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Culture
Neurotransmission
Neuroplasticity
Research Methods
Social Cognitive Theory
100
What is the name of the type of culture that places value on maintaining reputation and social standing, especially in the face of a threat?
A culture of honor
100
What is the name of a brain cell?
Neuron
100
What do we call the brains ability to change as a result of experience?
Neuroplasticity
100

What is a true experiment, and how does it differ from other types of research methods?

A true experiment manipulates an independent variable (IV) and measures its effect on a dependent variable (DV) in a controlled environment to establish cause-and-effect relationships.

100
Who proposed social cognitive theory?
(Albert) Bandura
200
What were two dependent variables in Cohen et al.'s experiments on the culture of honor?
Testosterone levels, cortisol levels, answers to the scenario completion task
200
What are two behaviours associated with serotonin?
Impulsive aggression, antisocial behaviour, depression, mood, sleep, violence
200
What were the results from Desbordes et al.'s study on mindfulness and the brain?
Amygdala activity was reduced when they were looking at images that evoked negative emotion.
200

What is the key difference between a field experiment and a natural experiment in psychological research?

A field experiment manipulates the IV in a real-world setting while maintaining some control over extraneous variables. In contrast, a natural experiment studies naturally occurring variables without direct manipulation by the researcher.

200
Social cognitive theory was originally called....what?
Social learning theory
300
What were the % increases of testosterone of Northerners and Southerns in Cohen et al.'s experiments?
12% and 4%
300
What is the name of the amino acid that serotonin is synthesized from?
Tryptophan
300
What two areas of the brain were positively correlated with socioeconomic status in Luby et al.'s study?
Hippocampus and amygdala
300

Why can correlational studies establish relationships between variables but not causation?

Correlational studies measure the strength and direction of a relationship between two variables but do not manipulate an IV. This means that confounding variables could influence the results, preventing causal conclusions.

300
What are the three pillars of triadic reciprocal determinism?
Behaviour, Environment, Individual (Internal/cognition/physiology/personality, etc.)
400
What was the "control" condition in Cohen et al.'s experiments?
There was no bump or insult, they just walked down the hall and placed the questionnaire.
400
What were two results from Passamonti et al.'s experiment?
Tryptophan depletion reduced brain activity in the PFC when viewing angry faces. Communication between PFC and amygdala also disrupted in this condition.
400
What are two results from meditation and/or mindfulness studies?
Increased thickness in the PFC (shown in Monks); Reduction in amygdala activity when viewing negative emotional images (shown in Desbordes et al);
400

What is the difference between internal and external validity in quantitative research, and why are they important?

Internal validity refers to how well an experiment controls for confounding variables, ensuring that changes in the DV are due to the IV. External validity relates to how well the findings generalize to real-world settings. Both are crucial for the reliability and applicability of research.

400
How does the Bobo Doll experiment support social cognitive theory?
It shows that learning can occur through the observation of others (the observation groups had far more aggressive actions than the control groups).
500
What are two reasons why a culture of honor didn't develop in the Northern states in the USA?
They weren't as reliant on herding as an economy; there was more law enforcement as more people lived in cities and communities.
500
How do the results of Passamonti et al. help us to explain reactive, impulsive aggression, and not other forms of violence or aggression, like being violent towards scared and innocent people?
The brain activity was only altered during the angry faces, not the sad or neutral faces (if someone was being hurt and they were scared, they would probably have a sign of sadness or fear, not of anger).
500
What do we call the brain's newly discovered ability to grow new neurons?
Neurogenesis
500

A study finds a strong positive correlation between time spent on social media and levels of anxiety. What are two possible alternative explanations for this finding?

Reverse causation – Higher anxiety levels may lead individuals to spend more time on social media as a coping mechanism rather than social media causing anxiety.

Extraneous variables – A separate factor, such as loneliness or poor sleep habits, could be influencing both social media use and anxiety, creating the observed correlation.

500
Why might the results of Bandura's experiment be surprising for people in the 1960s?
Because at this time a common belief was that watching violence "purged" any desire to commit violent acts.