P/S Uworld MCAT

What are mirror neuron?

-specialized neurons in the brain that fire both while observing and while performing a behavior. e.g. Immediate recall task, Delayed recall task, Distractor task

Some experts suggest that the benefits of teamwork may be outweighed by an average loss of productivity per team member. This productivity loss can best be explained by which of the following group processes? A.Social loafing B.Groupthink C.Conformity D.Group polarization

A. Social loafing -in groups, an individual makes less effort -alone, an individual makes more effort

Aging is associated with significant memory decline for all of the following types of memory EXCEPT: A.episodic. B.flashbulb. C.semantic. D.source.

C. semantic (names of people, colors, vocab) -Episodic: buying first car -Flashbu,b: 9/11 -Source: new source reported story -Procedural: riding bige

To study how online communication can coalesce into long-term sustained action toward a collective social goal, a researcher analyzed and coded all the social media text surrounding a single topic. This can best be described as: A.an observational analysis of a demographic shift. B.an opinion survey of views on globalization. C.a content analysis of a social movement. D.a random sampling of civil unrest incidents.

C.a content analysis of a social movement.

Difference between Caste system and Class system (part of social stratification)

Caste system: -social status ascribed at birth, social grouping are rigid, social mobility very difficult Class system: -individual social status partially achieved through merit, groups flexible, mobility possible

Trait theorists

Consistent and enduring personality dispositions -personality is the result of a combination of traits that are relatively stable over time. -does not account for external influences on personality or for the reasons underlying personality traits.

somatic symptom disorder

Extreme distress and concern regarding one or more actual bodily/physical symptoms (fatigue, pain) symptoms: headaches, fatigue, and worries worst about health

aging is correlated with declines in:

Fluid intelligence: ability to apply logic and creative thinking to new situations Selective attention: ability to focus on ONE stimulus or task despite distractions

Difference between GAD and Panic Disorder

GAD: uncontrollable worrying about all topics, muscle tension, difficulty concentrating or sleeping, restless, fatigued, irritable Panic: repeated uncontrollable panic attacks (overwhelming surges of anxiety)

Brain structures most critical to the experience of emotion:

Hypothalamus (hypothalamus regulates the pituitary gland and the autonomic nervous system. It controls the release of hormones that maintain homeostatic functions (parasympathetic "rest-and-digest" response) or prepare the body to respond to a stressor (sympathetic "fight-or-flight" response)

Functional neuroimaging procedure with PTSD patients would be most likely to exhibit alterations in which of the following? I. Prefrontal cortex II. Hippocampus III. Amygdala

I,II, III

Difference between Primary and Secondary Reinfocer (same with a Punisher)

Reinforcer (encourages behavior) -Primary: innate desirable reward- food -secondary: learned reward-money Punisher (discourages behavior) -Primary: innately undesirable consequence aka electric shock -Secondary: learned consequence aka bad grades/speeding ticket

Difference between Religiosity and Religion Affiliation?

Religious affiliation describes an individual identifying with a specific religious group, whereas religiosity (or religiousness) is the degree to which an individual internalizes and incorporates that religion into their lives, as demonstrated by the individual's behaviors and beliefs.

Optomism Bias is most similar to

Self-positivity bias -people underestimate bad things would happen

Symptoms & causes of Korsakoff syndrome

Symptoms: Memory loss, Confabulation (memory fabrication w/o intention to lie) Causes: Extreme thiamine (vitamin B1) deficiency from Chronic alcohol consumption (most common), Eating disorders &/or chronic malnutrition Tx: Vitamin B1 supplementation can reverse most/all symptoms if caught early

Visuospatial sketchpad:

employed when manipulating visual and/or spatial information (eg, reading a map).

social constructionism

"reality" created thru interactions, resulting in an agreed-on shared meaning. *Objects (eg, money) and behaviors (eg, a handshake) have meaning only because individuals in society have agreed on that meaning. Money has value in society because everyone has agreed that it has value, thereby making money a social construct.

Hawthorne effect

A change in a subject's behavior caused simply by the awareness of being studied

What are some negative symptoms of schizophrenia?

Apathy (lack of emotion), flat affect (emotional flattening), social withdrawal, lack of volition, inability to experience pleasure

Expectancy Theory

Belief in one that's capable of their outcomes

drive-reduction theory

Disruption of homeostasis for a biological need *eating food more slowly and mindfully and stopping when full

Big Five Personality Traits

openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, neuroticism

central executive

regulates attention and task switching, and three subsystems,

Episodic buffer

responsible for temporal processing (understanding the timeline of events) and integrating information from long-term memory into working memory (eg, remembering how to multiply when figuring out a tip at a restaurant).

Spatial orientation and balance rely on input from the

visual system, vestibular system (semicircular canals and otolith organs), and somatosensory system (proprioception). Sensory input is processed by the brainstem and cerebral cortex, and by the cerebellum, which coordinates balance.

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

(level 1) Physiological Needs, (level 2) Safety and Security, (level 3) Relationships, Love and Affection, (level 4) Self Esteem, (level 5) Self Actualization

Brain effects of chronic stress

-Prefrontal cortex: decreased Coping skills, increased hypervigilance -Amygdala: increase anger, anxiety -Hippocampus: decreased ability to learn

Psychoanalytic theory

-personality is composed: 1) id (pleasure principle), 2) ego (reality principle), 3) superego (morality/perfection principle). The rational ego functions to mediate between external reality and the unconscious self, negotiating the desires of the primitive, impulsive id and the moralistic superego.

Types of Kinship Systems

1. Consanguineal kin: genetic (biological parents) 2. Affinal: marriage (spouse) 3. Fictive: social ties (adopted children Degrees: 1st degree: mother 2nd degree: mother's brother 3rd degree: mother's uncle

Piaget's stages of cognitive development

1. sensorimotor (<2 yrs) 2. preoperational (2-7 yrs) 3. concrete operational (7-11 yrs) 4. formal operational (11+ yrs)

Demographic Transition Model

A sequence of demographic changes in which a country moves from high birth and death rates to low birth and death rates through time.

A researcher recruited 20 individuals with complete spinal cord injuries at cervical vertebrae C3 or C4 (participants had no sensory or motor function below the site of injury) and 20 matched controls. Participants were presented with images designed to evoke positive, negative, or no emotion. If the results indicate no significant difference between participants with spinal cord injuries and control participants in the emotional response to the images, this finding would: A.contradict the James-Lange theory. B.support the Schachter-Singer theory. C.contradict the Cannon-Bard theory. D.support the theory of universal emotions.

A. The James-Lange theory holds that specific emotions are elicited by stimuli (eg, loud noise) that produce specific physiological reactions (eg, increased heart rate), which are transmitted as sensory information to the brain via the spinal cord. not D because , certain emotions are expressed and detected by everyone, regardless of culture. This study did not assess the emotional reaction of participants from diverse cultural backgrounds, so the results neither support nor contradict this theory.

To investigate attributions related to exercise, an experimenter interviewed primary care physicians (PCPs) about their own exercise habits and their patients' reported exercise habits. The experimenter found that PCPs were more likely to attribute their own lack of exercise to factors such as being too busy, but were more likely to attribute their patients' lack of exercise to factors such as laziness. These results best illustrate the: A.actor-observer bias B.experimenter bias C.fundamental attribution error D.self-serving bias.

A. actor-bias *attributional bias that describes tendency to attribute one's own actions to external factors but the actions of others to internal factors. *The physicians' tendency to make external attributions for their own lack of exercise (eg, "I'm too busy") while attributing their patients' lack of exercise to internal factors (eg, "they are lazy") best supports the actor-observer bias.

Which psychophysiology concept determines how high the volume of the tone must be for participants to detect it roughly half the time? A.Absolute threshold B.Difference threshold C.Just noticeable difference D.Sensory adaptation

A.Absolute threshold intensity value at which an individual is able to detect the stimulus 50% of the time. *common ones are- see a candle flame far, hear watch tick, smell one drop of perfume

Stimulation of the nucleus accumbens would be expected to alleviate which of the following symptoms of depression? A.Anhedonia B.Difficulty concentrating C.Fatigue D.Insomnia

A.Anhedonia Depression is a mood disorder characterized by emotional and physical symptoms, such as sadness, hopelessness, anhedonia, difficulty concentrating, fatigue, body aches, and changes in sleep and appetite. Stimulation of the nucleus accumbens in the brain's reward pathway may help alleviate anhedonia, allowing depressed individuals to feel pleasure again.

Which of the following drugs has an effect on the central nervous system similar to that of alcohol? A.Benzodiazepines B.Hallucinogens C.Cocaine D.Amphetamines

A.Benzodiazepines

Which of the following processes assists in the perception of depth and motion required during the driving simulation? A.Motion parallax B.Retinal disparity C.Convergence D.Phi phenomenon

A.Motion parallax -monocular cue whereby objects in the foreground are perceived as moving faster than objects in the background.

How would incentive theory explain patients' motivation for continuing to smoke? A.Smoking is a more immediate external motivator than the reward of future health. B.Smokers are motivated to continue smoking due to a physical addiction to nicotine. C.Smokers are internally motivated to preserve their freedom to smoke. D.Smoking reduces undesirable withdrawal symptoms.

A.Smoking is a more immediate external motivator than the reward of future health.

An older individual learns about the potential side effects of a drug she is currently taking from a pharmaceutical advertisement she sees on television. When she recalls the information later, she remembers hearing about those potential side effects from her physician, not the advertisement. This scenario illustrates which of the following? A.Source monitoring error B.Fundamental attribution error C.Negative priming D.Hindsight bias

A.Source monitoring error Memories are reconstructed each time they are recalled, leading to common memory errors. Source monitoring errors occur when a memory is attributed to the wrong source (eg, information from a television commercial is attributed to one's physician).

Compared to women's social networks, men's social networks tend to be larger, have more weak ties, and provide more information about work-related topics; therefore, men's social networks most likely confer: A.less social capital and less social mobility B.more social capital and more social mobility C.less social capital but more social mobility D.more social capital but less social mobility

B. More social capital; More social mobility Social networks: informal and nonhierarchical webs of interaction between nodes (individuals or organizations), which are linked by ties. Social capital: person's networks of people that can be converted into economic gain. *Men's networks -> larger + provide info about work-related topics (more social capital) Social mobility: movement of individuals, groups, or families between/within status categories in society -> provide more social capital (potential economic gain), men's networks also provide more social mobility.

According to the demographic transition model, a newly industrializing society is characterized by which of the following? A.Low birth and death rates combined with slow population growth B.Decreasing death rates and increasing access to food, medicine, and improved sanitation C.Dropping birth rates and a declining population size D.High birth and death rates combined with slow population growth

B.Decreasing death rates and increasing access to food, medicine, and improved sanitation

Which of the following scenarios best illustrates the psychoanalytic concept of regression? A.When a medical student receives a failing grade in his medical ethics class, he says that the instructor was "unprepared" and "incompetent." B.When a medical student is expelled, she spends her days watching cartoons and becomes attached to a childhood teddy bear. C.When a medical student finds out that he has failed his licensing exam, he becomes angry and throws his laptop on the ground. D.When a medical student struggles with a difficult rotation, she starts taking martial arts classes to channel her frustration.

B.When a medical student is expelled, she spends her days watching cartoons and becomes attached to a childhood teddy bear.

Which of the following is true regarding the social stratification system referred to as a caste system? Caste systems have status positions that are: A.achieved, which makes social mobility difficult. B.ascribed, which makes social mobility difficult. C.achieved, which makes social mobility possible. D.ascribed, which makes social mobility possible.

B.ascribed, which makes social mobility difficult.

Which of the following statements about race is most consistent with the social constructionist perspective? In society, race is: A.determined by genes. B.defined and maintained through social interactions. C.an achieved status. D.a social category used to maintain dynamic equilibrium.

B.defined and maintained through social interactions.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) would be most likely to address PTSD symptoms through: A.a person-centered approach focused on empathy B.systematic desensitization of traumatic triggers or memories. C.uncovering unconscious memories associated with the trauma D.examination of the initial cause of the trauma.

B.systematic desensitization of traumatic triggers or memories. CBT focus on maladaptive thoughts and destructive/unproductive behaviors and REPLACE them with positive ones

Instumentality

Believing in control of outcome

A group of five health care professionals is presented with a complex system-based problem in a large hospital and asked to generate multiple possible solutions. Research on group processes suggests that: A.if group members get along, more options will be discussed and considered. B.the group is more likely to come up with an effective solution if there is a strong group leader. C.if group members start with similar opinions, they will support an option that is more extreme. D.on average, individuals working alone will produce fewer options than when working in a group

C. if group members start w/ similar opinions, they will support an option that is more extreme -due to Group Polarization A & B= groupthink D = social loafing

Which of the following is true regarding two classes of drugs commonly used to treat depression, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs)? A.Both classes of drugs stimulate the release of serotonin into the synaptic cleft. B.SSRIs block uptake of serotonin into the post-synaptic neuron. C.MAOIs decrease the breakdown of serotonin within the pre-synaptic neuron. D.MAOIs promote uptake of serotonin into the pre-synaptic neuron

C.MAOIs decrease the breakdown of serotonin within the pre-synaptic neuron. One class of drugs, MAOIs, inhibits the enzyme monoamine oxidase, decreasing the breakdown of serotonin, dopamine, and epinephrine

A researcher conducts a study on visual perception. When viewing a photograph of hospital physicians, participants tend to perceive the physicians as groups based on their attire, such as "blue scrubs" for one group and "white lab coats" for another. This finding is best attributed to which Gestalt principle? A.Common fate B.Proximity C.Similarity D.Continuity

C.Similarity tendency to group together objects that share similar features (eg, shape, color).

How does stereopsis contribute to the processing of two-dimensional retinal images into objects having three-dimensional depth? A.The presence of rods and cones allows for processing different types of light. B.Component attributes, such as color, motion, and form, are integrated in the occipital lobe. C.The relative location of each retina allows for different images of the object to be processed D.The movement of ciliary muscles controlling the lens provides depth cues to the cortex.

C.The relative location of each retina allows for different images of the object to be processed

At an inpatient psychiatric hospital, patients are encouraged to engage in certain behaviors through reinforcement. Each time a patient engages in a desired behavior, they are given a secondary reinforcer, which can be exchanged for more attractive rewards. This scenario illustrates which of the following? A.Modeling B.Classical conditioning C.Token economy D.Stimulus generalization

C.Token economy positively reinforces certain behaviors through tokens (secondary reinforcers) *type of operant conditioning

If the researchers first wanted to determine each subject's absolute threshold for tone detection in the presence of external white noise, which of the following would accurately represent the variables for such an assessment? A.Tone volume (independent variable) and percent tones missed (dependent variable) B.Percent tones missed (independent variable) and white noise volume (dependent variable) C.Tone volume (independent variable) and percent tones detected (dependent variable) D.Percent tones detected (independent variable) and white noise volume (dependent variable)

C.Tone volume (independent variable) and percent tones detected (dependent variable) can be determined by varying the stimulus intensity (independent variable) and measuring the percentage of time the stimulus is correctly detected (dependent variable).

What is the difference between: A. countercultures B. utilitarian organizations C. subcultures D. aggregates

Countercultures: opposes and rejects the norms/values of the dominant culture Utilitarian organizations: compensate members for their involvement (eg, money, certification/diploma). Subcultures: group of individuals who are characteristically distinct from the dominant culture, but whose values and norms still generally align with the dominant culture. Aggregates: collection of individuals who share a common location but do not identify as a group (eg, all the people at a given store at 11:00 AM).

Young people as opposed to older adults have better:

Crystallized intelligence: ability to apply facts and acquire knowledge to situations Divided attention: attend to 2+ tasks or stimuli simultaneously

A patient who has been diagnosed with schizophrenia is prescribed a neuroleptic medication. Which of the following symptoms, if present, is this medication most likely to improve? A.Apathy B.Inability to experience pleasure C.Emotional flattening D.Disorganized speech

D. disorganized speech (or hallucinations, delusions, disoriented behavior) (medications to improve positive symptoms)

In a surgical residency program that does not allow maternity leave, a female resident becomes pregnant and takes three weeks off to have her baby. A male resident misses a similar amount of time due to an accident. Later, only the female resident is required to make up the time missed. Is this an example of institutional discrimination? A.No, because maternity leave policies can apply only to females, not males. B.No, because the policy would treat all females seeking maternity leave the same. C.Yes, because the policy reflects the medicalization of female health concerns like pregnancy. D.Yes, because the policy disadvantages females but does not apply to males in similar situations.

D. policy disadvantages females but does not apply to males in similar situations. Discrimination = unfair treatment

A 34-year-old patient describes a history of conflict-ridden interpersonal relationships. This pattern has been present since late adolescence, occurs across all settings, and has resulted in a history of sporadic employment and tumultuous romantic relationships. The symptoms are not due to a medical condition or the use of a substance. Which psychological diagnosis is most likely in this patient? A.A mood disorder B.An anxiety disorder C.A dissociative disorder D.A personality disorder

D.A personality disorder -inflexible and enduring patterns of thoughts, feelings, behaviors differing from social norms

Experts recently classified severe premenstrual symptoms with marked mood changes that interfere with daily functioning as an official psychiatric diagnosis. This example reflects which perspective on health and illness? A.Conflict theory B.Functionalism C.Social exchange D.Social constructionism

D.Social constructionism

Decreased memory caused by the distraction task demonstrates: A.anterograde amnesia. B.retrograde amnesia. C.proactive interference. D.retroactive interference.

D.retroactive interference. Proactive interference: previously learned information interferes (prevents recall of newer info)

Which of the following is the LEAST concerned with the role of nonverbal communication in influencing the social behavior of individuals? A.Elaboration likelihood model B.Dramaturgical perspective C.Symbolic interactionism D.Structural functionalism

Nonverbal: cues include physical distance between face-to-face speakers, body language and other physical movements, facial expressions, and vocal modifications (eg, tone, volume, emphasis, inflection). Structural functionalism: macro-level (large-scale) sociological perspective suggesting that all aspects of society work together to maintain dynamic equilibrium (societal balance).

Normative vs social influence/informative

Normative: fit in Social influence: uncertain on what to do (people assume others know more)

In a study about kids listening to human speech consisting of a series of randomly selected short words, each stated in a neutral tone, followed by a second of silence. The other stimuli included environmental sounds (eg, forest noises); neutral, human, noncommunicative sounds. What kind of kids should be excluded due to their lack of receptors?

Ones with problems of Mechanoreceptors and Phororeceptors Sensory receptors are specialized neurons capable of detecting environmental stimuli, including: -touch/pressure (mechanoreceptors), -chemicals (chemoreceptors), -heat (thermoreceptors), and -light (photoreceptors).

Participants in the experimental group who did not meet or exceed their weekly weight goal had $20 deducted from their accounts. What kind of reinforcement and punishment is this?

Positive reinforcement (desirable stimulus present to encourage behavior aka weightloss) Negative punishment (desirable stimulus is withdrawn aka money out of account)

As close friends, coworkers, and family members gain weight, one's concept of what a body of acceptable weight looks like becomes modified. What kind of socialization group is this?

Primary (family) and secondary groups (coworkers)

self-fulfilling prophecy

a belief that leads to its own fulfillment belief or prediction about something (which may or may not be true) that influences the behavior of the person who believes it, which then causes the belief to come true. belief about oneself (eg, "I'm a terrible test taker") causes behavior that makes the belief come true (eg, belief causes test anxiety, resulting in actual poor performance). In other words, the belief itself, regardless of if the belief is true or justified, directly or indirectly initiates a chain of events that prove the belief true.

bottom-up processing

analysis that begins with the sensory receptors and works up to the brain's integration of sensory information *stepping on HOT sand and jumping up

monoamine hypothesis

depletion of monoamine neurotransmitters (Der, Dopa, Norepi) in the CNS directly cause depression symptoms

Long-term potentiation (LTP)

describes an enduring increase in synaptic transmission of neurons, which is the neural foundation for learning and memory consolidation.

social identity

describes how one's self-concept (ideas and beliefs about the self) is shaped by group membership. * major social identities are sex/gender, sexuality, race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, age, family status (eg, married, parent), and occupation.

Social stigmatization

disapproval of those with a deviant characteristic that does not conform to social expectations, such as an intersex appearance (combination of male and female characteristics).

Positron emission tomography (PET)

functional imaging technique that monitors physiological activity by measuring labeled glucose metabolism. *Active brain regions metabolize glucose more quickly, so a glucose analog with a radioactive tracer is used for PET neuroimaging.

top-down processing

information processing guided by higher-level mental processes, as when we construct perceptions drawing on our experience and expectations *See green coiled hose on ground and THINK its a snake -> beliefs, ideas, expectations, guide perception

life course approach

looking closely at social factors that influence people throughout their lives "baby-boomers"

Phonological loop

manipulating spoken and written information (eg, reading a book).

Thomas Theorem

situations that are defined as real are real in their consequences "their interpretation of the situation"

reaction formation

switching unacceptable impulses into their opposites Liking a boy but being more mean to him

Fundamental attribution error

tendency to blame others' behavior on their internal (eg, "she is stupid") instead of external (eg, "the test was hard") factors.

Valence

the attractiveness or desirability of a reward or outcome

retroactive interference

the disruptive effect of new learning on the recall of old information

proactive interference

the disruptive effect of prior learning on the recall of new information

Yerkes-Dodson Law

the principle that performance increases with arousal only up to a point, beyond which performance decreases *athletes perform best when nervous but not too nervous

parallel processing

the processing of many aspects of a problem simultaneously; *the brain's natural mode of information processing for many functions, including vision. Contrasts with the step-by-step (serial) processing of most computers and of conscious problem solving. *Babies gaze at human face longer

social loafing

the tendency for people in a group to EXERT LESS EFFORT when pooling their efforts toward attaining a common goal than when individually accountable

elaboration likelihood model

theory identifying two ways to persuade: a central route (more logical) and a peripheral route (superficial-not caring)

Spatial inequality

unfair/ uneven distribution of wealth and resources across a geographic area. *residential segregation, physical separation (race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status)

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)

uses a powerful magnet to align the protons of water molecules in the body, creating nuclear magnetic resonance, which is measured by the scanner. This technique produces three-dimensional pictures of the brain and can indicate which brain areas are active at any given time.