Running head: UNIT 1 REPORT

Unit 1 Report
Elena Cooper
Salt Lake Community College

UNIT 1 REPORT

2
Unit 1 Report

Directions. This Unit Report has two parts. Part I asks you to answer several questions related
to concepts form this unit, which may involve information form the text and/or class lecture and
discussion. Part II will ask you to further apply, evaluate, and/or reflect upon key concepts from
the unit. Unit reports should be submitted as one document and follow APA formatting,
including a title page, page number, running head, and, when relevant, in-text citations and
reference list.
Part I (5 points). Address/answer each item below with a 2-3 sentence (or more) response (1
points each). If you use the textbook or class lecture/notes to answer the question, be sure to use
in-text citations and include a reference list (APA format for both). If a citation is clearly not
needed, it will be indicated as such. Responses need to be in your own words or paraphrased.
You will not receive credit for answering with quotations. Part I does not need to be in essay
format.
1. Why do young children tend to not be reliable eyewitnesses?
Even a fully grown adult can have their memory fail them. Children can be easily
influenced by the people that they are around and their surroundings. Just as our
memories can be tempered with and molded, it is more so for children. (Myers, 2014, Pg.
318) However, children can be reliable eyewitnesses in some cases. Kids tend to recollect
more accurately when spoken to in a way that they can follow. (Myers, 2014, Pg.319)
2. What is meant by the nature-nurture debate in psychology?
Nature being the biological factor into why we are the way we are. Nurture being our
external world molding us into who we are. The debate here is, whether we are creatures
who have inherited our characteristics due to biology or are we creature who learn
through experiences. Most psychologists have come to the conclusion that nature and
nurture both play significant factors in shaping us into being who we are.

3. What is meant by the statement correlation does not mean causation?

A link between two factors may help us envision the outcome of a particular event but
correlation alone does not indicate causation, because there could be a third factor
involved. In order to prove your hypothesis correct, you would need to conduct an
experiment in a controlled setting and determine the outcome through experimental data.
For example: Everyone who has ever eaten a carrot may eventually die. We will all die
eventually, but eating carrots does not cause us to die.

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4. While calculating a math problem Toby tends to look toward his right side of his
field. Why?
When doing an activity suck as calculating a math problem, we are using our left
hemisphere, rather than our right. With that being said, when we use a particular
hemisphere, we tend to look in the opposite direction. In this case, Toby, who is
calculating a math problem will look to his right because his left hemisphere is active.
(Myers, 2014, pg. 65)
5. Why is the Endocrine System the slower component of our nervous system?
Endocrine system is another messenger within our body. The endocrine system is not the
main communication system, but the second. Our endocrine systems glands do discharge
hormones into our bloodstream, but not very fast. Compared to our nervous system,
which transmits messages instantaneously, endocrine takes time, but lasts longer.

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Part II (10 points). Having identified components of an experimental approach to studying

psychology, design an experiment to test the following hypothesis:
Doing push-ups improves working memory performance.
Directions: Write a report that describes how you would test this hypothesis question. Your
report should be in an essay format; however, you may include any images or multimedia tools
that you feel enhance or help explain your experiment. Be sure to consult the assigned textbook
readings and lecture notes (particularly the discussion/demonstration of the "crowded elevator
experiment.") Your report should be one (1) page in length (double-spaced, 10-12 pt. font) and
answer or address the following items:
1. State your own hypothesis regarding the experiment and explain. Do you personally believe
that doing push-ups will increase short-term/working memory performance? Explain.
2. Describe in detail how you would conduct this experiment. Be sure to address the following:

How will you recruit participants for your experiment?

What is your independent variable? What is your dependent variable?

Describe your experimental and control group(s).

How will you measure your dependent variable?

*In text citations are not necessary for Part II, unless you incorporate information from the text.
Your Unit 1 Report must be submitted no later than June 5th at 11:59 pm Mountain Time. To
submit this assignment, click on the "Submit Assignment" link above in the upper-right corner.
You can attach your document by clicking the "choose file" button. To submit your assignment,
click the Submit button. You will only have 1 opportunity to submit this assignment, so be sure
you are satisfied with your work before submitting the assignment.

I hypothesis that doing push-ups will help an individual remember better, because I believe that
when doing two things at once, the hippocampus becomes more active. Starting with
participants, I went ahead and asked 8 people between the ages or 20-26 to participate. I split the
group of people into two groups with 4 people in each, 2 being female, and 2 being male. The
independent variable in my experiment are the push-ups, and the dependent variable is the

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memory. My experiential group is the groups that are doing the push-ups, and my controlled
group is the group who are not. I told each group to imagine this scenario:
It is a warm day out, only a few clouds in the sky. It is 3 pm and you are at a park. At
this park you see a woman walking her dog. This dog is black with brown spots. The
woman has blonde hair and is up in a ponytail.
After giving this scenario to the experimental groups, I had them do 10 push-ups. With the
controlled group I waited 5 minutes after giving them the scenario and before asking them my
question. After 5 minutes passed, I asked all the participants What color was the dog? All 4 of
the participants in the experimental group answered black with brown dots but only 1 out of 4
of the participants in the controlled group answered correctly. My experiment was on a small
scale, not big enough to determine whether doing push-ups increases working memory
performance. My hypothesis is still just that, a hypothesis. However, I decided to take this
experiment a little further. This experiment happened around noon, and that night, I had all 8 of
the participants try to recall as many details as they could about the scenario. 3 out of 4 people in
the experimental group could recall almost all the details, but only 1 out of 4 people in the
controlled group could remember almost all the details. One factor that I found interesting was, 0
out or 8 people could not remember the time. They remembered that there were clouds in the sky
and what hairstyle the women had, but not the time.

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References
Meyers, David G. (2014). Exploring Psychology in Modules with Updates on DSM-5 (9th ed.).
New York: NY: Kevin Feyen Page 318

Meyers, David G. (2014). Exploring Psychology in Modules with Updates on DSM-5 (9th ed.).
New York: NY: Kevin Feyen Page 319

Meyers, David G. (2014). Exploring Psychology in Modules with Updates on DSM-5 (9th ed.).
New York: NY: Kevin Feyen Page 65