Psych FRQ

Based on the information provided, describe ONE appropriate and ONE inappropriate ethical feature of the study.

-shared purpose -debriefed only 100

Suppose Dr. Alimam covered the shape with a towel as the infant was exhibiting interest. Explain what would most likely be a key difference in the way the three-month-old infants would react toward this versus the way the eight-month-old infants would react. BoldItalicUnderline

3 month old would wonder where the shape went while 8 month old would look under the towel

Cerebellum

Area in the back at the bottom of the brain help maintain balance where she must have gotten hit

At a schoolwide pep rally preceding a big game at Williams James High School, each grade has a designated t-shirt color and seating area in the bleachers. Student leaders organize classes so that their colored shirts combine to form the school flag. The coach gives an exciting speech, the cheerleaders perform a routine, and the band plays the school song while the students sing in unison. Cocktail party effect

Cocktail party effect

random sample

a sample that fairly represents a population because each member has an equal chance of inclusion

MRI

a technique that uses magnetic fields and radio waves to produce computer-generated images that distinguish among different types of soft tissue; allows us to see structures within the brain would show that she has damage in cerebellum at the back of the brain

random assignment

allows cause and effect conlusions

Feature detectors

allows us to see the geomeric figures parts (lines, angles)

Kristi has been training as a ballet dancer since she was very young. When Kristi's car is hit by another motorist, she is diagnosed with mild trauma to the area in the back of her brain. Kristi tries to dance again soon after her accident but has a great deal of trouble maintaining her balance. Explain how each of the following concepts applies to Kristi's current situation. Long-term potentiation

an increase in a cells firing potential after brief, rapid stimulation = neural basis for learning and memory

Conditioned response

ashley is scared of guarrails

Ashley planned to drive from New York to California to attend college. However, shortly after departing, she became uncertain about which roads to take and called her parents for assistance with directions. Because she was distracted, she drove off the side of the road and grazed the front bumper of her car on the guardrail. Fortunately, the car was not too badly damaged, so she continued on her journey. Although she ultimately made it to California, she had a lingering fear of guardrails for several months following her experience. motor neurons

ashleys motor neurons would allow her to press the gas pedal on her car

Statistics are often used to describe and interpret the results of intelligence testing. Describe three measures of central tendency (mean, median, and mode). Describe a skewed distribution. Relate the three measures of central tendency to a normal distribution. Relate the three measures of central tendency to a positively skewed distribution. An intelligence test for which the scores are normally distributed has a mean of 100 and a standard deviation of 15. Use this information to describe how the scores are distributed. In two normal distributions, the means are 100 for group I and 115 for group II. Can an individual in group I have a higher score than the mean score for group II? Explain.

average, middle, most occuring asymmetrical distribution of scores mean median and mode are close mean largest 85 - 115 68% Yes, mean average

Double-blind research . . bias

avoid confirmation bias if both researcher and participants are blind

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. Use a different example for each concept. critical period

baby ducks must imprint and begin to follow their mothers in a critical period shortly after birth

Procedural memory

because she had been driving for several years she can steer and control speed

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

bell comes before meat in pavlov

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

better recall numbers at the start and end of a list

Case study Correlational study, and Experiment. Discuss one disadvantage of each research method listed above.

case - cannot be generalized corr - innacurate reporting (surveys) experimment - no external validity (artificial)

For each method listed above, explain a key characteristic of the basic approach you could use to reach a scientific conclusion about the relationship between taking vitamin J and improving memory. You need not design a complete study.

case - study 1 person corr - discuss correlation exper - manipulation of J variable

Discuss one advantage of each research method listed above. Case study Correlational study, and Experiment.

case study - can study unusual cases correlation - efficient, save time and money while getting lots of data experimentreplication

Apply knowledge of psychological research in answering the following questions about intelligence scores. Explain why norms for standardized intelligence tests are periodically updated. Describe how to determine whether an intelligence test is biased.

change in knowledge = smarter (flynn effect)= new tests test does not accuratly predict teh future performance of a group

Dr. Franklin investigated the relationship between stress and physical illness. She persuaded a high school principal to require all female athletes in the school to participate in her study. She explained the purpose of her research to the athletes and asked them to use a standard form to rate the severity of their stress over the last six months. More than 250 athletes completed the form. Then Dr. Franklin analyzed the forms returned by the first 100 athletes. She requested the attendance records from the nurse's office for each of those athletes to verify the number of days absent due to illness during the same six-month period. In the debriefing summary that Dr. Franklin sent to the 100 athletes after she completed the study, she stated that athletes who reported more stress also experienced more frequent illness. Dr. Franklin concluded that stress causes physical illness. Identify the research method used by Dr. Franklin.

correlation survey questionaire

Identify ONE statistical technique that Dr. Franklin could use to represent the relationship between the variables in the study.

correlation coefficient

Circadian rhythms

cross time zones = new sleep time = tired = maybe accident

Dr. Alimam is studying infants' ability to distinguish shapes. He shows an infant a shape until the infant loses interest in the shape, and then he shows the infant a different shape. If the infant shows interest in the new shape, he determines that the infant recognizes that the new shape is different from the old one. Dr. Alimam expects that getting older will cause the babies to recognize shapes faster. He records how long it takes the infant to show interest in the new shape. Describe how the data illustrate the habituation process. Identify the mode for three-month-old infants. Describe the correlation between time and an infant's age. Identify the dependent variable. Describe how Dr. Alimam could use replication to conduct a better-designed study. Explain how the data support or do not support the hypothesis.

decreased responsiveness with increased stimulation over time they got used to the study and understood the differences with new chapes 15 seconds time dec as ahe inc time he could use the same babies over time supports it

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

didnt process info in class less likely to acquire language

Inattentional blindness BoldItalicUnderline

distracted - didnt see guarrail

Functional fixedness . . problem solving

doesnt help problem solving...stuck to one idea

Operational definition . . replication

exact wording key to replicating an experiment

Statistical significance

high prob independent caused changes in dependent

James-Lange theory of emotion

im screaming so im afraid reponse then emotion

Design an experiment to determine whether a new drug that is supposed to reduce hyperactivity in children actually does. Your essay should include an identification and description of all of the components of your experimental design, including sampling, independent and dependent variables, controls, and the method that you would employ to evaluate the outcome. sample independent variable dependent variable controls evaluation

includes hyperactive children and random sample drug - one reveives other doenst change in behavior - specific element to be measure and how (ex svale 1 -100) placebo + souble blind stats will be used to evaluate differences groups will be assed to determine effectiveness

Group polarization

jury becomes more convinces of guilt or innocense as trial lags on

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.

no feedback number of figures identified

Describe TWO aspects of research design that weaken the validity of Dr. Franklin's conclusion that stress causes physical illness. BoldItalicUnderline

not representative (only studys girl athletes) not random sample (first 100)

Fluid intelligence

our ability to reason speedily and abstractly; tends to decrease during late adulthood

Foveal vision

part of the eye in the central visual field that allows us to see figures more accuratly

Spontaneous recovery

pavlovs dog could relearn it after a period of time 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 Confirmation bias

personal belief that she did well selectively attending to info that confirms that and ignoring other info

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. Describe how each of the following relates to Savannah's successful learning and performance. Broca's area Use of phonemes Modeling Chunking

porduce speech producing small japanese sounds imitation of her teacher saying words recalling language by grouping material (acronym)

Reinforcement . . overjustification effect

reinforcement of a behavior that doesnt need reinforcing

Myelin sheath . . neural impulse BoldItalicUnderline

speeds it up surround axons

Describe the operational definitions of the TWO key variables that Dr. Franklin used in the study.

stress - self report of stress illness- number of days absent

Operant conditioning . . superstition

superstition caused by accidental reinforcement

Neuroplasticity

the ability within the brain to constantly change both the structure and function of many cells in response to experience or trauma her brain may make a new area for motor movements

Sound localization

the process by which the location of sound is determined; which ear it hits first

Refractory period in neural firing

time it takes for a neuron to repolarize so it can fire again

Retinal disparity

uses distance between her 2 retinas to judge the distance from her car to the car in front

Gestalt principle of closure

we fill in gaps to create a complete, whole object

Heuristic

when ashley got lost she called her parents

Conformity

• "All students sit and listen to the coach's speech because everyone else does."

Procedural memory

• "Cheerleaders show procedural memory when they perform their routine."

Sympathetic nervous system

• "The exciting speech has caused the sympathetic nervous system to increase the heart rate."

Deindividuation

• "The individual personalities would be lost by each student and they would act as a group."

Occipital lobe

• "The occipital lobe allows the students to see the cheerleaders' performance."

Figure ground

• "The school mascot stands out as the figure in his bright yellow costume against the gym floor."