MCAT PSYCHOLOGY & SOCIOLOGY REVIEW QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ALREADY GRADED A+

Name the three main parts of a neuron and the direction in which an action potential travels Axons, soma (cell body), and dendrites. Action potentials are received by dendrites and travel from the cell body down the axon What determines the intensity of an electrical signal for an action potential? Frequency of action potentials Brainpower Read More 0:11 / 0:15 List 5 physiological changes that are associated with activation of the sympathetic nervous system. Inhibition of digestion, contraction of sphincters, inhibition of urination, opening of airways, increased heart rate, increased blood flow to muscles, sweating, vasoconstriction, emotional vasodilation (blushing), pupil dilation, release of epinephrine, ejaculation/orgasm What are the 4 lobes of the cerebral cortex and their primary functions? Frontal lobes: voluntary movement, higher order thinking Parietal lobes: tactile sensations and gustation Temporal lobes: audition, olfaction, short-term memory, language comprehension, emotion Occipital lobes: vision What are the mediums that sound vibrations travel through, from when they enter the ear to when they are translated into an electrical signal in the auditory nerve? air (sound waves) → bone (malleus, incus, stapes) → fluid (perilymph and endolymph in the cochlea) What is Weber's Law? Weber's Law says that two stimuli must differ by some constant proportion to be detected as unique from each other How do peptide hormones and steroid hormones differ in the duration and immediacy of their effects? Peptide hormones tend to work rapidly and temporarily while steroid hormones tend to work more slowly but have more permanent effects In Baddeley's model, what are the four components of working memory? Phonological loop, visuospatial sketchpad, episodic buffer, central executive Define 'confirmation bias' A tendency to only seek information that supports a preconceived conclusion and to ignore information that does not support it What heuristic may lead an ER physician to overestimate the amount of violent crime in his/her community? Availability heuristic Differentiate dyssomnias from parasomnias Dyssomnias are abnormalities in the amount, quality, or timing of sleep. Parasomnias are abnormal behaviors that occur during sleep Describe the role of cognition in the Schachter-Singer theory of emotion In the Schachter-Singer theory, cognition is the intermediary between physiological sensations and behavioral response. It appraises, or interprets, the physiological response based on the context which informs the behavioral response What is the Language Acquisition Device? The Language Acquisition Device is an innate structure hypothesized by Noam Chomsky unique to the human mind that allows people to gain mastery of language from limited exposure Describe the speech of a patient with Wernicke's aphasia? Speech will be fluent with normal rhythm and syntax. However, the content would be unintelligible and meaningless Differentiate between negative reinforcement and punishment. Negative reinforcement is when a negative stimulus is removed immediately following a behavior. Punishment is either when a negative stimulus is introduced immediately following a behavior or a positive stimulus is taken away What are the three factors that interact with each other according to reciprocal determinism? The individual, behavior, and the environment What is the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis? The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis asserts that people understand their world through language and that language shapes how we experience our world What type of reinforcement schedule encourages a high frequency of responding and is most resistant to extinction? Why? The variable ratio schedule is the most resistant to extinction because if the subject keeps responding, they will get the reinforcement after an unpredictable amount of responses. There is more unpredictability than fixed schedules, which string the subject along. They also respond frequently because reinforcement is based on the number of responses rather than a time interval. A slot machine is an example of variable-ration reinforcement Define 'long-term potentiation' Long term potentiation is when neurons that are stimulated together develop an increased sensitivity to each other and have a stronger electrochemical response than they did previously. There is thus an increased potential to fire from stimulation. It is thought to be the anatomical basis for learning and memory Differentiate between genotype and phenotype Genotype is the genetic makeup of an organism while phenotype is the observable characteristics and traits (the expression of the genotype) Rank the three parenting styles in order of the amount of control that the parents exert, from least control to most control. Permissive < Authoritative < Authoritarian What type of memory is being utilized by a basketball player who improves her shooting through repetition? Procedural memory What type of amnesia and what type of interference would make it difficult to encode and recall new information? Anterograde amnesia and proactive interference According to Cognitive-Behavioral Theory, what is the assumed problem behind psychopathology? Irrational or dysfunctional thoughts and beliefs (schema) List the Big Five Personality traits. OCEAN: Openess to Experience Conscientiousness Extroversion Agreeableness Neuroticism What is the difference between traits and states, as related to personality? States are situational, unstable, temporary, and variable aspects of personality that are influenced by the external environment. Traits are internal, stable, and enduring aspects of personality that are consistent in most situations What differentiates incentives from drives? Incentives are external stimuli that motivate while drives are internal stimuli that motivate What three categories of psychological disorders have the highest prevalence in the US? 1) Anxiety disorders 2) Mood disorders 3) Personality disorders What are features of a panic attack? During a panic attack, a person may experience intense dread, shortness of breath, chest pain, a choking sensation, rapid heartbeat, heart palpitations, trembling, lightheadedness, sweating, and chills. The attacks usually last for less than 30 minutes. They may or may not have an identifiable trigger What are the negative symptoms of schizophrenia? Negative symptoms indicate a "lack of" something. In schizophrenia, they include flat affect, reduced speech fluency, avolition (lack of motivation) and social withdrawal What are the anatomical findings in Alzheimer's disease and what proteins are involved? Neuritic plaques of beta-amyloid protein and neurofibrillary tangles of tau protein Name two subcortical brain structures that generate dopamine in a healthy brain. Basal ganglia and substantia nigra What is 'incongruity', as defined by Carl Rogers? Discrepancy between the ideal self (what I "ought to be") and the real self (what I am) What type of locus of control in response to negative events is associated with depression? Internal locus of control. Depressed individuals tend to blamed themselves for failures, rather than acknowledge environmental factors How does the idea of the looking glass self posit that individuals form an identity? It suggests that we form an identity through observing the reactions of others in society to our behavior and their perceptions of us Identify two ways that formal norms differ from informal norms. Formal norms are generally written down, more precisely defined, and carry clearer consequences than informal norms What is the difference between prejudice and discrimination? Prejudice involves thoughts, attitudes, and feelings someone holds about a group. Discrimination involves actual behaviors and actions toward a group based on these prejudices What is 'stereotype threat'? A self-fulfilling fear that one will be evaluated based on a negative stereotype What is mindguarding? Mindguarding is when individuals in a group actively filter out opinions or facts that go against the opinion of the group. It promotes groupthink Rank identification, compliance, and internalization in the order of least to most resistant to extinction Compliance < Identification < Internalization What motivational tactics are utilized by utilitarian organizations? Utilitarian organizations use practical incentives such as money What is the dramaturgical perspective of identity? The dramaturgical perspective posits that identity is not necessarily stable and depends on the context. It suggests that we have a front stage that is how we identify and come across to others, and a back stage which is how we are when not in the presence of others Name three predictors of attraction. Proximity, appearance, similarity According to functionalism, what is the difference between manifest and latent functions of structures in society? Manifest functions are intended and obvious consequences of a structure while latent functions are the unintended or less recognizable consequences