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Paper A - MRCPsych > Psychology > Flashcards

Psychology Flashcards

1
Q

Information is held in the long term memory by the process of:

A

Elaborative rehearsal e.g associations, organisation, mnemonics etc

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2
Q

Information is held in the short term memory by the process of:

A

maintenance rehearsal e.g repeating a phone number over and over again

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3
Q

What are the 4 bipolar dyads of primary emotions as described by Plutchik?

A

Joy-Sadness
Anticipation-Surprise
Acceptance-disgust
Anger-fear

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4
Q

What were Paul Ekman’s 6 basic emotions?

A

Anger
Disgust
Fear
Joy
Sadness
Surprise

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5
Q

Whose theory says that intelligence comes from a balance of analytical, creative and practical abilities?

A

Robert Sternberg

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6
Q

What is the Flynn effect?

A

IQ increases with successive generations, around 3 points per decade

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7
Q

What is the name given to a technique where an unpleasant stimulus is paired with an unwanted behaviour (such as nail-biting, smoking) in order to create an aversion to it

A

Aversive conditioning

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8
Q

What is temporal conditioning?

A

NO CONDITIONED STIMULUS - regular time interval between unconditioned stiimulus. Response starts to happen just before the stimulus

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9
Q

How do behaviours conditioned by partial reinforcement compare to those conditioned by continuous reinforcement?

A

They are acquired more slowly, and extinguish more slowly e.g casino slot machines

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10
Q

What is re-enforcement, in operant conditioning?

A

Any stimulus that INCREASES a response
Pos = something good happens
Neg = something bad taken away

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11
Q

What is semantic memory?
What is episodic memory?

A

Both are types of explicit (declarative) memory

Semantic = Long term memory for information about the world but not personal to your life
Episodic = memory for specific events

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12
Q

What is the difference between retrograde and anterograde amnesia?

A

Retrograde: loss of memories from before a traumatic event/ incident

Anterograde: inability to form or retain new memories

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13
Q

What is the difference between flooding and implosion (in immediate exposure therapy)?

A

Flooding - in vivo
Implosion - in imagination

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14
Q

What is Ribot’s law of memory disturbance?

A

During retrograde amnesia, older memories are the most resistant to disruption or impairment

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15
Q

What are the Big Five personality traits?

A

Openness
Conscientiousness
Extraversion
Agreeableness
Neuroticism

OCEAN

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16
Q

What is the Premack principle?

A

Access to a preferred action will reinforce any action that is less preferred

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17
Q

What syndromes?

Unimpaired immediate memory, implicit memory and global intelligence ability

Impaired delayed recall (anterograde amnesia)
Variable extent of retrograde amnesia

A

Amnesic syndromes

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18
Q

What syndrome?
Significant impairment with ability to lay down new memories
Variable length of retrograde amnesia
Unimpaired working and procedural memory

A

Korsakoff’s

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19
Q

What are the 6 Gestalt principles?

A

Continuation
Closure

Similarity
Symmetry

Good Figure
Proximity

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20
Q

What are the 3 steps in reciprocal inhibition?

A

1) relaxation training
2) constructing a hierarchy of anxieties
3) desensitisation of the stimulus

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21
Q

What are the original 5 tiers in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs?
What approach does this model take?

A

Physiological
Safety
Love and Belonging
Esteem
Self-Actualisation

(Bottom to top of pyramid)
1-4 = deficiency needs
5 = growth/ being needs

Takes a humanistic approach

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22
Q

What additional needs were added to Maslow’s hierarchy after the original 5?

A

Cognitive and aesthetic needs - additional growth needs/ being needs (right below self-actualisation)

Transcendence needs - just above self-actualisation

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23
Q

What biopsychological theory is associated with the following people:
1) Cannon
2) Hull
3) Hebb

Also known as extrinsic motivation theories

A

1) Homostatic drive theory
2) Drive reduction theory
3) Arousal reduction theory

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24
Q

What is the Needs Theory?

A

AKA intrinsic motivation theory, based on socio-psychological approach i.e cognitive motives behind people’s coplex behaviour in the context of their different social situations

Examples are McClelland’s Needs Theory and Deci and Ryan’s Self Determination Theory of Needs

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25
What are the 4 types of partial reinforcement schedules?
Variable ratio Fixed ratio Variable interval Fixed interval Fixed = number of responses or amount of time between reinforcements is SET Variable = number of responses or amount of time between reinforcements can VARY Interval = TIME-based Ratio = Number of responses based
26
What is extinction? What type of reinforcement schedules is most resistant to extinction?
The conditioned stimulus is presented alone, without the unconditioned stimulus, resulting in a gradual decrease in the conditioned response Variable ratio -e.g gambling
27
What is the difference between shaping and chaining?
Shaping - always moves forward, ad each new approximation is reinforced Chaining - can sometimes move backwards, and reward is at the end
28
What was Dollard's hypothesis?
Frustration-aggression hypothesis - The theory says that aggression is the result of blocking, or frustrating, a person's efforts to attain a goal
29
In heuristics (cognitive biases), define the following: Representativeness Availability Anchoring and Adjustment
Rep - mental shortcut for estimating probability Availability - more recent/ readily available answers are preferred as remembered easier Anch and ash - locking into early info and disregarding later info
30
In heuristics (cognitive biases), define the following: Framing effect Base-rate effect Confirmation bias
FE - reacting to info based on how it is presented to you BR- ignoring incidence rates in pop, when dealing with an individual CB - interpreting info to fit preconceived ideas rather than objectively
31
In heuristics (cognitive biases), define the following: Conjunction rule Diagnostic momentum
CR - related to Occam's Razor - one single unifying explanation is more likely than multiple simultaneous events DM - continuing course of action without considering any new info available
32
What are the following declarations, as recognised by the World Medical Association? 1) Geneva 2) Helsinki 3) Tokyo
1) revision of Hippocratic oath -introduced following crimes committed in Nazi Germany 2) statement of ethical principles involving using human subjects for medical research 3) "Doctors should refuse to participate in, condone or give permission for torture, degradation or cruel treatment of detainees or prisoners"
33
What are the following declarations, as recognised by the World Medical Association? 4) Malta 5) Lisbon 6) Ottowa
4) offers guidance for doctors treating people on hunger strike 5) international statement of the rights of patients 6) sets out principles necessary for optimal child health
34
What are the 3 main ethical theories that are important in medicine?
Utilitarianism Deontological Virtue-Based
35
What did James Childress and Tom Beauchamp introduce in 1970?
The idea of the 4 principles/ principlism - based on 4 common, basic, prima facie moral commitments: Autonony Beneificence Justice Non-maleficence
36
What is utilitarianism?
Founded on work by Jeremy Betham and John Mill "the greatest good for the greatest number" Teleological A CONSEQUENTIALIST theory - consequences are most important E.G NICE guidelines based on evidence based medicine
37
Teleological vs deontological theories:
T: morality is determined by outcome D: morality is determined by adherence to the rules
38
What ethical theory is associated with Kant?
Deontology - He believed that morality was not dependent on how much happiness resulted from particular actions. Rather, he thought morality was something humans imposed upon themselves because they are rational beings. Examples include the 10 commandments or the GMC good practice guidelines
39
What are "virtue ethics"?
Founded on the ethical characteristics of a person
40
What sort of influence is considered a factor of social influence when a group makes a polarised decision?
Normative Influence - people don't want to stick out or appear odd so say what others say
41
What is Fundamental Attribution Error?
A persuasive tendency to underestimate the importance of external situational pressures and to overestimate the importance of internal motives and disposition in interpreting others' behaviour.
42
What is the semantic differential scale?
A visual analogue scale with 7 points with polarised adjectives at the extremes separated by a line. Subjects have to mark their attitudes between the two. Note: may be subject to POSITIONAL RESPONSE BIAS
43
What is the Phi phenomenon? Who defined it?
Defined by Max Wertheimer Occurs when 2 visual stimuli a couple of cm apart are presented in an alternating pattern, where the subject views the stimuli as moving
44
Who proposed the theory of cognitive dissonance?
Leon Festinger
45
Cognitive dissonance is a motivating state of tension or distress that tends to generate THREE types of dissonance-reducing behaviours:
1) Changing one of the cognitions 2) decreasing the perceived importance of the dissonant cognitions 3) adding further "justifying" cognitions
46
What did Berkowitz have to say on aggression?
Aggressive-cue hypothesis - frustration provokes anger, but for this anger to be expressed as aggression, certain environmental cues are needed.
47
Define the following: 1) Reward Power 2) Coercive Power 3) Referent Power 4) Legitimate Power 5) Expert Power
1) someone in authority can reward an individual for compliance 2) power of punishment 3) power through identification with the leader 4) power bestowed by virtue of social position 5) from having expert knowledge or skills
48
What is instrumental aggression?
Carried out for the purpose of achieving a goal e.g. kidnapping for ransom. Planned, not impulsive.
49
What is the Hawthorn Effect?
Improvement in the performance or productivity in workers when they are being observed
50
In Milgram's Obedience experiments, what factors increased obedience?
Administering by proxy Distance further from the victim Subject being relieved of responsibility Authority figure providing instructions
51
What is the Halo Effect?
Generalisation from the perception of one prominent characteristic or trait to an impression of a while - e.g people who are more attractive get assigned more positive personality traits
52
What strategies can reduce Groupthink?
Encouraging open debate Acknowledging the presence of groupthink Seeking external opinion Splitting the groiup into smaller units for discussion Encouraging challenges Reserving the leader's opinions until after the group's discussion
53
What graphical representation of relationships in a group was developed by Moreno?
Sociogram
54
What is the name given to the psychological state characterised by a loss of the sense of individuality and personal accountability in a group? (Can lead to mob behaviour and loss of inhibition)
Deindividuation
55
Define the following: 1) polarisation 2) risky-shift phenomenon 3) social loafing (Ringelmann - tug of war experiment)
1) people express more moderate ideas when asked 1:1 but can make more extreme group decisions on the same issue 2) people make riskier decisions in a group than as individuals 3) the tendency to exert less effort when working as part of a co-operative group than when on ones own.
56
What is the name given to the style of leadership where the leader has the ability to motivate and enthuse the group to pursue the goal?
Persuasive style
57
What are the three leadership styles described by Lewin and how does each affect task completion and productivity?
1) Autocratic 2) Democratic 3) Laissez-faire Productivity = higher in LF than A Task completion = lower in LF, higher in A and D
58
Name 3 ways attitudes can predict behaviour:
1) they are strong and consistent 2) they are based on direct experience 3) they specifically relate to the behaviour being predicted
59
What are the three components of an ATTITUDE:
1) Affective component - how we evaluate something based on emotion or preferences 2) Behavioural component - how we act towards the thing 3) Cognitive component - based on knowledge or information ABC
60
What is Allport's concept of prejudice, when broken down into the three components of an attitude?
1) Cognitive component - stereotypes 2) affective component - hostility 3) behavioural component - anti-locution, avoidance, discrimination, physical attack or extermination (increasing severity)
61
What are the 4 factors described by NEWCOMB in 1961 that affect the probability of making an aquaintance?
1) proximity 2) reciprocity 3) similarity 4) complementarity Proximity = most important
62
In Carl Jung's theory of the psyche, what is an archetype?
A symbolic image in the collective unconscious
63
Which neo-Freudian believed that the main driving force in personality is "striving for superiority"?
Alfred Adler
64
Who introduced the concept of the persona (mask) which is the part of the ego presented to other people, along with the other (more hidden) part of the self which is the 'shadow'?
Carl Jung - Neo-Freudian
65
Name 4 important archetypes described by Jung:
Anima - female principle Animus - male principle Shadow Self
66
Whose theory on group dynamics talks about groups having both a "working group" and a "basic assumptions group"?
Wilfred Bion
67
What were the 3 types of basic assumption group described by Bion?
1) Dependency - Here the group turns towards a leader to protect them from anxiety 2) Fight-flight - Here the group acts as if there is an enemy who must be attacked or avoided. The enemy can be either within the group or external. 3) Pairing - Here the group acts as if the answer lies in the pairing of two of the members
68
What are the 4 paths to acculturalisation, as described by John Berry?
Assimilation - refers to the partial adaptation of a new culture (seen in migrants or refugees) without retaining or giving up all of one's culture of origin completely Integration: Maintaining one's home culture but also embracing the dominant culture. Separation: Maintaining one's home culture and being isolated from the dominant culture. Marginalization: Giving up the home culture and failing to relate properly to the dominant culture.
69
What are the 44 parts of the STIGMA model yb Link and Phelan?
1) Labelling 2) Stereotyping 3) Separating 4) Status loss and discrimination
70
What are the 4 vulnerability factors for depression in women, described by Brown and Harris?
1) Three or more children under the age of 14 at home 2) Lack of an intimate relationship with a husband or boyfriend 3) Lack of employment outside of the home 4) Loss of a mother before the age of 11 years
71
There are 4 main theories of emotion: 1) James-Lange theory 2) Cannon-Bard theory 3) Singer-Schachter theory 4) Lazarus theory
1) emotions happen BECAUSE OF bodily sensations (Event - arousal - interpretation - emotion) 2) Stimulus for emotion arises simultaneously in the body and the mind. 3) Two-Factor Theory - Stimulus for emotion arises via a combination of physical sensations and the mind appraisal of them i.e context dependent 4) stimulus for emotion arises from the mind.
72
Name 4 famous figures in the anti-psychiatry movement:
Thomas Szasz R.D.Laing Michel Foucault Franco Basaglia
73
Eman Valliant recognised and offered a combined classification system of defense mechanisms. What are the 4 main categories, and examples of each?
1) Psychotic i.e break with reality - delusional projection, psychotic denial, psychotic distortion 2) Immature/ narcissistic - Acting out, dissociation, passive aggression, schizoid fantasy, projection, hypochondriasis, splitting, regression 3) Neurotic/ intermediate (causing the user more discomfort than the observer) - displacement, repression, reaction formation, disassociation, intellectualisation, undoing 4) mature/ empathic - anticipation, altruism, humor, sublimation, suppression
74
What are the following: Delay conditioning Trace conditioning Backward conditioning
D: the conditioned stimulus precedes the unconditioned stimulus by a delay. The conditioned stimulus is still active when the unconditioned stimulus begins. T: involves the presentation of the unconditioned stimulus once the conditioned stimulus has finished. B: the conditioned stimulus follows the unconditioned stimulus.
75
What is incubation in conditioning?
This occurs in fear responses. When a person is exposed to a stimulus which causes fear (for example being bitten by a dog), the fear response can increase over time due to brief exposures to the conditioned stimulus (for example to sight of dogs). This explains how fears can grow
76
What is Reciprocal Determinism? (Described by Bandura)
Bandura's work is often seen as a link between behaviourism and cognitive psychology as he introduced a concept called reciprocal determinism. Basically, by this he meant that people's behaviour is influenced by their environment but also that their behaviour influences their environment. (Social learning theory)

Paper A - MRCPsych (6 decks)

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