Psych 101 McAuliffe

What is the MAIN reason why babies who drink bottled water are healthier?

Parents have more money for health care and are likely more likely conscientious in general.

What is the MAIN reason why children with longer arms reason better than children with shorter arms?

They are older

Why are ice cream sales correlated with drowning deaths?

Hot weather causes both.

Why do older women have higher feet-angles (i.e. toes pointed away from each other) than younger women?

Because they were taught to walk that way when they were young, to walk like a ballerina.

What is the MAIN reason cigarettes are negatively correlated with GPA?

Cigarettes tend to go along with lifestyles (drugs, drinking, recklessness) that does not produce high GPAs.

Historically, the price of vodka is correlated with the salaries of dock workers. Why is this so?

Inflation.

What is the MAIN reason why United States senators have higher life expectancies than average?

Because they have to live long enough to become Senators and makes their life expectancy higher.

Name exactly two reasons why cancer death rates are higher in richer countries. Only the first two answers will be graded.

1. Better diagnosis

2. Longer lives to get cancer

Changing the left-right orientation of an object will decrease priming (compared to not changing the left-right oriention), only if the object

Appears in the same location.

On Day 1, I show you some pictures. On day 2, I show you the same pictures as you saw before, but 1/2 of these pictures are left-right selected versions of the original pictures. Will your memory for the left-right reflected pictures be as good as your memory for the pictures that are identical?

For priming- different if given in the same location, same if in a new location. For recognition, identical better than left-right reflected.

Why did McAuliffe and Knowlton find a significant effect for the left-right orientation in priming when previous experiments had found no significant effect?

Because they had less variability.

On Day 1, I show you some pictures. On day 2, I show you the same pictures as you saw before, but 1/2 of these pictures are larger versions of the original pictures. Will your memory for the larger pictures be as good as your memory for the pictures that are identical in size?

For priming - same, for recognition, same better than larger.

Consider the following response times for naming an object.

X1 = The naming response time in the second(probe) phase of the experiment for an object previously seen which is facing in the same direction as previously seen..

X2 = The naming response time in the second(probe) phase of the experiment for an object previously seen which is facing in the opposite direction as previously seen..

Originally, it was believed that X1 and X2 were related in what way?

Equal

Later on, it was shown by McAuliffe and Knowlton that X1 and X2 were related in a new way -- that X1 was

less than

Later on, it was shown by McAuliffe and Knowlton that X1 and X2 were related in a new way -- that X1 was ___________________ X2, but only if the object named appeared in the same location.

in the same location

How does the implicit association test work? What does this test reveal?

By asking people to respond to a group of responses as one response, the test can measure what things are pre-grouped in people`s brains(1) With this method, we can determine what automatic associations (e.g. racist) exist in people`s minds if they are aware of these and do not want to share them OR if they are unaware of them (1)

What test reveals people`s automatic associations (e.g. racist associations)?

Implicit Association test

Draw and label the visual pathways and their functions.

(image)

Diagram should include:

1/2 what pathway (inferior temporal 1/2)

1/2 where pathway (posterior parietal 1/2

The "what" pathway in the brain is located where?

In the 'ventral' stream that ends in the temporal lobe.

The "Where" pathway in the brain is located where?

In the dorsal stream that ends in the parietal lobe.

Patient d.f. has damage to her ventral stream/ What kind of visual deficits does she have?

She cannot make explicit visual judgments. In other words, she reports not being able to "see" anything meaningful.

What causes the Herman Grid illusion where gray dots appear in the intersections of white lines on a black background (1 point).

Why is it only present in the periphery (not in the center)(1/2)?

It is NOT only neighboring inhibition (intersections appear darker because they have a brighter neighborhood and roads appear lighter because they have a darker neighborhood) because illusion is a gray dot, but neighboring inhibition should cause gradual blurring from center of intersection as neighborhood becomes gradually darker. More importantly, changing the straightness of the lines dramatically effects illusion. So illusion may be caused by neighboring inhibition AND straightness of lines, but not JUST neighboring inhibition.

Effect occurs mainly in rods (periphery)

Give two reasons why don`t we notice the blind spot very much. Only the first two answers will be graded.

1. Overlap of visual fields (Right eye see what left eye does not).

2. Brain fills in information based on surrounding area.

If you are looking at a moving waterfall of water colored bright red for a long time and then look away at a white wall, what perception will you have (No need to explain why)?

Green upward movement.

List four factors that can influence our visual perception. Only the first four answers will be graded.

1. image information

2. previous experience

3. conscious intent/goal

4. variability

What evidence suggests that perception is an active process?

Ambiguous figures can be seen as 2 different perceptions.

What instructions must be given to Patient d.f. so that she can indicate the orientation of a line? (patient d.f. has damage to the ventral visual stream)

Ask her to mail a letter. She has spatial location.

For d`=2, in an experiment where subjects are given $3 for a hit and $1 for a correct rejection, answer the following four questions (DON`T FORGET TO ANSWER ALL FOUR QUESTIONS).

A) Draw and label the distribution of signal and noise (1 point) with an appropriate threshold (1/2 point)

B) Draw and label the ROC curve (1 point) with the threshold indicated (1/2 point)

C) Would the subjects in this experiment show any bias? Why or why not? (1/2)

D) What would the d` be if the subjects gave the correct answer on 1/2 of the trials and the opposite answer on the other 1/2 of the trials (1/2 point)?

draw both distributions and roc curve

C) Yes, by definition a lower threshold would show a bias.

D) 0

Draw and label an ROC curve resulting from dumb evil subjects that gave opposite answers (e.g. said 'signal' when they saw noise and said 'noise' when they saw signal) if these subjects had very good sensitivity. Indicate the point on the ROC curve where there is no bias.

draw

What is a "micro-expression" and what can it indicate?

It is a brief , unconscious facial expression sometimes associated with lying.

If you are lying about something, what is the easiest way to pass a lie detector test?

Create a large physiological response in the baseline condition so that when you react the same way in the lie condition, the responses look the same.

What causes sensitivity?

Our nervous system`s ability to detect stimuli in the environment.

Give two reasons why subjects set threshold high or low.

1.Cost and rewards.

2.Proportion of signal and noise trials.

In a an experiment where false alarms cost $100 and misses cost $1, where should the threshold should be set?

a very high threshold

What are two things that cause a d-prime of 0? Only the first two answers will be graded.

No sensitivity, or clever evil subjects hiding their sensitivity by answering 1/2 questions correctly and 1/2 questions incorrectly.

If I am a clever evil subject who wants to hide my sensitivity in a signal detection experiment, I would ...

answer 1/2 questions correctly and 1/2 questions incorrectly.

If I get 70% hits and 30% false alarms, then what can be said about where I am setting my threshold?

Unbiased threshold because CR is 70% and same as hits.

If I get 70% hits and 70% correct rejections, then what can be said about where I am setting my threshold?

Threshold is at midpoint, indicating an unbaised threshold

If I get 50% hits and 90% correct rejections, then what can be said about where I am setting my threshold?

Threshold is above midpoint, indicating a bias towards saying "noise"

If I close my eyes when trials are occurring for a visual perception test, what d-prime will my data show?

0

In the article on detecting lies, the authors concluded there was no bias. Were they correct? Why or why not?

They were incorrect. Signal detection analysis showed that many subjects had a bias even though they still had sensitivity.

If I get 90% hits and 50% correct rejections, then what can be said about where I am setting my threshold?

Threshold is below midpoint, indicating a bias towards saying "signal"

What would occur if we suddenly started using an alpha level of .000001 as a standard for publication of research? What kind of errors would this minimize?

Very few studies would be published. False positives (type I) errors would be minimized.

What would occur if we suddenly started using an alpha level of .5 as a standard for publication of research? What kind of errors would this minimize?

Many more studies would be published. False positives (type I) errors would occur all the time.

Historically, the price of cookies is correlated with the price of milk. Why is this so?

Inflation

4000 labs across the country come up with the crazy idea that eating lobster makes people smarter when in reality eating lobster does not make people smarter. In each lab, the experimenter runs 2 independent experiments. How many labs out of 4000 would you expect to show significant results in BOTH of the two experiments if the alpha level is .05?

10

-First experiment is .05 which is 1/20.

Second experiment is .05 which is 1/20.

Probability of getting false result in both is 1/20*1/20=1/400.

In 400 experiments, we would expect 4000*1/400=10 experiment with false positive results in BOTH experiments.

The p-value is the probability that ________________________________ would have occurred if the ___________________________________ is true

Observed results, null hypothesis

What is the MAIN reason why receivers of lifetime achievement awards have higher life expectancies than average?

Because they live long enough to get an award

What are two sources of variability in experiments?

Between and within subjects

I run an experiment and collect some data. I notice that one of my scores is 80 while the average (mean) of the remaining scores is 40. My friend Bob runs an experiment and his data also has a mean of 40 and also has one score of 80. I am allowed to throw out the `80` score, but Bob is not allowed to throw out his `80` score. How is this possible?

I have less variability than Bob does

8000 labs across the country come up with the crazy idea that eating lobster makes people smarter when in reality eating lobster does not make people smarter. In each lab, the experimenter runs 3 independent experiments. How many labs out of 8000 would you expect to show significant results in ALL 3 of the experiments if the alpha level is .05?

1

-First experiment is .05 which is 1/20.

Second experiment is .05 which is 1/20.

Third experiment is .05 which is 1/20.

Probability of getting false result in both is 1/201/201/20=1/8000.

In 8000 experiments, we would expect 8000*1/8000=1 experiment with false positive results in ALL THREE experiments.

I run an experiment and collect some data. I notice that one of my scores is 100 while the average (mean) of the remaining scores is 50. My friend Bob runs an experiment and his data also has a mean of 50 and also has one score of 100. I am allowed to throw out the `100` score, but Bob is not allowed to throw out his `100` score. If X is the standard deviation of my scores, and Y is the standard deviation of Bob`s scores, then what can we say about X and Y?

X would be less than Y

Kim is a very careful experimenter who is investigating the effect of watching TV on memory. Her results are that:

Subjects who watch TV for less than an hour each day have an average memory score of 200.

Subjects who watch TV for an hour or more each day have an average memory score of 12

There are no methodological problems in her experiment.

Are the results statistically significant? Why or why not?

It depends, we need information on variability

Explain the haunted house face-following effect. How is the illusion produced (what materials and lighting sources are used)? Why do we have the illusion?

The effect is created by lighting a concave face from below. Because of previous experience and shading pattern, we see this concave face as convex. The retinal motion patterns that occur when we walk past the face (i.e. the nose moving less and the cheeks moving more) are consistent with a convex face that if following us as we walk by.

Explain the illusion that the moon is following you when you are moving and the moon is off to the side above the horizon?

Brain misperceives distance to be about 1 mile (because no cues in sky)

No retinal motion exists because moon is so far away.

Only way no retinal motion can exist AND moon is 1 mile away is if moon is moving with you.

If humans had perfectly flat faces, then what kind of illusion would we have when we lit those faces from below and then walked by those faces?

None.

The face-following illusion is affected by the shading patterns of convex and concave faces that are lit from different directions. More specifically, we have the illusion because the shading of a_________________________ face that is lit _________________ is similar to a_________________________ face that is lit _________________.

Convex, from above, Concave from below

Bob and Sally are on a cruise ship that is sailing in big waves. Bob is up on deck watching the sunset, and Sally is inside the boat playing cards with her friends. Sally is feeling sick (nauseated) and Bob is not. Why?

Bob can see the horizon and has no mismatch between visual and non-visual. Sally has mismatch which is an evolutionary signal for poison.