PSYCH SUMMARIES

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Questions and Answers

In Milgram's obedience study, explain how the use of volunteer sampling might have influenced the characteristics of the participants and, consequently, the generalizability of the findings.

Volunteer sampling may have attracted individuals more prone to obedience or with certain personality traits, limiting the generalizability of results to the broader population.

How do the findings of Piliavin et al.'s subway study challenge the concept of the bystander effect, and what specific aspects of the study's design might account for these results?

The study found high helping rates, contradicting the bystander effect. The confined setting of the subway car and the visibility of the victim likely increased the likelihood of intervention.

Explain how Perry et al.'s study on oxytocin and interpersonal distance uses a double-blind, placebo-controlled design to enhance the validity of its results.

The double-blind, placebo-controlled design minimizes experimenter and participant bias, ensuring that the observed effects are more likely due to the oxytocin and not expectancy.

Discuss the cognitive mechanisms that might explain why doodling, as investigated by Andrade, could enhance attention and memory recall during a monotonous task.

Doodling may act as a mild cognitive distraction that prevents excessive daydreaming, allowing for better focus on the primary task and encoding of information. Signup and view all the answers

In the Baron-Cohen et al. Eyes Test study, how might the quasi-experimental design limit the conclusions that can be drawn about the causes of differences in emotion recognition abilities between groups?

The quasi-experimental design means participant groups are pre-existing and not randomly assigned, which introduces potential confounding variables that limit causal inferences about emotion recognition abilities. Signup and view all the answers

Explain how the age-related differences found in Pozzulo et al.'s eyewitness lineup study might be relevant to legal contexts involving child witnesses.

The study highlights that younger children are more prone to false positives in lineups. This suggests younger children's testimonies should be viewed with caution. Signup and view all the answers

Describe the ethical implications of Bandura et al.'s Bobo doll experiment, considering the potential long-term effects on children exposed to aggressive behavior.

Exposing children to aggressive behavior could normalize or encourage violence, potentially leading to long-term psychological or behavioral issues. Signup and view all the answers

How does Fagen et al.'s study on elephant trunk washing demonstrate the potential for observational learning in non-human species, and why is this significant?

The study shows elephants can learn complex behaviors through observation. This suggests cognitive capabilities related to social learning are not unique to humans. Signup and view all the answers

Explain how Saavedra & Silverman used classical conditioning principles in their treatment of the boy with a button phobia (CBT).

They used exposure therapy, a type of classical conditioning, to gradually expose the boy to buttons, associating them with positive experiences to reduce his fear and disgust. Signup and view all the answers

In the Dement & Kleitman REM sleep study, what specific physiological measures were used to determine if a person was dreaming, and how were these correlated with subjective dream reports?

EEG was used to identify REM sleep, and eye movements were correlated with the content of the dreams reported by participants, such as vertical eye movements when dreaming of climbing a ladder. Signup and view all the answers

How do Hassett et al.'s findings on toy preferences in monkeys relate to the nature versus nurture debate regarding gendered behavior in humans?

The study suggests that some gendered preferences may have biological roots, adding support to the 'nature' side of the debate, though environment and socialization still play key roles. Signup and view all the answers

Explain the significance of Hölzel et al.'s study regarding mindfulness and brain change in the context of neuroplasticity.

The increased gray matter in the MBSR group indicates neuroplasticity. It shows mindfulness practices can structurally alter brain regions associated with attention and emotional regulation. Signup and view all the answers

In Milgram's study, how did the presence of the experimenter influence participants' behavior, and what psychological principle does this illustrate?

The experimenter's authority influenced participants to continue administering shocks, illustrating the power of authority and obedience to authority figures. Signup and view all the answers

How might the characteristics of New York City subway passengers in Piliavin et al.'s study limit the generalizability of the findings to other settings or populations?

NYC subway passengers may be more accustomed to unusual situations, which could make results specific to urban environments and limit generalizability to more people. Signup and view all the answers

Explain one potential confounding variable in Perry et al.'s study on oxytocin and interpersonal distance, and how it may have affected the results.

Pre-existing relationship status could be a confounding variable. Those in relationships might naturally maintain closer distances, affecting proximity measurements. Signup and view all the answers

Besides reducing daydreaming, what other cognitive processes might be affected by doodling, according to Andrade's research?

Doodling may improve focus by occupying the brain just enough to prevent cognitive overload, thereby facilitating better processing of auditory or visual information. Signup and view all the answers

Besides Autism/HFA, what other disorders might affect performance on the Eyes Test, and how might those differences in performance be explained?

Conditions affecting social cognition, such as social anxiety disorder, may skew results on the Eyes Test due to difficulties in accurately interpreting facial expressions. Signup and view all the answers

In what ways might the methods used in Pozzulo et al.'s eyewitness lineup study influence ecological validity and, therefore, the applicability of the findings to real-world scenarios?

The controlled setting of a lab experiment might not fully replicate the stress and complexity of real-life eyewitness situations, thus affect external validity. Signup and view all the answers

Explain how the matched pairs design used by Bandura in the Bobo doll experiment aimed to control for participant variables.

Participants were matched on initial aggression levels. This controlled for pre-existing aggression in children, ensuring baseline aggression differences did not skew results. Signup and view all the answers

How might differences in the ages or social structures of elephant populations affect their ability to learn new behaviors like trunk washing, as studied by Fagen et al.?

Older elephants or those in stable social groups may have more opportunities to observe and learn from others, potentially enhancing their ability to acquire new behaviors compared to younger or more isolated individuals. Signup and view all the answers

Flashcards

Milgram (1963) Study

A controlled observation studying obedience.

Piliavin et al. (1969)

A field experiment studying bystander intervention.