FL 6 - Psych/Soc

Question 1

Explain the effects that stress can have on memory

Answer 1

In terms of cognitive effects, stress has direct deleterious effects on memory via cortisol, a common stress hormone. Excess cortisol impairs the ability of the hippocampus to both encode and recall memories. Cortisol also hinders the hippocampus from receiving enough energy by diverting glucose levels to surrounding muscles.

Question 2

What is vagal tone?

Answer 2

Vagal tone is a measure of sympathetic nervous system activity that relates to the vagus nerve.

Question 3

How does religiosity affect the coping strategies people use in response to stress?

Answer 3

Strong religiosity is associated with more acceptance and greater use of emotion-oriented strategies to manage reactions to events, compared to problem-oriented strategies.

Question 4

What is the difference between kin selection and altruism?

Answer 4

Altruism is a choice made to benefit the greater good or a community as a whole, even if the individual making the choice incurs some harm.

Kin selection is primarily focused on the health of family members more than a community as a whole.

Question 5

What level is “food insecurity” found on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs?

Answer 5

Food insecurity is a disruption of fundamental physiological needs, which is the base (or first level) of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.

Question 6

Where would an environment of crime be referred to on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs?

Answer 6

Crime disrupts the need for safety, which is the second level of Maslow’s hierarchy.

Question 7

Where on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs would you find a scenario of a father being sent to jail?

Answer 7

Separating individuals from their family and friends disrupts the need for love and belonging, which is the third level of Maslow’s hierarchy.

Question 8

What is a phenomenological research study?

Answer 8

A phenomenological research study focuses on subjective elements of an experience by trying to understand individuals’ perceptions, perspectives, and understanding of a particular situation or event.

Often, this is done by way of collecting narratives from multiple subjects regarding the same situation or experience, in order to make generalizations about the research topic.

Question 9

What is gender schema?

Answer 9

Gender schema theory describes how cultural constructs of gender are shaped and transmitted.

Gender schema is a cognitive theory of how individuals acquire and understand elements of gender and sex-linked characteristics from their surrounding culture, and how those characteristics are transmitted inter-generationally.

Question 10

What is gender role?

Answer 10

A gender role is the set of normative behaviors viewed as acceptable or desirable for members of a given sex within a culture.

Question 11

What is gender conditioning?

Answer 11

Gender conditioning is a means by which, in part, gender roles are established. This social conditioning stems from societal reinforcements and punishments of gender-related behaviors.

Question 12

What is gender identity?

Answer 12

Gender identity is defined as the personal experience of one’s own gender.

Question 13

What is social perception?

Answer 13

Social perception refers to the mental processes by which we categorize and form impressions of other people.

Question 14

Define the “looking-glass self”

Answer 14

Looking-glass self refers to an individual shaping their self-concept based on an understanding of how others perceive them.

Question 15

What is a dichotomous variable?

Answer 15

Dichotomous variables only have two categories. A question posed in a way that requires one of two responses, it is a dichotomous variable.

Question 16

What is an ordinal variable?

Answer 16

Ordinal variables are ranked in specific orders to allow for comparisons. (1st, 2nd, 3rd…etc.)

Question 17

What is anhedonia?

Answer 17

Anhedonia is a depression symptom and is the “inability to feel pleasure.”

Question 18

What is the term for “an inability to speak”?

Answer 18

Alogia is the inability to speak.

Question 19

What is asociality?

Answer 19

Asociality is the lack of motivation or desire to engage in social activity.

Question 20

________ is a lack of interest in goal-directed behavior.

Answer 20

Avolition is a lack of interest in goal-directed behavior.

Avolition is a total lack of motivation that makes it hard to get anything done. You can’t start or finish even simple, everyday tasks. Getting off the couch to wash the dishes or drive to the supermarket can feel like climbing Mount Everest.

Avolition is sometimes a symptom of schizophrenia and severe depression.

Question 21

_________, in the vocabulary of operant conditioning, refers to the gradual elimination of behavior when the reward or punishment system is taken away.

Answer 21

Extinction, in the vocabulary of operant conditioning, refers to the gradual elimination of behavior when the reward or punishment system is taken away.

Question 22

A ________ reinforcement schedule is defined as one reward per response.

Answer 22

A continuous reinforcement schedule is defined as one reward per response.

Question 23

The (hippocampus/amygdala) is part of the limbic system and is the brain’s center for generating emotions and emotional behavior.

Answer 23

The amygdala is part of the limbic system and is the brain’s center for generating emotions and emotional behavior.

It is more closely related to emotion than the hippocampus.

Question 24

What is the role of the anterior cingulate gyrus?

Answer 24

The anterior cingulate gyrus is involved in regulating attention, impulse control, and decision-making.

It also maintains connections to other parts of the limbic system, thus playing a role in emotion and motivation. While it does plays a role in the regulation of emotion, this is not its primary function.

Question 25

What is the role of the thalamus?

Answer 25

The thalamus is involved in relaying sensory and motor information to the rest of the brain.

Question 26

How do researchers describe the process of multi-tasking?

Answer 26

Researchers believe that most multitasking involves rapid sequential shifts of attention between tasks. These do not occur simultaneously, but may happen so rapidly that they appear simultaneous.

An individual who changes the radio station while driving a car best exemplifies sequential attention.

Question 27

In psychology, what is shadowing?

Answer 27

Shadowing is a task in which a participant repeats aloud a message word for word at the same time that the message is being presented, often while other stimuli are presented in the background. It is mainly used in studies of attention.

Question 28

_______ _________ describes the failure to notice a change in familiar stimuli. For example, a failure to notice someone’s new haircut.

Answer 28

Change blindness describes the failure to notice a change in familiar stimuli. For example, a failure to notice someone’s new haircut.

Question 29

What is “dualism” in terms of psychology?

Answer 29

Dualism is a philosophical term that helped to form the field of psychology – it refers to the idea that the mind and the body are two separate entities.

Question 30

What is cognitive distortion?

Answer 30

A cognitive distortion is a phenomenon in which our mind convinces us that something is true when it isn’t.

Question 31

What is the difference between compliance and conformity when considering social influences?

Answer 31

Compliance is going along with an explicit request, whether or not you agree with it. Dr. Smith explicitly ordered the nurse to administer the medication, and she complied despite the fact that she did not feel it was the correct decision.

Conformity refers to a change in a person’s attitudes or behavior in response to pressure from others in a group.

Question 32

A first-year resident is preparing a case presentation when he realizes that he forgot to ask the patient about her medication history. A group of third-year residents advises him to contact the patient and add the information, but his roommates tell him to guess since no one will know the difference. If the resident’s behavior conforms to the concept of social proof, he will:

1. Guess or make up the patient’s medication history and add it to the presentation.
2. Contact the patient again and add her medication history to the presentation.
3. Not add the patient’s medication history to the presentation.

Answer 32

2. Contact the patient again and add her medication history to the presentation.

Social proof (also known as informational social influence) is a psychological phenomenon where people assume the actions of others in an attempt to reflect correct behavior for a given situation. Informational social influence occurs most often when the situation is ambiguous. In other words, individuals are most susceptible to informational social influence when they have choices, but do no know which to select, or when there is a crisis, and others have more expertise in the area. If the authority of others is accepted, it is assumed that they know better than the individual making the decision. If the first-year resident conforms because of informational social influences, he most likely does so because he assumes that the third-year residents know what they are doing, considers them experts, and thinks that he can trust that their opinion is correct.

Question 33

Explain Stanley Milgram’s Electric Shock Experiment

Answer 33

Milgram’s electric shock experiment relates to how people respond to authority. This experiment indicated that participants were willing to administer painful stimuli to others if instructed to do so by an authority figure. In reality, the “others” in the study were actors who were simply pretending to be

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJFzqfLMBIw

Question 34

Explain Albert Bandura’s Bobo Doll Experiment

Answer 34

Albert Bandura, a social cognitive psychologist, famously conducted his “Bobo doll” experiments, which showed that children can display observational learning for aggressive behavior when they watch adults exhibit such behavior.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDA5nmiGD2w

Question 35

What experiment did Philip Zimbardo create? Explain its significance.

Answer 35

Philip Zimbardo’s prison study examined how people conform to different roles, especially when placed in positions of authority.

Philip Zimbardo’s Stanford prison experiment focused on the effects of power and authority on individuals. Participants designated as “guards” were given power over participants designated as “prisoners,” and over time, the guards began to exhibit progressively more abusive and problematic behavior.

Question 36

What experiment did John B. Watson perform, and what was its significance?

Answer 36

John B. Watson’s Little Albert experiment involved the use of classical conditioning and stimulus generalization to cause a healthy young boy to fear furry animals and objects.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGn_EoHiOvc

Question 37

What experiment did Solomon Asch create, and what was its significance?

Answer 37

Solomon Asch’s conformity experiment demonstrated that individuals often conform to a group view, even when the group view differs from a clearly correct answer.

Asch used a task in which a participant, along with several of Asch’s confederates, were told to judge the relative lengths of drawn lines. The confederates would give a clearly-incorrect opinion regarding which line was shorter or longer, causing the participant (who did not know that the others in the room were “in on it”) to conform to this incorrect view in some cases.

Question 38

_________ __________, which is closely related to the dramaturgical approach, is the process by which individuals attempt to influence the perceptions of observers by controlling what information they present to others during social interactions.

Answer 38

Impression management, which is closely related to the dramaturgical approach, is the process by which individuals attempt to influence the perceptions of observers by controlling what information they present to others during social interactions.

Question 39

Define: Reaction Formation

Answer 39

Reaction formation is a defense mechanism in which anxiety-inducing impulses are minimized by outwardly displaying the exact opposite thought, feeling, or tendency.

Question 40

What is the illusion of invulnerability?

Answer 40

The illusion of invulnerability is a characteristic of groupthink, in which one is okay taking excessive risks because they feel optimistic about a positive outcome (i.e., not getting in trouble).

Question 41

Describe a “collective”

Answer 41

Collectives are groups of people that are brief, spontaneous, or loosely-formed. Examples include audiences and bystanders.

Question 42

What is “expectancy”

Answer 42

expectancy theory proposes that people make conscious choices to maximize pleasurable outcomes and minimize unpleasant outcomes. This is irrelevant here.

Question 43

Describe Stage 1 of the demographic transition model

Answer 43

In Stage 1, a society is pre-industrial and has high fertility and high mortality rates.

Question 44

Describe stage 2 of the demographic transition model

Answer 44

In Stage 2, a society sees significant enough improvements in healthcare, sanitation, nutrition, and wages that the mortality rate drops. However, the fertility rate remains high, meaning that the population rapidly expands.

Question 45

Describe stage 3 of the demographic transition model

Answer 45

In Stage 3, a society sees a decrease in the fertility rate due to a move from an agricultural to an industrial economy, as well as improvements in contraception and women’s rights. In Stage 3, in order for children to be productive in society, they must go to school for many years. Furthermore, they may need to be supported by their parents for longer than they formerly were, which encourages families to have fewer children.

Question 46

Describe stage 4 of the demographic transition model

Answer 46

In Stage 4, a society becomes fully industrialized and has both low fertility rates and low mortality rates.

Question 47

Can a stereotype be a positive stereotype?

Answer 47

Yes. For example, you may believe that all asians are geniuses.

Stereotypes refer to thoughts about a person or group, and may be positive or negative, while generally negative.

Question 48

Can a prejudice be a positive prejudice?

Answer 48

Yes. For example, you may have a tendency to respect and admire those from other countries for no apparent reason.

Prejudices refer to attitudes and feelings about a person or group

Question 49

Can a stigma be a positive stigma?

Answer 49

No. Unlike stereotype and prejudice, stigma is always a highly negative perception.

A stigma refers to strong social disapproval and even outright rejection of a stigmatized group.

Question 50

Which of the following would be most likely to significantly change the demographic structure of a society that has moved to the post-industrial phase (stage 4) of the demographic transition?

1. Improved agricultural efficiency
2. Improvements in medical care leading to a higher life expectancy
3. Immigration
4. Reduced CO2 emissions

Answer 50

3. Immigration

A demographic transition’s post-industrial phase is characterized by an aging and declining population with low mortality and fertility rates (stage 4). Widespread immigration, however, is capable of changing those patterns. Therefore, this choice is correct.

Question 51

__________ focuses on the importance of empathy as a therapeutic technique, and believes in individuals’ freedom and the right to shape the trajectories of their own lives.

Answer 51

Humanism focuses on the importance of empathy as a therapeutic technique, and believes in individuals’ freedom and the right to shape the trajectories of their own lives.

Question 52

Explain the Behaviorism Perspective

Answer 52

This is B.F. Skinner all the way and the MCAT loves to talk about Skinner. The behaviorist perspective is the idea that your personality has to do with what are you punished and rewarded for.

For instance, if you gave me a baby, I could raise that to be a pinnacle of humanity and honesty by rewarding him every time he tells the truth and punishing him every time he lies. Or it could be the opposite, he’s given a reward for each lie and punishment for every truth. And now, this turns him into a lying, deceitful person.

Rewards and punishments, the operant conditioning – this is the Skinnerian ideal that who you are personality-wise is actually not up to you.

Question 53

Is this an example of a reflexive, instinctive, or learned behavior?

A child avoids eating greens after tasting their bitterness.

Answer 53

This describes a learned behavior

Question 54

Is this an example of a reflexive, instinctive, or learned behavior?

A person quickly withdraws their hand from a stove.

Answer 54

This describes a reflexive behavior

Question 55

Is this an example of a reflexive, instinctive, or learned behavior?

After fasting for 15 hours, an individual experiences increased salivation around food.

Answer 55

This describes a reflexive behavior

Question 56

Is this an example of a reflexive, instinctive, or learned behavior?

A pregnant mother-to-be feels a constant urge to clean and arrange her child’s future bedroom.

Answer 56

Nesting behavior (the urge to prepare one’s home for a newborn or child) during pregnancy is an instinctive motive of behavior.

Question 57

What is the difference between an instinct and a relfex?

Answer 57

Reflex: biologically innate responses that do not involve cognition (thinking).

Instinct: biologically innate responses that do involve cognition.

Question 58

Individuals who first experience a physiological response when asked to speak about being a victim of crime and then feel an emotion are demonstrating what theory of emotion or perception?

Answer 58

The James-Lange Theory of Emotion.

The James-Lange theory is a theory of emotion in which individuals first perceive a physiological sensation and then interpret this sensation as a type of emotion.