P2 Psych Flashcards
(7 cards)
Describe the process and purposes of peer review. [6 marks]
An independent expert in the same field is invited to review the report before it can be published.
The report is considered in terms of its validity, significance and originality.
The expert makes suggestion to the researcher to edit the report and review the edits again to finalise it.
The editors have the final decision on whether the report can be published.
Peer reviews make sure that the report gives accurate information to the public so that the public can use the information in a good way.
This is necessary to maintain the reliable reputation of science so that the public can trust in future scientific researches.
The researcher used a directional hypothesis and analysed the data using a related t- test.
The calculated value of t where degrees of freedom (df) = 9 was 1.4377.
He decided to use the 5% level of significance.
Give three reasons why the researcher used a related t-test in this study and, using Table 2, explain whether or not the results are significant. [5 marks]
A t-test is an appropriate choice of test for this data because
• a repeated measures design has been used.
• a difference between the two sets of data is investigated
• the data is of interval/ratio level
the result is not significant at the 5% level because the calculated value of t which is 1.4377 is less than the critical value of t, which is 1.833 at the 5% level.
Outline and evaluate one or more ways or studying the brain (8 marks)
fMRI is a brain-scanning technique that measures blood flow in the brain when a person performs a task. fMRI works on the idea that the neurons in the brain which are the most active, use the most energy. An fMRI scanner can be used to create a moving 3D map of the brain.
Strengths
- Non-invasive
- High spatial resolution (1-2mm)
Weaknesses
- Low temporal resolution (Take readings every 1-4 seconds)
- Expensive
ERP can detect electrical activity in the brain and is stimulated as a result of stimuli. Different wave patterns are generated in response to different stimuli. Biopsychologists can compare normal wave patterns to the patterns that are caused by external stimuli.
Strengths-
- Non-invasive
- Cheaper than fmri
- Good temporal resolution
Weaknesses-
-Low spatial resolution
Julia complains that her baby is sleeping all day and keeping her awake all night.
Using your knowledge of research into exogenous zeitgebers, discuss what Julia could do to encourage her baby to sleep more at night. (8 marks)
Exogenous zeitgebers are external environmental stimuli which train our body clock into sleep/wake cycles.
Light is the most common exogenous zeitgeber, but since Julia is awake all night, because of her baby, this means that her natural sleep cycle is being disrupted. Receptors in the SCN, which are found in the hypothalamus, are light sensitive and help re-set the internal body clock every 24-hour day/night cycle. One strategy that Julia could use would be to ensure the baby was exposed to a good level of daylight during the daytime before being placed to sleep in a dark room after sunset.
There is research support for the role of light as an important exogenous zeitgeber. Vetter et al. (2011) conducted a longitudinal study over five weeks with volunteer participants who were either exposed to a ‘warm’ artificial light source or a ‘blue-enriched’ artificial light source, which was similar to daylight. Each participant was required to keep a daily record of their sleep patterns and wore equipment which measured how active they were during the daytime. It was found that participants in the first condition synchronised their circadian rhythm when dawn broke, which advanced every day, whereas those in the second group did not show this pattern and instead synchronised to their working hours at the office. This shows that light is indeed important in encouraging a regular circadian rhythm of the sleep/wake cycle and that the composition of light affects the SCN.
Explain how the Tiger advert might influence viewers’ mediational processes. [6 marks]
The advert may influence viewers mediational processes through the fact that the use of a famous rugby player in the advert is likely to capture the viewers’ attention.
As the advert may be considered to be amusing, in the way that the rugby player draws stripes on their face, it is likely that this memory will be retained in the long-term store.
The action of simply spraying the stain and wiping it clean is one that is easy to copy, so this will aid in motor reproduction.
In addition, the use of vicarious reinforcement is evident as the boy claps. This reward will motivate individuals to want to carry out the behaviour themselves.
Outline and evaluate Wundt’s role in the emergence of psychology as a science.
[8 marks]
Wilhelm Wundt was responsible for a number of ‘firsts’ in the study of Psychology. He was the first psychologist to set up a specialised laboratory to study the mind and behaviour. He achieved through carrying out a number of experiments using introspection with his students, these experiments served to examine the role of conscious thoughts and emotions in a scientific way.
However, Wundt’s methods of exploring introspection have been criticised due to the rather subjective nature of the research. People say that Wundt was attempting to study something that was unobservable.
Another issue related to the scientific nature of Wundt’s research is the issues with replicability. The ability to be able to carry out research and then repeat such research is a core principle of science and allows us to establish the reliability of conclusions. Arguably there is little research evidence outside of Wundt’s own work that has been able to produce similar results using the introspective methods.
Discuss research into localisation of function in the brain and/or hemispheric lateralisation. Refer to Kieran and Sam’s discussion in your answer. [16 marks]
Hemispheric lateralisation is the specialisation of the two brain hemispheres. Sperry’s Split Brain research (1968) featured 11 patients who suffered from epilepsy who had their corpus callosum severed.
They were shown images or words to their left visual field (LVF) and right visual field (RVF). Results showed patients could easily describe images or words shown to RVF, but could not name the object on the LVF. This shows that the functions of both hemispheres are different.
Sam’s argument relates to researchers who suggest that the two hemispheres work together to perform most tasks as part of one system. Sam could be referring to the corpus callosum as that enables information to be communicated between the two hemispheres.
Whereas, Kieran is referring to the fact that research shows that Broca’s area plays a vital role in speech production, and Wernicke’s area plays a vital role in language production. These are both found in the left hemisphere, meaning that they are both subject to hemispheric lateralisation.
Supporting evidence of this comes from Gazzaniga’s (1983) study. This is where faces were shown to each visual field of participants with a severed corpus collosum. When shown the faces again to see if recognition had occurred, only faces shown to the left visual field were recognised. This supports Sperry’s idea that the Right Hemisphere is associated with spatial awareness.
Criticism of Sperry’s research would be that the sample of patients is unusual and small. Only 11 who all had histories of epileptic seizures which may have caused unique changes in the brain. This limits the generalisation to ‘normal’ brains and validity of conclusions.
