Ch. 1 The Science of Psychology

Question 1

Social Psychology

Answer 1

a basic research specialization in which psychologists focus on how people think about/influence/relate to each other; explore our attitudes toward others, (prejudices/stereotypes); relate to our interpersonal actions; compare the way we explain the behavior of others to the way we explain the behavior of ourselves; examine how other people (their presence/actions/orders) affect our behavior; try to understand what attracts us to each other as friends and romantic partners

Question 2

Health Psychology

Answer 2

a basic research specialization in which psychologists focus on the relationship between mind and body; are researchers, but some work in other specialization areas (like clinical and counseling) directly with clients; study eating, exercise, and other topics related to weight; smoking, drinking, and other topics related to harmful substances; and sexual behavior and sexually transmitted diseases; examine the relationship between mental health and physical health, especially the immune system and stress-related conditions like heart disease

Question 3

Comparative Psychology

Answer 3

a basic research specialization in which psychologists focus on the behavior of species other than humans; conduct experiments on a wide variety of species; the range of topics they study mirrors the topics studied in humans: social interactions, development through the life span, personality characteristics, cognitive processing, and even psychological disorders; the research carries the dual purpose of understanding the behavior of the animals being studied and applying that understanding, as appropriate, to people as well

Question 4

two forms of psychology emerged in ancient times:

Answer 4

philosophy and physiology

Question 5

Philosophy

Answer 5

the seeking of wisdom about the world in which we live, the attempt to discover the truths that govern our lives

Question 6

the niche that psychology filled:

Answer 6

the study of the human mind and behavior grounded in science rather than speculation

Question 7

Structuralism

Answer 7

a perspective in psychology that focused on breaking down mental processes in terms of their structure or basic parts

Question 8

Functionalism

Answer 8

a perspective in psychology that emphasized the function of mental processes and behaviors

Question 9

Psychoanalysis

Answer 9

a perspective in psychology that focuses on unconscious mental activity and the long-lasting influence of childhood experiences

Question 10

Behaviorism

Answer 10

a perspective in psychology that insists on studying observable behavior instead of internal mental processes

Question 11

Humanism

Answer 11

a perspective in psychology that concentrates on the notion that human nature is generally good and people are naturally motivated to grow toward their own potential

Question 12

Multiculturalism

Answer 12

a perspective in psychology that highlights the influence of culture on behavior and mental processes

Question 13

Evolutionary psychology

Answer 13

a perspective in psychology that emphasizes Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution as an influence on behavior

Question 14

Cognitive psychology

Answer 14

a perspective in psychology that emphasizes cognitive processes such as thinking, language, attention, memory, and intelligence

Question 15

Neuroscience

Answer 15

a perspective in psychology that studies the link between behavior and the biological functioning of the brain

Question 16

Positive psychology

Answer 16

a perspective in psychology that emphasizes people’s strengths and successes

Question 17

Biopsychosocial theory

Answer 17

a popular and comprehensive perspective in psychology that acknowledges biological factors, psychological factors, and social factors as influences on behavior

Question 18

Psychology requires…

Answer 18

a scientific approach to make its claims more valid and respectable than all the nonscientific techniques of pseudopsychology

Question 19

descriptive research’s goal

Answer 19

to describe a characteristic of the population

Question 20

correlational research’s goal

Answer 20

to determine the relationship between two variables

Question 21

experimental research’s goal

Answer 21

to determine the cause-and-effect relationship between two variables by manipulating one and observing changes in the other

Question 22

The five steps of the scientific method:

Answer 22

(1) posing a question
(2) conducting a literature review
(3) developing a hypothesis
(4) testing the hypothesis by collecting data
(5) analyzing the data and drawing conclusions

Question 23

Psychologists share results through…

Answer 23

a peer review process, the two main outlets of which are presentations at professional conferences and articles in professional journals

Question 24

Psychology researchers are ethically obligated to…

Answer 24

not harm participants, to obtain informed consent from them, to allow participants to withdraw, to keep their information confidential, and to debrief participants