Info From Modules 1-2 & Lectures 2-4 Flashcards
What is the idea behind Dualism?
Idea that the mind and body are separate, some behaviors occur without thought. (Rene Descartes 1600s)
What was Hobbes’ philosophy?
In reference to Dualism, he believed that even the functions of the brain could be understood through physical processes
What is Phrenology?
Belief that each part of the brain controls a particular part of your personality
Who created the idea of Phrenology?
Franz Josef Gall (1800s)
Weaknesses and abilities were believed to be detected by what?
The bumps on someone’s head
Who created the idea of Structuralism?
Wundt Tichener (1800s, 1900s)
What is Structuralism?
An attempt at breaking down our conscious experience into basic elements to understand the structures of the mind.
What is Empiricism?
The mind is a blank slate, and experience is everything. It forms the individual.
Who created Empiricism?
John Locke 1800s
Who created Nativism?
Noam Chomsky in the 1900s
What is Nativism?
Some knowledge or rules of operation are inborn in humans.
- A posteriori
- A priori
What is a posteriori?
The period of study after data has been collected and analyzed
What is a priori?
Denoting conclusions derived from premises or principles
What is introspection?
Looking at your own mental and emotional processes.
Some problems with introspection?
Own thoughts, very subjective. Hard to collect valid data.
Who created the idea behind Behaviorism?
Watson, Skinner (1900s)
What is Behaviorism?
The idea that humans and animals’ behavior can be explained in terms of conditioning (or different stimuli) that trigger a certain reaction.
What is Cognitive Revolution?
Abandoning the concept of Behaviorism and having the desire to study mental processes in a scientifically controlled manner.
What are the 3 Psychological Analysis Types?
- Biological - Hormones, genes, evolution, physiological structure of brain/body
- Socio-cultural - Family, expectations of culture
3.Psychology - Learning, emotions, perception of reality
How do scientists form hypothesis in psychology?
Through logical theory and evidence
What is Hindsight bias?
Trying to predict what an outcome will be so it is not as much as a surprise. It doesn’t mean that it will be right.
What are the 5 methods of Knowledge Acquisition?
- Tenacity 2. Intuition 3. Authority 4. Rationalism 5. Empiricism
What is Tenacity?
“It’s always been that way” - Holding on to an idea or thing very strongly
What is Intuition?
“It feels true” - Believing something to be true without any evidence or proof of reasoning
What is Rationalism?
“It makes sense logically” - molding a reality to fit one’s theoretical understanding
What is Authority?
“The boss says its true” - holding a high enough standing in somebody’s life enough to influence them
What is Empiricism?
“It is observed it to be true” - idea that all learning comes from experience and observations
What two analytical types do scientists combine to get an educated answer?
Rationalism and Empiricism
What are the 6 steps of the scientific method?
- Identify the problem. 2. Gather Information. 3. Generate a hypothesis. 4.Design and Conduct Experiments 5. Analyze data and draw conclusions 6. (Restart the process with a new hypothesis)
Definition of operational definition?
A description of something in terms of the operations (procedures, actions, or processes) by which it could be observed and measured
What are the different levels of constraint in psychological research?
Case study (description)
Observation (description)
Surveys (description)
Correlational research (relationship)
Experimental research (causal explanation)
Highest level of constraint in research
Experimental Research (causal explanation)
Lowest level of constraint in psychological research
Case Study (description)
What makes for the best case study?
An individual in a situation that cannot be replicated is the most interesting. Scientists like to take advantage of these unique cases.
2 Pros of Case Studies
Extreme cases that would be unethical to recreate, and good for giving ideas for future research
2 Cons for Case Studies
Usually only descriptive not explanatory, limited generalizability
What is a naturalistic observation?
Making yourself a part of the environment to get a natural observation.
Can be a participant in the observation (octopus camouflaging)
3 Pros for Naturalistic Observation
- Provide ideas for future research 2. See “true” behavior 3. Can verify lab results
3 Cons for Naturalistic Observation
- Only able to say how something behaves and not the “why”
- Usually only one individual is found for observation of interest
- No control over how the environment may affect the study
What is response bias?
Responding to a survey in a way that makes us look good. Ex. Saying we go to the gym more times than we do, and putting a smaller number for how many drinks we have a week.
How does correlational design affect studies?
No manipulation with variables. Ex. Drinking during pregnancy causes poor intellectual skills for the child
What is the variable that can be manipulated called?
Independent variable (IV)
What is the variable that can be measured called?
Dependent Variable (DV)
Problem with an Experimental Group
Different circumstances and variables for different people can affect the experiment/ measurement for the study. Ex. Memorization listening to music vs white noise when people are not monitored for how much sleep, or nutrition they get
What is a Control Group?
The group of participants that is the same as the experimental
group in every way except that they don’t receive treatment component of the manipulated variable.
What variable does a difference in treatment (How loud the music is, Time of day, Type of Music) affect?
The Dependent Variable (DV)
How can you ensure a similar group?
Random assignment, Matching
What type of research can establish a causal relationship between variables?
Experimental Research
Con for Experimental Research?
Artificial, Not always ethical
What is the term for the definition “the typical variable for a group”?
Central Tendency
What is the opposite of central tendency in a group? Or variables that vary from the middle?
Dispersion
Measure for Central Tendency?
Mean, Median, and Mode
Measures for Dispersion
Standard Deviation, Range, Variance
Define Applied Research
Research done in an effort to discover a new or more effective way to solve a specific practical problem.
Applied Practice
Application of applied techniques to solve specific practical problems.
Applied Psychology
Use of psychological principles to solve practical problems by influencing behavior or changing environment to match specific behavior.
Basic Research
Work done by psychologists to better understand principles of behavior and mind
Biological Determinism
The view that all human behavior biological is controlled by genetic and biological influences
Clinical Psychology
A form of applied psychology that focuses on identifying, preventing, and relieving distress or dysfunction that is psychological in origin.
Counseling PSychologists
Psychologists who focus on helping people deal with ongoing situations, or on the adjustment from one situation to another.
Eclectic Approach
An approach to clinical psychology that uses different therapeutic techniques based on their effectiveness for the current situation.
Evolutionary Psychology
The study of psychology from an evolutionary perspective, it proposes that many mental processes have developed in response to natural selection to solve adaptive problems.
Feminist Psychology
An approach to psychology that is critical of cultural influences on gender and gender differences in behavior.
Functional Explanations
A kind of proximate explanation that seeks to identify a specific problem as the cause of a trait, behavior, or mental process.
Functionalism
An early movement in psychology whose proponents believed that an understanding of a behavior or process’ function was critical to understanding its operation.
Humanistic Psychology
An approach to psychology that emphasizes the ability of humans to make their own choices and realize their own potential.
Intersectional Approach
An approach to studying cultural influences that emphasizes examining an individual is not defined by one characteristic of their identity
Levels of Explanation
The acknowledgment that different explanations for a phenomenon can complement one another.
Positive Psychology
An outgrowth of humanistic psychology, positive psychology studies specific virtues of the human experience, including topics such as happiness, trust, charity, and gratitude.
Process-oriented Explanation
A kind of proximate explanation that focuses on how a specific mental or physical process directly explains a trait or behavior.
Proximate Explanations
Explanations that seek to describe an immediate cause of a trait, behavior, or mental process.
Psychiatrist
A medical doctor who is trained to assess and treat psychological disorders. Psychiatrists often prescribe and manage psychiatric medications.
Psychoanalysis
A form of psychotherapy coined by Sigmund Freud that seeks to help clients gain more insight into their unconscious thoughts, behaviors, and motivations.
Systematic Introspection
One of the first strategies to make inferences about the contents of the mind, it was an effort to standardize the way that people reported their own experiences.
Translational Research
Research that attempts to take basic findings and turn them into solutions for practical problems.
Ultimate Explanations
Explanations that seek to describe the reasons why a trait, behavior, or mental process exists by appealing to its role in the process of evolution.
Ablation
Medical procedure to destroy or remove tissue
Acquiescent Response Bias
The tendency for participants to agree or respond “yes” to all questions regardless of their actual opinions.
Assent
A person’s affirmative permission to take part in a research study. In cases of decisional impairment, assent must be obtained in addition to informed consent.
Beneficience
A concept of research ethics whereby researchers strive to do ‘good’ in a research study.
Confederate
A person who is acting as a participant, but in reality, is another researcher.
Confounding Variable
Other variables that may influence one or both variables that we are measuring, thereby influencing the correlation coefficient.
Correlation Coefficient
A numerical representation of the strength of the relationship between variables (denoted as r).
Reasons why we may not always be sure WHAT is influencing behavior?
Researchers lack control over the environment and many different factors that can affect behavior when conducting naturalistic behavior.
What 3 things allow researchers to study small groups to produce descriptive data of behavior?
Naturalistic observation, participant observation, and case studies
Research Ethics
General principles that outline how people should be educated, treated, and respected when participating in study.
Beneficence vs. maleficence
Research striving to do good vs. research that could potentially harm the participant
Fidelity and Responsibility
Ethical principle of developing trusting relationships between researchers and participants, that is their responsibility.
What is integrity?
Ethical principle that psychologists should engage in accurate, honest, and non-biased practices in the science, teaching, and practice of psychology
Justice
The people who participate in the research process should also be able who stand to benefit from the research outcomes.
Decisional Impairment
Instances that diminish a potential participant’s capacity to provide informed consent.
Situational Vulnerability
When the freedom of choice to participate in research is compromised as a result of undue influence from another source.
Confounding Variable
another variable that may influence one or both variables that we are measuring, thereby influencing the correlation coefficient.
Defined measurements of true correlation
-1 to +1
Extraneous Variables
Outside variables that may influence the experiment if not controlled
Stratified Random Sample Process
A form of random sampling: first divides population into subgroups then randomly take samples from that group in proportion to the population of interest.
Who are Roediger and Karpicke and what did they do?
Effect that tests (IV) had on memory recall (DV) for education material
