Chapter 1: Psychology + Scientific Thinking Flashcards
psychology
the scientific study of the mind, brain, + behavior
levels of analysis
rungs on a ladder of analysis, with lower levels tied most closely to biological influences + higher levels tied most closely to social influences
depression at the SOCIAL LEVEL
loss of important personal relationships, lack of social support
depression at the BEHAVIORAL LEVEL
decrease in pleasurable activities, moving + talking slowly, withdrawing from others
depression at the MENTAL LEVEL
depressed thoughts, sad feelings, ideas of suicide
depression at the NEUROLOGICA/PHYSIOLOGICAL LEVEL
differences among people in the size + functioning of brain structures related to mood
depression at the NEUROCHEMICAL LEVEL
differences in levels of the brains chemical messengers that influence mood
depression at the MOLECULAR LEVEL
variations in people’s genes that predispose to depression
human behavior is hard/easy to predict
-hard to predict
-multiply determined, produced by many factors
psychological influences are independent/dependent
rarely independent; so dependent
reciprocal determinism
we mutually influence each other’s behavior
naive realism
the belief that we see the world precisely as it is in truth
-seeing is believing
science
-a systematic approach to evidencce, designed to keep us from fooling ourselves
-not a body of knowledge
-begins with empiricism, with observations tested by rigorous methods
empiricism
the premise that knowledge should initially be acquired through observation
confirmation bias
the tendency to seek out evidence that supports our hypotheses + deny, dismiss, or distort evidence that contradicts them
belief perserverance
tendency to stick with our initial beliefs, even when evidence contracts them
metaphysical claims
non-testable assertions that fall outside the realm of science
-not necessarily wrong or unimportant
pseudoscience
a set of claims that seems scientific but isn’t
-lacks the safeguards against confirmation bias + belief perserverance that characterize science
example of overuse of ad hoc immunizing hypothesis
the psychic who claimed to predict the future failed all controlled tests in the lab because the experimenters inhibited his extrasensory powers
examxple of lack of self-correction when contrary evidence is published
although most scientists say that we use almost all our brains, we’ve found a way to harness additional brain power previously undiscovered
example of overreliance on anecdotes
this woman practiced yoga daily for 3 weeks + hasn’t had a day of depression since
example of exaggerated claims
3 simple steps will change your love life forever
example of meaningless “psychobabble” that uses fancy scientific-sounding terms that don’t make sense
sinewave filtered auditory stimulation is carefully designed to encourage maximal orbitofrontal dendritic development
example of absence of connectivity to other research
amazing new innovations in research have shown that eye massage results in reading speeds 10x faster than average
example of lack of review by other scholars (peer review) or replication by independent labs
50 studies conducted by the company all show overwhelming success
example of talk of “proof” instead of “evidence”
our new program is proven to reduce social anxiety by at least 50%
patternicity
the tendency to perceive meaningful patterns in their absence
dangers of pseudoscience
name 3
-opportunity cost
-direct harm
-inability to think scientifically
antidote against pseudoscience
thinking clearly
emotional reasoning fallacy
using emotions rather than evidence as the guide
bandwagon fallacy
lots of people believe it, so it must be true
“not me” fallacy
other people may have those biases, but not me
scientific thinking
distinguishing fact from fiction
scientific skepticism
approach of evaluating all claims with an open mind but insisting on persuasive evidence before accepting them
critical thinking
set of skills for evaluating all claims in an open-minded + careful fashion
nature-nurture debate
are our behaviors attributed mostly ot our genes/nature or to our rearing environments/nurture?
free will-determinism debate
to what extent are our behaviors freely selected rather than caused by factors outside of our control?
Rene Descartes
-founder of rationalism
-I think, therefore, I exist
dualism
the body + mind are separate
Wilhelm Wundt
-father of psychological science
-internal, non-observable events could be studied using experimental procedures
-used trained observations + measurement apparatuses + machines
Edward Titchener
-founder of structualism
-revived introspection
-studied the contents of the mind/conscious experience in a scientific matter (systematic observation)
introspection
a technique/tool to help break down conscious experiences into separate components suitable for research
William James
-father of American psychological science
-created Principles of Psychology textbook
-applied evolutionary theory to human psychology, adaptive value in promoting survival + success in reproduction
John B. Watson
-founded behaviorism
-focused on uncovering general principles of learning underlying human/animal behaviors
-focus on observable behavior + human mind is a black box
learning
the process of acquiring new behavior
Jean Piaget
-prononent of cognitive psychology, cognitivism
-thinking is central to psychology
-focused on examining the role of mental processes on behavior
-children conceptualize the world in a markedly different way tahn adults do
Sigmund Freud
-founder of psychoanalysis
-focused on uncovering the role of unconscious psychological processes + early life experiences in behavior
Mary Whiton Calkins
-1st woman president of the American Psychological Association, promoting psychology as a profession + science
Carl Rogers
-clinician, founder of humanistic psychology
-emphasized free will + personal growth
-client-centered psychotherapiy
Abraham Maslow
-founder of humanistic psychology
-theory of motivation: hierarchy of needs
counseling psychologists
work with people experiencing temporary/relatively self-contained life problems
clinical psychologists
perform assessment, diagnosis, + treatment of mental disorders; conduct research on people with mental disorders
developmental psychologists
conduct research on infants’, children’s, + sometimes adults’ + elderly people’s emotional, physiological, + cognitive processes + how these change with age
school psychologists
work with teachers, parents, + children to remedy students’ behavioral, emotional, + learning difficulties
experimental psychologists
use research methods to study memory, language, thinking, + social behaviors of humans
biological psychologists
examine the physiological basis of behavior in animals + humans
forensic psychologists
-some: work in prisons, jails, + other settings to assess + diagnose inmates + assist with their rehabilitation/treatment
-others: conduct research on eyewitness testimony or jury decision-making
industrial-organizational psychologists
-work in companies to help select productive employees, evaluate performance, examine the effects of different working + living conditions on people’s behavior (environmental psychologists)
-design equipment to maximize employee performance + minimize accidents (human factors + engineering psychologists)
