Chapter 1 Flashcards
Psychology
the scientific study of behavior and mental processes
Scientific Approach
Critical Thinking: Thinking deeply and actively asking questions, evaluating evidence, questioning facts
Objectivity: See things as they are without bias
Curiosity: Why are things the way they are?
Skepticism: Question what everybody knows
The Empirical Method
Involves gaining knowledge by observing events, collecting data, and reasoning logically.
The majority of psychologists work in ______ environments
academic
Wilhelm Wundt
Studies what the mind is (structuralism). Father of psychology.
William James
Studies why the mind does what it does (functionalism)
Structuralism
Inside the mind (physically)
Functionalism
Purpose of thought
Seven Approaches to Psychological Sciences
Biological, Behavioral, Psychodynamic, Humanistic, Cognitive, Evolutionary, Sociocultural
Biological Approach to Psychological Science..
Focus on the body (especially the brain and nervous system)
Ex. Why your hands sweat when you lie, why heart races when nervous
Behavioral Approach to Psychological Science..
Emphasises the study of physical, behavioral responses and their environmental determinants.
Skinner emphasized that psychology is what people do, not what can’t be seen.
Rewards and punishment determine behavior
Psychodynamic Approach to Psychological Science..
emphasizes unconscious thought, the conflict between biological drives.
Ex. The drive for sex, societies demands, and early childhood experiences.
Sigmund Frued- father of psychodynamic approach. Theorized that early
relationships with parents shape an individual’s personality.
Humanistic Approach to Psychological Science..
emphasizes a person’s positive qualities, their capacity for positive growth and freedom to choose their own destiny.
Stresses that people have ability to control their own lives and are not simply
controlled by the environment. People choose to live by higher human values.
Unselfish concern for other peoples well-being
Cognitive Approach to Psychological Science..
emphasises the mental processes involved in knowing: how we direct our attention, perceive, remember, think and solve problems. Remember, make decisions, plan, set goals, be creative.
Ex. how we solve math problems, why we remember things for certain amount of
time, how we plan for the future
Evolutionary Approach to Psychological Science..
emphasises evolutionary ideas such as adaptation, reproduction and natural selection as the basis for explaining certain human behaviors.
David Buss- behavior comes from nature and nurture.
Sociocultural Approach to Psychological Science..
examines the influence of social and cultural environments on behavior.
Understanding a person’s behavior requires understanding the cultural context in which action occurs.
Cross cultural research is important for testing the possibility of universal characteristics.
Scientific Method Steps
Observe a phenomenon
Formulate a hypothesis and predictions
Testing through empirical research
Drawing conclusions
Evaluate conclusions
Variable
anything that can change. What scientists study are called variables
Theory
a broad idea or set of closely related ideas that attempt to explain observations
Hypothesis
a testable prediction that is derived logically from a theory (educated guess)
Test hypothesis through empirical research (collecting and analyzing data)
Operational Definition
provides an objective description of how a variable is going to be measured and observed in a study
Data Analysis
applying math procedures to understand the numerical information
Conclusions are drawing from results of data analysis
TRUE OR FALSE..
Before a theory is accepted, the scientific community must establish the results can be replicated with a different method.
True
Replication
One scientist tries to reproduce a study to see if it gets the same results
Successful replication makes it reliable.
TRUE OR FALSE
Published conclusions are constantly questioned
False
Three Types of Psychological Research
Descriptive, Correlational, Experimental
Descriptive Research
Finding basic dimensions of a variable. It describes a phenomenon. Cannot answer questions but helps researchers get a sense of something.
Ex. Three groups taking the SWLS Test. Generally they are all happy.
Ex. What is the average level of happiness of men in the US?
Correlational Research
Discovering relationship between variables. Examines how two variables change each other.
Ex. Are married men happier than single men in the US?
Correlation Coefficient
Tells us the strength and direction of relationship between variables.
Represented by the letter “r”.
Negative Correlation
Changing in different direction
Positive Correlation
Changing in the same direction
TRUE OR FALSE
Correlation is not causation
True
The Third Variable Problem
when another variable, that is not being measured, accounts for the relationship between two others.
Longitudinal design
observing and measuring the same variables periodically over time
Ex. The happiness of nuns over their lives (nuns happy in 20s, 2.5X more likely to live into 90s)
Experimental Research
Establishing causal relationships between variables.
Ex. If men smile, do women perceive them as more attractive in the US?
Independent Variable
A manipulated experimental factor
Dependent Variable
Outcome to the independent variable.
Experimental Group
Participants who receive treatment that is of interest or researcher
Participants that are exposed to the independent variable
Control Group
Treated just like experimental group but without the independent variable
Within Participant
Participants serve as control group and experimental group
Quasi Experimental Design
cannot assign random assignment (impossible or unethical)
Validity
Soundness of conclusions drawn from an experiment
External Validity
The degree to which experimental design actually reflects real world issue
Internal Validity
The degree to which changes in the dependent variable are due to change in the independent variable.
Demand Characteristics
Any aspect of a study that tells the participant how the researcher wants them to behave.
Experimenter Bias
When the experimenter’s expectations influence the outcome
Research Participant Bias
Participant behaving how they think they’re supposed to
Placebo Effect
When participant expectations, rather than treatment, produce an outcome
Double Blind Experiment
When experimenter and participant don’t know which participants are in experimental group
Population
The entire group about which the investigator wants to draw a conclusion
Sample
A small group from the population
Random Sample
A sample that gives every member of the population an equal chance of being selected
Lab research drawbacks
Lab setting is not real world and may cause participants to behave differently
People willing to go to a University laboratory may not represent groups from diverse backgrounds
Some aspects of mind and behavior are difficult, if not impossible, to examine in a lab
Participants know they are being studied
Naturalistic Observation
Observing behavior in a real-world setting
TRUE OR FALSE
A person participating in a study should be no worse coming out of the study than when they went in.
True
Colleges and Universities have an _____ ______ ______ that accept or deny research plans.
Institutional Review Board
TRUE OR FALSE
American Psychological Association (APA) has developed ethics guidelines for its members
True
Areas of research that animal studies have befitted humans:
Psychotherapy techniques and behavioral medicine
Rehabilitation of neuromuscular disorders
Alleviation of the effects of stress and pain
Drugs to treat anxiety and severe mental illness
Methods for avoiding drug addiction and relapse
Treatments to help premature infants gain weight
Methods used to alleviate memory defects in old age
