Science & Brain Stuff
The building in the distance looks really blurry, but the building in front of you is very clear. Is this binocular or monocular depth perception?
Monocular - atmospheric perspective. Nearby objects are clear and distant objects are blurry.
Fred says another kid in class is going to grow up and be a criminal because members of his family were criminals, so it's in his blood. Is Fred arguing for nature or nurture?
Nature.
Nature argument: individual's characteristics determined by their genetics
Nurture argument: individual's characteristics are determined by their environment and experiences
You're studying the behavior of white rabbits in their natural habitat. You observe them and record information with as little interference as possible. Which research method are you using?
Naturalistic observation.
Which theory of personality was founded by Sigmund Freud?
Psychodynamic View
If you're experiencing cognitive dissonance, what is happening to your attitude?
Tension we experience when attitude and behavior do not match. Attitude changes to be more consistent with our behaviors.
A neuron's (axon/dendrites) send(s) electrical signals to other neurons, which is received by its (axon/dendrites).
Axons send electrical signals, dendrites receive.
Fred can reason abstractly and think in hypothetical terms. Which of Piaget's stages is he in? What age range is he in?
4th stage, Formal operational (12-adult)
Fred is scared of bats. When a bird flies overhead, he freaks out. Is this an example of generalization or discrimination?
Generalization. The conditioned response (freaking out) is observed when bats (the initial stimuli) aren't present.
What test is Alfred Binet known for creating?
The IQ (intelligence quotient) test. Based on mental age and deviations.
Fred fails his math test. He says it's because he didn't sleep well and he didn't have time to study. Is this an example of situational or dispositional attribution?
Situational.
Situational attribution: cause of behavior due to something outside the individual.
Personal attribution: cause of behavior due to something within the individual (personality, beliefs, motivations)
What is transduction, and how is it accomplished by the eye vs ear?
The transformation of one kind of energy into another kind of energy.
Eye: Light energy (image) converted to electrical signals.
Ear: Mechanical vibrations (sound) converted to electrical signals.
Separation anxiety develops in which of Piaget's stages?
1st stage - Sensorimotor (0-2 years old)
Fred was given a punch card for his favorite coffee shop. After seven visits, he gets a free coffee. Every time he visits, the employee punches his card. Is this partial reinforcement or continuous reinforcement?
Continuous reinforcement. Every occurrence of the target behavior (Fred visiting the coffee shop) produces reinforcement (a hole punched in the card).
Fred tells you the textbook definition of declarative memories. By doing this, is Fred recalling an episodic memory or a semantic memory?
A semantic memory.
Episodic: memories of events
Semantic: facts and word meanings
Explain the fundamental attribution error.
We make more personal attributions when observing others' behavior. We make more situational attributions regarding our own behavior.
Name the brain's four lobes.
Frontal lobe, parietal lobe, temporal lobe, and occipital lobe.
What was the outcome of Harry and Margaret Harlow's attachment experiment?
Monkeys preferred the "comfortable" mother over the "wire" mother, even though the "wire" mother provided food.
You talk out of turn, so the teacher writes your name on the board. Is this punishment or reinforcement? Positive or negative?
It is positive punishment. The likelihood of the behavior (talking out of turn) decreases and a new stimulus is produced (name on the board).
Fred's girlfriend accuses him of cheating, but he later finds out she was cheating on him the entire time. Which defense mechanism was Fred's girlfriend displaying?
Projection: unwanted thoughts or feelings are assigned to another person.
Fred aced his history test and claims it's because he's really good at remembering dates and names. He fails his next history test and claims it's because the teacher sucks. What is this an example of?
Self-serving bias: accepting successes as a product of personal characteristics and losses due to situational variables.
Fred fell down the stairs and bumped his head. He now has horrible impulse control and acts like a different person according to his friends and family. Which lobe of his brain was damaged?
The frontal lobe - Broca's area, pre-frontal cortex, pre-motor cortex, motor cortex
What is the difference between a fluid ability and a crystallized ability? What is the peak age for each?
Fluid intelligence: ability to reason, assess, and navigate new situations. Peaks in adolescence.
Crystallized intelligence: accumulated knowledge you can recall as needed. Increases with age, slows in adulthood but can stabilize or continue to increase throughout rest of life.
What is the conditioned response (CR) in Pavlov's classical conditioning experiment?
How is your working memory different from your short-term memory?
Short-term memory: storage mechanisms. It holds the info you are consciously aware of.
Working memory: contains both storage and processing mechanisms.
Ex: Short-term memory allows you to remember a list of numbers, but working memory allows you to remember the list as well as add and subtract the numbers in it.
What was the outcome of Asch's conformity experiment?
When shown a question with an obvious answer, participants answered almost 100% correctly. When fake participants answered the obvious question incorrectly, the participants' average dropped to ~63%.