Chapter 1 -Theory and Research in Human Development Flashcards
Opened the first psychology lab in 1879 in Leipzig, Germany
Wilhelm Wundt
Wrote ‘The principles of psychology’
Williams James
Founder of the Psycho-dynamic 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 predicted it
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
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
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
Scatterplot
A method in which researchers vary one or more independent variables to see its effect(s) on the dependent variable
Experiment
Assigning participants to experimental and control groups by chance
Random assignment
In an experiment, the group exposed to the treatment
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