VCE Psychology Question Thread
marine my teacher said we don't need to know it for this year
girlmeetsvce yeah technically isn’t in the study design. doesn’t hurt to know though so you don’t confuse the terms.
why does an EEG show higher frequency in REM than NREM but lower amplitude in REM than NREM
girlmeetsvce
From the time you enter sleep to the time you enter deepest NREM-3 sleep the amplitude of waves increases continuously while frequency of EEG reading diminishes correspondingly.
Remember frequency represents how many waves there are per second , and amplitude is a measure of the degree of synchronized brain activity (neurons are acting in concert)
can sample size be commented on if the total population is not given
what's the difference between sleep onset and latency?
can sample size be commented on if the total population is not given
Yes, if a sample size is small then that can mean the experiment is not externally valid (difficult to generalize results)
what's the difference between sleep onset and latency?
Sleep latency is how long it takes you to fall asleep, sleep onset is when you initiate a period of sleep.
Thank you
hihi. does anyone have an easy(ish) way of remembering the function of each part of the nervous system?
im always confusing the brain and spinal cord functions, and it doesn’t matter how much i read the textbook/ watch edrolo i don’t get it 
I like to think of it like this:
Brain - receives info, coordinates a response to it.
Spinal cord - sends info to the brain and carries instructions from the brain.
Autonomic - managing all involuntary movement through MOG (muscles organs glands).
Somatic - voluntary movement.
Sympathetic - arousing
Parasympathetic - cooling down
E.g. I'm playing basketball. When I see a teammate looking to pass the ball, sensory info (where the ball is and how it looks) is detected by the somatic nervous system --> spinal cord relays msg to the brain --> the brain decides to change hand position to receive the catch --> sends instructions down the spinal cord to skeletal muscles in the somatic nervous system.
During the game, the sympathetic nervous system would be dominant to energise my body. After the game, it is likely to be parasympathetic, as that would help restore the body to normal levels of functioning.
also if someone could explain brain waves, amplitude frequency + what is total vs partial sleep deprivation I'd be so grateful!
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girlmeetsvce omg thank you so much!! clarifies so much for me
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girlmeetsvce also if someone could explain brain waves, amplitude frequency + what is total vs partial sleep deprivation I'd be so grateful!
sorry, i can’t explain total vs partial sleep deprivation— haven’t covered that yet. BUT i can explain the brain wave stuff
brain waves = measured in an EEG which detects, amplifies and records the electrical activity of the brain
- frequency = rate — the number of brain waves that occur per second
- amplitude = height — intensity and height of the brain waves
on an EEG…
- high frequency = waves close to each other ( imagine like: | | | | | )
- low frequency = waves further apart ( imagine like: | | | | | | )
- high amplitude = wave lengths are higher/further apart ( imagine like: /\/\/\/\/\ )
- low amplitude = wave lengths are lower/closer ( imagine like: -__-— )
an EEG is likely to show (copied from edrolo textbook)
- higher frequency and lower amplitude in REM sleep.
- high frequency and low amplitude in NREM sleep stage 1 (transitioning from wakefulness to sleep), but lower frequency and higher amplitude than normal-waking consciousness.
- medium frequency and medium amplitude in NREM sleep stage 2 (light sleep).
- lower frequency and higher amplitude in NREM sleep stage 3 (deep sleep)
4 types of brain waves:
- beta = high frequency and low amplitude
- alpha = high frequency (but lower than beta) and low amplitude (but higher than beta)
- theta = medium frequency and medium/high amplitude
- delta = low frequency and high amplitude
No worries at all, thank you too!! This explanation gives so much clarity
when is it ok to say someones got partial sleep deprivation?
marine partial sleep deprivation is when there is sleep but of a lower quality/quantity. so for example: i got 5 hours of sleep last night and felt quite tired today, therefore i am partially sleep deprived because i had low quantity and probably quality of sleep.
side note (js so youre not confused): TOTAL sleep deprivation is when there is absolutely no sleep for 24 or more hours, so basically pulling an all nighter
- Edited
i (painstakingly) went through each vcaa exam for psych and notes relevant/irrelevant questions
questions you CAN do
VCAA 2013
MCQ
4, 9-23, 28, 30, 33, 35-38, 41, 43, 45, 46, 50-55, 57-60, 62, 64, 65
SA
6, 8, 17
Section C
1, 2, 3, 4, 5
VCAA 2014
MC
3, 9, 11, 12, 14-17, 19, 24, 25, 27, 29, 32, 33, 35, 38, 39, 42, 45-47, 50-57, 59, 62
SA
1, 3, 4, 5, 6a, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
Section C
1, 3
VCAA 2015
MCQ
2-6, 8, 9, 10, 15, 19, 22, 23, 25-28, 30-39, 48-51, 57-65
SA
1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10a, 10c, 12, 13a
Section C
1, 2, 3
VCAA 2016
MC
1, 6, 8, 10-12, 16, 19-22, 24-27, 32-34, 41-44, 46-49, 53, 55, 58, 61-63
SA
1 (replace ‘social learning theory’ with observational learning), 3, 4b,d,e, 5b, 9, 10, 11a, 14
Section C
1, 2, 3, 4
questions no longer relevant
VCAA 2017
MC
10, 28, 37, 43, 44
SA
2, 5b
VCAA 2018
MC
25, 33, 40, 47-50
SA
7d
VCAA 2019
MC
19, 20, 22, 35
SA
2b
VCAA 2020
MC
17, 20, 23, 25, 26, 31
SA
(none)
VCAA 2021
MC
13, 26, 43, 50
SA
3a, 4e, 6a, 6b(i)
VCAA 2022
MC
6, 21, 28, 46
SA
3a
Hey guys! For this VCAA question (3b, 2021 exam), I thought the IV would be gender but the answer guide said whether 3 or more or no caffeinated drinks had been consumed. Could someone help me understand where I went wrong please?
Effect of caffeine on Parkinson’s disease
by F Marrow
Drinking caffeinated drinks has been associated with reduced tremors in people with Parkinson’s
disease. A recent study of 284 newly diagnosed Parkinson’s disease patients has gone one step further
to explore if the gender of a person changes the effects of caffeine on the severity of tremors
The researchers interviewed the patients to understand their motor and non-motor symptoms and their
caffeine consumption history.
Of the patients, 204 were classified as caffeine drinkers (three or more cups per day, including coffee,
tea and energy drinks) and 80 were classified as non-caffeine drinkers (0 cups per day).
Results showed that, compared to non-caffeine drinkers, caffeine drinkers:
•had early onset of symptoms
• were younger
• had fewer motor and non-motor symptoms
• had lower resting tremor scores.
Interestingly, the relationship between caffeine consumption and tremor severity was only significant
in males.
can someone explain why the answer is a for q28 on the 2023 vcaa exam? thanks!
Researchers conducted an experiment to investigate the influence of the chemical theophylline on the circadian
rhythm of rats in dark conditions. Theophylline is found naturally in brewed tea and acts to stimulate central
nervous system activity. The study was conducted on 10 rats, which were administered a single theophylline dose
(0.5 mg/kg) one hour before they fell asleep, and were then monitored for two days using an electroencephalograph
(EEG) with no access to natural or artificial light. Three major states of consciousness were analysed during the
48 hours of observation: waking, NREM sleep and REM sleep.
Question 28
The use of a control group in this study would require a group of rats that
A. receives 0.5 mg/kg of a salt solution.
B. is exposed to full light conditions for one of the two days.
C. is sleep-deprived for the two days following administration of theophylline.
D. is a different species of rats, genetically modified to not digest theophylline.