Chapter 1 and Chapter 2

Question 1

What is Psychology?

Answer 1

The scientific study of behavior and mental processes.

Question 2

What scientific methods does psychology use to observe human behaviors and draw conclusions?

Answer 2

Systematic methods

Question 3

The person that believes most human behavior is caused by dark, unpleasant, unconscious impulses clamoring for expression.

Answer 3

Sigmund Freud

Question 4

Known as the father of Psychology

Answer 4

Willehm Wundt

Question 5

He is famous for his research work with pigeons

Answer 5

B.F Skinner

Question 6

Wundt’s approach to discovering the basic elements, or structures, of mental processes; is so called because of its focus on identifying the structures of the human mind.

Answer 6

Structuralism

Question 7

A process of looking inside our mind by focusing on our own conscious thoughts. (literally, “looking inside”)

Characteristics: An introspective person is someone who regularly looks inward to try to understand their mind, thoughts, feelings, and inner workings.

Answer 7

Introspection

Question 8

James’s approach to mental processes emphasizing the functions and purposes of the mind and behavior in the individual’s adaptation to the environment.

Answer 8

Functionalism

Question 9

The psychologist and philosopher who gave the field an American stamp

Answer 9

William James

Question 10

Darwin’s principle of an evolutionary process in which organisms that are better adapted to their environment will survive and produce more offspring.

Answer 10

Natural Selection

Question 11

An approach to psychology focusing on the body, especially the brain and nervous system.

Answer 11

Biological Approach

Question 12

An approach to psychology focusing on the scientific study of observable behavioral responses and their environmental determinants.

Answer 12

Behavioral Approach

Question 13

An approach to psychology focusing on unconscious thought, the conflict between biological drives (such as the drive for sexual pleasure) and society’s demands, and early childhood family experiences.

Answer 13

Psychodynamic Approach

Question 14

Who is the founder of the Psychodynamic Approach?

Answer 14

Sigmund Freud

Question 15

An approach to psychology focusing on a person’s positive qualities, the capacity for positive growth, and the freedom to choose one’s destiny.

Answer 15

Humanistic Approach

Question 16

An approach to psychology focusing on the mental processes involved in knowing: how we direct our attention, perceive, remember, think, and solve problems.

Answer 16

Cognitive Approach

Question 17

An approach to psychology focusing on evolutionary ideas such as adaptation, reproduction, and natural selection as the basis for explaining specific human behaviors.

Answer 17

Evolutionary approach

Question 18

An approach to psychology focusing on the ways in which social and cultural environments influence behavior.

Answer 18

Sociocultural Approach

Question 19

What are the three types of Psychological Research?

Answer 19

1. Descriptive
2. Correlational
3. Experimental

Question 20

What are the differences between experimental and correlational research?

Answer 20

Correlational: Research that examines the relationship between variables in order to find out whether and how two variables change together. Does not allow is to make causal conclusions.

Experimental: A carefully regulated procedure in which the researcher manipulates one or more variables believed to influence some other variable. Permits causal conclusions, but may cause concern in external validity.

Question 21

The degree of relation between two variables is expressed as a numerical value called _____? Represented by the letter r.

Answer 21

Correlation Coeffecient

Question 22

What do the number and size of the correlation coefficient tell us?

Answer 22

The strength of the relationship. The closer the number is to 1.00, the stronger it is.

Question 23

What do the signs (+ and - ) on the correlation coefficient tell us? And zero correlation?

Answer 23

Tells us the direction of the relation between the variables if positive(+) the variables change in the same direction; one increases the other increases too.

If negative (-), the variables change in different directions. One inc. the other decreases.

Zero correlation = no relation between variables

Question 24

What is the third variable problem?

Answer 24

The circumstance in which a variable that has not been measured accounts for the relationship between two other variables. Third variables are also known as confounds.

Question 25

Independent variables

Answer 25

A manipulated experimental factor; the variable that the experimenter changes to see what its effects are.

The cause

Question 26

Dependent variables

Answer 26

The outcome; the variable that may change in an experiment in response to changes in the independent variable

The effect

Question 27

What is the purpose of random assignment in Experimental research?

Answer 27

The assignment of participants to experimental groups by chance, to reduce the likelihood that a study’s results will be due to preexisting differences between groups.

Question 28

Double-blind experiment

Answer 28

An experimental design in which neither the experimenter nor the participants are aware of which participants are in the experimental group and which are in the control group until the results are calculated.

Question 29

What’s the purpose of a Double-blind experiment?

Answer 29

This procedure is utilized to prevent bias in research results. Double-blind studies are particularly useful for preventing bias due to demand characteristics or the placebo effect.

Question 30

A definition that provides an objective description of how a variable is going to be measured and observed in a particular study.

Answer 30

Operational definition

Question 31

The degree to which an experimental design actually reflects the real-world issues it is supposed to address.

Answer 31

external validity

Question 32

The degree to which changes in the dependent variable are due to the manipulation of the independent variable.

Answer 32

internal validity

Question 33

What are topics of interest to behavioral neuroscientists?

Answer 33

How brain processes reflect behavior

Question 34

What are topics of interest to social psychologists?

Answer 34

Interested in the influence of the groups on our thinking and behavior and in the ways that the groups we belong in influence our attitude.

Question 35

What are topics of interest to forensic psychologists?

Answer 35

Conduct research on psychology and law.
ex. jury duty or testifying in trails on whether a person is a danger to society or not

Question 36

What are the 3 assumptions of the psychodynamic approach?

Answer 36

1. Influence of childhood experiences
2. The unconscious mind
3. Tripartite personality (ID, Super Ego, and Ego)

Question 37

What are the 3 assumptions of the humanistic approach?

Answer 37

1. A proper understanding of human behavior can only be achieved by studying humans - not animals.
2. Humans have free will; not all behavior is determined
   3.All individuals are unique and are motivated to achieve their potential

Question 38

What are the 3 assumptions of the evolutionary approach?

Answer 38

1. Only a small proportion of each generation survives to reproduce.
2. Offspring are not identical to their parents, and so each generation has a degree of variation, and that at least some of the variation is heritable.
   3.Some characteristics give the animal an advantage over others in the ability to survive and reproduce.