SeaMasterZ@aol.com
Lieutenant Commander
- Joined
- May 21, 2003
- Messages
- 1,924
This test is on THURSDAY, two days away<br /><br />Naturally, IVe been cranking out the other paper<br /><br />Stricken, sick looking classmates have come to me, how you doing with the test Ray?<br /><br />No wonder they are sick! LOL<br /><br />What the hell am I laughing for?? wheres my gun????<br /><br /> 
<br /><br />Exam #1: Scheduled for Thursday, October 9. <br />Exam will consist primarily of multiple choice items. Responses will be made on a computer-scanned response sheet; please bring a #2 lead pencil.<br />There will also be one short essay question. <br />This is a rough outline of the lectures, etc., corresponding to many of the materials in Chapters 1-2, half of 3, and part of 4, plus research methodology, ethical issues, and basic statistics. This is NOT intended to be a substitute for notes taken in class. However, the questions in this outline might help you to better organize the major points presented in the lectures and your text. <br /><br />Research Methodology<br />I. Methodology<br />A. basic terms, concepts, and principles: be able to define and provide/recognize examples<br />1. sample vs population<br />2. parameter vs statistic<br />3. continuous vs discrete variable/bar graph vs histogram<br />4. reliability<br />5. validity<br />6. characteristics of true experimental design; difference between true and quasi-experimental designs, including such concepts as,<br />a. hypothesis vs theory<br />b. independent variable<br />c. dependent variable<br />d. operational definitions<br />e. confounding/extraneous variable<br />f. between-subject vs within-subject design<br />g. demand characteristics<br />h. experimenter effects<br />i. placebo effect<br />j. matching<br />k. counterbalancing<br />l. single-blind vs double-blind studies<br />7. potential threats to internal validity and strategies to control confounding variables<br />8. internal and external validity<br />9. random sample vs biased sample<br />10. basic descriptive statistics (e.g., mean, standard deviation, variance, etc.)<br />11. the concepts behind hypothesis testing: the null hypothesis, alternative hypothesis, alpha levels, critical regions, Type I and Type II errors<br />II. What are the major ethical principles to be considered when using humans in psychological research? be able to explain how each is handled by APA guidelines<br />A. consent; informed consent<br />B. risk, risk/benefit ratio; minimal risk<br />C. privacy<br />D. use of deception<br />E. debriefing<br />F. ethical treatment of animals<br />G. ethical treatment of data<br />H. ethical reporting of research<br />III. Basics of SPSS for Windows<br />A. what is a rectangular matrix? how are data entered? how are data files accessed and saved?<br />B. how would you interpret the output window from SPSS for an independent samples t-test? a repeated measures t-test?<br /><br />General Overview<br />I. What are the dominant issues from perception?<br />A. what is the difference between sensation and perception?<br />B. what general approaches have historically been used in the study of perception?<br />1. how do the constructivist, Gestalt psychology, direct perception, neurophysiological, and computational approaches differ? are there similarities?<br />C. how does neural transmission work? what is a neuron? what is an axon? what is a neurotransmitter? what happens at the synapse? what is an action potential? are there constraints on the action potential? what does the all-or-none principle refer to? what is a refractory period? <br /><br />Psychophysics<br />I. What is classical psychophysics? <br />A. what was the original function of psychophysics? who was responsible for developing the procedures originally used in psychophysics? <br />1. what is a psychometric function? how is it represented?<br />B. how is psychophysics used to measure detection?<br />1. what is absolute threshold? <br />2. what 3 psychophysical methods did Fechner develop to measure absolute threshold? <br />a. what are the advantages and disadvantages of the method of limits? how is absolute threshold determined?<br />b. what are the advantages and disadvantages of the method of constant stimuli? what are catch trials and how do they function?<br />c. what are the advantages and disadvantages of the method of adjustment?<br />C. how is psychophysics used to measure discrimination?<br />1. what is a difference threshold and how did Weber attempt to measure it?<br />2. what is a just noticeable difference (JND)?<br />3. how is indirect scaling different from direct scaling?<br />a. what are the four basic scales of measurement?<br />4. what is Webers fraction (or Webers constant), and what does it describe?<br />5. what is Fechners law? what does it describe? how is the function determined and what are its characteristics? <br />6. what more contemporary psychophysical methods were introduced by Stevens?<br />a. what is magnitude estimation? how is it used?<br />b. what modifications did Stevens make to Fechners law? what is Stevens power law? how does it differ from Fechners law?<br />D. what is signal detection theory? <br />1. from where is signal detection theory derived? what assumptions must be true?<br />2. what is a hit? miss? false alarm? correct rejection?<br />3. what is the difference between sensitivity and response bias? how can response bias be manipulated? what is a payoff matrix?<br />4. why are the noise and signal+noise distributions thought to be normal? what is the criterion (b)? what does d (d-prime) measure? how they represented on the distributions?<br />5. what is a receiver operating characteristics curve (ROC curve)? how can you interpret it?<br />E. how did conventional interpretations of absolute threshold explain subliminal perception? what is subliminal perception thought to be? <br /><br />General Optics and Basic Visual Function<br />I. Describe the characteristics of light and their relation to perception<br />A. how is light measured? what is the classic function describing light? <br />1. what is meant by wavelength and how is it measured? what is a nanometer (nm)?<br />2. what perceptual experience is associated with wavelength?<br />3. what perceptual experience is associated with amplitude/intensity?<br />B. what is referred to by radiance, illuminance, luminance, and reflectance (albedo)?<br />C. describe the basic anatomy of the eye. especially, what functions do the cornea, pupil, lens, and retina play in vision? <br />1. what types of visual deficiencies can occur due to abnormalities of the eye structures? <br />a. what is myopia, hypermetropia? what are the causes?<br />b. what is astigmatism and what causes it?<br />c. what problems can occur when maintenance structures fail? what is glaucoma? what are cataracts? <br />2. how does vision change with age? <br />a. what is presbyopia?<br />b. what other changes occur?<br />D. what are the characteristics of the retina?<br />1. what are the 3 layers of the retina? <br />2. describe the characteristics of the macula, fovea, and periphery of the retina<br />a. what are the 2 types of photoreceptors? how are rods and cones distributed across the retina? how else do rods and cones differ?<br />3. what is the optic disk? how does that relate to the blind spot?<br />4. what are ganglion cells? how do the connections between photoreceptors and ganglion cells affect sensitivity and acuity?<br />a what is a receptive field? describe a center-surround receptive field.<br />b. what are the 2 major types of ganglion cells in the retina? what are the basic characteristics of the parvo cells, the magno cells?<br />E. describe lateral inhibition. how can lateral inhibition explain simultaneous brightness contrast? for the Hermanns grid illusion?<br />1. what are Mach bands? can this phenomenon be explained by lateral inhibition? how?<br />II. What are the two major visual systems?<br />A. how are photopic and scotopic vision different? what photoreceptors are responsible?<br />B. how do rods and cones differ in their sensitivity to light?<br />1. what is the overall difference in sensitivity?<br />a. what are the 4 types of acuity? how do detection, Vernier, resolution, and recognition each measure acuity?<br />b. what factors affect absolute threshold? what is Riccos law? what is Blochs law?<br />2. what do spectral sensitivity curves measure and what do they tell us about day and night vision?<br />C. how do rods and cones differ in their ability to adapt to changes in light intensity?<br />1. what is dark adaptation? light adaptation?<br />D. what is the Purkinje shift? what implications does this have for general day and night vision?<br /><br />Jesus Christ! well, at least she didnt make it REALLY hard ... like making us fill the answers in by sticking a pen up our azz and writing in squatscrit!<br /><br />
<br /><br />Exam #1: Scheduled for Thursday, October 9. <br />Exam will consist primarily of multiple choice items. Responses will be made on a computer-scanned response sheet; please bring a #2 lead pencil.<br />There will also be one short essay question. <br />This is a rough outline of the lectures, etc., corresponding to many of the materials in Chapters 1-2, half of 3, and part of 4, plus research methodology, ethical issues, and basic statistics. This is NOT intended to be a substitute for notes taken in class. However, the questions in this outline might help you to better organize the major points presented in the lectures and your text. <br /><br />Research Methodology<br />I. Methodology<br />A. basic terms, concepts, and principles: be able to define and provide/recognize examples<br />1. sample vs population<br />2. parameter vs statistic<br />3. continuous vs discrete variable/bar graph vs histogram<br />4. reliability<br />5. validity<br />6. characteristics of true experimental design; difference between true and quasi-experimental designs, including such concepts as,<br />a. hypothesis vs theory<br />b. independent variable<br />c. dependent variable<br />d. operational definitions<br />e. confounding/extraneous variable<br />f. between-subject vs within-subject design<br />g. demand characteristics<br />h. experimenter effects<br />i. placebo effect<br />j. matching<br />k. counterbalancing<br />l. single-blind vs double-blind studies<br />7. potential threats to internal validity and strategies to control confounding variables<br />8. internal and external validity<br />9. random sample vs biased sample<br />10. basic descriptive statistics (e.g., mean, standard deviation, variance, etc.)<br />11. the concepts behind hypothesis testing: the null hypothesis, alternative hypothesis, alpha levels, critical regions, Type I and Type II errors<br />II. What are the major ethical principles to be considered when using humans in psychological research? be able to explain how each is handled by APA guidelines<br />A. consent; informed consent<br />B. risk, risk/benefit ratio; minimal risk<br />C. privacy<br />D. use of deception<br />E. debriefing<br />F. ethical treatment of animals<br />G. ethical treatment of data<br />H. ethical reporting of research<br />III. Basics of SPSS for Windows<br />A. what is a rectangular matrix? how are data entered? how are data files accessed and saved?<br />B. how would you interpret the output window from SPSS for an independent samples t-test? a repeated measures t-test?<br /><br />General Overview<br />I. What are the dominant issues from perception?<br />A. what is the difference between sensation and perception?<br />B. what general approaches have historically been used in the study of perception?<br />1. how do the constructivist, Gestalt psychology, direct perception, neurophysiological, and computational approaches differ? are there similarities?<br />C. how does neural transmission work? what is a neuron? what is an axon? what is a neurotransmitter? what happens at the synapse? what is an action potential? are there constraints on the action potential? what does the all-or-none principle refer to? what is a refractory period? <br /><br />Psychophysics<br />I. What is classical psychophysics? <br />A. what was the original function of psychophysics? who was responsible for developing the procedures originally used in psychophysics? <br />1. what is a psychometric function? how is it represented?<br />B. how is psychophysics used to measure detection?<br />1. what is absolute threshold? <br />2. what 3 psychophysical methods did Fechner develop to measure absolute threshold? <br />a. what are the advantages and disadvantages of the method of limits? how is absolute threshold determined?<br />b. what are the advantages and disadvantages of the method of constant stimuli? what are catch trials and how do they function?<br />c. what are the advantages and disadvantages of the method of adjustment?<br />C. how is psychophysics used to measure discrimination?<br />1. what is a difference threshold and how did Weber attempt to measure it?<br />2. what is a just noticeable difference (JND)?<br />3. how is indirect scaling different from direct scaling?<br />a. what are the four basic scales of measurement?<br />4. what is Webers fraction (or Webers constant), and what does it describe?<br />5. what is Fechners law? what does it describe? how is the function determined and what are its characteristics? <br />6. what more contemporary psychophysical methods were introduced by Stevens?<br />a. what is magnitude estimation? how is it used?<br />b. what modifications did Stevens make to Fechners law? what is Stevens power law? how does it differ from Fechners law?<br />D. what is signal detection theory? <br />1. from where is signal detection theory derived? what assumptions must be true?<br />2. what is a hit? miss? false alarm? correct rejection?<br />3. what is the difference between sensitivity and response bias? how can response bias be manipulated? what is a payoff matrix?<br />4. why are the noise and signal+noise distributions thought to be normal? what is the criterion (b)? what does d (d-prime) measure? how they represented on the distributions?<br />5. what is a receiver operating characteristics curve (ROC curve)? how can you interpret it?<br />E. how did conventional interpretations of absolute threshold explain subliminal perception? what is subliminal perception thought to be? <br /><br />General Optics and Basic Visual Function<br />I. Describe the characteristics of light and their relation to perception<br />A. how is light measured? what is the classic function describing light? <br />1. what is meant by wavelength and how is it measured? what is a nanometer (nm)?<br />2. what perceptual experience is associated with wavelength?<br />3. what perceptual experience is associated with amplitude/intensity?<br />B. what is referred to by radiance, illuminance, luminance, and reflectance (albedo)?<br />C. describe the basic anatomy of the eye. especially, what functions do the cornea, pupil, lens, and retina play in vision? <br />1. what types of visual deficiencies can occur due to abnormalities of the eye structures? <br />a. what is myopia, hypermetropia? what are the causes?<br />b. what is astigmatism and what causes it?<br />c. what problems can occur when maintenance structures fail? what is glaucoma? what are cataracts? <br />2. how does vision change with age? <br />a. what is presbyopia?<br />b. what other changes occur?<br />D. what are the characteristics of the retina?<br />1. what are the 3 layers of the retina? <br />2. describe the characteristics of the macula, fovea, and periphery of the retina<br />a. what are the 2 types of photoreceptors? how are rods and cones distributed across the retina? how else do rods and cones differ?<br />3. what is the optic disk? how does that relate to the blind spot?<br />4. what are ganglion cells? how do the connections between photoreceptors and ganglion cells affect sensitivity and acuity?<br />a what is a receptive field? describe a center-surround receptive field.<br />b. what are the 2 major types of ganglion cells in the retina? what are the basic characteristics of the parvo cells, the magno cells?<br />E. describe lateral inhibition. how can lateral inhibition explain simultaneous brightness contrast? for the Hermanns grid illusion?<br />1. what are Mach bands? can this phenomenon be explained by lateral inhibition? how?<br />II. What are the two major visual systems?<br />A. how are photopic and scotopic vision different? what photoreceptors are responsible?<br />B. how do rods and cones differ in their sensitivity to light?<br />1. what is the overall difference in sensitivity?<br />a. what are the 4 types of acuity? how do detection, Vernier, resolution, and recognition each measure acuity?<br />b. what factors affect absolute threshold? what is Riccos law? what is Blochs law?<br />2. what do spectral sensitivity curves measure and what do they tell us about day and night vision?<br />C. how do rods and cones differ in their ability to adapt to changes in light intensity?<br />1. what is dark adaptation? light adaptation?<br />D. what is the Purkinje shift? what implications does this have for general day and night vision?<br /><br />Jesus Christ! well, at least she didnt make it REALLY hard ... like making us fill the answers in by sticking a pen up our azz and writing in squatscrit!<br /><br /> 
