Exploring Psychology Flashcards
What is critical thinking?
It is when we take an active role in understanding the world. We reflect on the meaning of its information.
Social constructionism
They are concepts presented so often in society that they are accepted as truths and rarely questioned, such as ‘childhood’
Self-Perception Theory
we make inferences about our own attitudes by observing how we behave.
Attitudes
A positive or negative reaction towards a stimulus, such as a person, action, object or concept.
Antecedents of attraction
- Propinquity
- Mere exposure effect
- Proximity and anticipating the cost of negative relationships.
Basic Research
Research that reflects the quest for knowledge purely for its own sake.
Applied research
Research designed to solve specific practical problems.
Generalised anxiety disorder (GAD)
excessive disproportionate anxiety about several different aspects of life.
Mind-body dualism
The belief that the mind is a spiritual entity not subject to physical laws that govern the body.
Monism
holds that mind and body are one and that the mind is not a separate spiritual entity.
Empiricism
school which holds that all ideas and knowledge are gained empirically - that is, through the senses.
Structuralism
The analysis of the mind in terms of its basic elements.
Functionalism
held that psychology should study
the functions of consciousness
rather than its structure
Psychodynamic perspective
Searches for the causes of
behaviour within the inner
workings of our personality (our
unique pattern of traits, emotions
and motives), emphasizing the role of unconscious processes
Psychoanalysis
The analysis of internal and primarily unconscious psychological forces
Defence mechanisms
Psychological techniques that help
us cope with anxiety and the pain
of traumatic experiences
Object relations theories
Theories that focus on how early
experiences with caregivers shape
the views that people form of
themselves and others
Behavioural perspective
Focuses on the role of the
external environment in
governing our actions
Behaviourism
School of thought that emphasizes
environmental control of behaviour through learning
Independent Variable
The factor that the researcher manipulates to determine its impact.
Dependent Variable
The outcome or response that is measured to assess the effects of such manipulation.
Critical period
Age range during which certain experience must occur for development to proceed normally or along a certain path.
Sensitive Period
An optional age range for certain experiences; if those experiences occur at another time, normal development may still be possible.
Cross-sectional Design
Compares people of different ages at the same point in time.
Cognitive Behaviourism
proposes that learning experiences
and the environment influence
our expectations and other
thoughts, and in turn our thoughts
influence how we behave.
Cohort
A group of people who have shared the same historical events by virtue of their being the same age.
Humanistic Perspective/ humanism
emphasised free will, personal growth and the attempt to find meaning in ones existence
positive psychology movement
emphasises the study of human strengths, fulfilment and optimal living.
cognitive perspective
examines the nature of the mind and how mental processes influence behaviour.
gestalt psychology
examines how elements of experience are organised into wholes
cognitive neuroscience
uses sophisticated electrical
recording and brain-imaging
techniques to examine brain
activity while people engage in
cognitive tasks
social constructivism
maintains that what we consider ‘reality’ is largely our own mental creation.
sociocultural perspective
examines how the social
environment and cultural
learning influence our behaviour,
thoughts and feelings.
cross-cultural psychology
explores how culture is transmitted
to its members, and examines
psychological similarities and
differences among people from
diverse cultures
Individualistic
an emphasis on personal
goals and self-identity based
primarily on one’s own attributes
and achievements
Collectivist
individual goals are subordinated
to those of the group, and personal
identity is defined largely by the
ties that bind one to the extended
family and other social groups
Biological perspective
examines how brain processes
and other bodily functions
regulate behaviour
Biological neuroscience
xamines brain processes
and other physiological
functions that underlie our
behaviour, sensory experiences,
emotions and thoughts
Natural Selection
f an inherited trait gives certain
members an advantage over
others these members will be more
likely to survive and pass these
characteristics on to their offspring
Neurotransmitters
chemical released by nerve cells
that allow them to communicate
with one another
Evolutionary Psychology
a growing discipline that seeks
to explain how evolution shaped
modern human behaviour
Social Cognition
Concerns the social side of our mental processes and how people make sense of themselves and others around them.
Attributions
judgements about the causes of our own and other peoples behaviour and outcomes
fundamental attribution error
we underestimate the impact of the situation and overestimate the role of personal factors when explaining other peoples behaviour.
actor-observer bias
he tendency to make situational
attributions to explain our
own behaviour and personal
attributions to explain the
behaviour of others
self-serving bias
he tendency to make personal
attributions for one’s own successes
and situational attributions for
one’s own failures
Impression formation
the process of how, with what
information and to what effect
people make judgements of others
Recency effect
the tendency
to attach more importance to the
most recent information that we
learn about a person
Primary effect
the tendency
to attach more importance to
the initial information that we
learn about a person
self- schemas
self - perception theory
social comparison theory
reflected appraisals principle
self - discrepancy theory
regulatory focus theory
promotional goals
prevention goals
personal identity
social identity
in-groups
out-group
self-esteem
better-than-average effect
sociometer
collective self -esteem
attitude
explicit attitude
implicit attitude
theory of cognitive dissonance
dissonance
central route to persuasion
peripheral route to persuasion
communicator credibility
door-in-the-face technique
foot-in-the-door technique
lowballing
conformity
informational social influence
normative social influence
referent informational influence
social loafing
social compensation
group polarisation
groupthink
deindividuation
