Scored AAMC Exam Psy/Soc

Questions I got wrong/concepts I don't know on MCAT Official Scored exam

anxious-ambivalent

__________-___________ attachment style: characterized by low self-esteem, high anxiety levels, and tendency to overly rely on others. People with this attachment style maintain distance from others because they are reluctant to get close and think others are reluctant to get close to them

avoidant

______________ attachment style: very independent, less likely to seek support from others because it is hard to trust and depend on others. During childhood, this is caused by inability of caregivers to initially support their children, which results in the child’s lack of trust in others

secure

___________ attachment style: a lack of concern regarding whether or not others will abandon oneself. High self-esteem and security in one’s relationships

disorganized

For people who now have a ____________ attachment style (feelings of disorientation, wandering, and inconsistent movement upon separation from the caregiver), they exhibited mixed separation anxiety and tendency to resist and have a dazed behavior in response to caregiver absence.

secure

__________ attachment style is shown in an infant-parent bond that is characterized by some separation anxiety and a tendency for the infant to seek contact with the parent after separation

anxious-ambivalent

________-___________ attachment style: an infant-parent bond that is characterized by strong separation anxiety and a tendency for the infant to resist contact with the parent after separation

avoidant

Children with an ___________ attachment style avoided contact with their caregiver, showed no signs of distress once their caregiver left, and treated strangers similarly to how they treated their caregivers

insight

previously learned info suddenly combines in a unique way to quickly solve a problem

Critical period

a time frame in which some process, cognitive or physiological, is much easier to acquire

cognitive schema

a type of mental framework that lets us quickly interpret and organize large amounts of info. this allows you to have a point of comparison when interpreting new info (expectations)

heuristic

a “rule of thumb” or mental shortcut that can be used to quickly solve a problem

psychodynamic

the _____________ theory attributes human behavior and attitudes to interactions between the id, superego, and ego

id

the instinctual part of the mind that desires immediate gratification (pleasure principle)

superego

the moral conscience that values morals and perfection

ego

the part of the mind that attempts to navigate between the other two. It resolves subconscious conflict

projection

a defense mechanism in which one interprets external actions through the lens of what is internally relevant. When someone attributes their own unacceptable thoughts/behaviors to another person

rationalization

a defense mechanism where one uses logic to justify behavior, even when the behavior is illogical

reaction formation

a defense mechanism associated with psychoanalytic theory in which one navigates anxiety-causing emotions by emphasizing the opposite. Example: insisting upon your admiration and love for a partner, even when struggling with feeling envy and inferiority

emotional displacement

a defense mechanism in which one attributes negative feelings from one entity to another. Shifting the focus of emotion from a less to more acceptable target

The six principles of Weber’s ideal bureaucracy

1. division of labor: positions are specialized with clear job descriptions

2. formal selection: individuals are selected for positions based on merit and technical ability

3. hierarchy: individuals at the top make decisions for the entire organization

4. formal rules: a set of standard operating procedures (instead of case-by-case basis)

5. impersonality: autonomous, impersonal, and impartial. Relationship between employees is professional

6. career orientation: every employee has a unique set of skills. The employer should match their employee with jobs best suited to them

1. trust vs mistrust

2. autonomy vs shame/doubt

3. initiative vs guilt

4. industry vs inferiority

5. identity vs confusion

6. intimacy vs isolation

7. generativity vs stagnation

8. integrity vs depair

What are the 8 stages of Erikson’s psychosocial development?

0-18 months

What age is Erikson’s stage of psychosocial development “Trust vs mistrust”?

18 months-3 years

What age is Erikson’s stage of psychosocial development “Autonomy vs shame/doubt”?

3-5 years

What age is Erikson’s stage of psychosocial development “Initiative vs Guilt”?

5-13 years

What age is Erikson’s stage of psychosocial development “industry vs inferiority”?

13-21 years

What age is Erikson’s stage of psychosocial development “Identity vs confusion”?

21-39 years

What age is Erikson’s stage of psychosocial development “Intimacy vs isolation”?

40-65 years

What age is Erikson’s stage of psychosocial development “Generativity vs stagnation”?

65+

What age is Erikson’s stage of psychosocial development “Integrity vs despair”?

cultural transmission

the transmission of values and practices from one generation to another

cultural relativism

evaluating the cultural practices of a different society not from one’s own cultural perspective, but from that society’s perspective

cultural diffusion

the mutual exchange of cultural values and practices among cultural groups in a society or among societies

assimilation

a social dynamic where a culture becomes indistinguishable from the majority culture. a minority group begins to adopt the values of the majority group

fundamental attribution error

the tendency to attribute other people's behavior to dispositional traits, even when situational explanations are available

social facilitation

improved performance on a task due to being in the presence of others; usually occurs when individuals are completing simple tasks

elaboration likelihood model

the paths persuasive stimuli can take in order to enact attitude changes

central route of processing

relies on evaluating the merit and validity of the argument presented

peripheral route of processing

using cues and associations to evaluate the strength of the argument

high levels of elaboration

in the elaboration likelihood model, people with ______ levels of elaboration are more likely to scrutinize an argument and use the central route of processing

low levels of elaboration

in the elaboration likelihood model, people with _____ levels of elaboration are less likely to scrutinize arguments and more likely to use the peripheral route of processing

Weber’s law

the difference threshold (change in stimulus necessary for detection) is proportional to the original magnitude of the stimulus. Ex: what level of sugar must be added in order for people to detect a difference between two drinks?

perceptual constancy

the phenomenon of perceiving an object as a constant entity despite the sensation of the object changing. Ex: seeing an object in a different lighting but understand it is still the same object

absolute threshold

the minimal intensity of stimulus required to detect the presence of that stimulus

Rods

Are rod cells or cone cells lower resolution (meaning the input of many rods or cones goes to one bipolar cell)

Acetylcholinesterase (AchE)

an enzyme found in neuromuscular junctions and chemical synapses that utilize acetylcholine (Ach). Its function is to break down acetylcholine, preventing its signaling

Looking-glass self

an individual basing their sense of self (self-concept) on how they think others perceive them

Suburbanization

the movement of people from urban areas to residential areas on the outskirts of cities. Driven by factors like affordable housing, better schools, and more space compared to urban areas

life course approach

perspective that emphasizes the lifelong nature of human development and the complex interplay of biological, psychological, social, and cultural factors (experiences at 1 stage of life can impact later stages; individuals play an active role in shaping their development).

shares similarities with the ecological perspective since both emphasize importance of individual and family-level factors in shaping life outcomes

social strain theory

focuses on how societal pressures may lead individuals to engage in deviant behavior. How people react to social constraints in achieving goals

disengagement theory

focuses on the process of aging and the disengagement of older adults from social roles

differential association theory

suggests that people learn deviant behavior through interactions with others, and that local environment can influence adolescents’ norms and values

labeling theory

how the application of labels (like “deviant” or “criminal” may influence an individual’s self-concept and behavior. how deviant behaviors in the past have long-term stigmatizing impacts on individuals

front stage self

a concept from the dramaturgical approach referring to the public persona individuals adopt during social interactions. dramaturgical approach views social interactions as a performance where people present themselves in ways that align with societal expectations.

demographic transition

the shift from high birth and death rates to low birth and death rates as a country develops economically and socially. this is a macro-level scale that focuses on broader population trends rather than individual experiences

representativeness heuristic

• a cognitive bias that refers to the tendency to judge the probability of an event or object based on how well it resembles a prototype or stereotype while ignoring other relevant info, such as the base rate of prior probability

• refers to the tendency to overestimate the prevalence of representative members of a category while ignoring the base rate

impression management

the process by which an individual attempts to manage how they are perceived by others

self-efficacy

one’s belief about one’s personal ability to perform behaviors that should lead to expected outcomes

functional fixedness

a cognitive bias that prevents people from using objects in new ways; tendency to think of things based on their usual functions

role conflict

when the separate roles that an individual occupies come into conflict

role adjustment

process of an individual adapting to a new social role

role strain

the stress an individual experiences due to the competing demands within the same social role. Describes conflicting demands of different social roles

role engulfment

occurs if a particular role is a dominant sense of identity

ethnography

• a qualitative research method to make in-person observations in a cultural setting over an extended period of time

• involve observing and understanding people within their natural environments

spontaneous recovery

after some time, the unconditioned stimulus may become extinct and no longer elicit a response. _____________ __________ describes the sudden reappearance of the conditioned response to the conditioned stimulus after extinction has occurred

secondary reinforcer

_________ _________ describes a stimulus that reinforces a behavior that is caused by a primary reinforcer, due to the association between the 2 reinforcers

slower acquisition; slower extinction

continuous reinforcement refers to reinforcing every response emitted by an individual. partial reinforcement occurs when only some of the responses emitted by an individual are reinforced. Partial reinforcement is associated with ______ acquisition and _______ extinction

prolactin

a hormone produced by the pituitary gland that promotes breast development and lactation following childbirth

oxytocin

a hormone produced in the hypothalamus and secreted by the pituitary gland. it primarily promotes uterine contractions during childbirth and breast contraction, allowing for lactation

learned helplessness

when an individual repeatedly experiences adverse situations beyond their control; this leads to the individual believing they are powerless against future adversities

avoidance learning

avoiding threatening stimuli (ex: no longer pushing a button that historically administers shocks)

stimulants

substances that increase the activity of the CNS

reinforcer

a stimulus that promotes action from the individual exposed to the stimulus. generally associated with rewards as they increase the likelihood of an individual engaging in that activity again

instinctive drift

an animal’s tendency to rely on innate or instinctual behaviors despite previously learning an alternate response

informational social influence

• occurs when individuals conform to others' behavior because they are in an ambiguous situation for which they do not have a script

• a type of social influence that leads to conformity as individuals mirror the beliefs and actions of the majority as they believe the majority holds more information

normative social influence

• refers to individuals acting in ways that comply with the norms of their social groups

conscientiousness

One of the Five-Factor personality traits. involves strong self-discipline, the desire to be organized, and the preference for planned activities

sedatives

psychoactive substances that depress activity of the CNS. ex: alcohol, barbiturates, cannabinoids, opioids

stimulants

psychoactive substances that increase CNS activity. ex: cocaine, caffeine, nicotine

hallucinogens

psychoactive substances which lead to psychedelic effects

opioids

function as depressants on the CNS

Hawthorne effect

a change in participant behavior due to their awareness of being observed

demand characteristics

characteristics that participants believe are favored by the researcher. can cause an individual to modify their behavior in order to better fit the researcher’s interests

self-serving bias

tendency to attribute one’s successes to internal, stable traits and failures to situational factors

hypothetical definition

a description of the relationship between 2 variables

conceptual defintion

a description of what a construct is by describing how it relates to other constructs

thematic definition

a description of the area or theme of something

operational definition

a description of a construct that allows one to measure it