VCE Psychology Unit 1 - Flashcards

Flashcards based on lecture notes covering psychological development, brain function, and research methods.

What is Psychological Development?

The development of human beings' cognitive, emotional, and social capabilities and functioning over the course of the life span, from infancy through old age.

What is Developmental Psychology?

The branch of psychology concerned with interaction between physical and psychological processes and with stages of growth from conception throughout the entire life span.

What does the Nature vs. Nurture debate explore?

Whether psychological development is primarily influenced by genetics (nature) or environmental factors (nurture).

What factors are included in 'Nature' when discussing psychological development?

Biological inheritance, including genes and hereditary traits.

What factors are included in 'Nurture' when discussing psychological development?

Environmental influences like culture, upbringing, education, and personal experiences.

What is the interactionist view in the context of nature vs. nurture?

Recognizing development as a result of both genetic and environmental factors.

What are the three main components of the Biopsychosocial Model?

Biological factors, Psychological factors, and Social factors.

What does the Biopsychosocial Model explain?

Development as an interaction between biological, psychological, and social factors influencing individual differences and mental wellbeing.

What are developmental norms?

Typical capabilities at different ages.

What are the three attachment styles identified in Ainsworth’s Strange Situation?

Secure	• Able to form healthy and strong emotional bonds and relationships. • Independent and self-sufficient. • High levels of self-esteem and resilience.
Insecure-avoidant	• May find it difficult to form strong bonds and be intimate with others. • Tends to ignore or dismiss their own emotions. • Avoids depending on others and asking for help.
Insecure-anxious (resistant)	• May heavily depend on others for support. Seeks others to 'complete them'.

What is typical behavior?

Behaviour that is consistent with what is expected in a given society or developmental stage. It aligns with social norms and does not interfere with daily functioning.

What is atypical behavior?

Behaviour that significantly deviates from what is considered normal or expected. It may be inconsistent with social or developmental norms and can indicate underlying psychological issues.

What are the criteria used to assess behavior?

Statistical rarity - A behaviour that lies outside the range of statistical normality

Social and cultural norms - Influences of society and the community on one's thoughts and behaviours

Personal distress- aversive and self-orientated emotional reactions

Adaptive or maladaptive behaviour - An action that impairs an individual's ability to meet the changing demands of their everyday life

Define Normality.

Behavior consistent with functioning societal standards.

Define Neurotypicality.

Individuals with typical cognitive and neurological functioning.

Define Neurodiversity.

Variation in brain function is natural and should be respected.

What are the four stages of Piaget's Cognitive Development Theory?

Sensorimotor, Preoperational, Concrete Operational, and Formal Operational.

What age range does the Sensorimotor stage cover according to Piaget?

0-2 years.

What age range does the Preoperational stage cover according to Piaget?

2-7 years.

What age range does the Concrete Operational stage cover according to Piaget?

7-12 years.

What age range does the Formal Operational stage cover according to Piaget?

12+ years.

What is a critical period in development?

A strict window in which certain experiences must occur for normal development.

What is a sensitive period in development?

A time of heightened learning potential, though effects of missed experiences are not irreversible.

What are some techniques used to study brain function?

Ablation, lesioning, and split-brain surgery.

What are the four lobes of the cerebral cortex?

Frontal, Parietal, Occipital, and Temporal.

What are examples of Acquired Brain Injuries?

Hitting your head, sporting injury, vehicle injuries

What are potential effects of Acquired Brain Injuries (ABIs)?

Impaired movement, memory loss, and emotional changes.

What is Parkinson’s disease?

Parkinson’s disease is a neurodegenerative disorder that affects movement. It is characterized by tremors, rigidity, and bradykinesia.

What is Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE)?

A degenerative condition caused by repeated head injuries.

What is neuroplasticity?

The brain's ability to reorganize after injury or learning.

What is synaptogenesis?

The forming of new synaptic connections.

What is synaptic pruning?

The eliminating of weak/unused connections.

What is myelination?

Increasing signal speed with a fatty-white covering of the neuron, which insulates it.

What are the two types of plasticity?

Developmental plasticity - the changes in the brain that occur as a result of growth and maturation.

Adaptive plasticity - the brain's ability to reorganize itself in response to injury, experience, or environmental changes.

What are the ethical considerations in brain research?

Beneficence requires that the research benefits outweigh any risks to participants.

Integrity means conducting and reporting research honestly and accurately.

Justice ensures fair treatment and selection of participants without bias.

Respect acknowledges participant autonomy and dignity throughout the study.

Non-maleficence requires avoiding harm to participants.

What are the Ethical guidelines in brain research?

Informed consent means participants are fully informed about the study and agree to take part voluntarily.

Voluntary participation ensures that participants choose freely to join without pressure or coercion.

Confidentiality protects participants’ private information from being shared without permission.

Withdrawal rights allow participants to leave the study at any time without penalty.

Use of deception is allowed only if it is necessary for the study and does not cause harm, and participants are fully debriefed afterward.

Debriefing involves explaining the true nature of the study to participants after their involvement, especially if deception was used.

What is the Independent Variable (IV)?

The variable manipulated by the researcher.

What is the Dependent Variable (DV)?

The measured response in a study.

What is a confounding variable?

A variable that specifically interferes with the IV-DV relationship.

What is a hypothesis?

A testable prediction that states the population, IV, and DV.

What is a population in research?

The full group of interest.

What is a sample in research?

A smaller, representative subset of the population.

What are the participant selection methods?

Convenience sampling involves selecting easily accessible participants.
Strength: Quick, easy, and cost-effective.
Weakness: Often biased and unrepresentative, limiting generalisability.

Random sampling gives everyone in the population an equal chance of selection.
Strength: More likely to produce unbiased, representative samples.
Weakness: Can be time-consuming and hard to apply to large or dispersed groups.

Stratified sampling involves dividing the population into subgroups and randomly sampling from each.
Strength: Improves representativeness by including key subgroups.
Weakness: Requires detailed population data and is more complex to carry out.

What are some Participant Allocation Methods?

Non-random allocation places participants into groups without randomisation, which can introduce bias and undermine the validity of the experiment. 

Random allocation uses chance to assign participants to either the experimental group or the control group, which helps ensure that each group is equivalent at the beginning of the experiment. 

What are some types of psychological investigations?

Controlled experiments - manipulating variables in a controlled environment to study the impact of the IV on the DV

Correlational studies - exploring the relationship between variables without manipulation.
Literature reviews involve the analysis and synthesis of existing research findings to identify trends, gaps, or future directions. 

Case studies offer in-depth investigation of a single person or a small group and are particularly useful for rare or complex phenomena. 

Fieldwork takes place in natural environments, allowing for the observation of behaviours in real-world contexts. 

What are the three Experimental Research Designs?

Within-Subjects Design (Repeated Measures)
Same participants in all conditions.
✔ Controls individual differences
✘ Risk of order effects (fatigue/practice)
➤ One group, all do all conditions

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Between-Subjects Design (Independent Groups)
Different participants in each condition.
✔ No order effects
✘ Participant differences may affect results
➤ Two or more separate groups

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Mixed Design
Combines within- and between-subjects methods.
✔ Balances strengths of both designs
✘ More complex to set up and analyse
➤ Two or more groups; some repeated, some independent

What is an acquired brain injury?

An acquired brain injury is damage to the brain that occurs after birth due to trauma, stroke, infection, or substance abuse, affecting cognitive, physical, and emotional functions.

What is sprouting?

The process by which neurons grow new connections or pathways in response to injury, helping to restore lost functions. This is particularly important in recovery from acquired brain injuries. This expands the reach of a neuron.

What is rerouting?

The process by which undamaged neurons form new connections with other neurons to compensate for lost functions after brain injury, and restore communication pathways.

What is machine learning?

Machine learning is a type of artificial intelligence that allows computers to learn from data and make decisions without being directly programmed. It mimics how humans learn through experience, for example, a meditation app