Intro To Psychology Flashcards
Psychology (definition)
An inexact science that studies human behavior and mental processes.
Basic Goals
- To measure and describe behavior
- To predict and try to control behavior
- To understand and explain behavior
Who were the first people believed to “teach” psych
Philosophers
Who were the first “actual” psych’s
Doctors
Wilhem Wundt
German doctor considered to be the first psychologist. Started the first psych lab in Germany.
Who opened the first psych lab and where
Stanley Hall at John Hopkins
What are the schools of thought or conceptual approaches?
- Structuralism
- Functunalism
- Behaviorism
- Psychoanalytic
Structuralism
(Wundt) believed in studying conscious experience ( Conscious experience is also known as Introspective: asking why you do things you have no immediate answer to)
Determinism
Events that are not random, but are determined by specific factors.
Functionalism
(James and Dewy) interested in the function or purpose of behavior - interested in why consciousness exists
Behaviorism
(Skinner) interested in changing behavior but are not interested in why the behavior exists. (We learn what to do and what not to do through consequences)
SJCI BELIEVES THAT CONSEQUENCES WILL SHAPE WHO YOU ARE
Psychoanalytic
(Freud) believed that behavior is determined by those events that are buried in our subconscious mind- This consists of the subconscious mind- events we do not want to remember- basic impulses and urges
When does the subconscious mind come out?
Dreams, slits of speech, and personal interests
Basic Research
Conducting research w/ basic outcome and reason
Applied research
Has a very specific purpose and tries to improve the quality of life, so that you are doing something of value
What are the two ethical considerations?
Honesty: 1. Due to pressure placed on scholars,sometimes professors , cheat and make up research papers.
2. Some professors let their personal opinions affect the results of a study
Subject Rights- today people must give their consent to be studied and deprived after their study
What are the research methods
- Experimental Method
- The correlation approach
- Survey method
- Naturalistic Observation
Experimental Method
The most widely used and abused method. Most of the research is done at colleges.
Control group
Does not receive the independent variable
Experimental group
Opposite of the control group
Intervening variable
Non observable process within the subject that may effect the experience
Single blind
All subjects are not aware of what group your in
Double blind
The researcher can’t know who is in what group (protects the integrity of an experiment)
Placebo
Fake out
Confederate
People that participate in the study that are planted by the researcher
Correlation
A relationship between two or more variables. Not a cause and effect relationship
Coefficient of correlation
Telling of a relationship
0
No relationship
1
Represents a perfect relationship
Survey Method
When psychs give people a number of questions to study their attitudes and their opinions
Note: some people do lie. Dependent on a persons memory
Naturalistic observation
Researchers go out into the field and observe occurring behavior. Tales place in factory, mall, etc. Researchers aren’t biased
Psychiatrist
Have a medical degree, can prescribe drugs and engage in surgical procedures
Psychologists
Have master or PHD. Do counseling or research
