Psychology Lab Test Review: Semester 1 Lab 1: Measurement and ...
Psychology Lab Test Review: Semester 1 Lab 1: Measurement and Experimental Design What is the scientific method? Proves that some variable (x) causes people to behave a certain way (y) while other variables (z) that might affect behavior are held constant. Observe twice: when x is present & when x isn’t present. X = independent variable Thing experimenter is changing to see how it affects performance Y = dependent variable Always the measure of behavior Z = controlled variable Anything that remains constant through experiment Alcohol affects balance – Thought test -
Walk a 38 foot balance beam Tuesday morning with full rest, breakfast, loose clothing, proper shoes and pay them Gravity, oxygen, and alive (all constant z factors) Next day do the same but after drinking 10 beers If there is a difference in score it is because of alcohol
Independent Variable (x) - amount of beer drank Dependent Variable (y) - how far they walk on balance beam Controlled Variable (z) - Gravity, oxygen, alive Progressive Error – Dart Board Experiment Progressive error: one condition benefits more from practice than other conditions -
Blow on hand and bet you’ll do better Already done 4 practice darts so in the second set of 4 they’ve already had practice Use counterbalancing to control for progressive error
Counterbalancing: makes sure both conditions benefit equally from practice
Ex.
A 4
B 4
vs.
A B 2 2
B A 2 2
Random Error – Golf Ball Experiment Random Error: when you measure the same thing twice and get a different answer When you try to see how far you can hit a golf ball and each time you hit it the ball goes a different distance - use averages of repeated tests in same environment to control for random error Lab 2: Illusions and Psychophysics (Muller-Lyer Illusion) How did we measure the size of your illusion? Shown two lines at a time that had wings on them. One was a referent line that was always 142 pixels and the other was a comparison line, which there were 12 different lengths of. The independent variable was the change in length of the comparison line. The dependent variable was how often you said the comparison line was longer. The method of constant stimuli was used to counterbalance progressive error by presenting the lines in a random order and not by ascending or descending order. And to counterbalance random error we took several observations and averaged the score. We measured the illusion by measuring the absolute threshold where the stimulus is detected 50% of the time, so the length you called larger 50% of the time. Calculated it by subtracting the reference length from your absolute threshold. What is the distinction between sensation and perception? Sensation is the stimulation of sense organs and perception is the selection, organization, and interpretation of sensory input. Illusions happen because we make wrong perceptions. Sensation begins with a detectable stimulus. Feature Detection Theory Bottom-up Processing: when you identify the whole by looking at its pieces Top-down Processing: already have a hint of what it is so you identify it easily Signal Detection Theory Sensory processes(sensitivity) + decision processes(bias)
Lab 3: Dream Analysis Compare and contrast Freud and Jung’s dream analysis theory Freud believes that dreams are caused by repressed unconscious desires. He split the psyche into three parts: the ego (conscious), the ID (unconscious), and the super ego (sense of right & wrong). The ego has to balance the desires of the ID and the super ego. Freud believes that these desires disguise their true meanings in bizarre symbolic messages through dreams. Jung agrees with Freud’s theory apart from the source of our conflicts. Freud believes our animalistic desires create all conflict where as Jung says our dreams reveal unconscious aspects of our personality that help better ourselves. Free associating - come up with associations to symbols Opposites - treats opposites as being equivalent Condensation - two people/locations blended into one Literal Phrases - word play (interpreting phrases literally ex. Driving me up a wall) Macro Analysis The emotion and plot line Micro Analysis Decoding the dream elements - people or animals - places - things - events Archetypes - Common theme and idea found in all cultures though out history
Collective Unconscious - collective experience of all of humanity Lab 4: Sniffy- Operant Conditioning What is the difference between Classical and Operant Conditioning? Classical conditioning is a type of learning in which a stimulus acquires the capacity to evoke a response that was originally evoked by another stimulus. Where as operant conditioning is a form of learning in which responses come to be controlled by their consequences. 1) Magazine Training – complete when sound/food bar reaches 75% 2) Shaping Bar Pressing- complete when middle bar reaches 75% 3) Extinction of Bar Pressing- complete when sniffy presses the bar less than 3 times in 5 minutes Cumulative Recorder - records when sniffy presses bar (line every 5 minutes) - Pen goes up until it cant go up anymore (pen reset every 75 presses) Pretest, Post test design - measure before and after training - Pretest = no training - Post test = 2 steps (shaping & magazine) - IV= amount of training - DV= measure of behavior Formula: # of presses / # of minutes Controlled Variables - motivation (sniffy will always be hungry) - Continuous reinforcement (hears sound and always gets food when presses) How do you demonstrate Spontaneous Recovery? 1) train animal to do trick 2) extinguish that trick 3) take out of cage for a day, then put him back in cage and starts pressing again (because he is back in the environment in which he learned the behavior in)
Extinction Presses - when extinction criterion is met calculate the number of bar presses sniffy made before he stopped pressing Thorndike’s Law of Effect When behavior is followed immediately by a reward the association is strengthened Lab 5: Measuring Cognitive Processes (Stroop Interference Task) Why do we expect interference when naming ink color but not when naming words? When naming words the information is available right away in your brain before you even recognize the name of the ink color. Where as when naming ink color, by the time your brain recognizes the color you’ve already read the name of the color which creates interference. Task: Name out loud a series of 20 color names based on the actual words presented or the color of the ink of the words Variables IV- Congruency (3) - Task (2)
* 6 conditions overall
DV – time to name 20 objects - click return key to stop clock - units of measurement is seconds CV- always 20 words - size of stimulus is the same - control for progressive error by counterbalancing the order presented in - control for random error by doing several trials and taking an average Lexical Decision Task - demonstration that shows the 4 stages of processing - make sound and decide if it’s a word - 1) hits ear encode 2) look in dictionary in head 3) say yes or no 4) make tongue move - typically slower to say no than yes Left/Right Experiment - subtractive technique (to measure 1 stage of processing)
-
two fingers choice condition 350 milliseconds = choice reaction time average One finger trial simple reaction time (no decision) 250 milliseconds 350-250= 100 milliseconds (to make choice)
To measure 1 step of processing 1) create activity that has all 4 steps (encode, compare, decide, respond) 2) measure how long it takes to complete activity 3) take out one step and measure again 4) subtract second measurement from the first = how long step takes
Walk a 38 foot balance beam Tuesday morning with full rest, breakfast, loose clothing, proper shoes and pay them Gravity, oxygen, and alive (all constant z factors) Next day do the same but after drinking 10 beers If there is a difference in score it is because of alcohol
Independent Variable (x) - amount of beer drank Dependent Variable (y) - how far they walk on balance beam Controlled Variable (z) - Gravity, oxygen, alive Progressive Error – Dart Board Experiment Progressive error: one condition benefits more from practice than other conditions -
Blow on hand and bet you’ll do better Already done 4 practice darts so in the second set of 4 they’ve already had practice Use counterbalancing to control for progressive error
Counterbalancing: makes sure both conditions benefit equally from practice
Ex.
A 4
B 4
vs.
A B 2 2
B A 2 2
Random Error – Golf Ball Experiment Random Error: when you measure the same thing twice and get a different answer When you try to see how far you can hit a golf ball and each time you hit it the ball goes a different distance - use averages of repeated tests in same environment to control for random error Lab 2: Illusions and Psychophysics (Muller-Lyer Illusion) How did we measure the size of your illusion? Shown two lines at a time that had wings on them. One was a referent line that was always 142 pixels and the other was a comparison line, which there were 12 different lengths of. The independent variable was the change in length of the comparison line. The dependent variable was how often you said the comparison line was longer. The method of constant stimuli was used to counterbalance progressive error by presenting the lines in a random order and not by ascending or descending order. And to counterbalance random error we took several observations and averaged the score. We measured the illusion by measuring the absolute threshold where the stimulus is detected 50% of the time, so the length you called larger 50% of the time. Calculated it by subtracting the reference length from your absolute threshold. What is the distinction between sensation and perception? Sensation is the stimulation of sense organs and perception is the selection, organization, and interpretation of sensory input. Illusions happen because we make wrong perceptions. Sensation begins with a detectable stimulus. Feature Detection Theory Bottom-up Processing: when you identify the whole by looking at its pieces Top-down Processing: already have a hint of what it is so you identify it easily Signal Detection Theory Sensory processes(sensitivity) + decision processes(bias)
Lab 3: Dream Analysis Compare and contrast Freud and Jung’s dream analysis theory Freud believes that dreams are caused by repressed unconscious desires. He split the psyche into three parts: the ego (conscious), the ID (unconscious), and the super ego (sense of right & wrong). The ego has to balance the desires of the ID and the super ego. Freud believes that these desires disguise their true meanings in bizarre symbolic messages through dreams. Jung agrees with Freud’s theory apart from the source of our conflicts. Freud believes our animalistic desires create all conflict where as Jung says our dreams reveal unconscious aspects of our personality that help better ourselves. Free associating - come up with associations to symbols Opposites - treats opposites as being equivalent Condensation - two people/locations blended into one Literal Phrases - word play (interpreting phrases literally ex. Driving me up a wall) Macro Analysis The emotion and plot line Micro Analysis Decoding the dream elements - people or animals - places - things - events Archetypes - Common theme and idea found in all cultures though out history
Collective Unconscious - collective experience of all of humanity Lab 4: Sniffy- Operant Conditioning What is the difference between Classical and Operant Conditioning? Classical conditioning is a type of learning in which a stimulus acquires the capacity to evoke a response that was originally evoked by another stimulus. Where as operant conditioning is a form of learning in which responses come to be controlled by their consequences. 1) Magazine Training – complete when sound/food bar reaches 75% 2) Shaping Bar Pressing- complete when middle bar reaches 75% 3) Extinction of Bar Pressing- complete when sniffy presses the bar less than 3 times in 5 minutes Cumulative Recorder - records when sniffy presses bar (line every 5 minutes) - Pen goes up until it cant go up anymore (pen reset every 75 presses) Pretest, Post test design - measure before and after training - Pretest = no training - Post test = 2 steps (shaping & magazine) - IV= amount of training - DV= measure of behavior Formula: # of presses / # of minutes Controlled Variables - motivation (sniffy will always be hungry) - Continuous reinforcement (hears sound and always gets food when presses) How do you demonstrate Spontaneous Recovery? 1) train animal to do trick 2) extinguish that trick 3) take out of cage for a day, then put him back in cage and starts pressing again (because he is back in the environment in which he learned the behavior in)
Extinction Presses - when extinction criterion is met calculate the number of bar presses sniffy made before he stopped pressing Thorndike’s Law of Effect When behavior is followed immediately by a reward the association is strengthened Lab 5: Measuring Cognitive Processes (Stroop Interference Task) Why do we expect interference when naming ink color but not when naming words? When naming words the information is available right away in your brain before you even recognize the name of the ink color. Where as when naming ink color, by the time your brain recognizes the color you’ve already read the name of the color which creates interference. Task: Name out loud a series of 20 color names based on the actual words presented or the color of the ink of the words Variables IV- Congruency (3) - Task (2)
* 6 conditions overall
DV – time to name 20 objects - click return key to stop clock - units of measurement is seconds CV- always 20 words - size of stimulus is the same - control for progressive error by counterbalancing the order presented in - control for random error by doing several trials and taking an average Lexical Decision Task - demonstration that shows the 4 stages of processing - make sound and decide if it’s a word - 1) hits ear encode 2) look in dictionary in head 3) say yes or no 4) make tongue move - typically slower to say no than yes Left/Right Experiment - subtractive technique (to measure 1 stage of processing)
-
two fingers choice condition 350 milliseconds = choice reaction time average One finger trial simple reaction time (no decision) 250 milliseconds 350-250= 100 milliseconds (to make choice)
To measure 1 step of processing 1) create activity that has all 4 steps (encode, compare, decide, respond) 2) measure how long it takes to complete activity 3) take out one step and measure again 4) subtract second measurement from the first = how long step takes
