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General Psychology > chapter 1 > Flashcards

chapter 1 Flashcards

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1
Q

what is psychology?

A

the scientific study of behavior and mental processes

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2
Q

what is the scientific attitude?

A

curiosity, skepticism, humility

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3
Q

what is critical thinking?

A

thinking that does not automatically accept arguments and conclusions. Rather, it examines assumptions, appraises the source, discerns hidden biases, evaluates evidence, and assesses conclusions.

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4
Q

what were psychologys first schools of thought

A

structuralism and functionalism

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5
Q

what is structuralism

A

an early school of thought promoted by Wundt and Titchener; used introspection to reveal the structure of the human mind

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6
Q

what is functionalism

A

an early school of thought promoted by James and influenced by Darwin; explored how mental and behavioral processes function—how they enable the organism to adapt, survive, and flourish

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7
Q

what is cognitive neuroscience

A

the interdisciplinary study of the brain activity linked with cognition (thinking, knowing, remembering, and communicating)

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8
Q

what is the nature-nurture issue?

A

the longstanding controversy over the relative contributions that genes and experience make to the development of psychological traits and behaviors. Today’s science sees traits and behaviors arising from the interaction of nature and nurture

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9
Q

what is natural selection

A

Darwins principle of inherited traits that better enable an organism to survive and reproduce in a particular environment will (in competition with other trait variations) most likely be passed on to subsequent generations

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10
Q

what is evolutionary psychology

A

the study of the evolution of behavior and the mind, using principles of natural selection

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11
Q

what are behavior genetics?

A

the study of the relative power and limits of genetic and environmental influences on behavior

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12
Q

what is culture

A

shared ideas and behaviors that one generation passes on to the next

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13
Q

what is positive psychology

A

the scientific study of human flourishing, with the goals of discovering and promoting strengths and virtues that help individuals and communities to thrive

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14
Q

what are the three main levels of psychological analysis

A

biological, psychological, social-cultural

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15
Q

what is the biopsychosocial approach

A

an integrated approach that incorporates biological, psychological, and social-cultural levels of analysis

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16
Q

what are psychologys perspectives

A

neuroscience
evolutionary
behavior genetics
psychodynamic
behavioral
cognitive
social-cultural

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17
Q

what is basic research

A

pure science that aims to increase the scientific knowledge base.

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18
Q

what is applied research

A

scientific study that aims to solve practical problems

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19
Q

what is counseling psychology

A

a branch of psychology that assists people with problems in living (often related to school, work, or relationships) and in achieving greater well-being

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20
Q

what is clinical psychology

A

a branch of psychology that studies, assesses, and treats people with psychological disorders.

21
Q

what is psychiatry

A

a branch of medicine dealing with psychological disorders; practiced by physicians who provide medical (for example, drug) treatments as well as psychological therapy.

22
Q

what is community psychology

A

a branch of psychology that studies how people interact with their social environments and how social institutions (such as schools and neighborhoods) affect individuals and groups

23
Q

what is hindsight bias

A

the tendency people have to assume that they knew the outcome of an event after
the outcome has already been determined
(survey in class w paper strips)

24
Q

what is overconfidence and assumption

A

where confidence is greater than accuracy * We assume things are as they should be

25
Q

what is intuition

A

effortless feeling or thought

26
Q

what are random sequences

A

Events that are random sometimes seem to have patterns

27
Q

what is the scientific method

A

a self-correcting process for evaluating ideas with observation and analysis

28
Q

what is a theory

A

an explanation using an integrated set of principles that organizes observations and predicts behaviors or events

29
Q

what is a hypothesis

A

a testable prediction, often implied by a theory.

30
Q

what is an operational definition

A

a carefully worded statement of the exact procedures (operations) used in a research study. For example, human intelligence may be operationally defined as what an intelligence test measures.

31
Q

what is replication

A

repeating the essence of a research study, usually with different participants in different situations, to see whether the basic finding can be reproduced.

32
Q

how do psychologists observe and describe behavior?

A

case studies, naturalistic observation, surveys

33
Q

what are case studies

A

in-depth analyses of individuals or groups

34
Q

what is naturalistic observation?

A

observing behavior in its natural setting

35
Q

what are surveys/interviews

A

asking people questions (must be worded correctly to prevent wording bias)

36
Q

how is the story of freud and little hans a weakness of case studies

A

Freud and little Hans Sigmund Freud’s case study of 5-year-old Hans’ extreme fear of horses led Freud to his theory of childhood sexuality. He conjectured that Hans felt unconscious desire for his mother, feared castration by his rival father, and then transferred this fear into his phobia about being bitten by a horse

Individual cases can suggest fruitful ideas. What’s true of all of us can be glimpsed in any one of us. But to find those general truths, we must employ other research methods.

37
Q

what is a random sample?

A

a sample that fairly represents a population because each member has an equal chance of inclusion

38
Q

what is a population

A

all those in a group being studied, from which random samples may be drawn. (Note: Except for national studies, this does not refer to a country’s whole population.)

39
Q

what is an experiment

A

a research method in which an investigator manipulates one or more factors (independent variables) to observe the effect on some behavior or mental process (the dependent variable). By random assignment of participants, the experimenter aims to control other relevant factors

40
Q

what is an experimental group

A

in an experiment, the group exposed to the treatment, that is, to one version of the independent variable

41
Q

what is a control group

A

in an experiment, the group not exposed to the treatment; contrasts with the experimental group and serves as a comparison for evaluating the effect of the treatment

42
Q

what does it mean to randomly assign

A

assigning participants to experimental and control groups by chance, thus minimizing preexisting differences between the different groups

43
Q

what are single- blind and double-blind experiments

A

The participants are often blind (uninformed) about what treatment, if any, they are receiving. If the study is using a double-blind procedure, neither the participants nor those who administer the drug and collect the data will know which group is receiving the treatment.

44
Q

what is the placebo effect

A

Just thinking you are getting a treatment can boost your spirits, relax your body, and relieve your symptoms. This placebo effect is well documented in reducing pain, depression, anxiety, and auditory hallucinations in schizophrenia

45
Q

what is an independent variable

A

in an experiment, the factor that is manipulated; the variable whose effect is being studied

46
Q

what is a confounding variable

A

in an experiment, a factor other than the factor being studied that might influence a study’s results

47
Q

what is a dependent variable

A

in an experiment, the outcome that is measured; the variable that may change when the independent variable is manipulated

48
Q
A

General Psychology (11 decks)

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