Ch1- Psychological Science Flashcards
Define: Psychology
The scientific study of behaviour, thought and experience, & how they can be affected by physical, mental, and environmental factors.
Define: the Scientific method
A way of learning about the world through:
- Collecting observations,
- Developing theories to explain them,
- Using the theories to make predictions.
Define: Hypothesis
A testable prediction about processes that can be observed and measured.
Define: Theory
Explanation for a broad range of observations that also generates new hypotheses and integrates numerous findings into a coherent whole.
Define: Falsifiable theory
All scientific theories must be falsifiable; that is, they can be proven false in the presence of new information.
Define: Biopsychosocial model
A means of explaining behaviour as the product of biological, psychological, & sociocultural factors.
Define: Scientific literacy
The ability to understand, analyse, and apply scientific information.
Define: Critical thinking
Exercising curiosity and scepticism when evaluating the claims of others, and with our own assumptions and beliefs.
Define: Principle of Parsimony
The most parsimonious, or simplest, of explanations, should be the one accepted.
Define: Empiricism
Philosophical tenet: Knowledge comes from experience.
Define: Determinism
Belief: All events are governed by logical, cause and effect relationships.
Define: Zeitgeist
German: “Spirit of the times”
Define: Materialism vs. Dualism
Dualism was the belief that there are properties of humans that are not physical (souls), while materialism is the belief that all living beings are comprised exclusively of physical matter.
Define: Psychophysics. Who's linked to it? a) Edward Titchener b) Gustav Fechner c) William James d) Wilhelm Wundt
Early study of relationships between the physical world and mental representations of that world.
Pioneered by Gustav Fechner
Define: Psychoanalysis. Who's linked to it? a) William James b) Wilhelm Wundt c) Sigmund Freud d) Ivan Pavlov
Psychological approach that attempts to explain how behaviour and personality are influenced by unconscious processes.
Pioneered by Sigmund Freud
Define: Clinical Psychology
The field of psychology that focuses on the diagnosis and treatment of psychological disorders.
Define: Phrenology and Brain localisation
Phrenology is the mid1800s belief that the brain consisted of 27 organs, with skull bumps indicative of each organ. Brain localisation was the idea that certain parts of the brain controlled specific mental abilities and personality characteristics.
Define: Psychosomatic medicine
Medicine that operates on patient’s belief i.e. placebo
Define: Eugenics and eminence Who's linked to it? a) Wilhelm Wundt b) Edward Titchener c) Francis Galton d) Carl Rogers
Eugenics was the idea of “good genes”, while eminence was the idea that ability, morality, and achievement ran in a heredity basis.
Francis Galton.
Define: Structuralism Which 2 below are linked to it? a) Carl Rogers b) Abraham Maslow c) Wilhelm Wundt d) Edward Titchener
The analysis of conscious experience by breaking down into basic elements, then understanding how they work together.
Wilhelm Wundt and Edward Titchener.
Define: Functionalism Who's linked to it? a) Carl Rogers b) Wilhelm Wundt c) William James d) James Willems
The study of the purpose and function of behaviour and conscious experience.
William James.
Define: Behaviourism Which 2 are linked to it? a) Carl Rogers b) Edwin "Ignored" Twitmeyer c) John B. "Extramarital" Watson d) Arhnorlld Swarszeneger
Behaviourism is the approach that studies observable behaviour, with little to no reference to mental events or instincts as possible influences on behaviour.
Theory left little room for “free will.”
Pioneered by Edwin Twitmeyer and John B. Watson.
Define: Humanistic Psychology Which 2 are linked to it? a) Wilhelm Wundt b) John B. Watson c) Carl Rogers d) Abraham Maslow
Focus on the unique aspects of each individual human, each person’s freedom to act, his rational thought. Believed that humans were fundamentally different from animals.
Countered Freudian and behaviourism approaches which dispensed with free will.
Pioneered by Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow.
Define: Engram
Theoretical place in the brain where a memory trace is stored.
Define: Herb’s Law
“Cells that fire together, wire together”. Memory occurs at the cellular level.
Define: Gestalt Psychology
Emphasis on perception and experience as a whole rather than as parts.
Precursor to cognitive psychology.
Define: Cognitive Psychology
Modern psychological perspective that focuses on processes such as memory, thinking, and language.
The mind as the “software” of the brain.
Define: social psychology, cross cultural psychology, and personality psychology.
Social: Study of influence of others on our behaviour.
Cross-cultural: Study of comparisons about how individual and group behaviours among cultures vary
Personality: How different personality characteristics affect how we act.
