how drug overdose might be explained using the principles of classical conditioning

1. Describe how drug overdose might be explained using the principles of classical conditioning. What are the conditioned and unconditioned stimuli in this process? What is the conditioned response?

2. What is the difference between negative reinforcement and punishment? Please provide a concrete example of each.

3. How might we use the principle of vicarious learning to explain why violent parents often produce violent children?

Extra Credit: Memory
1. Compare and contrast implicit and explicit memory.
2. Please describe the role of the hippocampus in memory processing.
3. What were the main findings of Loftus and Palmer in their study of eyewitness memory?
4. How may chunking be used to enhance memory?

Extra Credit: Language and Cognition
1. What is linguistic determinism? Describe some of the evidence in favor and against this notion.
2. What are algorithms and heuristics? Why would you use one versus the other in problem solving?
3. What is functional fixedness and how can overcoming it help you solve problems?

Extra Credit: Life-Span Development
1. According to Piaget’s theory of cognitive development, what are assimilation and accommodation? Provide examples of each.

2. Briefly describe Erikson’s theory of social development. How might it account for differences in the emotional well-being of adolescents?

3. Compare and contrast the four parenting styles. Which type of parenting seems to be associated with the most positive outcomes for children and why?

Extra Credit: Emotion
1. Describe the James-Lange and Cannon-Bard theories of emotion.
2. What role does the amygdala play in emotion?
3. Describe some of the evidence that our ability to recognize and produce facial expressions of emotion appears to be universal.
4. Provide an example of a stressful situation that may cause a person to become seriously ill. How would Selye’s general adaptation syndrome explain this occurrence?
5. Although problem-focused coping seems to be a more effective strategy when dealing with stressors, do you think there are any kinds of stressful situations in which emotion-focused coping might be a better strategy? Why or why not?

Extra Credit: Personality
1. What were the findings of the Minnesota Study of Twins Reared Apart?
2. Please describe Eysenck’s model of personality? How is it related to the types of temperaments proposed by the Greeks?
3. Describe the behaviors associated with each personality trait included in the “Big Five”.

Extra Credit: Psychological Disorders

1. What is agoraphobia and how is it related to panic disorder?
2. How might our genetic makeup (i.e,., the specific forms of the genes we possess) influence our risk for depression?
3. Imagine that you have done poorly on an exam. Provide an example of a global, stable, internal explanation for this outcome.
4. What are some of the reasons that women experience higher rates of clinical depression than men?
5. What reason is there to believe that schizophrenia is heritable?

Extra Credit: Therapies
1. Why do psychodynamic therapists encourage clients to free associate in therapy?
2. What is a major difference between systematic desensitization and flooding/implosion therapy as treatments for phobia?

1. Imagine that you work for an advertising agency, and you’ve been tasked with developing an advertising campaign to increase sales of Bliss Soda. How would you develop an advertisement
Extra Credit: Persuasion and Stereotyping

for this product that uses a central route of persuasion? How would you develop an ad using a peripheral route of persuasion?
2. According to cognitive dissonance theory, why might it be advantageous for groups to require initiation rites for new members?
3. What are the differences between stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination?
4. What are some of the causes of prejudice and discrimination in society?
5. How do confirmation biases influence beliefs in stereotypes?