Research Quest
To understand voting preferences, researchers randomly call 10,000 citizens across the country to ask about their political views.
What is a survey?
What is the purpose of using code names or numbers for research participants?
To increase their privacy
True or False
Gestalt psychology argued that what we perceive is just the sum of its individual stimuli.
False
True or False
Shaping involves reinforcing behaviors that are already close to the desired target response.
False
Your mouth automatically waters when you smell your favorite food cooking.
What type of response is happening?
What is an unconditioned response (UCR)?
After struggling with a difficult puzzle for hours, a player suddenly realizes the solution in a flash of understanding.
What is insight learning?
An artist loses the ability to perceive colors after a head injury affecting this part of their brain.
What is the occipital lobe?
During a near-miss traffic incident, a driver experiences a sudden increase in heart rate and sweating.
What is the sympathetic nervous system?
This part of the nervous system regulates involuntary functions like heart rate, digestion, and blood pressure.
What is the autonomic nervous system?
Researchers observe and record the behavior of chimpanzees in their jungle habitat without interfering.
What is naturalistic observation?
Researchers are investigating the effects of a newly discovered virus on the immune system. Due to ethical concerns, what alternative options do the researchers have to test this virus?
Test on animal subject because its unethical to teach on humans
A therapist focuses on helping clients achieve self-actualization and reach their full potential, rather than just treating symptoms.
What is the Humanistic perspective?
A company implements an "Employee of the Month" program with a bonus, resulting in increased productivity.
What is positive reinforcement?
A child who was once afraid of dogs gradually loses this fear after several positive encounters with friendly dogs.
Name this process and the likely original UCS.
What are extinction and a frightening experience with a dog (UCS)?
A new employee casually walks around their office building daily. When a fire drill occurs, they quickly guide others to the nearest exit. This demonstrates what type of learning?
What is latent learning?
A patient with damage to this brain area struggles with planning their daily activities and making decisions.
What is the frontal lobe?
This part of the peripheral nervous system allows you to voluntarily move your arms to catch a ball.
What is the somatic nervous system?
This division of the nervous system includes the brain and spinal cord.
What is the central nervous system?
Scientists test whether a new herbal supplement improves memory by giving it to one group and a placebo to another, then comparing their recall abilities.
Experimental research
After conducting a study on the effectiveness of a new teaching method, researchers use this type of statistics to determine if the results are significant or due to chance.
What are inferential statistics?
A psychologist analyzes how childhood experiences and unconscious motivations influence an adult's relationship patterns.
What is the Psychodynamic perspective?
A teenager starts doing their homework right after school to avoid their parents' constant reminders.
What is negative reinforcement?
A pigeon pecks a lever (CR) for food when a green light (CS) is on, but not for a red light. If it also pecks for a yellow light, what process is demonstrated?
What is stimulus generalization?
A gorilla in a zoo solves a complex food puzzle by combining tools in a novel way, without prior training on that specific task.
What is insight learning?
After consuming alcohol, a person struggles to maintain their balance and coordination when attempting to walk.
What is the cerebellum?
After a stressful presentation, an executive's breathing and heart rate gradually return to normal as they relax.
What is the parasympathetic nervous system?
patient with multiple sclerosis experiences slowed nerve impulses. The doctor explains that this is due to damage to a fatty substance that normally speeds up neural transmission. What is this substance?
What is myelin (or the myelin sheath)?
Dr. Lee wants to deeply explore the life experiences of a person who overcame severe agoraphobia.
Case Study
Imagine you've conducted a research project where you collected extensive data on the heights of students in different grades at your school. Now, to provide a clear understanding of the height distribution and average height for each grade level, which statistical method would you employ?
Descriptive Statistics
A researcher studies how neural pathways in the brain are associated with extroverted behavior.
What is the Physiological (or Biological) perspective?
A driver receives a speeding ticket, leading them to drive more slowly in the future.
What is positive punishment?
A rat freezes (CR) at a tone that predicted a shock. If the tone is repeatedly played without the shock, but the CR returns after a break, what's this called?
What is spontaneous recovery?
Consider a person who regularly drives to work using the same route every day. One day, due to road construction, they are forced to take a different route. After a few days of using this new route, they realize they have unconsciously learned the alternative path. What type of learning process is exemplified in this scenario?
Latent Learning
A patient with damage to this brain structure shows difficulty forming new long-term memories, though their old memories and short-term memory remain intact.
What is the hippocampus?
A patient on life support requires a machine to regulate their breathing due to damage to this critical brain structure.
What is the medulla?
A basketball player executes a complex series of movements to score a basket, demonstrating the function of this nervous system.
What is the somatic nervous system?
A psychologist conducts in-depth interviews with survivors of natural disasters to understand their coping mechanisms.
What is a case study?
In a study on the effects of background music on studying, the different genres of music played are this type of variable.
What is an independent variable?
What term refers to the method used in early psychology where individuals systematically reflect on and report their own conscious thoughts, sensations, and experiences?
Introspection
A child loses their video game privileges for a week after refusing to do their chores.
What is negative punishment?
A college student feels nauseous whenever they smell a particular perfume, which reminds them of a stressful exam period.
Is this conditioned or unconditioned?
Which is the stimulus and which is the response?
What is a conditioned stimulus (CS) eliciting a conditioned response (CR)?
A young chef improves their cooking skills by watching professional cooking shows and mimicking the techniques.
What is observational learning or modeling?
After a minor stroke, a patient has difficulty sensing temperature and pressure on their skin. Which area of the brain is likely affected?
What is the somatosensory cortex?
A neuroscientist is studying how information jumps from one neuron to another. She focuses her research on the small gap between neurons where chemical messengers are released. What is this gap called?
What is the synapse?
After giving a stressful presentation, a person notices their heart rate slowing down and they start to feel more relaxed. Which part of the nervous system is responsible for this "cool down" response?
What is the parasympathetic nervous system?
To ensure results can be generalized, a work-life balance study must do this when selecting participants from different age groups, professions, and family structures.
What is including all important subgroups of the population? (or What is representative sampling?)
A study finds that as the number of hours spent on social media increases, the average grades of students slightly decrease. This relationship is best described as:
What is a weak negative correlation?
A psychologist studies how a person's thoughts about a situation influence their emotional reaction, focusing on mental processes rather than just observable behavior.
What is the Cognitive perspective?
A dog trainer gradually rewards a puppy for sitting still for longer periods, working towards a 5-minute "stay" command.
What is shaping?
In this scenario, the sound of a dental drill (CS) causes a patient to tense up (CR). What's the likely UCS and UCR in the original conditioning?
What are pain (UCS) and tensing up (UCR)?
Two friends often play video games together. One day, they're stuck on a difficult puzzle level. Suddenly, one friend exclaims, "Wait! Remember that hidden path we found last week? I bet it connects to this area!" They try it and solve the puzzle. Name the types of learning demonstrated here.
What are latent learning and insight learning?
A patient with damage to this area of the midbrain struggles to focus on a conversation in a noisy room, becoming overwhelmed by background sounds.
What is the reticular formation?
Damage to this part of the nervous system could result in loss of sensation or movement in specific parts of the body, but wouldn't affect cognitive functions.
What is the peripheral nervous system?
When you quickly remove your hand from a hot surface before consciously feeling pain, you're demonstrating this type of neural pathway.
What is a reflex arc?