Chapter 1: Introducing the World of Psychology

Question 1

In class, we discussed skills that are developed through studying to be a psychologist. What are the five skills developed?

Answer 1

1. Critical thinking: Systematically evaluating info to reach conclusion best supported by evidence
2. Qualitative skills understand the qualities of a subject and what is worth researching(Upshaw)
3. Quantitative skills- mathematical analysis that attributes to a group of people and to display relationships between groups.
4. Experimental Design Skills- How things are designed
5. Application to events in real life. How to apply to real life scenarios

Question 2

How did the field of psychology develop into a distinct scientific field of study what two forces/disciplines merged to form psychology?

Answer 2

Philosophy and physiology

Question 3

What is the difference in careers between research and applied (generally speaking)?

Answer 3

Research is based on experiments, research and observation studies of psychology. Conversely applied is what the individual learned and apply it to real world people, for example clinicians.

Question 4

Structuralism

Answer 4

Developed by Wilhelm Wundt, Edward Titchener, and Margaret Floy Washburn the goal was to identify the basic parts of structures of the conscious mind.

Question 5

Functionalism

Answer 5

The idea was developed by William James and Mary Whiton Calkins. The goals was to describe the mind as series of processes.

Question 6

Psychoanalytic Theory

Answer 6

The idea was developed by sigmund freud and his daughter Anna Freud. The goal is to understand how unconscious thoughts cause psychologic disorders.

Question 7

Humanistic Psychology

Answer 7

The idea was developed by Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers. The human motive tp grow, thrive and excell

Question 8

Cognitive Psychology

Answer 8

The idea was developed by George Miller and Ulric Neisser. The goal is to explore internal mental processes that influence behavior.

Question 9

According to class lecture, what happens when a perspective loses popularity?
What is the fatal error that all of these perspectives make?

Answer 9

According to class lecture, what happens when a perspective loses popularity?
They will rise and become dominant and others will diminish in power however none of them ever completely diminish they are still used today.
Each perspective tried to explain everything but couldn’t do so with one grand idea.

Question 10

2. As a science, what 4 general classes of variables are we trying to understand the relationships between?

Answer 10

Stimuli
Behavior
Mental events
States of the body
All are make causal relationship with mind and body

Question 11

What are the 5 domains of modern psychology, as noted in the text?

Answer 11

Mental and physical health, biological, social & personality, developmental and cognitive.

Question 12

Examine the “what can you do with a degree in psychology” box in the text (in section 1.5). With a Bachelor’s degree in psychology, what are the two most popular career paths?
How does this change when earning a Masters or Doctoral degree?

Answer 12

Professional service and teaching
Professional services increases as well as research and management and sales and marketing decrease.

Question 13

. How has the historical trend of perspectives transitioned to the idea of Domains (in the text) or subdisciplines:

Answer 13

It transitioned from subdisciplines to focus on certain disciplines within what people will study. This allows you to stay in your own lane and have one focal point.

Question 14

As discussed in the text, what are the three steps in Critical Thinking, and what is the main goal of critical thinking?
What are the essential problems with being a critical thinker (why is it so darn hard)?

Answer 14

1. Friendly skepticism
2. Strong evidence to support claim
3. Reliable credible sources to support the claim

Question 15

What are the 5 steps of the scientific method, as discussed in class, (make sure to understand the differences!)?
How is this different than as presented in the text? How are these steps related to critical thinking? Which is better:
finding having a hypothesis that is shown true or shown false?

Answer 15

1. Establish a theory
2. Hypothesis
3. Test
4. Analyze data
5. Use data to make theories
   It is related to critical thinking because research requires evaluating information.
   Only difference is sharing the results.
   Hypothesis that is shown to be false provides more direction and brings you closer to the truth.

Question 16

As discussed in class, what are the two pillars of psychological research and what do they tell us or allow us to
conclude? What does validity refer to and what are the three types?

Answer 16

1. Study design provides validity of accuracy of assumptions
2. Statistics used to understand data accurately with bias opinion
   Validity is the accuracy of assumptions
3. Measurement validity
4. Internal validity
5. External validity

Question 17

As discussed in the text, what is a descriptive design? What are the different types?

Answer 17

Provide systematic and objective snapshot of what is occurring at a specific point in time
1. Case studies
2. Observational studies
3. Self reports

Question 18

As discussed in the text, what is a correlation design? What is the directionality problem and the third variable
problem? Are they problems for the correlation design?

Answer 18

Looking at two variables and determining relationships without manipulation. Directionality problem is where you cannot show the direction of cause effect relationships.
The third variable is an unidentified variable that maybe involved. Yes it does not demonstrate causal relationships.

Question 19

As discussed in the text, what is the experimental design? What are the independent and dependent variables?
What does it mean to “operationally define” a variable, and why do we do it? How does this design deal with the
direction and third variable problems (what is the idea about creating “groups” and how does it help)?

Answer 19

Research method that includes manipulation of the independent variable and measuring effect on dependent variables. Operationally defining a variable allows you to qualify and quantify variables to understand objectively. It deals with it by only allowing the independent variable change the outcome phasing out directionality and 3rd variable. Groups help by preventing any biases towards participant.

Question 20

What is the difference between random sampling and random assignment? How does each help with each of the three types of validity (or do they)?

Answer 20

Random sampling includes a population while random assignment includes just participants in the study. Random sampling would include external validity because you are using the general population. Internal validity would be associated with random assignment by using causal relations by performing an experiment that gives each a chance. Each use measure validity based on the study.

Question 21

What is an Institutional Review Board? What are the 4 ethical principles to make sure all research passes an ethics
evaluation?

Answer 21

IRB is a group of people responsible for keeping scientific research ethical.
1. Confidentiality
2. Consent
3. Privacy
4. Protection from harm