AAMC FL 1: Psych/ Soc Flashcards
Misinformation effect
Refers to memory errors (usually errors of commission) in which our information introduced and encoded after the target information is retrieved along w some portions of the target information. In such cases, the subject usually has trouble identifying which retrieved information had been originally encoded and which information was introduced subsequently, a situation known as source confusion
Spreading activation
Suggests that, when the representation of a concept is activated in memory, the activation spreads to concepts that are semantically or associatively related to it .: People often retrieve un presented members of a category when tested on their memory for a series of presented concepts from that category
Source monitoring
Refers to a subjects ability to retrieve the details of the situation extant when memory items were encoded. More specifically, when some additional information is introduced after the original encoding, this post- event information can be mistakenly included in recall of the original event, leading to the misinformation effect
According to Piaget’s theory of cognitive development, at what age does the concrete operational stage start and end? What is a major characteristic of this stage?
- 7-11 y/o
- Mastery/ understanding of conservation
Classical conditioning is closely related to what approach of psychological disorders?
Behaviorist
Trait theory refers to what approach?
An approach to personality
Classical conditioning has to do with
Pavlov’s dog and developing conditioned stimuli and responses from unconditioned ones
Operant conditioning has to do with
postive/ negative reinforcements and punishments and fixed/ variables/ ratio/ interval approaches
Discriminatory stimuli
Allow an organism to tell whether an appetitive stimulus or an aversive stimulus is forthcoming in an operant conditioning situation
Signaling stimuli
Neutral stimulus that my potentially become conditioned stimuli
What is the reticular activation system responsible for and where is it located?
- Deep in the brain stem
- Concerned w functions involving arousal, particular the sleep wake cycle, and attention
What structures are part of the limbic system? Are changes in activity levels of these structures generally sensed?
- Thalamus, hypothalamus, hippocampus
- NO
Somatic nervous system
Division of the peripheral nervous system that controls sensory and motor functions of effectors that enable the organism to deal w its external environment
Cognitive appraisal
Has to do w interpretation
Affective processing
Emotional processing
Experimental studies are unlikely to be done when:
- It would extremely difficult to systematically manipulate participants physiological states and their sensitivity to changes in those states
- Random assignment to various conditions involving maintenance of what is being study would pose insurmountable ethical restrictions
Choroid
Located deep to the sclera
Retina
Forms the innermost layer along the posterior portion of the eye -> Where rod and cone cells are located
Cornea
Forms the outermost layer of the front of the eye (directly in context w the back of the eyelids)
Sound in ducked vibrations depolarize hair cells of the cochlea by opening opening ion channels that are gated in what way?
Mechanically: They generate tension within the membrane that directly activate ion channels responsible for auditory signaling
Olfaction and gustation use what kind of ion channels? What do they require
Chemically gated ions channels which require the binding of a molecule to the ion channel, causing it to open
Electrically gated ion channels activate upon a change in what? What is this associated w?
- Membrane potential
- Action potential propogration
Actor- observer bias
States that observers will attribute their own bad behavior to situational factors (EX: not feeling well), whereas observers will attribute actors behavior to dispositions factors (EX: Social awkwardness)
Habituation and dishabituation
-Habituation involves a repeating stimulus and getting use to it -> Leads to diminished response -Dishabituaiton occurs when the stimulus is changed and there is a fast recovery of the response that has undergone habituation
Optimal arousal theory
States that optimal performance requires optimal arousal and that arousal levels that are too high or too low will impede performance
Increases in electrical skin conductivity and elevated heart rate are physiological indications of increased ________________ arousal. These symptoms are associated with what response
- Sympathetic
- Stress response
Melatonin is a hormone involved in what? Where is it secreted from?
- Sleep wake cycle
- Pineal gland
Research on group dynamics has shown that people are more likely to trust _______________ members than _______________ members
- In- groups
- Out- group
-Ceiling effect -> What is the opposite known as?
- A situation in which the majority of values obtained for a variable approach the upper limit of the scale used its measurement
- Floor effect
Confounding variable
A third variable in a study examining a potential cause and effect relationship that can influence both the dependent and independent variable .: Making it difficult to separate the true effect of the independent variable from the effect of the confounding variable -> Can cause false associations
Selye’s general adaptation syndrome (GAS)
An organisms stress response will always follow a similar course, regardless of the nature of a stressor
Conformity vs group polarization vs group think
- Conformity: A type of social influence involving a change in belief or behavior in order to fit within a group
- Group polarization: People’s attitudes become more extreme after they discuss the attitude objects w like-minded individuals (think of political parties) -> Results in the form of conformity
- Group think: Results in decisions made based on the desire of not upsetting a group of people
Primary function of hippocampus
Memory
Functions of the hypothalamus
Processing sympathetic nervous inputs and control of the endocrine system through its connection not the pituitary gland
A major function of the cerebellum
Coordinating motor tasks
Primary function of cochlea
Reception of auditory sensory inputs
What is social facilitation? What is needed to make any real inferences about it?
- Related to the tendency for the presence of others to improve a person’s performance or task
- A manipulation to group size
Ethnographic methods involve what?
- The systematic observation of people in their cultural settings.
- May also include in- depth interviews as well to better understand a participants culture
What do experimental methods require? What is the exception?
- Manipulation of an independent variable and the random assignment to different groups (usually an intervention or experimental group and control group)
- Exception is that under circumstance it would unethical and impractical to randomly assign different groups, in which case a experimental methods cant be used
What does the median do?
Splits the sample distribution of values in half .: It represents the middle of the distribution
What does social network analysis involve?
Mapping the social relationships that exist among a set of individuals
Social reproduction
Refers to the perpetuation of inequality through social institutions
Social stratification
Refers to the hierarchy of social positions in a society (often according to ether social class or status)
Social support
Refers to the tangible and intangible forms of assistance that individuals receive from their social ties
What does gentrification describe? W the arrival of more affluent residents, what happens?
- Describes the process in which relatively affluent individuals move into a neighborhood that recently consisted of residents with moderate to low income
- Housing demands increases and often leads to a decrease in affordable housing available to lower income residents -> Given the increase in real estate prices, it could lead to an increased tax revenue/ tax base for the local government
Superego, ego, and id are constructs used in what theory?
Psychoanalytic theory
Peer pressure is what kind of influence?
Normative social influence
What does the validity of a study have to do with? What is normally considered a necessary condition for validity? What is this condition?
- The study’s ability to actually measure what it was intended to measure
- Reliability or a consistency among recorded values
In Erikson’s theory of psychosocial development, what is the major crises facing adults? Explain this crisis
- Generativity vs stagnation
- Through generativity we develop a sense of being a part of the bigger picture -> Success leads to feelings of usefulness, accomplishment, and valuable contribution
- Failing to find a way to leads to stagnation -> We become stagnant, feel unproductive, and disconnected and unloved by their community
Assimilation refers to what? It is often used in the context of what? What does it assume?
- Refers to the process in which new members of a society adopt the normas and values of the dominant culture -> Has to do w cultural adaptation, adopting new norms, and relinquishing old norms)
- Often used in the context of migration: Movement both within a nation and across nations), describing the process of cultural adaption that occurs as a result of moving to a different location
- Presumes that individuals will not retain the norms that previously held when they were younger
What is linguistic relativity AKA Whorf-Sapir hypothesis? What relationship does it emphasize?
- The idea that the structure of a language affects the perceptions of its speakers
- A relationship bt language and cognition
Nativist hypothesis
Concerned w the acquisition of a child’s first or NATIVE language
What is Weber’s law?
The name given to. The robust psychophysical observation that the just noticeable difference (JND) bt two physical stimuli is a constant proportion (Weber’s constant) of the original (or standard) stimulus
Social support is generally associated w what?
Better health
What does social support refer to?
Social network ties (friends, family, and other relationships) that provide an individual w various type of assistance, some of which can improve health or reduce harms
What is the short-memory store rule or working capacity? Who named it?
George Miller (1956) named it the “Magical number 7 plus or minus 2”, indicating the capacity of STM is bt 5 and 9 items
Intrinsic vs extrinsic motivation
- Intrinsic motivation: Doing something bc it is personally rewarding to you or you find it interesting -> Doing it bc YOU want to do it
- Extrinsic motivation: Doing something bc it you want to earn a reward or avoid punishment
Chunking
Combining information into groups to make it easier to recognize
Episodic memory
Refers to long term memory representations of events experience by someone
The Atkinson- Shiffrin multistore memory model, the initial registration of the information processed in the form of what kind of memory? How long is it?
Sensory memory which is extremely brief in duration
Prior to the creation of the Baddeley’s working memory (WM) model, the Atkinson-Shiffrin multistore memory model included what?
A short term memory store, which came to be termed short- term memory (STM)
What is content analysis? How can it be applied to studying a group’s website?
- A sociological method that is used to make inferences about a group’s communication
- Can be used to jelp determine which beliefs the organization emphasizes to the general public
Assimilated group
Refers to a group that adopts the normas and values of a new culture
What are reference groups? What are they important for?
- Individuals often emulate the attitudes and behaviors of groups that they would like to join -> This group that they emulate is known as their reference group
- Sociologists say they are important for self- evaluation and identity formation
What are peer groups made up of?
Individuals in a similar social position or social role
Independent vs dependent variable
- Independent variable: Variable that is changed or manipulated
- Dependent variable: Variable that is measured to see how the independent variable changes or influences it
Semantic memory
Refers to memory for general world knowledge and other meaningful information like the meanings of words and phrases
Explicit memory
Refers to the information retrieval as demonstrated by a direct memory track like free recal, serial recall, yes-no recognition, or forced choice recognition task
What is procedural memory? It is a variety of what kind of memory?
- Refers to the memory for performing a particular task -> EX: Muscle memory, riding a bike: It just seems to come back to you, you know how to do it
- Variety of implicit memory
Network redundancy
Refers to the repetition of ties within a social network
Homogeneity
Refers to similarity in demographic characteristics of social ties in a network, such as based on gender identity, race/ ethnicity or social class
Role strain
The tension that results from competing demands within the context of a single social role
Role conflict
Refers to the tension that can exist bt social expectations of two or more social olds that a single individual holds
Members of in-groups tend to share what? How does this affect trust? What are some characteristics that can be important of an in-group? This rests in a shared what?
- Members of an in-group tend to share common backgrounds and similar social group identities
- This generally results in high levels of trust among in-group members
- Racial/ ethnic identity can be important of an in-group, resintg in a shared culture, language, and community
What are dyads? What are triads? Which is considered more stable?
- Dyads are two person groups
- Triads are three person groups
- Dyads are unstable bc either party can break the single social tie at any time. Triads are considered to be more stable bc of the additional social tie holding the group tg
From a perspective of group dynamics in sociology, are larger are smaller groups considered to be more stable? Which are considered to be more intimate?
- Larger groups are considered to be more stable, but less intimate
- Smaller groups are considered to be more intimate, but less stable
Master status
Specifically identifies a status of an individual that tends to supersede all other statuses that individual has
Must status hierarchies rely on SES differences only?
No, status can refer to general social status or to other thymes of social categories such as gender identity, race, or ethnicity
Qualitative study
Involves research methods using non-numerical data
Quantitive study
Involves data collecting numerical data
Mixed methods study
Research design that employs both a quantitive and qualitative component
Case study
Focuses on the examination of a single case
Comparative methods
Involve comparing an organization, geographic region, government, or other entity
What is class system? Is there room for social mobility?
- Has status positions, but are not generally considered to be closed
- Yes, but opportunities for social mobility can vary
What are caste system?
Generally, they are closed stratification systems that do not provide many opportunities for social mobility
Economic systems
Refers to how the economy of a society is structured
Financial systems
Refers to how a society finances its encompass and organizations
What is the functionalist theory? How would a functionalist interpret status hierarchies?
- Assumes that social phenomena have a specific function that work within a systematic whole
- They would assume that they exist to serve a function like organizational efficient while at the same time recognizing that discrimination can occur as a possible dysfunction of social system like a byproduct
Symbolic interactionism
Focuses on social interactions and the subjective me meaning that emerges from social interactions
What does the conflict theory emphasize and assume?
- Emphasizes COMPETITION bt social groups over the allocation of resources
- Assumes that power and authority are unequally distributions across a society and that groups attempt to maintain their advantages
The fovea is directly involved in
Color sensation
What is the optic disc? Are there any light sensitive rods or contes there to respond to light?
- AKA optic nerve head: The location where ganglion cell axons exit the eye to form the optic nerve
- NO
What is the sclera? What is is continuous with?
- White outer layer of the eyeball
- At the front it is continuous w the cornea
What lobe of the brain is responsible for vision?
Occipital
What lobe of the brain is responsible for hearing?
Temporal
What is the somatosensory cortex? Where is it located?
area of the cerebral cortex receives sensory information from the somatic senses, plus proprioceptive senses and some visceral senses. It is located on the postcentral gyrus of the parietal lobe
What is the motor cortex? Where is it located? What 3 parts does it consist of?
- The primary function of the motor cortex is to generate signals to direct the movement of the body.
- It is part of the frontal lobe and is anterior to the central sulcus.
- It consists of the primary motor cortex, premotor cortex, and the supplementary motor area.
When is reinforcement delivered in a fixed ratio reinforcement schedule? What about fixed interval?
- In this schedule, reinforcement is delivered after the completion of a number of responses. The required number of responses remains constant
- A fixed-interval schedule is when behavior is rewarded after a set amount of time
What does the sociological paradigm of conflict theory broadly calls attention to
competition among social groups, including generational conflict.
What is the dependency ratio? Who is considered economically dependent? Who is considered economically productive?
- is a ratio of the number of economically dependent members of the population to the number of economically productive members.
- The economically dependent are those considered too young or too old to work
- economically productive are the working-age population (approximately between the ages of 18 and 65)
What is the life course prespective?
A multidisciplinary approach to understanding an individual’s mental, physical and social health. Done by analyzing people’s lives through social, structural, and cultural contexts. -> The life course approach in social epidemiology (not to be confused with the life course theory of aging!) refers to the idea that experiences earlier in life may affect health outcomes later in life
What does linguistic relativity suggest?
human cognition is affected by language.
What are source monitoring errors?
Occurs when the details of an event are correctly remembered, but the origin or context of the information (the “source”) is incorrectly attributed.
A patient selectively forgetting distracting elements of his/her life, indicates
A dissociative disorder
Reward seeking motivation is most closely associated with what kind of learning/ conditioning? What does this kind of learning cause?
- Operant conditioning
2. Change in behavior due to past outcomes
Findings from comparative studies of social mobility have led some scholars to question which aspect of U.S. society? What does this aspect assume?
- Meritocracy
2. That opportunity is based on a combination of talent and effort.
What does relative poverty refer to?
refers to social disadvantage by income or wealth as compared to the social advantages linked to income or wealth in a society.
What may partly explain the relatively good health of individuals from some immigrant groups in the United States (when compared to U.S.-born individuals with otherwise similar demographic characteristics)?
Strong social support in local immigrant communiteisn
Immigrant groups that are more assimilated (or as they become assimilated) tend to have worse what? Why? They are less likely
- worse health outcomes (or lose their previous health advantages) than less assimilated immigrant groups.
- more assimilated groups are likely to have less social support over time. Reducing that protective factor could thus lead to worse health overall
What is the socioeconomic gradient in health?
refers to the graded relationship between social class and health, in which each “step” up on the hierarchy of social stratification tends to be associated with better health.
What does the fundamental attribution error refer to?
Refers to stressing the importance of dispositional (i.e., personality) factors in one’s explanations of other people’s behavior and underemphasizing situational factors.
What are memory schemas?
Organized clusters of knowledge
What does modeling refer to?
otherwise known as observational learning, occurs from watching, retaining, and replicating a behavior observed from a model
What is interference? What is the difference bt proactive and retroactive interference?
- All memories interfere with the ability to recall other memories.
- Proactive interference occurs when memories from someone’s past influence new memories
- Retroactive interference occurs when new ones change old memories, sometimes so much that the original memory is forgotten.
What is cognitive dissonance?
Asserts that people will feel distress when they hold conflicting attitudes or beliefs, or when the exhibit behavior that is inconsistent with their beliefs.
What are affective attitudes?
The affective component of attitude relates to a person’s feelings or emotions in their shaping on attitudes to a person or object. If you feel more positive about someone you are more likely to address them in a positive manner.
What are the components of attitude?
ABC: Affective (feelings) , behavioral (affect of the attitude on behavior), cognitive (belief and knowledge)
Stereotype threat
the experience of anxiety or concern in a situation where a person has the potential to confirm a negative stereotype about their social group.
Bias tends to be directed toward what kind of groups?
Out- groups
Primary vs secondary group
-Primary group = long-term relationship/interaction, such as family and friends. -Secondary group = short-term relationship/interaction, such as classmates, colleagues.
In gropu vs out group
- you identify with/belong to your in-group.
- Groups that you don’t identify with/belong to is called an out-group
Craving symptoms
Strong desire to ingest a drug
Which type of psychoactive drug has the lowest risk of dependence?
Hallucinogens