Flashcards on Psychology Exam 1
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Ila is almost 80 years old, but she is mentally and physically active. Although she sometimes forgets where she put her keys, she is still better at crossword puzzles than anyone else in her family. What kind of psychologist researches how older adults like Ila maintain their mental abilities as they age?
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developmental psychologist
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Professor Tanenhaus studies attention and memory. Which level of analysis does his research target?
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individual
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Sandy is pregnant, and every evening she plays classical music loud enough for the unborn baby to hear. She hopes that putting her baby in a stimulating environment will help it develop strong cognitive skills. Her husband thinks that playing the music is a waste of time, since the baby's intelligence will probably just be based on how smart he and Sandy are. What age-old issue are Sandy and her husband rehashing?
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the nature/nurture debate
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Social psychologists focus their studies on
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how social structures, such as organizational structure, presence or absence of authority, and group dynamics influence behavior.
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What does it mean to say, "Culture provides adaptive solutions"?
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Behaviors considered "normal" in a culture today became "norms" because they solved problems in the past.
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What is evolutionary theory's primary contribution to psychology?
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the idea that the brain's functions (e.g., memory, attention, and language) result from adaptation
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What is the importance of the Human Connectome Project of 2010? How did it further neuropsychological research?
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It began mapping out how different regions in the brain work together.
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Which phenomenon is difficult for behaviorism to explain?
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Exposure to violent films leave children with a greater accessibility of hostile thoughts in memory.
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Which psychological school of thought sought to understand how the operations of the mind help people adapt to environmental demands?
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functionalism
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Doug believes that the "mind" is really just a result of the workings of our brain. Renee believes that each person has a mind that is separate from the body. Their different opinions reflect
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the mind/body problem.
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Jacob's father thinks he was born to be a skilled ice-skater just like his mother and older sister, but Jacob's mother thinks that his skills and interests come from growing up in a household full of skaters. What long-standing debate is at the heart of the disagreement between Jacob's parents?
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the nature/nurture debate
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Kerrie is an undergraduate who is thinking about majoring in psychology. She also works part-time, and she is very interested in how her company builds morale and helps motivate her coworkers. What subfield of psychology might Kerrie want to examine more closely?
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organizational psychology
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Magdalena grew up in a region of California often stricken by drought. When she moved to rainy Seattle, her roommate was surprised that Magdalena took 5-minute showers, brushed her teeth while in the shower, and complained when her roommate dumped out unused water from her teakettle or water glass. Magdalena's water-saving behaviors were
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a cultural adaptation.
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Psychologists from which school of thought are concerned with functions that behaviorism cannot explain, such as intelligence and problem solving?
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cognitive psychology
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Researchers working on the Human Genome Project are trying to map the basic human genetic code. How is this advancing the field of psychology?
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It is helping psychologists understand the extent of the "nature" side of our behavior, thoughts, and feelings and how to treat conditions such as mental illness and dementia.
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The fMRI has enabled neuropsychological researchers to conclude which of the following?
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While many tasks require multiple parts of the brain, some tasks and thought processes use only specific areas of the brain.
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Which of the following is not one of the three key questions to ask when thinking critically?
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What are the social repercussions of holding this belief?
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Which psychological school of thought arose from Freud's attempts to understand connections between psychology and physical problems?
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psychoanalytic theory
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Which scenario would be most relevant to interpersonal behavior researchers, who work at the social level of analysis?
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Tawny's boyfriend does not treat her very well, but every time she comes close to breaking up with him, he persuades her to give him another chance.
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According to this school of thought, the whole of personal experience is different from the sum of its parts.
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Gestalt theory
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At a certain prestigious college, the policy is to grade on a curve, meaning that about 10 percent will receive As, 15 percent Bs, 50 percent Cs, 15 percent Ds, and 10 percent will fail. Despite knowing this policy, most students expect to earn straight As because they did so in high school. This belief reflects which of the following?
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self-serving bias
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Beliefs, values, norms, rules, and customs that people learn from those who share a language or environment comprise
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culture.
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Charles Darwin and William James both understood the importance of
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the adaptive purpose of specific traits and characteristics.
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Chris believes that although the mind and body are linked, they have separate, distinct functions. Her view reflects
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dualism.
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Doug believes that the "mind" is really just a result of the workings of our brain. Renee believes that each person has a mind that is separate from the body. Their different opinions reflect
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the mind/body problem.
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Dr. Tucker incorporates principles from behaviorism into her therapy practice when she thinks it may be effective in helping her patients. Which of the following is an example of how Dr. Tucker might use her knowledge of behaviorism to help people with psychological problems?
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She helps teach behavior modification techniques to patients with anxiety so they can practice avoiding faulty ways of thinking.
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Dr. Tucker is a developmental psychologist. Which of the following research questions is she LEAST likely to pursue?
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How do brain chemicals influence sexual behavior in young adults?
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How does Gestalt theory differ from functionalism?
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Gestalt theorists believe that human cognition and experiences are more than a collection of individual thoughts and experiences but still recognize individual thoughts and experiences as analyzable units.
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John strongly opposes vaccinating children because he believes that it increases the risk of autism. John has read the published apology written by the scientist who falsified the data that originally showed a link but dismisses it. Instead, he focuses on the fact that during the same period vaccinations increased, autism diagnoses increased. Which of the following is guiding John's decision making?
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confirmation bias
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Jordan studies consciousness by training himself to objectively report on his own sensations, which is similar to how the __________ school investigated psychology.
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structuralist
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Marwan has been shy his whole life, and he is not sure what underlies this trait. Which subfield of psychology might hold some answers for Marwan?
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personality psychology
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Psychological science is based on critical thinking. This means that psychological scientists
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evaluate information before they accept it
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Psychologists such as William James believed that the mind is too complex to be broken down into smaller parts, largely because it is changing constantly. William James's beliefs became known as which school of psychology?
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functionalist
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Raj is interested in how religious beliefs influence political engagement. Which level of analysis best fits Raj's research questions?
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cultural
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Ralph loves his birthday, but he tends to eat too much throughout the day. At the _________ level, there may be hormonal reasons for why Ralph is prone to overeating. At the _________ level, it is hard for Ralph to turn down second helpings when his friends keep buying him meals.
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biological;social
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The systematic, objective study of our mental activity and behavior is called
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psychology
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When attempting to understand the connection between psychological and physical problems, Freud concluded that
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When attempting to understand the connection between psychological and physical problems, Freud concluded that
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Your family recently adopted a dog from an animal shelter. Initially, the dog seemed nervous and territorial, but after a few weeks she became affectionate and calm. Which of the following must play some role in the dog's behavior?
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nurture
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"Good" theories
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can be proven and disproven
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Antony conducts a correlational study and finds that students who work more hours in part-time jobs have higher grades. What Antony doesn't know is that both of these phenomena are caused by students' motivation levels. This is an example of
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the third variable problem
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For her honors thesis, Kim wants to investigate whether font color affects how readers remember written descriptions of objects and places. Because the participants' behavior could be influenced if they know the study's goals, Kim decides to mislead them about the study. How can she deceive participants and still conduct her research in an ethical manner?
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Kim must inform the participants of the study's true goals after the study is completed. She must also explain why deception was necessary.
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For his thesis, Alex surveyed college students and found a correlation between self-confidence and grade point average. Why did his adviser correct Alex when he attempted to conclude that good grades raise confidence levels?
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Alex's data show an association, but they do not determine a causal relationship between confidence and grade point average.
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In order to test whether caffeine intake affects the number of hours a person sleeps, Sophie recruited 120 subjects and randomly assigned them into one of three groups: (1) no caffeine intake, (2) 30 mg of caffeine, and (3) 50 mg of caffeine. She then asked the subjects to report on how many hours they slept that night. Sophie's independent variable is __________, and her dependent variable is __________.
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the amount of caffeine intake; hours of sleep
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Ting has formed a theory that playing video games improves visual attention. If Ting wants to test this theory, what does he need to do next?
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Ting needs to develop a hypothesis.
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What are the four goals of science?
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description, prediction, control, explanation
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What is a literature review?
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a comprehensive summary of scientific articles written on your research topic.
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Your mother dislikes the fact that you spend your free time playing video games. She points to a newspaper article that says violence is correlated with video game use. Which of these is a scientifically effective counterargument for your mother?
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Correlations do not imply causation, so the article does not provide evidence that playing video games will make you more violent.
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Dr. Binet thinks that children from France are more intelligent than children from England. He gives children from each country the same test and finds that the children from France get higher scores. He repeats the experiment several times and finds the same result; therefore his experiment is __________. However, since the test was in French and the English children only speak English, his experiment did not have __________.
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reliable; internal validity
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If a researcher wants to test hypotheses about differences between populations by using a smaller sample, she would use
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inferential statistics
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Juan is a teacher who wants to see how similar his students' test scores are to one another. In analyzing his students' grades, Juan discovers that 50 percent of his students' grades lie over 1 standard deviation from the mean. Assuming that a C is average, in plain English, Juan's finding indicates that
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half of Juan's students scored either really well or really poorly.
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Judith is conducting an experiment on mood and problem solving. She plans to have study participants read either a funny story or a sad story before taking a math test. What is the dependent variable in Judith's study?
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the number of math problems participants correctly solve
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Peter is conducting a survey asking how often students use the Internet and the average number of hours they sleep. He finds a negative correlation between the two. According to your text, Peter can conclude that when students go online frequently, it
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is related to students sleeping less.
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Professor Miller is computing the statistics of his students' exam grades. He has 11 students, and they earned the following grades: 48, 65, 65, 66, 72, 79, 83, 83, 83, 91, 94. Professor Miller finds that the mode of the exam is __________ and the median of the exam is __________.
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83; 79
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Psychologists are scientists who study behavior and mental processes through observation and measurement. What is this approach to understanding psychology called?
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empiricism
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Which of the following is a good scientific theory?
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The earth was created approximately 4.5 billion years ago.
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Which of the following statements about ethical research is false?
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It is unethical to observe people in public without their knowledge.
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You see a newspaper headline that claims eating pizza is deadly. However, when you read the original scientific article cited in the news, you notice that investigators only found a correlation between pizza consumption and death over a 10-year period. Given what you know about correlation, how would you explain this relationship?
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Pizza consumption and death are related somehow, but a correlational study cannot reveal any kind of causal relationship.
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Dr. Grodner is conducting an experiment on age-related changes in memory. He is comparing how well retirees and high school students perform on a memory task. In order to conveniently schedule research participants, he has the older adults come to the lab during the day, since they are retired. The students come to the lab in the evening, after they are finished with school and other activities. What is the problematic confound in this study?
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If memory turns out to be something that varies by time of day, it is problematic that the older adults all do the study in the morning and the younger adults all do the study at night.
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Dr. Shin is researching the hypothesis that when people with schizophrenia stop taking a particular medication they experience more disturbed thoughts. Dr. Shin tests her hypothesis by placing each schizophrenic patient in one of two groups. The people who stop taking the drug are in the __________ group, and the people who continue taking the drug are in the __________ group.
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experimental; control
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Dr. Smith is conducting research on the abilities of a man who experiences visual sensations while hearing sounds. Which data collection method should she use?
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case study
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Dr. Xiong thinks that people who drive red cars often violate the rules of the road. He sets up a hidden camera at a four-way stop sign to see which cars fail to make complete stops. Dr. Xiong is using the __________ method of research.
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natural observation
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Elaine conducts a psychology honors project to test the hypothesis that having greater social support is associated with greater academic success. She asks everyone living in her dormitory to fill out a questionnaire. Elaine should be aware that her data may not be representative of all college students because her research was based on
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a convenience sample.
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Eugenia wants to conduct an experiment, but before she can begin, she needs to get approval from the __________ at her university.
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institutional review board
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George is looking for a research project. In doing so, he could formulate and draw on a theory because
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theories lead to testable hypotheses.
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Hansel wants to know how much soda he typically drinks per day. Last week, he recorded the following numbers: 3, 3, 4, 3, 22, 3, 3. Hansel should avoid using the __________ as a measure of central tendency of his typical soda consumption, because this measure will be heavily skewed by the day in which he drank 22 cups.
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mean
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In the cycle of the scientific method, statistics help you
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determine whether or not your hypothesis is supported.
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Professor Jacobs conducts a lot of research. He always makes sure that his study records are stored in a locked cabinet inside of a locked office. Only he and his lab manager have both keys. Which ethical issue(s) is/are addressed by these protective measures?
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confidentiality
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Professor Newton is planning a research study with human participants, who will have to wear a head-mounted eye-tracking device during data collection. While the device is not painful or dangerous, it can be a bit uncomfortable, and some participants may get a headache from wearing it. In order to conduct the study ethically, Professor Newton must ensure that which of the following is/are favorable?
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risk/benefit ratio
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Sean is interested in how climate influences exercise habits. He believes that, on average, people who live in cold climates exercise less than those in warm climates because they cannot exercise outdoors. To investigate his __________ Sean uses the average yearly temperature as a(n) __________ of climate.
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hypothesis; variable
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Vanna administers a survey about people's romantic relationships. The highest possible score is 20 points. If her participants obtain a score of 15 or higher, she classifies them as "in love." Achieving a score of 15 or above is Vanna's __________ for "in love."
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operational definition
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What does "empirical research" entail?
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an approach to gaining knowledge about behavior and mental processes by observation and measurement only
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When people are aware of being observed, they might change their behaviors. This phenomenon is known as
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reactivity
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When researchers repeat a study done by another scientist and find the same results they are
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engaging in replication
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You are doing an experiment to test whether exercise improves self-control in children. Half of the children will jump rope for five minutes before being left alone in a room with a bowl of candy. The other half of the children will color for five minutes before being left alone in the room with the candy. You plan to measure how long it takes for each child to begin eating the candy as well as how much candy the children consume. Which statement about your research is true?
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Your dependent variable has two operational definitions.
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Your roommate tells you that he is planning to conduct an observational study for his senior thesis. Which of the following questions would you ask to demonstrate that you understand how observational studies are designed?
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Will your research take place in the lab or in the natural environment?
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Your text describes studies on the "hot hand," an athlete's winning streak, be it with free throws, spikes in volleyball, or otherwise. The "hot hand" is also referred to as "being in the zone" or "on a roll" for numerous consecutive games. According to your text, "A meta-analysis of 22 articles found that the 'hot hand' does not exist." What does this quote from your text mean?
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A researcher carefully scrutinized 22 peer-reviewed studies on the "hot hand" and concluded that there is no scientific evidence that the "hot hand" exists.
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Zhenghan notices a strong correlation between whether a person is a freshman, sophomore, junior, or senior in college and the number of credit hours that a student has registered for. As students' years in college increase, they tend to register for fewer credit hours. Based on this information, the correlation coefficient between years in college and number of credit hours is closest to
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-0.7
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After suffering trauma to his brain, Jack experienced profound alterations in his personality. Prior to his accident he was a prudent, responsible employee. Afterward, he was childlike in mental capacity, impulsive, and unable to control his emotions. Jack's injuries were most likely located in which area of the brain?
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prefrontal cortex
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Jenny has been a New York City taxi driver for 30 years. Mel is an ordinary driver in a small town. Based on Maguire and colleagues' 2003 research, if you compared the hippocampi of the two women, what would you expect to find?
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Jenny's hippocampus would be larger than Mel's
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Language production largely takes place in the left frontal cortex in which of the following regions of the brain?
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Broca's area
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On the first day of class, the professor had the students go around the room introducing themselves. When it was Jason's turn to speak, he began to perspire, his heart raced, his hands were cold and clammy, and his respiration was rapid and shallow. Which of the following divisions of Jason's autonomic nervous system was activated by this experience?
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sympathetic
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Stanley likes to have a beer or two each day when he gets home from work. Given that his father and grandfather both struggled with alcoholism, should Stanley be concerned about his own drinking?
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No, genes do not influence the predisposition to alcoholism.
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When Debbie twisted her ankle while running, which nervous system transmitted information from specialized receptors in her ankle joint to her brain?
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somatic
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When gardening, a bee stung Franco on the wrist, resulting in sharp pain. To cause him to experience pain in his wrist, Franco's nervous system had to do which three things with action potentials?
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transmit; receive; integrate
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Which of the following are the two most basic divisions of the human nervous system?
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central; peripheral
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Which of the following statements accurately describes the role of the neurotransmitter dopamine?
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A lack of dopamine leads to disturbances in motor functioning.
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Which of the following things can influence your phenotype but is not something that you can inherit genetically from your parents?
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diet
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After a very stressful midterm exam, Sherri needed to relax. As she lay on her bed, she felt her breathing slow and her heart rate decrease. Which of the following divisions of Sherri's autonomic nervous system was likely in control of her organs?
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parasympathetic
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After her car accident, Sheila had to be placed on a respirator because she could no longer breathe on her own. Sheila's injuries were most likely located in the part of the brain known as the
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hindbrain
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Ellie and Samantha are monozygotic twins who were raised in different families and have never met. What trait could one expect them to have in common?
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all of the answer options are correct
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Richard is researching the biological underpinnings of the advertising notion that "sex sells." To investigate, Richard will have men and women view video advertisements that are highly erotic while an fMRI monitors their subcortical brain activity. Which of the following predictions best reflects the likely results of the study?
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Men's amygdalae will be more active than women's.
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Sarah is conducting research on the function of part of the brain. For each participant she first gets a detailed image of the brain's structure using a(n) __________. Based on the image, she locates the area she is interested in, and then she uses a strong magnet to temporarily interrupt brain activity in the area by using a(n) __________.
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MRI; TMS
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Studies on the interaction of heredity and environment typically use monozygotic twins. Which of the following is usually true of monozygotic twins' phenotypes?
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Their genotypes predispose them toward certain traits, but their environments influence whether those traits are expressed in their phenotypes.
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To get out of bed in the morning, which of the following must occur at the neural level?
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The terminal buttons have to release neurotransmitters.
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When Elaine's hand accidentally touched the hot stove, she quickly pulled it away. She did not even have to think about it; moving her hand seemed to occur automatically. It is unlikely that this could have been possible without the effective operation of which nervous system?
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somatic
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Which of the following accurately describes the most likely effect of acetylcholine antagonists?
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memory deficits
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Zhara has suffered damage to her forebrain and now has great difficulty forming new memories. Which subcortical structure of the forebrain has most likely been damaged?
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hippocampus
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After a bad fall while rock climbing, Charisa experienced profound alterations in her ability to initiate voluntary movements, such as moving her eyes or reaching for a cup of water. Which brain structure did Charisa's injuries most likely affect?
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substantia nigra
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All of the following statements about differences between men's and women's brains are true except
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women's brains are less bilateralized
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If you breed a brown mouse with a white mouse and four out of the five offspring are brown, you would guess that the gene for brown is __________ and the gene for white is __________.
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dominant; recessive
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Janna and Sarah are identical twins who were raised apart. Lisa and Shirley are nonrelated adopted siblings who were raised in the same home. Which pair would you expect to be more similar in personality traits such as intelligence and shyness?
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This question cannot be answered without knowing how intelligent or shy the people who raised these siblings are.
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Jason was very stressed out and decided to get a massage. In order to fully experience the stress-relieving benefits of touch, the three functions of Jason's nervous system had to be intact. That is, his nervous system had to be able to do which three things (in the order listed)?
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First process, then transmit, and finally integrate sensory information.
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Jessie suffered damage to her brain and has difficulty forming new memories. Jessie's injury was most likely to the __________, which is a structure located in the brain region called the __________.
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hippocampus; forebrain
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Jordain is walking across campus and hears a noise. When she looks up, she sees a runaway truck heading straight for her. Immediately, the __________ in her nervous system sends a signal to the __________ in her endocrine system to release hormones and prepare her to move out of the way.
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hypothalamus; pituitary gland
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Norman was in a car accident, and now all of his hormones are malfunctioning. Norman probably damaged his
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pituitary gland.
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Psychologists know that the brain rewires itself throughout life. Which of the following is true about how this occurs?
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The "rewiring" is really a change in the strength of existing connections, rather than the elimination of some or the growth of others.
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Sammy is doing research that involves placing objects in the visual fields of visually impaired elderly men. He wants to discover what specific neurons fire in response to the features of the objects. The study requires electrodes to be implanted in the men's brains. In which part of the brain would you suggest Sammy place the electrodes?
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occipital lobe
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Seven-year-old Samantha suffered trauma to the language centers in the left hemisphere of her brain as a result of a bicycle accident. Although she did have some language deficits after the trauma, she eventually was able to recover much of what she had lost because new growth in unaffected areas of the brain made up for the damage. The ability to recover from brain trauma in this fashion is an example of
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plasticity.
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The probability of an action potential being propagated from neuron to neuron is increased when the __________ neuron's signal is __________.
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postsynaptic; excitatory
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Timothy was born without testes. With respect to hormone production and sexual behavior, which of the following is the most likely outcome?
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Timothy will lack testosterone and will probably be unable to achieve an erection.
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To feel pain, there must be sufficient __________ of a neuron to create __________, which is the first step in neural communication.
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stimulation; an action potential
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Which of the following is true about gene expression?
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Even if you are born with a dominant gene, environmental factors may influence whether the trait is expressed or not.
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Which of the following is true about the functions of dendrites and axons?
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Dendrites detect information from neighboring neurons, whereas axons transmit information.
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Which region of the brain regulates basic bodily functions, such as heart rate and breathing, and in which division is it located?
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brain stem, located in the hindbrain
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While hiking in the mountains in Alaska, Pete encountered a giant grizzly bear. He immediately felt his heart rate increase, his breathing become rapid, and sweat drip down his back. These events were most likely due to effects of the neurotransmitter called
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epinephrine.
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While on spring break in Acapulco, May decided to do some cliff diving. As she stood at the edge of a 50-foot cliff, her heart raced, her respiration increased, and she sweat profusely. Which of the following divisions of May's autonomic nervous system was activated by this experience?
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sympathetic
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Your text describes research by Caspi et al. (2002) on criminal behavior, child abuse, and the presence of a gene causing low levels of the enzyme monoamine oxidase (MAO). Low levels of MAO have been linked to aggressive behavior. The researchers found that among abused boys, those with the gene causing low MAO levels were far more likely to have committed a violent crime by age 26 than those with the gene causing high MAO levels. This study is evidence that
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biological factors impact behavior, and not all behavior can be attributed to environmental factors.
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What is psychology?
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The scientific study of behavior, the mind, and the brain
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What is behavior?
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Any action that can be observed or recorded
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What tools do you use the observe and record behavior?
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Interviews, Questionnaires, Laboratory Tasks, specialized instruments
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What are internal subjective experiences?
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thoughts and emotions
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Can the mind be directly observed?
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NO
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What kind of science is psychology?
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Empirical Science
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When was prescientific psychology started?
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551 BC- 1843 AD
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What 3 people had interests in psychological processes?
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Aristotle, Plato, Confucius
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Han Dynasty
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Psychological testing
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Al Kindi
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Cognitive therapy
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Who is Francis Bacon?
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said- Knowledge comes from experience via the senses
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Who is John Stuart Mill?
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~19th century English philosopher ~Move from speculation to scientific inquiry
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What did John Stuart Mill emphasize?
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observation and experimentation
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Who are two structuralists?
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Wilhelm Wundt and Edward Titchener
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Who is Wilhelm Wundt?
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Founded worlds 1st psychology lab in 1879
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Pioneered Introspection
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looking inward to report on the experience of thought
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Who is Edward Titchener?
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~True rather of structuralism ~believed that experience could be broken down into constituent parts
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example of structuralist thought
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"What is fear?"
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What are the 3 things that have to do with fear?
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Arousal, behavior, cognitions
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Who is William James?
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founded 1st psychology lab in America
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What is functionalism?
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focuses on the function of the mind rather than the form
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T/F: Functionalism is the opposite of structuralism
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True
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What 2 people are involved in Gestalt Psychology?
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Wertheimer and Kohler
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Gestalt Psychology
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focuses on perceptual experiences and the average persons experiences
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Who is Sigmund Freud?
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-Strong emphasis on the unconscious mind -Psychoanalysis -Established principles based on practice
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What is psychoanalysis?
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treat mental illness by resolving unconscious conflicts
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What two people have to do with behaviorism?
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Watson and Skinner
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Behaviorism
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Focuses on observable behavior; no inferences about mental processes
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Cognitive Revolution
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Thinking, perception, memory
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What are the 3 levels of analysis?
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biological, psychological, social-cultural
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Overconfidence Effect
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tendency to believe we know more than we actually do, more skilled than we actually are, and more people agree with us than they actually do
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What two people are involved in the overconfidence effect?
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Kahneman and Tversky
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Kruger & Dunning
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Unskilled but unaware
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The confirmation bias
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Tendency to seek out evidence that confirms our theories and discount, discredit, and ignore disconfirming evidence
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The Hindsight Bias
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Tendency to believe we already knew something, only after we have been told the answer
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What 3 factors make it difficult for people to test theories about the world in an accurate manner?
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The overconfidence effect, Confirmation Bias, and Hindsight Bias
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Who is Lazarus?
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Part of Hindsight Bias- presented a thought experiment concerning studies conducted during WWII
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What is another name for scientific attitude?
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amiable skepticism
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Steps of the Scientific Method
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Step 1- State a theory Step 2- Form hypothesis Step 3- Preform a controlled test and analyze the results Step 4-Evaluate the theory Step 5- Share results Step 6- REPEAT
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What is a theory?
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organized set of principles used to describe, explain, and predict behavior
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What makes a theory good?
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Falsifiable and makes clear predictions about what will happen
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Parsimony
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explains many observations as simply as possible
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What is a hypothesis?
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testable prediction of what will happen in your study
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Population
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All cases in the group of interest
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Sample
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subset of that population that is representative of the population
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Random sampling
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Each individual in the population has an equal chance of taking part in the study
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Convenience sampling
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sample of individuals easily available for study
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Psychology studies are often W.E.I.R.D
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western, educated from industrialized, Rich, Democratic nations
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Where is most psych research done?
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US, UK, Amsterdam and Australia
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Ways to correct for sampling bias?
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-restrict population -sample in large numbers -stratified sampling
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Stratified Sampling
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Specifically recruit to find a representative sample of the population
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Case Studies
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In-depth look at one person; shows what can happen, not what usually happens
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Cross-sectional correlation
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identifies whether a relationship b/n 2+ variables exist
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Correlation Coefficient
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statistic representing the degree of relationship b/n 2 variables
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What does correlation coefficient range from?
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-1 to 1
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Types of correlations
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Positive, Negative/Inverse, no relationship
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Positive correlation
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As one variable goes UP, the other goes UP too As one variable goes DOWN, the other goes DOWN too
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Negative correlation
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As one variable goes UP, the other goes DOWN
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T/F- Correlation does not imply causation
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TRUE
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3 things needed to establish causation
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covariation, temporal precedence, elimination of spuriousness
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How do you conduct an experiment?
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manipulate one factor (ind variable) and look for its effect on another factor (dep variable)
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Internal Validity
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Random Assignment; variables not being examined should be help constant
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Who is involved in Phrenology ?
answer
Franz Gall
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Phrenology
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biological psychology
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3 things in neuroscience
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neurons, the nervous systems, the brain
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Anatomy of a neuron
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cell body, dendrites, axon, terminal fibers, myelin sheath
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Resting potential of neuron
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inside of cell more negative than outside
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Depolarization
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cell becomes more neutrally and eventually positively charged
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Threshold of neuron
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minimum stimulation required to trigger action potential
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Action potential of neuron
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brief electrical charge that travels down the axon
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Repolarization
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cell returns to resting potential
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propagation
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the signal travels along the axon to the terminal buttons
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How do neurons communicate?
answer
synaptic transmission
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Synapse
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the gap between terminal buttons of neuron A and dendrites of neuron B
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Neurotransmitters
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chemical signals
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Acetylcholine
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motor control
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epinephrine
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energy
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norepinephrine
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arousal / vigilance
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serotonin
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emotional states (happy)
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dopamine
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reward and motivation
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GABA
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inhibition of action potentials
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endorphins
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pain reduction/ reward
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reuptake
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reabsorption of excess neurotransmitters
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autoreceptors
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detect, regulate levels of neurotransmitters in the synapse
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enzymes
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destroy excess neurotransmitters in the synapse
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3 things that end communication
answer
reuptake, autoreceptors, enzymes
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Psychopharmacology
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reuptake inhibitors
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Example of psychopharmacology
answer
prozac
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Agonist
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a drug that mimics the effects of a neurotransmitter or blocks its reuptake
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Example of agonist
answer
morphine agonist for endorphins
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Antagonist
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prevents a neurotransmitters action in the brain
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Example of antagonist
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Beta-blockers antagonists for norephinephrine
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How does the brain learn?
answer
Neural Networks
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neural networks
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connected clusters of neurons
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neural plasticity
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brains capacity to reorganize itself
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T/F- babies brains are more plastic
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True
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Sympathetic Nervous System
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Arousal
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Parasympathetic Nervous System
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Calming
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Central Nervous System
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spinal chord and brain
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Spinal Chord
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superhighway to the brain
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Sensory neurons
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Afferent neurons (to the brain)
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Motor neurons
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efferent neurons (away from brain)
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Brainstem
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manages basic functions
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Medulla
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heart rate and breathing
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Reticular formation
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arousal and sleep
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Thalamus
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sends incoming info to the proper location
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Cerebellum
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coordination of voluntary movement
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proprioception
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our brains unconscious awareness of the relative position of our bodies
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Hippocampus
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in limbic system- formation of new memories
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Amygdala
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in limbic system- basic emotions like fear
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hypothalamus
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in limbic system- basic motivations like sex and hunger
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Cerebral Cortex
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thin wrinkled later of tissue covering cerebral hemispheres
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Cerebral cortex has how many lobes
answer
4
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Frontal Lobe
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higher order cognitive processes
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prefrontal cortex
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directs and maintains attention
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Language Production
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Bocas area
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Primary Motor Cortex
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coordinated movement
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parietal lobe
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spatial relationships
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Touch
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somatosensory cortex
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central sulcus
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separates frontal from parietal
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somatosensory cortex
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sensation of touch
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motor cortex
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control of muscle movement
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Temporal Lobe
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Auditory functions
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Primary auditory cortex
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Wernicke's area
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Occipital Lobe
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Vision, primary visual cortex
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Ways to study the brain
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Neuroimaging, recording electrical activity, manipulating the brain, clinical observations
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PET
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shows where radiated glucose is being used
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MRI
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shows structure (tissues)
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fMRI
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shows function (activity) and blood flow
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Recording Electrical Activity
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EEG
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Manipulating the brain
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temporary stimulation, animals
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Left cerebral hemisphere
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speech and language
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right cerebral hemisphere
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patterns/ spatial relationships/ faces
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Corpus callosum
answer
connects hemispheres
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split brain
answer
severed corpus callosum ; treatment for epilepsy
