PSYC 387 Final Prep Athabasca University Questions & Answers Already Passed!!

Who originally said that change is the only constant? - Answer-Roman philosopher Lucretius 2,000 years ago When was Darwins Origin of Species written? - Answer-1859 Describe Darwin's theory of natural selection. - Answer-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? - Answer-no Who was the first person to understand the role of genetics? - Answer-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) - Answer-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? - Answer-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? - Answer-Abrupt changes in genes. What can cause a mutation? - Answer-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? - Answer-when mutations occur in genes of reproductive cells (sperm or ova) Can mutations occur in any cell of the body? - Answer-yes Will offspring with mutated genes necessarily display the mutation? - Answer-no Are mutations always detrimental to survival? - Answer-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? - Answer-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. - Answer-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? - Answer-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 ___________ - Answer-stereotypic that is, they are remarkably consistent in form, frequency, strength, and time of appearance during development. What is sensitization? Give an example. - Answer-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? - Answer-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. - Answer-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. - Answer-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? - Answer-Instincts What is a releaser? - Answer-An event that triggers a fixed action pattern. red is a releaser for the stickleback fish.What did Wilson claim were humans FAP? - Answer-Biophelia and aversion to incest Define a general behavior trait. - Answer-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? - Answer-FAP are elicited by fairly specific events (releasers). Behavior traits occur in a wide variety of situations. Do behavior traits have a genetic influence? - Answer-yes even though they are more variable. Dog like traits in foxes were bred through a number of generations. Define learning. - Answer-Learning is a change in behavior due to experience. Learning is a product of natural selection. evolved modifiability - Answer-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. - Answer-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? - Answer-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? - Answer-about 100 yearsWhat is constructivism? - Answer-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 - Answer-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? - Answer-A stimulus is an event that can affect or is capable of affecting behavior. What are stimuli? - Answer-Stimuli are physical events: An increase in temperature. Describe the measure of learning: reduction in errors - Answer-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 - Answer-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 - Answer-When a laboratory rat learns to press a lever, the resistance of the lever may be increased so that greater force is required to depress it. The increase in pressure exerted by the rat is a measure of learning Describe the measure of learning:speed - Answer-A change in the speed with which a behavior is performed is another measureof learning. The rat that has learned to run a maze reaches the goal faster than an untrained rat Describe the measure of learning:latency - Answer-the time that passes before a behavior occurs. Describe the measure of learning: rate or frequency - Answer-These terms refer to the number of occurrences per unit of time. A pigeon may peck a disk at the rate of, say, five to ten times a minute. The experimenter may then attempt to increase or decrease the rate of disk pecking. The resulting change in rate is a measure of learning Identify and explain the three major reasons for using animals in research on learning. - AnswerInfluence and control over heredity It is possible to control their learning history. Can control their environment. Possible to do research otherwise unethical on humans. What is the most common objection to using animals in research on learning? - Answer-Chief objection is that animals are different from humans. Therefore one needs to be careful about generalizing information and research from animals to humans. No practical value. Intrinsically unethical. Animal rights. Naturan selection is usually ____ the times - Answer-behind What were the psychic secretions that became a focus of Pavlov's work? - Answer-When he noticed that a dog salivated before getting food he called this a "psychic secretion" and assumed that these were caused by thoughts, memories, or wishes of the animal.Is the presentation of the two stimuli (i.e., the neutral stimulus and the unconditional stimulus) independent of the behavior of the animal in pavlovian conditioning? - Answer-Yes