Adjusting to Modern Life Flashcards
Define: Psychology
the science that studies behavior and the physiological and mental processes that underlie it, and it is the profession that applies the accumulated knowledge of this science to practical problems”.
Define: Adjustment
the psychological processes through which people manage or cope with the demands and challenges of everyday life”.
Define: Empiricism
the premise that knowledge should be acquired through observation”.
What is the conclusions of sciencifc psychology?
are based on careful, systemic observation rather than speculation or “common sense”.
What are the advantages of the sciencific approach?
Clarity and precision
Define: Experiment
a research method in which the investigator manipulates one (independent) variable under carefully controlled conditions, and observes whether any changes occur in a second (dependent) variable as a result”.
Experimental research is?
Looking for a cause
Define: an Independent Variable
is a condition or event that an experimenter varies in order to see its impact on another variable”.
It is the variable the researcher manipulates in the experiment.
Define: a Dependent Variable
is the variable that is thought to be affected by the manipulations of the independent variable”.
It is usually a measurement of behavior.
Define: the Experimental Group
consists of the subjects who receive some special treatment in regard to the independent variable”.
In Schachter’s (1959) study, the experimental group was told the shocks would be painful.
Define: the Control Group
consists of similar subjects who do not receive the special treatment given to the experimental group”.
What is the advantage of using experiments?
precise control allows cause and effect conclusions to be drawn.
What is the disadvantage of using experiments?
there are some variables of interest that cannot, for ethical reasons, be manipulated in an experiment.
Correlational Research is
Looking for links
A correlation exists when?
two variables are related to each other
Define: A correlation coefficient
a numerical index of the degree of relationship that exists between two variables”.
What two piece of information does a correlation coefficient provide?
How strongly related two variables are. The direction (positive or negative) of the relationship.
A Positive Correlation
indicate that two variables covary in the same direction”.
A Negative Correlation
indicate that two variables covary in the opposite direction”.
In a Positive Correlation what direction do the two variable move?
Increase and decrease together
Same direction
In a Negative Correlation what direction do the two variables move?
One variable increase and the other variable decrease. Opposite direction
What are the three command methods of finding correlation between variables?
Naturalistic observation
Case Studies
Surveys
Define: Naturalistic observation
careful observation of behavior without intervening directly with the subjects”.
Define: Case Studies
in-depth investigation of an individual participant
Define: Surveys
structured questionnaires designed to solicit information about specific aspects of participants’ behavior”.
What are advantages of using correlations
They allow us to explore variables not suitable for/or ethical to manipulate in experimental research.
What are disadvantages of using correlations?
Correlations only tell us that two variables are related, not how the two variables are related.
Wha is not that important to people happiness?
Money Age Gender Parenthood Intelligence phsyical attractiveness
What as a moderate impact on are happiness?
Health
Social Activity
Religion
Culture
What is very important to are happiness?
Love
Work
Genetics
Technological advances have not led to perceptible improvement in our collective health and happiness. This statement defines A. escape from freedom B. the point/countpoint phenomenon C. modern society D. the paradox of progress
D. the paradox of progress
Barry Schwartz (2004) argues that
A. life choices have increased dramatically in modern society
B. the abundance of life choices has unexpected costs.
C. an overabundance of choices increases the potential for rumination and postdecision regret.
D. all of the above are true
D. all of the above are true
Whch of the following is not offered in the text as a criticism of self-help books?
A. They are infrequently based on solid research.
B. Most don’t provide explicit directions for changing behavior.
C. the topics they cover are often quite narrow.
D.Many are dominated by psychobabble.
C. the topics they cover are often quite narrow.
The adaptation of animals when environments chnge is similar to \_\_\_\_ in humans. A. orientation B. assimilation C. evolution D. adjustment
D. adjustment
An experiment is a research method in which the investigator manipulates the \_\_\_\_\_ variable and observes whether changes occur in a (an) \_\_\_\_\_ variable as a result. A Independent; dependent B. control; experimental C. experimental; control D. Dependent; independent
A Independent; dependent
A researcher wants to determine whether a certain diet causes children to learn better in school in the study, the independent variable is
A. the type of diet
B. a mearsure of learning performance
C. the age of grade level of the children
D. the intelligence level of the children
A. the type of diet
A psychologist llected background information about a psychopathic killer, talked to him and people who knew him, and gave hm psychological tests. which research method was she using? A. case study B. naturalistic observation Csurvey D experiment
A. case study
The principal advantage of experimental research is that
A. it has a scientific basis and is therefore convincing to people
B. experiments replicate real-life situations.
C an experiment can be designed for any research problem.
D. it allows the researcher to draw cause-and-effect conclusions.
D. it allows the researcher to draw cause-and-effect conclusions.
Research has shown that which of the following is moderately correlatedwith happiness? A. income B. intelligence C. parenthood D. social activity
D. social activity
A good reason for taking notes in your own words, rather than verbatim, that
A. most lectureers are quite wordy.
B. Translating on the spot is good mental exercise.
C. it reduces the likelihood that you”ll later engage in plagiarism
D. it forces you to assimilate the information in a way that makes sense to you.
D. it forces you to assimilate the information in a way that makes sense to you.
