Introduction to Psychology & Research Methods

Question 1

What is pseudopsychology? Give some examples.

Answer 1

Pseudo = false

Any unfounded “system” that resembles psychology and is NOT based on evidence gathered from scientific research.

Examples:

Palmistry: Lines on your hands (palms)predict the future and reveal personality.

Phrenology: Personality traits revealed by the shape of the skull.

Graphology: Personality traits are revealed by your handwriting.

Astrology: The positions of the stars and planets at birth determine personality traits and affect your behavior.

Question 2

Who is the “Father” of psychology?

Answer 2

Wilhelm Wundt

Question 3

What is Introspection?

Answer 3

the examination or observation of one’s own mental and emotional processes.

Report experience

Question 4

________ focused on how mental activities helped an organism fit into its environment.

Answer 4

functionalism

Question 5

Find which Theory is this:

More interested in the operation of the whole mind rather than of its individual parts.

We have traits & abilities, but rather than trying to figure out the experience of these, we should remember that they serve a purpose.

E.x. Why do we see a red dot? What purpose does color vision serve? How does it help?

Answer 5

Functionalism

Question 6

______believe that there are elements or structures of the mind that make us behave, think and feel the way we do. (e.x. brain and its parts)

Answer 6

Structuralists

Question 7

The influence of the unconscious on behavior. The importance of early life experience on personality development.

Techniques of study- individual case study of the patient.

Which theory is this?

Answer 7

Psychoanalytic theory

Question 8

This theory focuses on the role of a person’s unconscious, as well as early childhood experiences.

Focuses on: the unconscious of the human mind.

Answer 8

Psychoanalytic theory by Sigmund Freud

Question 9

Who are Neo-Freudians?

Answer 9

New or recent; some of Freud’s students who broke away to promote their own theories.

Question 10

This theory states that:

Psychology must study observable behavior objectively.

Studied relationship between
Stimuli & responses

Answer 10

Behaviorism

Question 11

Father of Behaviorism

thought that the study of consciousness was flawed.

Because he believed that objective analysis of the mind was impossible,

preferred to focus directly on observable behavior and try to bring that behavior under control.

Shifted the focus of psychology from the mind –> behavior.

Stimuli & response

Answer 11

John B. Watson

Question 12

The approach of observing and controlling behavior.

Answer 12

behaviorism

Question 13

This person concentrated on how behavior was affected by its consequences.

Believed that reinforcement & punishment are the major factors in driving behavior.

Answer 13

B.F Skinner

Question 14

This theory states that our thoughts influence our behaviors.

Thinking and conditioning are combined to explain behavior.

Answer 14

Cognitive Behaviourism

Question 15

“The whole is greater than the sum of its parts”

Studied thinking, learning, and perception in whole units, not by analyzing experiences into parts

State which theory is this.

Answer 15

Gestalt psychology

Question 16

Deals with the fact that although a sensory experience can be broken down into individual parts, how those parts relate to each other as a whole is often what the individual responds to in perception.

For example, a song may be made up of individual notes played by different instruments, but the real nature of the song is perceived in the combinations of these notes as they form the melody, rhythm, and harmony.

Contradictory to: structuralism

Which theory is this?

Answer 16

Gestalt psychology

Question 17

Goal: to study UNIQUE aspects of the person.

Focuses on human experience, problems, potentials, and ideals.

Each person has INNATE GOODNESS and is able to make free choices

Key Names: Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow

Answer 17

Humanism

Question 18

A perspective within psychology that emphasizes the potential for good that is innate (inborn) to all humans.

Answer 18

Humanism

Question 19

_________ established the hierarchy of human needs in motivating behavior.

He stated that: “As long as basic needs necessary for survival were met (e.g., food, water, shelter), higher-level needs (e.g., social needs) would begin to motivate behavior”.

Answer 19

Abraham Maslow

Question 20

Focus on the importance of social and cultural contexts in influencing our behavior

Answer 20

Social Constructionism

Question 21

All of our behavior can be explained through PHYSIOLOGICAL processes.

Uses brain scans to gather data

Answer 21

Biopsychology

Question 22

Study of human strengths, virtues, and optimal behavior

Looks at the positive side of human behavior

Answer 22

Positive Psychology

Question 23

Which theory is this?

People’s emotions, thoughts, behavior, and body sensations, are linked to each other, and whatever people do and whatever they think, affects how they feel.

thoughts - feelings - behavior

Also, changes in one of these will cause changes in the others.

Answer 23

Cognitive Behaviorism

Question 24

study how the structure and function of the nervous system generate behavior.

Answer 24

Biopsychology

Question 25

Scientific study of development across a lifespan.

Answer 25

Developmental psychology

Question 26

Focuses on how we interact with and relate to others.

Answer 26

Social psychology

Question 27

Focuses on how health is affected by the interaction of biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors.

Answer 27

Health psychology

Question 28

Subject has an equal chance of being in either the experimental or control group

Answer 28

Random assignment

Question 29

The group of subjects that gets exposed to the independent variable- _________

The group of subjects that gets all conditions EXCEPT the independent variable. ________

Answer 29

Experimental group, Control group

Question 30

Condition(s) altered by the experimenter; experimenter sets their size, amount, or value; these are suspected causes for behavioral differences

Answer 30

Independent variable

Question 31

the variable that changes as a result of the independent variable manipulation.

Answer 31

dependent variable

Question 32

What are Extraneous variables?

Answer 32

Conditions that a researcher wants to prevent from affecting the outcomes of the experiment (e.g., the number of hours slept before the experiment)

Question 33

Observing a person or an animal in the environment in which they/ it lives (s)

Answer 33

Naturalistic observation

Question 34

What is the Observer effect?

Answer 34

Changes in the subject’s behavior caused by an awareness of being observed.

Question 35

What is Observer bias?

Answer 35

Occurs when observers see what they expect to see or record only selected details

Question 36

Studies designed to measure the degree of a relationship (if any) between two or more events, measures, or variables

Answer 36

Correlational Studies

Question 37

_________- Increases in one variable are matched by increases in the other variable

Answer 37

Positive correlation

Question 38

_________- Increases in one variable are matched by decreases in the other variable

Answer 38

Negative correlation

Question 39

What is Courtesy bias?

Answer 39

a tendency to give “polite” or socially desirable answers and not be truthful in responses