Chapter 1

Question 1

what is the best definition of psychology?

Answer 1

the study of mental processes and behaviour

Question 2

when studying mental processes what are the 4 goals psychologists have in mind?

Answer 2

descriptive, explanation, prediction, control

Question 3

what are the 3 levels of analysis?

Answer 3

the brain, the person and the group

Question 4

who was hippocrates?

Answer 4

greek physician who believed that disease had a physical and rational explanation

Question 5

who believed that someones health was influenced by humours?

Answer 5

hippocrates

Question 6

who studied whether the mind and body function together?

Answer 6

socrates and plato (concluded they were distinct)

Question 7

what did Aristotle conclude?

Answer 7

humans are closely related to animals

Question 8

who studied the relationship between physical stimuli and their psychological affects?

Answer 8

johannes muller

Question 9

What is analyzed in the brain?

Answer 9

How brain structure and braincell activity differ based on person and situation.

Question 10

What is analyzed from the person?

Answer 10

How the content of the individual’s mental processes form and influence behaviour.

Question 11

What is analyzed from the group?

Answer 11

How behaviour is shaped by the social and cultural environments

Question 12

What is philosophy?

Answer 12

The study of knowledge and reality

Question 13

Hippocrates argued that?

Answer 13

That the brain is the organ of mental life

Question 14

Who thought that the brain controlled the body via the movement of fluids within tubes that ran throughout the body?

Answer 14

Rene Descartes

Question 15

Who measured the
speed of neural impulses and discovered that neural impulses
were not instantaneous?

Answer 15

Herman von Helmholtz

Question 16

Charles Darwin proposed what theory?

Answer 16

Proposed the theory of
evolution in his book The
Origin of the Species

Question 17

What is natural selection?

Answer 17

chance variations in one’s behaviour
are passed down from parents to children

Question 18

What is sexual selection?

Answer 18

a special case of natural selection
that leads to physical features and behaviours designed
to attract a mate

Question 19

What are adaptive variations?

Answer 19

Behaviour that enables a person to cope in their environment with the least conflict with others.

Question 20

What are mental processes?

Answer 20

activities of our brain when engaged in thinking, observing the environment, and using language.

Question 21

What is behaviour?

Answer 21

observable activities of an organism, often in response to environmental cues.

Question 22

How do groups and culture influence an individual’s thoughts and behaviours?

Answer 22

Groups and culture influence thoughts and behaviours by providing shared beliefs, values, and practices.

Question 23

What is the difference between “mental processes” and “behaviour” in psychology, and how do they relate to the study of the mind?

Answer 23

Mental processes refer to activities of the brain when thinking, observing the environment, while behaviour is observable activities of an organism in response to environmental cues. The study of both helps understand the mind and its relationship to observable actions.

Question 24

What are myths, and why do people create them?

Answer 24

Myths are stories that explain things we can’t easily understand.

Question 25

What are rituals, and how are they related to myths?

Answer 25

Rituals are special ceremonies connected to myths. They help people celebrate and remember the stories in myths.

Question 26

What did Plato believe about knowledge and a healthy mind?

Answer 26

Plato thought we are born with knowledge. He said a healthy mind is a balance between thinking, feeling, and desires.

Question 27

How did Francis Bacon and René Descartes influence science and the understanding of the human experience?

Answer 27

Bacon said knowledge comes from experience. Descartes thought the mind and body are separate. Both helped shape the scientific method.

Question 28

What did John Locke think about the mind at birth, and why is his view important?

Answer 28

Locke said our minds start blank and we learn from experiences. This idea is important because it emphasizes how we gain knowledge.

Question 29

Who proposed the theory of evolution and natural selection?

Answer 29

Charles Darwin

Question 30

What marked the founding of psychology as a separate scientific field?

Answer 30

Wilhelm Wundt’s opening of a psychology laboratory.

Question 31

What was the primary focus of structuralism in psychology?

Answer 31

Analyzing + describing factors of mental processes through self analysis.

Question 32

Who introduced functionalism, and what was its focus?

Answer 32

William James introduced functionalism, which focused on understanding how consciousness functions and serves biological purposes.

Question 33

What is the main idea of Gestalt psychology?

Answer 33

Gestalt psychology emphasizes that people perceive things as wholes, not just individual things.

Question 34

What are the major approaches that influenced psychology in the twentieth century?

Answer 34

The psychodynamic approach, the behaviorist approach, the humanistic approach, the cognitive approach, and the sociobiological approach.

Question 35

Who is considered the founder of psychoanalytic theory?

Answer 35

Sigmund Freud.

Question 36

What is the primary focus of psychoanalytic theory?

Answer 36

The role of the unconscious mind and its influence on human behavior.

Question 37

What is behaviourism, and who are some key figures associated with it?

Answer 37

The study of observable behaviors and their relationship with stimuli. Key figures include John Watson and B.F. Skinner.

Question 38

What is the central idea of humanistic psychology?

Answer 38

Emphasizes on the positive aspects of human experience; human potential, individuality, consciousness, and personal growth.

Question 39

What is the primary focus of cognitive psychology?

Answer 39

Cognitive psychology focuses on studying mental processes.

Question 40

What is the main goal of cognitive psychology?

Answer 40

The goal is to effectively measure and study mental processes, emphasizing the ways in which information is stored and operated in the mind.

Question 41

What is the term “information processing” in cognitive psychology referring to?

Answer 41

It refers to the means by which information is stored and operates in the mind.

Question 42

What does neuroscience study in relation to psychology?

Answer 42

Neuroscience explores brain activity and their relationship to behavior.

Question 43

What subfield, which emerged from sociobiology, believes that humans have an innate concept of how social behavior should be organized?

Answer 43

Evolutionary psychology.

Question 44

What is the focus of evolutionary psychology?

Answer 44

Suggests that behaviours and mental processes are shaped by natural selection to help people survive.

Question 45

What do evolutionary psychologists aim to identify in relation to cultural practices and behaviors?

Answer 45

They aim to identify cultural universality, which includes behaviors and practices that occur across all cultures.

Question 46

What is applied psychology?

Answer 46

Applied psychology uses psychological principles to solve real-world problems, like in human resources or sports.

Question 47

What is academic psychology?

Answer 47

Academic psychology focuses on research and teaching in various fields of psychology at colleges and universities.

Question 48

What is clinical and counseling psychology?

Answer 48

Clinical psychologists help people change abnormal behavior through psychotherapy and testing. Counselors and social workers also provide therapy.