Chapter 1/Week 1 Material Flashcards
Define Psychology
Scientific study of the mind and behavior
psyche = mind, -logy = study
What is surveying/previewing?
method of previewing content prior to reading it; helps see connections among ideas faster and more easily
Define Schema. How does it help you study?
An existing framework of knowledge
Connecting new information with what you know (i.e. schema) helps you retain information better
What are heuristics?
Cognitive shortcuts
What does it mean when “psychology is summative”
The subject is based on a body of knowledge that grows of previous results (and is continuously growing)
What is the overconfidence effect?
tendency to be overly sure of what we know
What is confirmation bias?
Tendency to seek out, pay attention to, and believe only evidence that supports what we already are confident we know
What were the two branches of psychology (when it was first created)?
Clinical branch and scientific/experimental branch
Where was the clinical branch started? By who and when?
Sigmund Freud early 20th century (in Austria, then England)
Where was the scientific/experimental branch of psychology started? By who and when?
Wilhelm Wundt (“experimentalist developing 1st psychology lab in 1870, Germany) and William James (“theorist” developing 1st psychology class in 1880, America) started science branch late 19th century
How has psychology merged?
Scientific research informs clinical psychological treatment
How has psychology developed from early work?
Early work was unethical and was sometimes based on false assumptions. Methods have evolved to be more ethical and scientific
What is pseudoscience?
a collection of beliefs or practices mistakenly thought to be based on valid science
What is an example of it?
Rebirthing therapy
What was Franz Mesmer’s discredited belief?
Animal magnetism - a belief that living beings (ex. Animals) contained an invisible natural force with magnetic properties that could cure diseases
Define scientific evidence
the availablebodyoffactsandinformationindicatingwhetherabelieforpropositionistrueandvalid
Define empirical evidence
evidenced based on astute (or careful) observation and accurate measurement
What is popular psychology?
Refers to the body of concepts and theories about human mental life and behavior that are purportedly (but not necessarily) based on psychological science.
Is psychology equivalent to common sense?
NO - research shows and demonstrates otherwise
What is critical thinking?
- The purposeful, reasoned, and goal directed process of exploring a situation or problem
- Essential component of psychological literacy
Why do psychologists adopt different approaches?
By adopting different approaches to answering the same question, a greater insight to the nature of a phenomena can be obtained
What are the unifying themes of psychology?
1) Nature (biology) + Nurture (environment) interact to predict behaviour
2) Psychology seeks to identify which aspects are universal to all people and which aspects of behaviour vary across cultures
3) behaviour is shaped by conscious understanding and unconscious processes
4) We can gain insights by understanding both normal functioning and dysfunctions
5) Applying psychology can change our lives in positive ways
What is WEIRD samples?
Research participants from Western Eductated Industrialized Rich Democratic backgrounds
What is the problem with WEIRD samples?
Over-represented in present data; there is a movement away from WEIRD samples to increase diversity
What is the evolutionary perspective of psychology?
A perspective adopted by psychologists that seeks to identify how humans’ evolutionary past shapes certain cultural universals that all human beings share, such as the preference for fairness
What are cultural universals?
Universal aspect of human behaviour that are shared between all humans (ex. Ability to “read” others’ emotions)
How would the evolutionary perspective of psychology understand social relationships?
This perspective would suggest that these are innate motivations are for survival, self protection, and seeking out a mate in which to successfully generate offspring (i.e. EVOLUTIONARILY favoured behaviour)
What is the cultural perspective of psychology?
A perspective that seeks to identify how cultural context affects people’s thoughts and preferences
Define culture
the rules, values, customs, and beliefs that exist within a group of people who share a common language and environment
How is culture passed between generations?
Children learn culture from parents, caregivers, larger society
What does “nature” and “Nurture” mean in nature vs. nurture?
Nature - biological instructions in genes
Nurture - lived experiences shaped by culture, education, surroundings
How does nature and nurture (i.e evolutionary and cultural perspectives) intertwine? (ex. in parenting)
Evolutionary perspective - innate motivation to parent young
Cultural perspective - culture provides way parenting is done
What is the cognitive perspective of psychology?
a perspective in which psychologists study the mental processes that underlie perception, though, learning, memory, language, and creativity
What is the emotional perspective of psychology?
psychological perspective that seeks to understand how the human capacity to feel, express, and perceive emotions plays an important role in decision making, behaviour, and social relationships
Define the unconscious
the part of mental life that influences our thoughts, feelings, and actions that we cannot directly observe and of which we are unaware
What is the Biological-neuroscience perspective of psychology?
Psychological perspective that seeks to understand the biological underpinnings of how we think, act, and behave
Define neuroscience
Scientific study of how nerves and cells send and recieve information from the brain, body, and spinal cord
Why can studying dysfunctions help us understand normal neurological function?
Because if we know where the injury/damage occured, we can elucidate the function of that particular area
What is the Developmental perspective of psychology?
psychological perspective that studies how people change physically, cognitively, socially, and emotionally as they age
What is the personality perspective of psychology?
psychological perspective that seeks to understand aspects of human behaviour that are relatively STABLE over time and situation
What is the social psychology perspective of psychology?
psychological perspective that studies the way in which IMMEDIATE social contexts influence thoughts, feelings, and behaviours independent of personality
(contrast w/ personality perspective, which focuses on the stable traits)
What is the clinical perspective of psychology?
psychological perspective that focuses on the causes and treatment of psychological disorders, with the goal of improving human wellbeing, daily functioning, and social relationships
What is a growth mindset?
The belief that human personality and behaviour can change
What is an advantage of having a growth mindset?
Can make people better at changing their own behavior by setting goals and sticking to them even in the face of setbacks.
What is positive psychology?
- the scientific study of factors that make people happy, keep them happy, and help them manage stress
- Includes the study of important human experiences such as hope, faith, courage, and creativity
What is metacognition?
- an awareness and understanding of your own thought processes
- involves thinking about how much you already know, and how much you still need to study. (when used in studying)
What is the best way to practice for improved retention?
Distributed studying/practice
