Psychology General
Psychology is the (blank) study of human behaviour and mental processes. (what word goes in the blank space?)
Psychology is the SCIENTIFIC study of human behaviour and mental processes.
A hypothesis is...
A hypothesis is a TESTABLE PREDICTION
A heuristic is a... (blank). What are two types?
A heuristic is a MENTAL SHORT-CUT or RULE OF THUMB.
1) Availability, 2) Representative
What are the 4 lobes of the brain?
Frontal, parietal, occipital, temporal.
Optional discussion*: what are the functions of each?
The part of the eye that bends incoming waves so the image can be focused on the retina is the (blank)
The part of the eye that bends incoming waves so the image can be focused on the retina is the LENS
Psychology is the scientific study of behaviour and ...?
Psychoanalysis was by (blank), whereas behaviourism was by (blank)
Psychoanalysis was by SIGMUND FREUD, whereas behaviourism was by B.F. SKINNER
(Will also accept Carl Jung and Alfred Adler for blank 1)
(Will also accept Ivan Pavlov, John Watson, and Edward Thorndike for blank 2)
An independent variable is the variable that .... whereas the dependent variable is the variable that...
Independent variable: variable the experimenter manipulates
Dependent variable: variable the experimenter measures to see whether this manipulation produced an effect
If reared apart, which set of twins (identical or fraternal) supports the nature debate?
Identical twins
Rods are to ... (blank) as cones are to ... (blank)
Rods are to (low levels of light/shapes and form/monochromatic) as cones are to (high levels of light/color vision)
What is Broca's area responsible for?
What is confirmation bias? Provide an example.
Confirmation bias is the tendency to seek out evidence that supports our beliefs and deny evidence that contradicts them.
Provide points for any relevant example.
What is it called when you give someone a treatment (e.g., a pill or injection) that has no biological effects, but may have an effect if the person believes it will?
A placebo.
Name two neurotransmitters and what their role is.
Glutamate (excites), GABA (inhibits), Acetylcholine (arousal, selective attention, memory, sleep), norepinephrine, dopamine (reward), serotonin, endorphins
That we base our color vision on three primary colours: blue, green, and red
When one variable increases, so does the other. What is this called?
A positive correlation.
What is the nature-nurture debate?
Are our behaviours attributable mostly to our genes (nature) or to our rearing environments (nurture)?
What are two reasons why we might not be able to conclude a causational relationship from a study?
1) There are too many confounding variables
2) We do not know the direction of the relationship in the study (i.e., which variable is affecting which).Compare and contrast sympathetic nervous system and parasympathetic nervous system.
Sympathetic: engaged during a crisis, requires fight or flight
Parasympathetic: controls rest and digest when no threat is present
What are the 3 qualities of sound?
Pitch (frequency), loudness (amplitude), timbre (quality/complexity)
Role play how you would properly get informed consent by a participant if running an experimental study looking at whether coffee influences productivity.
Informed consent requirements: participants must know what they are getting into with the study (risks, benefits) and be informed of the point of the research study. Participants are able to withdraw at any point in time without penalty, and will be given 2% participation credit.
What are 4 of the 8 warning signs of pseudoscience?
(1) Overuse of ad hoc immunizing hypotheses, (2) Exaggerated claims, (3) Overreliance on anecdotes, (4) Absense of connectivity to other research, (5) Lack of peer review, (6) Lack of self-correction, (7), meaningless psychobabble, (8) Talk of "proof" instead of "evidence"
What are 2 advantages and 2 disadvantages to using naturalistic research designs?
Advantages: high external validity (real world implications), controls for reactivity
Disadvantages: low internal validity, does not allow us to infer causation, time consuming, less control, reactivity
Explain the process of how neurons communicate (Make sure to list at least 2 parts of the neuron).
Neurons receive chemical messages from other neurons through the dendrites. Soma (cell body) contains the nucleus and provides renewal of cell components. Neurons send action potentials down the axon, coated in myelin sheath. Axon terminal contains synaptic vesicles, which releases neurotransmitters into the synpase.
Name and describe 4 of the 6 Gestalt principles.
Proximity (closeness), similarity, continuity (perceive objects as wholes), closure (brains fill in missing visual information), symmetry, figure-ground (focus attention to central figure)