Question 18N.3.HL.TZ0.6
| Date | November 2018 | Marks available | [Maximum mark: 10] | Reference code | 18N.3.HL.TZ0.6 |
| Level | HL | Paper | 3 | Time zone | TZ0 |
| Command term | Deduce, Define, Outline | Question number | 6 | Adapted from | N/A |
A patient was asked to trace a line between two guidelines of a star shape, starting at point S (see star image) while viewing the star in a mirror. The graph shows the number of times the patient strayed outside the boundaries while drawing the star in each trial for both hands.
[Reprinted from Neuron, 20(3), Brenda Milner, Larry R. Squire and Eric R. Kande, 'Cognitive neuroscience and the study of memory',
pp. 445–468, Copyright (1998), with permission from Elsevier. https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/neuron]
Outline how this experiment shows learned behaviour.
[3]
a. with each trial the drawings get better/less errors
OR
each day the patient becomes better at drawing the star ✔
b. by day 3 the patient makes few mistakes/less fluctuations ✔
c. even though left hand went through fewer trials, still an improvement ✔
d. practice improves the behaviour
OR
learning occurs «over time» with repetition ✔
Deduce, with a reason, whether the patient is left-handed or right-handed.
[1]
right handed, as the patient made fewer mistakes with this hand Must give reason for the mark
OR
right handed as fewer trials with left hand
OR
not possible to draw conclusion as the trends are the same for both but left hand trials end after a few trials ✔
Must give reason for the mark
OWTTE
Define, with an example, operant conditioning.
[2]
a. learning by trial and error
OR
reward/punishment to reinforce behaviour ✔
b. example ✔
eg: mice given food when finding their way across a maze will perform better the second time
Define, with an example, imprinting.
[2]
a. a form of learning where the young animal fixes its attention on the first object seen ✔
b. example ✔
eg: a duckling seeing a human after hatching will follow that human
Outline the effects of slow-acting neurotransmitters.
[2]
a. slow-acting neurotransmitters affect learning/memory ✔
b. «slow-acting neurotransmitters» trigger the release of secondary messengers «in postsynaptic neuron» ✔
c. synaptic transmission is enhanced
OR
increase in the number of receptors in the postsynaptic membrane ✔
d. modulate/reduce/increase fast synaptic transmission «in the brain» ✔