolar I different from bipolar II?
Bipolar I: Manic episode, can be with or without a depressive episode Bipolar II: depressive AND hypomanic episode (functioning mania)
How is the parvo pathway different from the magno pathway
Both the parvo and magno pathway are the brains way of visual parallel processing. The parvo pathway processes color and form. The Magno pathway processes motion and depth
Signal detection strategy (C)
C > 1 conservative (only say yes if 100% sure, other wise say no - says no more than ideal observer C = 0 ideal observer C < 1 liberal (say yes all the time) - says no less than ideal observer
How is capacitance related to area and distance between the two sides of the capacitor
Capacitance is DIRECTLY PROPORTIONAL to area but INVERSELY PROPORTIONAL to the distance between the two sides of the capacitance
What causes narcolepsy?
Caused by a dysfunction in the region of the hypothalamus that produces the neurotransmitter HYPOCRETIN
What does darkness cause the SCN to do?
Causes the SCN to signal the pineal gland to start producing melatonin, making you feel tired
How is change blindness different from inattentional blindness
Change blindness is failing to notice changes in the environment, (don't notice that your mom got a different haircut) Inattentional blindness is when you don't pay attention to visible objects
Taste buds are an example of what kind of sensory receptor?
Chemoreceptor. Chemoreceptors are sensitive to chemicals, they play a role in taste and smell
muscarinic receptors
Cholinergic receptors that are located postsynaptically in the EFEFCTOR ORGAN such as smooth muscle, cardiac muscle, and glands supplied by parasympathetic fibers.
Diencephalon
Contains thalamus and hypothalamus
What are the two types of divided attention
Controlled processing - undivided attention when doing a complex task Automatic processing - divided attention when doing a familiar task
What does cost effective mean
Cost effective means producing good results without using a lot of money
What conflict are people in Erikson's old age (>65) stage facing? A)Autonomy vs Shame/Doubt B)Intimacy vs Isolation C)Generation vs Stagnation D)Integrity vs Despair
D) Integrity vs Despair. The successful resolution is a sense of accomplishment and fulfillment Autonomy vs Shame/Doubt - Early childhood (1-3) Intimacy vs Isolation - Early adulthood Generation vs Stagnation - Middle age
What EEG waves are associated with stage 3/4 of sleep
Delta, this is the stage when a lot of sleep disorders happen, i.e bedwetting, sleep walking, etc
What does the pearson correlation coefficient (r value) describe?
Describes the linear relationship between two variables, r-values range from -1 to 1, the sign describes either a negative or positive relationship and the number describes the strength of the association
It seems that cancer rates have increased, however it might just be that we have gotten better at detecting cancer and not because the incidence rate is increasing, what kind of bias is this
Detection bias
How does object permanence develop?
Develops during the sensorimotor stage of Piaget's theory of cognitive development. Its when infants realize that objects still exist even if they are out of sight
A drug addicts who usually takes his drug at a specific location takes it at a new location and he overdoses, why?
Due to external cues your body DECREASES homeostasis preparing for the drugs to enter system. It it doesn't have these external cues (i.e you take the drugs in a new place), it won't have time to decrease homeostasis causing an OD At the new location the brain isn't used to this and so if the person takes the same type of high dose they might overdose because the brain hadn't gotten the body ready like usual
Polysomnography (PSG) is a multimodel technique used to measure psychological processes during sleep. It includes Electroencephalogram (EEG), Electromyogram (EMG), Electroculogram (EOG), what do each of these measure?
EEG - measures electrical impulses in the brain EMG - measure of skeletal muscle movements EOG - measure of eye movement
Both E and NE ↑HR & ↓BP, how are they different
Epinephrine: ↑HR & ↓BP, primarily a HORMONE, also an ANTIHISTAMINE NE: ↑HR & ↓BP, a HORMONE & NEUROTRANSMITTER, allows you to be alert and vigilant, Inhibits insulin
Negative reinforcement is a type of operant conditioning in which one has to perform a behavior in order to stop a negative stimulus. It includes escape learning and avoidance learning, what do these two terms mean
Escape learning: distancing yourself from an ongoing stimulus. Basically the stimulus happens (i.e a shock) and you escape (i.e go to another location) - PERFORMING BEHAVIOR TO ESCAPE STIMULUS Avoidance learning: behavior that prevents a forthcoming negative stimulus (i.e a flash of light (conditioned stimulus) serves as a signal to a rodent that's obviously been trained to perceive it as such, the rodent must move from its current compartment to the other compartment to avoid footshock) - PERFORMING BEHAVIOR TO AVOID STIMULUS
exogenous cues
Experience pop out effect, we don't have to consciously think about it to get our attention
odds ratio of 1 means
Exposure doesn't affect odds of outcome
True or False: during later adulthood people experience a decline in crystallized intelligence and fluid intelligent
False Crystallized intelligence increases, fluid intelligence decreases
True or False: during all stages of sleep the EMG measures moderate activity
False During stage 1 - 4, the EMG measures moderate movement, however during REM sleep there is almost NO SKELETAL movement (paradoxical sleep - person appears to be awake but are pretty much paralyzed)
True or False: Cyclothymic disorder contains manic episodes with dysthymia
False It contains hypomanic episodes with dysthymia
Ture or false: the process of learning and memory through the lifetime involves enlarging the brain or gaining of neurons
False It doesn't involve enlarging of the brain or gaining of neurons, but rather involves INCREASED INTERCONNECTIVITY of the brain through INCREASING the synapses between existing neurons
True or False: the activation synthesis theory suggests that dreams are byproducts of brain activation during REM sleep and that dreams are purposeful
False It suggest that dreams are byproducts of brain activation during REM sleep and they aren't purposeful
True or False: there is no eye movement in stage 1 and stage 2 sleep
False There is no eye movement in stage 2, but there is slow rolling eye movement in stage 1
True or False: Uncontrollable exposure to an aversive stimulus results in learned helplessness, depending on the intensity of the punishment
False Uncontrollable exposure to an aversive stimulus results in learned helplessness, independent of the intensity of the punishment
When you think your phone buzzes in the library but it doesn't its a what
False alarm You say there was a signal present when there actually wasn't
True or False: according to the signal detection theory the detection of a stimulus is only dependent on its strength
False, its dependent on the strength as well as the the psychological state (i.e tired) of the individual
True or False: a child in Erikson's play age stage would be going through the conflict of industry vs inferiority?
False. A child in Erikson's play age (3-6) would have the conflict of initiative vs guilt, this is when they begin to take initiative with peers. The conflict of industry vs inferiority is Erikson's school age (6-12), this is when they begin to gain confidence in their skills
True or false: Fundamental attribution error is a type of attributional bias when you blame others behavior on external factors
False. Its the tendency to blame others behavior on internal aka dispositional (eg, "they are lazy) instead of external factors
True or False: a correlation coefficient (r value) can help determine if one variable caused the change in another
False. R value can only tell you how two variables relate to one another, whether positively or negatively. R=0 means no association. R= <0.5 means strong negative correlation, R=>0.5, closer to 1 means strong correlation
When do mirror neurons fire?
Fire when observing and performing a behavior
How is fixation a barrier to effective problem solving?
Fixation is an inability to see the problem from a fresh perspective Results from MENTAL SET- fixate on something thats worked in the past
A constructionist understanding of gender asserts that categories of gender are
Fluid and subject to social processes of meaning-making
What was Freuds view on dreams
Freud believed dreams had meaning, that they were symbolic versions of underlying latent content (unconscious drives and wishes)
id, ego, superego
Freudian terms to describe the three parts of the self and the basis of human behavior, which Freud saw as basically irrational ID = instant pleasure (unconscious) EGO = moderates between id and supergo, you think things through (Conscious, preconcious, unconscious) SUPEREGO = very moral (conscious, preconcious, unconscious)
What would happen if the hippocampus was damaged
Hippocampus converts STM → LTM. If damaged, new memories fail to form
Limbic system
Hippocampus, Hypothalamus, Amygdala, Thalamus Hippo wearing a HAT
after a prior gain, people become more open to assuming risk since the new money is not treated as one's own. This is known as the __________ __________ effect.
House Money Effect
How does biological predispositions paly a role in associative learning
If a person or animal already has a biological predisposition for something then they are more likely to learn something faster i.e a rat knows bad food makes them sick so if you feed them something and they get sick they'll associate it with food
presbyopia
Impaired vision as a result of aging Results from loss of flexibility of lens
What's the difference between catch trial and noise trial
In a CATCH trial a signal is presented In a NOISE trial there are NO signals presented
Retrograde Amnesia
Inability to RECALL information that was PREVIOUSLY ENCODED info - Retrograde = Recall Caused by damage to the hippocampus
Anhedonia
Inability to experience pleasure Occurs in people with depression
Researchers studying onset of the first active symptom in schizophrenia would not recruit in the age range that corresponds to the generativity vs stagnation conflict in Erikson's theory of psychosocial development, why?
Individuals in this stage age range from 40-65. They are older than the typical age of first active symptom onset in schizophrenia. Schizophrenia typically begins in early adulthood
Donald Broadbent discovered attention has limited capacity because the brain is a processing system with limited capacity, he came up with the broadbent filter model of selective attention, describe this model
Input from environment first enter into a sensory buffer. Says only ATTENDED INFO will go to higher level of processing, into the working memory Other info stays in the sensory buffer briefly and then quickly decays This allows us not to be overloaded with information
What is instinct theory?
Instincts are innate, fixed patterns of behavior in response to a stimuli The instinct theory says that people perform certain behaviors because of their EVOLUTIONARY PROGRAMMED instincts
How does alcohol affect REM sleep?
It suppresses REM sleep
dual coding hypothesis
It's easier to remember words associated with images than either one alone.
What is GABAs role in anxiety?
Its a inhibitory neurotransmitter associated with REDUCED ANXIETY - remember that alcohol is an agonist for GABA- this is why when you're intoxicated you have less anxiety and feel like you can do whatever you want
Hemisphere and emotions
LEFT hemisphere: POSITIVE emotions, more sociable, joyful, enthusiastic RIGHT hemisphere: NEGATIVE emotions, socially isolated, fearful, avoidant, depressed
How does the labeling theory explain deviant individual behaviors
Labeling theory is a concept that refers to how deviant individual behavior becomes even more deviant when a person is negatively labeled or classified as such
How is depression linked to chronic stress
Learned helplessness You lose the ability to use coping mechanisms, and you're taking less control of you life because you feel like everything is out of your control
What are hair cells at the apex of the basilar membrane activated by?
Low frequency sounds
How are hair cells a type of mechanoreceptor?
Mechanoreceptors get stimulated by pressure, vibration or movement. Hair cells are a type of mechanoreceptors in the inner ear, they depolarize as a result of vibration of fluid which results in the transmission of impulses to the brain that are interpreted as sound
Why are opiod addictions treated with methadone
Methadone is a long lasting opioid with lower risk of overdose
Jung is to Freud as __ is to Asch.
Milgram
What are the three theories of language development
Nativist (biological) Theory - language acquisition is innate and its time sensitive (it occurs during a critical time in development) - Chomsky Learning (behaviorist) Theory - language acquisition is controlled by OPERANT CONDITIONING and REINFORCEMENT by parents and caregivers Social Interactionist Theory - Language acquisition is caused by a motivation to communicate and interact with others (BIOLOGICAL & SOCIAL) i.e vygotsky
Negative priming
Negative priming is an IMPLICIT memory effect in which PRIOR EXPOSURE to a stimulus UNFAVORABLY influences the response to the same stimulus. It falls under the category of priming, which refers to the change in the response towards a stimulus due to a subconscious memory effect.
In a study done by Steven Tipper in 1985 he discovered that participants were found to name objects more slowly when they had to ignore the same objects just before, what kind of psychology phenomenon was he studying?
Negative priming which is a low done in response speed and increase in error when responding to an object that had to be ignored previously
Changes in brain size as a function of environmental influences is an example of
Neural plasticity
Is Neurogenesis possible
Neurogenesis is the BIRTH of new neurons, has been found to occur in small extent in the HIPPOCAMPUS and CEREBELLUM, previously thought impossible - in the last few years its been discovered that certain parts of the brain can retain PLURIPOTENT precursors with the capacity to SELF-RENEW and differentiate into new neuronal lineages in adult mammals like rodents, non human primates and humans
How are night terrors different from nightmares?
Night terrors happen in STAGE 3 unlike nightmares which occur during REM sleep - since nightmares happen during REM sleep this means you can't move Might walk around, babble, sit up, appear terrified. They don't recall anything in the morning
Does hypnosis work by preventing sensory input?
No, it works by blocking attention to sensory inputs
Korsakoff's syndrome
Nutritional deficiency of vitamin B1, which results in a deficit in the ability to recall recent events. Severe MEMORY LOSS. Often due to severe alcoholism. Affects thymine levels Can be reversed, unlike alzheimers
Trait theory is all about how our traits define our personalities, what are the trait theorists Big Five
OCEAN Openness - flexible, open to new ideas Conscientiousness - dependable Extraversion - extroverted Agreeableness - nice, compassionate Neuroticism - has issues, anxiety
Relative motion is a type of monocular cue (depth cue that depends on info available to either eye alone), it states that as we move stable objects appear to move as well, do objects closer appear to move faster or slower than objects farther away?
Objects that are closer appear to move faster than objects that are farther away - i.e you're in a car and as you're driving it seems like the trees are moving when in actuality they are not
What's the difference between obsessions and compulsions
Obsessions are about thoughts Compulsions are about behavior I am obsessed with thots OCD is actually heritable, about 40%
nicotinic receptors
On all ANS postganglionic neurons, in the adrenal medulla, and at neuromuscular junctions of skeletal muscle Excitatory when ACh binding occurs open chemically-gated sodium ion channels
What type of sleep disorder results in abnormal movements or behaviors during sleep, i.e sleepwalking, night terrors
Parasomnias
What are the four components of working memory
Phonological loop - repeat verbal info to help you remember Visuospatial sketchpad - mental images Episodic buffer - integrates info from phonological loop and visuospatial sketchpad Central executive - oversees entire process
What refers to the sound of language What refers to the structure of words
Phonology - think of a phone, you're hearing sounds from it Morphology - thinking of morphing something, putting something together
How does moral reasoning relate to piaget formal operations stage?
Piagets formal operations stage includes kids 12 and up. This when children start to use moral reasoning and think through things, like pros and cons of doing certain things
How does place theory relate to the basilar membrane of the cochlea
Place theory says that vibrations of the hair cells at specific loci in the basilar membrane of the cochlea are caused by different specific wavelength frequencies - there are hair cells in the base and the apex of the basilar membrane
What coordinates communication between motor cortex and cerebellum
Pons
Learning how to play football may make it easier for some to learn how to play rugby, what is this an example for
Positive transfer: when old information FACILITATES the learning of new information
Kohlberg's Theory of Moral Development describes the approaches of individuals to reasoning moral dilemmas, what are the three main phases
Preconventional Conventional Postconventional
A child sees a bag of candy next to a red bench, they then begin looking for or thinking about candy the next time they see a bench, what kind of psychology concept is this
Priming - occurs when EXPOSURE to one thing can later ALTER behavior or thoughts
selective priming
Priming is when exposure to one stimulus influences how someone responds to related stimulus People can be selectively primed to observe something, either by encountering it frequently or by having an expectation
Is REM sleep shortest or longest at the beginning of the night? Is deep sleep shorter or longer at the beginning of the night
REM sleep is SHORTEST during the beginning of the night, get longer as the night progresses Deep sleep is LONGEST at the beginning of the night and gets less frequent
MRI (magnetic resonance imaging)
Radiowaves - much more detailed than CAT scans Also doesn't tell us which areas are active
Pons
Regulates waking and relaxing
Beck Cognitive Therapy
Replace dysfunctional thoughts
Alertness and arousal are controlled by structure
Reticular formation
How is retroactive interference different from proactive interference
Retroactive interference happens when you learn something new and it prevents you from being able to properly remember some old info (NEW AFFECTS OLD) Proactive interference happens when old info prevents you from recalling new info (OLD AFFECTS NEW)
What two tastes rely on G coupled receptors? What two tastes bind directly to ion channels?
SWEET and UMAMI rely on G-coupled protein receptors SALT and SOUR bind directly to ion channel
What does the dissociation theory say about hypnotism?
Says its just an extreme form of DIVIDED CONSCIOUSNESS (behavior can occur on autopilot) I.e driving and not remembering anything about the actual drive
What does the social influence theory say about hypnosis?
Says people do and reports whats expected of them. They are like actors and get caught up in their roles
According to Freud, what does the EGO use to ↓ stress
Says the ego uses DEFENSE MECHANISMS to ↓ stress
How does Anne Treisman's Attenuation model take into account the cocktail part effect
Says the mind has an attenuator, not a filter. It turns down the unattended sensory input rather than eliminating it
How does the self reference effect pertain to remembering things?
Self reference effect says its easier to remember things that are personally relevant - can be linked to existing memories
How does the self-serving bias protect self-esteem?
Self serving bias is an attributional bias where an individual tends to attribute their success to internal factors and their failures on external factors
kinesthetic sense (proprioception)
Sense of the location of body parts in relation to the ground and each other Doesn't rely on info from the five senses
How long does sensory memory last, how long does short term memory last
Sensory memory last about 1-2 seconds, it stores info from out senses long enough for it to be transferred to short term memory. Short term memory last about 15-30 seconds
Hallucinogens are involved with what neurotransmitter
Serotonin
Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligences
Seven defined types of intelligence: linguistic, logical-mathematical, musical, visual-spatial, bodily-kinesthetic, interpersonal, intrapersonal
How is short term memory different from working memory
Short term memory is strong correlated with the HIPPOCAMPUS, its where new info can either go on to be stored in long term or be forgotten - keep in mind that longterm memory can decay Working memory is strongly correlated with the PREFRONTAL CORTEX, its a storage bin used to hold memories (short or long) that are needed at a particular moment in order to process info or solve a problem - i.e trying to solve a complicated math problem related to one you've done before, the info is in your explicit memory, and your working memory is what is working in the moment to draw from that explicit memory and solve the problem
Novel information are new, different or unusual info received by the five senses (i.e touch, taste, smell, sight, sound), why can the autonomic response be triggered
Since its a new, different or unusual stimulus, the body doesn't know if its threatening or not so a AUTONOMIC response (fight or flight) is triggered
Why does norepinephrine inhibit insulin secretion
So the glucose won't be taken up from the blood
What stage of sleep are growth hormones secreted?
Stage 3 to 4 - during deep sleep Delta waves - high amplitude, low frequency No eye movement in this stage
How does synpatic pruning relate to adolescent years and adulthood
Synaptic pruning is when weak connections are cut off. It peaks at adolescent. So what we do as teenagers can play a big role in who we are as we grow older So if we spend all our time doing nothing and watching TV, connections to reading, or working hard might not be strengthened, so it may be more difficult to stop being so lazy because working hard hasn't been reinforced all your life
What are the three types of resource model of attention
Task Similarity Task Difficulty Task Practice
An experience driver doesn't have any trouble changing the radio station while driving, but a novice might, what type of resource model of attention is this
Task practice
belief perseverance
Tendency to cling to beliefs despite CONTRADICTORY evidence (i.e pharisees)
What does the fovea of the retina have? what does the periphery of the retina have?
The FOVEA is the part of the retina that contains a high density of CONES for daytime vision The PERIPHERY of the retina contains a high density of RODS which are more photosensitive and can detect DIM light
law of common fate
The Gestalt principle that we tend to group similar objects together that share a common motion or destination Things moving together are perceived as a group (i.e a flock of bird)
Exposure to light stimulates a nerve pathway from the retina to the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), where is the SCN located and what is its function?
The SCN is in the hypothalamus It signals other parts of the brain, its basically our INTERNAL CLOCK
What does the expectancy value theory say about motivation
The amount of motivation for a task is based on the expectation of success and the value of that success
What could damage to the cerebellum cause
The cerebellum coordinates MOVEMENT. Damage to it could produce disorders in fine movement, equilibrium, posture and motor learning. The damage could also impair eye movement and speech enunciation
Why does the cocktail party effect put broadbent theory into question?
The cocktail party effect is when info of personal importance from previously unattended channels catches our attention (i.e your mom calling you name in a crowded room)
Social potency trait
The degree to which a person assumes leadership roles in social situations
odds ratio less than 1
The exposure is associated with LOWER ODDS of what you're measuring i.e exercising can lead to lower risk of getting high blood pressure
Why are the first items (primacy effect) and last items (recency effect) be more likely to be easily recalled?
The first items had more time to be encoded (process of transferring sensory info to memory system) The last items could still be in the phonological loop
What could be the result of damage to the FUSIFORM GYRUS
The fusiform gyrus is a part of the visual system in the brain, and it plays a role in HIGH LEVEL VISUAL processing and RECOGNITION. Damage to this part of the brain could result in PROSOPAGONOSIA (Neurological disorder characterized by the inability to recognize familiar people based on facial information alone
The trust vs mistrust conflict represents which stage of Erikson's psychosocial development?
The infancy stage, age 0-1.
Transgenesis
The introduction of an exogenous or outside gene into an organism; alter genotype of an animal so that researchers can study the effect of a gene Control for environment
What brain system is the olfactory bulb a part of
The limbic system, that's why smell is so essential to our process of memory and why certain smell can trigger emotions. Smell can bypass the thalamus
Odds Ratio (OR)
The odds that an individual with a prognostic (risk) factor had an outcome of interest as compared to the odds for an individual without the prognostic (risk) factor Basically is there an increased risk of an outcome for individuals who partake in something versus those that don't Its a CONTINOUS variable
What does the opponent theory say about the motivation of drug use
The opponent motivation theory explains the motivation of drug use: as drug use ↑ the body counteracts its effects, leading to tolerance and uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms
What kind of muscles compose the iris
The pupil is controlled by the iris which are a type of smooth muscles, its dilation and constriction affect
vestibular sense
The sense of body movement and position, including the sense of balance - If this was disrupted we would be dizzy, get vertigo Arise in the INNER EAR Utilizes the senses
Compare Piaget's sensorimotor and preoperational stage of development
The sensorimotor stage is ages <2, infants explore the world through their senses, by touch, grabbing things. They also achieve object permanence The preoperational stage is 2-7, kids start to play pretend, and talk (language development), they tend to be EGOCENTRIC
opponent-process theory of vision
The theory that OPPOSING RETINAL processes (red-green, yellow-blue, white-black) enable color vision. For example, some cells are stimulated by green and inhibited by red; others are stimulated by red and inhibited by green
social learning theory
The theory that we learn social behavior by observing and imitating and by being rewarded or punished Coined by Albert Bandura
A student is listening to the radio while also trying to write a paper and is finding it difficult to concentrate on writing the paper, how is this an example of task similarity
The two task involve using the same modality for processing
Framing
The way an issue is posed Consumer more likely to buy meat advertised as 75% lean than labeled 25% fat
What is Gestalt psychology?
The whole is greater than the sum of its parts A human will perceive the whole of something rather breaking it apart into its other forms like colors, shadows, angles, etc - i kinda feel like as humans sometimes we shy away from complex things and instead want to see things in the simplest form, less complicated form, introducing complexities introduces questions which we might not have answers to
Vygotsky proposed that theres this thing called the Zone of Proximal Development, what does this mean
The zone of proximal development is the skills that a child has not yet MASTERED and required a more KNOWLEDGEABLE OTHER to accomplish i.e needing a tutor
Did psychologist Jean Piaget propose a theory or cognitive development or a theory of behavioral development
Theory of cognitive development. He proposed that children progress through four stages of cognitive development
How can drug addiction affect amount of NT receptors
There will be less neurotransmitter receptors on post synaptic neurons Drugs affect the reuptake of dopamine and since there is a shit ton of dopamine in the synaptic cleft which can bind to post synaptic receptors on post synaptic neuron, the body will eventually start producing less receptors, Drugs can also affect neuronal plasticity (rewire your brain, especially during adolesence)
In conflict theory what is the thesis and anti-thesis
Thesis: describes the initial environment, the status quo Anti-thesis: reaction to the thesis, the push-back from those unhappy with the status quo
What EEG waves are associated with stage 1 of sleep (light sleep) and stage 2 (sleep spindles and K complexes)
Theta
Compare and contrast Explicit/Declarative memory with Implicit/Nondeclarative memory
They are both a type of long-term memory Explicit/Declarative memory (conscious) includes episodic (experiences, life journey) and semantic (facts) Implicit/Nondeclarative memory (unconscious) includes procedural (skills& tasks, like walking) and emotional/reflective
Why are the preganglionic neuron for sympathetic nervous system short and the postganglionic neuron long, while the parasympathetic nervous system has long preganglionic neuron and short postganglionic neuron
This allows the sympathetic nervous system to have more general effects, since it has a long postganglionic neuron that can go on and bind to different target organs, during times of stress the body doesnt have time to too specific. During rest and digest (parasymp) there is a process of maintaining homeostasis the body can afford to be more specific
Heritability of intelligence is 50%, what does this mean
This doesn't mean that your genes are responsible for 50% of your intelligence but its responsible for 50% of the difference between you intelligence and someone else's Heritability doesn't pertain to an individual, but rather how two individuals differ.
A 10 year child starts thinking logically and can classify objects into categories, such as ambulances and fire engines are a type of truck what stage of Piagets cognitive development is this?
This is the concrete operational stage. Ages 7-11. This is when they master conservation and mathematical transformation
According to Thomas theory our behavior depends not on the objective reality of a situation but on our subjective interpretation of reality, what does this mean
This means that if a person thinks a situation is real, its real in its consequences Ex: a child scared of ghost (not real) stays up all night afraid to go to sleep (consequence)
What is the role of choroidal vessels and retinal vessels in the eye
To provide the eye with NUTRIENTS
cardinal traits
Traits that are characteristics that direct most of the person's activities (the person's dominant traits that influence all of our behaviors) - Gordon Allport came up with it, said there's three main traits, Cardinal, central and secondary traits)
True or False: A cross sectional study looks at prevalence in a population at a specific point in time
True
True or False: Parasympathetic nervous system stimulates erection/lubrication, while the sympathetic nervous system causes ejaculation/orgasm
True
True or False: Raymond Cattell proposed two types of intelligence, fluid (ability to think on ones feet) and crystallized (recall facts and apply learned info)
True
True or False: The incentive theory only focuses on positive reinforcement?
True
True or False: a drive is an internal state that the individual acts to reduce
True
True or False: in the sympathetic nervous system during fight or flight every synapse releases ACh except for the synapse between the postganglionic receptor and the effector, which releases epinephrine
True
True or False: the elements of McDonaldization includes efficiency, calculability, uniformity and technological control
True
True or False: Behind the cornea is the anterior chamber which lies in front of the iris
True Behind the cornea you will find ANTS, then you will take the ants to the POST office (posterior chamber)
True or False: recognition of info is stronger than recall
True These are both a form of retrieval. Retrieval is often based on PRIMING interconnected nodes of the sematic network
True or False: place theory posits that one is able to hear different pitches because different sound waves trigger activity at different places along the cochlea's basilar membrane
True - high frequency sound hits the BASE (this causes hair cells at the base to vibrate and signal is sent to the brain), low frequency hits the APEX (hair cells at apex vibrate sending signal to the brain) - its like a ligand binding onto its specific receptor
True or False: thiamine helps brain cells produce energy from sugar
True - thiamine deficiency results in korsakoffs syndrome
True or False: the adrenal medulla can secrete dopamine
True, but only a small amount
True or false. Photoreceptors are sensitive to light?
True. Example - rods and cones which transduce light into neuronal impulses that get transmitted into the brain - rods are sensitive to LOW & HIGH light while cones are only sensitive to HIGH light
True or False, mirror neurons are associated with observational learning
True. Observational learning is when someone leans based off of watching someone else perform that behavior. This learning process is thought to utilize mirror neurons
True or False: When a response results in escape from an aversive stimulus, its an example of negative reinforcement
True. There's escape and avoidance
Prisoner's Dilemma
Two people act in their own SELF-INTEREST, but if they had cooperated, the results would have been even better
Laterization of cortical functions
Vocabulary skills tend to be lateralized to the LEFT hemisphere Visuospatial skills, music perception and emotion processing tend to be lateralized to the RIGHT hemisphere
opponent-process theory of motivation
When one emotion is experienced (primary emotion), the opposite happens after a while (secondary/opponent emotion) Theory says over time the secondary emotion starts to be stronger i.e think of a skydiver, initially they are scared (primary) but when they land they feel a sense of euphoria (secondary) over time the more they do it they feel that exhiliration Drug addicted person, initially they experience joy when they first start taking drugs but then after that they experience depression, eventually the secondary emotion of depression takes over, they keep taking higher doses to lower that depression but its just a never ending cycle
CAT scans (CT)
X-rays - tumor, abnormal bleeding cant tell us which arears are active
What would happen if the hippocampus doesnt work properly?
You wouldn't be able to store new memories, because the hippo is what allows STM to be converted to LTM, you'll still remember your old encoded memories though
flash bulb memory
a clear memory of an emotionally significant moment or event i.e what you were doing when you found out about 9/11
Kluver-Bucy syndrome
a condition, brought about by bilateral AMYGDALA DAMAGE, that is characterized by dramatic emotional changes including reduction in fear and anxiety
What is functional fixedness
a tendency to perceive the functions of objects as FIXED and UNCHANGING
self-determination theory
a theory of motivation that is concerned with the beneficial effects of intrinsic motivation and the harmful effects of extrinsic motivation emphasizes 3 universal needs: AUTONOMY, COMPETENCE & RELATEDNESS
randomized controlled trial
an experiment in which participants are randomly assigned to different conditions for the purpose of examining the effectiveness of an intervention Double blind experiment
long-term potentiation
an increase in a synapse's firing potential after brief, rapid stimulation. Believed to be a neural basis for learning and memory.
distal stimulus
an object or event in the outside world Ex: light from a campfire
Constructionist Perspective
argues that much of human behavior occurs within highly influential social contexts and that explanations for human behavior are nearly inseparable from the context in which they occur - think construction = building, it can change, its not constant, it can be broken down and rebuilt in another way (by society and its context)
categorial perception
being able to make distinctions between speech sounds between different people
Charles Spearman General Intelligence
believed we have one general intelligence that underlies specific mental abilities and is therefore measured by every task on an intelligence test
Hyperopia is also known as far sightedness, how can this be corrected
by a converging lens - allows light to focus on the retina, instead of behind the retina
Myopia is also known as near sightedness, how can this be corrected
by a diverging lens
Cillary muscles
can adjust thickness of lens, which focuses the image on retina basically it changes focal length of lens, this process of adjusting is called ACCOMODATION
How does source characteristics pertain to persuation?
characteristics of the person who delivers a persuasive message, such as attractiveness, credibility, and certainty
Primary appraisal of stress
classifying a potential stressor as irrelevant, benign-positive, or stressful (is it stressful)
Androgens
converted to testosterone and estrogen in the gonads
Experimental Validity
correctness or truthfulness of the inference drawn from research Internal and external validity
MDMA (ecstasy)
designer drug that can have both stimulant and hallucinatory effects
Howard Gardner
devised theory of multiple intelligences: logical-mathematic, spatial, bodily-kinesthetic, intrapersonal, linguistic, musical, interpersonal, naturalistic
When does somnambulism (sleep walking) occur?
during stage 3, deep sleep
Evolutionary theory of emotion
emotions developed because of their adaptive value, allowing the organism to avoid danger and survive. We often know how we feel before we know what we think Says emotions were an evolutionary advantage, allowed people to avoid threats
Odds ratio greater than 1
exposure is associated with higher odds of what you're measuring i.e odds ratio of smoking leading to lung cancer is very high (odds ratio of getting lung cancer if you smoke is 40.4 compared to those who dont smoke)
inattentional blindness
failing to see visible objects when our attention is directed elsewhere
In Freuds stages of psychosexual development, there are tensions caused by the libido, what happens if failure occurs at any of the stage
fixation The stages include: Oral, Anal, Phallic, Latent, Genitals Old Ass People Love Grapefruit
Binding problem
how features are linked together so that we see unified objects in our visual world rather than free-floating or miscombined features We see things as INTERCONNECTED
Task difficulty
if a task is more difficult it requires more resources so it would be hard to do another task without passing recourse capacity
Secondary appraisal of stress
if the event or situation is perceived as harmful or threatening, individuals assess their ability to cope with the event and the resources available to deal with the stressor. (how am i gonna deal with the stress)
neural networks
interconnected neural cells. With experience, networks can learn, as feedback strengthens or inhibits connections that produce certain results. Computer simulations of neural networks show analogous learning.
Avolition
lack of motivation Avolition = no motivation
The brain stem involves structures that serve basic involuntary functions necessary for survival, what are these structures
medulla, pons and midbrain Medulla - important in regulation of cardiovascular and respiratory systems (i.e receives info about blood pressure and can respond by altering levels of sympathetic and parasympathetic innervation of the heart Pons - coordinate communication between motor cortex and cerebellum Midbrain - relay station for auditory and visual signals
Positron Emission Tomography (PET)
more glucose = more active more invasive than fMRI (you need to inject someone with glucose)
Evolutionary Theory
motivation plays a significant role in adaptation; social need to affiliate, share resources, provide protection, procreation Motivated to increase fitness
fMRI (functional MRI)
neurons that are more active require more oxygen
crystallized vs fluid intelligence
ones accumulated knowledge/verbal skills, tends to increase with age (crystallized = stays solid, older you are the "wiser" Fluid intelligence: ones ability to reason speedily/abstractly, decreases during late adulthood. (fluid = can change, moves, different, time) - these terms were coined by Raymond Cattel
reffered pain
pain felt in a part of the body other than its actual source illusion of pain on the skin
law of connectedness
predicts that things that are joined or linked or grouped are perceived as connected
Dishabituation
recovery of a habituated response after a change in stimulation RESENSITIZATION to the original stimulus
melatonin (pineal gland)
regulates sleep/wake cycles
midbrain (mesencephalon)
relay station for auditory and visual signals
endogenous cues
require internal knowledge to understand the cue and the intention to follow it. E.g. a mouse arrow, the cocktail party effect
pragmatics of language
rules for using language in different contexts (i.e talking to your boss versus your friend) - basically being able to CODE-SWITCH
otolitic organs
saccule and utricle make up the otolitic organ, allow us to perceive linear acceleration, both horizontally and vertically (gravity) contain crystals
taste buds
sensory organs in the mouth that contain the receptors for taste
social facilitation
stronger responses on SIMPLE or WELL-LEARNED tasks in the presence of others if an individual works on a CHALLENGING task in front of an audience, this might increase arousal beyond optimal and interfere with performance
suppression vs. repression
suppression: mature defense mechanism - suppression is the voluntary withholding of an idea of feeling from conscious awareness, like not thinking about an exam until the week of it or doctor controlling anger at alcoholic pts he doesn't like repression: immature defense mechanism repression is someone involuntarily withholding something from consciousness like not remembering going to counseling for parents divorce
circadian rhythm
the biological clock; regular bodily rhythms (for example, of temperature and wakefulness) that occur on a 24-hour cycle Feel alert mid morning, dip in energy early afternoon, feel alert again early evening
Gender binary
the classification of sex and gender into two distinct, opposite and disconnected forms of masculine and feminine Male and Female
What causes an ↑ in self-esteem
the closer our ACTUAL self is closer to our IDEAL self and our OUGHT self (who others want us to be) the ↑ our self-esteem
content validity
the extent to which a test samples the behavior that is of interest Face validity Construct validity
three-needs theory
the motivation theory that says three acquired (not innate) needs - achievement, power, and affiliation - are major motives in work
habituation
the process of becoming used to a stimulus - this can affect difference threshold
What is homophily?
the tendency of individuals to form relationships with other people who have similar attributes
Stanford-Binet Test
the widely used American revision of Binet's original intelligence test AKA IQ test
sympathetic nervous system affects the radial smooth muscles in the iris
true, leads to dilation
Eustachian tube (auditory tube) functions to equalize pressure on both sides of the eardrum, where is it located?
tube connecting the middle ear to the pharynx (throat) its the cause of "ear popping"
Divided attention is about how to multitask. The Resource model of attention is a proposed concept on multitasking, explain the model
we have a limited pool of resources on which to draw when performing tasks. If resources required to perform multiple tasks simultaneously exceeds available resources to do so the tasks can't be done at the same time
Conjunction fallacy can occur as a result of representative heuristics, what does it mean
when people think that two events are more likely to occur together than either individual event
dichotic listening experiment
you will receive a different message to both ears, select your attention on one - this is actually really hard - shadow one ear
