MCAT Psychology Flashcards

Questions and Answers

What is self-efficacy?

The degree to which we see ourselves as being capable at a given skill or situation.

What does the BIG FIVE Trait Theories acronym OCEAN stand for?

Openness (correct)

Agreeableness (correct)

Extraversion (correct)

Neuroticism (correct)

Conscientiousness (correct)

What are the three clusters of personality disorders?

Cluster A: Paranoid, Schizotypal, Schizoid; Cluster B: Antisocial, Borderline, Histrionic, Narcissistic; Cluster C: Avoidant, Dependent, Obsessive-Compulsive.

What is the difference between Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease?

Alzheimer's disease is characterized by a decrease in acetylcholine, while Parkinson's disease is characterized by a decrease in dopamine. Signup and view all the answers

What are the four functional areas of attitudes according to Functional Attitudes Theory?

Knowledge, ego expression, adaptability, and ego defense. Signup and view all the answers

What are the three reasons for changing behaviors?

Conformity, compliance, and obedience. Signup and view all the answers

What are the key components of Weber's Ideal Bureaucracy?

Division of labor, hierarchy of authority, written rules and regulations, impersonality, and employment based on technical qualifications. Signup and view all the answers

What is inclusive fitness?

A measure of an organism's success in the population based on how well it propagates its own genes and supports others. Signup and view all the answers

What is ambivalent attachment?

It occurs when a caregiver has an inconsistent response to a child's distress, leading to distress when the caregiver leaves and ambivalence upon return. Signup and view all the answers

What is social capital?

The practice of developing and maintaining relationships that form social networks willing to help each other. Signup and view all the answers

What is the fundamental attribution error?

The bias toward making dispositional attributions rather than situational attributions regarding the actions of others. Signup and view all the answers

What is the actor-observer bias?

The tendency to blame our actions on the situation and others' actions on their personalities. Signup and view all the answers

What happens to ethnic migrants compared to the population of industrialized nations?

Ethnic groups emigrating to more industrialized countries tend to have higher fertility and higher mortality. Signup and view all the answers

What is urbanization?

The process of dense areas of population creating a pull for migration. Signup and view all the answers

What is social stratification?

The system by which society ranks categories of people into a hierarchy. Signup and view all the answers

What is anomie?

A lack of social norms or the breakdown of social bonds between individuals and society. Signup and view all the answers

The number of stereoisomers is calculated by the formula 2^n, where n represents the number of ______.

chiral centers Signup and view all the answers

The maximum number of electrons in terms of n is calculated as ______.

2n^2 Signup and view all the answers

The maximum number of electrons in a subshell can be calculated using the formula ______.

4l + 2 Signup and view all the answers

How many steps are there in an Sn1 reaction?

Two steps. Signup and view all the answers

What characterizes an Sn2 reaction?

It occurs in one step where the nucleophile attacks as the leaving group departs. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following are examples of polar protic solvents? (Select all that apply)

H2O Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following are examples of polar aprotic solvents? (Select all that apply)

DMF Signup and view all the answers

What is the alpha-carbon?

The carbon adjacent to the carbonyl. Signup and view all the answers

Esters are given the suffix ______.

-oate Signup and view all the answers

What are anhydrides?

The condensation dimers of carboxylic acids. Signup and view all the answers

What does Strecker Synthesis generate?

An amino acid from an aldehyde. Signup and view all the answers

What does Gabriel Synthesis generate?

An amino acid from potassium phthalimide, diethyl bromomalonate, and an alkyl halide. Signup and view all the answers

What are the key peaks to know for Infrared Spectroscopy?

N-H at 3300 cm-1 Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Self-efficacy

Represents an individual's belief in their own capability to perform a specific task or handle a given situation.

BIG FIVE Trait Theories

Acronym OCEAN encompasses five major personality traits:
- Openness: willingness to try new experiences
- Conscientiousness: level of organization and dependability
- Extraversion: sociability and assertiveness
- Agreeableness: tendency toward compassion and cooperation
- Neuroticism: emotional stability and reaction to stress

Personality Disorder Clusters

Cluster A (Weird): includes Paranoid, Schizotypal, and Schizoid disorders.
Cluster B (Wild): includes Antisocial, Borderline, Histrionic, and Narcissistic disorders.
Cluster C (Worried): includes Avoidant, Dependent, and Obsessive-Compulsive disorders.

Alzheimer's vs. Parkinson's Disease

Alzheimer's disease characterized by decreased acetylcholine levels.
Parkinson's disease characterized by decreased dopamine levels.

Functional Attitudes Theory

Identifies four functional areas of attitudes:
- Knowledge: how attitudes help in understanding the world
- Ego expression: how attitudes express one's self-concept
- Adaptability: how attitudes allow individuals to adjust to new situations
- Ego defense: how attitudes protect self-esteem

Reasons for Changing Behaviors

Conformity: adapting beliefs or behaviors to align with a group.
Compliance: changing behavior based on another's request.
Obedience: altering behavior in response to direct commands from authorities.

Weber's Ideal Bureaucracy

Features include:
- Division of labor: tasks divided into simple components.
- Hierarchy of authority: structured organizational levels.
- Written rules and regulations: established guidelines governing behavior.
- Impersonality: focus on roles rather than individual identities.
- Employment based on technical qualifications: selection grounded in abilities rather than personal connections.

Inclusive Fitness

Measures an individual's success through the propagation of their genes and supporting offspring in reproducing.

Ambivalent Attachment

Results from inconsistent caregiver responses, causing distress in children upon separation and ambivalence upon reunion.

Involves cultivating and maintaining social relationships that provide mutual support within networks.

Fundamental Attribution Error

Tendency to favor dispositional explanations over situational ones when assessing others' behavior.

Actor-Observer Bias

People attribute their behaviors to situational factors while attributing others’ behaviors to character traits.

Ethnic Migrants

Typically exhibit higher fertility and mortality rates compared to the native population of industrialized nations.

Urbanization

Describes migration tendencies towards densely populated areas.

Describes society's categorization of people into hierarchical ranks based on various attributes.

Anomie

Refers to societal breakdown characterized by lack of norms and weakened social bonds.

Chiral Centers and Stereoisomers

The number of stereoisomers is represented as 2^n, where n is the number of chiral centers.

Maximum Electrons: Principal Quantum Number

Formula: n = 2n² describes max electrons based on the principal quantum number.

Maximum Electrons in Subshell

Formula: 4l + 2 defines the maximum number of electrons in a subshell based on its angular momentum quantum number l.

Sn1 Reaction

A two-step mechanism:
- First step: Leaving group departs, forming a carbocation.
- Second step: Nucleophile attacks the planar carbocation, resulting in a racemic mixture of products.

Sn2 Reaction

A single-step mechanism:
- Nucleophile attacks as the leaving group departs simultaneously.
- Backside attack leads to inversion of stereochemistry, favoring less substituted carbons.

Polar Protic Solvents

Includes Acetic acid, H2O, ROH, NH3 known for their ability to solvate cations.

Polar Aprotic Solvents

Includes DMF, DMSO, Acetone, Ethyl Acetate, which do not form hydrogen bonds with cations.

Alpha-carbon

Defined as the carbon atom adjacent to a carbonyl group in organic compounds.

Esters

Characterized by the suffix -oate, while cyclic esters are referred to as lactones.

Anhydrides

Formed by the condensation of carboxylic acids, representing a common functional group.

Strecker Synthesis

A method to synthesize amino acids by mixing an aldehyde with ammonium chloride (NH4Cl) and potassium cyanide.

Gabriel Synthesis

Another pathway to produce amino acids using potassium phthalimide, diethyl bromomalonate, and an alkyl halide.

Infrared Spectroscopy

Key peaks for MCAT reference: N-H peak appears around 3300 cm⁻¹, noted for its sharpness.

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Description

Test your knowledge of key psychology concepts for the MCAT with these flashcards. Covering topics like self-efficacy and the Big Five personality traits, this quiz will help you review essential definitions and theories. Perfect for students looking to strengthen their understanding of psychology.