Exam 1 Learning Objectives Flashcards
Explain why psychology is more than just common sense
Psychology is the scientific study of the mind, brain, and behavior. Although we often rely on our common sense to understand
the psychological world, our intuitive understanding of our-
selves and others is frequently mistaken. Naive realism is the
error of believing that we see the world precisely as it is. It can
lead us to frequently embrace false beliefs about ourselves and
our world, such as believing that our perceptions and memories
are always accurate.
Explain the importance of science as a set
of safeguards against biases.
Confirmation bias is the tendency to seek out evidence
that supports our hypotheses and deny, dismiss, or distort
evidence that doesn’t. Belief perseverance is the tendency
to cling to our beliefs despite contrary evidence. Scientific
methodology consists of a set of safeguards against these
two errors
Describe psychological pseudoscience and
distinguish it from psychological science.
Pseudoscientific claims appear scientific but don’t play by the
rules of science. In particular, pseudoscience lacks the safe-
guards against confirmation bias and belief perseverance that
characterize science.
Identify reasons we are drawn to pseudoscience.
We’re drawn to pseudoscientific beliefs because the human
mind tends to perceive sense in nonsense and order in dis-
order. Although generally adaptive, this tendency can lead
us to see patterns when they don’t exist. Pseudoscientific
claims can result in opportunity costs and direct harm as
a result of dangerous treatments. They can also lead us to
think less scientifically about other important domains of
modern life.
Identify the key features of scientific skepticism.
Scientific skepticism requires us to evaluate all claims with a
open mind but to insist on compelling evidence before acceptin,
them. Scientific skeptics evaluate claims on their own merits an
are unwilling to accept them on the basis of authority alone
Identify and explain the text’s six principles
of scientific thinking.
Six key scientific thinking principles are ruling out rival
hypotheses, correlation versus causation, falsifiability, replica
bility, extraordinary claims, and Occam’s Razor. Replicability
has assumed particular importance over the past decade in
light of the realization that certain psychological findings ar
challenging for independent investigators to reproduce.
Identify the major theoretical frameworks
Five major theoretical orientations have played key roles in
shaping the field. Structuralism aimed to identify the bast
elements of experience through the method of introspection
Functionalism hoped to understand the adaptive purposes d
behavior. Behaviorism grew out of the belief that psychological
science must be completely objective and derived from laws of
learming. The cognitive view emphasized the importance of me?
dal processes in understanding behavior. Psychoanalysis focused
on unconscious processes and urges as causes of behavior.
Describe different types of psychologists and
identify what each of them does.
“There are many types of psychologists, Clinical and counseling Psychologists often conduct therapy. School psychologists develop intervention programs for children in school settings industrial/ organizational psychologists often work
in companies and business and are involved in maximizing employee performance. Many forensic psychologists work in
prisons or court settings. Many other psychologists conduct
research. For example, developmental psychologists study
systematic change in individuals over time. Experimental
psychologists study learning and thinking, and biological
psychologists study the biological bases of behavior
Describe two great debates that have shaped
the field of psychology.
Two great debates are the nature-nurture debate, which asks
whether our behaviors are attributable mostly to our genes
Psychology and Scientific Thinking 41
(nature) or our rearing environments (nurture), and the free
will-determinism debate, which asks to what extent our
behaviors are freely selected rather than caused by factors
outside our control. Both debates continue to shape the field
of psychology.
Describe how psychological research affects
our daily lives.
Psychological research has shown how psychology can be
applied to such diverse fields as advertising, public safety, the
criminal justice system, and education.
