Psychology Answers

We recently conducted a survey of 2200 university students, measuring their levels of
mental health, using the 21-item version of the DASS. Scores on the DASS are
summed, with higher scores indicating greater levels of depression, anxiety, and stress.
Total scores can range from 21 to 84. The mean score for the sample was 45, and the
standard deviation [SD] was 7. In return for participating in the study, we provided
confidential feedback to each student by providing them with their total score. Sylvia
scored 51. Should we also advise Sylvia to contact the counselling service?
a. Yes. Sylvia scores higher than average on depression, anxiety, and stress.
b. No. Sylvia’s score is within the average range of students in this sample.
c. No. Sylvia’s score is almost exactly halfway between the lowest and highest possible
scores.
d. As responsible and ethical researchers, we would need more information about
Sylvia’s life before we could make a determination.

Researchers conducted an experimental study in the lab in which they manipulated
the independent variable, wearing headphones, by employing two conditions: One
where participants wore headphones while listening to classical music and one where
they did not wear headphones but listened to classical music via a loudspeaker. In both
conditions, participants drove around a course on a driving simulator. The simulator
was programmed so that at different times an obstacle would appear. The number of
times that participants crashed into the obstacle was recorded, and this measure
constituted the dependent variable. All participants first drove around the course
wearing headphones. Then all participants drove around the course not wearing
headphones. The researchers found that the number of crashes was lower in the
condition where participants did not wear headphones. Would you trust these results?
b. No. You can’t say that wearing headphones leads to more crashes because of the
confound of order effects.

Dr Strelan and Dr Semmler recently won an award for their revolutionary new
approach to helping people becoming more self-aware, which they call ‘Reality
Therapy’. When people undergo reality therapy, they read a manual entitled ‘It’s Not
Them, It’s You’. As evidence for the effectiveness of Reality Therapy, Strelan and
Semmler conducted an experiment in which participants either read the manual or not.
They then presented participants with many items, including the following: “I read a
manual titled ‘It’s Not Them, It’s You’” (yes/no) and ‘I am now much more aware that
it’s me, not them, who is responsible for my actions’ (where 1 = strongly disagree and 7
= strongly agree). The item, “I read a manual titled ‘It’s Not Them, It’s You’” (yes/no)
is…
b. the independent variable.
c. a manipulation check.
d. a manipulation variable.

Researchers developed a new measure of resilience. They administered it twice to a
sample of 700 primary school students from some of Adelaide’s lower socio-economic
suburbs. The first time (T1) was when the students were in grade 3; the second time
(T2) was when they were in grade 11. They found that at T1 the new measure
correlated positively with a measure of dispositional perseverance, negatively with a
measure of learned helplessness, and was not at all related to a measure of aesthetic
values. They also found that student’s scores on the new measure correlated at .80
between T1 and T2. Finally, they found that the vast majority of participants who
scored high on the new measure of resilience tended to give up when they got a bad
mark at school. We would therefore conclude that the new measure…
a. has good construct validity; poor predictive validity; good test-retest reliability.
b. has poor construct validity; poor predictive validity; good test-retest reliability.

1.Discuss 2 intervention strategies that can be applied to reducing the existing sedentary behavior levels of young people.

2.Using research evidence, discuss the importance of physical activity to improving children’s academic performance.
Marking:
Identifying different types of school-based interventions / reduction of PA in school curriculum
Discussing the success / impact of these interventions for increasing academic performance (RE: Trost and Polman lectures)

3a. Why does the assumption “fitness improves body image” not always hold true?
3b. Describe how an exercise psychologist might approach the issue of body image with a client.

4. Describe four strategies that an instructor might use to create an autonomy-supportive environment in his or her group exercise class, and explain how these strategies could positively impact participant motivation in this context

5. Discuss the potential of physical activity as an intervention strategy to manage symptoms of depression

1. Describe and justify 4 guidelines to optimize people’s affective responses to physical activity.(i.e what recommendations make it more likely that people will experience increased pleasure during/after PA)
Marking:
2 marks per guideline
1 mark for describing a guideline
1 mark providing a convincing justification

2. Describe your “exercise personality” through the lens of McAdams’ personality framework
Marking:
describing your exercise personality relative to the 3 layers (2@layer = 6)
Using appropriate constructs per layer
Being clear about what each layer of McAdams’ model adds in terms of information for understanding your exercise personality
2 marks for articulating how this description matches the personality of regular exercisers (e.g., in terms of traits, motives, narratives)

Would standardized tests of intelligence be of a higher or lower quality if they were playful?

How well does a game help to create an environment conducive to learning?

Does technology have an important or unimportant effect on the quality of the language used by an individual?

Can a cognitive game take into account individual differences and at the same time be suited for a wider audience?