Ch1 - INTRO TO PSY Flashcards
What is Psychology
the scientific study of behavior and mental process
what is mental process
encompasses what they do, thoughts, emotions, perceptions, reasoning process, memories, and biological activities that maintain bodily function
what is behavioral genetics
studies the inheritane of traits related to behavior
behavioral neuroscience
examines the biological basis of behavior
climate and environmental pscyhology
considers how climate change affects behavior and the relationship between people and their physical environment
clinical neuropsychology
unites the areas of biopsychology and clinical psychology focusing on relation between biological factors and psychological disorders
clinical psychology
the study, diagnosis, and treatment of psychological disorders.
cognitive psychology
the study of higher mental processes
counseling psychology
focuses on educational, social, and career adjustment problems.
cross cultural psychology
the similarities and differences in psychological functioning in and across various cultures and ethnic groups
developmental psychology
how people grow and change from the moment of conception through death
diversity science
how society’s diversity affects individual and group behavior
educational psychology
concerned with teaching and learning processes
evolutionary psychology
considers how behavior is influenced by our genetic inheritance from our ancestors
experimental psychology
studies the proces of sensing percieving learning and thinking about the world
forensic psychology
focuses on legal issues such as determining the accuracy of witness memories
health psychology
explores the relationship between psychological factors and physical ailments of disease
industrial/organizational psychology
concerned with psychology of the workplace
personality psychology
focuses on the consistency in peoples behavior over time and traits that differ an individual from another
program evaluation
focuses on assessing large scale programs to determine whether they are effective in meeting their goals
psychology of women
focuses on issues such as discrimination against women the cause of violence against women
school psychology
counseling children in elementary and secondary school that have academic or emotional problems
social psychology
study of how peoples thoughts feelings and actions are affected by others
sport psychology
applies psychology to athletic activity and exercise.
phD psychology
doctor of philosophy requires a dissertation based on an original investigation
psyD psychology
doctor of psychology focuses on treatment of psychological disorders
psychiatrist
medical degree and specializes in diagnosis and treatment of psychological disorders, often using treatments involving prescription drugs.
structuralism
Wilhelm Wundt - focused on INTROSPECTION TO uncover the fundamental mental components of perception, consciousness, thinking emotions, and other kinds of mental states and activities
introspection
a procedure in which people are presented with a stimulus and asked to describe what they were experiencing
Wilhelm Wundt
Father of Structuralism
functionalism
William James - concentrated on what the mind does and how behavior functions
examined how behavior allows people to satisfy their needs and how our consciousness permits us to adapt to our environment
gestalt pscyhology
emphasized how perception is organized. studying how people consider individual elements together as units or wholes.
“the whole is different from the sum of its parts”
todays perspectives
neuroscience
psychodynamic
behavioral
cognitive
humanistic
neuroscience
views behavior from the perspective of biological function
cognitive
examines how people understand and think
behavioral
focuses on observable behavior
humanistic
contends that people can control their behavior and they naturally try to reach their full potential
psychodynamic
believes behavior is motivated by inner unconscious forces over which a person has little control
steps of scientific method
1 identifying questions of interest
2 formulating an explanation
3 carrying out research designed to support or refute the explanation
4 communicating the findings
key issues and controversies
1 nature vs nurture
2 conscious vers unconscious causes of behavior
3 observable behavior vs internal mental processes
4 free will vs determinisim
5 individual differences vs universal principles
scientific method
systematically acquire knowledge and understanding about behavior and other phenomena of interest
Theories
broad explanations and predictions concerning phenomena of interest - provide a framework for understanding the relationship among a set of otherwise unorganized facts
Hypothesis
a prediction stated in a way that allows it to be tested - stem from theories
operational definition
the translation of a hypothesis into specific testable procedures that can be measured and observed in an experiment
archival research
existing data, census documents, college records, online databases, newspaper articles
naturalistic observation
investigator observes some naturally occurring behavior and does not make a change in the situation.
survey research
a sample of people are chose to represent a larger group of interested and asked a series of questions about their thoughts and attitudes
ethnographic research
in depth extended examination of people in their own environment - using interviews and observation of everyday life
the case study
in depth intensive investigation of a single individual or small group.
correlational research
two sets of variables are examined to determine whether they are associated or correlated
descriptive research
1 Archival research
2 naturalistic observation
3 survey research
4 ethnographic research
5 the case study
6 correlational research
experimental research
a researcher investigates the relationship between two or more variables by deliberately changing one variable in a controlled situation and observing the effects
experimental manipulation
the change that the researcher deliberately makes
experimental group
any group that receives a treatment
control group
a group that receives no treatment
independant variable
the condition that is manipulated by an experimenter
dependent variable
variable that is measured and ix expected to change as a result of changes caused by the experimenter
random assignment to condition
participants are assigned to different experimental groups or conditions on the basis of chance and chance alone
