Chapter 1

Question 1

Multiple-Determinants

Answer 1

Behaviors have multiple-determinants; humans rarely do anything for one reason alone; one reason is not sufficient

Question 2

Professional Psychologists

Answer 2

(Aside from levels of training, etc.) - understand that behaviors have multiple-determinants

Question 3

Amateur Psychologists

Answer 3

Content to understand a given behavior based on a singular explanation

Question 4

Nature-Nurture Debate

Answer 4

debated among Greek philosophers Plato and Aristotle: is our ability to learn and utilize new information a result of our genetic heritage, or our educational experiences - or both?
And then, by how much? (50-50?)

Question 5

Psychology

Answer 5

scientific study of behavior and mental processes and how they are affected by an organism’s physical state, mental state, and external environment

Question 6

Four Main Goals of Psychology

Answer 6

1) Describe behavior
2) Understand behavior
3) Predict behavior
4) Control behavior (sexual activity, violent behavior, etc.)

Question 7

Research

Answer 7

Acquisition of new knowledge through investigation

Question 8

Pure/Basic Research

Answer 8

research done simply for the pursuit of knowledge; hold view that knowledge just for its own sake is beneficial to society

Question 9

Applied Research

Answer 9

When there is a specific problem for which an intervention is required; ex: Hate Crimes

Question 10

Adams, Wright, & Lohr (1996)

Answer 10

University of Georgia male students who expressed strong “homophobic” attitudes were found to be sexually aroused when watching gay men have sex; men who vociferously oppose homosexuality either deny or are unaware of their own homoerotic impulses; threaten sense of identity, fight own nature

Question 11

Program-Evaluation Research

Answer 11

creation of programs to address specific issues; research in order to see if working; ex: reducing alcoholism or smoking; curtailing gang violence

Question 12

How many different types of psychologists exist?

Answer 12

Currently, there are approximately sixty (60) different types, based on the divisions established by the American Psychological Association (APA).

Question 13

Occupation Breakdown

Answer 13

1/3 “independent practice”; 1/3 university/educational setting; 1/3 business, gov., hospitals
ALSO: 60% of all psychologist are either Clinical, Counseling, or School Psychologists

Question 14

Different types of psychologists:

Answer 14

Clinical/Counseling; School; Experimental; Educational; Industrial/Organizational; Consumer; Personality and Developmental; Social; Comparative; Human Factors

Question 15

Aristotle

Answer 15

(384-322 B.C.) “Peri Psyches” - European philosophy

Question 16

Empiricism

Answer 16

pursuit of knowledge by means of systemically controlled experimentation and measurement

Question 17

William Wundt

Answer 17

publicly proclaimed discipline of psychology a science; set up first psychology research laboratory in 1879 in Leipzig, Germany; established structuralism

Question 18

E.B. Titchener

Answer 18

student of William Wundt

Question 19

Structuralism

Answer 19

idea that the conscious experience could be broken down into three basic structures or elements which were sensations, feelings, and images

Question 20

Introspection

Answer 20

form of self-observation by which an individual more or less critiques his or her own thoughts and feelings; way in which structuralism is accomplished

Question 21

William James

Answer 21

questioned merits of structuralism; “What is the purpose or function of a conscious experience?”

Question 22

Functionalism

Answer 22

How does a conscious experience aid us in functioning in our environment; two subfields: Ethology and Sociobiology

Question 23

Ethology

Answer 23

examines role of behavior (rather than conscious behavior) in helping us adapt to our environment

Question 24

Sociobiology

Answer 24

Attempts to delineate the biological basis of humans’ behavior, i.e., to what extent is a given behavior genetically determined

Question 25

Sigmund Freud

Answer 25

(1900) psychiatrist; developed psychoanalysis; analyzed wealthy neurotic women; focus: UNCONSCIOUS MIND

Question 26

Psychoanalysis

Answer 26

help disturbed patients discover the hidden or underlying causes of some of their (problematic) current behaviors and feelings

Question 27

Neurotic

Answer 27

Unresolved psychological issues

Question 28

Two factors that motivate human behavior according to Freud

Answer 28

Sexuality and agression

Question 29

Cathartic Effect

Answer 29

venting feels good

Question 30

Freudian Slip

Answer 30

“slips of the tongue” - provide insights into true thoughts

Question 31

Determinist

Answer 31

One who thinks that much of who we are today has already been determined for us; Freud: childhood experiences

Question 32

John B. Watson

Answer 32

(1910) introduced behaviorism; influenced by an idea articulated by Edward Thorndike called “law of effect”; psychology should limit its focus to only those behaviors that can be observed, manipulated, and measured; ex: measure heart rate and use as an index for anxiety; determinist BUT influenced by S-R (stimulus-response) patterns

Question 33

Law of Effect

Answer 33

Responses followed by satisfying consequences become more likely to recur; (proposed by Edward Thorndike)

Question 34

Humanistic Psychology

Answer 34

(1950s) Carl Rogers, Rollo May, Abraham Maslow; focus on positive qualities manifested by humans; humans have free will - freedom to choose who they want to be, rather than simply being the mercy of drives or stimuli in the environment; write own destiny

Question 35

Approaches

Answer 35

First force: psychoanalytic; second force: behavioral; third force: humanistic; forth force: multicultural

Question 36

Multicultural Approach

Answer 36

humans are more or less products of their particular cultures or subcultures; understanding a people’s culture allows us to gain insight into the psychology of individuals in that culture

Question 37

Drawbacks of Multicultural Approach

Answer 37

1) highly politicized
2) claim that culture explains a large percentage of human behavior YET OVERLOOK larger impact of socioeconomic status
3) wider range of diversity WITHIN a culture than BETWEEN
4) Saying “we can’t judge” a culture; it can still be wrong

Question 38

Women in Psychology

Answer 38

Ana Freud, Karen Horney, Elizabeth Loftus

Question 39

Minorities in Psychology

Answer 39

Francis Sumner - 1st of African ancestry to obtain doctorate degree in Psychology in 1920;
Claude Steele - African American at Stanford University; published studies on social psychology (when ethnic minorities are evaluated in a context that “taps into” social stereotypes about them, they often perform less well than they would if the context did not involve ethnic stereotypes about them);
Roberto Velasquez - Mexican American published 60 journals;
Stanley Sue - Asian American considered most influential contemporary book on multicultural psychology