psychology SAQ (biological)

SAQ-

Explain one technique used to study the brain in relation to behavior with reference to one study.

name 1 way to study the brain.

MRI scan

what are MRI scans?

they are a way to produce detailed static images of the brain structure,they can show structural changes in the brain in response to the environment by looking at changes in gray matter.

first paragraph - what study used MRI scans?

Draganski et al

what was the aim of Draganski?

to investigate whether learning a new motor skill (juggling) would cause structural changes in the brain.

what was the design?

experimental,repeated mesaures experiment.

what was the method and sample?

sample- 24 volunteers were assigned to the juggling group or control group

method- 1)participants had an mri scan at 0 months

2)juggling group had 3 months to learn juggling

3)had another MRI scan at 3 months

4)stopped juggling for 3 months

5)another MRI scan after 6 months.

what were the results?

After 3 months of juggling the jugglers had an increased gray matter in areas with visual and motor activity.

After 3 months without juggling the areas with gray matter decreased a little.

what was the conclusion?

Learning a new skill like juggling causes neuroplastic changes in the brain.

The brain can adapt structurally to new experiences but these changes can be reversed without continued practice.

SAQ-

Explain localization of function, with reference to one study.

what is localization of function?

it says that certain areas of the brain correspond to certain functions and that behaviour, emotions and thoughts originate in the brain in specific locations. 

what are the 4 main lobes of the brain and what do they do?

• Occipital – vision 

• Parietal – higher senses and language functions 

• Frontal – reasoning, problem solving, judgement and creativity 

• Temporal – perception, hearing, memory and meaning. 

what are the 2 main hemispheres of the brain and what do they do?

• Left – logic, problem solving, maths, and language

• Right – creativity, emotion and beliefs

what study is for LOF?

Raine et al 1997

what was the aim of Raine?

to investigate using PET scans if murderers who pleaded not guilty NGRI show evidence of brain abnormalities.w

what was the design?

what was the sample?

41 participants (39 male, 2 female) who pleaded NGRI.

what was the method?

• Each participant was injected with a glucose tracer which bonds to substances like glucose for PET scans.

• They had to perform tasks requiring them to detect target signals for 32 minutes

• they compared the level of activity the right and left hemispheres of the brains and the control participants .

results of raine.

• Less activity in the parietal and pre-frontal cortex of the brain of those participants charged with murder 

• More activity in the occipital areas and no difference in their temporal areas 

• Group 1 charged with murder had a lack of activity in the amygdala which says violence was due to a lack of fear.

conclusion of raine.

Brain dysfunction can mean that someone is more likely to have violent outbursts.

SAQ-

Explain neuroplasticity, with reference to one study.

what is neuroplasticity?

the ability for the brain to change it’s structure and adapt in response to the environment.

what does dendritic branching do?

it increases the number of synapses available for behaviour to form neural networks.

how can the brain always recognise itself?

by forming new neural connections through new experiences and pruning old neural connections that aren’t needed.

what study can u use for neuroplasticity?

Draganski et al.

what is the aim of draganski?

to investigate whether learning a new motor skill (juggling) would cause structural changes in the brain.

what was the design?

experimental,repeated measures design.

what was the method?

sample- 24 volunteers were assigned to the juggling group or control group

method- 1)participants had an mri scan at 0 months

2)juggling group had 3 months to learn juggling

3)had another MRI scan at 3 months

4)stopped juggling for 3 months

5)another MRI scan after 6 months.

what was the results?

After 3 months of juggling the jugglers had an increased gray matter in areas with visual and motor activity.

After 3 months without juggling the areas with gray matter decreased a little.

what was the conclusion (link back to Q)

neuroplasticity has occured because the MRI scans showed that the participants brains had changed as a result of learning juggling and neural networks formed.

When the participants stopped practicing the juggling it led to neural pruning which is due to neural networks collapsing.

SAQ-

Explain the effect of one neurotransmitter on human behavior, with reference to one study.

what are neurons?

nerve cells which send electrochemical messages to the brain so that people can respond to stimuli.

explain neurotransmission.

messages are sent through the central nervous and when an electrical impulse travels down the axon it releases neurotransmitters which crosses the synapse.

what are neurotransmitters?

the body’s natural chemical messengers which transmit information from one neuron to another.

state the neurotransmitter

seretonin

what is seretonin and what does it do?

is a body regulator it controls bodily processes such as sleep, libido and body temperature and protects us from negative emotions such as anxiety and depression.

whats the study for seretonin?

Kasamatu and Hirai

what was the aim of Kasamatu and Hirai?

to investigate how sensory deprivation affects the brain.

what was the design?

field experiement.

what was the sample?

group of buddhist monks.

what was the method?

• Studied a group of Buddhist monks who went on a 72-hour pilgrimage to a holy mountain in Japan. 

• Monks did not consume water or food; did not speak and were also exposed to cold weather. 

  Researchers took a blood sample before monks ascended into the mountain and immediately after they reported having hallucinations

what were the results?

• After about 48 hours, monks began to have hallucinations, seeing ancient ancestors or feeling their presence by their sides. 

• They found that serotonin levels had increased in the monks

what was the conclusion?

• sensory deprivation triggered the release of serotonin, which altered the way that the monks experienced the world, a behaviour expressed by humans. 

what links back to the question?

this study shows that the neurotransmitter serotonin affects the human behaviour of increased arousal causing hallucinations.

SAQ-

Explain the effect of one hormone on human behavior with reference to one study.

what are hormones?

chemicals released by glands in the endocrine system which act as messengers.

what is the endocrine system?

a system comprised of glands, which secrete hormones into the bloodstream to affect behaviour.

what is an example of a hormone?

cortisol.

what is cortisol?

hormone produced by the adrenal glands to produce the fight or flight reaction.

what was the aim of the Brady et al?

to investigate whether having control over a stressor increases or decreases stress levels in monkeys

what was the design?

experimental study

what was the method?

Monkeys were placed in pairs.

The “Executive Monkey,” was responsible for pressing a lever to prevent an electric shock however the other monkey received the shock passively and had no control over it.

what were the results?

The Executive Monkeys developed ulcers and other health issues, while Non-Executive Monkeys remained comparatively unaffected.

what was the conclusion?

The study suggests that having control over a stressor doesn't always reduce stress but it can increase psychological stress which increases the release of cortisol.

SAQ-

Explain one effect of one potential pheromone in human behaviour with reference to one study.

what is a pheromone?

a chemical substance that is released into the environment by an animal which affects the behaviour of others in the same species.

what is the human pheromone?

androstadienone

what is androstadienone?

one of the chemical components of sweat.

what is a study for pheromones?

zhou et al.

what was the aim of zhou et al?

To investigate the idea that androstadienone may function as human pheromones in terms of sexual attraction.

what was the design of zhou et al?

lab experiment

what is the sample?

24 adult heterosexual males; 24 adult heterosexual females; 24 adult homosexual males and 24 adult bisexual or homosexual females. 

what was the method?

-The participants were exposed to either AND, EST or a placebo over the course of three days of testing

-The participants watched a series of figures walking, using dots of lights at specific points on the figure

-They were shown each point-light walking figure for 0.5 seconds and then they had to say whether the figure was male or female

what was the results?

heterosexual females made more judgments that the walker was male when they had been exposed to androstadienone,homosexual males made more judgments that the walker was male when exposed to androstadienone.

what was the conclusion?

heterosexual females and homosexual males showed a similar pattern of results, attributing maleness to figures when they had been exposed to androstadienone which shows that pheromones can be linked to it.

SAQ-

Explain the role of one gene in one behavior with reference to one study.

what is a genetic inheritance?

where genes are inherited from parents.

what is an example of a gene?

5HTT which is linked to depression

what is a 5HTT gene?

it is involved in the reuptake of seretonin in the presynaptic neuron.

what is the study that uses the 5HTT gene

Capsi et al 2003

what was the aim of capsi?

to investigate the link between the alleles of the 5-HTT gene and depression.

what was the design?

longitudinal study

what was the sample?

An opportunity sample of 847 participants aged 26 years.  The sample was split into three groups, depending on the length of the alleles on their 5-HTT transporter gene:

• Group 1 – two short alleles

• Group 2 – one short and one long allele

• Group 3 – two long alleles

what was the method?

-The participants were asked to report any stressful life events that had taken place between their 21st birthday up to their 26th birthday

-he Diagnostic Interview Schedule was used to assess incidences of depression over the past year. 

what was the results?

More depression in response to stressful life events was reported from the participants who had two short 5-HTT alleles compared to the other two groups and the participants with two long alleles reported fewer depression symptoms overall.  

what is the conclusion?

There may be a relationship between short 5-HTT alleles and depression and stressful life events are more likely to trigger depression in people with this genetic make-up.

SAQ-

Explain one evolutionary explanation of behavior with reference to one study. 

what does the theory of evolution say?

it says that people who adapt best to environmental challenges will have a greater chance of survival and passing on genes through reproduction. 

Explain the principles of evolution with behaviour.

if behaviour exists in humans today, then it must have in the past helped in human survival and reproduction. 

what study can you use for this?

curtis et al 2004

what was the aim?

to investigate if disgust had evolutionary purpose.

what was the design?

questionnaire/survey

what was the sample?

• 77 000 participants from 165 countries. 

what was the method?

• Participants were asked to rank their level of disgust for 20 images and they were in pairs where one was harmful to the immune system and the other was similar but non-infectious. 

what was the results?

• The disgust reaction was strongest for images which threatened the immune system. 

  -Disgust also decreased with age and women had higher disgust reactions than men. 

what was the conclusion?

• Natural selection may have helped human ancestors to be more disgusted at things which threatened the immune system to avoid things that could lead to disease so that they had better chances of survival to reproduce and pass on their genes.