Foundations of Psychological Science Flashcards
Commonsense Psychology
Beliefs about humans that are often false and lack logical evaluation
Pseudoscience
Belief lacking objective evidence, e.g. astrology, phrenology, graphology
Scientific Method
Observation, hypothesis, evidence gathering, theory building
Psychological Research Areas
Developmental, forensic, community, environmental, industrial
Clinical Psychologists
Treats psychological problems and conducts research on therapies and mental disorders; collaborate with psychiatrists, counselors;
Wilhelm Wundt’s Method
Introspection to study conscious experience; Considered the father of psychology; relied on scientific observation
Structuralism
Study of sensation and personal experience as basic elements
Gestalt Approach
Studies experiences of thinking, learning, personality, and perception as whole units
Functionalist Approach
Considers behavior in terms of active adaptations; consciousness is an ever-changing stream of images and sensations
Behaviorist Approach
Emphasizes the study of observable actions over the study of the mind; Objective behavior study, reject introspection
Psychiatrist
Medical doctor who treats serious mental disorders, often with drugs
Psychoanalytic Approach
Emphasize unconscious origins of behavior; Mental life is influenced by unconscious thoughts, impulses, and desires
Psychoanalyst
Psychiatrist or psychologist who uses a precise approach to psychotherapy
Counselor
Advises and offers practical helping skills to solve problems with marriage, career, school, etc.
Stimulus
Physical energy that affects a person and evokes a response
Radical Behaviorism
Believes actions are controlled by rewards and punishments; rejects introspection and the concept of mind
Psychoanalytic Psychology
Mental life is influenced by unconscious thoughts, impulses, and desires
Cognitive Psychology
Study of information processing, thinking, reasoning, and problem solving
Humanistic Psychology
Believes people are inherently good and have potential; focuses on self-actualization
Biopsychosocial Model
Considers biological, psychological, and social factors in understanding behavior
Critical Thinking
Reflection that asks whether a belief can be supported by scientific theory and observation
Hypothesis
Predicted outcome of an experiment
Experimental Variables
Independent: Suspected cause for differences in behavior; Dependent: Measure any effect of manipulating the independent variable
Random Assignment
Subjects placed in experimental or control groups by chance; essential to make cause-and-effect claims
Correlational Research
Quantifies the degree to which events, measures, or variables are associated
Case Studies
In-depth analysis of behavior of one person or small number of people; useful for investigating mental disorders
Uncritical Acceptance
Tendency to accept beliefs as true without logical reasoning
Confirmation Bias
Unconsciously noticing information that confirms existing expectations
Psychologists
Highly trained in methods, knowledge, and theories of psychological research
Basic Research
Seeking knowledge for the sake of knowledge, e.g. understanding how memory works
Applied Research
Solving immediate practical problems, e.g. improving athletic performance
Animal Model
A small percentage of psychological studies; principles apply to humans
Counseling Psychologist
Treats milder problems such as trouble at work or school
Gender and Culture Bias
Introduced due to participant demographics
Goals of Psychology
Description, understanding, prediction, control
Critical Thinking Principles
Logical analysis, skepticism, evidence evaluation
Data Types in Psychology
Self-report, observational, physiological
Experimental Variables
Independent, dependent, extraneous
Experimental Design
Random assignment, control of extraneous variables
Statistical Significance
Results unlikely by chance, replicable
Experiment Problems
Participant and researcher bias
Nonexperimental Methods
Quasi-experiments, lack random assignment
Correlational Research
Assess degree of association between variables
Case Studies
Useful for studying rare events
Information Literacy
Critical evaluation of popular press and social media
