Practice Question Flashcards
What are encoding, storage, and retrieval?
encoding- getting information into memory
storage- retaining memory for future use
retrieval- recovering/recapturing memory when we need them
What are the three memory stores suggested by the information processing model?
Sensory memory- holds sensory information for quick snapshot. 1/2 sec
Working memory- holds info temporarily for analysis. up to 30 sec (7 plus minus 2)
Long term memory- relatively permanent storage. relatively unlimited capacity
How does increasing attention affect autonomic and effortful processing?
allows for more efficient and more effective effortful processing
no big impact on autonomic processing
Why is it more effective to study all term long, rather than in one massive session right before a final exam?
This is due to the spacing effect.
Information passes to our long term memory best when the rehearsal is spread overtime.
Which type of encoding would most people use to remember someone’s face? Which type to remember someone’s name?
visual for face (holding images)
phonological for name (holding sounds)
What is chunking, and why would you want to use it?
grouping letters or words together
so you can encode and store more information in working memory at a time
What kind of information is stored in semantic memory and episodic memory? are semantic and episodic memories implicit or explicit?
semantic- general facts
episodic- details about a certain event or personal experience
they are explicit memories (conscious recall)
If researchers show people several pictures of small rodents, then find that a lot of people include hamsters and mice when asked to name animals that make good pets, what has happened? Why did it happen?
priming- activation of one piece of information leads to activation of another piece, which leads to retrieval of specific memory.
Why do many educators believe it is helpful to take an exam in the same room where you learned the material?
context of the event can also serve as retrieval cues.
How do strong emotions affect our memory processes?
strong emotions enhance memories by leading to increased rehearsal, elaboration, and organization of an event.
special emotional memory mechanisms create flashbulb memoriesH
How does the decay theory explain forgetting?
shows that memories fade away on their own because they are neglected or not used for a long period of time
What is repression?
process in which we unconsciously prevent some traumatic events from entering our awareness, so that we do not have to experience the anxiety that the memories would bring
The saying “Elementary, my dear Watson” did not appear in any of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s work, yet millions of fans vividly remember reading these words. What processes can explain this manufactured memory?
Which parts of the brain are most active in memory? How are these parts related to neurotransmitters involved in memory?
Hippocampus convert explicit memories to long term
Neocortex: prefrontal cortex for working memory
where the neurons that display LTP reside.
Glutamate is key neurotransmitter in memories
What is a neural network and how might long term potentiation contribute to its formation?
LTP- repeated stimulation of certain nerve cells in brain can greatly increase the likelihood that the cells will respond strongly to future stimulations
Neural network is a group of connected neurons.
LTP help make these connections because the neurons now have stronger connection and more likely to stimulate each other
Why are toddlers able to effectively remember faces, places, objects, and certain skills, but not able to remember the events of their lives very well?
Brain circuits responsible for storing memories of events seem to develop more slowly than brain circuits responsible for storing info about language, motor skills, and simple association
Why do memories of elderly people tend to decline and what techniques seem to help prevent or slow down memory problems?
Brain parts like hippocampus start to shrink.
Brain puzzles,
Exercise can help slow down/prevent deficiencies and impairment of memories
Compare and contrast retrograde and anterograde amnesia. What are the causes of both?
Retrograde- forgot old stuff but can make new memories
Anterograde- remember old stuff but can’t make new memories
caused by head injuries
What changes happen in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s?
Their brains have more neurofibrillary tangles and senile plaques than normal. Signals a destructive process in the brain
How do dissociative disorders differ from organic memory disorders?
Organic memory disorders have clear organic causes like head injuries.
Dissociative disorders have no clear physical cause
What are the three components of attitudes, according to the ABC model?
Affective- how we feel
Behavioral- how we act
Cognitive- what we believe
How do cognitive dissonance theory and self-perception theory differ in their explanation of attitude change?
Cognitive Dissonance Theory- people will try to alter behavior to reduce cognitive dissonance
Self-Perception Theory- when people are uncertain of their attitudes, they infer what the attitudes are by observing their own behavior
In CD, the attitudes are clear and important to individual but in SP theory, the attitudes are ambiguous
Why do people sometimes misrepresent their attitudes?
People often state attitudes that are socially desirable rather than accurate.
Sometimes people are unaware of their attitudes. Can figure out these implicit attitudes through IAT
How does social identity theory explain prejudice?
Social Identity Theory:
prejudice emerges through 3 processes
- Social categorization: people affiliates with a group to learn how to act in the world
- Social Identity: person forms identity within a group
- Social Comparison: group members thinks their group is better.
What are central and peripheral routes to persuasion?
Central Route- emphasizes the content of message (facts)
Periperal- superficial information, feelings, impressions
How do dispositional and situational attributions differ?
Dispositional attributes behavior to a person’s characteristics and traits
Situational attributes behavior to the environmental factors and circumstances
What is the fundamental attribution error?
We tend to use dispositional attribution to explain others’ behavior
What are some exceptions to the after-observer effect?
Actor-observer effect- actor uses situational to explain own behavior while observer will use dispositional to explain actor’s behavior
Exceptions- will use situational if we know everyone will act the same or if we are given detailed info about circumstances
cultural background- collectivist more likely to us situational
What are norms, and what is their function in society?
social rules about how members of a society are expected to act
What is Stanford Prison Experiment and what does it show?
experiment where participants were given roles as either prisoners or guards. Guards started tormenting the prisoners and putting themselves in a high position
It shows the power or roles and that roles affect how we think about others and ourselves and how we act.
hat did Solomon Asch’s experiment on conformity reveal?
experiment where people had to choose the longest line and some people purposely chose the wrong answer. The others usually followed.
shows that size of group matters, needs group unanimity.
Strong social pressure to conform
What was the milligram experiment and what did it show?
the shocking experiment
shows that people are inclined to obey authority even when it means betraying our morals
What is the central difference between conformity and obedience?
In conformity, there is no leader just peers.
However, there is a central authority figure for obedience
What is groupthink, and under what conditions is it most likely to occur?
faulty group decision making when members strive for unanimity, which causes the group to not consider alternative choices.
Conditions:
too similar in background and ideologies
high group cohesiveness
high perceived threat
elevated stress
directive leader
insulation from outside influences
How does altruistic helping behavior differ from egotistic helping behavior?
altruistic helping is for concern for others, while egotistic helping is to reduce personal distress
How does the presence of other people affect the likelihood that a bystander will intervene?
bystander apathy
people are less likely to help out when there are more people around
What are some biological underpinning of aggressive behavior?
identical twins are more likely to share violent temper than fraternal twins
high level of testosterone and low levels of serotonin both associated with more aggression
What are the three components of Robert Sternberg’s trianglar theory of love, and how do they interact in relationships?
intimacy, passion, commitment
romantic love- lots of intimacy and passion, little commitment
companionate love- high intimacy and commitment, low passion
consummate love- high on all three
What is social neuroscience, and what is the “social brain”?
examines how brain mediate social processes and behaviors
the network of brain regions that are involved in understanding other people
Which brain regions have been identified as particularly important to our social functioning?
prefrontal cortex- orbitofrontal and ventromedial
Insula
amygdala
What are key features of social anxiety disorder, avoidant personality disorder, and dependent personality disorder?
SA- severe, persistent, irrational fears of embarrassment in social setting
AP- extreme discomfort in social relationships
DP- pervasive, excessive need to be taken care of. fear of separation
Describe some of the ways in which individuals with autism show a lack of responsiveness?
extreme aloofness, little interest in other people, low empathy, inability to share attention with others
What system produces the bodily arousal associated with emotions?
autonomic nervous system (increased heart rate, body temp, and respiration)
What three types of information are most commonly used by researchers to measure emotions?
behavioral displays of emotion (facial expressions, actions)
self-reports of emotion (fast and convent but may be inaccurate)
psychophysiological reactions (facial electromyography, assessment of heart rate, etc)
Name 4 physiological indicators of emotional state
Facial electromyography- measures facial muscles contraction
Heart rate- pleasant= high heart rate
Skin Conductance- more sweat is more arousal
Startle reflex- involuntary movements. measuring eye blinks
What are the major functions of emotion?
Cognitive- organize memories. memories linked to emotions are easier to recall
Behavioral- organize behavior. we act to minimize negative emotions and maximize positive ones
Social- coordinate relationships
What was the key idea in James-Lange theory, and what were Cannon’s arguments disputing this idea?
suggests that emotion begins with perception of environmental situation, which elicits physiological and behavioral changes, lastly processed in brain and converted to emotions
Cannon suggests that there doesn’t have to be a physiological phase. emotion is still felt when visceral organs are separated from nervous system.
What element did Schachter and Singer’s two-factor theory add to explanations of what determines emotional experience?
A cognitive label to determine the specific emotional state since physiological arousal can account to many different emotions
