Exam #1 Terms (Learning) Flashcards
What is critical thinking?
Thinking that does not blindly accept arguments and conclusions. Rather, it examines assumptions, appraises the source, discerns hidden biases, evaluates evidence, and assesses conclusions.
What is empiricism?
The idea that knowledge comes from experience, and that observation and experimentation enable scientific knowledge.
What is structuralism?
An early school of thought promoted by Wundt and Titchener; used introspection to reveal the structure of the human mind.
What is introspection?
The process of looking inward in an attempt to directly observe one’s own psychological processes.
What is functionalism?
An early school of thought promoted by James and influenced by Darwin; explored how mental and behavioral processes function-how they enable the organism to adapt, survive, and flourish.
What is behaviorism?
The view that psychology (1) should be an objective science that (2) studies behavior without reference to mental processes. Most psychologists today agree with (1) but not with (2).
What is humanistic psychology?
A historically significant perspective that emphasized human growth potential.
What is cognitive psychology?
The study of mental processes, such as occur when we perceive, learn, remember, think, communicate, and solve problems.
What is cognitive neuroscience?
The interdisciplinary study of the brain activity linked with cognition (including perception, thinking, memory, and language).
What is psychology?
The science of behavior and mental processes.
What is natural selection?
The principle that inherited traits that better enable an organism to survive and reproduce in a particular environment will (in competition with other trait variations) most likely be passed on to succeeding generations.
What is evolutionary psychology?
The study of the evolution of behavior and the mind, using principles of natural selection.
What are behavior genetics?
The study of the relative power and limits of genetic and environmental influences on behavior.
What is culture?
The enduring behaviors, ideas, attitudes, values, and traditions shared by a group of people and transmitted from one generation to the next.
What is positive psychology?
The scientific study of human flourishing, with the goals of discovering and promoting strengths and virtues that help individuals and communities to thrive.
What is the biophyscosocial approach?
An integrated approach that incorporates biological, psychological, and social cultural viewpoints.
What is behavioral psychology?
The scientific study of observable behavior, and its explanation by principles of learning.
What is biological psychology?
The scientific study of the links between biological (genetic, neural, hormonal) and psychological processes.
What is psychodynamic psychology?
A branch of psychology that studies how unconscious drives and conflicts influence behavior and uses that information to treat people with psychological disorders.
What is social-cultural psychology?
The study of how situations and cultures affect our behavior and thinking.
What is testing effect?
Enhanced memory after retrieving, rather than simply rereading, information.
What is SQ3R?
A study method incorporating five steps: Survey, Question, Read, Retrieve, Review.
What is psychometrics?
The scientific study of the measurement of human abilities, attitudes, and traits.
What is basic research?
A branch of psychology that studies physical, cognitive, and social change throughout the life span.
What is educational psychology?
The study of how psychological processes affect and can enhance teaching and learning.
What is personality psychology?
The study of individuals’ characteristic patterns of thinking, feeling, and acting.
What is social psychology?
The scientific study of how we think about, influence, and relate to one another.
What is applied research?
Scientific study that aims to solve practical problems.
What is industrial-organizational (I/O) psychology?
The application of psychological concepts and methods to optimizing human behavior in workplaces.
What is human factors psychology?
A field of psychology allied with I/O psychology that explores how people and machines interact and how machines and physical environments can be made safe and easy to use.
What is counseling psychology?
A branch of psychology that assists people with problems in living and achieving greater well-being.
What is clinical psychology?
A branch of psychology that studies, assesses, and treats people with psychological disorders.
What is psychiatry?
A branch of medicine dealing with psychological disorders.
What is community psychology?
A branch of psychology that studies how people interact with their social environments and how social institutions affect individuals and groups.
What is hindsight bias?
The tendency to believe, after learning an outcome, that one would have foreseen it.
What is a theory?
An explanation using an integrated set of principles that organizes observations and predicts behaviors or events.
What is a hypothesis?
A testable prediction, often implied by a theory.
What is an operational definition?
A carefully worded statement of the exact procedures (operations) used in a research study.
What is replication?
Repeating the essence of a research study, usually with different participants in different situations, to see whether the basic finding can be reproduced.
What is a case study?
A descriptive technique in which one individual or group is studied in depth in the hope of revealing universal principles.
What is naturalistic observation?
A descriptive technique of observing and recording behavior in naturally occurring situations without trying to manipulate or control the situation.
What is a survey?
A descriptive technique for obtaining the self-reported attitudes or behaviors of a particular group, usually by questioning a representative, random sample of the group.
What is sampling bias?
A flawed sampling process that produces an unrepresentative sample.
What is population?
All those in a group being studied, from which samples may be drawn.
What is a random sample?
A sample that fairly represents a population because each member has an equal chance of inclusion.
What is correlation?
A measure of the extent to which two factors vary together, and thus of how well either factor predicts the other.
What is correlation coefficient?
A statistical index of the relationship between two things (from -1.00 to +1.00).