Podcast
Questions and Answers
What was the primary variable being manipulated in the study?
What was the primary variable being manipulated in the study?
What was the main objective of the high cortisol group?
What was the main objective of the high cortisol group?
How long did each participant participate in the study?
How long did each participant participate in the study?
What was the most likely reason for randomly allocating participants to different conditions?
What was the most likely reason for randomly allocating participants to different conditions?
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What is an example of a potential confounding variable that the researchers might have considered?
What is an example of a potential confounding variable that the researchers might have considered?
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What is the primary method used to measure brain activity in this study?
What is the primary method used to measure brain activity in this study?
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What is the purpose of the training phase in this study?
What is the purpose of the training phase in this study?
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What is the likely purpose of the six trials conducted in this study?
What is the likely purpose of the six trials conducted in this study?
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What is the main focus of the research mentioned?
What is the main focus of the research mentioned?
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What is the expected outcome of the study?
What is the expected outcome of the study?
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What is a potential limitation of this study?
What is a potential limitation of this study?
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Which of the following is NOT a potential application of this study's findings?
Which of the following is NOT a potential application of this study's findings?
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What type of study is most likely being conducted?
What type of study is most likely being conducted?
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What is the independent variable in this study?
What is the independent variable in this study?
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Which of the following statements accurately reflects the content provided?
Which of the following statements accurately reflects the content provided?
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What is the primary mechanism suggested for how epigenetic factors might influence stress vulnerability?
What is the primary mechanism suggested for how epigenetic factors might influence stress vulnerability?
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Which of the following scenarios BEST illustrates the concept described in the content?
Which of the following scenarios BEST illustrates the concept described in the content?
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Based on the content, which of these could potentially contribute to individual differences in stress vulnerability?
Based on the content, which of these could potentially contribute to individual differences in stress vulnerability?
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If a researcher were studying this topic, what would be a relevant research question based on the content?
If a researcher were studying this topic, what would be a relevant research question based on the content?
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What type of variable would 'patterns of methylation in gene sequences' be considered?
What type of variable would 'patterns of methylation in gene sequences' be considered?
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In the stress response study, what is being used to assess the stress response?
In the stress response study, what is being used to assess the stress response?
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Which of the following best describes the type of measurement used in the stress response study?
Which of the following best describes the type of measurement used in the stress response study?
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Which of these is NOT a potential confounding variable in the stress response study?
Which of these is NOT a potential confounding variable in the stress response study?
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Why is it important to measure corticosterone levels before and after the restraint procedure?
Why is it important to measure corticosterone levels before and after the restraint procedure?
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What was the relationship found between the 5-HTT gene and depression symptoms?
What was the relationship found between the 5-HTT gene and depression symptoms?
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What was the relationship between stress level and depression symptoms in participants with short alleles of the 5-HTT gene?
What was the relationship between stress level and depression symptoms in participants with short alleles of the 5-HTT gene?
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Which of the following is a plausible alternative explanation for the findings?
Which of the following is a plausible alternative explanation for the findings?
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What can be concluded from the findings of this study?
What can be concluded from the findings of this study?
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What is the most likely implication of these findings?
What is the most likely implication of these findings?
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Flashcards
5-HTT gene
5-HTT gene
A gene linked to serotonin transport and mood regulation.
Short alleles
Short alleles
Variations of the 5-HTT gene associated with mood disorders.
Depression symptoms
Depression symptoms
Signs indicating severe sadness or lack of interest in life.
Stressful life events
Stressful life events
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Gene-environment interaction
Gene-environment interaction
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Cortisol
Cortisol
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High Cortisol Group
High Cortisol Group
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Random Allocation
Random Allocation
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Stress Mimicking
Stress Mimicking
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Four-Day Procedure
Four-Day Procedure
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Joystick training
Joystick training
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fMRI
fMRI
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Six trials
Six trials
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Brain activity measurement
Brain activity measurement
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Task understanding
Task understanding
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Testosterone's role
Testosterone's role
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Risk-taking behavior
Risk-taking behavior
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Hypothesis in psychology
Hypothesis in psychology
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Greater risks
Greater risks
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Behavioral study
Behavioral study
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Genetic mapping technology
Genetic mapping technology
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Methylation
Methylation
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Corticosterone
Corticosterone
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Plexiglass restrainer
Plexiglass restrainer
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Stress response measurement
Stress response measurement
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Epigenetic factors
Epigenetic factors
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Stress hormone receptors
Stress hormone receptors
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Vulnerability to stress
Vulnerability to stress
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Gene methylation and stress
Gene methylation and stress
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Study Notes
Biological Studies
- Milner (1966) investigated the effects of removing HM's medial temporal lobe, including the hippocampus, on memory formation.
- A longitudinal case study was used, utilising triangulation to gather data over several decades.
- Data collection involved psychometric testing (IQ tests), direct observation of behavior, interviews with HM and family members, cognitive testing (memory recall and learning tasks), and MRI brain scans.
- The hippocampus plays a crucial role in converting short-term memories into long-term memories, but it is not the location of permanent memory storage.
Hormones and Pheromones
- Newcomer et al (no date) investigated whether high levels of the stress hormone cortisol interfere with verbal declarative memory.
- A double-blind, matched-pairs laboratory experiment was employed.
- Participants were randomly allocated to one of three conditions (high cortisol, low cortisol, or placebo) for four days.
- Participants recalled prose passages at baseline, after one day, after four days, and after a six-day follow-up.
- High levels of cortisol impaired verbal declarative memory.
- Memory performance in the high cortisol group returned to normal after stopping cortisol ingestion.
The Relationship Between Genetics and Behaviour
- Kendler used correlation to determine the likelihood of a significant relationship between two variables.
- Kendler analysed a twin study (over 15,000 twins) from the Swedish national twin registry.
- Heritability of depression estimated at 38% in monozygotic twins - females more influenced than men.
- Caspi et al (2003) investigated whether a serotonin transporter gene mutation interacted with stressful life events to increase the risk of depression.
- 847 New Zealand 26-year-olds completed a questionnaire about life events and were assessed for depression.
- Participants with one or more short alleles of the 5-HTT gene showed more depression symptoms in response to stressful life events.
Techniques Used to Study the Brain
- Corkin (1997) analyzed HM's MRI scans to determine the extent of hippocampal and medial temporal lobe damage.
- Two MRI scans were conducted on HM in 1992 and 1993.
- MRI scans revealed that the lesioning of HM's brain was smaller than originally estimated, with damage to the uncus and amygdala, but about 50% of the posterior hippocampus remaining.
- The remaining hippocampal tissue proved insufficient for normal memory function.
Localization of Function
- Localization of function is the theory that specific parts of the brain are responsible for specific behaviours or cognitive processes.
- Neuroplasticity is the brain's ability to change and adapt in response to environmental demands.
- Maguire et al (no date) investigated whether the brains of taxi drivers differed from those of non-taxi drivers due to the unique spatial demands of navigating a city.
- Compared to non-taxi drivers, taxi drivers showed significantly larger posterior hippocampi.
- This suggests adaptation of the hippocampus, especially the posterior region, in response to the environmental demands of spatial navigation.
Neurotransmitters
- Antonova et al (2011) investigated the effect of scopolamine, an acetylcholine antagonist, on hippocampal activity in spatial memory creation.
- 20 healthy male adults participated in a scopolamine injection or placebo condition.
- Participants were assessed using a virtual reality game in which they had to navigate an arena to find a pole.
- Scopolamine significantly reduced hippocampal activation compared to the placebo condition.
Cognitive Processing
- Warrington and Shallice (no date) investigated the relationship between short-term memory (STM) and long-term memory (LTM) when STM is impaired.
- Patient KF, after a motorcycle accident, showed impaired STM for verbal information.
- He could, however, remember the same information visually.
- This suggests separate verbal and visual memory stores.
- Loftus and Palmer (no date) investigated how leading questions influence eyewitnesses' memories regarding car accidents.
- Participants' estimates of speed increased when the question wording became more intense (e.g., "smashed" compared to "hit").
- This shows that memory recall can be influenced by how a question is phrased.
Flashbulb Memories
- Neisser and Harsch (no date) focused on whether flashbulb memories are susceptible to distortion.
- 106 Emory University students initially, with 44 returning for follow-up, filled out questionnaires about the Challenger disaster.
- 2.5 years later, the same students filled out similar questionnaires and were interviewed.
- There were significant discrepancies between initial recalled memories and later recollections.
- High confidence in memories did not indicate accuracy.
Emotion and Cognition
- Sharot (no date) investigated the role of the amygdala in flashbulb memories.
- 24 participants in New York City during the 9/11 attacks participated in an fMRI study.
- Participants who were closer to the World Trade Center showed higher amygdala activation when recalling 9/11 memories compared to summer memories.
Note-Taking Methods
- Mueller and Oppenheimer (2014) investigated the effect of note-taking methods (longhand vs. laptop) on learning.
- 109 undergraduate students took notes on lectures using either a laptop or pen and paper.
- Participants in the longhand condition performed better on factual questions.
Social Cognitive Theory
- Bandura's social cognitive theory emphasizes learning through observation and imitation, including aggressive behaviors; 72 children participated.
- Children exposed to aggressive models exhibited significantly more aggression than those in non-aggressive groups.
- Boys more influenced by same-sex models (particularly for physical aggression), and girls more influenced by same-sex models (for verbal aggression), despite some males exhibiting more verbal aggression.
Stereotypes
- Hamilton and Gifford (no date) studied how the distinctiveness of a minority group influences the formation of illusory correlations.
- Undergraduates were asked to consider hypothetical groups, in which the minority group was more likely to be described as engaging in negative behaviours.
- People rated the minority group worse than the majority group even though the groups exhibited the same ratio of positive to negative behaviour.
- Steele and Aronson (1995) examined the effect of stereotype threat on test performance.
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Description
Explore the fascinating research surrounding memory formation and the impact of hormones on cognitive function. Delve into the case study of HM and the effects of cortisol on verbal memory. This quiz covers critical findings and methodologies used in understanding the brain's role in memory processing.
