Research & Foundations
In an experiment, what is the measured variable that is expected to change?
Dependent Variable
What chemical messenger carries signals across the synaptic gap between neurons?
Neurotransmitter
In classical conditioning, what is the initial, unlearned reaction to an unconditioned stimulus (like salivating to food)?
Unconditioned Response (UR)
Adjusting one's behavior or thinking to coincide with a group standard is the definition of what?
Conformity
Which ethical principle requires researchers to explain a study's true purpose and methods to participants after data collection?
Debriefing
What research method would be best for determining a cause-and-effect relationship?
Experiment
The brain's ability to change and reorganize neural pathways throughout life is known as what?
Neuroplasticity
What is the reinforcement schedule where a reward is given after a variable number of responses (e.g., slot machines)?
Variable-Ratio Schedule
Performing better on simple tasks when in the presence of others is an example of what effect?
Social Facilitation
According to Freud, which part of the personality operates on the pleasure principle and seeks immediate gratification?
The Id
A researcher finds a correlation of +0.78 between study time and exam grades. What is the strength and direction of this relationship?
Strong and Positive
Which division of the nervous system calms the body and conserves energy (the "rest and digest" system)?
Parasympathetic Nervous System
According to the Two-Factor Theory of emotion, what two components are necessary to experience a specific emotion?
Physiological Arousal + Cognitive Label
What compliance technique involves getting agreement to a small request first to increase compliance with a larger request later?
Foot-in-the-Door Technique
Which sleep disorder involves sudden, uncontrollable sleep attacks during waking hours?
Narcolepsy
APPLICATION: A study wants to test if a new therapy reduces anxiety. Design the control group for this experiment.
A group that receives either a placebo, standard treatment, or no treatment, while all other conditions are held constant.
Damage to which brain area (located in the temporal lobe) would most severely impair the formation of new explicit memories?
Hippocampus
A rat is placed in a maze and allowed to explore freely for several days with no reward. On a critical day, food is placed at the goal box. The rat immediately runs to the goal box as quickly as rats that had been rewarded all along. This phenomenon best demonstrates which type of learning?
Latent learning (Learning that occurs but is not demonstrated until there is an incentive to perform.)
Explain the difference between normative social influence and informational social influence.
Normative: Conforming to gain social approval/avoid rejection. Informational: Conforming because we believe others have accurate information.
Which hormone, released by fat cells, signals satiety (fullness) to the brain?
Leptin
The Milgram obedience study is often cited as violating modern ethical standards. Name two specific ethical principles it violated and how.
1. Protection from Harm (participants experienced severe psychological stress). 2. Informed Consent (participants were deceived about the study's true nature and risks).
APPLICATION: A person takes a drug that is an antagonist for the neurotransmitter GABA. Would you expect this to have a calming or excitatory effect on neural activity? Explain.
Excitatory. GABA is the primary inhibitory neurotransmitter. Blocking (antagonizing) it would reduce inhibition, leading to more widespread neural firing and arousal.
A student attributes their A+ on a test entirely to their innate intelligence (a stable, internal cause). According to attribution theory, what type of attribution is this, and what potential cognitive bias might it represent?
A stable, internal attribution. It could represent the self-serving bias (taking credit for success).
Compare the James-Lange Theory and the Cannon-Bard Theory of emotion in terms of the sequence of physiological arousal and emotional feeling.
James-Lange: Arousal comes first and causes the feeling. Cannon-Bard: Arousal and feeling occur simultaneously and independently.
Using the biopsychosocial model, analyze the factors that could contribute to the development of an eating disorder like anorexia nervosa.
Bio: Genetic predisposition, neurotransmitter imbalance. Psycho: Perfectionism, low self-esteem, distorted body image. Social: Cultural pressures for thinness, social media influence, family dynamics.