psandca1 Flashcards
this research area combines biology and psychology. Researchers in this area typically study brain organization or the chemicals within the brain (neurotransmitters).
Psychobiology
Researchers who study in this field are interested in how humans process, store, and retrieve information; solve problems; use reasoning and logic; make decisions; and use language.
scientists study the mind.
Cognition
Psychologists in this area conduct research on the physical, social, and cognitive development of humans. This might involve research from the prenatal development period throughout the life span to research on the elderly (gerontology).
Human Development
psychologists in this are are interested in how we view and affect one another. Research in this area combines the disciplines of psychology and sociology, in that psychologists in this field are typically interested in how being part of a group affects the individual.
Social Psychology
is designed to assess whether a therapy is effective in helping individuals. Might patients have improved without the therapy, or did they improve simply because they thought the therapy was supposed to help?
Psychotherapy
means acquiring knowledge that is based on subjective feelings, interpreting random events as nonrandom events, or believing in magical events.
Knowledge via superstition
it means that we have knowledge of something without being consciously aware of where the knowledge came from. You have probably heard people say things like “I don’t know, it’s just a gut feeling” or “I don’t know, it just came to me, and I know it’s true.”
Knowledge via intuition
When we gain knowledge and accept what a respected or famous person tells us
As you were growing up, your parents provided you with information that, for the most part, you did not question, especially when you were very young. You believed that they knew what they were talking about, and thus you accepted the answers they gave you.
Authority
involves hearing a piece of information so often that you begin to believe it is true, and then, despite evidence to the contrary, you cling stubbornly to the belief.
This method is often used in political campaigns, where a slogan is repeated so often that we begin to believe it.
Tenacity
Gaining knowledge that involves logical reasoning. With this approach, ideas are precisely stated, and logical rules are applied to arrive at logically sound conclusion. Presented in a form of syllogism
All humans are mortal;
I am a human;
Therefore, I am mortal.
Attractive people are good;
Nellie is attractive;
Therefore, Nellie is good.
Rationalism
involves gaining knowledge through objective observation and the experiences of your senses. An individual who says “I believe nothing until I see it with my own eyes”
Empiricism
involves a merger of rationalism and empiricism. Scientists collect data (make empirical observations) and test hypotheses with these data (assess them using rationalism).
Science
is a prediction regarding the outcome of a study. This prediction concerns the potential relationship between at least two variables
Hypothesis
simply observing a series of events does not lead to scientific knowledge. The observations must be made in a systematic manner to test a hypothesis and develop or refute a theory (in other words, empiricism, and rationalism).
Systematic Empiricism
This means that the research is presented to the public in such a way that it can be observed, replicated, criticized, and tested for veracity by others. Most commonly, this involves submitting the research to a scientific journal for possible publication.
Publicly Verifiable Knowledge
