PSYCH Chapter 6 Answers:

1) A subset of cells representing a memory is termed a memory trace/engram.

2) The cellular process by which synaptic connections increase in strength is long-term potentiation
(LTP)/ Stronger synaptic connections between neurons might lead to stronger memories/LTP is
often correlated with learning and memory (Learning is linked with the development of
LTP/Deficits in learning/memory are linked to deficits in LTP ) Activity-dependent variations in
synaptic strength such as LTP may be a fundamental mechanism by which we acquire and
modify all behaviors (pain, motor learning and addiction)
3) SLIDE 12 AND 13
4) Intelligence may include many cognitive abilities (measure these abilities using standardized
cognitive tests/For any individual, the results of different cognitive tests are highly correlated)/
AND SLIDE 23
5) SLIDE 29
6) SLIDE 35/People with high IQ show more efficient brain activity during working memory tasks of
moderate difficulty/Smart people filter distractions better and show less overall brain activity
during difficult tasks /Measures of intelligence are correlated with leadership performance (to
an extent, higher IQ is good for leadership positions)/ Very high IQ scores are associated with
lower perceived leadership ability (curvilinear relationship)/Positively correlated with longevity
and height/weight/Negatively correlated with criminal behavior and divorce rate/Though IQ is
positively correlated with income, it is surprisingly not an excellent predictor of wealth
7) SLIDE 43/Recall that genes may affect our attraction to environments and our ability to benefit
from them (genetic mediation of environmental effect)/Genes for IQ might attract you to
activities that maximize IQ (e.g. school, travel, problem-solving)/ Genes for IQ might also
maximize the benefits you get from these environments (e.g. genes for plasticity mean your
brain changes more with the same experiences)/Genes for IQ may take effect later in life
(innovation) and become increasingly important over time (amplification)/ There are no
necessary policy implications that come with understanding the heritability of IQ (or any trait)
8) SLIDE 46/Genetics is not favored as an explanation, as the effect has emerged too rapidly (50
years)/ Various environmental factors possible: nutrition, widespread information access and
familiarity with testing/ Many have argued that the Flynn effect has already stopped and may
even be reversing/The reasons for this reversal are currently unclear, but may involve other
environmental factors such as scarcity
9) One study examined whether you could predict Special Forces selection in the military from
physical, psychological or physiological measures1/ Physical measures (e.g. pull-ups) turned out
to be good predictors of selection/Psychological measures (e.g. IQ) were predictors also, but
physiological measures (e.g. cortisol) were not
10) Scarcity (lack of resources) and being worried about scarcity may impair cognition (can lead to
further financial difficulties and stress (feedback))
11) Reaction time (RT) is negatively correlated with IQ /Smarter you are, the faster you react (low
RT, high IQ)/ RT is a predictor of dementia in the elderly
12) SLIDE 55
13) Creativity is weakly correlated with intelligence and moderately correlated withpersonality
features (particularly extraversion + openness to experience)/What makes a person an
especially high achiever may be a combination of traits (high IQ + high creativity)/Measuring
 creativity is challenging/Would test your ability to list uses for multiple common household
items (brick, shoe, newspaper) over a prolonged period (e.g. 10 min) Score your performance on
4 scales: Originality: Rare uses worth more points/ Fluency: Total number of all responses/
Flexibility: Number of different categories used/Elaboration: Amount of detail in each
response/Uses of newspaper: This test is called the alternative use task and is said to involve
divergent thinking/Single word associates: This test is called the remote association task and is
said to involve convergent thinking
14) SLIDE 60
15) Most emotional IQ tests have low reliability and construct validity/Relationship to work
performance and leadership is inconsistent between studies/ ‘Emotional IQ’, rather than being
an independent attribute, may reflect a ‘combined effect’ of IQ and other personality traits
working together/Research is still relatively new but is developing/Interpersonal + intrapersonal
intelligence are intelligences relating to how people feel/One measure is the Mayer-Salovey-
Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT)
16) Phonemes may have an inherent emotional meaning/ The phoneme /l/ (appearing twice in
lullaby) tends to occur in pleasant, soft, tender scripts as well as in passive words/The
phoneme /r/ (appearing twice in roar) tends to occur in unpleasant and active words
17) Language is lateralized to the left hemisphere in most people (one of the few cases where there
is lateralization of function)/True for both spoken and signed languages/In a given person, we
find out how language is lateralized (left or right) by doing specific tests/ If damaged (e.g. with
stroke or during surgery), language deficits will result.
18) Broca’s aphasia involves a difficulty in speech production, but comprehension can be intact/
Wernicke’s aphasia involves a difficulty in both comprehension + speech production/ Alexia or
Dyslexia involves difficulty in reading; Comprehension + speech production may be preserved
19) SLIDE 84/7 months; babbling that lacks meaning/10 – 12 months, common words emerge/
Acquisition easiest at 3 – 7 years of age, challenging after after 18 years1/Idea that language
acquisition becomes much more difficult with age is generally believed, but is quite difficult to
test/Motivation for second language learning is different/Context in which second language is
learned varies/Language acquisition may involve different mechanisms in different ages
20) Saphir-Whorf hypothesis postulates that that the structure of a language determines a native
speaker's perception and categorization of experience/People in the Dani culture of New Guinea
(who have only two terms for color), can still categorize colors like English speakers (who have
many words for color)/Number of words thus did not affect categorization/However, there was
evidence that the words used affected perceptions (mixed support)/Big problem is lack of
studies/Very difficult to test/Language is also often contaminated by culture/Clear however that
our learned social attitudes influence our thoughts (i.e. social psychology)
21) Human language is much more flexible and can be used to communicate to an infinity of ideas,
the interpretation of which is based on context/May have emerged hundred thousand of years
ago/Linked to the development of the brain, vocal track + certain genetic mutations (e.g.
FOXP2)/ We have biological, psychological + social theories of language development/ May have
roots in gestural communication/ Mirror system for grasping in primates has similarities to
language systems in humans/When we became bipedal, hands freed for gesturing