2008 exam Short answer suggested solutions

[Nick]

I apologise for the delayed offering of these suggested solutions. Please be aware that these suggested answers are by no means endorsed by VCAA and your answers are open to the discretion of the examiners.

Please post any questions or queries. 

Question 1

Visual information is processed by the primary visual cortex, located in the occipital lobe of the brain.

Question 2

1.   Comprehension of written and spoken language (verbal language)
2.   Locating appropriate words from memory to express intended meaning.


Question 3
a)
   Because the accuracy of a case study relies heavily on the integrity and honesty of the psychologist recording the highly detailed findings, case studies can be subjected to experimenter bias. That is, the experimenter may have a tendency to manipulate the results in accordance with their personal desires or expectations.
   Random sampling is not utilised (convenience sampling is used). This means that the sample utilised by the case study is not representative and does not offer a true reflection of the condition’s prevalence amongst the wider community.

   A lack of control over variables means that the findings and behavioural conclusions illustrated in case studies can not be generalised to apply to the wider population from which the individual was drawn.

   Due to the inability of a psychologist to generalise the results, the findings cannot be conclusively applied to similar or potentially relevant cases which mirror the particular behaviour in an individual or group in the case study.


b)
   They are very descriptive and detailed in nature, acting as a relevant educational tool to psychologists.
   They are a useful source of ideas and hypotheses for psychologists
   They can validate hypotheses

Question 4
a)
o   ESB is considered extremely invasive and crude
o   It requires brain surgery
o   It is time consuming in comparison to other methods such as PET and fMri
o   Research is based only on clinical patients. It would be unnecessary to subject healthy patients to surgery.

b) Functional magnetic resonance imaging
   Positron emission tomography

Question 5
a)   The Alarm reaction, Stage 1 of the General Adaptation Syndrome, consists of two phases: shock and counter shock.

b)   When the individual first encounters the stressor, the body’s resistance to the stressor falls below normal levels. Our blood pressure and body temperature drops. In counter shock the body’s resistance rises above normal levels and bodily resources are mobilised to deal with the stressor. Adrenaline and noradrenalin are released into the bloodstream.

Question 6

a)   Parasympathetic nervous system (a division of the autonomic nervous system)

b)   Any of the following:

Salivation will increase
Heart rate and blood pressure decreases
Stimulation of digestion
Decrease in respiration (bronchi constrict)
Pupils constrict
Contraction of bladder

Question 7

a)   During control questions (those questions used to establish a physiological baseline), Nick’s GSR readings would have been minimal or consistent with a state of minimal arousal. When a comparison was made between the GSR levels during control and relevant questions (those questions related to the critical event), the police would have noted that his GSR readings during relevant questions would have been significantly heightened. Heightened GSR levels (as recorded when Nick was asked relevant questions) are consistent with high levels of arousal and hence, this can be interpreted as a physiological state consistent with lying.

b)   The emotions of fear and anxiety both produce similar increases in arousal consistent with arousal levels registered when lying. Nick may have been extremely nervous during relevant questions, causing his GSR levels to elevate to a level which was consistent with lying. Due to his high levels of nervousness, his high levels of anxiety may have wrongly been interpreted as lying. High GSR readings are often associated with lying because lying initiates the arousal of the sympathetic nervous system and subsequently profuse sweating is initiated (causing increases in the electrical conductivity of the skin).


Visual perception

Question 8
a)   Due to the eyes being 6-7cm apart, the brain was interpreting the slightly different visual impressions received by each eye.
b)   Retinal disparity
Due to the eyes being 6-7cm apart, each of Sasha’s eyes receives a slightly different retinal image resulting from different angles of view each makes with her outstretched right hand. Her brain then fuses these images together in order to decode the disparity or difference between the images of the hand. The greater the difference between the images, the closer Sasha’s hand is.

Note: Convergence is another acceptable response.

Question 9

Orientation constancy is a tendency to perceive objects as maintaining their normal upright position (or true orientation) despite changes to the retinal image. For example, while we are lying down watching television, we are still able to perceive what is happening on the screen in an upright fashion despite the slanted image which falls on the retina.

Question 10
Name of gestalt principle: Figure ground
Explanation: Sergio would need to ensure that the door’s distinctive contour line blends in with the design and colour of the set. By using a similarly colour paint and props for the door and set, individuals are unable to separate figure from ground using the existing contour line. By blurring the distinction between figure and ground, the effect is of the stimulus (the door) blending into its background.

Question 11

Relative size: The artist would need to ensure that some of the stalls cast a larger retinal image which would allow individuals to discern that images casting the larger retinal image would be closer. The artist could achieve this by simply drawing some of the stalls larger. These larger stalls would be perceived as being closer.

Height in the visual field: Objects would need to be placed closer to the horizon so that they can be perceived as being further away than other objects. For example, the artist may choose to draw one of the market buyers closer to the horizon to give an impression to the viewer that this buyer is much further away than the buyers who are at the entrance of the market.

Question 12
Various answers will be valid in this case

Name: Past experience

Example (Emma-Jane): Emma-Jane was predisposed to perceive the ambiguous figure as a young woman due to her frequent encounters with young women at the local youth centre where she works. Her constant interactions with young people had predisposed her to perceive the woman to be young rather than old.

Example (Kirk): Kirk has the tendency to perceive the figure as an old woman due to his constant social interactions with old women at the nursing home that he visits for a community service project.

STATES OF CONSCIOUSNESS

Question 13= Consciousness

Question 14
a)   Any of:
•   Droopy eyelids
•   Fatigue
•   Sleepiness
•   Drowsiness
•   Lack of strength
•   Tremors
•   Slurred speech
•   Increased sensitivity to pain
•   Difficulty focusing the eyes
•   Impaired functioning of the immune system
•   Susceptibility to micro sleeping- a short period of drowsiness or sleeping that occurs while the person appears to be awake

b)
•   Loss of concentration
•   Irritability
•   Shorter attention span
•   Heightened anxiety
•   Lack of motivation
•   Moodiness
•   Memory impairment
•   Irrational thought processes
•   Difficulty making decisions
•   Slow mental reaction time
•   Delusions/paranoia
•   Processing of information in STM is impaired

c)   Provided that Andrew gets adequate sleep, there are no long term psychological or physiological effects whatsoever.


Question 15

Example of divided attention: An old lady is capable of watching her favourite television program and knitting her new scarf.

Explanation: We are capable of performing two tasks simultaneously if they rely predominantly on automatic processes which require minimal conscious mental effort by the individual.

Question 16

a)   The brain wave patterns predominantly found in stage 4 sleep are low in frequency and high in amplitude.
b)   Any of:
•   Time spent in stage 4 decreases as the night progresses, replaced by more time spent in Rapid Eye Movement sleep.
•   Sleep phenomena such as night terrors and sleep talking can potentially occur.
•   Deep sleep characterised by delta brain wave patterns (as measured by EEG)
•   The deepest stage of sleep

Question 17

a)   Independent groups design
b)   Benefits of using a single blind procedure include:
Participants will not act in accordance with how they believe they are expected to behave (Hawthorne effect).
They are therefore less likely to discern the aims of the study. Hence, the dependant variable is less likely to be influenced by participant related variables.

[moshi]

for question 17, i said that the single blind procedure could be used to avoid the placebo effect - would that have been acceptable? (btw i did put more detail into my answer)

[Nick]

Yeah, placebo and hawthorne effect would both be acceptable as they both have the same implications on the study.

[Nick]

The important thing is that you demonstate that you understand that due to having a single blind procedure, there is a greater likelihood that the dependant variable can be attributed to changes in the independent variable.

[psychlaw]

for 14A (physiological effects) I put headaches, but you havn't put it as an option. Im positive its right

[misskaraleah]

For 16B, it states list two OTHER characteristics of stage 4 sleep.

I originally crossed out my answer that stage for decreases throughout the night replaced by REM sleep, because i didnt think it was a characteristic as such.

But i then said that delta waves (slow waves) are dominant in this stage of sleep.

Do you think the examiners would be picky because they asked for OTHEr characteristics, not similar?

[asdf]

I WANT TO GET IT BACK


arrgghhh

[Nick]

For 16B, it states list two OTHER characteristics of stage 4 sleep.

I originally crossed out my answer that stage for decreases throughout the night replaced by REM sleep, because i didnt think it was a characteristic as such.

It's definitely a characteristic of stage 4.

But i then said that delta waves (slow waves) are dominant in this stage of sleep.

Do you think the examiners would be picky because they asked for OTHEr characteristics, not similar?

I think you would get a mark if you specified DELTA waves. Because it's a distinctly separate piece of knowledge.

[mskwmskw]

question 6
is decrease perspiration an acceptable answer?

[Nick]

question 6
is decrease perspiration an acceptable answer?

It would have been better if you had referred to GSR (electrical conductivity of the skin), so it really depends on how lenient your assessor is. It should be fine though.

[daniel99]

I apologise for the delayed offering of these suggested solutions. Please be aware that these suggested answers are by no means endorsed by VCAA and your answers are open to the discretion of the examiners.

Please post any questions or queries. 

Question 1

Visual information is processed by the primary visual cortex, located in the occipital lobe of the brain.

Question 2

1.   Comprehension of written and spoken language (verbal language)
2.   Locating appropriate words from memory to express intended meaning.


Question 3
a)
   Because the accuracy of a case study relies heavily on the integrity and honesty of the psychologist recording the highly detailed findings, case studies can be subjected to experimenter bias. That is, the experimenter may have a tendency to manipulate the results in accordance with their personal desires or expectations.
   Random sampling is not utilised (convenience sampling is used). This means that the sample utilised by the case study is not representative and does not offer a true reflection of the condition’s prevalence amongst the wider community.

   A lack of control over variables means that the findings and behavioural conclusions illustrated in case studies can not be generalised to apply to the wider population from which the individual was drawn.

   Due to the inability of a psychologist to generalise the results, the findings cannot be conclusively applied to similar or potentially relevant cases which mirror the particular behaviour in an individual or group in the case study.


b)
   They are very descriptive and detailed in nature, acting as a relevant educational tool to psychologists.
   They are a useful source of ideas and hypotheses for psychologists
   They can validate hypotheses

Question 4
a)
o   ESB is considered extremely invasive and crude
o   It requires brain surgery
o   It is time consuming in comparison to other methods such as PET and fMri
o   Research is based only on clinical patients. It would be unnecessary to subject healthy patients to surgery.

b) Functional magnetic resonance imaging
   Positron emission tomography

Question 5
a)   The Alarm reaction, Stage 1 of the General Adaptation Syndrome, consists of two phases: shock and counter shock.

b)   When the individual first encounters the stressor, the body’s resistance to the stressor falls below normal levels. Our blood pressure and body temperature drops. In counter shock the body’s resistance rises above normal levels and bodily resources are mobilised to deal with the stressor. Adrenaline and noradrenalin are released into the bloodstream.

Question 6

a)   Parasympathetic nervous system (a division of the autonomic nervous system)

b)   Any of the following:

Salivation will increase
Heart rate and blood pressure decreases
Stimulation of digestion
Decrease in respiration (bronchi constrict)
Pupils constrict
Contraction of bladder

Question 7

a)   During control questions (those questions used to establish a physiological baseline), Nick’s GSR readings would have been minimal or consistent with a state of minimal arousal. When a comparison was made between the GSR levels during control and relevant questions (those questions related to the critical event), the police would have noted that his GSR readings during relevant questions would have been significantly heightened. Heightened GSR levels (as recorded when Nick was asked relevant questions) are consistent with high levels of arousal and hence, this can be interpreted as a physiological state consistent with lying.

b)   The emotions of fear and anxiety both produce similar increases in arousal consistent with arousal levels registered when lying. Nick may have been extremely nervous during relevant questions, causing his GSR levels to elevate to a level which was consistent with lying. Due to his high levels of nervousness, his high levels of anxiety may have wrongly been interpreted as lying. High GSR readings are often associated with lying because lying initiates the arousal of the sympathetic nervous system and subsequently profuse sweating is initiated (causing increases in the electrical conductivity of the skin).


Visual perception

Question 8
a)   Due to the eyes being 6-7cm apart, the brain was interpreting the slightly different visual impressions received by each eye.
b)   Retinal disparity
Due to the eyes being 6-7cm apart, each of Sasha’s eyes receives a slightly different retinal image resulting from different angles of view each makes with her outstretched right hand. Her brain then fuses these images together in order to decode the disparity or difference between the images of the hand. The greater the difference between the images, the closer Sasha’s hand is.

Note: Convergence is another acceptable response.

Question 9

Orientation constancy is a tendency to perceive objects as maintaining their normal upright position (or true orientation) despite changes to the retinal image. For example, while we are lying down watching television, we are still able to perceive what is happening on the screen in an upright fashion despite the slanted image which falls on the retina.

Question 10
Name of gestalt principle: Figure ground
Explanation: Sergio would need to ensure that the door’s distinctive contour line blends in with the design and colour of the set. By using a similarly colour paint and props for the door and set, individuals are unable to separate figure from ground using the existing contour line. By blurring the distinction between figure and ground, the effect is of the stimulus (the door) blending into its background.

Question 11

Relative size: The artist would need to ensure that some of the stalls cast a larger retinal image which would allow individuals to discern that images casting the larger retinal image would be closer. The artist could achieve this by simply drawing some of the stalls larger. These larger stalls would be perceived as being closer.

Height in the visual field: Objects would need to be placed closer to the horizon so that they can be perceived as being further away than other objects. For example, the artist may choose to draw one of the market buyers closer to the horizon to give an impression to the viewer that this buyer is much further away than the buyers who are at the entrance of the market.

Question 12
Various answers will be valid in this case

Name: Past experience

Example (Emma-Jane): Emma-Jane was predisposed to perceive the ambiguous figure as a young woman due to her frequent encounters with young women at the local youth centre where she works. Her constant interactions with young people had predisposed her to perceive the woman to be young rather than old.

Example (Kirk): Kirk has the tendency to perceive the figure as an old woman due to his constant social interactions with old women at the nursing home that he visits for a community service project.

STATES OF CONSCIOUSNESS

Question 13= Consciousness

Question 14
a)   Any of:
•   Droopy eyelids
•   Fatigue
•   Sleepiness
•   Drowsiness
•   Lack of strength
•   Tremors
•   Slurred speech
•   Increased sensitivity to pain
•   Difficulty focusing the eyes
•   Impaired functioning of the immune system
•   Susceptibility to micro sleeping- a short period of drowsiness or sleeping that occurs while the person appears to be awake

b)
•   Loss of concentration
•   Irritability
•   Shorter attention span
•   Heightened anxiety
•   Lack of motivation
•   Moodiness
•   Memory impairment
•   Irrational thought processes
•   Difficulty making decisions
•   Slow mental reaction time
•   Delusions/paranoia
•   Processing of information in STM is impaired

c)   Provided that Andrew gets adequate sleep, there are no long term psychological or physiological effects whatsoever.


Question 15

Example of divided attention: An old lady is capable of watching her favourite television program and knitting her new scarf.

Explanation: We are capable of performing two tasks simultaneously if they rely predominantly on automatic processes which require minimal conscious mental effort by the individual.

Question 16

a)   The brain wave patterns predominantly found in stage 4 sleep are low in frequency and high in amplitude.
b)   Any of:
•   Time spent in stage 4 decreases as the night progresses, replaced by more time spent in Rapid Eye Movement sleep.
•   Sleep phenomena such as night terrors and sleep talking can potentially occur.
•   Deep sleep characterised by delta brain wave patterns (as measured by EEG)
•   The deepest stage of sleep

Question 17

a)   Independent groups design
b)   Benefits of using a single blind procedure include:
Participants will not act in accordance with how they believe they are expected to behave (Hawthorne effect).
They are therefore less likely to discern the aims of the study. Hence, the dependant variable is less likely to be influenced by participant related variables.

90/90???

[Nick]

Hahaha, I hope so?

[psychlaw]

OMG...
I just realised I lost 3 marks in one question which I thought I got right....

omg im actually in tears.......
It is the public speaking question

[Nick]

Don't dwell on it- the results will soon show all.