Case Studies Practice - AP Psuchology

Sperry: What was the main question?

Could the left and right hemispheres function independently when communication between them was cut?

Sperry: What did the study find?

The left hemisphere was stronger in language and speech, while the right hemisphere was stronger in spatial and visual tasks.

Sperry: Why is the study important?

It showed that the two brain hemispheres have specialized functions.

Hypnosis: What was the main question?

Is hypnosis a special altered state of consciousness, or can normal psychological processes explain it?

Hypnosis: What did the results show?

Expectations and suggestion strongly affected how people behaved under hypnosis.

Bandura: What was the main question?

Do children learn aggressive behavior by watching aggressive adults?

Bandura: What happened in the study?

Children who watched aggressive adults showed more aggression and copied the adults' behaviors.

Bandura: What concept did the study support?

Observational learning, which means people can learn behavior by watching others.

Loftus: What was the main question?

Can the wording of a question change someone's memory?

Loftus: What did the results show?

Misleading questions caused some people to remember details that never happened.

Loftus: What does the study teach us about memory?

Memory is reconstructive and can be changed by new information.

Piaget: What is object permanence?

Understanding that an object still exists even when it cannot be seen.

Piaget: How did he test object permanence?

He hid objects from infants and watched whether they searched for them.

Piaget: How did later research challenge him?

Later research suggested babies may understand object permanence earlier than Piaget thought.

Ekman and Friesen: What was the main question?

Are basic facial expressions universal across cultures?

Ekman and Friesen: What did they find?

People from different cultures recognized many of the same basic emotions, suggesting facial expressions are largely universal.

Rotter: What is locus of control?

A person's belief about what controls the outcomes in their life.

Rotter: What is internal vs. external locus of control?

Internal means believing your actions affect outcomes, while external means believing luck, fate, or outside forces control outcomes.

Anna Freud: What are defense mechanisms?

Unconscious ways the mind reduces anxiety or protects itself from uncomfortable thoughts and feelings.

Anna Freud: What are examples of defense mechanisms?

Denial, repression, regression, projection, reaction formation, and sublimation.

Wolpe: What is systematic desensitization?

A treatment that reduces fears by combining relaxation with gradual exposure to the feared situation.

Wolpe: What did his results show?

Most phobias greatly improved, showing behavioral techniques can effectively treat fears.

Darley and Latané: What is the bystander effect?

People are less likely to help in an emergency when other people are present.

Darley and Latané: What is diffusion of responsibility?

When several people are present, each person feels less personally responsible for helping.

Darley and Latané: What did their experiment show?

People helped fastest and most often when they believed they were the only witness.