Biological Psychology Mocks

Podcast

Play an AI-generated podcast conversation about this lesson

Questions and Answers

What is the main concept investigated in Draginski et al. (2004)?

Impact of stress on brain structure

Neural pruning (correct)

Cortisol effects on memory

Long-term memory retention

What was the aim of Newcomer et al. (1999)?

To assess memory performance in various environmental contexts

To explore the relationship between juggling and brain structure

To analyze the process of neural pruning in non-jugglers

To examine the effects of cortisol on verbal declarative memory (correct)

Which of the following best describes neuroplasticity?

The brain's reorganization in response to learning or injury (correct)

The process of not retaining environmental stimuli

The permanent formation of synapses in the brain

The brain's ability to reject new information

What was a significant finding from Draginski et al. (2004)?

Increased grey matter in visual-spatial regions with practice Signup and view all the answers

What type of memory does cortisol primarily affect, according to Newcomer et al. (1999)?

Verbal declarative memory Signup and view all the answers

What was the control group in Draginski et al. (2004)?

Participants who did not practice juggling Signup and view all the answers

How does cortisol impact memory performance according to Newcomer et al. (1999)?

It impairs memory performance Signup and view all the answers

What conclusion can be drawn from the findings of Draginski et al. (2004)?

Consistent practice is needed to maintain brain structure changes Signup and view all the answers

What characterizes a flashbulb memory?

Vividness and clarity related to emotional events Signup and view all the answers

What was the aim of Brown & Kulik's study on flashbulb memories?

To explore the impact of emotional events on memory Signup and view all the answers

In social identity theory, what is meant by social categorization?

Classifying oneself and others into groups Signup and view all the answers

Which factor was found to enhance memory retention in Brown & Kulik's research?

The emotional significance of the events Signup and view all the answers

What was the procedure used in Tajfel's study on social identity theory?

Participants allocated points based on arbitrary group memberships Signup and view all the answers

What does social identification involve within the framework of social identity theory?

The adoption of group's identity by the individual Signup and view all the answers

What was a significant finding from Brown & Kulik's study regarding ethnic participants?

Vivid memories were associated with culturally significant events Signup and view all the answers

What psychological concept does the social identity theory primarily address?

Influence of group membership on self-concept Signup and view all the answers

What was the primary finding of Caspi et al. (2003) regarding the 5-HTT gene and stress?

Short alleles of the 5-HTT gene increase the likelihood of depression under stress. Signup and view all the answers

How do schemas influence memory according to Bransford & Johnson (1972)?

Schemas assist in encoding and retrieving information more effectively. Signup and view all the answers

What impact does high cortisol levels have on memory performance?

High cortisol levels negatively affect memory performance. Signup and view all the answers

What was the aim of the study conducted by Caspi et al. (2003)?

To determine if stressful life events affect depression through the 5-HTT gene. Signup and view all the answers

In Bransford & Johnson's study, when did participants demonstrate significantly better recall of details?

When they received contextual information before the passage. Signup and view all the answers

What was one conclusion drawn about stress and cognitive processes?

High levels of stress negatively impact cognitive performance. Signup and view all the answers

What role does the length of the 5-HTT alleles play in psychological health according to the findings of Caspi et al. (2003)?

Short alleles are linked to a higher risk of depression when stressed. Signup and view all the answers

What concept does schema theory primarily involve?

Mental frameworks that help interpret and respond to information. Signup and view all the answers

What does the concept of in-group favoritism suggest about boys' behavior in group settings?

Boys allocate more resources towards their own group. Signup and view all the answers

According to Bandura's social cognitive theory, which factor is NOT emphasized in learning behavior?

Biological inheritance Signup and view all the answers

What was the effect of observing aggressive behavior in the Bobo doll experiment, according to Bandura's findings?

Children who observed aggression were more likely to imitate it, especially if the model was rewarded. Signup and view all the answers

What does cultural conformity refer to in the context of social behavior?

Adjusting behaviors to align with cultural norms. Signup and view all the answers

Which statement about self-efficacy is correct?

It affects a person's belief in their ability to succeed. Signup and view all the answers

What was the aim of Berry's study on cultural conformity?

To investigate how cultural dimensions affect social interactions. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following best describes reciprocal determinism in Bandura’s social cognitive theory?

Personal, behavioral, and environmental factors influence each other. Signup and view all the answers

In Bandura's experiment, which gender was more likely to imitate physical aggression?

Boys showed a higher likelihood of imitating physical aggression. Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Biological Approach

Draginski et al. (2004): Neural Pruning
- Neural pruning is the process where extra, unused, or weak synaptic connections are eliminated to improve efficiency.
- Neuroplasticity is the brain's ability to change structure in response to learning or injury.
- Aim: To investigate if neural structure can change through learning.
- Procedure: Participants were divided into jugglers and a control group. MRI scans were taken before, during, and after a 3-month juggling period.
- Findings: Jugglers showed increased grey matter in visual-spatial memory areas. This increase reduced after the juggling stopped.
- Conclusion: Neuroplasticity allows structural adaptation to new skills, which may not be permanent without consistent practice. This demonstrates a link between environmental stimuli and brain structure.
Newcomer et al. (1999): Cortisol and Memory
- Key Concept: Cortisol is a stress hormone affecting memory, specifically declarative memory (explicit memory).
- Declarative memory includes episodic memory—personal events—and semantic memory—general knowledge.
- Aim: To investigate how cortisol affects verbal declarative memory.
- Procedure: Participants were divided into three groups: high cortisol dose, low cortisol dose, and placebo. Verbal memory was tested daily over several days.
- Findings: High cortisol levels significantly impaired memory performance compared to the placebo and low-dose groups.
- Conclusion: High cortisol levels negatively impact verbal declarative memory, while low doses have minimal effect.
Caspi et al. (2003): Gene-Environment Interaction
- Key concept: Investigated how the 5-HTT gene (involved in stress regulation) interacts with life stress to impact depression.
- Aim: To investigate whether the 5-HTT gene length modulates the relationship between stressful life events and depression.
- Procedure: participants were tested for the length of their 5-HTT alleles, completed a life-stress inventory, and depression symptoms were assessed.
- Findings: People with the short allele and high levels of stress were more likely to develop depression.
- Conclusion: The 5-HTT gene can moderate vulnerability to depression in the context of stress, highlighting the importance of gene-environment interactions.

Cognitive Approach

Bransford & Johnson (1972): Schema Theory
- Key Concept: Schema theory posits that knowledge is organized into mental frameworks (schemas) that help us interpret and process information. Schemas are derived from past experiences.
- Aim: To investigate how prior knowledge affects comprehension of new information via memory.
- Procedure: Participants heard a complex passage about laundry, either with or without contextual information.
- Findings: Participants who received the context before the passage had better recall compared to those who heard it afterward or not at all.
- Conclusion: Prior knowledge significantly helps comprehension and recall of ambiguous material
Brown & Kulik (1977): Flashbulb Memories
- Key Concept: Flashbulb memories are highly detailed, vivid, and enduring memories of highly emotional events.
- Aim: To investigate the relationship between emotive experiences and memory accuracy.
- Procedure: Participants were asked to recall their memories of significant events, like famous assassinations. Details regarding the event were collected in terms of location, emotion felt etc.
- Findings: Memories of shocking events were more memorable compared to neutral or less emotive events.
- Conclusion: Emotional significance enhances memory and recall accuracy resulting in vivid flashbulb memories.

Sociocultural Approach

Tajfel (1970): Social Identity Theory
- Key Concept: Social Identity Theory explores how group membership influences individual self-concept and behavior.
- Aim: To investigate the minimum conditions necessary to create in-group favoritism and out-group bias.
- Procedure: Boys were randomly assigned to groups based on arbitrary criteria, and then asked to allocate points to members of their own and the other group.
- Findings: There was a tendency for in-group favoritism—allocating more points to members of the same group - even when it came at the expense of maximizing overall group rewards.
- Conclusion: Social categorization alone — group categorization — can trigger discrimination. This demonstrates that people derive some of their sense of self and esteem from group membership.
Bandura (1961): Social Cognitive Theory
- Key Concept: Social Cognitive Theory highlights the importance of observation, personal factors, and environmental interactions in learning and behavior, with an emphasis on observational learning -learning by observing others.
- Aim: In this case, the aim was to determine how children learn aggressive behavior by observation.
- Procedure: Children are observed to determine how learning outcomes vary for aggressive behaviors being modeled and rewarded or punished.
- Findings: Children who observed aggressive behaviors and their model (the adult) being rewarded, were more likely to demonstrate aggressive behaviors themselves.
- Conclusion: Observation plays a crucial role in social learning and behaviors, including aggression.
Berry (1967): Cultural Conformity
- Key Concept: Cultural Conformity is the tendency of individuals to adjust their behaviors and beliefs to match societal or cultural norms within their groups.
- Aim: To examine the influence of cultural dimensions (individualism versus collectivism) on conformity.
- Procedure: Participants from individualistic and collectivist cultures participated in a conformity task, were given incorrect information for the study to affect their decision; and asked to share their opinion.
- Findings: Participants from collectivistic cultures demonstrated a higher rate of conformity than participants from individualistic cultures.
- Conclusion: Cultural factors influence conformity rates, individualistic cultures tend to prioritize individual preferences over collective norms, while collective cultures may emphasize conformity and a shared sense of identity..

Studying That Suits You

Use AI to generate personalized quizzes and flashcards to suit your learning preferences.

Description

Explore