Key Science Skills
What impact do random errors and systematic errors have on accuracy and precision?
Random errors: Affect the precision of a measurement and are present in all measurements except for measurements involving counting. Random errors are unpredictable variations in the measurement process and result in a spread of readings. These may be caused by limitations of instruments, environmental factors and slight variations in procedures. The effect of random errors can be reduced by making more or repeated measurements and calculating a new mean, increasing sample size and/or by refining the measurement method or technique.
Systematic errors: Affect the accuracy of a measurement. Systematic errors cause readings to differ from the true value by a consistent amount or by the same proportion each time a measurement is made, so that all the readings are shifted in one direction from the true value. They may be observational error, imperfect instrument calibration and environmental interference. The accuracy of measurements subject to systematic errors cannot be improved by repeating those measurements. Most systematic errors can be reduced by being familiar with the limitations of instruments and experience with their correct use.
Correctly name all stages of the GAS model of stress.
Shock
Counter shock
Alarm
Resistance
Exhausation
Fill in the blanks: the explanatory power of the Atkinson-Shiffrin multi-store model of memory in the X, Y and Z of stored information in sensory, short-term and long-term memory stores
encoding
storage
retrieval
What is they key neuromodulator related to sleep, and where is it mainly produced.
Serotonin, in the gut! (gut microbiome)
Name all 7 domains within SEWB
Connection to...
body,
mind and emotions,
family and kinship,
community,
culture,
country,
spirituality and ancestors
Define and compare the ethical guidelines informed consent and debriefing, with reference to an experiment looking at the effect of CBT on patients with a specific phobia of bees.
Informed consent procedures: Ensure participants understand the nature and purpose of the experiment, including potential risks (both physical and psychological), before agreeing to participate in the study. Voluntary written consent should be obtained by the experimenter and if participants are unable to give this consent, then a parent or legal guardian should provide this.
Debriefing: Ensures that, at the end of the experiment, the participant leaves understanding the experimental aim, results and conclusions. Any participant questions are addressed, and support is also provided to ensure there is no lasting harm from their involvement in the study. Debriefing is essential for all studies that involve deception
freeze response involves a state of immobility, high arousal, alertness and tension in which the parasympathetic nervous system is dominant. A person is conserving energy in the freeze response and ready to jump into action.
Name the stages of observational learning in the correct order. In your response, include the key features required to get full marks in each stage.
Attention - actively watch / closely watch
Retention - mental representation
Reproduction - physical and mental ability
Motivation - desire/want
Reinforcement - vicarious
Explain the ABCs of sleep deprivation and relate these to wellbeing.
Affective (trouble regulating emotions which negatively impacts emotional wellbeing)
Behavioural (being more accident prone, risk taking, can lead to poor wellbeing outcomes)
Cognitive (issues with concentration can mean not experiencing success in all elements of functioning)
An experiment is investigating the impact of antibiotics on mood. Distinguish between internal validity and external validity with reference to the experiment.
A psychological investigation is said to be internally valid if it investigates what it sets out and/or claims to investigate. When considering the internal validity of an investigation in psychology, the appropriateness of the investigation design, sampling and allocation techniques may be considered, as well as the impact of extraneous and confounding variables on the investigation results. Lack of internal validity implies that the results of the study deviate from the truth and therefore no conclusions can be drawn. If a study is not internally valid, external validity is irrelevant.
A psychological investigation is said to be externally valid if the results of the research can be applied to similar individuals in a different setting. Lack of external validity implies that the results of the research may not apply to individuals who are different from the study population. External validity can be increased by using broad inclusion criteria and sampling techniques that result in a study population more closely resembling the overall general human population.
Describe the link between gut microbiome, and stress levels.
communication between the gut microbiota and the brain occurs via the vagus nerve.
gut microbiota are a collection of millions of microorganisms that assist in the digestion of food and that gut microbiota (mainly bacteria) are also known to produce and release several neurotransmitters such as GABA, serotonin and dopamine.
bidirectional relationship between gut microbiota and psychological processes and behaviour, including that chronic stress and cortisol levels can have an impact on healthy gut microbiota.
the type and variety of microbiota in our gut can influence our responsiveness to stress, mood, as well as cognitive responses such as memory.
Explain the progression of Alzheimer's disease, in order, with a relevant example of a memory issue in each stage.
1) Hippocampus (new explicit memory retrieval)
2) Neocortex (storage of explicit/implicit)
3) Cerebellum (procedural memory - movement)
Describe the biological mechanisms that occur when light enters a room in the morning.
Light levels detected by eyes
neuronal message transmitted about light levels from eyes to SCN (biological master clock!)
SCN transmits a message to the pineal gland to suppress the secretion of melatonin, a sleep hormone, therefore prompting wakefulness
Correctly name all the bio, psycho, and social components for maintaining wellbeing.
adequate nutritional intake and hydration and sleep (biological),
cognitive behavioural strategies and mindfulness meditation (psychological)
support from family, friends and community that is authentic and energising (social)
Explain the difference between accuracy and precision, with reference to measuring cortisol levels of an individual in response to a stressor.
Accuracy: The accuracy of a measurement relates to how close it is to the true value of the quantity being measured. Accuracy is not quantifiable; measurement values may be described as more accurate or less accurate.
Precision: Refers to how closely a set of measurement values agree with each other. Precision gives no indication of how close the measurements are to the true value and is therefore a separate consideration to accuracy.
Describe what is meant by the explanatory power of the GAS of stress, and provide examples of information you should include in a question about this.
Strengths:
describes and explains both immediate and long-term effects of stress
developed awareness and understanding of a link between stress and disease e.g. that stress could weaken the body’s ability to resist infection and increase the likelihood of developing a physical disorder
identifies biological processes associated with the body’s stress response e.g. roles of endocrine system
developed awareness and understanding that the body has limited resources to cope with chronic/prolonged stress
Weaknesses:
does not fully take account of or explain individual differences in physiological responses to a chronic stressor e.g. that some people may develop coronary disease whereas others may not
Offers a “one size fits all” approach, that assumes everyone has the same physiological response to a stressor
overemphasises physiological/biological responses to a stressor and ignores psychological responses to different types of stressors e.g. does not take into account cognitive aspects
Original research was done on animals, so hard to generalise to humans
What are some of the key ways that First Nations ways of knowing differ from Western?
- connection to Country
- learner situated and embedded
- multimodal
- holistic
other great ideas!
EEG, EOG, EMG - detect, amplify, and record the electrical activity of the ...
They are objective, do not provide information about the subjective experience of sleep, which is needed to know sleep quality. Therefore, need someone like a sleep diary. Sleep is a psychological construct.
Explain the two cultural determinants for SEWB
cultural continuity (preservation of all things related to culture for future) and self-determination (right to freely choose)
Using an the example of an experiment looking at the impact of sleep deprivation/BAC on cognitive performance, distinguish between repeatability and reproducibility.
Repeatability: The closeness of the agreement between the results of successive measurements of the same quantity being measured, carried out under the same conditions of measurement. These conditions include the same measurement procedure, the same observer, the same measuring instrument used under the same conditions, the same location, and repetition over a short period of time.
Reproducibility: The closeness of the agreement between the results of measurements of the same quantity being measured, carried out under changed conditions of measurement. These different conditions include a different method of measurement, different observer, different measuring instrument, different location, different conditions of use, different time and/or different culture(s). Scientific findings can be considered in terms of whether they are replicable or irreplicable, where irreplicable results may lack credibility.
Describe what is meant by the explanatory power of the transactional model of stress, and provide examples of information you should include in a question about this.
Strengths:
emphasises the personal nature and individuality of the stress response
views stress as an interaction with the environment in which the individual has an active role
respects personal appraisals of a situation, thereby interpreting the situation from an individual’s perspective
explains why individuals respond in different ways to the same types of stressors
allows for the fact that stressors and the circumstances under which they occur can change over time
allows us to change our thinking about a stressor and our response
proposes different methods for managing psychological responses to stressors.
Limitations:
difficult to test through experimental research because of the subjective nature of individual responses to stressors
individuals may not always be conscious of all the factors causing them to experience a stress response
we can experience a stress response without ever having thought about a situation or event (i.e. appraisal is not essential)
overlooks physiological responses to a stressor
primary and secondary appraisals can interact with one another and are often undertaken simultaneously and there are difficult to isolate for study as separate variables.
Distinguish between aphantasia and Alzheimer's disease, with reference to someone's ability to engage in a possible imagined future.
Alzheimer’s disease is a neurodegenerative disorder characterised by the gradual widespread death/deterioration of brain neurons, progressively causing memory decline, deterioration of cognitive and social skills, and personality changes.
There is a small proportion of otherwise healthy people who report that they cannot form mental images. They have no visual experience at all when asked, for example, to form an image of an apple or a face they’re familiar with.
The brain regions that are involved in the retrieval of autobiographical memories are also activated when people construct possible imagined futures. Schacter et al. (2008) found that patients who sustained damage to their hippocampus not only experienced difficulty remembering past events, but also struggled to imagine future scenarios. This is because when individuals attempt to mentally construct a possible imagined future, they draw on elements of past experiences from their semantic and episodic memory.
Explain everything you know about the differences in, and explanations for, the demands for sleep across the life span, with reference to total amount of sleep and changes in a typical pattern of sleep (proportion of REM and NREM)
Correctly identify the biopsychosocial factors that lead to the development/maintenance of a phobia, and all the evidenced-based interventions.
BIO CAUSES: GABA dysfunction and LTP
BIO treatment: breathing retraining and benzodiazepines
PSYCH causes: cognitive bias (memory bias and catastrophic thinking), classical conditioning (precipitates) and operant conditioning (perpetuates)
PSYCH treatment: CBT and systematic desensitisation
SOCIAL causes: stigma
SOCIAL treatment: psychoeducation for families and supporters - challenging unrealistic or anxious thoughts and not encouraging avoidance behaviours