Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

Browse over 1 million classes created by top students, professors, publishers, and experts.


See full index

DP2 Psychology > The Biological Approach > Flashcards

The Biological Approach Flashcards

You may prefer our related Brainscape-certified flashcards:
Psychology 101 flashcards GRE® Psychology flashcards AP® Psychology flashcards
1
Q

Research support for neurotransmitters and behaviour

A

Rogers and Kesner 2003
Antonova 2011

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

Neurotransmitters and Behaviour
Describe the structure of the nervous system (2)

A

•Is a system of neurons
•Neurons consist of body, dendrites and axon

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

Neurotransmitters and Behaviour
Describe neurotransmitters (3)

A

•Chemical messengers
•Can be excitatory (increase likelihood of neural firing) or inhibitory (decrease)
•Their action can be affected by agonists or antagonist (either enhance or counteract action of neurotransmitters)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

Neurotransmitters and Behaviour
Explain the role of neurotransmitters in neural firing (5)

A

•Transmission is partly electrical, partly chemical
•Synapse=junction between 2 neurons
•Electrical impulse builds up at synapse and travels across axon
•At end of axon, neurotransmitter released into synaptic gap
•When neurotransmitter binds to post-synaptic neuron’s receptors, it changes it’s electric potential helping to build next impulse.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

Rogers and Kesner 2003
What is the role of acetylcholine?

A

Consolidation of memory in the hippocampus

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

Rogers and Kesner 2003
Aim

A

Determine the role of acetylcholine in the formation of spatial memory

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

Rogers and Kesner 2003
Sample

A

30 rats

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

Rogers and Kesner 2003
Method

A

Lab Experiment, Independent Measures Design

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

Rogers and Kesner 2003
Procedure (7)

A

•Rats acclimated to Hebb Williams Maze by placing food in one corner
•When all rats acclimated, experiment began
•Half of sample injected directly into hippocampus with scopolamine (acetylcholine antagonist)
•Other half injected w placebo because injections cause secretion of adrenaline which could become confounding variable
•Rats placed in maze and amount of mistakes made when navigating maze were counted
•Encoding of spatial memory measured by comparing no. of mistakes made in first 5 and last 5 trials of day 1
•Retrieval measured by comparing no of mistakes made in last 5 trials of day 1 and first 5 of day 2

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

Rogers and Kesner 2003
Results (1)

A

*Rats injected w/ scopolamine made more mistakes than those injected w placebo and took longer to navigate maze

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

Rogers and Kesner 2003
Conclusion (1)

A

Acetylcholine plays significant role in formation of spatial memory

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

Rogers and Kesner 2003
Strengths (3)

A

High Control of Variables, i.e use of placebo to prevent confounding variables = high internal validity therefore, strong cause and effect relationship

Reliable as study has been applied to humans and same results achieved

Research is useful as it could one day be used to develop treatments for alzheimers or dementia

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

Rogers and Kesner 2003
Weaknesses (3)

A

*Reductionist approach to understanding memory; there are so many different types of memory and memory consolidation is very complex

*No significant results for retrieval of memory

*Ethical concerns for use of animals, (could have used a smaller sample, could have administered acetylcholine through foods w choline instead of injecting)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

Antonova et al 2011
What experiment did they replicate on humans?

A

Rogers and Kesners investigation into the role of acetylcholine on formation aof spatial memory

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

Antonova et al 2011
Aim

A

Determine if scopolamine affects hippocampal activity in creation of spatial memory

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

Antonova et al 2011
Sample

A

20 healthy males; mean age 28

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

Antonova et al 2011
Method

A

Lab Experiment; Double Blind, Repeated Measures

18
Q

Antonova et al 2011
Procedure (8)

A

•Ps either injected w scopolamine or placebo 70-90 mins before
•Placed in an fMRI where they would complete a VR arena task
•Ps taken through the controls and how to operate the joystick
•Ps had to get to pole in the middle of an arena
•Once found, screen would go blank for 30 seconds in which ps were to rehearse route to pole
•When arena re-appeared, ps began in new starting position and had to use spatial memory to find pole
•Brain activity measure for 6 trials
•Ps returned 3-4 weeks later to repeat in alternative condition

19
Q

Antonova et al 2011
Results

A

Ps injected w scopolamine had significantly lower hippocampal activity than placebo group.

20
Q

Antonova et al 2011
Conclusion

A

Acetylcholine plays a key role in the encoding of spatial memories in humans as well as rats

21
Q

Antonova et al 2011
Strength (3)

A

*Repeated Measures Design eliminated participant variability
*Counter-balancing used so order effects eliminated
*Double blind procedure so researcher bias eliminated

22
Q

Antonova et al 2011
Weaknesses (3)

A

*Ps expressed feeling stress about injection of unknown substance so stress could have been a confounding variable

*Sample small; unrepresentative so less generalizable

*Sample only men; unrepresentative of women so ungeneralizable to women

23
Q

Pheromones
What are pheromones?

A

Chemical messengers that communicate info between members of species

24
Q

Pheromones
Discuss pheromones in humans and animals (2)

A

In animals: processed in accessory olfactory bulb
In humans: no functional vomeronasal organ or accessory olfactory bulb so no way to detect pheromones

25
Q

Pheromones
Describe Androstedienone (4)

A

Putative human pheromone

*Steroid in male sweat and semen that increases sympathetic arousal, influences cortisol levels and promotes good mood in females

*Activates hypothalamus in heterosexual females and homosexual males but no effect on heterosexual males and homosexual females

*Female equivalent = estratetraenol

26
Q

Pheromones
Evaluation on the theory (4)

A

Research is inconclusive and existence not scientifically proven
Contradictory findings: Zhou vs Hare
Research mostly conducted for commercial purposes, i.e perfumes, and formula not revealed so can’t be replicated
Methodological limitations, i.e demand characteristics, ecological validity

27
Q

Research support for Pheromones

A

Zhou et al 2014
Hare et al 2017

28
Q

Zhou et al 2014
Aim

A

Investigate the effect of AND and EST on heterosexual and homosexual males and females

29
Q

Zhou et al 2014
Sample

A

24 hetero males
24 hetero females
24 homo males
24 homo females

30
Q

Zhou et al 2014
Procedure (5)

A

*Ps given point light walker task (set of dots moving to represent human motion)
*Ps asked to observe moving stick figure and identify it’s gender
*Same time of day for 3 consecutive days while exposed to AND, EST and *Control mixed w cloves
*One solution a day + counterbalanced to eliminate order effects

31
Q

Zhou et al 2014
Results (4)

A

Hetero females and homo males exposed to AND had higher rate of identifying figure as masculine
AND had no significant effect on hetero men and homo women
EST caused hetero males to identify figure as female
EST had no significant effect on homo/bi women

32
Q

Zhou et al 2014
Conclusion (1)

A

AND and EST have some effect on human behaviour

33
Q

Zhou et al 2014
Strength (1)

A

Study was counter-balanced preventing order effects

34
Q

Zhou et al 2014
Weaknesses (2)

A

Hare et al (2017) failed to replicate the study so results are unreliable (researchers found that exposure to the pheromones had no significant effect on gender perception or attractiveness)

The dose of AND and EST used in this study was significantly higher than humans naturally secrete; low ecological validity as although Zhou’s study determined a significant effect, it is unlikely that this represents actual human behaviour.

35
Q

Hare et al 2017
Aim

A

Investigate effect of AND and EST on mate perception and gender signalling

36
Q

Hare et al 2017
Sample

A

140 heterosexual adults

37
Q

Hare et al 2017
Procedure (5)

A

46 participants 24M 22F
Two computer tasks twice on consecutive days
Exposed to a control scent and putative hormone
Had to indicate the gender of 5 gender neutral face morphs while the proporti
Ps given computer task

Task 1: 46 Ps shown 5 gender neutral facial morphs and asked to indicate gender

Task 2: 94 Ps shown photos of opposite sex and asked to rate attractiveness (1-10) and probable sexual unfaithfulness

Done on 2 days; on day 1 ps exposed to either AND or EST masked w clove scent, on day 2 exposed to control scent - clove oil
Counterbalancing used to prevent order effects

38
Q

Hare et al 2017
Results

A

No differences in gender assigned in pheromone vs. control conditions
No differences in attractiveness

39
Q

Hare et al 2017
Conclusion

A

AND and EST don’t qualify as human pheromones

40
Q

Hare et al 2017
Strength

A

Blind data recording eliminated unconscious bias

DP2 Psychology (1 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2024 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions