Brain & Nervous System
What are the two major divisions of the nervous system?
Central nervous system and peripheral nervous system.
What is the difference between sensation and perception?
Sensation involves detecting information; perception involves interpreting it.
Which model focuses on depth of processing?
Levels of Processing Model.
What are the three learning theories studied in Unit 3?
Classical conditioning, operant conditioning and social learning theory.
What is meant by localisation of function?
The idea that particular brain areas are associated with particular functions.
What is the difference between bottom-up and top-down processing?
Bottom-up processing begins with sensory information, while top-down processing uses prior knowledge, expectations and experience to interpret information.
What is context-dependent memory?
When memory retrieval is improved when the context at retrieval matches the context during learning.
What is the difference between positive and negative reinforcement?
'positive' refers to adding while 'negative' refers to removing something to reinforce a behaviour.
A patient can speak fluently but has difficulty understanding language. Which area is most relevant?
Wernicke's area.
You fail to notice something obvious because your attention is focused elsewhere. What phenomenon could this demonstrate?
Inattentional blindness.
What is one similarity between the Multi-store Model and Working Memory Model?
Both propose that memory involves different systems for processing/storing information.
Which historical study demonstrated classical conditioning of fear?
Little Albert.
A person has damage to the cerebellum. What behaviour could be affected?
Coordination and balance.
Why might an experienced musician notice details in a piece that a beginner does not?
Prior knowledge and experience can influence attention and perception.
A student repeatedly says a phone number to themselves so they don't forget it. What process is being used?
Maintenance rehearsal.
Explain how Little Albert provides evidence for classical conditioning.
A previously neutral stimulus became associated with an aversive stimulus, producing a learned fear response.
A patient can understand spoken language but struggles to produce meaningful fluent speech. What evidence does this provide for localisation of function?
It provides evidence that different brain regions have specialised functions, with damage to Broca's area being associated with speech production difficulties.
Explain how biological, psychological and social factors could all influence perception.
Biological factors determine how sensory information is detected and processed; psychological factors such as attention and expectations influence interpretation; social experiences and cultural learning can influence how stimuli are interpreted.
Explain how the same student's successful recall could be explained by all three memory models.
A student begins studying after seeing their friend receive a reward for getting good grades. They continue studying because they also receive praise.
Social Learning Theory explains the initial observational learning; operant conditioning explains the behaviour being strengthened by positive reinforcement.