Includes objectives for Nature and Nurture Sensation and Perception Learning and Memory from class notes lectures and the textbook Also includes answers to the extra credit Exam 2 Study Guide Nature and Nurture 1 What is natural selection What is an adaptation What are two components for natural selection to occur Be able to give an example those traits that lead to more successful survival and a Natural selection reproduction will be passed on to following generation helped our ancestors to survive and reproduce b Adaptations physical and psychological traits passed down because they c Two components 1 environmental challenge 2 adaptation 2 Be able to define genes Be able to differentiate between genotype and phenotype units of heredity segment of DNA capable of synthesizing proteins a Genes b Genotype c Phenotype d Basically genotype is our genetic makeup whereas phenotype is our the set of genes an organism receives from its parents observable traits observable traits 3 What is heritability What can it tell us What can t it tell us b a Heritability the extent to which differences among individuals can be attributed to differing genes If heritability of IQ is 50 what does that mean That means that half of the difference between them is due to genetic difference so we can tell how much of the difference can be attributed to genetic difference c As differences in environmental decreases heritability increases And vice 4 What are twin studies Adoption studies What can they tell us versa a Twin studies b Adoption studies a analysis of how traits differ in identical vs fraternal twins b Fraternal twins share 50 of their genes and identical share 100 Identical twins are more similar than fraternal in personality a Environment is from unrelated people with genes of biological parents Usually it s hard to know if a trait comes from a shared trait or a shared environment the person has with their parent and this allows us to separate these two b Adoptees are more similar in personality to biological parents than adoptive 5 What roles do parents and peers play in who we are What can an enriching impoverished environment do for us a Influence of parents and peers a Parents education discipline responsibility etc b Peers social interaction romantic relationships etc b Influence of experiences More enriched environment more synaptic connections 6 What general roles do heredity and environment play in who we are a Heritability plays an important role in personality It determines reaction ranges b Environment plays an important role in attitudes e g values manners religion politics and determines where we fall in the range Sensation and Perception 1 Be able to define and differentiate between sensation and perception a Sensation b Perception c Sensation and perception are not the same Essentially sensation first detection of physical energy by our sense organs brains interpretation of sensory input allows us to pick up the signals in our environments and perception then allows us to assemble these signals into something meaningful 2 What is transduction What are sensory receptors How do they work together the process by which external stimuli is converted into electrical a Transduction signals within neurons sense organs do c Sense receptors specific stimuli b Changing one form of energy into another form of energy What all of our specific receptors for each of our five senses transduces d Transduction is changing a form of energy into another form and we need that to sense because our sense receptors have to transduce what they sense into electrical figures Sensory receptors do the transduction e 3 What is psychophysics What is absolute threshold Be able to give an example What is just noticeable differences Be able to give an example What is Weber s law study of how we perceive sensory stimuli based on their a Psychophysics physical characteristics 50 of trials when no other stimulus is present b Absolute threshold the lowest level of sensory stimulus we can detect on i Ex at what amplitude loudness does one hear a sound 50 for a c Just noticeable difference JND smallest change in intensity of sensory given frequency stimulus we can detect i Ex How much light would we have to use to a room for someone to know there is more light in the room d Weber s law constant proportional relationship between JND and original intensity Essentially the stronger the stimulus the bigger the change needed for a change in stimulus intensity to be noticeable For example you would have to add a lot more light into an already well lit room for it to be noticeable than the light needed to be added to a dimly lit room 4 What are the three things our brain integrates to perceive What do we often sacrifice to perceive a Our brain integrates sensory data into meaningful concepts b Brain perceives by integrating i what s currently in our sensory field ii what was there a moment ago iii what we remember from our past usually we need old information to process new information c often we sacrifice small details for the bigger picture i e the meaningful concept 5 What is parallel processing What is cross modality What is the McGurk effect and how does it demonstrate cross modality What is synesthesia a Parallel processing b Cross modality can attend to multiple sense modalities at the same time processing info from multiple senses that produces a different perception than that of any one sense Basically the whole is more than the sum of its parts c The McGurk effect is when you see and hear something and the vision overrides the hearing Like the video in class where the guy kept saying ba and they played it with video clips of him saying fa During this we hear fa even though the audio is still ba This demonstrates cross modality because seeing him talk influence what we think he s saying d Synesthesia colors extreme version of cross modality Tasting sounds hearing 6 Be able to define and differentiate between top down processes and bottom up processes What are each of these processes driven by Sensory detection and encoding construction of a Bottom up processes whole from parts i Lines angles shapes colors etc ii The example is the picture with the woman or the saxophone player b Top down processes conceptually driven organization and interpretation of information i Past experiences expectations and context Like the example of expecting sprite when you re drinking water and for a second you think it actually tastes
View Full Document
Unlocking...