Chapter 1 - The Science of Psychology Flashcards
Why did Williams James describe psychology as a “nasty little subject”?
Human behavior is very complex and influenced by many factors
What does it mean to say that a prediction is probabilistic?
Human behavior is difficult to predict because nothing is ever certain. The best predictor of behavior is past behavior
How is behavior multiply determined?
Behavior is not solely determined by one variable. There are several reasons. People are also natural storytellers and good at fooling ourselves and other people
Describe Descartes’ approach to the mind/body problem.
Descartes supported dualism. The idea that the mind and body are separate. He explained that our bodies are physical and non-thinking, while our mind commands it through the act of will. Even though they exist separately they are connected
How does Descartes’ approach to the mind/body problem differ from the way most psychological scientists approach this problem today?
This idea is not supported today. Most psychological scientists believe that the brain and mind are one thing. Essentially, the mind arises from brain activity.
What is “confirmation bias?” Give examples of evidence you might see in the real world that would point to confirmation bias.
When people overweigh evidence that supports their beliefs and downplay evidence that does not.
Ex: People with certain political beliefs may only visit websites that are consistent with those beliefs and when they come across websites with opposing beliefs they look for flaws.
Explain the basic message of Dunning/Kruger’s findings.
Dunning and Kruger found that people with the lowest grades rate their mastery of academic skills much higher than is warranted by their performance. This result hints that people lack the ability to evaluate their own performance in areas where they have little expertise.
Describe nature vs. nurture.
Nature and nurture both interact in human psychological development and cannot be separated. Neither nature (biological characteristics) nor nurture (our experience and culture) contributes more to our psychology.
Describe “functionalism”.
The mind is too complex to understand as a sum of separate parts, thus, psychologists need to examine the functions served by the mind – how the mind operates as a whole and its usefulness to people.
Describe the “open science movement”.
Psychologists have suggested this movement to improve methods used in psychological science by making research plans and designs more transparent, documenting failed studies, and sharing data among researchers.
