Ch. 1 Flashcards
*psychological science
the study, through research, of mind, brain, and behavior
mind
mental activity; perceptual experiences, memories, thoughts, and feelings
behavior
totality of observable human actions
amiable skepticism
remaining open to ideas, but being wary when good evidence and sound reasoning do not support them
*critical thinking
systematically questioning and evaluating information using supported evidence
confirmation bias
bias of placing greater importance on evidence that supports their beliefs
superstition
misconception of thinking that two events that happen at the same time must be related
hindsight bias
bias where people backtrack reasoning of past events when they were wrong beforehand
heuristics
simple rules people follow to make decisions
availability heuristic
inaccurate judgements; occurs when thinks that come easy to mind guide our thinking
Fremdschamen
cringe; experience embarrassment for other people who do not realize they are embarrassing themselves
*culture
the beliefs, values, rules, and customs that exist within a group of people that share a common language and environment
*nature/nurture debate
argument about whether psychological characteristics are biologically innate or acquired through experiences
*mind/body problem
Are mind and body separate? Or is the mind the physical brain’s subjective experience?
sensus communis (common sense)
(da Vinci) all sensory image arrive at one location in the brain
dualism
(Descartes) mind and body are separate yet intertwined
reaction time
(Wundt) assess how quickly people can respond to events, used to study psychological processes
*introspection
(Wundt) systematic examination of mental experiences that require people to inspect and report on the content of their thoughts
*structuralism
(Titchener) conscious experience can be broken down into its basic parts
*stream of consciousness
(James) phrase used to describe each person’s continuous series of ever-changing thoughts
*functionalism
(James) approach concerned with the adaptive purpose, or function, of behavior
*evolutionary theory
(Darwin) views the history of a species in terms of characteristics, mental activity, and behavior, over time
survival of the fittest
(Darwin) idea that those species who better adapt to their surroundings will survive and reproduce
school of thought
different ways of thinking in the psychology field
*unconscious
the place where mental processes operate below the level of conscious awareness
*psychoanalysis
(Freud) attempts to bring the content of the unconscious into conscious awareness so that conflicts can be revealed
*behaviorism
(Watson) emphasizes the role of environmental forces in producing observable behavior
*Gestalt theory
whole of personal experience is different from the sum of its parts
*humanistic psychology
focused on the basic goodness of people and how they become happier and more fufilled
*cognitive neuroscience
the study of the neural mechanisms underlying thought, learning, perception, language, and memory
brain imaging
studies mental activity
human genome / genetic code
blueprint of the human body
globalization
the flow of people, commodities, and financial instruments among all regions of the world
biological level of analysis
deals with how the physical body contributes to mind and behavior
individual level of analysis
focuses on individual differences in personality and in the mental processes that affect how people perceive and know the world
social level of analysis
involves how group contests affect the way in which people interact and influence each other
cultural level of analysis
explores how people’s thoughts, feelings, and actions are similar or different across cultures
ethnomusicology
cross-cultural study of music preferences
