frq unit 2/3 psych
Isla has moved to a large city to start her first job after college. She likes her new apartment and her new work colleagues, but she cannot seem to shake feelings of sadness. Over time, she begins to sleep more and eat less. Even playing with her dog seems less fun than it used to be. Isla calls home to ask her father's advice. He says that when he was her age, he went through the same feelings for about a year. He said he found a physician to work with that helped him use medication properly to balance out his mood. How does each of the following concepts apply to Isla's current situation? - Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) - Heritability - Amygdala - Receptor site
- SSRIs are a class of antidepressant medications commonly prescribed to treat mood disorders, including depression. These drugs work by increasing the levels of serotonin, a neurotransmitter associated with mood regulation, in the brain. - Heritability refers to the extent to which genetic factors contribute to the variation in a particular trait or condition within a population. If Isla's father experienced similar feelings of sadness and mood imbalance when he was her age, it could suggest a genetic component to their experiences - The amygdala is a part of the brain's limbic system that plays a key role in processing emotions, including fear and sadness. It is involved in the brain's emotional response and the regulation of mood. In Isla's case, her persistent feelings of sadness and changes in emotional experiences may be related to the activity or function of her amygdala. - Receptor sites are specific locations on the surface of nerve cells (neurons) where neurotransmitters, such as serotonin, bind to transmit signals. In the context of depression and the use of medications like SSRIs, receptor sites are important because these drugs target and affect the availability of neurotransmitters at these sites. By adjusting serotonin levels and influencing receptor sites in the brain, SSRIs can help regulate mood.
Gregory is the owner of two clothing stores. He sells a variety of styles of clothing, but in general, he believes that having clothing with college logos in his store would help people feel more school spirit. He is proposing an experimental study to examine this belief. - Identify the dependent variable in this study. - Identify the experimental group in this study. - Provide an example of a valid operational definition of "feeling of school spirit." - Explain how random assignment would help establish cause and effect in this experiment. - Explain why it would be difficult to use a double-blind procedure for this study. - Explain how retinal cones might relate to people's choice of clothing.
- The dependent variable in this study is the "feeling of school spirit." - The experimental group in this study would be the group of customers who are exposed to clothing with college logos in Gregory's stores. - "The degree of positive emotional attachment, identification, and enthusiasm that a customer demonstrates towards a college or university, as assessed through self-report measures or surveys." - Random assignment is crucial in this experiment because it helps ensure that customers are assigned to either the experimental group (exposed to college-logo clothing) or the control group (not exposed) in a random and unbiased manner - Using a double-blind procedure in this study would be challenging; the customers would be fully aware of whether or not they encounter college-logo clothing in the store - Retinal cones are photoreceptor cells in the retina responsible for color vision and the detection of fine details. In the context of people's choice of clothing, retinal cones play a role in perceiving and differentiating colors and patterns on clothing items.
Eleanor is the owner of a cupcake bakery. She sells different flavors and sizes of cupcakes, but in general, she believes that when she puts chocolate frosting on the cupcakes, people are more satisfied. She is proposing an experimental study to examine this belief. - Identify the independent variable in this study. - Identify the control group in this study. - Provide an example of a valid operational definition of "customer satisfaction." - Explain how random assignment would help establish cause and effect in this experiment. - Explain why it would be difficult to use a double-blind procedure for this study. - Explain how sensory interaction might relate to a person's cupcake choice
- The independent variable in this study is the type of frosting on the cupcakes - Control group is customers who receive cupcakes without chocolate frosting - The customer's rating of their overall enjoyment of the cupcake experience on a scale from 1 (completely dissatisfied) to 5 (completely satisfied) - It helps ensure that any differences in customer satisfaction between the groups are more likely due to the independent variable (type of frosting) rather than other factors. It helps control for potential confounding variables that could affect the results. - It would be difficult to use a double-blind procedure in this study because both the customers and the baker are aware of the type of frosting on the cupcakes - Sensory interaction refers to how the stimulation of one sensory modality (e.g., taste) can influence or interact with another sensory modality (e.g., smell, texture). In the context of cupcake choice, sensory interaction plays a significant role. Chocolate frosting may enhance the taste and aroma of the cupcake
Melly just moved into her first apartment. She is excited to decorate the apartment and make it her own. Her first step is choosing paint colors for the walls. She has a hard time choosing between two different shades of blue, but her friend was able to point out that one was darker and therefore better for a bedroom. In the kitchen, she chose a lemon-yellow paint. Melly had little money for furnishings and ended up with a lumpy chair from her mother and a sofa that was covered in slightly itchy fabric. On her first evening in the apartment, she lit a vanilla-scented candle that reminded her of home. Based on the scenario described, how is Melly using each of the following concepts to help her settle into her new apartment? - Olfactory bulb - Sensory adaptation - Difference threshold - Brightness Later that night, Melly gets up to get a drink of water from the kitchen. She does not turn on any lights as she makes her way past stacks of boxes in the living room. Briefly, she is frightened by what looks like a man standing in the corner of the room. But then she realizes that it is only a coat she has thrown on a hook. Based on the scenario described, how do each of the following concepts
- The olfactory bulb is a part of the brain responsible for processing smells and linking them to emotions and memories. Melly is using this concept by lighting a vanilla-scented candle that reminds her of home - Sensory adaptation is the process by which our sensory receptors become less responsive to a constant stimulus over time. In Melly's case, when she lit the vanilla-scented candle, the initial strong scent would have gradually become less noticeable to her as she spent more time in her apartment. This allows her to enjoy the fragrance without it becoming overwhelming - The difference threshold, also known as the just noticeable difference (JND), is the minimum amount by which two stimuli must differ for a person to perceive them as distinct. Melly used this concept when choosing paint colors for her apartment. Her friend pointed out that one shade of blue was darker, helping her perceive the difference and make a more suitable choice for the bedroom. - Brightness refers to the perception of how intense or luminous a visual stimulus appears. In the scenario, there isn't a direct application of brightness, but Melly's choice of a lemon-yellow paint color for her kitchen suggests she is using color to create a bright and cheerful atmosphere in that room. - Feature detection refers to the brain's ability to identify specific features or components of a visual stimulus, such as edges, shapes, or patterns. In Melly's case, her initial perception of a "man standing in the corner of the room" suggests that her brain detected certain features or shapes in the dimly lit environment. - Dark adaptation is the process by which the eyes adjust to low levels of light after exposure to brighter conditions. When Melly initially entered the dark living room, her eyes were likely in a state of relative darkness adaptation. - Top-down processing is a cognitive process in which prior knowledge, expectations, and context influence the way we perceive and interpret sensory information. In Melly's case, her initial perception of a "man" standing in the corner of the room was influenced by her expectations and the context of moving in a new and unfamiliar apartment.
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 California, 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 have a negative experience on her trip from New York to California. Definitions alone will not score. - Circadian rhythms - Conditioned response - Inattention blindness
A. - Motor neurons are nerve cells that transmit signals from the brain and spinal cord to control muscles and movements. These neurons played a crucial role in Ashley's ability to drive her car. They allowed her to execute the necessary motor skills to drive - Retinal disparity refers to the slight difference in the images seen by each eye due to their separate positions. The brain uses this disparity to perceive depth and distance. While driving, Ashley's brain processed retinal disparity information to judge the distances between objects on the road, helping her make accurate judgments about the positioning of other vehicles, guardrails, and road features - Heuristics are mental shortcuts or rules of thumb that simplify decision-making and problem-solving. On a long road trip like Ashley's, she likely used heuristics to make quick decisions about which roads to take - Procedural memory is a type of long-term memory that stores information about how to perform various tasks and skills. It includes the knowledge of driving a car, which Ashley relied on to operate her vehicle safely B. - Circadian rhythms are natural, internal biological cycles that regulate the sleep-wake pattern and other physiological processes. Long road trips often disrupt one's circadian rhythms due to irregular sleep schedules and extended hours of driving. - A conditioned response occurs when a previously neutral stimulus becomes associated with an emotional or physiological response through repeated pairing. Ashley's experience of grazing the front bumper of her car on the guardrail likely created a negative emotional response. - Inattention blindness refers to the phenomenon where individuals fail to perceive or notice objects or events in their visual field when they are focused on something else. Ashley's inattention to the road and her decision to call her parents for directions distracted her from the task of driving.
A researcher designs a study to investigate the effect of feedback on perception of incomplete visual figures. Each participant stares at the center of a screen while the researcher briefly projects incomplete geometric figures one at a time at random positions on the screen. The participant's task is to identify each incomplete figure. One group of participants receives feedback on the accuracy of their responses. A second group does not. The researcher compares the mean number of figures correctly identified by the two groups. A. Identify the independent and dependent variables in the study. B. Identify the role of each of the following psychological terms in the context of the research. - Foveal vision - Feature detectors - Gestalt principle of closure C. Describe how each of the following terms relates to the conclusions that can be drawn based on the research. - Random assignment - Statistical significance
A. The independent variable in this study is whether or not the participants receive feedback on the accuracy of their responses. The dependent variable is the mean number of incomplete geometric figures correctly identified by the participants. B. - Foveal vision refers to the central region of the retina, known as the fovea, which is responsible for high-acuity vision and detail perception. In the context of the research, participants are staring at the center of the screen, which likely involves foveal vision. This means that the incomplete geometric figures projected on random positions on the screen may be perceived more accurately when they fall within the foveal region due to its higher acuity. - Feature detectors are specialized neurons in the visual system that respond to specific visual features or characteristics of stimuli, such as edges, angles, and shapes. - The Gestalt principle of closure suggests that individuals tend to perceive incomplete or fragmented stimuli as complete and meaningful by mentally filling in the missing information C. - Random assignment is a critical methodological approach that helps ensure that participants are assigned to different experimental groups (feedback and no feedback) in a random and unbiased manner. - Statistical significance is a statistical concept used to determine whether the observed differences between groups (in this case, the mean number of figures correctly identified by the feedback and no-feedback groups)
Kristi has been training as a ballet dancer since she was very young. When Kristi's car is hit by another motorist, she is diagnosed with mild trauma to the area in the back of her brain. Kristi tries to dance again soon after her accident but has a great deal of trouble maintaining her balance. Explain how each of the following concepts applies to Kristi's current situation. - Long-term potentiation - Cerebellum - Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) - Neuroplasticity
LTP: neurobiological process that involves the strengthening of synaptic connections between neurons (learning and memory) This could impact her ability to perform complex tasks like ballet dancing, which requires precise coordination and muscle memory Cerebellum: critical brain structure responsible for coordinating and regulating motor movements, including balance and coordination. Damage to this area can disrupt its ability to process sensory information and coordinate motor responses effectively MRI: medical imaging that uses magnetic fields and radio waves to produce detailed images of the brain and other body structures. In Kristi's situation, an MRI may have been used by medical professionals to visualize and assess the extent of her brain injury. Neuroplasticity: brain's ability to adapt and reorganize itself by forming new neural connections and altering existing ones. This concept is particularly relevant to Kristi's situation because it offers hope for her recovery. While her initial difficulty in maintaining balance is a consequence of the brain trauma, the brain has the potential to undergo plastic changes and recover functions over time.
