PSYC 101 Midterm 1 study guide PDF

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PSYC 101 Midterm 1 Study Guide

General Notes: – – – – – – –

Chapters 1, 2, & 3 Approximately 36-40 multiple choice questions & 3-4 short answer questions Bring your ID, a pencil, eraser, and pen Arrive on time – the exam is 80 minutes This will be a closed book exam – no textbooks, notes, electronics, calculators, or dictionaries If you’re ever uncertain about a question or a word, please raise your hand and ask!!! Understand general trends and order, not specific numerical values or dates

Multiple Choice –

12-14 o o o o

multiple choice questions from each of Chapters 1, 2, & 3 Most questions drawn from the text (may overlap with lecture) May be a few multiple choice lecture only materials 5 response options each. Choose the best answer. Respond on both your exam booklet and your scantron sheet.

Short Answer Tips – – – – –

Study terms/concepts that can be compared/contrasted. Be able to describe and provide an example of major terms or concepts Study prominent theories and models Think about the practical application of theories and models wherever possible. Although short answer questions are based on lecture material, you may draw from information from the textbook at any time

REMINDER: This study guide highlights the most important topics on which to focus. All materials discussed in text, lecture, in-class activities and discussions are examinable (unless otherwise specified to be omitted). Good Luck!

A Few Sample Multiple Choice Questions Easier question The saying, “Actions speak louder than words” is an example of which unscientific way of knowing?

a. b. c. d. e.

Authority Pseudoscience Intuition Common sense Experience

Harder question Which of the following categories involves claims that are always untestable (and therefore unfalsifiable)? a. b. c. d. e.

Pseudoscience Metaphysics Science Both “a” and “b” are correct none of the above are correct

Application question (harder question) Pretend that you are a participant in a study on deception detection, and after several trials, the experimenter gives you feedback that you are a ‘wizard’ at detecting deception and score better than the average student. You are then asked to complete a few more trials of deception judgments. At the end of the study, the experimenter tells you that the feedback was bogus (fake or made up) and your performance was average and around the same level as everyone else who has participated in the study. Despite this, you are still convinced that you were better at determining when people were lying better than other participants. In this example, you would be engaging in a. confirmation bias. b. disinterestedness. c. belief perseverance. d. the disconfirmation bias. e. the representativeness heuristic.

Chapter 1: Psychology & Scientific Thinking Omit: Table 1.2 (p. 12), Table 1.3 (p. 22), Table 1.4 Table 1.6 (p. 27) Read, don’t memorize figure 1.2 (pg. 6) & “Timeline” tear-out The Field of Psychology • Discuss what psychologists do (and don’t do) • Define folk wisdom, common sense, authority and explain the limits of relying on them  Why is psychology more than common sense? • Identify the unifying features of psychology • Identify and discuss the key characteristics of science  How does science protect against biases? • Identify and describe the major schools of thought and pioneers in the history of psychology • Describe the two great debates that have shaped the field of psychology Pseudoscience • Explain what is pseudoscience • Understand and identify the common markers of pseudoscience • Describe some of the reasons people believe in pseudoscience • Identify the consequences of pseudoscience o Why might believing pseudoscientific claims be problematic? Scientific Thinking • Understand and describe the six principles of critical thinking • Generate alternative explanations for seemingly related observations/findings • Explain why correlation is not causation • Explain why replicability is important • Understand the concept of falsifiability • Discuss the concept of parsimony

Chapter 2: Research Methods Omit “inferential statistics”, “statistical significance”, & “practical significance” (p. 71-72) Omit “Evaluating Claims” (p. 76) Omit: Table 2.4 (p. 79) •

Identify and describe the heuristics and biases that necessitate good research designs

Basics of Research Methods • Explain the need to operationally define variables • Be able describe three common ways in psych to operationally define a variable and apply this to a novel example • Explain and differentiate between reliability and validity • Differentiate between a population and a sample • Define random selection and explain its relationship with generalizability Research Methods • Describe a correlational study • Define correlation and explain what a specific value of r is telling you • Understand and explain the key concepts in an experimental design (IV, DV, confounds) • Define internal validity and explain how it is achieved • Understand and explain how controlling confounding variables impacts internal validity • Explain random assignment and how it impacts internal validity • Understand and describe the possible pitfalls of experimental designs – How can these be addressed/avoided? • Describe the key components of quasi-experimental designs • When are they typically used? • How are they different from experimental designs? • Describe the key components of case studies • When are they typically used? • Describe the key components of observational studies • When are they typically used? • Understand the ways in which each research design is related to internal validity, external validity, random assignment, random selection, and sample size • Differentiate between random assignment and random selection Intro to Statistics • Calculate and interpret a mean, median, and mode. • Explain how the mean is affected by outliers, and the influence of sample size • Interpret the standard deviation when given a specific value or score • Understand the base rate fallacy Intro to Ethics • Define and describe the 3 key ethical principles researchers must consider when undertaking research

• Understand the purpose of each of the 3 key principles

Chapter 3: Biological Psychology Omit: The right column of table 3.1 (p. 90) Omit Psychomythology (pg 113) & Evaluating Claims (pg 114) The Neuron (Text & Lecture) • Be able to identify the different structures and their related functions in a basic neuron. • Understand and describe the necessary steps for an action potential to occur  Be able to explain what is happening to the sodium and potassium ions throughout this process  This should include an understanding of the following terms  Resting potential, threshold, rising phase, falling phase, refractory period, IPSP, EPSP • Know the major neurotransmitters presented in class/text and their basic functions. • Describe what is happening during synapse  How does the presynaptic neuron regulate the amount of neurotransmitters in the synaptic cleft • Understand the role of the myelin sheath and be able to explain its importance Neural Plasticity (text only) • Understand what is meant by neural plasticity and describe the different circumstances in which changes in the brain may occur The Nervous system (text & lecture) • Describe the peripheral nervous system, each of its major divisions, and their respective functions • Describe the function of the spinal cord • How do reflexes work and why are they necessary? • Describe the major structures of the brain and their respective functions • This should include basic knowledge about the motor and sensory cortices, Broca & Wernicke’s areas, • What is contralateral control? • Be able to explain studies on split brain patients • Think about what might occur if a structure was damaged NOTE: You will not be given a diagram of the brain and asked to identify a specific structure Endocrine System (text only) • How are hormones different from neurotransmitters? • Know the major hormones and their primary functions • All you need to know is basic functions of each • Eg. Testosterone is related to sex drive in males Mapping the Mind: Brain imaging (text only) • Be able to differentiate between the different types of brain imaging techniques (EEG, CT, FMRI, PET, TMS, MEG)

Genes & Heritability (lecture & text) • Understand and describe the basics of heredity (DNA, genes, Chromosomes, etc.) • Using appropriate terms (homo/heterozygous & recessive/dominant) explain genotypic and phenotypic inheritance from parents to offspring • Understand, explain, and differentiate between the different ways in which researchers study heritability • I.e. Compare and contrast family, twin and adoption studies • Understand and describe heritability the 5 common misconceptions that are associated with it Epigenetics & Gene X Environment Interactions (lecture only) • Describe and explain epigenetics • What were the major findings of Szyf & Meaney’s studies? • Describe and explain gene X environment interactions • Understand maze bright/dull study and the depression study presented in class • Be able to compare and contrast these two concepts...