Year 10 Psychology Exam

The Human Brain, Born or Made, Eye Witness Testimony, Culture, Neuroplasticity, Sigmund Freud, The Social Dilemma, Sports Psychology

VIPCARDD

voluntary participation, informed consent, protection from harm, confidentiality, anonymity, right to withdraw, deception, debriefing

Nature

Genetics (provides the characteristics)

Nurture

Environment (influences existing characteristics)

Socialisation

the process in which people learn behaviours, attitudes, customs and beliefs. It occurs throughout our whole lives, with the biggest impacts occurring during childhood

Agents of Socialisation

the things (people, groups, etc.) that can influence socialisation

Primary Socialisation

when we are young children living only in the family home

Secondary Socialisation

occurs after primary socialisation, independent from immediate family

Localisation of Function

the theory that specific areas of the brain have particular functions; each area is in charge of different mental processes and behaviours

Forebrain

one of the largest parts of the brain, it includes the cerebrum (all four lobes) and limbic system

Midbrain

consists of the uppermost part of the brainstem, acting as a relay station for information surrounding sensory and motor functions

Hindbrain

lower rear section of the brain in charge of involuntary functions such as breathing, heart rate, balance and coordination of movement

Cerebral cortex

outermost layer of the forebrain in charge of higher cognitive functions

Corpus callosum

nerve fibers connecting the left and right hemispheres

Brain Stem

connected to the spinal cord

Pons

unconscious processing such as breathing, sleep cycles, and information to do with senses in the head and face

Medulla

involved in the coordination of nerve signals, taking charge of processes such as heart beat, blood pressure and breathing

Cerebrum

largest part of the brain divided into two hemispheres

Frontal Lobe

in charge of self-regulation and awareness

Broca's

crucial in terms of speech production including tasks surrounding grammar, articulation, and transformation of thoughts to spoken language (left frontal lobe)

Motor Cortex

dictates movements across muscle groups in order to enact tasks with purpose and fluidity

Somatosensory Cortex

receives and processes senses such as pain, touch, and temperature

Parietal Lobe

sensory regulation, attention span, and spatial regulation

Occipital Lobe

processes visual imagery

Temporal Lobe

manages emotions, processes information from various senses, stores and recalls memories, and is involved in interpreting language

Wernicke's Area

responsible for comprehending written and spoken language (left temporal lobe)

Cerebellum

regulates muscle movements and coordination of muscle groups whilst also having a degree of involvement in emotions

Limbic system

core survival functions

Thalamus

relays information for senses except smell throughout the brain. It is involved in sleep, memory, learning, and consciousness

Hypothalamus

connects to the nervous and endocrine systems, keeping the body in homeostasis. Aid in regulation of blood pressure, body temperature, mood, hunger, and thirst

Hippocampus

learning, awareness, long- and short-term memory

Amygdala

major role in processing emotions and linking them to other areas of the brain, particularly associating emotions with memories

Pituitary Gland

releases hormones and is connected to the functions of other glands relating the the endocrine system. It helps with tasks surrounding metabolism, stress responses, and growth

Epigenetics

Environment and other factors influence how genes are expressed

Personality

What differentiates people: varied ways of thinking, feeling and behaviour. The activation of temperament through ones environment.

Personality disorder

Long term patterns of behaviour and experiences that differ significantly from the norm

Personality disorders impact a minimum of two

Way of thinking about oneself and others, way of responding emotionally, way of relating to others, way of controlling ones behaviour

Antisocial Personality Disorder (APD)

People who repeatedly disregard or violate the rights of others

APD diagnosis must have

Minimum 3 of ACCRRID

ACCRRID

Aggressiveness, Conform (failure to), Consistent irresponsibility, Reckless disregard for safety, Remorse (lack of), Impulsivity, Deceitfulness

Neuroimaging techniques

PET scan, MRI, FMRI, EEG

PET scan

Positron Emission Tomography: produces a functional and structural view of the brain through the injection of a radioactive tracer

MRI

Magnetic Resonance Imaging: produces structural imaging and can identify tumors

FMRI

Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging: produces functional imaging

EEG

Electroencephalogram: cap of electrodes detecting electrical activity of neurons firing

Leading Questions

Questions that lead a person to think and respond in a specific manner, altering memory

Ronald Cotton

Previous offender falsely incarcerated when a victim wrongly chose him out of two lineups. This altered her recollection of the event to the point where she could not remember the actual offender, Bobby Poole.

Memory

The process of encoding, storing and retrieving information

Long Term Memory

The proccess of encoding, storing and retrieving information

Short Term Memory

Temporary information holding area, it can store 7±2

Multistore Model of Memory

Long term memory structure

Loftus and Palmer aim

To deduce whether leading questions play a role in altering or impacting memory in any manner

Loftus and Palmer method 1

5 groups each with 9 participants

Loftus and Palmer results 1

Smashed - 41mph; collided - 39mph; bumped - 38mph; hit - 34; contacted - 32

Loftus and Palmer method 2

A week after, they were asked if they had seen glass. 3 groups of 50. 1/3 asked hit, 1/3 asked smashed, 1/3 control

Loftus and Palmer results 2

A larger number of those who were asked smashed answered yes than those asked hit or those in the control

Loftus and Palmer conclusion

Questioning techniques can distort memory; our recollection of events is incredibly malleable and unreliable

Declarative memory

A part of long term memory to do with facts

Episodic memory

Part of declarative memory to do with experiences in ones life

Semantic memory

Part of declarative memory to do with facts and general knowledge

Procedural memory

A part of long term memory to do with muscle memory

Priming

Part of procedural memory; a set of things leading a person to think in a certain way

Skill learning

Part of procedural memory; muscle memory

Conditioning

Part of procedural memory; similar to Pavlov’s dogs

Culture

The values, beliefs, attitudes, language, customs and other behiviours that are passed down from one generation to another

Surface Culture

The visible and tangible aspects of a culture such as art, cuisine, behaviours and language

Deep Culture

The unconscious, deeply embedded values, beliefs and assumptions of a culture

Low/pop culture

Cultural behaviours and ideas that are popular in society

High culture

Cultural patterns that distinguish a society’s elite

Sub-culture

What sets apart a segment of society’s population

Counterculture

Way of life/set of attitudes opposing or varying from the prevailing social norm

Stereotypes

Assumptions/generalisations made about groups of people

Enculturation

The gradual aqcuisition of the characteristics and norms of a culture by a person or other culture

Multiculturalism

The presence of several distinct cultural groups within a society

Individualist culture

A culture in which the freedom of the individual is favoured over collective needs or state control

Aspects of an individualist culture

Feminist care ethics and egoism prevail as the ethical theories. People learn to think in terms of I and me. Social goal is to achieve self-actualisation

Collectivist culture

A culture where the principal of prioritising the needs of the group over the individuals in it is the prevailing idea

Aspects of a collectivist culture

Utilitarianism approach where people learn to think in terms of we and us. The societal goal is to achieve harmony and consensus

Assumption of Bandura’s social learning theory

Assumes that people gain knowledge through observational learn in which they watch models and imitate their behaviour

Factors of Bandura’s social learning theory

Attention, retention, motor reproduction, motivational response

Attention Process

Where one develops the cognitive processes to pay attention to the model. The more developed the process, the better the attention. It must be accurate enough observation to allow for imitation

Retention Proces

Remembering aspects of the behaviours modelled is done through imaginal internal representations and verbal systems

Motor reproduction

Turning imaginal and verbal representations to overt behaviour through rehearsal

Incentive and motivation

Incentive turns observation into action, it is influenced by anticipation reinforcements whether they be positive, negative or none

Influencing factors of learning

Identification with the model, characteristics of the observer, vicarious reinforcement, consistency and attraction

Bobo doll experiment aim

Can aggressive behaviour in children be learned through observation?

Bobo doll experiment participants

72 children (1/2 boys, ½ girls) and 2 adult models (1 man, 1 woman)

Bobo doll experiment variables

Aggression and the sex of the model

Bobo doll experiment conditions

Non aggressive, aggressive, and control (6 girls, 6 boys to each model)

Bobo doll experiment results

The children imitate the behaviour of the models. Those exposed to aggression showed more non-imitative aggression. Furthermore, the boys were seen to be more physically aggressive than verbal.

Bobo doll experiment conclusion

Learning can and does occur through model observation

Genie Wiley aim

Investigate her acquisition of language after total isolation

Genie Wiley method

Scientists raised her and studied how she learned through interactions

Genie Wiley results

She had a significantly reduced brain size. Due to this, despite her learning many words, she struggled with sentences. She showed developments but then deteriorated because her Broca’s and other areas were so reduced with lack of use

Genie Wiley conclusion

With lack of use, areas of the brain can worsen to the point where certain things cannot be learned

Neuroplasticity

The ability to learn new things due to the malleable nature of the mind

Nerual pruning

As we age, we undergo this process where certain connections are elimnated whilst others are allowed to strengthen