Memory Mayhem
Grace memorises her entire shopping list by repeating “chips, chocolate, chips, chocolate” for 15 minutes. Which rehearsal strategy is she using?
What is Maintenance rehearsal.
Sienna's phone makes a notification sound. She immediately checks it, even when she knows it is probably another group-chat meme. Which learning process could explain a learned response to a previously neutral sound?
What is Classical conditioning. (If the sound has become associated with a stimulus that elicits a response.)
Mikala studies psychology because she genuinely enjoys understanding why people behave strangely. What type of motivation is this?
What is Intrinsic motivation.
Harper has an exam tomorrow and suddenly notices a racing heart and faster breathing. Which general model of stress includes an alarm stage?
What is Selye's General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS).
Grace asks only her five closest friends whether Year 12 students are stressed. What sampling method is she using?
What is Convenience sampling.
Giselle remembers her first day at Penrhos but cannot remember what she ate for lunch yesterday. Which type of long-term memory stores personally experienced events?
What is Episodic memory. Or what is explicit (declarative) memory.
Harper completes her homework and her parents remove her phone restriction. She starts completing homework more regularly. Identify the operant conditioning process.
What is Negative reinforcement (removing an aversive condition increases the behaviour.)
Darcy only tidies her room because her parents promise her money. Which broad type of motivation is operating?
What is Extrinsic motivation.
Sienna feels excited and energised before a performance because she sees it as an opportunity to shine. What type of stress is this?
What is Eustress.
Mikala investigates the relationship between hours of sleep and anxiety scores. She finds that students who sleep less tend to report greater anxiety. What is the research term for a relationship between two variables that does not prove one causes the other?
What is correlation?
Jayda learns the names of ten new teachers, but the old teachers' names keep popping into her head instead. What type of interference is this?
What is Proactive interference. (previously learned information interferes with new learning)
Chelsea watches Mikala receive praise for confidently answering a question. Chelsea then starts putting her hand up more often. Which theory best explains this?
What is Bandura's social learning theory. (observational learning and vicarious reinforcement.)
Maja wants to choose her own study method, feel capable of succeeding and feel connected to her friends. Name the three psychological needs in Self-Determination Theory.
What is Autonomy, competence and relatedness.
Chelsea sees an upcoming exam as a threat, then decides she has insufficient resources to cope. Identify the two appraisal stages.
What is Primary appraisal (threat assessment) and secondary appraisal (assessment of coping resources).
Jayda investigates whether listening to a new study playlist improves memory. She compares students who study with the playlist to students who study in silence. What is the independent variable in her investigation?
What is the study condition (listening to the playlist versus studying in silence)?
Maja remembers the lyrics to a song by linking them to a hilarious story about her cat stealing a teacher's lunch. Which rehearsal strategy is she using, and why might it be effective?
What is Elaborative rehearsal (linking new information to meaning and existing knowledge supports deeper processing and retention.)
Darcy gets a chocolate every time she completes a practice question. After a while, she completes questions at lightning speed. Identify the reinforcement schedule and explain why.
What is Continuous reinforcement (if every correct response is reinforced.)
Jayda gets excellent grades but feels no sense of purpose, personal growth or self-acceptance. Which model of wellbeing could help explain what is missing?
What is Ryff's six-factor model of psychological wellbeing. (Relevant factors include purpose in life, personal growth and self-acceptance.)
Giselle has been sleeping only four hours a night for several weeks because she keeps scrolling on her phone. Identify one psychological effect of chronic sleep deprivation and one strategy to improve her sleep.
What is impaired mood or increased anxiety, and limiting electronic device use before bed?
Maja tells participants that a new supplement will make them smarter, even though everyone receives a placebo. Participants report better concentration. What effect may explain their reports?
What is The placebo effect (potentially influenced by expectations)
Georgia’s best friend asks her to describe an embarrassing incident from Year 12. Georgia remembers the event and recounts the details without being shown photos or given any hints. Which type of remembering is Georgia demonstrating?
What is free recall?
Grace has developed a fear of dogs after being frightened by one. Explain how systematic desensitisation could help reduce this phobia.
What is Gradual exposure (to the feared stimulus, typically paired with relaxation, progressing through a fear hierarchy to reduce the fear response.)
Georgia argues that students must have all their physiological, safety, belongingness and esteem needs completely satisfied before they can pursue personal growth. What psychological theory supports this idea, and what is one limitation of its proposed sequence?
What is Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. (which proposes that lower-level needs generally take priority, although needs can be pursued simultaneously and the sequence may vary across individuals and cultures? )
Darcy lists five stressful life events and adds their Social Readjustment Rating Scale scores to estimate her stress burden. Which model is she applying, and what is one limitation?
What is Holmes and Rahe's Social Readjustment Rating Scale (SRRS). (A limitation is that it may not account adequately for individual appraisal, context or cultural differences in how events are experienced.)
Georgia conducts a memory experiment without informed consent, reveals participants' names in her report and does not debrief them after deception. Identify three ethical issues.
What is Lack of informed consent (breach of confidentiality/privacy, and failure to debrief.)