Exam 1 Flashcards
Many statements in psychology applied to all people all the time
False
Progress in a research field depends largely on the researchers ability to make good measurements
True
If philosophical position that every behavior has a cause is known as
Determinism
Someone who supports the position of determinism as opposed to free will believes that
Every behavior has a cause
Social psychologist are the ones most likely to study the effects of other expectations on someone’s behavior
True
What do psychologist and philosophers mean by the term mind-body question?
how does brain activity related to mental activity
The nature and nurture issue can be defined as the study of
How differences in behavior related differences in hereditary and environment
A psychotherapist with a MD degree is?
Psychiatrist
A psychotherapist with a PhD is?
Psychologist
What distinguishes a psychoanalyst from other kinds of therapists?
Strong adherence to theories pioneered by Sigmund Freud
Who doesn’t offer much help to troubled people?
Social psychologist
What kind of specialist provides advice and consultation to police lawyers and courts?
Forensic psychologist
Industrial organizational psychologist observe and study?
People at work
What is an important concentration for the field of human factors (ergonomics)
Helping to design equipment so that people can use it easily
A specialist in the psychological condition of students is known as
School psychologist
What do cognitive therapist study?
Thinking in acquiring knowledge
What are biopsychologist least likely to investigate?
The effects of unconscious thoughts on behavior
Which kind of psychologist is mostly concerned with how other people influence our behavior?
Social psychologist
What is Wilhelm Wundt famous for aside from being the first psychologist?
Establishing the first psychology laboratory
The earliest psychologists focused most of their research on?
Sensation were it was relatively easy to answer
From the 1920s to the 1970s what approach dominated psychology research?
Behaviorism
Since the 1960s which fields have increased in their influence within psychology?
Cognitive psychology and neuroscience
If a result is replicable other investigators can repeat the procedure and get the same results
True
How is psychology research and chemistry research similar?
They both need careful measurement
A testable prediction of what will happen under a specific set of conditions is known as a
Hypothesis
Other factors being equal, theories that are the most parsimonious are preferred by scientist?
True
An operational definition provides a method of measuring something?
True
What is a highly desirable feature of a scientific study?
Replicability
To say that a theory is falsifiable is to say that
There are attainable results that would contradict it
Falsifiability is a desirable characteristic for a scientific theory because a falsifiable theory
Makes clear testable predictions
Scientists’ preference for the theory that makes the fewest unfamiliar or untested assumptions is the principle of
Parsimony
Who was Clever Hans?
A horse that seemed to do arithmetic
And operational definition is the definition that
Tells us how to measure something
What is a convenience sample?
People are chosen just because they are available are easy to study
What is a representative sample?
Hey sample that includes the same percentage of male and female old and young etc. as a whole population
If every individual in the population has an equal chance of being selected for sample it is a
Random sample
The careful examination of what people or animals do in their normal environment is called
Naturalistic observation
What is the main difference between a correlation study and an experiment?
In an experiment the investigator manipulates the independent variable
The nervous system is made up of two types of cells called
Neurons and glia
Neurons differ most striking away from other body’s cells with regard to there
Shape
The three parts of a neuron are the cell body the _____ and the _____
Dendrites and axon
What is the long fiber that conducts impulses from a neuron’s cell body toward another cell?
Axon
The part of the neuron receiving messages is the _____ the part sending messages is the ______
Dendrite and axon
What is the function of the myelin covering an axon?
It speeds up transmission along the axon
What is an “action potential” in the nervous system?
A message that travels along an axon
True or false does an action potential strength remain the same from start to finish?
True
What happens to the strength of an action potential as it travels along an axon?
It remains constant
True or false the left hemisphere of the brain gets equal sensation from the left and right hands?
False
An action potential takes place by the movement of ______ ions across the membrane
Sodium
In order for an axon to transmit an action potential what must cross the axons membrane?
Sodium ions
What is a synapse?
A junction where when you’re on communicates with another neuron
What is the Neurotransmitter?
A chemical that travels from one neuron to another
What is the relationship between the neurotransmitters and the receptors?
The brain has many neurotransmitters and each has one type of receptor
What is the main way in which marijuana alter his brain activity?
It’s decreases the release of both excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitter‘s
What is the peripheral nervous system?
The nerves that carry information from the sense organs to the spinal cord and brain and from the spinal cord and brain to the glands and other muscles
Basically not the spinal cord and brain
What does the autonomic nervous system do?
It controls the heart stomach and other organs
What effects do new experiences have on neurons?
Axons and dendrites build new connections to help communicate the message associated with the experience
What does the sympathetic nervous system do?
It ready’s in the body for vigorous emergency activity
What does the parasympathetic nervous system do?
It promotes digestion and other activities that occur during rest
When our mirror neurons active?
When you do something or when you see someone else do the same thing
What does someone who supports determinism believe?
Scientific research can discover explanations of behavior
Why is there a such thing as consciousness? This question relates to which philosophical issue?
The mind brain relationship
Every mental activity is associated with brain activity supports?
Monism
What is the main difference between a psychiatrist and psychologist?
Psychiatrist can prescribe medicine
In which we would’ve cognitive psychologist help a slow learning child?
By teaching better study skills or problem solving strategies
In the early days how did functionalist differ from structuralist?
Functionalists study the purpose of behavior, structuralist analyze the composition of the mind
In the early stages of psychology why did psychologist study rats and mazes?
They expected to learn general laws of behavior
Why do behaviorists avoid research on thought and knowledge?
Because they believe questions about unsolvable processes are unanswerable
How are behaviorists and Sigmund Freud similar?
Both had high ambitions for discovering major principles in psychology
Who is William James?
The founder of American psychology that focused his attention on how the mind guides useful behavior rather than on the contents of the mind. By doing so he pave the way for the rise of behaviorism.
How did Charles Darwins theory of evolution by natural selection influence psychology?
It prompted some prominent early psychologist to compare the intelligence of different species. That question turned out to be more complicated than expected
Applied research
The study of dealing with practical problems
Basic research
The study that seeks theoretical knowledge for its own sake
Behaviorism
The position that psychology should concern itself only with what people and other animals do and the circumstances in which they do it
Comparative psychologist
Specialist who compares different animal species
Functionalism
Emphasizes on study of what the mind does, instead of the structures that compose it
Introspect
To look within oneself
Positive psychology
Study of the predisposition’s and experiences that make people happy productive and successful
Psychophysical function
Mathematical description of the relationship between the physical stimulus and it’s perceived properties
Structuralism
Attempts to describe the structures that compose the mind
If researchers wanted to apply the results worldwide what kind of samples they need?
A cross-cultural sample
If researchers wanted to apply their results to a large population, they try to select a sample that resembles the total population-what kind of sample would they need?
Either a representative sample or a random sample
Naturalistic observations
Naturalistic observations provide descriptions of humans or other species under natural conditions
Case history
A detailed research study of a single individual generally someone with unusual characteristics
Correlations
A correlation study examines the relationship between variables that are outside the investigators control. The strength of this relationship is measured by correlation coefficient that ranges from 0 to plus or minus 1, 0 being no relationship 1 being a perfect relationship
Illusory correlations
Relationships that people think they observe between variables after casual observation
Inferring causation
A correlation study cannot uncover cause-and-effect relationships but an experiment can
Experiment
In an experiment the investigator manipulates and independent variable to determine its affect on the dependent variable
Random assignment
An experimenter randomly assigned individuals to the experimental and control groups. All participants should have an equal probability of being chosen for the experimental group
Double blind study
Neither the observer nor the participants know the researchers predictions
Demand characteristics
Are cues that tell participants what the experimenter expects them to do
