Psychology

Ethics

100

Name 2 ethical considerations.

Avoiding Harm, Conflict of interest, Informed consent, Maintaining confidentiality, Avoidance of false statements, Informed consent to research, Deception in research, Debriefing

200

Explain simply, Conflict of interest.

Psychologists are to refrain from taking on a professional role if their interests or relationships are to either impair the objectivity of the research.

300

List 3 things the researcher has to inform the participant under Informed Consent to Research.

 

Properties of the research,
right to decline,
consequences of declining,
 consequences of accepting,
 benefits to the research,
 limits to confidentiality,
 incentives to participation,
 and whom to contact for questions.

400

400: State 4 ethical considerations during Animal experiment procedures.

 

Observational/noninvasive forms of studies without signs of distress are acceptable/ procedures in which the animal is anesthetized and euthanized before regaining consciousness is acceptable/ An animal observed to be not able to be alleviated of pain should be euthanized/ use of muscle relaxants or paralytics without anesthesia is unacceptable/ procedures that employ restraint need to follow federal regulations. 

500

Within Informed Consent, psychologists must inform the individual(s) using a reasonably understandable language, except…?

When mandated by law or governmental regulations

Research

100

List 2 features of a natural experiment

IV is not controlled
Often has high ecological validity
Low internal validity
takes place in a natural setting
Causations cannot be inferred
Info can be gathered when normally unethical to conduct in a lab experiment or manipulate IV.

200

List 1 advantage and 1 disadvantage of a correlational study.

Adv:
Allows researchers to collected more data than experiments
Results tend to be more applicable to real life.
Opens up further research for scholars.
Allows researchs to identify strenghts and direction of relationships.
Disadv:
Third variable problem-existence of unknown confounding variable.
No cause-effect relationship
correlational research only uncovers relationships.

300

What are the 3 types of Validity with brief definition?

Construct: the operationalizability of a experiment. Internal: Methodological quality of experiment, how well extraneous variables are confounded and controlled
External: The generalizability of an experiment to a population, and to a setting/situation

400

List 5 measures used to ensure credibility in qualitative research

Triangulation
Establishing a rapport
Iterative questioning
Reflexivity
Thick descriptions

500

List and Define the 4 types of participant bias in qualitative research

Acquiescence bias: Tendency to give positive answers regardless of the question.

Social Desirability bias: tendency to respond in a way they think will make them liked.

Dominant respondent bias: occurs in a group setting when one participant influences behavior and responses of others

Sensitivity bias: Tendency to distort responses of questions of sensitive topics.

Neurotransmission

100

Define a neuron and what medium they communicate through with each other?

 

A neuron is a specialized cell that transmits signals in the nervous system through synapses. A neuron transmits signals in the nervous system, communicating through synapses using neurotransmitters that bind to receptors on neighboring neurons.

200

What is the process in the neuron that is related to receptor desensitization?

 

Desensitization involves receptor activation followed by prolonged neurotransmitter exposure, leading to receptor desensitization  and reduced responsiveness. This process includes down-regulation (decreasing receptor numbers) and re up take (neurotransmitter reabsorption), impacting neuronal signaling and response to stimuli.

Down regulation

300

List 6 differences between pleasure and happiness.

Happiness is long term, pleasure is short term

Serotonin = happiness, Dopamine = pleasure

Pleasure is visceral, Happiness is ethereal

Pleasure is taking, Happiness is giving

Pleasure is Alone, Happiness is social

Pleasure is substances, Happiness is natural

Addictive is pleasure, Non addictive is Happiness

400

Who were the people that claimed that Dopamine’s central role is an excitatory response to loved ones. What and how did they test in this experiment. What was the method they used for the experiment?

Fisher and her colleagues conducted research to explore dopamine’s role in romantic love, suggesting that dopamine drives the intense feelings of attraction and excitement associated with seeing a loved one. In their study, they used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to scan the brains of individuals who were deeply in love. Participants viewed photos of their romantic partners as well as neutral acquaintances. The scans revealed increased activity in the brain’s reward centers—specifically, the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and caudate nucleus—when viewing their partner’s photo. These dopamine-rich regions are associated with pleasure and motivation, supporting the idea that dopamine plays a central role in the feelings

500

List 3 neurotransmitters, define their affect on behavior.  What type of neurotransmitters are they and list at least 2 separate experiments related to at least 2 neurotransmitters. (Cannot repeat experiment choose one experiment for one neurotransmitter).

Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that influences reward, motivation, and pleasure, impacting behaviors related to seeking rewards and regulating mood. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that regulates mood, anxiety, sleep, and appetite, with low levels linked to depression and mood disorders. Acetylcholine is a neurotransmitter involved in muscle activation, attention, learning, and memory, playing a key role in cognitive functions.

 

Molly Crockett Trolley problem

Fisher, Aaron, Brown

Neuroplasticity

100

Define Neuroplasticity

The ability of the brain to change/re-organize itself, and grow.

200

List and define the process through which Neuroplasticity is done

Dendritic Branching:
The biological process by which neurons form new dendritic trees and branches to create new synapses.

300

provide 3 examples for: Neuroplasticity takes place when changes occur in:

Hormonal activity
Microglia activity
DNA regulation and transcription
Neurotransmitters
characteristics of dentritic spines
Properties of membrane and ion channels

400

what are 4 features of neuroplasticity?

Makes your brain resilient
enables recovery from trauma, etc
creates new ways of being and responding to conflict
neuroplasticity doesn't identify good or bad
learns whatever is repeated
can entrench depressive, anxious, obssesive patterns.

500

List 10 areas where neuroplasticity results from

Traumatic events
stress
social interaction
meditation
emotions
learning
paying attention
diet
Expertise
new experiences

Hormones

100

List two specific behaviors often associated with oxytocin?

Fidelity

Awareness of emotional state of others

Empathy

Social bonding

200

State 4 possible negative effects that the hormone testosterone has on the human body.

Aggression

Mood changes

Acne and Skin Issues

Mood disorders(anxiety and depression)

300

Define interoception and exteroception and explain their relation to Oxytocin

Interoception: Ability to empathize with others, and awareness of others emotions

Exteroception: awareness of ones self and emotions

Oxytocin increases exteroception, interoception is constant

400

Explain the study conducted by Scheele and the results of that study.

 

The research aimed to investigate how oxytocin influences social interactions and the perception of social cues, particularly in male/female couples.

 

• Administration: Participants received either an intranasal dose of oxytocin or a placebo before engaging in tasks designed to measure social behavior and emotional responses.
• Social Tasks: The participants were often paired with female partners and asked to engage in activities that involved sharing personal information or participating in social games. The researchers observed the interactions and measured various outcomes.

 

• Increased Trust and Bonding: The study found that oxytocin administration increased feelings of trust and bonding between partners. Participants who received oxytocin reported greater emotional closeness and connection with their partners compared to those who received the placebo.
• Enhanced Emotional Recognition: Participants given oxytocin were better at recognizing emotions in their partners' facial expressions. This suggests that oxytocin enhances sensitivity to social cues, which can facilitate better interpersonal interactions.
• Reduced Fear and Anxiety in Social Situations: The results indicated that oxytocin might help reduce social anxiety, making participants more comfortable in engaging with their partners.
• Specificity to Romantic Relationships: Interestingly, the study also suggested that the effects of oxytocin may be more pronounced in the context of romantic relationships, highlighting its role in promoting attachment and intimacy.

500

State two other purposes of the hormone cortisol aside from stress.

Preparing the body for a pump of adrenaline

Causing dilation of blood vessels