Chapter 1- The Science Of Psychology

Question 1

Psychology

Answer 1

The scientific study of behaviour and the mind

Question 2

Basic research

Answer 2

Reflects the quest for knowledge purely for its own sake.
How and why people behave, think and feel the way they do.
Laboratory or real world settings, with human or non-human participants.

Question 3

Applied research

Answer 3

Designed to solve specific, practical problems.

Psychologists use basic scientific knowledge to design, implement and assess intervention programmes.

Question 4

The goals of psychology

Answer 4

1. Describe behaviour
2. Understand causes of behaviour
3. Predict behaviour under certain conditions
4. Influence behaviour through control of it’s causes
5. Apply knowledge to enhance human welfare

Question 5

Mind-body dualism

Answer 5

The belief that the mind is a spiritual entity not subject to physical laws that govern the body.
No amount of research on the physical body could unravel the mysteries of the non-human mind.
(Descartes proposed the mind and body interact through the pineal gland in the brain)

Question 6

Monism

Answer 6

The mind and body are one, the mind is not a seperate spiritual entity.
Mental events are a product of physical events in the brain.
Implies the mind can be studied by measuring physical processes in the brain.

Question 7

Empiricism

Answer 7

All ideas and knowledge are gained empirically; through the senses.
Observation is a more valid research approach than reason (reason has potential for error)

Question 8

Structuralism

Answer 8

The analysis of the mind in terms of it’s basic elements

Question 9

Functionalism

Answer 9

Psychology should study the functions of consciousness rather than its structure

Question 10

Psychodynamic perspective

Answer 10

Searches for the causes of behaviour within the inner workings of our personality (traits, emotions and motives), emphasising the role of unconscious processes.

Question 11

Psychoanalysis

Answer 11

Analysis of internal and primarily unconscious forces

Question 12

Defence mechanisms

Answer 12

Psychological techniques that help us cope with anxiety and the pain of traumatic experiences

Question 13

Object relations theories

Answer 13

Focus on how early experiences with caregivers shape the views that people form of themselves and others

Question 14

Behavioural perspective

Answer 14

Focuses on the role of the external environment in governing our actions

Question 15

Behaviourism

Answer 15

School of thought that emphasises environmental control of behaviour through learning

Question 16

Cognitive behaviourism

Answer 16

Proposes that learning experiences and the environment influence our expectations and other thoughts, and in turn out thoughts influence how we behave

Question 17

Humanistic perspective (humanism)

Answer 17

Emphasised free will, personal growth and the attempt to find meaning in one’s existence

Question 18

Positive psychology movement

Answer 18

Emphasises the study of human strengths, fulfilment and optimal living

Question 19

Cognitive perspective

Answer 19

Examines the nature of the mind and how mental processes influence behaviour

Question 20

Gestalt psychology

Answer 20

Examined how elements of experience are organised into wholes

Question 21

Cognitive psychology

Answer 21

Focuses on the study of mental processes and embodies the cognitive perspective

Question 22

Cognitive neuroscience

Answer 22

Uses sophisticated electrical recording and brain-imaging techniques to examine brain activity while people engage in cognitive tasks

Question 23

Social constructivism

Answer 23

Maintains that what we consider ‘reality’ is largely our own mental creation

Question 24

Sociocultural perspective

Answer 24

Examines how the social environment and cultural learning influence our behaviour, thoughts and feelings

Question 25

Culture

Answer 25

The enduring values, beliefs, behaviours and traditions that are shared by a large group of people and passed from one generation to the next

Question 26

Norms

Answer 26

Rules (often unwritten) that specify what behaviour is acceptable and expected for members of that group

Question 27

Socialisation

Answer 27

The process by which culture is transmitted to new members and internalized by them

Question 28

Cross-cultural psychology

Answer 28

Explores how culture is transmitted to its members no examines psychological similarities and differences amount people from diverse cultures

Question 29

Individualistic

Answer 29

An emphasis on personal goals and self-identity based primarily on one’s own attributes and achievements

Question 30

Collectivist

Answer 30

Individual goals are subordinate to those of the group and personal identity is defined largely by the ties that bind one to the extended family and other social groups

Question 31

Biological perspective

Answer 31

Examines how brain processes and other bodily functions regulate behaviour

Question 32

Behavioural neuroscience

Answer 32

Examines brain processes and other physiological functions that underlie our behaviour, sensory experiences, emotions and thoughts

Question 33

Neurotransmitters

Answer 33

Chemicals released by nerve cells that allow them to communicate with one another

Question 34

Behaviour genetics

Answer 34

Study of how behavioural tendencies are influenced by genetic factors

Question 35

Natural selection

Answer 35

If an inherited trait gives certain members an advantage over others these members will be more likely to survive and pass these characteristics on to their offspring

Question 36

Evolutionary psychology

Answer 36

A growing discipline that seeks to explain how evolution shaped modern human behaviour

Question 37

Interaction

Answer 37

The way in which one factor influences behaviour depends on the presence of another factor