Chapter 1: Basic psychological processes Flashcards
What is behavior?
Directly observable behavior
Describe the mind with some examples
The mind describe internal states and mental processes (eg. memory, problem solving)
What is basic research?
Research for the sake of wanting to learn something
What is applied research?
Research done in order to solve a problem
What are the three levels of analysis?
Biological level, Psychological level, Environmental level
What is the scientific approach and its purpose?
Systemically gathering and evaluating data to find evidence without bias.
What is folk psychology and how is it acquired?
Commonly held beliefs people have on other and psychological processes and behavior, it often draws on anecdotal (not empirical) evidence
What is a heuristic and provide an example
A heuristic is using a mental shortcut (ie. thinking one restaurant is better than another because the line is longer)
What is confirmation bias?
Selectively looking for evidence that confirms your prior beliefs
How can you prevent heuristics and confirmation bias?
Using a scientific approach/method
What is critical thinking?
A central idea to the scientific method that involved not just consuming and working off empirical evidence and being open minded
What is mind body dualism?
An idea that isn’t compatible with the scientific method that states that the mind is a spiritual entity independent of the physical laws of the body
What is monism?
The idea that the mind is under the same physical influence as the body. (eg. chemical reactions produce emotions)
Define structuralism
Among the first scientific approaches taken in studying behavior which took a behaviorist approach in which it broke down the more complex parts of the mind to be studied in smaller parts and then added up to form a full idea of the mind.
What is analytic introspection and why isn’t it completely reliable
It involves inner reflection of oneself and describing experiences when exposed to stimuli. It isn’t always objective.
Describe functionalism
The function and purpose of behavior and though rather than the structure. It emphasizes how mental processes help us survive.
Why is studying psychology from different perspectives important?
The use of different perspectives studying the mind and behavior can be complimentary
Describe the psychodynamic perspective.
It assumed that causes that causes of behavior are understood by looking into the individual and past conflicts, motives, and desires. Made my Sigmund Freud
Describe the behaviorism perspective
Behavior can be studied objectively unlike mental events, and therefore should be focus of research. This perspective viewed behavior as a product of the environment
Describe the cognitive behaviorism perspective
Emphasizes the link between mental behavior and cognition (mental processes). States that humans are thinking creatures that don’t just mindlessly react to their environment unlike the behaviorist approach. Associated the with the Bobo doll experiment.
Describe the humanistic approach
The humanistic approach views people as good and says they want to do good things and the approach is mostly associated with self-actualizing (reaching one’s full potential)
Describe the gestalt perspective
The meaning of something can only be seen when its parts are put together. The whole is bigger than its parts.
Describe the cognitive perspective
It is concerned with the nature of the mind and understanding how mental processes influence behavior.
Describe the cognitive neuroscience perspective
It relies on physiological measures (typically related to neural activity, ie fMRI)
What is the focus of the sociocultural behavior
Describes societies influence on behavior, thoughts and feelings.
Describe the biological perspective
Describes how physiology and genetics affects behavior
Describe the evolutionary perspective
Describes how behavior and mental processes have changed over generations. Talks about the idea of natural selection
