Psychology Unit 1

Question 1

What is free will

Answer 1

o Causes effect human behaviour and impact the environment
o Behaviour is voluntary and our own will
o Freedom to act at all times
o believes determinism is de-humanising

Question 2

Determinism

Answer 2

o Causes & effect
o "Previous experience"
   - Genetic makeup
   - Environmental
o No control over our actions 
   - No free will
o Most believe humans have some control over their behaviour (soft behaviourism)

Question 3

Correlational studies

Answer 3

• No independent variables
• Dependent variables are measured and observed but no manipulated
• Scatter plot or line graph
• Cannot provide causation
• R-values and P-values

Question 4

Experimental studies

Answer 4

• Independent variable is manipulated
• looks for causation
• independent and dependent variable
• p-values
• column and bar graphs

Question 5

R-values

Answer 5

o ‘r’ values
o they identidy the relationship between dependent variables
o may range from -1 to 1
- how close it is to 0 tells us its strength
o e.g.
- if r=0.8 there is a very strong positive correlation
- if r=-0.8 strong negative correlation
- if r=0.2 weak positive correlation
- if r=-0.2 weak negative correlation

Question 6

The scientific method

Answer 6

Identify a problem - collect information - identify the research question and create hypothesis - design a research method to test hypothesis - collect and analyse data - draw conclusion (accept or reject hypothesis) - report findings - test conclusions

Question 7

Monoism

Answer 7

o View that the mind is the same thing as the brain
o Materialistic
- Views consciousness as a result of complex physical interactions between neurons (biological, all physical
o Phenomenalism
- Physical events are nothing more than a special kind of mental event (everything is mental, physical only happens because we thing it does

Question 8

Dualism

Answer 8

o View that the mind is separate from the body
o Conscious awareness is not physical
o How can something non-physical (the mind) be related to something with physical characteristics (body - brain).
o How can something non-physical (the mind) influence and produce changes in something that is physical (body - brain)

Question 9

Phrenology

Answer 9

Franz Gall (1758 - 1828)

• personality and intelligence controlled by different organs of the brain
• can predict persons character, intelligence and behaviour by examining lumps, bumps & indentations of the skull

Question 10

Psychography

Answer 10

Henry Lavery (1931)

• basically phrenology with electric powered machine
• Used these measures to provide a print out of a subject personality & mental attributes on a scale 1-5

Question 11

Identify all neuroimaging techniques

Answer 11

CT (cat) Scan
o How it works - Series of X-ray images of head, used to construct overall image of brain
o Can see major structural problem
- PET
o Radioactive tracers are injected into the blood stream, doctors monitor the tracers circulation through the brain. Gives images of cerebral blood flow. Shows which areas are most active
o How drugs effect the brain, detects Alzheimer’s
MRI
o Uses magnetic fields and radiofrequency energy, and causes Hydrogen atoms to emit energy. Measures this energy to construct an image
o Constructs an image of the brain
fMRI
o How quickly oxygen is consumed by brain cells
o active cells use O2 quicker. Watch fMRI whilst patient performing cognitive behaviour tast
o Identifies which region of the brain is involved with an activity
EEG
o Electrical activity in your brain
o electrodes on head record electrical activity from different parts of brain as it reacts to external stimuli
o Diagnose sleep disorders and epilepsy. Investigate what areas of the brain are active during cognitive functions

Question 12

what are the 2 main components of the nervous system

Answer 12

Central nervous system

Peripheral nervous system

Question 13

Central Nervous system

Answer 13

Made up of brain and spinal cord

-Forebrain, Midbrain and hindbrain

Question 14

Peripheral Nervous System

Answer 14

o remainder of the body (limbs, facial nerves, skeletal muscles, organs and glands)
o the peripheral nervous system is divided into:
- The somatic nervous system - controls voluntary movement of skeletal muscles
- The automatic nervous system - controls the involuntary muscles, organs and glands
The automatic nervous system is divided into 2 main branches:

• Sympathetic Nervous System - Responsible for activating the body in time when alertness or arousal is required (Fight or Flight)
• Parasympathetic Nervous System - Involved in maintaining the body’s regular day to day level of arousal and homeostasis

Question 15

Frontal Lobe

Answer 15

• Frontal Lobe
  o Largest lobe
  o Functions include: body movement, language, planning, judgement, problem-solving, personality and emotion regulation
  o Left frontal lobe is responsible for speech production
  o much of the frontal lobe is this left side which controls cognitive processes like: attention, planning, problem-solving and aspects of personality

Question 16

Parietal Lobe

Answer 16

receives sensations such as touch, pressure, temperature and pain from the body

Question 17

Temporal Lobe

Answer 17

Processes auditory information

understanding human speech or listening to music

Question 18

Occipital Lobe

Answer 18

• Occipital Lobe
  o Entirely concerned with vision
  o information from the left side of each retina is processed in the left occipital lobe and vice versa
  o Different parts of the primary visual cortex process different types of information