Key studies
Biological
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Write down five studies
Biological


Name the case study with the guy with a
spike in his head
Why is it important?
Biological

Name the case study with the guy with a
spike in his head
Why is it important?

Phineas Gage

Biological

Name the experiment that showed us
pretty conclusively about lateralization?
Biological

Name the experiment that showed us
pretty conclusively about lateralization?

Sperry – 1968 – hemisphere deconnection and
unity in conscious awareness – correlational
study;
Biological

Name the study on smiles and
attractiveness?
Biological

Name the study on smiles and
attractiveness?

Eckman-people can naturally recognize a
duschene smile
Smile
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Alos: Dacher Keltner and LeeAnne Harker
of the University of California at Berkley
studied 141 high school senior-class
photos from the 1960 yearbook of Mills
College.
Biological

Name the study on gender development?
Biological

Name the study on gender development?

John Money--Case study--David Reimer the boy who was
raised a girl.
Challenged by Milton Diamond

Biological

Name the study on gender differences in
mate selection
David Buss: The love Doctor
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1989 and 1990
Large scale 10,047, cross culural (37)
Average 272 per culture
Looked at 32 qualities for long term mate
Biological

Describe different theories on aggression
Biological

Describe different theories on aggression

Lorenz' Hydraulic Model of motivation
Lorenz' Hydraulic Model of
motivation
Hydraulic Theory predicts:
 Aggression is inevitable - the
accumulating energy must find an
outlet
 Humans & animals will actively
'look for fights'.

After an attack an animal / human
will become less aggressive.

Animals reared in isolation will
show aggressive behaviour.
Biological

Describe different theories on aggression

Lorenz' Hydraulic Model of motivation

Jonathan Toot--gender. Males: significantly
lower levels of dopamine and serotonin in
areas of the amygdala
Toot

"The data show that males are involved in
more fights than females," they say,
"suggesting increased aggression is
influenced by a Y-chromosomal effect that
decreases amygdala serotonin."
Ruben Gur and colleagues
performed MRI

57 men and

59 women
•The researchers measured
•the volume of the amygdala,
•hippocampus, and
•other limbic areas associated with emotional
arousal,
•as compared to the volume of orbital frontal
brain regions that exert control over emotional
responses
Ruben Gur and colleagues
performed MRI

57 men and

59 women
•Results:
•Same for:
•the volume of the amygdala,
•hippocampus, and
•other limbic areas associated with emotional
arousal,
•But women had significantly larger orbital frontal
cortex volume than men.
Ruben Gur and colleagues
performed MRI


Conclusions:
"Because men and women differ in the way they
process the emotions associated with
perception, experience, expression, and most
particularly in aggression," the researchers say,
"our belief is that the proportional difference in
size in the region of the brain that governs
behavior, compared to the region related to
impulsiveness, may be a major factor in
determining what is often considered 'genderrelated' behavior."
Learning perspective

Name key study on aggression
Learning perspective

Name key study on aggression

Bandura--Describe it
Learning perspective

Name researchers we associate with
Classical conditioning
Learning perspective

Name researchers we associate with Classical
conditioning

Pavlov
Watson
Compare the two
Watson & Rayner – 1920 – the case of Little
Albert – lab experiment of one participant;

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Cognitive perspective

Name key researcher on false memory
Cognitive perspective

Name key researcher on false memory

Loftus – 1974 – reconstruction of automobile
destruction - eyewitness memory – lab experiment;
Cognitive perspective

Name key researchers on memory
Cognitive perspective

Name key researchers on memory

1950s, 1960s, 1970s – studies on sensory
memory, STM, LTM (Sperling, Peterson &
Peterson, Miller, Conrad, Ebbinghaus,
Baddeley) – lab experiments;
Cognitive perspective

Describe a theory of memory
Cognitive perspective

Describe a theory of memory

Multistore model

Theory by Atkins and Shiffrin (1968)
Based upon the theoretical existence of a sensory, short term, and long term memory processes.
They believed that information flows
1) briefly through sensory, then into
2) short term, and/or
3) long term memory structures.

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Multi store model
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If STM memories are not rehearsed, they are
lost. In other words, whether information is
stored in STM or LTM depends on how much it
is processed by the mind.
Each structure has different durations and
capacities
Duration and capacity is fixed in each structure:
Once the memory capacity or specific duration
of time is reached, memory is lost.
Multi store model
Strengths
 Still widely used by psychologists
 Provides support for Serial Position Effect and Anterograde Amnesia
Weaknesses
 Original theory was too simplisitc. Now thought to be different types
of both STM and LTM.
 Ignores the importance of the type of information that is brought in,
and the effort or strategy subjects use when learning.
Questions

To what extent can the behavioral
perspective be regarded as limited in its
explanation of human behavior?
Questions

To what extent can the behavioral
perspective be regarded as limited in its
explanation of human behavior?

to what extent? Asks candidates to
evaluate the success or otherwise of one
argument or concept over another.
Candidates should present a conclusion,
supported by arguments.
Question


a) Outline what is meant by the
deterministic approach? (2 mark)
B) Explain how one theory or empirical
study from the learning perspective
demonstrates a deterministic approach. (6
marks)
Question

a) Outline what is meant by the
deterministic approach? (2 mark)

outline Asks candidates to write a brief
summary of the major aspects of the
issue, principle, approach or argument
stated in the question.
Question
B) Explain how one theory or empirical study
from the learning perspective
demonstrates a deterministic approach. (6
marks)
explain Asks candidates to describe clearly,
make intelligible and give reasons for a
concept, process, relationship or
development.
Question


(a) Describe one biological explanation of
human behaviour, making reference to
one empirical study. [4 marks]
b) Describe one strength and one
limitation of this explanation of human
behaviour. [4 marks]
Question

(a) Describe one biological explanation of
human behaviour, making reference to one
empirical study. [4 marks]

describe Asks candidates to give a portrayal of
a given situation. It is a neutral request to
present a detailed picture of a given situation,
event, pattern, process or outcome, although it
may be followed by a further opportunity for
discussion and analysis.
Question
b) Describe one strength and one limitation
of this explanation of human behaviour. [4
marks]
Levels of processing
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Theory by Craik and Lockhart (1972)
Accepts the existence of STM and LTM
However, suggests that it is what the person does with
information when it is received (how much attention is
paid to it or how deeply it is considered, that determines
how long the memory lasts.
Info is more readily transferred to LTM with more “depth
of processing”
Levels of processing
What are the 3 Levels of Processing?
1. Structural Level – paying attention to what the
words look like. (superficial)
2.
3.
Phonetic Level – processing the sound of the
words. (deeper processing)
Semantic Level - considering the meaning of
words (the deepest processing).
Levels of processing
Strengths

Good contribution to understanding the processes that take place at the time of
learning

Provides and alternative explanation of anterograde Amnesia (shallow processing)

Recognizes a wide variety of memories as a result of a wide variety of ways
information is dealt with.
Weaknesses

Not meant to fully explain memory, but to aid in research.

Circular definition: well remembered material which has been deeply processed
and deeply processed material is that which is well remembered.

Many problems with defining deep processing and why it is effective

It describes rather than explains.
Learning perspective

Name researchers we associate with
operant conditioning

Skinner