Emotions
A student says, 'I feel embarrassed,' while blushing and looking away. Identify the subjective feeling and one expressive behaviour.
Subjective feeling: embarrassment. Expressive behaviour: looking away.
A researcher compares anxiety ratings before and after a relaxation activity. Identify the IV and DV.
IV: relaxation activity/condition (before versus after). DV: anxiety rating.
A person touches a hot surface and pulls their hand away. Which nervous-system division carries information between the body and CNS?
The peripheral nervous system (PNS).
A researcher interviews students in depth about exam stress. What research design is this, and what kind of data is collected?
Qualitative design; detailed descriptive data about experiences
A student has headaches after staying up late. Identify one biological and one psychological factor that could influence their wellbeing.
Biological: sleep loss/headache. Psychological: worry, frustration or stress.
Two people both have racing hearts: one is excited, the other frightened. Why doesn't heart rate tell us exactly what emotion they feel?
The same physiological response can accompany different emotions; subjective interpretation helps distinguish them
Calculate the mean and median of these stress ratings: 3, 5, 5, 7, 10.
Mean = 6; median = 5.
After a sudden scare, a person's breathing and heart rate increase. Name the autonomic branch and explain its purpose.
Sympathetic branch; prepares the body for rapid action (fight or flight).
Why might observing students in a normal classroom be more realistic than observing them in a laboratory?
The natural setting may better reflect everyday behaviour, improving ecological validity.
A teenager feels excluded by friends and starts worrying about school. Explain the interaction between two biopsychosocial factors.
Social exclusion may increase psychological worry or stress.
A student freezes when surprised by a loud noise. Describe one physiological response and one expressive behaviour that might occur.
Physiological: increased heart rate or faster breathing. Expressive: freezing, widening eyes or jumping.
A researcher uses the same heart-rate monitor in every session, but it consistently reads 10 beats too high. Is it reliable, valid, both or neither? Explain.
It may be reliable (consistent readings) but not valid (inaccurate measurement).
After a frightening event, a person's heart rate slows and digestion resumes. Which branch is active, and why?
Parasympathetic branch; restores the body towards a resting, recovery state
A researcher assigns students to exercise or no-exercise groups and measures mood. Identify the design and one feature that makes it experimental.
Experimental design; the researcher manipulates the IV (exercise condition).
An athlete is exhausted from training and becomes irritable with teammates. Explain how two factors interact.
Biological fatigue can affect psychological mood and/or social interactions.
Why might a self-report questionnaire and a heart-rate monitor give different information about the same emotional experience?
Self-report measures subjective feelings; a heart-rate monitor measures an objective physiological response. They assess different components.
Group A's scores have SD = 3; Group B's have SD = 12. Both groups have the same mean. Which is more consistent, and why?
Group A: its smaller standard deviation means scores are more closely clustered around the mean.
Explain the difference between the somatic nervous system and the autonomic nervous system. Provide one example of each.
Somatic nervous system: Controls voluntary movements of skeletal muscles, such as walking or raising your hand.
Autonomic nervous system: Regulates involuntary bodily functions, such as heart rate and digestion.
A psychologist watches how students behave during recess without changing anything. Why can't they confidently conclude what causes the behaviour?
It is observational; variables are not manipulated or controlled, so other factors may explain the behaviour.
A student has poor sleep, fears failing and receives pressure from family. Classify each factor as biological, psychological or social.
Biological: poor sleep. Psychological: fear of failure. Social: family pressure.
A student feels anxious about an exam, breathes quickly and avoids eye contact. Explain how all three components of emotion are demonstrated.
Subjective: anxiety; physiological: faster breathing; expressive: avoiding eye contact.
Students are promised extra marks if they participate in a stressful study. Identify one ethical concern and explain how to address it.
Voluntary participation may be compromised by pressure or incentives; ensure students can decline without academic disadvantage.
Trace a response to a threat: explain how the brain and both autonomic branches contribute during and after the event.
Brain processes threat; sympathetic activation raises alertness and heart rate; parasympathetic activity helps restore resting conditions afterwards.
Compare one strength and one limitation of qualitative interviews when investigating emotions.
Strength: rich, detailed accounts of feelings. Limitation: subjective responses can be difficult to compare or generalise.
A student is missing social events due to study, feels isolated and sleeps poorly. Explain how all three factors could reinforce each other.
Study demands/social isolation may increase psychological stress; stress may disrupt sleep (biological), which can further worsen mood and social participation.