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