ATAR Notes: Forum

VCE Stuff => VCE Science => VCE Mathematics/Science/Technology => VCE Subjects + Help => VCE Psychology => Topic started by: Bri MT on October 01, 2018, 01:13:11 pm

Title: Collaborative brainstorming
Post by: Bri MT on October 01, 2018, 01:13:11 pm

Remember how elaborative rehearsal is great for consolidation of explicit memory?

10 markers can be scary if you don't know what information to pull in and connect to the topic, so I'm making this thread for practising the connecting skills.

Eg.
" How might stress develop and impact an individual"

AN User 1:
 I was thinking:

- Describe the GAS & transactional model (development)
- Risk factor for mental health (impact)
- Anxiety disorders  (impact and development?)


AN user 2:
"quote"


I agree describe the GAS and transactional model. Not sure about talking about anxiety disorders - they're a bit different
I think it's important to distinguish between eustress and distress, so my list would be:
- GAS and transactional model (development)
- eustress and distress (impact)
- risk factor for mental health (impact)

- Anxiety disorders (maybe) (impact/development)




There are certainly things these two fictitious users haven't considered - so let's start off with the same prompt
" How might stress develop and impact an individual"
Title: Re: Collaborative brainstorming
Post by: studyingg on October 01, 2018, 02:08:26 pm
Remember how elaborative rehearsal is great for consolidation of explicit memory?

10 markers can be scary if you don't know what information to pull in and connect to the topic, so I'm making this thread for practising the connecting skills.

Eg.
" How might stress develop and impact an individual"

AN User 1:
 I was thinking:

- Describe the GAS & transactional model (development)
- Risk factor for mental health (impact)
- Anxiety disorders  (impact and development?)


AN user 2:
"quote"


I agree describe the GAS and transactional model. Not sure about talking about anxiety disorders - they're a bit different
I think it's important to distinguish between eustress and distress, so my list would be:
- GAS and transactional model (development)
- eustress and distress (impact)
- risk factor for mental health (impact)

- Anxiety disorders (maybe) (impact/development)




There are certainly things these two fictitious users haven't considered - so let's start off with the same prompt
" How might stress develop and impact an individual"

development of stress:
-stress as a psychobiological experience characterised by physiological and psychological experience.
-stress can be both acute/chronic, eustress/distress
-the level of stress experience is proportional to the degree to which an individual must adapt, and whether or not they perceive they have the resources available to do so.
-establish that stress is caused by stressors (perhaps talk about daily pressures and life events)
-daily pressures, when accumulated can be magnified, and lead to chronic distress
-life events: require substantial readjustment within a short period of time
-the GAS as a non-specific response to stressors, and the transactional model that emphasises cognitive appraisal.
- stress is experienced when one perceives that they do not have the resources to cope, therefore it could be good to talk about maladaptive coping strategies, ineffective coping strategies that are irrelevant to the context of the stress experience, and lack of coping flexibility.
-avoidance coping strategies that may be ineffective in the long term, and may be reinforced by the opperant conditioning principle of negative reinforcement.
-applying the same maladaptive coping strategies to  stressors of different contexts, and not adapting to the stressor as a result of stimulus generalisation

Impact on an individual:
maladaptive impact
the negative effects of chronic stress can be described from a biopsychosocial perspective.
biologically: can speak about the effect of the prolonged excess cortisol in the blood stream, the exhaustion phase of the GAS, the negative effects of adrenaline. Can even mention the Holmes and Rahe social readjustment scale that proposes the relationship between readjustment, and physical illness.
 The physiological stress response when inappropriately activated, can lead to the development of a mental disorder. Stress can lead to sleep disturbances (sleep onset insomnia), and thus lead to a secondary sleep disorder.
psychologically: stress can be a precipitating, and perpetuating risk factor involved in the development of a mental illness. (can speak about the stress vulnerability model. Stress may be characterised by poor self-efficacy, rumination and lack of resilience, which can all impede mental health.
socially: an individual may experience a decline in social wellbeing due to prolonged stress, poor coping flexibility may lead to social isolation, as one may refrain from seeking external help (emotion-focused coping)
-acknowledge that stress is distinct from anxiety, however the two have similarities, (stress-anxiety-phobia continuum) and thus stress can lead to an anxiety related disorder
can link stress to mental illness through the concept of cumulative risk, and establish that stress alone will not lead to a mental illness, but other peripheral factors (such as a genetic predisposition) (secondary sleep disorder) may be exacerbated by stress, and one may develop an anxiety related disorder.

adaptive impact
-the yerkes dodson curve that moderate levels of stress are adaptive, and can have a positive impact on functioning (link to eustress)
-some stress is necessary for survival (for example the fight-flight-freeze response as a survival mechanisim)
-the role of the amydala in the consolidation of emotionally arousing memories, and the adaptive effect of this.
-stress is necessary for the development of a wide range of coping strategies, coping flexibility and resilience.


Title: Re: Collaborative brainstorming
Post by: Bri MT on October 01, 2018, 02:43:49 pm



Very comprehensive!! Great work :)


some of these are closer to the study design (and the question) than others, so my follow on question from this (to anyone) is which ones would you focus on in an exam environment?
Title: Re: Collaborative brainstorming
Post by: studyingg on October 01, 2018, 03:07:03 pm

Very comprehensive!! Great work :)


some of these are closer to the study design (and the question) than others, so my follow on question from this (to anyone) is which ones would you focus on in an exam environment?

I think in exam I would start with one paragraph that contains:
-standard definition of stress
-stress is caused by a stressor


DEVELOPMENT OF STRESS
a paragraph on the psychological experience of stress
-stress as a subjective process
-transactional model
-stressors that can be challenging (and lead to eustress) + motivation
-stressors that can be harmful/threats (such as life events)
-chronic stress- (daily pressures)
-the effect of learnt coping strategies that are actively/ consciously implemented that can either be maladaptive or adaptive.

a paragraph on the biological process of stress:
-the GAS as a non-specific biological model that can be described in terms of resistence over time, and describe the changes that occur as a result of progressing through the stages of the GAS. (in response to a persistent stressor)
-the fight-flight-freeze response, as a reflexive, survival mechansisim that occurs in response to a sudden stressor
-changes that are caused by the sympathetic nervous system

IMPACT OF STRESS

 a paragraph on the direct/adaptive impact of stress:
-increases chances of survival
-improves performance (motivation)
-increases resilience/self efficacy/ coping flexibility and adaptive ability

a paragraph on the maladaptive impact:

-the effect of prolonged excess cortisol in the bloodstream
- the stres response as a risk factor
-stress vulnerability model

a paragraph on cumulative risk/ and the link between stress and a mental disorder (reference to anxiety disorders)


 




Title: Re: Collaborative brainstorming
Post by: rani_b on October 02, 2018, 10:23:54 am
How might stress develop and impact an individual?

Paragraph 1: What is stress? What are the different types of stress? (Eustress, distress)

Paragraph 2: What causes stress? (i.e. daily pressures, life events, major stressors, catastrophes as well as immediate, threatening situations)

Paragraph 3: How does stress develop?
- 1) Psychologically: L+F Transactional model (here you can talk about eustress as well)
- 2) Physiologically: GAS model, sympathetic nervous system
- 3) For immediate, threatening situations: FFF response

Paragraph 4: What are the impacts of stress?
- 1) Adaptive/Normal (for some short-term situations where FFF response is activated, energises you, enhances chance of survival)
- 2) Maladaptive/Restricting (to some short-term situations where FFF response is activated, stage 3 GAS, prolonged levels of cortisol)
- 3) Coping strategies can minimise the impact!

If I still wanted to write more, I could probably add in how stress is a precipitating psychological factor for mental disorders, especially if the individual is already vulnerable/doesn't have good coping strategies. But for a 10 mark question, I think the above would be enough?
Title: Re: Collaborative brainstorming
Post by: Bri MT on October 02, 2018, 12:34:50 pm
I like how you have both started off by providing an overview of what stress is and then had a clear structure which  aligns with the prompt :)

If I still wanted to write more, I could probably add in how stress is a precipitating psychological factor for mental disorders, especially if the individual is already vulnerable/doesn't have good coping strategies. But for a 10 mark question, I think the above would be enough?

I suspect so as well  (assuming you went into enough detail & used the appropriate terminology)

-------------

The next prompt (which will also be from unit 3) will be released within the next few days
Title: Re: Collaborative brainstorming
Post by: lleeea on October 04, 2018, 10:45:26 am
can we start a thread like this for mental health as it can be the likely topic for this years exam
Title: Re: Collaborative brainstorming
Post by: Bri MT on October 08, 2018, 11:14:34 am
can we start a thread like this for mental health as it can be the likely topic for this years exam

I'll definitely put up a mental health one!
Since you've asked that'll be the next one after this :)




I saw Memories of trauma are unique because of how brains and bodies respond to threats by Jacek Debiec on The Conversation and thought it would be a great fit for this thread.   The whole article is relevant to VCE psych so after you have responded to the prompt you could also go through the article and see how many links you can find between the article and the study design.


Here's the excerpt included in this weeks prompt:

"Studies show that the amygdala is critical for encoding and storing associations between a harmful and neutral stimuli, and that stress hormones and mediators – such as cortisol and norepinephrine – play an important role in the formation of threat associations.

Researchers believe traumatic memories are a kind of conditioned threat response. For the survivor of a bike accident, the sight of a fast approaching truck resembling the one that crashed into them may cause the heart to race and skin to sweat. For the survivor of a sexual assault, the sight of the perpetrator or someone who looks similar may cause trembling, a feeling of hopelessness and an urge to hide, run away or fight. These responses are initiated regardless of whether they come with conscious recollections of trauma.
Conscious memories of trauma are encoded by various sites in the brain which process different aspects of experience. Explicit memories of trauma reflect the terror of the original experience and may be less organized than memories acquired under less stressful conditions. Typically they’re more vivid, more intense and more persistent.

After the memories are made
Memories are biological phenomena and as such are dynamic..."

Explain how memories are encoded, relationships between the two listed hormones and justify how memories are dynamic biological phenomena
Title: Re: Collaborative brainstorming
Post by: studyingg on October 08, 2018, 07:19:38 pm
I'll definitely put up a mental health one!
Since you've asked that'll be the next one after this :)




I saw Memories of trauma are unique because of how brains and bodies respond to threats by Jacek Debiec on The Conversation and thought it would be a great fit for this thread.   The whole article is relevant to VCE psych so after you have responded to the prompt you could also go through the article and see how many links you can find between the article and the study design.


Here's the excerpt included in this weeks prompt:

"Studies show that the amygdala is critical for encoding and storing associations between a harmful and neutral stimuli, and that stress hormones and mediators – such as cortisol and norepinephrine – play an important role in the formation of threat associations.

Researchers believe traumatic memories are a kind of conditioned threat response. For the survivor of a bike accident, the sight of a fast approaching truck resembling the one that crashed into them may cause the heart to race and skin to sweat. For the survivor of a sexual assault, the sight of the perpetrator or someone who looks similar may cause trembling, a feeling of hopelessness and an urge to hide, run away or fight. These responses are initiated regardless of whether they come with conscious recollections of trauma.
Conscious memories of trauma are encoded by various sites in the brain which process different aspects of experience. Explicit memories of trauma reflect the terror of the original experience and may be less organized than memories acquired under less stressful conditions. Typically they’re more vivid, more intense and more persistent.

After the memories are made
Memories are biological phenomena and as such are dynamic..."

Explain how memories are encoded, relationships between the two listed hormones and justify how memories are dynamic biological phenomena

1/ explain how memories are encoded:

paragraph one:
-definition of memory and key terms (encoding-storage-retrieval)
-atkinson and shiffrin multistore model
-proof for the existence of different types of memories coming from case studies of people with brain damage


para 2: biological process of encoding
-define the two types of long term memories (implicit and explicit)
-synaptic plasticity, and the neural basis of learning/memory
-neural pathways as the biological representations of memories (memory traces)
-glutamate as the main neurotransmitter involved
-cerbral cortex
-cerbellum
-hippocampus

para3:
a paragraph dedicated entirely to the consolidation of emotionally arousing memories
-the biological stress response (activation of the the sympathetic NS), and the release of stress hormones such as cortisol, adrenaline and noradrenaline, and their role in the fight flight freeze response
-biological process of activating the amygdala(hypothalamus - adrenal glands - specialised neurons-adrenaline- vegus nerve- brain- noradrenaline - amygdala)
-definition of he amygdala and its role in emotional processing
-the amygdala's role in consolidating implicit emotional content, working with the hippocampus as it consolidates explicit, episodic and semantic content of the emotional memory
-the fact that accessing the memory will lead to the retrieval of the vivid, distinct emotional response
-each time the memory is accessed LTP strengthens it




tbh not too sure how to best structure this one

Title: Re: Collaborative brainstorming
Post by: Bri MT on October 23, 2018, 08:18:52 am
I'm leaving up the last prompt for a couple more days to see if more people might contribute to it  (I is a trickier one in some ways, but I think that's part of its value).

Since time is running out to do all of the areas, I'm posting up this document on sleep I've made to help out with this area

By request the next prompt will be about mental health - let's see if we can make more progress on this prompt first though :)
Title: Re: Collaborative brainstorming
Post by: rani_b on October 23, 2018, 04:44:01 pm
Explain how memories are encoded, relationships between the two listed hormones and justify how memories are dynamic biological phenomena.

Para 1:
- What is memory? - the active processing, storage and retrieval of information acquired through learning.
   --> Brief overview of the multi-store model, focusing mainly on encoding (conversion of information into a neural representation) since this is what the prompt specifies. E.g. encoding that occurs when we attend to information in our sensory memory, and then the encoding which occurs when transferring information from STM to LTM.

- Biological process of consolidation - memory occurs because we have neural/synaptic plasticity, therefore changes in the brain can occur due to experience/learning throughout the lifespan.


Para 2:
- The types of long-term memory: explicit (Semantic, episodic) and implicit (procedural, classically conditioned)
- The crucial role of the hippocampus in consolidating long-term explicit memories
- The crucial role of the amygdala in consolidation the emotionality of memories, especially ones involving fear. We know the amygdala registers information about this because the absence of the amygdala results in the loss of previously learned fear responses. Also, when a threat is first perceived, the hypothalamus is activated via the amygdala, which again shows its involvement in fear-related situations.
    -> doesn't have to be 'bad' memories - the amygdala also strengthens the emotionality of significantly pleasant experiences, such as getting married.
- Long-term explicit memories are distributed throughout the cortex (i don't think the cerebellum's role is really important here)

Paragraph 3:
- some memories are more vivid and memorable than others because they are of emotionally arousing events in our lives
-  This is due to the workings of the amygdala and hippocampus
     --> i.e. presence of adrenaline (and cortisol?) in the body in stressful/emotionally arousing situations stimulate presence
          of noradrenaline at amygdala, leading it to signal to the hippocampus to strengthen explicit details while it
          consolidates the implicit, emotional details
- therefore, the memory of this event is very strong and easily remembered - e.g. a flashbulb memory
- Repeated retrieval of this memory leads to LTP, further strengthening it. (A good eg of this is Little Albert, since he developed a classically conditioned fear response. Each time he saw the white rat, that fear response was strengthened).

- why does this occur? It can play an adaptive value, because if we remember the consequences of events, we are less likely to make the same mistake again. But it can also be maladaptive - e.g. PTSD sufferers, whose memories are further strengthened when they retrieve them over and over again, inhibiting their recovery.

Paragraph 4:
-  Each time we retrieve a memory, we also reconstruct it, adding in details that may or may not be true in order to form what we believe to be a more coherent/accurate memory. Again, this can be helpful or harmful - in the case of specific phobia sufferers, memory bias can hinder recovery as they may remember an emotionally arousing event with their phobic stimulus as much more dangerous or threatening than it really was.
- This highlights the dynamic nature of memory, which can be reconstructed each time it is retrieved and reconsolidated, since the memory trace can be "updated."
- The constantly changing nature of memory is also shown through LTP and LTD, which shows that we can strengthen/weaken neural pathways that store information.
- Moreover, the measures of retention demonstrate how memory is an active process because relearning shows that there can be a weak association that grows rapidly.



Title: Re: Collaborative brainstorming
Post by: Bri MT on October 30, 2018, 12:49:10 pm
Seems like you've got a solid grip on stress, learning & memory. Jumping to unit 4, the prompt is:

"How does behaviour change and social influences intersect with psychological wellbeing?"
Title: Re: Collaborative brainstorming
Post by: studyingg on October 30, 2018, 01:30:13 pm
Seems like you've got a solid grip on stress, learning & memory. Jumping to unit 4, the prompt is:

"How does behaviour change and social influences intersect with psychological wellbeing?"
psychological wellbeing:
-the definition of the mental health continuum (with reference to the fact that one's state of mental health can fluctuate over time as a result of the influence of internal and external factors)
-defining internal factors (bio + psycho factors)
-defining external factors (social factors)
-the concept of the cumulative effect and how internal and external factors interact and influence eachother in a complex manner either increasing risk to the development of negative outcomes on mental health - such as mental health problems and mental health disorders or how they can have cumulative protective effect maintaing resilence.

behaviour change:
-because 'mental health' is not a binary state, psychologists focus on the development and implementation of effective evidence based interventions that can help treat mental health disorders through the process of change
-behavioural change occurs as result of learning, it is important to recognise the role of learning in influencing behavioural change
-the transtheoretical model is a model that attempts to explain the process of behavioral change and it draws heavily on other learning models (such as opperant and classical conditioning)
this model proposes that change is a process influenced by a person's level of self efficacy
-it recognises that relapse is a part of the process of change
-a limitation of the model is that it does not account for the influences of the external social enviornment in influencing behavioural change.

understanding mental health relies on examining it from a holistic, biopsychosocial perspective. This multidimensional model can be further subcategorized through evaluating the type of factors that influence psychological wellbeing, these can be broadly categorized as risk or protective factors. Risk factors are further categorized as predisposing, precipiating or perpetuating.

behaviours that act as biological factors:
-poor sleep - and the relationship with mental health disorders
-adequate sleep - and the promotion of resilience

behaviours that act as psychological factors:
the relationship between cognition and behavior
-self efficacy as a mental process that can influnce the progression and maintence of behavioural change (with poor self efficacy as a risk factor)
-learning models, with reference to classical and opperant conditioning, and how involountary and volountary associations between stimuli can be :
i/  protective factors: with reference to cognitive behavioural strategies, reinforcement management and stimulis control (e.g cbt for insomnia)
ii/ risk factors : with reference to cc and oc in the precipitation of a specific phobia,
-coping strategies as learnt sets of behaviors that influence resillence and one's adaptive ability that have been learnt as a result of reinforcement through opperant conditioning with reference to coping flexibility and how having an adaptive mentality and therefore the ability to behave in an adaptive manner

social influences: 
-stigma as a social barrier to accessing treatment and the influence of the external enviornment and the manner in which it can be an external risk factor that perpetuates a mental illness and prevents one from changing their behavior.
-the effect of social learning as a learning model that proposes behavioural change cann occur from observing the actions and consequences of a model.
-support from family friends and comunity and the types of support that can help one implement and maintain change and resillence.

:( not very confident in this, it's very scattered and illogically structured.


 
Title: Re: Collaborative brainstorming
Post by: Bri MT on October 30, 2018, 01:54:28 pm
:( not very confident in this, it's very scattered and illogically structured.

That's alright - I'm really glad you gave it a go anyway :)
(I think you did well despite your lack of confidence if that helps)

I love that you drew on models & acknowledged fluctuation, and I think your structure is fine - structure helps marks be easily identified (and your structure does facilitate this), but this isn't an English task either :)

If you're looking for more on the social side I'll leave this hint: predisposing risk factor

Title: Re: Collaborative brainstorming
Post by: rinner on October 30, 2018, 11:48:21 pm
I don't know if this is useful, but I used a passage from online and combined some extra information with it and made a relatively simple question. hope it can help people remember all the memory/learning model stuff.
"Five-year-old Joshua is at home with his mother Mary. Mary and Joshua are watching television. When a zebra is shown on the screen, Joshua screams “Look Mummy, it’s a doggy!” Mary replies “that big stripy animal is a zebra, Joshua”. At lunchtime, Mary places a large serving of spaghetti in a small plastic bowl for Joshua. Then, remembering that Joshua likes to be treated like a ‘big boy’, transfers the spaghetti to an adult sized bowl. A week later, Joshua visits goes on a school excursion to the zoo. Upon seeing a zebra in an enclosure, he screams “Look everyone, it’s a zebra!”. The teacher then tells Joshua to “sit-out” on the subsequent group activities as he is being disruptive to the class Joshua then spends the rest of the day observing different animals and specifically focuses on the monkeys which are who peel the banana “upside-down” using a specific pinching motion. When the monkeys throw the banana peel into the bin, the zoo trainer gives them new toys. The zoo trainer tells Joshua that whenever she enters the monkey enclosure, a bell rings and the monkeys start to salivate, but this only happens when she enters the enclosure. Upon returning home, much to his mother’s surprise, Joshua peels banana using a specific pinching motion, and throws the peel in the bin. She was surprised because Joshua hates oranges and hence never willingly tried other fruits.

Using appropriate terminology associated with learning models
•   identify and explain the three different types of learning that may have occurred in the passage with reference to the biological basis of learning
•   explain how reinforcement and/or punishment works and identify examples
•   suggest the role of stimulus generalisation and stimulus discrimination in driving one's behaviour"
Title: Re: Collaborative brainstorming
Post by: studyingg on October 31, 2018, 04:16:59 pm
That's alright - I'm really glad you gave it a go anyway :)
(I think you did well despite your lack of confidence if that helps)

I love that you drew on models & acknowledged fluctuation, and I think your structure is fine - structure helps marks be easily identified (and your structure does facilitate this), but this isn't an English task either :)

If you're looking for more on the social side I'll leave this hint: predisposing risk factor

thanks miniturtle!! -disorganized attachment hehehe?
Title: Re: Collaborative brainstorming
Post by: Bri MT on October 31, 2018, 04:21:03 pm
thanks miniturtle!! -disorganized attachment hehehe?


No problem!

And yes!! :)
(there's also loss of a loved one as a precipitating factor too)