PSYC 390 Prep Guide 1 Exam With Complete Solutions
What is behavior? - answer Any activity of an organism that can be directly or indirectly
observed or somehow measured
- does not have to be observed by others, can just be you (internal or external and
visible or non visible)
- E.g. running, thinking, eating, dating
What distinguishes behavior from non-behavior? - answer Verbs
- E.g. Perception, memory, emotion, knowledge, and personality is not behavior
- However they can be turned into a behavior (perceiving, remembering, feeling,
knowing).
What is learning? - answer A permanent change in behavior that results from some
experience.
- this definition of learning is an adequate one b/c of the adage, "I never learn, do I?"
People may keep repeating the same mistake/action and get frustrated by its negative
consequences, however they haven't learned (or made a permanent change in
behavior) to produce a more positive outcome.
- E.g. dog eats a bug that makes it sick and, thus, never eats the same type of bug again.
- See prep guide 1 for practice
What are variables? - answer A characteristic of a person, place or thing that can
change (or vary) over time or from one situation to another.
- All research involves manipulation (IV) or measurement (DV) of certain variables.
- E.g. Temperature (varies from day to day, season to season, place to place) or Height
and weight (people vary in height and weight) or gender or marital status or age or hair
color.
What is an independent variable? - answer An aspect of an experiment that
systematically varies across conditions in an experiment (it is what is manipulated in an
experiment)
What is a dependent variable? - answer The variable that is able to vary freely in
response to changes/manipulation of the IV
- It is the variable that is measured.
- In a psychology experiments, its always some type of behavior.
, *see prep guide 1 for practice*
What is a functional relation? - answer The relationship between changes in an
independent variable and changes in a dependent variable is a called a functional
relationship
- can be thought of as cause and effect relationships with changes in the IV causing
changes in the DV.
- Behaviorists want to find relationships between environmental events and behavior!
Define stimulus and response in terms of their relation to one another: - answer A
stimulus is any event that can influence behavior whereas a response is a particular
instance of behavior.
- e.g. food is a stimulus that elicits salivation (a response.
- e.g. loud music may cause your neighbor to bang on the wall.
Give an example of when the response of one organism can act as a stimulus,
influencing the response of another organism: - answer - E.g. When someone bites
another, the bite may elicit a retaliatory response. In return this retaliatory response
may act as a stimulus, causing the person who did the biting in the first place to retreat
- E.g. a smile from Lane is a stimulus, causing Jade to say hello (Response and
stimulus), encouraging Lane to introduce himself (response)
What are 2 types of behavior? - answer 1. Overt
2. Covert
What is overt behavior? - answer Behavior that can be directly observed by another
individual (it can be *publicly observed*)
- E.g. a person's response of saying hello, or a rat's response of pressing a lever can be
publicly observed.
What is covert behavior? - answer Behavior that can be perceived only by the person
performing the behavior. It is subjectively perceived (not publicly observable)
- E.g. thoughts, feelings, sensory experiences (aka seeing or hearing)
- E.g. thinking about your ex, dreaming, visualizing a future date, and feeling anxious
*Some covert components can be publicly observable!*
T/F: Some covert components can be publicly observable - answer True!
- E.g. feeling anxious increases heart rate and muscle tension (these can be measured,
What is behavior? - answer Any activity of an organism that can be directly or indirectly
observed or somehow measured
- does not have to be observed by others, can just be you (internal or external and
visible or non visible)
- E.g. running, thinking, eating, dating
What distinguishes behavior from non-behavior? - answer Verbs
- E.g. Perception, memory, emotion, knowledge, and personality is not behavior
- However they can be turned into a behavior (perceiving, remembering, feeling,
knowing).
What is learning? - answer A permanent change in behavior that results from some
experience.
- this definition of learning is an adequate one b/c of the adage, "I never learn, do I?"
People may keep repeating the same mistake/action and get frustrated by its negative
consequences, however they haven't learned (or made a permanent change in
behavior) to produce a more positive outcome.
- E.g. dog eats a bug that makes it sick and, thus, never eats the same type of bug again.
- See prep guide 1 for practice
What are variables? - answer A characteristic of a person, place or thing that can
change (or vary) over time or from one situation to another.
- All research involves manipulation (IV) or measurement (DV) of certain variables.
- E.g. Temperature (varies from day to day, season to season, place to place) or Height
and weight (people vary in height and weight) or gender or marital status or age or hair
color.
What is an independent variable? - answer An aspect of an experiment that
systematically varies across conditions in an experiment (it is what is manipulated in an
experiment)
What is a dependent variable? - answer The variable that is able to vary freely in
response to changes/manipulation of the IV
- It is the variable that is measured.
- In a psychology experiments, its always some type of behavior.
, *see prep guide 1 for practice*
What is a functional relation? - answer The relationship between changes in an
independent variable and changes in a dependent variable is a called a functional
relationship
- can be thought of as cause and effect relationships with changes in the IV causing
changes in the DV.
- Behaviorists want to find relationships between environmental events and behavior!
Define stimulus and response in terms of their relation to one another: - answer A
stimulus is any event that can influence behavior whereas a response is a particular
instance of behavior.
- e.g. food is a stimulus that elicits salivation (a response.
- e.g. loud music may cause your neighbor to bang on the wall.
Give an example of when the response of one organism can act as a stimulus,
influencing the response of another organism: - answer - E.g. When someone bites
another, the bite may elicit a retaliatory response. In return this retaliatory response
may act as a stimulus, causing the person who did the biting in the first place to retreat
- E.g. a smile from Lane is a stimulus, causing Jade to say hello (Response and
stimulus), encouraging Lane to introduce himself (response)
What are 2 types of behavior? - answer 1. Overt
2. Covert
What is overt behavior? - answer Behavior that can be directly observed by another
individual (it can be *publicly observed*)
- E.g. a person's response of saying hello, or a rat's response of pressing a lever can be
publicly observed.
What is covert behavior? - answer Behavior that can be perceived only by the person
performing the behavior. It is subjectively perceived (not publicly observable)
- E.g. thoughts, feelings, sensory experiences (aka seeing or hearing)
- E.g. thinking about your ex, dreaming, visualizing a future date, and feeling anxious
*Some covert components can be publicly observable!*
T/F: Some covert components can be publicly observable - answer True!
- E.g. feeling anxious increases heart rate and muscle tension (these can be measured,
