lecture 1 - what is psych

Question 1

naive realism

Answer 1

we believe that we see the world exactly as is

Question 2

4 goals of psychology

Answer 2

1. describe: what is happening?
2. why: why do people act a certain way?
3. predict: can we anticipate how people will behave?
4. limit: stop harmful behaviors or thoughts

Question 3

levels of analysis

Answer 3

1. biological: molecular
2. psychological: mental events, feelings
3. social/cultural: how people interact

Question 4

scientific method

Answer 4

1. observe
2. hypothesize
3. predict
4. test
5. modify
6. repeat

Question 5

challenges to psychology

Answer 5

• multiple determinism
• individual difference
• social/cultural differences

Question 6

multiple determinism

Answer 6

many reasons why someone could be acting a certain way

Question 7

individual difference

Answer 7

everyone has different experiences and histories so everyone will be different

Question 8

social/cultural differences

Answer 8

in some cultures its more acceptable for kids to be more violent so we should account for things like that
- some can be accustomed to things that others are not

Question 9

reasons for scientific method

Answer 9

• confirmation bias
• belief perseverance
• also maybe naive realism

Question 10

confirmation bias

Answer 10

we seek evidence that supports what we already know or believe
- we dont want to be wrong so we ignore info that can disprove

Question 11

belief perseverance

Answer 11

we stick to our beliefs even whe evidence contradicts them

Question 12

pseudoscience

Answer 12

a collection of beliefs or practices mistakenly regardeed as being based on scientific methods

Question 13

signs of pseudoscience

Answer 13

• exagerated claims
• over reliance on anecdotes
• lack of external peer review
• proof instead of evidence
• psychobabble

Question 14

exagerated claims

Answer 14

statements that seem too good to be true
- big claims need big evidence

Question 15

over reliance on anecdotes

Answer 15

• relying on what people feel and their stories instead of actual data

Question 16

lack of external peer review

Answer 16

need verification from outside sources

Question 17

proof rather than evidence

Answer 17

• countless studies but no sata shown

Question 18

psychobabble

Answer 18

using fancy terms but they really mean nothing

Question 19

dangers of pseudoscience

Answer 19

• opportunity cost
• erosion of trust
• harm

Question 20

opportunity cost

Answer 20

what you give up in order to get something
-ex: buying a vitamin instead of working out

Question 21

erosion of trust

Answer 21

people stop believing science and start belive pseusdoscience

Question 22

harm

Answer 22

• can hurt people
• candace newmaker died from an experiment that was pseudoscience

Question 23

why people believe in pseudoscience

Answer 23

• sunk cost
• confirmation bias
• dunning-kruger effect

Question 24

sunk cost

Answer 24

“i already invested this much in it, i might as well keep going”

Question 25

dunning kruger effect

Answer 25

the less you know, the more you think you know and vice versa

Question 26

safeguards against psuedoscience

Answer 26

- rival hypothesis - correlation and causation - falsifiability - replicability - extraordinary claims - parsimony/ocams razor

Question 27

structuralism

Answer 27

looked at the building blocks of experience and behaviours - basic elements of consciousness - complexe experiences are broken down - doesnt answer the 4 qs of psych - willhelm wundt (1879) - used introspection

Question 28

introspection

Answer 28

Wundt's technique where he would ask about basic feelings to get objective answers - ex: asked how it feels to drink water and wanted to know how it felt, tasted, looked without getting any info from previus experiences - doesnt really work because of subjectivity (individual differences) and imagless thoughts (have past memories that do effect)

Question 29

functionalism

Answer 29

why we have the xperiences that we do and what their utility? - william james - ex: why do we pull back when we touch something hot, why do we feel pain?

Question 30

psychoanalysis

Answer 30

how we study the unconscious - freud - outward behaviour is influenced by unconscious hidden impulses and memories - mind is like an iceberg - sexuality and aggression

Question 31

dream analysis

Answer 31

focused on studying dreams - unconscious wish fufilment - dream can reveal things about the unconscious mind - limitation: confirmation bias

Question 32

freudian slip

Answer 32

when you say one thing but mean something else - leak of unconscious into conscious mind - this is hard to falsify

Question 33

behaviorism

Answer 33

study at the mind by looking only at observable behaviour - watson - ex: baby with the rat that cries. were just looking at his reaction and not why he is crying

Question 34

cognitivism

Answer 34

thinking is important to study and affect behaviours - see whats actually hapening in the brain - neisser - see the brain like a computer - brain scanning

Question 35

current psych