MCAT Psychology problems

Does smell bypass the thalamus

Yes

In the order they occur the three main phases of memory are

encoding, storage, retrieval

At 0.5 dB, a sound does not even stir the hair cells in an animal's inner ear. However, the sound intensifies reaching 2dB, at which point the associated signal is sent to the animal's central nervous system. Finally, the sound further loudens to 3dB, causing the animal discomfort before gradually returning to 0.5 dB. At what point is the animals absolute threshold reached?

0.5dB The absolute threshold is the point at which the sensory system is activated, but not necessarily when the sound is perceived.

A doctor runs a quick neurological assessment on a patient. First, the patient walks in a straight line with his eyes closed, then stands on one foot. Second, he is told to close his eyes and tough his nose and other parts of his body with his hand. Finally, he is asked to distinguish between two different objects based on tough. Which three senses, in order has the doctor just tested?

1. Vestibular sense-balance related tasks 2.Proprioception-able to touch w/o sight 3.Somatosensation- identify objects by feel/senses

All the following concepts are examples of retrieval cues EXCEPT A. the serial position effect B. context dependent memory C. automatic processing D. Priming

C

All of the following statements regarding the visual pathway are true EXCEPT: A. Temporal fibers do not cross paths B. Optic fibers closest to the nose do cross paths C. At the optic chiasm, visual signals synapse from bipolar class to ganglion cells D. Visual information travels through the temporal lobe

C- The optic chiasm is the point at which optic fibers on the nasal side begin to travel to the opposite hemisphere of the brain causing them to cross paths. It is the retina where signals are transmitted from the bipolar to ganglion cells.

The main observation that distinguishes REM sleep from a state of physiological awakens is: A. different types of brainwaves B. lowered heart rate C. low EMG reading D. increased respiration

C- low EMG readings

Monocular cues include A. retinal disparities B. convergence C. somatosation D. relative size

D

Which pairing does NOT correctly link a sense to the part of the brain in which it is at least partially processed? A. Somatosensation-somatosensory cortex B. Taste-thalamus C. Smell-limbic system D. Hearing-medulla

D- Hearing is processed by the auditory cortex in the temporal lobe

All scenarios listed below fit into Treismans attenuation model EXCEPT A. A waiter hears diners at a table muttering about him, but focuses instead on speaking to the table he is serving B. A student notices when the teacher calls her name, but continues to focus on finishing her exam as if she hadn't heard C. A pizza delivery man makes sure he is biking safely to the next customer while ignoring phone calls from the previous one D. A teacher devotes her efforts toward lecturing her class not noticing the students in the back row who are talking

D- Treismans model requires that stimuli are perceived by the subject and the teacher does not notice the talking

A heroin addict is experiencing painful withdrawal symptoms four days after quitting the drug. What is the main cause of these adverse effects?

Her body is underproducing endorphins resulting in sensitivity and pain - Heroin acts as an endorphin which reduces pain in the body- when stopped pain is felt by body has not been naturally been producing endorphins

Which depicts the order in which a fragment of information might progress through various types of memory during storage I Echoic memory- sthort term- long term II. Iconic- short term III. Sensory- Iconic-short term- long term IV. Working- sensory- short term

I and II - In general memory goes sensory to short term to long term Iconic is a type of sensory memory and working memory never precedes sensory memory

As a class of psychoactive drug stimulants: I. Can promote the release of neurotransmitters II. can reduce the release of neurotransmitters III. can inhibit the reabsorption of neurotransmitters IV. Can cause suppression of cerebellar activity

I,II,III - Stimulants possess multiple mechanisms of action including both stimulation of neurotransmitter release and inhibition of reabsorption -typically alcohol causes suppression cerebellar activity

According to Erikson during which stage does an individual experience a "physiological revolution"

Identity v. role confusion -

At 0.5 dB, a sound does not even stir the hair cells in an animal's inner ear. However, the sound intensifies reaching 2dB, at which point the associated signal is sent to the animal's central nervous system. Finally, the sound further loudens to 3dB, causing the animal discomfort before gradually returning to 0.5 dB. The point at which the animal consciously perceives the sound is?

It cannot be determined from the given information Even though a signal is sent to the animal's central nervous system at 2dB, we cannot be certain if it noticed the sound. The threshold must fall somewhere between 2 and 3dB

Participants take a survey and results show they overestimate bad things that happen- If the participants in the survey were presented with the correct answer for each question immediately after their responses how would this affect their belief going forward

Most participants would continue holding their initial beliefs, due to the effects of confirmation bias and belief perseverance - The repeated use of heuristic results in development of cognitive bias

When trying to retrieve the name Abraham Lincoln from memory we might first thing of government then president then George washington. Within the concept of spreading activation the word government is an example of

Node

Research building a prosthetic hearing system want to create an auditory pathway as similar as possible to that of humans. The most appropriate order for the pathway would be

Organ of Corti-- medial geniculate nucleus--auditory cortex

It has recently been discovered that dogs have very similar attention patterns to humans. A dog may hear his name being called, but continue to focus on a hole he is digging. However, when he hears his name called angrily he might stop and come inside. What model of attention does this best fit

Treisman's attenuation model- states that stimuli although percieved can be attenuated or ignored till further notice

Erik Erikson developed a series of stages of development that involve resolving various conflicts between needs and social demands. According to Erikson, must an individual successfully resolve a stage before moving on to the next

Yes, one can progress to the next stage of development without resolving or obtaining mastery in the previous stage.

A waiter in a cafe measures the intensity of sound in the dining room to be 50dB. As two customers leave, decreasing the sound intensity to 49 dB he notices that the cafe becomes quieter. If the cafe is at 55dB at peak hours and a large family enters, increasing the sound intensity to 60 dB, at what point would the waiter notice the increase in sound

56dB From the question we know the waiter notices 1dB differences. So the waiter will notice when the dB increases by 1

How might the environment influence the genetic expression of a particular personality trait?

A girl whos father has an anxiety disorder has a very tumultuous childhood she later develops the same condition

Which attentinal model best explains why group 2 and 3 displayed similar results ( Group 2 and 3 are required to multitask)

Both the broadbent model of selective attention and Treismans theory of attenuation - Question 924 read answer

In the complex process of "bionic eye" design, scientists are attempting to eliminate the natural blind spot exhibited by the human eye. Which solution, if possible, would best address this problem?

Add more cones and rods to the optic disc The human blind spot is present because the optic disc has no photoreceptors.

Exhibition of moderate acitivty on an EMG is typical of which of the listed sleep stages (Stage 2,3,4)

All of the above An EMG measures muscular activity during the sleep cycle-Moderate muscle function is characteristic of all of the cycles except REM

When observing a certain blind patient, clinicians note that visual information reaches her healthy rods and cones; however, it never makes it to her ganglion cells. Which structure may be damaged in this case?

Bipolar cells Bipolar cells receive information from the eye's photoreceptors and transmit it to the ganglion cells

Which part of the brain acts abnormally in those who suffer short periods of anxiety and elevated heart rate and respiration during periods of slow-wave sleep?

Pons -The pons typically prevent us from physically responding to our dreams

A figure shows 4 rows of dots (2 rows close and parallel) Perceiving this picture as two parallel lines demonstrates which Gestalt principle?

Proximity- Principle states that you perceive objects that are close in space as grouped together NOT parallel processing which is not a Gestalt principle

A new species of desert iguana is discovered to possess structurally similar ears ot those of humans. however, tehse reptiles do not have necks and never evolved to walk in curved paths. As animals that can only travel in straight lines what structure do they lack?

Semicircular canals- function is to sense rotation

According to the cognitive developmental theory outlined by Jean Piaget, a child entering the preoperational stage would exhibit which of the following

She would gain an understanding of object permanence, or the idea that things do not cease to exist when moved out of view - Stage is from 2-7

An individual who has somnambulism experiences which stages of sleep differently from a normal individual

Stage 3 and 4 -Somnambulism (sleep walking) happens in stage 3+4

Five males between the ages of 15 and 35 are seated in a room equipped with a surround sound speaker system. A series of tones is then played from individual speakers; the participants must verbally identify which direction each tone comes from. Those who have trouble with this task may have suffered damage to their:

Superior Olive- it is located in the brain stem and responsible for sound localization

An astronaut has lived aboard the International Space Station for more than two years. If he begins to have trouble sensing rotational acceleration. Which structure of his ear may be damaged?

The ampullae- part of the semicircular canals which help perceive rotational acceleration.

Name the part of the brain that is likely to be overstimulated in sleep deprived individuals

The anterior pituitary gland- responsible for releasing ACTH

A middle aged woman who must wear protective sunglasses in bright light most likely has a problem w/ what eye structure?

The choroid a layered region of the eye that contains connective tissue and blood vessels; it is located beneath the retina but above the sclera- the choroid is responsible for absorbing excess light.

A scientist holds the personal belief that dreams are sequences of events randomly ordered by the brain while we sleep. This belief most closely coincides with which theory of dreams

The cognitive dream theory Theory postulates that dreams are just stream of consciousness scenarios that are randomly ordered by the dreamers brain

A case study describes a patient who has hair cells only in part of his cochlea. Which symptoms is most likely to be caused by this deficiency?

The inability to hear sounds of certain frequencies The arrangement of hair in different parts of the cochlea allows us to hear sounds of different frequencies.

According to Piaget's stages of cognitive development the emergence of symbolic thinking is a hallmark of:

The preoperational stage Age 2-7

A number of individuals in a clinical trial have trouble balancing and remaining upright when running. These patients most likely have a deficiency in which part of or fluid within the ear?

The vestibule- it is part of the bony labyrinth of the inner ear; it helps us perceive linear acceleration and maintain balance

Participants take a survey and results show they overestimate bad things that happen- Why might the survey participants have been so unable to answer the questions correctly

They used the availability heuristic - people have a bias based on available information ( like rates or outcomes we hear about often) ex. every plane crash is a national new story but nobody reports when a plane lands safely

A child riding a bicycle feels a bee lightly brush his face and then watches it as it flies blurrily by. All of the following sensory receptors were used when the child perceived the bee EXCEPT

parvocellular cells- these detect stationary objects in fine detail but do not work well w/ fast moving cells