Ch. 1 - The Science of Psychology

Question 1

Psychological Science

Answer 1

The study of mental activity, the brain’s biochemical processes and behavior

Question 2

Critical Thinking

Answer 2

Systematically questioning and evaluating information using well-supported, empirical evidence

Question 3

Confirmation Bias

Answer 3

The inclination to overweigh evidence that aligns with one’s belief system while downplaying that which does not

Question 4

Hindsight Bias

Answer 4

The tendency to view a past event as highly predictable

Question 5

Availability Heuristic

Answer 5

Thinking guided by easy accessible or recent information

Question 6

Dunning-Kruger Effect

Answer 6

The idea that people lack the ability to evaluate their own performance in areas in which they have little expertise

Question 7

Mind vs. Body Debate

Answer 7

Poses the question: are the mind and body separate, or is the mind the subjective experience of the physical brain?

Question 8

Dualism

Answer 8

The idea that the mind and body were separate yet intertwined

Question 9

Culture

Answer 9

Beliefs, values, rules, norms and customs existing within a group of people who share a common language and environment

Question 10

Nature vs. Nurture Debate

Answer 10

Poses the question: is individual personality and temperament biologically innate or attributed to environment?

Question 11

Functionalism

Answer 11

An approach to psychology concerned with the adaptive purpose/function of mind and behavior

Question 12

Natural Selection

Answer 12

In evolutionary theory, the idea that inherited characteristics that enable adaptation have a selective advantage over traits that do not

Question 13

Clinical Psychology

Answer 13

Seeks to understand, characterize and treat mental illness

Question 14

Cognitive Psychology

Answer 14

Laboratory research aims to comprehend the basic skills and processes that are the foundation of mental life and behavior

Question 15

Cultural Psychology

Answer 15

Studies how cultural factors haver profound effects on mental life and behavior
(i.e geographical regions, national beliefs, religious values, moral standards, etc.)

Question 16

Developmental Psychology

Answer 16

Studies how humans grow and develop from the prenatal period through childhood, adolescence, adulthood and into old age

Question 17

Health Psychology

Answer 17

Concerned with how psychological processes influence health (& vice versa)

Question 18

Industrial-Organizational Psychology

Answer 18

Explores how psychological processes play out in the workplace. Blends social-personality approaches with principles from management, communication and marketing.

Question 19

Relationship Psychology

Answer 19

Researches the success and failure of intimate relationships and their effects on other life aspects

Question 20

Social-Personality Psychology

Answer 20

Studies everyday thoughts, feelings, behaviors and situational causes of them

Question 21

Epigenetics

Answer 21

The study of the way environmental mechanisms influence mind and behavior through genetic expression

Question 22

Computational Modeling

Answer 22

Building and testing mathematical models that measure unobservable and intrinsic phenomena with precision

Question 23

Big Data Approach

Answer 23

Using tools from computer science, such as data mining and machine learning, to identify complex patterns in large data sets

Question 24

Data Ethics

Answer 24

Grapples with issues of privacy, equal access to information and user-controlled factors

Question 25

Open Science

Answer 25

Emphasizes research transparency and data accessibility to improve the method and replicability of psychological science