Chapter 1 Flashcards
Psychology
Scientific study of the mind, brain, and behaviour.
Levels of Analysis
Top - Social influences
Middle - Psychological influences
Bottom - Biological influences
Like a ladder, each level tells us something different.
Multiply Determined
Caused by many factors
Individual differences
Variations among people in their thinking, emotion, personality, and behaviour.
Naive Realism
Belief that we see the world exactly as it is.
Scientific Theory
Explanation for a large number of findings in the natural world, for a theory to be scientific it must generate a hypothesis that researchers can test.
Hypothesis
A testable prediction.
Confirmation Bias
Seeking out evidence that confirms/supports our hypothesis and dismissing evidence that contradicts it.
Belief Perseverance
Tendency to stick to our initial beliefs, even when evidence contradicts it.
Metaphysical Claim
Statement about the world that is not testable.
Pseudoscience
Set of claims/something that seems scientific but isn’t.
Ad Hoc Immunizing Hypothesis
Loophole that defenders of a theory use to protect their theory from falsification
(Ex. psychic claims their reading didn’t work because of your negative energy).
Terror Management Theory
Theory that our awareness of death leaves us with a sense of terror that we cope with by adopting reassuring cultural worldviews.
(Ex. Afterlife)
Scientific Skepticism
Approach of evaluating claims with an open mind but only accepting claims after research/evidence is done.
Critical Thinking
A set of skills for evaluating claims in an open minded and careful way.
Variable
Anything that can vary.
Falsifiable
Capable of being proven false.
Risky Prediction
Prediction that stands a good chance of being wrong.
Replicability
When a study’s findings are able to be duplicated (ideally by an independent investigator).
Introspection
Method in which trained observers carefully reflect and report on their mental experiences. (Structuralism)
Structuralism
School of psychology that aimed to identify the structures of psychological experience. (E.B. Titchener)
Functionalism
Strove to understand the functions of our thoughts, feelings, and behaviours. (William James, influenced by Charles Darwin)
Behaviourism
Uncover the general principles of learning that explain all behaviours in humans and animals. (John B. Watson)
Cognitivism
Examine the role of mental processes on behaviour, thinking is central to understanding behaviour. (Jean Piaget then Ulric Neisser)
Psychoanalysis
Focused on internal psychological processes like impulses, thoughts, and memories which were unaware of. (Sigmund Freud)
Cognitive Neuroscience
Newish field of psychology that examines the relationship between brain function and thinking.
Evolutionary Psychology
Theory that applies Darwin’s theory of natural selection to human and animal behaviour.
Basic Research and Applied Research
Basic Research - research examining how the mind works.
Applied Research - research examining how we can use basic research to solve real-world problems.
