Chapter 1 Flashcards
What is Psychology
- it has methods for studying phenomena
- it is the scientific study of behavior and mental processes
Behavior
outward or overt actions and reactions
Mental processes
internal, covert activity of our minds
4 primary goals of Psychology
Describe, explain, predict, control
Wundt
- studied nonphysical structure(i.e., thought, experiences, emotions, etc.) of the human mind
- used objective introspection to study processes that were the result of physical sensations
- first attempt to bring objectively and measurement to psychology
Objective Introspection
can be seen as the reflection of oneself
Structuralism
structure of the mind
every experience could be broken into its individual emotions and sensations
Functionalsim
how the mind allows people to adapt, live, work and play
Gestalt Psychology
The whole is greater than the sum of its parts
Psychoanalysis
theory and therapy based on the work of Sigmund Freud
stressed importance of early life experiences, the role of the unconscious, and development through stages
Behaviorism
must be directly seen and measured
focus on observable behavior and ignore consciousness issue
Psychodynamic
focuses on the role of the unconscious mind and its influence on conscious behavior, early childhood experiences, development of sense of self, and other motivations
Behavioral
focuses on how behavioral responses are learned through classical or operant conditioning
Humanistic
focuses on human potential, free will, and possibility of self-actualization
Cognitive
focuses on memory, intelligence, perception, thought processes, problem solving, language, and learning
Sociocultural
focuses on the behavior of individuals as the results of the presence (real or imagined) of other individuals, as part of groups, or as part of a larger culture
Biopsychological
focuses on influences of hormones, brain structure and chemicals, disease, etc; human and animal behavior is seen as a direct result of events in the body
Evolutionary
focuses on the biological bases for universal mental characteristics, such as why we lie, how attractiveness influences mate selection, the university of fear, and why we enjoy things like music and dance
Psychologists
- has a doctorate degree
- works with humans or animals
- must be licensed to practice independently
Psychiatrist
medical doctor
Psychiatric social worker
has training in area of social work and often has a professional license to practice
Steps to the Scientific Method
1) question
2) hypothesis
3) test hypothesis
4) draw conclusions
5) report your results and replicate experiment
What are the methods of decriptive data collection
naturalistic observation, lab obs, case studies, and surveys
Naturalistic obs
observe people or animals in natural environment
-advantage: realistic pic of behavior
-disadvantage: observer effect and participant observation and observer bias
difficult to replicate findings
Lab Obs
observe people or animals in lab setting
Case studies
individual is studied in greater detail, researchers try to learn everything they can about the individual
Advantage: detail
Disadvantage: fails to generalize, vulnerability to bias
Surveys
ask questions about topic researches are studying via telephone, internet, or a questionaire
Advantage: can reach many people, can study convert behavior
Disadvantage: subjective responses and courtesy bias and have to ensure a representative sample (has to represent the pop being studied)
Observer effect
Tendency of people or animals to behave differently when they know they are being observed
Participant observation
A naturalistic observation in which the observer becomes a participant in the group being observed (to reduce observer effect)
observer bias
tendency of observers to see what they expect to see
blind observers
people who do not know what the research question is ( to reduce observer bias)
Subjective responses
lies, distortions, false memories
courtesy bias
the tendency to answer questions in a way that is more socially correct so no one is offended
Correlation
measure of the relationship between two variables
variable
anything that can change or vary
Correlation coefficient
numerical value that represents the strength and directions of the realtionshp
Prediction
researchers can make predictions based on findings
Operational definition
definition of a variable that allows it to be measured
ex: IV and DV
Experimental group
Group that is subjected to the independent variable
Control Group
Group that is subjected tot he independent variable Controls for confounding variables
Random Selection
Best way to control for biases and confounds
Random Assignments
The process of assigning subjects to the experimental or control groups randomly
Placebo Effect
The Phenomenon in which the expectations of the participants in a study can influence their behavior
Single Blind Study
Subjects do not know whether they are in the experimental or the control group (reduces placebo effect)
Experimenter Effect
Tendency of the experimenter’s expectations for a study to unintentionally influence the results of the study
Double-Blind study
neither the experimenter nor the subjects know which subjects are in the experimental or control group (reduces placebo effect and experimenter effect)
Institutional Review Boards
Groups of professionals who look over each proposed research study and judge it according to its safety and consideration for the participants in the study
