Key Science Skills
Identify the three types of experimental research designs
Between subjects
Within subjects
Mixed design
Identify 3 divisions of the autonomic nervous system
sympathetic, autonomic, enteric
Identify 3 of the 5 stages of observational learning
Attention
Retention
Reproduction
Motivation
Reinforcement
Identify the 3 physiological ways of measuring sleep
EEG, EOG, EMG
Identify one key feature of a specific phobia
EG: Sympathetic NS dominant, irrational fear, intense fear, is distressing, stimulus is known
Explain what a controlled variable is.
variables other than the IV that a researcher holds constant (controls) in an investigation, to ensure that changes in the DV are solely due to changes in the IV.
Explain the difference between long term potentiation and long term depression.
LTP - strengthening of neural synapses
LTD - weakening of neural synapses
Outline 2 differences between operant conditioning and classical conditioning.
• Operant conditioning voluntary behaviour, classical conditioning involuntary behaviour.
• Learners are active during operant conditioning, learners are passive during classical conditioning.
• Operant conditioning requires a consequence, no consequence during classical conditioning.
Explain the difference between a circadian rhythm and an ultradian rhythm and give an example of each.
Circadian - 24 hours - sleep wake cycle
Ultradian - < 24 hours - sleep cycle
Explain the difference between a biological protective factor for wellbeing and a psychological protective factor for wellbeing.
Bio - brain and body influencing mental wellbeing
Psych - influencing mental wellbeing through mental processes
Explain the difference between repeatability and reproducibility.
Repeatability - the extent to which the same study or measure used under the same conditions will produce the same results.
Reproducibility - the extent to which the same study or measure, used under different conditions or with different people or procedures, will produce the same results.
Explain what the Gut-Brain Axis is. Explain how neurotransmitters are connected to the GBA.
The GBA - the bidirectional connection between the gut and the brain through the enteric and central nervous systems
NTs - the gut produces a large volume of our neurotransmitters
Explain the 3 components of the Atkinson-Shiffrin Multistore Model and the interactions between the components.
Sensory memory - very briefly stores raw information detected by the senses
Short term memory - temporarily stores a limited amount of information that is consciously being attended
Long term memory - potentially unlimited amount of information is stored for a relatively permanent amount of time
Information that is attended to is transferred from sensory to STM. Information that is rehearsed is transferred from STM to LTM.
Explain what is meant when we say that "sleep is a psychological construct".
Psychological construct - description and understanding of psychological phenomena that cannot be directly measured or observed. Sleep cannot be directly measured or observed.
Identify and explain a psychological contributing factor for specific phobia. Identify an evidence based intervention that would directly address the contributing factor.
Contributing factors:
Classical conditioning - learn through the involuntary association of two or more stimuli (systematic desensitisation)
Operant conditioning - learning through the association of a behaviour and the consequence it receives (CBT)
Cognitive biases - predisposition to think about and process information in a certain way that causes errors in judgement (CBT)
Explain the difference between the concepts of beneficence and non-maleficence. Give an example from U3 AOS2 of an historical experiment that displays either concept. Explain how it displays that concept.
Beneficence - the commitment to maximising benefits and minimising the risks
Non-maleficence - avoiding causing harm
Examples may include: Pavlov's CC, Skinner's rats/pigeons, Watson's baby Albert
Explain the difference between a neurotransmitter and a neuromodulator. Give an example of each from our study design.
Neurotransmitter - chemical molecules that have an effect on one or two postsynaptic neurons. Glutamate, GABA.
Neuromodulator - chemical molecules that have an effect on multiple postsynaptic neurons. Seratonin, dopamine
Identify the 5 brain structures that are involved in memory. Select 3 of them and explain their role in the formation of memory.
Amygdala - encoding emotion component of memories
Hippocampus - encoding explicit memories
Basal Ganglia - encoding, storing and retrieving implicit memories
Cerebellum - encoding, storing and retrieving implicit memories
Neocortex - storing explicit memories
In terms of BAC comparison, describe sleep deprivation in detail. Also, give an affective and cognitive impairment that may occur when sleep deprived.
17 hours without sleep - 0.05 BAC equivalence
24 hours without sleep - 0.10 BAC equivalence
Affective examples - amplified emotions, increased aggression
Cognitive examples - distortion of perception, impaired decision making
Identify the 7 dimensions from the Social and Emotional Wellbeing Framework. Choose 2 and explain them.
Connection to:
Body - Connecting to the physical body and health
Mind and emotions - Ability to effectively manage thoughts and feelings.
Country - The traditional lands of a particular language or cultural group, both geographically and the spiritual, emotional, and intellectual connections
Community - Connection to wider social systems
Culture - A strong sense of identity, values, tradition, and connection between the past, present, and future
Family and Kinship - Connection to the immediate and wider family group and community.
Spirituality and Ancestors - a concept that connects all things, and shapes beliefs, values, and behaviour.
Health researchers have known for a long time that there is a link between foods which have a high fat content and the risk of atherosclerosis (a form of heart disease). Food manufacturers have seen a marketing opportunity and developed foods that are low in fats but still taste good. One example of this is yoghurt. Traditionally yoghurt was made from whole milk. Now there are many varieties of yoghurt from ‘no fat’ to ‘low fat’ including the traditional ‘whole milk’ variety. A group of psychology students wanted to investigate whether or not people who bought low fat yoghurt thought that it tasted as good as the traditional whole milk yoghurt. They surveyed people who regularly purchased both types of yoghurts and asked them to rate the 'tastiness' of their preferred yoghurt choice on a 10 point rating scale.
Discuss the internal validity of this experiment and justify your choice. Comment on how the internal validity would affect external validity.
This experiment would likely have low internal validity.
EXAMPLES OF JUSTIFICATIONS
- There is a lack of control over the variables in the experiment as the participants are being asked to rate their 'preferred' choice, which indicates they probably like their selected brand
- The perception of the taste of the yoghurt may be influenced by the perceived benefits of the 'low fat' option
- There is no comparison between yoghurt styles being made for each participant, so their ratings may be higher/lower if they were to compare the different styles
Explain the difference between a conscious response and an unconscious response and give an example of each. In your explanations you must identify the nervous systems that are involved, and also refer to the involvement of the brain and spinal cord for each type of response.
Conscious response - a deliberate and voluntary action initiated by the brain and performed by the body
Unconscious response - involuntary action performed without conscious awareness
Central NS involved in both
Somatic involved in conscious (and in spinal reflex)
Autonomic involved in unconscious
Brain involved in both (with exception of spinal reflex)
Spinal cord involved in both
In terms of First Nations learning, explain what is meant by 'multimodal learning' and what it means when we say that 'learning is embedded in relationships.
Multimodal - learning occurs through a variety of methods
Embedded in relationships - Learning for Australia’s First Nations is deeply embedded in relationships.
• Relationships between concepts.
• Relationships between learner and teacher.
• Relationships between individuals, families, and communities.
• Relationships between all of the above and Country.
Explain how the suprachiasmatic nucleus regulates the sleep-wake cycle. Make sure you mention all key physiological structures and processes
The eye detects light and transmits this information to the SCN.
The level of light dictates the messages that the SCN sends to the pineal gland
The pineal gland will either excite the release of melatonin or inhibit its release.
Explain the interaction between cultural continuity and self determination. Ensure you define each concept as part of your response.
Cultural continuity is the passing down and active practice of cultural knowledge, traditions, and values from generation to generation.
Self determination is the rights of all peoples to pursue freely their economic, social, and cultural development without outside interference
Interaction - cultural continuity is dependent on self determination, culture can only be passed down if First Nations peoples have investment and involvement in deciding how First Nations communities operate