Chapter 1: Science of Psychology Flashcards
Is the field of psychology an older science?
No, it Is a newer field.
Who is the father of psychology and when?
William Wundt in 1879.
What did William Wundt come up with?
Structuralism (structure/basic elements of mind)
Structuralism example
Chocolate bar smells sweet, has lines, can be broken up, is smooth
What did William James come up with?
Functionalism (how mind thinks, works)
Gestalt principle
View whole figure instead of parts
Gestalt example
You hear the melody of the song, not each note
What did Freud come up with?
Psychoanalysis (unconscious part of our brain causes conflicts)
What did Pavlov and Watson come up with?
Behaviorism (behavior is learned/observed)
What was the Little Albert experiment?
An infant was conditioned to be afraid of a white rat (learned)
What is the psychodynamic perspective?
Based on psychoanalysis, less sexual, unconscious
What is the behavioral perspective?
Operant conditioning, reinforcement of an action
Give an example of the behavioral perspective
A child cries, a mother gives approval, so the child cries in the future because she rewarded him with approval
What is the humanistic perspective (third force)?
Free will and self actualization, “all people are good”
What is the cognitive perspective?
How people think and/or problem solve
What is the sociocultural perspective?
Impact of social interactions, culture, or society
What is an example of the sociocultural perspective?
Two twins, one raised in the US and the other in Africa would behave completely different.
What is the biopsychological perspective?
Biological bases of behavior/mental processes
Give an example of the biopsychological perspective?
Dementia/Alzheimers is due to genetics
What is the evolutionary perspective?
Biological bases for characteristics shared by all humans, evolution
Give an example of the evolutionary perspective?
All humans are scared of snakes
What is a correlation?
A relationship between 2 or more variables, does not imply causation
What does the correlation coefficient tell you?
R = The direction and strength of relation/line
When do you have a positive correlation?
When both variables are moving in the same direction.
Give an example of a positive correlation
Those who eat more will gain weight
When do you have a negative correlation?
If variables are moving in opposite directions.
Give an example of a negative correlation
Those with high self esteem have a low chance of developing depression
What is a third variable?
An unknown factor that affects an experiment
Give an example of a third variable
Churches cause crime, third variable is the population of city making crime higher
When can you imply causation?
Experimentation
What did Plato come up with?
Rationalism (understanding the world)
What perspective does a psychologist use?
Multiple perspectives
What did Aristotle come up with?
Empiricism (direct observation explain the world)
Give an example of empiricism
The sky is blue, blue is calming, blue is the color of bird feathers, blue is sad
What is a psychiatrist?
They go to medical school, can diagnose and treat patients with medicine
What is a psychologist?
Someone who has a doctorate degree
What is a counselor/therapist?
They have a master degree in counseling
What is the observer effect?
When participants are observed, they act different
What is observer bias?
The researcher only “sees” what they are looking for
What is courtesy bias from a survey?
When a participant lies to answer the question “correctly”
Give an example of courtesy bias
Have you been flossing, participant lies and says yes
What is a disadvantage of a case study?
The results cannot always be generalized because it’s specific to that person
What group gets the independent variable?
The experimental group
What group is given no/neutral treatment?
The control group
What is a placebo?
Expectations of participants can influence their behavior so they are given a “false treatment”
Give an example of a placebo
A sugar pill
What is a quasi experiment?
When random assignment is not possible due to logic/ethical reasons
Give an example of a quasi experiment
Pregnant women and alcohol, you would not give them alcohol because that is not ethical
How are psychological studies approved?
By an IRB
What is a single blind experiment?
When the participants don’t know what group they are put in
What is a double blind experiment?
When the participants/experimenter don’t know what group they are put in
