AP Psych FRQ

Big Five trait of extraversion

- A personality dimension describing someone who is sociable, gregarious, and assertive - low in extraversion since he enjoys the quietness of the library

Self-efficacy

- An individual's belief that he or she is capable of performing a task. - belief that he has what it takes to create a new program for the children

Altruism

- a concern for others; generosity - volunteering at the library without getting any thing else in return

Age and language acquisition

- age might hinder her language acquisition while preparing for the test - older students are less successful in acquiring a language - critical period for language acquisition has passed

After the exam, Savannah tells her family and friends that she believes that she spoke fluently and did extremely well on the exam. Describe how each of the following concepts may have influenced her opinion. - Self-efficacy

- belief ones ability - believe she did well

As a senior in high school, Ludy worked as an assistant to the children's librarian in his town library. He enjoyed shelving the books in the library because he was able to work alone and focus on his task. Although the library was normally a quiet place, sometimes the children's section became quite noisy when groups of children visited. After working in an unfulfilling desk job for 30 years, Ludy recalls how much he enjoyed working at the library and decides to go back and work as a volunteer creating new programs for disadvantaged children. - Crystallized intelligence

- knowledge that comes from prior learning and past experiences - able to recall the dewey decimal system - able to know where to put the books back

Broca's area

- production of speech - use it when reading to children

Episodic memory

- the collection of past personal experiences that occurred at a particular time and place - thinking about how he enjoyed working in the library

Self-actualization

- the process by which people achieve their full potential - the program can help children reach their highest potential

Part B How might each of the following concepts affect the results of the study? - Fluid intelligence

-older people have less fluid intelligence -younger people have more fluid intelligence - older people perform worse on the task in the context of fluid intelligence, which would affect the results of this study

In a well-designed study, what does it mean to say there is a statistically significant difference between groups?

-the difference between groups is less likely due or not due to chance -more likely due to manipulation of the independent variable

groupthink

A situation in which group members seek unanimous agreement despite their individual doubts - wanted rocket to go to space and everyone agreed that the calculations were correct even though some think that there was a mistake - held their opinion in because a lot of people agree no mistake

A survey was conducted in which individuals were asked, "Would you return a lost wallet that you found?" Use social desirability bias to explain whether the percentage of individuals who answered "yes" to this survey question would be higher, the same, or lower than the overall return rate (42%) in the study above.

A tendency to give socially approved answers to questions about oneself. - increase because they are giving answers that are socially approved but in reality they might not do it

Malia has an assignment to write a research paper for a class. She has several weeks to work on the paper before turning in the finished product. Explain how each of the following could apply to Malia's completion of the assignment. - Albert Bandura's theory of self-efficacy

An individual's belief that he or she is capable of performing a task. - lack self efficacy - not sure if she can write a good paper so she procrastinates

locus of control

Because Ellie has an internal locus of control, she can make friends by approaching people and making the first move

Ethnocentrism

Belief in the superiority of one's nation or ethnic group. - Annabelle meets students from different cultures but doesn't think they are as smart as people from her culture, so she doesn't study with them

Compliance

Conforming to a request or demand - Annabelle's parents tell her to go to State U, so she goes there

rationalization

Creating false but plausible excuses to justify unacceptable behavior. - the car that she got was really expensive but rationalizes by saying she will use it everyday

circadian rhythm

Ellie wakes up hyper each day and turns off the members of the club at their morning meetings

Schachter two-factor theory

Ellie's heart rate increases when she enters the room and she labels it as excitement about being with the new group

heuristics

Mental shortcuts or "rules of thumb" that often lead to a solution (but not always). - likes red cars so she only looks at red cars

Efferent neurons

Nerve cells that conduct impulses away from the central nervous system - efferent neurons help her move her fingers to write the paper

self-efficacy

One's belief in his or her own ability. - believes she can decide which car she will buy by herself so she goes to the dealership without her family

incentive theory

People are motivated by external rewards - kids are going to be motivated to read because of the reward John is offering

Presentation of the conditioned stimulus (CS) and unconditioned stimulus (UCS) in classical conditioning

The CS should come before USC if they want to strengthen the conditioning - bell comes before meat powder

Demonstrate how each of the following could hinder Ellie's quest for friendship - In group biad

The group could see Ellie as an outsider and not make her feel welcome

dependent variable

The measurable effect, outcome, or response in which the research is interested. - return rate

In response to declining reading scores in local schools, John wrote an editorial suggesting that schools need to increase interest in reading books by providing students with incentives. Based on research showing a relation between use of incentives and student reading, he recommended providing a free pizza coupon for every ten books a student reads. Explain how each of the following psychological concepts can be used to refute John's argument - correlational research

The researcher observes or measures two or more naturally occurring variables to find the relationship between them. - declining reading scores does not mean that kids lost interest in reading - correlation does not equal causation

B. Identify the role of each of the following psychological terms in the context of the research - Foveal vision

This is the part of our vision that is the sharpest. It occurs in the central part of the retina where cones are predominant. - allows participants to see figures more clearly and more accurately

How might individualistic culture explain why people did not return the wallets?

a culture that emphasizes individuality and responsibility to oneself - value their own interest so they keep the wallet

cofounding variable

a factor other than the independent variable that might produce an effect in an experiment - time of day

Time is an important variable in many psychological concepts. Describe a specific example that clearly demonstrates an understanding of each of the following concepts and how it relates to or is affected by time. - critical period

a specific time in development when certain skills or abilities are most easily learned - children learn languages easier during the critical period in childhood

Researchers dropped 200 identical wallets on sidewalks near a large university. Each wallet contained the name and address of the owner and either a photograph of a baby, a photograph of a puppy, a photograph of a young family, a photograph of an older couple, or no photograph.The researchers hypothesized that the type of photograph left in the wallet would influence the rate of return. The wallets with a photograph of the baby and the wallets with a photograph of the puppy were left early in the morning, the wallets with a photograph of the young family were left in the afternoon, and the wallets with either no photograph or a photograph of an older couple were left in the evening. Eighty-four of the 200 wallets (42%) were eventually mailed back to the owner, as shown below. - control condition

a standard against which other conditions can be compared in a scientific experiment - no photograph

statistical significance

a statistical statement of how likely it is that an obtained result occurred by chance - Statistical significance means that there is a high probability that the independent variable caused changes in the dependent variable

Explain how each of the following psychological phenomena could influence a reader's view of John's argument. - confirmation bias

a tendency to search for information that supports our preconceptions and to ignore or distort contradictory evidence - ignore john's research because it contradicts their evidence

Confirmation bias

a tendency to search for information that supports our preconceptions and to ignore or distort contradictory evidence - may only remember the questions she did well on

after image effect

a visual image that persists after a stimulus is removed. The color of the afterimage will be the complement of the color you originally stared at. - staring at green yellow black flag then white screeh - see white blue red flag

For each of the pairs below, use an example to show how the first term in each pair affects or is related to the second. Definitions alone without examples will not score. - Serial-position effect . . recall

ability to recall the first and last terms easier than the middle - remember grocery list but she forgot to recall the middle items

Reinforcement . . overjustification effect

an actual or potential external reinforcement reduces or eliminates an intrinsic motive for a behavior - someone who loves writing but once she got a job as a journalist, she lost her passion to write

retrograde amnesia

an inability to retrieve information from one's past - cannot remember where the information came from

A low score on the Big Five trait of neuroticism

anxiety, insecurity, emotional instability - she is confident that she can write a good paper on time

C. Describe how each of the following terms relates to the conclusions that can be drawn based on the research. - Random assignment

assigning participants to experimental and control conditions by chance, thus minimizing preexisting differences between those assigned to the different groups - allows cause-effect conclusion to be drawn -reduces possibility that subject characteristics (gender, skill, knowledge) may bias results

peripheral route persuasion

attitude change path in which people are influenced by incidental cues, such as a speaker's attractiveness - if john is attractive, reader is more likely to believe his conclusion

mnemonic device

can use this to help remember names of the people in the club

Dimitri and Linda are trying to learn a new routine to compete successfully in a dance competition. Give an example of how each of the following could affect their performance - extrinsic motivation

competing to win a trophy

Operational definition . . replication

describes the actions or operations that will be used to measure or control a variable for replications - Researchers define the variables in a study so that the study may be more easily repeated

introversion

dimitri struggles with shyness which makes it difficult for him to dance infront of others

Annabelle is planning to apply to college but has not yet decided where she will apply. Describe how the following psychological concepts and terms relate to her choice - Availability heuristic

estimating the likelihood of events based on their availability in memory - Annabelle hears an ad for State U. When it's time to decide on a college, State U will be the first one she thinks of.

lack of object permanence

even though cant see the thing, it still exists - playing peekaboo with a baby - lack object permanence because when you cover your hand over your face, they think you disappeared

Divergent thinking

expands the number of possible problem solutions (creative thinking that diverges in different directions) - think of creative topics for her paper

central route to persuasion

facts, statistics, focus more on the argument - car salesmen. give her a pamphlet on car quality and uses it to make a decision

Describe how each of the following may hinder Savannah as she prepares for and takes the exam. - Encoding failure

failure to process info into memory - shallow processing leads to more forgetting - never put words into memory in the first place

B. Explain how the following psychological concepts could relate to how well Annabelle adapts when she begins her college career. - Agoraphobia

fear of open spaces - Annabelle becomes very anxious in crowds, so she doesn't go to her classes

individualism

giving priority to one's own goals over group goals and defining one's identity in terms of personal attributes rather than group identifications - friend wants her to get honda but she gets toyota insead

nonrandom assignment of research participants

groups are not put randomly - study on the effect of black tea on running endurance - black tea to athletes and water to reg people - error to conclude the tea works because athletes will have more endurance than reg people

vestibular system

help keep linda and dimitri in balance when dancing

punishment

if they mess up the routine, they will have to do five pushups

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. - Identify the independent and dependent variables in the study

independent: feedback dependent: number identified correctly

Operant conditioning . . superstition

is a form of learning in which voluntary responses come to be controlled by their consequences can lead to superstition - A person wears a green shirt and scores well on an exam and so now wears the green shirt to every exam.

Myelin sheath . . neural impulse

is insulating material that encases some axons - increases the speed of neural impulses

endorphins

linda got hurt and endorphins helped her overcome the pain so she can continue dancing

Explain how the research design flaw in the study can be corrected.

make age groups the same

availability heuristic

making a decision based on the answer that most easily comes to mind - vivid memory of plane crash and now think that plane crashes are common

proactive interference

memory of old information interferes with learning of new information - has a new phone number but can only remember the old one

Feature detectors

nerve cells in the brain that respond to specific features of the stimulus, such as shape, angle, or movement - helping participants identify the geometric figures by recognizing their parts

proactive interference

old information prevents the reader from remembering John's research

Explain how the ethical flaw in the study can be corrected.

only send their data

oey wants to buy a new car but is having difficulty deciding what kind of car to buy. She is feeling anxious and wants to make a decision soon. Zoey visits several local car dealers and asks for the advice of some of her friends. Explain how each of the following could influence her decision. Be sure to discuss each concept in the context of Zoey's decision. - approach-avoidance conflict

option that has both attractive and unattractive characteristics - likes the color of this car but is too expensive

fluid intelligence

our ability to reason speedily and abstractly; tends to decrease during late adulthood - a teen might be able to complete a puzzle easier than an older person

Crystallized intelligence

our accumulated knowledge and verbal skills; tends to increase with age - Annabelle's knowledge allows her to do well on tests

Crystallized Intelligence

our accumulated knowledge and verbal skills; tends to increase with age - grades his papers quickly because he knows all the facts related to the topic

Prefrontal cortex

part of frontal lobe responsible for thinking, planning, and language - Annabelle's prefrontal cortex allows her to think about college choices

Malia's teacher, Mr. Barry, has many papers to grade. Explain how each of the following might apply to his success in grading the papers - Incentive Theory

people are motivated by external rewards - sets a goal: if he grades 5 papers, he gets to watch one episode of his show

Refractory period in neural firing

period, after firing, during which the neuron is unable to fire because it is repolarizing - time it takes before neuron can fire again

Savannah is a junior in high school and is preparing for an exam in her beginning Japanese course. The exam will consist of both written and spoken portions. Although it is her first course in Japanese, Savannah is confident that she will do very well on the exam. A. Describe how each of the following relates to Savannah's successful learning and performance. - Broca's area

production of speech - need it to speak Japanese

use of phenomes

production or recall of Japanese sounds - combining sounds to create Japanese words

Prospective memory

remembering to do things in the future - Annabelle remembers to mail her college applications by the due date

sound localization

requires input from both ears - A sound from one's right side reaches one's right ear before the left one, and this helps us to locate where the sound came from.

proactive interference

start doing dance moves from their old routine when trying to learn the new one

group polarization

tendency of group members to move to an extreme position after discussing an issue as a group - as people keep discussing a matter, they tend to move to a more extreme position -jury becomes more convinced that the person is guilty or innocence as the trial continues

Circadian rhythm

the age difference in circadian rhythms would lead to difference in task performance of the two groups

Ethnocentism

the belief that ones own culture belief is superior to every other culture or group - nazis believed blue eye blonde hair is superior

regression

the group makes her anxious so she starts sucking her thumb which makes them dislike her

Ellie, a new student at Skinner High School, is determined to make friends. When she attends the first psychology club meeting she finds herself in the room with twenty strangers who seem to know each other well. She plans to attend a few more meetings before deciding whether she will join. Demonstrate how each of the following could help play a role in Ellie's quest for friendship - mere exposure effect

the more times the members see her, the more likely they will like her

External locus of control

the perception that chance or outside forces beyond your personal control determine your fate. - believe fate determines her life so she procrastinates because she knows she will get a bad grade anyways

modeling

the process of observing and imitating a specific behavior - imitates how her teacher says Japanese words

A researcher compared the effectiveness of massed versus distributed practice in preparing for a memory test. Each of two groups memorized the definitions of 40 vocabulary words. In group A, there were 30 participants who were all under twenty-five years of age. Participants in group A used the method of distributed practice, studying for 30 minutes on each of four evenings. They were tested on the fifth morning at 7:00 A.M. In group B, there were 30 participants who were all over sixty years of age.Participants in group B used the method of massed practice, studying only from 6:30 P.M. to 8:30 P.M. on the evening before the test. They were tested the next morning at 7:00 A.M. All participants completed a recall test. The test measured how quickly participants recalled the definitions. The results showed that the mean difference between the distributed practice group and the massed practice group was statistically significant. The researcher provided a list of the names and test scores for each individual participant in a letter to all participants. Part A: What is the operational definition of the dependent variable?

the speed or time in which subjects recall definitions or vocab or both

foot-in-the-door phenomenon

the tendency for people who have first agreed to a small request to comply later with a larger request - salesmen tell zoey she should get a car with comfy seats and agrees then tells her she should get seat upgrades and agrees

How might out-group bias explain the low rate of return for the wallets with the older couple's photograph?

the tendency to have negative views about people that are not part of one's own group - if the people who picked up the wallet is young they might have negative views about older people so the return rate for the wallet is low

Functional fixedness . . problem solving

the tendency to think of things only in terms of their usual functions; an impediment to problem solving - only has baseball bat and needs hammer in the nails - did not think to use the baseball hat as a hammer

James-Lange theory of emotion

theory proposing that emotions result from our interpretations of our bodily reactions to stimuli - Im sweating so I am nervous

divergent thinking

think of new creative dance moves for their new routine

how might cognitive dissonance explain why people returned the wallet?

unpleasant mental experience of tension resulting from two conflicting thoughts or beliefs - see themselves as honest and righteous so to maintain the image of themselves, they return the wallet

Explain how schedules of reinforcement can be used to strengthen John's plan.

variable ratio - schedule of reinforcement requiring a varying number of responses for reinforcement - first 5 chaps = coupon then 1 book = coupon

Gestalt principle of closure

we fill in gaps to create a complete, whole object - participants tend to fill in features of incomplete figures

Double-blind research . . bias

where researchers and subjects do not know what group is getting the experimental or control variable - avoid bias - When testing a new drug, neither the participants nor experimenter knew whether a particular participant was receiving a drug or a placebo, thus lessening the amount of bias in the study