Personal Health Exam #2

Neuroplasticity

The lifelong ability of the brain to reorganize neural pathways based on new experiences

Learning involves what?

Creating new neural pathways and strengthening existing pathways

Duel Cognitive Process Theory

The belief that neuroscience and basic research perspectives support a distinction between systems, one that controls processes and one that is automatic associative processes

Distinct Cognitive Processes are supported by what? 

Distinct brain structures 

Different brain structures

1. Controlled vs. automatic

2. Explicit vs. implicit processes

3. Declarative vs. non - declarative

4. Reflective vs. non-reflective

Control processes

Assessed with direct or self-report

Automatic or implicit processes (default)

Indirect or associative memory measures not accessible to direct self-report

True or false: Duel process model of appetitive behaviors can explain health behavior decisions

True

Appetitive behaviors are what dependent?

Dopamine dependent

Dopamine release in limbic regions increases what?

The probability repetition of behavior and accelerates associative learning processes

As habit develops, what happens? 

An imbalance occurs between control and implicit or automatic associative systems

How does imbalance occur between implicit and associative systems 

Through a transition from prefrontal cortical control to subcortical striatal control and within the striatum from ventral to dorsal domains of the striatum 

Brain regions implicated in dual processes

Prefrontal cortex, nucleus accumbens, and VTA

Frontal cortex

Cortex involved in various executive functions and allows for the capacity to recognize, reason and reflect on one’s experiences

Frontal cortex does what? 

Frontal cortical regions function to balance or control other brain functions - allowing us to problem solve, analyze, judge, control impulses and organize information, to learn from past experiences as well as to empathize with others

Frontal cortex regions continue to mature up to what age?

25

Frontal regions do what?

Decision making, inhibitory control/impulse control, regulation of social behavior and response to rewards, influence the type of information contained in memory, and working memory capacity 

When reading emotion, adults rely more on the frontal cortex and teens rely more on what?

The Amygdala

What is the biggest difference between the frontal cortex and the amygdala?

The amygdala provides more of a gut reaction rather than a reasoned one

What inspired the frontal lobotomy?

Phineas Gage’s injury

Habit learning is supported by what? 

The striatum 

True or false: Damage to the hippocampus leaves habit learning intact

True

True or false: Damage to the striatum impairs habit learning but not declarative learning

True

Striatum is the what region in the brain

Subcortical

The striatum consists of what? 

Dorsal striatum and ventral striatum 

Dopamine

A neurochemical in the brain that affects arousal, reward (pleasure) and motivation

VTA does what

Vital in reward learning

Neutral stimuli associated with dopamine-driven behaviors due what? 

Come to represent and cue behavior 

Media Myth #1

Your perfect partner is cosmically predestined, so nothing/nobody can ultimately separate you

Media Myth #2

There’s such a thing as “love at first sight” 

Media Myth #3

Your true soul mate should know what you’re thinking or feeling (without your feeling having to tell)

Media Myth #4

If your partner is truly meant for you, sex is easy and wonderful

Media Myth #5

To attract and keep a man, a woman should look like a model or centerfold

True or false: women who were heavier users of fashion and fitness magazines had more unrealistic expectations of sex, love, and romance

True

Media Myth #6

The man should not be shorter, weaker, younger, poorer, or less successful than the woman 

Media Myth #7

The love of a good and faithful true woman can change a man from a “beast” into a “prince”

Media Myth #8

Bickering and fighting a lot mean that a man and a woman really love each other passionately 

Media Myth #9

All you really need is love, so it doesn’t matter if you and your lover have very different values

Media Myth #10

The right mate “completes you” - filling your needs and making your dreams come true

Media Myth #11

Since mass media portrayals of romance aren’t “real”, they don’t really affect you

True or false: Magazines, television, and film are a main source of our ideas about sex and relationships 

True 

True or false: People are not influenced by what they see on the media

False

The myth “Your partner is cosmically predestined” encourages what belief?

The belief that fate alone determine who you end up with

True or false: “Love at first sight” is an example of infatuated love, often based on appearance rather than personality

True

The myth “If your partner is meant for you, sex is easy and wonderful” ignores what? 

The need for communication and realism 

Media often portrays relationships where men and women are equal partners (peer marriages)

False

The myth that “bickering and fighting means true love” can be harmful because what?

It confuses conflict with passion

True or False: The belief that “love conquers all” and differences don’t matter can cause problems when partners have conflicting values

True

What is the main focus of agenda setting theory? 

Media tell us what to think about? 

According to research, people use media to fulfill all the following needs

Cognitive, affective, personal, social, and tension release 

What is the difference between Cosmopolitan and Maxim covers

Maxim depicted women as sexual objects more often than cosmopolitan

In sitcoms, what percentage of couples’ time together is spent in conflict on average

40%

What common theme in romantic comedies involves one person suddenly seeing their friend as a romantic partner?

Sudden transformation 

In PG-13 movies, female characters are often defined by what?

Their sexual relationship to the male hero

True or False: Cosmopolitan and Maxim both emphasize sex more than romance on their covers?

True

True or false: Humor in sitcoms has no influence on how audiences perceive relationships

False

True or false: Romantic comedies often portray love and commitment as a fast and dramatic process rather than a gradual one. 

True 

True or false: In action movies, male heroes are usually portrayed as empathetic and emotionally open

False

Cosmopolitan and Maxim provide strong personal and social use by what?

Reinforcing certain values, providing confidence and self-understanding, and helping readers fit within their society

Agenda Setting Theory

The belief that media do not tell us how to think - they tell us what to think about 

5 Accepted Principles 

1. Covers with women sell better than covers with men. 

2. Every women’s magazines portray mostly women on their covers. 

3. Covers with people on them sell better than covers with objects

4. Movie stars and entertainers sell better than politicians or business leaders 

5. Good news sells better than bad news

Typical topics for a conflict episode

Gender, sexual orientation, and character status 

Targets for a conflict episode

A partner’s behavior, someone other than the partner, the situation in which the partners find themselves, or some other cause

True or false: In sitcoms, females initiated conflict more frequently than males

True

Turning Points

When one or both members of the couple experience a particular significant transitional event that ushered a change in the relationship itself

Sudden Transformations 

When one person is changed in the eyes of another

Overcoming oneself

A character must overcome some internal character flaw or weakness to win over a prospective partner

Overcoming the odds

When a couple triumphs over the “odds” against them

Sacrifice

Individuals commonly find resolutions by risking or losing parts their “self”