Chapter 1- Psychology's roots, Big Ideas, and Critical thinking tool Flashcards
Opened the first psychology lab in 1879 in Leipzig, Germany
Wilhelm Wundt
Wrote ‘The principles of psychology’
Williams James
Founder of the psychodynamic approach/ study of unconsciousness
Sigmund Freud
Founder of behaviorism
John Watson
major pioneer in behaviorism
B. F. Skinner
cofounders of Humanism
Carl Roger and Abraham Maslow
the view that psychology (1) should be an objective science that (2) studies behavior without reference to mental processes. Most psychologist today agree with (1) but not (2).
Behaviorism
Emphasized the growth potential of healthy people.
Humanistic psychology
the interdisciplinary study of the brain activity linked with mental activity (including perception, thinking, memory, and language.)
cognitive neuroscience
the science of behavior and mental processes.
psychology
thinking that does not blindly accept arguments and conclusions. Rather, it examines assumptions, uncovers hidden values, weighs evidence, and assesses conclusions
critical thinking
an approach that integrates different but complementary views from biological, psychological, and social-cultural viewpoints.
biopsychosocial approach
the enduring behaviors, ideas, attitudes, values, and traditions shared by a group of people and handed down from one generation to the next
culture
the age-old controversy over the relative influence of genes and experience in the development of psychological traits and behaviors. today’s psychological science sees traits and behaviors arising from the interaction of nature and nurture.
nature-nurture issue
the principle that, at the same time, our mind processes information on separate conscious and unconscious tracks
dual processing
the scientific study of human functioning, with the goals of discovering and promoting strengths and virtues that help individuals and communities to thrive.
positive psychology
the tendency to believe, after learning an outcome, that we could have predict it. (also known as the I-knew-it-all-along phenomenon.)
hindsight bias
an explanation using principles that organize observations and predict behaviors or events
theory
a testable prediction, often implied by a theory
hypothesis
a carefully worded statement of the exact procedures (operations) used in a research study. For example, human intelligence may be operationally defined as what an intelligence test measures.
operational definition
repeating the essence of a research study, usually with different situations, to see whether the basic finding extends to other participants and circumstances.
replication
a descriptive technique in which one individual or group is studied in depth in the hope of revealing universal principles.
case study
a descriptive technique of observing and recording behavior in naturally occurring situations without trying to change or control the situation
naturalistic observation
a descriptive technique for obtaining the self-reporting attitudes or behaviors of a group, usually by questioning a representative, random sample of that group.
survey
all those in a group being studied, from which samples may be drawn. (note: except for national studies, this does not refer to a country’s whole population.)
Population
a sample that fairly represents a population because each member has an equal chance of inclusion
random sample
a measure of the extent to which two events vary together, and thus of how well either one predicts the other. The correlation coefficient is the mathematical expression of the relationship, ranging from -1.0 to +1.0, with 0 indicating no relationship
correlation
a graphed cluster of dots, each of which represents the values of two factors. the slope of the dots suggests the direction of the relationship between the two factors. How much the dots are scattered suggests the strength of the correlation (with little scatter indicating high correlation.
scatterplot
a method in which researchers vary one or more factors (independent variables) to observe the effect on some behavior or mental process (the dependent variable).
experiment
assigning participants to experimental and control groups by chance, thus minimizing any differences between the groups.
random assignment
in an experiment, the group exposed to the treatment, that is, to one version of the independent variable.
experimental group
in an experiment, the group not exposed to the treatment; the control group serves as a comparison with the experimental group for judging the effect of the treatment
control group
an inactive substance or condition that is sometimes given to those in a control group in place of the treatment given to the experimental group
placebo
a procedure in which participants and research staff are ignorant (blind) about who has received the treatment or a placebo
double-blind procedure
results caused by expectations alone.
placebo effect
in an experiment, the factor that is manipulated; the variable whose effect is being studied
independent variable
in an experiment, a factor other than the independent variable that might produce an effect
confounding variable
in an experiment, the factor that is measured; the variable that may change when the independent variable is manipulated.
dependent variable
giving people enough information about a study to enable them to decide whether they wish to participate
informed consent
after an experiment ends, explaining to participants the study’s purpose and any deceptions researcher used.
debriefing
enhanced memory after retrieving, rather than simple rereading, information. also sometimes called the retrieval practice effect or test-enhanced learning.
testing effect
a study method incorporating five steps: survey, question, read, retrieve, review
SQ3R
Big Four Ideas
Critical Thinking
The biopsychosocial approach
The two-track mind
Exploring human strengths
