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March 29, 2024, 10:44:36 am

Author Topic: VCE Psychology Question Thread!  (Read 469852 times)  Share 

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whys

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Re: VCE Psychology Question Thread!
« Reply #1575 on: February 09, 2020, 06:36:45 pm »
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Is hair colour subjective data or objective data. I thought it was objective but since it’s qualitative data does that mean it has to be subjective?

Hair colour can be objective data (99% will see jet black hair and say it's black, not much subjectivity here). Hair colour can however have some subjectivity to it (some may think it's light brown, others may say dark blonde). There is no requirement for qualitative data to be subjective, although it usually is due to its nature. You will not be likely to come across qualitative data that isn't subjective, simply because you cannot state an observation without being biased about it. I would come to the conclusion that hair colour can be subjective data.

EDIT: Im21074 bet me to it, still posting in case it helps!
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Coolgalbornin03Lo

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Re: VCE Psychology Question Thread!
« Reply #1576 on: February 09, 2020, 06:47:48 pm »
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Does the placebo effect specifically eliminate or just minimise placebo effect? I thought it minimised as most extraneous variables can only be minimised (I.e counterbalancing can minimise but not completely eliminate order effect). But the answers said eliminates.

I’m new to psych at 3/4....and in year 12 yikes!
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whys

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Re: VCE Psychology Question Thread!
« Reply #1577 on: February 09, 2020, 07:41:50 pm »
+4
Does the placebo effect specifically eliminate or just minimise placebo effect? I thought it minimised as most extraneous variables can only be minimised (I.e counterbalancing can minimise but not completely eliminate order effect). But the answers said eliminates.

I’m new to psych at 3/4....and in year 12 yikes!
I would use language like 'placebos control for the placebo effect' or 'placebos minimise the placebo effect'. You may lose marks if you use assurance through the use of words like 'eliminate'. Which answers said eliminate? You can say that use of a placebo helps remove/eliminate differences in expectations of participants, however when referring to it in terms of the placebo effect, use words such as minimise.
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Bri MT

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Re: VCE Psychology Question Thread!
« Reply #1578 on: February 10, 2020, 09:15:44 am »
+4
Hair colour can be objective data (99% will see jet black hair and say it's black, not much subjectivity here). Hair colour can however have some subjectivity to it (some may think it's light brown, others may say dark blonde). There is no requirement for qualitative data to be subjective, although it usually is due to its nature. You will not be likely to come across qualitative data that isn't subjective, simply because you cannot state an observation without being biased about it. I would come to the conclusion that hair colour can be subjective data.

EDIT: Im21074 bet me to it, still posting in case it helps!

To make hair colour objective you would want to know the wavelengths of light involved - leaving no room for interpretation. Definitely agree that hair colour is subjective qualitative data and you also made some good comments about qualitative data generally

Does the placebo effect specifically eliminate or just minimise placebo effect? I thought it minimised as most extraneous variables can only be minimised (I.e counterbalancing can minimise but not completely eliminate order effect). But the answers said eliminates.

I’m new to psych at 3/4....and in year 12 yikes!

Hey,

What you've written here is that the placebo effect has ... impact on the placebo effect. I assume you mean that the placebo has ... impact on how the placebo effect influences experimental results?

The use of a placebo that is perceptually indistinguishable from the experimental condition provides a baseline for comparison with the experimental condition identical to what would be expected for if the experimental condition has no impact. Therefore, the impact of the placebo effect as an extraneous variable affecting comparison between experimental and control condition would be eliminated. However, as whys has stated very rarely in psych should you use absolute terms like "eliminate".

I'm actually not a fan of "placebos minimise the placebo effect" as this is not true. Placebos minimise the impact of the placebo effect on the experiment but do not minimise the placebo effect itself. The reason a placebo is used, is because in the experimental condition you have the placebo effect, so rather than trying to get rid of it, you add a placebo to the control condition so that both sides have the placebo effect acting, making it a fair comparison. Adding in another placebo effect doesn't sound like minimising or eliminating the placebo effect to me.

Instead, I would say that the use of a placebo controls for the placebo effect.


Similarly, I wouldn't write that counterbalancing minimises the order effect but instead that it minimises the impact of the order effect or that it controls for the order effect.

Best of luck!

TyranT

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Re: VCE Psychology Question Thread!
« Reply #1579 on: February 12, 2020, 05:02:47 pm »
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Hey, I was wondering whether Emotion focused coping/problem focused coping is under the study design?
I am doubting my teacher which I feel bad about, but he said that this year they were getting rid of it because the head of VCAA got pissed at how many students keep getting confused by them and decided to eradicate it all together. This information was given to us by another Psychology teacher, who is a VCAA examiner for psych.

whys

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Re: VCE Psychology Question Thread!
« Reply #1580 on: February 12, 2020, 05:21:37 pm »
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Hey, I was wondering whether Emotion focused coping/problem focused coping is under the study design?
I am doubting my teacher which I feel bad about, but he said that this year they were getting rid of it because the head of VCAA got pissed at how many students keep getting confused by them and decided to eradicate it all together. This information was given to us by another Psychology teacher, who is a VCAA examiner for psych.
It isn't explicitly stated, but it is implied under Lazarus and Folkman's Transactional Model of Stress. Many teachers probably didn't teach emotion/problem-focused coping strategies because it wasn't explicitly stated so assumed it wouldn't be tested. I don't think it was mentioned in the textbook either. My teacher briefly stated what they were and said you probably wouldn't need to know them, but I went out of my way to learn what they were and examples for each. It's better to be as prepared as you can for the exam. If I were you, I would learn them despite what the examiner said about it being removed. VCAA can change their minds whenever they want and they may as well include it again since everyone did bad on it until everyone does good on it. I can't remember which exam, but an exam from this study design had a multiple choice question on problem/emotion-focused coping. It won't hurt to learn it - it's a very small thing to remember and won't hinder your ability to remember all the other content.
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cherryblossoms

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Re: VCE Psychology Question Thread!
« Reply #1581 on: February 14, 2020, 09:59:11 pm »
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I'm not sure how to make this research hypothesis more specific for the topic "Lack of attention causes forgetting."

I've written:
It is hypothesised that students who do not pay attention in class will forget what they had learnt during class than people who do pay attention in class.

Also how would I write an operationalised hypothesis for the same topic?

whys

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Re: VCE Psychology Question Thread!
« Reply #1582 on: February 14, 2020, 10:06:01 pm »
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I'm not sure how to make this research hypothesis more specific for the topic "Lack of attention causes forgetting."

I've written:
It is hypothesised that students who do not pay attention in class will forget what they had learnt during class than people who do pay attention in class.

Also how would I write an operationalised hypothesis for the same topic?
I always say that when thinking of operationalising, think of how. Attention - how are you measuring this? The amount of time the students' eyes are watching the teacher/board? Forgetting - how are you measuring this? The number of questions answered incorrectly on a 50 question mcq test? If we use the examples I have provided, the hypothesis would look something like this:

VCE Psychology students who spend more than 30 minutes with their eyes focused on the whiteboard in a 60-minute lesson on mathematics will be able to answer more questions correctly on a 50-question multiple-choice test on the topic learnt in class than students who spend less than 30 minutes with their eyes focused on the whiteboard.

You must remember to be specific - this is very important!

I encourage you to think of your own operationalised IV and DV for this and write your own hypothesis. Brainstorming on how you will measure them is a good start!
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MoonChild1234

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Re: VCE Psychology Question Thread!
« Reply #1583 on: February 18, 2020, 10:46:49 pm »
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Hi, how can I improve my responses to these questions?

why is a spinal reflex considered to have an adaptive or survival role?

The spinal reflex has an adaptive and survival role in our body as it protects the body from harm and negates the need for conscious thought. It is faster, as the brain is bypassed, and therefore responds to potentially dangerous or harmful stimulus even before our brain forms a conscious perception of it.

Give an example of when you may respond to an external stimulus before you know that you have responded.
Formulate a definition for a reflex.


A reflex is an involuntary, unconscious and automatically occurring response to certain stimuli, without involvement of the brain. An example of when one may respond to an external stimulus before they know they have responded is the spinal reflex. In the spinal reflex, sensory receptors detect sensory stimuli and send a message along the afferent neuron to the spinal cord, where it synapses either directly to the efferent neuron, or through an interneuron to the effector muscle, causing a reflex. We only know we have responded after it has occurred due to the speed of the reflex being faster than the message being relayed to the brain via collaterals from the interneuron.

6. Sam is using a wet knife to remove a broken piece of toasted bread that is jammed in the toaster. She experiences an electric shock and spontaneously releases the knife and pulls her hand away from the stimulus.
a) Will Sam experience pain? Explain your answer.

Sam will experience pain after she has withdrawn her hand. The sensory receptors in her fingers sensed the sensory stimulus of the electric shock, and relayed a message down the afferent neuron to the spinal cord, where it synapsed to an interneuron. The interneuron synapsed to the efferent neuron, which relayed the message to her effector muscle, which caused her to withdraw her hand. The interneuron also, via collaterals, simultaneously carry the message to the brain for processing of pain and learning. However, the reflex is faster, explaining why Sam feels pain after she has withdrawn her hand.

b) list in their correct order, the steps that enabled Sam’s spinal reflex

The sensory receptors in her fingers sensed the sensory stimulus of the electric shock, and relayed a message down the afferent neuron to the spinal cord, where it synapsed to an interneuron. The interneuron synapsed to the efferent neuron, which relayed the message to her effector muscle, which caused her to withdraw her hand.

thank you!

im also not sure about this one, thanks everyone!

How might damage to the interneurons affect the spinal reflex?

Damage to the interneurons may cause messages sent along the afferent neuron to be unable to be relayed to the efferent neuron via the interneuron. The interneuron may also fail to make the right connections between the afferent neuron and the efferent neuron, resulting in an inappropriate reflex or none at all, risking potential harm to the person

Mod Edit: Merged double post
« Last Edit: February 22, 2020, 05:56:28 pm by Erutepa »

vehura

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Re: VCE Psychology Question Thread!
« Reply #1584 on: February 26, 2020, 10:15:22 pm »
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Hi, with acculturation as a source of stress, both Edrolo and my teacher (because of Edrolo) have said that not only does it occur when changing cultures due to moving to an area where there is a significantly different cultural background to your own, it also can occur simply as a result of moving schools or workplaces, as that apparently can be a change of culture.

As the textbook doesn't mention this example of moving schools as an example of acculturative stress, I'm confused as to whether it constitutes in this case. Thanks!
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whys

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Re: VCE Psychology Question Thread!
« Reply #1585 on: February 27, 2020, 03:17:36 pm »
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Hi, with acculturation as a source of stress, both Edrolo and my teacher (because of Edrolo) have said that not only does it occur when changing cultures due to moving to an area where there is a significantly different cultural background to your own, it also can occur simply as a result of moving schools or workplaces, as that apparently can be a change of culture.

As the textbook doesn't mention this example of moving schools as an example of acculturative stress, I'm confused as to whether it constitutes in this case. Thanks!

You have just given examples of life events.

Acculturative stress is the stress experienced when trying to adapt to a new culture when living in it for a considerable amount of time. The greater the difference in the old and new cultures, the more stress is experienced. The problem with the 'moving schools' example is it may not be specific enough and technically, according to VCAA, would not be categorised as acculturative stress. When moving schools, you are very unlikely to experience social isolation (usually due to language difficulties), separation (being away from family, your home and past culture) or experiencing racial or ethnic discrimination, which are characteristics of acculturative stress. To an extent, moving schools/workplaces can be acculturative stress, but not according to VCAA. My advice is to use more obvious examples if asked in a question to provide an example of acculturative stress, such as moving overseas from Australia to France. This is a very clear example of acculturative stress as France is a French-speaking country, so there is likely to be language barriers and difficulty accustoming to the culture and tradition of France. Essentially, refrain from using the above examples you have provided. They refer to life events, which involve change that forces an individual to adapt to new circumstances and have immediate consequences, but require long-term adjustments. You are very likely to lose marks in the exam if you say moving schools/workplaces is acculturative stress.
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Bri MT

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Re: VCE Psychology Question Thread!
« Reply #1586 on: February 27, 2020, 03:43:39 pm »
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Hi, with acculturation as a source of stress, both Edrolo and my teacher (because of Edrolo) have said that not only does it occur when changing cultures due to moving to an area where there is a significantly different cultural background to your own, it also can occur simply as a result of moving schools or workplaces, as that apparently can be a change of culture.

As the textbook doesn't mention this example of moving schools as an example of acculturative stress, I'm confused as to whether it constitutes in this case. Thanks!

The "can"s I've bolded in your quote are important. If you are given information that points to major cultural differences in those environments acculturative stress may apply, but if asked to provide an example you should go for one that most clearly fits the criteria for acculturative stress.

Cultural differences can occur in many more ways than just lines on a map but as whys has indicated changing countries is a significantly more safe option for you to use as an example than changing schools.

Coolgalbornin03Lo

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Re: VCE Psychology Question Thread!
« Reply #1587 on: February 27, 2020, 08:31:38 pm »
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Can someone please explain why both the somatic and sympathetic nervous system control unconscious movement? Like why isn’t the spinal reflex parasympathetic? I know it’s because it is sensory stimuli and that’s somatic BUT isn’t the threat which activated fight or flight in sympathetic ns also technically stimuli of some sort? And if it’s visual (I.e watching tv) is that still somatic? Im so so confused!
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Bri MT

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Re: VCE Psychology Question Thread!
« Reply #1588 on: February 27, 2020, 08:39:20 pm »
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Can someone please explain why both the somatic and sympathetic nervous system control unconscious movement? Like why isn’t the spinal reflex parasympathetic? I know it’s because it is sensory stimuli and that’s somatic BUT isn’t the threat which activated fight or flight in sympathetic ns also technically stimuli of some sort? And if it’s visual (I.e watching tv) is that still somatic? Im so so confused!

Hey,

K.Smithy has a more detailed explanation than you need to know explanation of the nervous system here which may help :)

If anything is still unclear definitely please do feel free to ask :)

Evolio

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Re: VCE Psychology Question Thread!
« Reply #1589 on: February 27, 2020, 08:46:00 pm »
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Can someone please explain why both the somatic and sympathetic nervous system control unconscious movement? Like why isn’t the spinal reflex parasympathetic? I know it’s because it is sensory stimuli and that’s somatic BUT isn’t the threat which activated fight or flight in sympathetic ns also technically stimuli of some sort? And if it’s visual (I.e watching tv) is that still somatic? Im so so confused!
Hello!
The somatic nervous system involves the sensory neurons detecting and receiving sensory information which is later sent to the brain. This is evident in the spinal reflex for example, which is an unconscious response.
The sympathetic nervous system produces physiological responses such as accelerated heart rate and pupil dilation which do not involve conscious awareness, thus it is an unconscious response. You do not make your heart beat faster. It just does.
When defining 'unconscious responses', they do not involve awareness.

The spinal reflex is not parasympathetic because parasympathetic is associated with your body's normal state of functioning while spinal reflex is just an automatically occurring response to a stimulus .

Yes, it is sensory stimuli which is detected by the eyes, for example, hence it is sensory information being received. However, when dealing with threats, we usually associate it with the sympathetic nervous system because that system is usually the focus when answering questions about these topics. Watching tv is also somatic because it involves sensory information being detected.

I hope this helps and please correct me if I'm wrong about anything!
« Last Edit: February 27, 2020, 08:48:07 pm by Evolio »