November 17, 2009
Possible Essays for Chapter 7
1. (a) How would you classically condition an adventuresome 2-year-old to be more fearful of running across a busy street near her house?
(b) How would you classically condition a preschool child who is afraid of dogs to enjoy playing with a neighbor’s friendly dog?
Be sure to identify the US, CS, UR, and CR in both answers.
2. (a) Several days after drinking an excessive amount of alcohol, Kendra becomes nauseated simply by the smell of liquor. The sight of the half-empty liquor bottle from which she drank does not, however, upset her. What does Kendra’s pattern of response indicate about the limits of associative learning?
(b) If George is spanked immediately after his baby sister cries, he is likely to become fearful every time she cries. If Ken is spanked immediately before his baby sister cries, he is not likely to become fearful when she cries. What do the different reactions of George and Ken suggest about the role of cognitive processes in associative learning?
3. Mr. Byrne can’t understand why scolding his seventh-grade students for disruptive classroom behaviors makes them more unruly. Explain Mr. Byrne’s predicament in terms of operant conditioning principles. Show how he could use operant conditioning techniques to (a) reduce disruptive behaviors and (b) increase cooperative behaviors.
4. Although Mr. Wright often tells his children about the importance of donating time and money to charitable causes, he rarely does so himself. He believes that this hypocrisy will not rub off on his children, however, as long as he has plausible excuses for his lack of charity. Use your understanding of learning processes to explain how Mr. Wright’s children are likely to be affected by their father’s behavior. What advice would you give to Mr. Wright?
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November 11, 2009
Possible Essay Questions For Chapter 6
1. Use your understanding of absolute thresholds, sensory adaptation, and pain control to argue that sensation is often influenced by our motives, expectations, and psychological states of mind.
2. You are the president of a corporation that owns several large department stores. A board member has a plan for preventing shoplifting: In each store play musical soundtracks containing subaudible and consciously imperceptible verbal messages such as “don’t steal” and “shoplifting is a crime”. Carefully discuss your reasons for supporting or rejecting this proposal to engage in subliminal persuasion.
3. You have been asked to paint a picture that includes buildings, fields, a river, and a mountain. Describe how you would use at least four monocular cues to give your painting a sense of depth.
4. Explain how research on size constancy, restored vision, perceptual adaptation, and perceptual sets serves to support and/or refute John Locke’s emphasis on the importance of learning in perception.
5. Last night one of your mother’s best friends had a car accident. Your mother feels guilty because three days ago she dreamed of such an accident but failed to warn her friend. How would you explain your mother’s experience? What advice would you give her?
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October 1, 2009
Essay Question
Know the sleep cycle, addiction section, and hypnosis section for the essay.
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September 9, 2009
Chapter 2 Study Guide
I posted it. Look at the Study Guide link to your right.
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Chapter 2 Test Examples
Here is what you can expect from Chapter 2.
In stressful situations, the sympathetic nervous system ________ blood sugar levels and ________ the pupils of the eyes.
a. lowers; dilates
b. raises; contracts
c. lowers; contracts
d. raises; dilates
(The correct answer is *.)
The regions of the parietal lobes that are involved in mathematical and spatial reasoning are known as
a. the amygdala
b. reward centers.
c. the reticular formation
d. association areas.
(The correct answer is *.)
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September 3, 2009
Chapter Two Vocabulary
biological psychology
neuron
sensory neuron
motor neuron
interneuron
dendrite
axon
myelin sheath
action potential
threshold
synapse
neurotransmitters
reuptake
endorphins
nervous system
central nervous system
peripheral nervous system
nerves
somatic nervous system
autonomic nervous system
sympathetic nervous system
parasympathetic nervous system
reflex
endocrine system
hormones
adrenal gland
pituitary gland
lesion
electroencephalogram
PET scan
MRI
fMRI
brainstem
medulla
reticular formation
thalamus
cerebellum
limbic system
amygdala
hypothalamus
cerebral cortex
glial cells
frontal lobes
parietal lobes
occipital lobes
temporal lobes
motor cortex
sensory cortex
association areas
plasticity
neurogenesis
corpus callosum
split brain
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August 29, 2009
Essay Question
The essay question involves the concept of the scientific attitude. Learn it. Know it. Love it.
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Ms. Sheehan's AP Psych World 