PSYC 387 Final Prep Athabasca University Questions Well Answered Latest Update
2026/2027
Who originally said that change is the only constant? - Answers Roman philosopher Lucretius
2,000 years ago
When was Darwins Origin of Species written? - Answers 1859
Describe Darwin's theory of natural selection. - Answers There is, he argued, tremendous
variation among the members of any given species.
Some of these variations are well suited to current conditions; others are not. Individuals with
favorable variations are more likely to survive and reproduce, so succeeding generations are
more likely to show helpful characteristics. Thus, features that contribute to survival are
"selected" by the environment, a process Darwin called natural selection.
Was Darwin aware of the genetic basis for evolution by natural selection? - Answers no
Who was the first person to understand the role of genetics? - Answers Gregor Mendel (father
of genetics) published his work in 1866.
Although Darwin did not understand the genetic basis for evolution, he was aware that _____ (2
things) - Answers variation within a species was common
selective breeding of farm animals with a specific variation often resulted in offspring with that
characteristic.
What did Dawkin's pebbly beach analogy illustrate about natural selection? - Answers pebbles
arrange themselves based on the flow of water and density and size of the rocks.
Intelligent direction isn't required. The environment "selects" desirable characteristics and
spurns undesirable ones.
What are mutations? - Answers Abrupt changes in genes.
What can cause a mutation? - Answers Can be caused by exposure to radiation and certain
chemicals and perhaps by viral infections.
In what case will mutation be passed on to the next generation? - Answers when mutations
occur in genes of reproductive cells (sperm or ova)
Can mutations occur in any cell of the body? - Answers yes
,Will offspring with mutated genes necessarily display the mutation? - Answers no
Are mutations always detrimental to survival? - Answers Many of these changes are simply of
no consequence, one way or the other
Occasionally can be useful to survival. (new horn mutation useful for defense)
What is a reflex? - Answers A reflex is a relationship between a specific event and a simple
response to that event. A reflex is a relationship between certain kinds of events.
Give an example of a reflex. - Answers Food in the mouth elicits the salivary reflex, the flow of
saliva that begins the process of digestion.
What is reflex failure? When can it occur? - Answers Reflex failure is when a reflex fails to
function properly.
This can happen as a result of:
-allergic reaction to medication
-injury or disease.
-excessive alcohol or other drugs that depress the central nervous system.
Reflexes are highly ___________ - Answers stereotypic
that is, they are remarkably consistent in form, frequency, strength, and time of appearance
during development.
What is sensitization? Give an example. - Answers Eliciting a reflex response can increase the
intensity or probability of the response to stimuli.
Hearing a loud noise that makes you jump can make you more sensitive to noises that arent as
loud.
What happened when Kelly Powell and Stephen Holtzman (2001) gave rats morphine for one to
four days and then tested their reaction to the drug after a period of abstinence? - Answers The
rats showed an increased response to morphine (i.e., sensitization) for up to three months after
their last dose.
,What is habituation? Give an example. - Answers Repeatedly evoking a given reflex response
will result in a reduction in the intensity or probability of the response.
Cats slowly become used to a loud noise when exposed to it multiple times.
Define a FAP. Give an example. - Answers A series of interrelated acts found in all or nearly all
members of a species.
When confronted by a threatening dog, the house cat arches its back, hisses, growls, and flicks
its tail. These acts make the cat appear larger and more formidable than it really is and may
therefore serve to put off an attacker.
What were FAP called in the past? - Answers Instincts
What is a releaser? - Answers An event that triggers a fixed action pattern.
red is a releaser for the stickleback fish.
What did Wilson claim were humans FAP? - Answers Biophelia and aversion to incest
Define a general behavior trait. - Answers Include activity level, aggression, introversion, anxiety,
hoarding (of food, for example), and sexual practices, among others. Some behavior traits are
strongly influenced by genes.
How do FAPs and behavior traits differ? - Answers FAP are elicited by fairly specific events
(releasers). Behavior traits occur in a wide variety of situations.
Do behavior traits have a genetic influence? - Answers yes even though they are more variable.
Dog like traits in foxes were bred through a number of generations.
Define learning. - Answers Learning is a change in behavior due to experience.
Learning is a product of natural selection.
evolved modifiability - Answers Learning does not give the species the tendency to behave a
certain way in a new situation; rather, it gives the individual the tendency to modify its behavior
to suit that situation.
Russell's views about human superiority over other species. - Answers One by one, the
characteristics that we have held to be uniquely human have been found in other species.
, Perhaps the only uniquely human characteristic is this: So far as we know, we are the only
creature that spends time trying to prove its superiority over other creatures.
Betty Hart and Todd did a longitudinal study of the verbal environment provided by parents with
different educational backgrounds. . What did they find? - Answers Those children whose
parents talked to them a lot (providing lengthy explanations and lots of positive feedback, for
example) later scored higher on intelligence and vocabulary tests than those children whose
parents were more reticent.
How long has Learning been the subject of scientific analysis? - Answers about 100 years
What is constructivism? - Answers There is a school of thought, popular in university social
science departments and in colleges of education, that says the scientific method that has
served the world so well for 400 years is now outmoded, that science is just a debate about an
unknowable reality.
What is an operational definition - Answers For research purposes, behavior must be defined in
terms of its measurement. Because the operation used to measure behavior defines it, this is
called an operational definition.
What is a stimulus? - Answers A stimulus is an event that can affect or is capable of affecting
behavior.
What are stimuli? - Answers Stimuli are physical events: An increase in temperature.
Describe the measure of learning: reduction in errors - Answers A common way of measuring
learning is to look for a reduction in errors.
A rat can be said to have learned to run a maze to the extent that it goes from
start to finish without taking a wrong turn. As training progresses, the rat
will make fewer and fewer errors
Describe the measure of learning: topography - Answers the form a behavior takes
Topography may be used as a measure of learning in mirror tracing. The task is to trace a form
while looking at its reflection in a mirror. It is harder than it sounds, and at first the pencil line
meanders wildly. With practice, however, a person can trace the shape rather neatly. The change
in topography is a measure of learning.
Describe the measure of learning: intensity - Answers When a laboratory rat learns to press a
lever, the resistance of the lever
2026/2027
Who originally said that change is the only constant? - Answers Roman philosopher Lucretius
2,000 years ago
When was Darwins Origin of Species written? - Answers 1859
Describe Darwin's theory of natural selection. - Answers There is, he argued, tremendous
variation among the members of any given species.
Some of these variations are well suited to current conditions; others are not. Individuals with
favorable variations are more likely to survive and reproduce, so succeeding generations are
more likely to show helpful characteristics. Thus, features that contribute to survival are
"selected" by the environment, a process Darwin called natural selection.
Was Darwin aware of the genetic basis for evolution by natural selection? - Answers no
Who was the first person to understand the role of genetics? - Answers Gregor Mendel (father
of genetics) published his work in 1866.
Although Darwin did not understand the genetic basis for evolution, he was aware that _____ (2
things) - Answers variation within a species was common
selective breeding of farm animals with a specific variation often resulted in offspring with that
characteristic.
What did Dawkin's pebbly beach analogy illustrate about natural selection? - Answers pebbles
arrange themselves based on the flow of water and density and size of the rocks.
Intelligent direction isn't required. The environment "selects" desirable characteristics and
spurns undesirable ones.
What are mutations? - Answers Abrupt changes in genes.
What can cause a mutation? - Answers Can be caused by exposure to radiation and certain
chemicals and perhaps by viral infections.
In what case will mutation be passed on to the next generation? - Answers when mutations
occur in genes of reproductive cells (sperm or ova)
Can mutations occur in any cell of the body? - Answers yes
,Will offspring with mutated genes necessarily display the mutation? - Answers no
Are mutations always detrimental to survival? - Answers Many of these changes are simply of
no consequence, one way or the other
Occasionally can be useful to survival. (new horn mutation useful for defense)
What is a reflex? - Answers A reflex is a relationship between a specific event and a simple
response to that event. A reflex is a relationship between certain kinds of events.
Give an example of a reflex. - Answers Food in the mouth elicits the salivary reflex, the flow of
saliva that begins the process of digestion.
What is reflex failure? When can it occur? - Answers Reflex failure is when a reflex fails to
function properly.
This can happen as a result of:
-allergic reaction to medication
-injury or disease.
-excessive alcohol or other drugs that depress the central nervous system.
Reflexes are highly ___________ - Answers stereotypic
that is, they are remarkably consistent in form, frequency, strength, and time of appearance
during development.
What is sensitization? Give an example. - Answers Eliciting a reflex response can increase the
intensity or probability of the response to stimuli.
Hearing a loud noise that makes you jump can make you more sensitive to noises that arent as
loud.
What happened when Kelly Powell and Stephen Holtzman (2001) gave rats morphine for one to
four days and then tested their reaction to the drug after a period of abstinence? - Answers The
rats showed an increased response to morphine (i.e., sensitization) for up to three months after
their last dose.
,What is habituation? Give an example. - Answers Repeatedly evoking a given reflex response
will result in a reduction in the intensity or probability of the response.
Cats slowly become used to a loud noise when exposed to it multiple times.
Define a FAP. Give an example. - Answers A series of interrelated acts found in all or nearly all
members of a species.
When confronted by a threatening dog, the house cat arches its back, hisses, growls, and flicks
its tail. These acts make the cat appear larger and more formidable than it really is and may
therefore serve to put off an attacker.
What were FAP called in the past? - Answers Instincts
What is a releaser? - Answers An event that triggers a fixed action pattern.
red is a releaser for the stickleback fish.
What did Wilson claim were humans FAP? - Answers Biophelia and aversion to incest
Define a general behavior trait. - Answers Include activity level, aggression, introversion, anxiety,
hoarding (of food, for example), and sexual practices, among others. Some behavior traits are
strongly influenced by genes.
How do FAPs and behavior traits differ? - Answers FAP are elicited by fairly specific events
(releasers). Behavior traits occur in a wide variety of situations.
Do behavior traits have a genetic influence? - Answers yes even though they are more variable.
Dog like traits in foxes were bred through a number of generations.
Define learning. - Answers Learning is a change in behavior due to experience.
Learning is a product of natural selection.
evolved modifiability - Answers Learning does not give the species the tendency to behave a
certain way in a new situation; rather, it gives the individual the tendency to modify its behavior
to suit that situation.
Russell's views about human superiority over other species. - Answers One by one, the
characteristics that we have held to be uniquely human have been found in other species.
, Perhaps the only uniquely human characteristic is this: So far as we know, we are the only
creature that spends time trying to prove its superiority over other creatures.
Betty Hart and Todd did a longitudinal study of the verbal environment provided by parents with
different educational backgrounds. . What did they find? - Answers Those children whose
parents talked to them a lot (providing lengthy explanations and lots of positive feedback, for
example) later scored higher on intelligence and vocabulary tests than those children whose
parents were more reticent.
How long has Learning been the subject of scientific analysis? - Answers about 100 years
What is constructivism? - Answers There is a school of thought, popular in university social
science departments and in colleges of education, that says the scientific method that has
served the world so well for 400 years is now outmoded, that science is just a debate about an
unknowable reality.
What is an operational definition - Answers For research purposes, behavior must be defined in
terms of its measurement. Because the operation used to measure behavior defines it, this is
called an operational definition.
What is a stimulus? - Answers A stimulus is an event that can affect or is capable of affecting
behavior.
What are stimuli? - Answers Stimuli are physical events: An increase in temperature.
Describe the measure of learning: reduction in errors - Answers A common way of measuring
learning is to look for a reduction in errors.
A rat can be said to have learned to run a maze to the extent that it goes from
start to finish without taking a wrong turn. As training progresses, the rat
will make fewer and fewer errors
Describe the measure of learning: topography - Answers the form a behavior takes
Topography may be used as a measure of learning in mirror tracing. The task is to trace a form
while looking at its reflection in a mirror. It is harder than it sounds, and at first the pencil line
meanders wildly. With practice, however, a person can trace the shape rather neatly. The change
in topography is a measure of learning.
Describe the measure of learning: intensity - Answers When a laboratory rat learns to press a
lever, the resistance of the lever
