PSY100Y5 Labs 1-5 Exam Notes PDF

For all labs What is the effect of X on Y while controlling for Z(s)? X is the variable being manipulated. We like to be able to prove that some variable (x) causes people to behave a certain way (y) while other variables (z) that might affect behavior are held...

For all labs What is the effect of X on Y while controlling for Z(s)? X is the variable being manipulated. We like to be able to prove that some variable (x) causes people to behave a certain way (y) while other variables (z) that might affect behavior are held constant (i.e., ruled out). Lab 1 Terms Validity: the strength of the conclusion Reliability: refers to consistency of a measure, is it repeatable Test generalizability: boundaries/limits of test; valid only for intended population Three Fundamental Psychological Needs Universally important psychological wellbeing and autonomous motivation. Competence: refers to feeling effective in interactive with one’s environment o Developed through having appropriate challenge/task level, expected outcomes, and must be achievable Autonomy: you have control and choice, making decisions, have responsibility Relatedness: connected to others around you, people care about you Flow Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (1990): the exhilaration felt by an individual who undertakes complex tasks using complex skills. Is caused by clear goals with feedback, challenges suited to skills, & autotelic activities (worth doing in themselves) Causes merge of action and awareness, heightened concentration, suspension of irrelevant stimuli, loss of ego and self-consciousness, altered sense of time and space. E.g., writing, painting, athletic performance Results in feeling control and motivates to do better & flow correlated to increase in self-esteem Correlation vs. Causation Draw a circle around the dots; three rules: If oval is circular, no correlation Leaning left – negative correlation | Leaning right – positive correlation The thinner the oval the stronger the correlation Experiment IV: feedback DV: Speed and accuracy CV: Same number of trails, multiple trials averaged, random order viewing Task 1 Task 2 Correlation between two measures of self-esteem to validate a new Determine correlation of scatterplot – does feedback affect accuracy? measure What is the effect of Feedback on your ability to correctly identify o Sorenson (new) strength of correlation (accuracy) and speed of response (RT) while o Rosenberg controlling for range, practice, number of items, etc. o Looking for highly negative correlation Split-half correlation How do you validate a new personality test? Approach 1 (expensive + time consuming) Approach 2 – Validation Using Existing Survey 1. Give new survey to all in a sample (establish a score) 1. New survey to everyone 2. Get qualified therapist to evaluate individuals 2. Old survey to everyone 3. Correlate both measures 3. Correlate a. Needs to be at least above 0.8/-0.8 We also want to make sure that all questions measure with the same strength (consistency). How? 1. Correlation between a new measure and an old (already valid) measure 2. Split-half correlation (reliability within a questionnaire – internal consistency) a. Split up questionnaire into two halves and determine have correlated the two area b. Cronbach’s Alpha: calculating the average correlation of all possible combinations 1  Lab 2 Terms 1. Creativity: the combination of uniqueness and usefulness. It is fundamentally a process of discovery. 2. Divergent & Convergent Thinking o Divergent: outside the box o Convergent: straightforward problems with a single best answer 3. Examples of Creativity Tests (both Divergent and Convergent) o Divergent ▪ Alternative Uses Tests: how many uses can you produce for it, e.g., for a shoe. Evaluate by fluency (how many uses) originality (how uncommon) flexibility (how many areas does the answer cover) elaboration (level of detail) ▪ Incomplete figure task: fill in the rest. Evaluate by the creativity of drawing and title. o Convergent ▪ Riddles ▪ Remote Associates (RAT): Have to link three words with a fourth Decision making strategies Maximizing is where one tries to make the very best choice even if it involves a lengthy search. Satisficing is where you choose a reasonably good (not perfect) option sooner rather than later. Latent inhibition: the ability to block out unnecessary information o Useful in convergent. But not in divergent. Ebbinghaus Forgetting Curve Memorized meaningless words to measure retention About 57% retention after 20 mins About 24% retention 31 days Recall vs. Recognition Recognition after 75% 2 days Recall 10% after 2 days 9 tips for studying (probably not important) 5. Being able to teach it means better understanding 1. Small short chunks are much more effective over time 6. Practice tests a. All nighters may affect the brain for up to four a. Highlights mistakes days b. Increases confidence b. Better to setup specific time, brain ready to read 7. Designated and dedicated spot 2. Highlighting sucks a. With everything needed a. Does not link 8. Learning with rhythmic music is harmful b. May highlight wrong 9. Put away phone 3. Flashcards solid 4. Specific goal for each session is ideal Experiment IV: feedback and difficulty of task DV: speed (reaction time) and accuracy (correctness) CV: Same number of trails, multiple trials averaged, random order viewing Lab 3 Terminology 1. Positive Psychology as a discipline should be as concerned with: strength as with weakness; building the best things in life as in repairing the worst; making the lives of normal people fulfilling as with healing pathology (Seligman) 2. Eight steps to Happiness and Life Satisfaction -- Sonja Lyubomirsky a. Count Your Blessings b. Practice Acts of Kindness 2  c. Savor Life’s Joys d. Thank a Mentor e. Learn to Forgive f. Take Care of Your Body g. Invest Time and Energy in Friends and Family* h. Develop Strategies for Coping with Stress and Hardships 3. The Satisfaction with Life Scale - a 5-question measure of Happiness a. In most ways my life is close to my ideal b. The conditions of my life are excellent c. I am satisfied with my life d. So far I have got the important things I want in life e. If I could live my life over, I would change almost nothing 4. The Social Readjustment Scale - a measure of stressors in the last 6 months a. A 43-item list of typically experienced life change events commonly used by researchers interested in the impact of stress on health and well-being. It was designed to predict the allostatic load (physiological cost) of the transient social adjustment required when certain life events occur (e.g. marriage, traffic ticket or a loan). It is well-validated and is cited in over 6000, widely varied, scientific publications. 5. Steps of Benson’s Relaxation Response Herbert Benson discovered relaxation response which can counter the fight or flight response. Benson found that the relaxation response reduces the body’s metabolism, heart and breathing rate, blood pressure, muscle tension, and calms brain activity, increases the immune response, helps attention and decision making, and changes gene activities that are the opposite of those associated stress. What makes people happy? (Sonja Lyubomirsky) Set Point (50%) – stable natural level based on gene, experience/nurture Intentional activity (40%) – big chunk about proactivity towards happiness Circumstances (10%) – always regression to mean even after big happy circumstance Experiment IV: Meditation and Difficulty of task DV: speed (reaction time) and accuracy (correctness) CV: Same number of trails, multiple trials averaged, random order viewing Hypothesis: It will be easier to answer easier questions after meditation. The more creative you are, the more difficult questions you’ll be able to answer. Lab 4 1. Psychophysics: how physical stimuli are translated into psychological experience 2. Sensation: stimulation of sense organs 3. Transduction: the process of converting an external stimulus into electrical signals within neurons 4. Perception: selection, organization, and interpretation of sensory input Detecting Stimulus Fechner: the concept of the threshold (there is no real absolute threshold so…) Absolute threshold: where the stimulus is detected 50% of the time. Just noticeable difference (JND): smallest difference detectable Weber’s law = size of JND proportional to size of initial stimulus Psychophysical Scaling: Fechner’s Law = size of perceptual experience is proportional to the number of JND’s that the stimulus is above the absolute threshold. Signal Detection Theory Sensory processes (sensitivity) + decision processes (bias) Hits, Misses, False Alarms, and Correct Rejections Perception is for perceiving forms, patterns and objects 3  Illusions An illusion is a distortion of the senses, revealing how the brain normally organizes and interprets sensory stimulation. Perceptual Set Theory explains that when our expectations influence our perceptions, we have a tendency to perceive or notice some aspects of the available sensory data and ignore others. Stresses the idea of perception as an active process. Perceptual Sets demonstrate that the same visual stimulus can result in very different perceptions Optical Illusions - discrepancy between visual appearance and physical reality Famous optical illusions: Muller-Lyer Illusion, Ponzo Illusion, Poggendorf Illusion, Upside-Down T Illusion, Zollner Illusion, the Ames Room, and Impossible Figures. Experiment "What is the effect of the physical size of the line (X) on the probability of saying LARGER (Y) while controlling for progressive error and random error (Z)?" IV: 12 Comparator line lengths (constant) DV: probability of choosing longer and skill time CV: size of the reference ling, progression error, random error Hypothesis: The closer the comparator line in length is to the reference line, the harder it will be judge which is longer, and the longer the decision will take in seconds due to the Muller-Lyer illusion. Lab 5 Terminology 1) Magazine training - turning the food delivery sound into a Secondary Reinforcer 2) Shaping Bar Pressing - using positive reinforcement to train new behaviours 3) Cumulative Record - tracking Sniffy's bar presses on a printer-like apparatus 4) Extinction of Bar Pressing - when the behaviour no longer produces any rewards 5) Spontaneous Recovery - the reappearance of the behaviour after extinction and timeout Classical conditioning UCS, UCR, NS -> CS, CR Acquisition period: learning phase during where a conditioned response is established Increases progressively in strength Works best when CS and NS are near together Possible test question: classical conditioning vs operant conditioning Experiment What is the effect of shaping procedures on Sniffy's bar pressing rate while controlling hunger? IV: Before vs. after training procedures DV: Rate of bar pressing behavior (bar presses per minute) CV: Animal is motivated to find food (always hungry) & every bar press gets rewarded (continuous reinforcement) 4