The Brain
What are the two main divisions of the human nervous system?
The Central Nervous System (CNS) (Brain and Spinal Cord)
The Peripheral Nervous System (PNS) (All nerves outside the CNS)
Which process refers to our eyes receiving light, our ears receiving sound, or our skin feeling pressure?
Sensation
What is a testable prediction, often implied by a theory, that researchers aim to prove or disprove in a study?
A Hypothesis
In the legal system, what is the term for a person who is qualified to offer an opinion based on specialised knowledge?
An Expert Witness
"Opposites attract" - People tend to seek out and form the strongest, most lasting relationships with partners who are very different from them?
Myth. Research shows that people are overwhelmingly attracted to others who are similar to them (Similarity-Attraction Theory) in terms of attitudes, values, intelligence, and even physical attractiveness.
What is the name of the cell type that transmits electrical and chemical signals within the nervous system?
Neuron
The retina contains two types of receptor cells. Which type detects bright colours and works best in daylight?
Cones
In an experiment investigating the effect of caffeine on memory, which variable is the Independent Variable (IV)?
Caffeine (e.g., amount consumed)
What specific psychological concept is a forensic psychologist assessing when they determine if a defendant was able to understand the difference between right and wrong at the time the crime was committed?
Criminal Responsibility
People tend to have a single, dominant learning style (e.g., visual, auditory, kinaesthetic), and that teaching them using only that style significantly improves their learning outcomes?
Myth. Extensive research has failed to support the idea that tailoring instruction to an individual's self-professed learning style actually improves educational outcomes. Effective learning involves using multiple strategies and deep processing.
Which of the four main lobes of the cerebral cortex is primarily responsible for processing visual information?
Occipital Lobe
What is the term for focusing conscious awareness on a particular stimulus while ignoring others?
Selective Attention
What is the entire group of people from which a sample is drawn and to whom the researcher wants to generalise their findings called?
The Population
For a murder conviction, two things must be found beyond a reasonable doubt they are:
Actus reus and mens rea
Evidence suggests that the capacity of short-term memory is limited to holding about seven pieces of information (plus or minus two) at a time.
Fact - This fact explains why phone numbers and ZIP codes are typically broken into small chunks of numbers.
The autonomic nervous system has two main branches. Name these two branches.
Sympathetic Nervous System and Parasympathetic Nervous System
What do we call the minimum stimulation needed to detect a particular stimulus $50\%$ of the time?
The Absolute Threshold
What ethical requirement is met when a researcher explains the purpose of the study, the potential risks, and the findings to the participants after the study has concluded?
Debriefing
What is the age of criminal responsibility in all but one state or territory?
10 years old
Most addictive substances hijack the brain's natural dopamine reward pathway, reinforcing the seeking behaviour and creating dependence.
Fact - The neurotransmitter dopamine isn't primarily about pleasure; it's about anticipation and motivation. It drives us to seek rewards.
The brain's ability to shift functions from a damaged area to an undamaged area or change its physical structure (e.g., the number or shape of neurons and synapses) is known as:
Neural Plasticity
Name the extra sense which helps us detect where our bodies are in space.
Proprioception
A ______ _______ occurs when results are caused by the participants' expectations alone, rather than by the actual treatment (e.g., feeling better after taking a sugar pill believed to be medication)
Placebo effect
When an individual fails to perceive an unexpected stimulus in plain sight, purely as a result of a lack of attention rather than any vision defects or deficits, this is known as:
Inattentional blindness or perceptual blindness
The full moon has a proven effect on human behaviour, leading to more psychological distress, crime, or strange events (often called the "Lunar Effect")?
Myth. Countless studies have statistically failed to find any reliable, consistent correlation between the phases of the moon and rates of mental illness, crime, or emergency room visits.