Labs 7-10

Question 1

What is sensory memory, short term memory and long term memory?

Answer 1

Sensory: input remembered for a fraction of a second.

Short term: input is given attention and remembered for 1-2 minutes (usually with rehearsal)

Long term memory: memories that have been encoded and can be retrieved.

Question 2

How is long term memory measured?

Answer 2

• Ebbinghaus Relearning method: 80% forgotten after first day, Reviewing brings it to 100% and you forget slower.
• Recall (%) and Recognition (Hits and False Alarms)

Question 3

What is the serial position effect? Which memories are long term and short term?

Answer 3

Primary effect + Recency effect.
You remember the first few items (LTM) and last few items (STM)

Question 4

What is Normal Distribution and Standard Deviation?

Answer 4

Normal Distribution: the distribution of many random variables as a symmetrical bell-shaped graph. Data is symmetrically distributed with no skew.

Standard Deviation: defines the extent to which data points in a dataset deviate from the mean, providing a clear sense of the variability or spread within the data.

Question 5

What is biological sex vs gender?

Answer 5

Biological Sex: biological attributes associated with physical physiological aspects like
chromosomes, gene expression, hormone levels and function, and reproductive/sexual anatomy. M or F.

Gender: socially constructed roles, behaviours, expressions and identities of girls, women,
boys, men, and gender diverse people.

Question 6

What is a stereotype, prejudice, and bias?

Answer 6

Stereoptypes: previously learned associations that links a whole group of people with certain traits or characteristic. Cognitivecbased or LEARNED. Activation is automatic (perception) and EVERYONE has similar knowledge of these stereotypes.

Prejudice: the emotional responses associated with stereotypes and the person endorses the stereotypes.

Bias: “a preparation or readiness for response…not behaviour, but the precondition of behaviour.”

Question 7

How does the IAT measure implicit associations?

Answer 7

• The IAT asks you to pair a target with one of two concepts.
• The stronger someone has learned to associate the two concepts, the easier/faster it is to respond.
• If elderly and good are not so strongly associated, it should be harder to respond fast when they are paired.
• This gives a measure of how strongly associated the two types of
  concepts are.

The more associated, the more rapidly you should be able to respond

Question 8

What is Response Latency and Interference?

Answer 8

Response Latency: The Faster one responds is an index of attitude accessibility, and this relates to attitude strength

Interference: In this case there is automatic activation of strongly associated terms. Automatic always activates
before controlled behaviour, creating an interference in responding.

Question 9

What is the “Stroop Interference Task?”

Answer 9

• Name out loud a series of 20 colour names based on the actual WORDs presented or the colour of the INK of the words (or in some cases colour patches).
• MEASURING REACTION TIMES in SECONDS to read the whole set.

Question 10

How is reaction time a measure of cognitive processes?

Answer 10

• The Information Processing Model of Cognitive Processes Reaction time measures human performance and the speed of cognitive processes.
• When we respond to a stimulus, the time it takes to respond is determined by the processing steps that information must flow through to accomplish the task.

Question 11

What is the Subtractive Technique (to measure the decision stage of processing)?

Answer 11

Comparing SIMPLE vs CHOICE reaction times

• e.g. using one or two hands to press a button on a signal.

CHOICE: students press a button with either their left or right hand on a signal “left” or “right”

SIMPLE: when asked to respond with only one hand – e.g., with right hand no decision stage is required.

The difference in time between Choice and Simple Reaction Times is therefore the time it took to process the decision stage.

Question 12

How does Automatic vs. Controlled processing reveal how much attention is required?

Answer 12

An automatic process: without attention, involuntary, no complicated thinking.

Controlled processes: process under the flexible, intentional control of the individual, that the individual is consciously aware of, and that are effortful and constrained by the amount of attentional resources available.

Question 13

What were the baseline conditions (measuring the stages when there is no possible interference) in the “Stroop Interference Task?”

Answer 13

• Shown as a colour block
• Reading a word in black text

Question 14

How much sleep is needed to process information and what are the 5 stages of sleep (1-4 and 5)?

Answer 14

9-10 hours, 90 minute REM cycles

Stages1-4 is non-REM sleep (No eye movements, fewer more
mundane dreams).

Stage 5 is REM sleep (Vivid dreams and rapid eye movements).

Question 15

What are the negative consequences of sleep deprevation?

Answer 15

• Stress
• Decreased immune system
• Increased risk of mental health issues
• Increased risk for physical health issues (cardiovascular problems

Question 16

What do dreams do?

Answer 16

• Process emotions, consolidate memories, integrate new experiences
• Learn new strategies
• Stimulate threatening events

Question 17

What is the Jungian Dream Analysis?

Answer 17

Introspection interprets dreams using 3 steps:

1. Macro Analysis – emotion and plot line
2. Micro Analysis – Decoding dream elements, symbols, free association
3. Conclusions and Resolutions – What is the dream telling you about your life?

Question 18

What are projective techniques and projection tests?

Answer 18

Describing imagery out of context to see the subconscious.

Evokes the Availability Heuristic – pulling what’s strongest, what’s easiest to come to mind, what’s useful.

• Rorschach inkblot test
• Thematic Apperception Test - TAT
• Pseudo-dreams!