Psy111

Question 1

Psychology is..

Answer 1

The scientific study of behavior and mental processes

Question 2

Structuralism by Edward Titchener (student of Wundt)

Answer 2

• Focus on structure of mind
• break experience into emotions and sensations
  “Tell me about things that are blue”

Question 3

Wilhelm Wundt (father of psychology)

Answer 3

• first psych lab in Leipzig (1879)
• studies thought, experience, emotions
• analyze content of one’s mind through objective introspection

Question 4

Functionalism (William James)

Answer 4

• influenced by Darwin’s natural selection

- how people adapt, live, work, play

Question 5

Gestalt psychology (Max Wertheimer)

Answer 5

• “An organized whole”

- people naturally seek out patterns in available sensory information

Question 6

Psychoanalysis (Sigmund Freud)

Answer 6

• emphasis on unconscious and early childhood
• insight therapy treating fear and anxiety
  (Iceberg)

Question 7

Behaviorism (John B. Watson)

Answer 7

• focus on observable behavior, ignore consciousness

- ( babies and rats)

Question 8

7 modern perspectives in psychology

Answer 8

1. Psychodynamic
2. Behavioral
3. Humanistic
4. Cognitive
5. Sociocultural
6. Biopsychological
7. Evolutionary

Question 9

Psychodynamic perspective

Answer 9

• focus on unconscious, early development
• less emphasis on sex
• more emphasis on self

Question 10

Behavioral Perspective

Answer 10

• B.F. Skinner
• operant conditioning
• Behavioral responses that are followed by pleasurable consequences are reinforced (crying child gets mothers attention)

Question 11

Humanistic Perspective

Answer 11

• people have freedom to choose their own destiny

Question 12

Cognitive perspective

Answer 12

• memory, intelligence, perception, problem-solving, learning

Question 13

Cognitive neuroscience

Answer 13

• study of physical changes in brain and nervous system during thinking

Question 14

Sociocultural perspective

Answer 14

• focus on relationship between social behavior and culture

- thinking and behavior seem as product of learning and shaping within family, social group, culture

Question 15

Biopsychological Perspective

Answer 15

• Attributes human/Animal behavior to biological events (e.g. genetic influences, hormones, activity of nervous system)

Question 16

Evolutionary Perspective

Answer 16

• focus on biological bases of universal mental characteristics that all humans share

Question 17

Types of professionals

Answer 17

1. Psychiatrist
   - physician specialized in diagnosis and treatment of psych. Disorders
2. Psychologist
   - degree; specialized training in one or more areas of psych
3. Psychiatric social worker:
   - master’s degrees, focus on environmental conditions that can have impact on mental disorders (e.g. poverty, drug abuse)
4. APRN
   - RN specialized in treatment of psych. Disorders
5. Prof. Counselor
   - specialized in psychotherapy, focus on environmental and biol. conditions
6. Marriage and family therapist
   - focus on family and relational problems impacting mental health

Question 18

The Scientific Approach

Answer 18

1. Perceiving the question
2. Forming a hypothesis
3. Testing your hypothesis
4. Drawing conclusions
5. Report your results

Question 19

Descriptive Methods

Answer 19

1. Naturalistic observation
   - watching in natural environment; realistic
2. Laboratory observation
   - controlled situation; artificial behavior

Question 20

Case studies

Answer 20

• Detailed investigation of one subject

- tremendous amount of info; but cannot be applied to other cases

Question 21

Surveys

Answer 21

• Ask questions to large groups that represent sample of population of interest
• get large amount of data +
• May not always get truth from respondents

Question 22

Correlations

Answer 22

A measure of relationships between to variables

• positive: variable related in same direction
• negative: variables relatives in opposite direction

Question 23

Dependent & independent variable

Answer 23

Dependent:
- exposed or not
Independent:
- manipulated by experimenter

Question 24

Correlation Coefficient

Answer 24

• number that represents strength and direction of relationship between two variables

Question 25

Experimenter Effect

Answer 25

• experimenter’s expectations unintentionally influence results

Question 26

Single-Blind Study

Answer 26

Subjects do not know if they are in experimental or control group

Question 27

Double-Blind Study

Answer 27

Neither experimenter not subjects know if they’re in control or experimental group

Question 28

4 Goals of Psychology

Answer 28

1. Describe
2. Explain
3. Predict
4. Control

Question 29

Selection

Answer 29

• random selection of a sample from population of interest

Question 30

Operationalization

Answer 30

Names steps/procedures used to control/measure variables in experiment

Question 31

Experimental Group

Answer 31

Gets independent variable/experimental manipulation

Question 32

Control Group

Answer 32

Receives no treatment/treatment that should not have an effect

Question 33

Ethical Guidelines for doing research with people

Answer 33

1. Protection of rights; well-being of participants
2. Informed consent
3. Deception must be justified (Debriefing)
4. Right to withdraw anytime
5. Protection from harm
6. Debriefing participants at end of study
7. Data must remain confidential
8. Correcting any undesirable consequences that may result

Question 34

Animal Research

Answer 34

• Why? Answers questions we could never answer with human research
• easier to control animals, possibly to dangerous for humans
• shorter lives, easier to study long-term effects
• avoid unnecessary pain/suffering
• only about 7% of psych. studies

Question 35

Critical Thinking

Answer 35

Making reasoned judgements about claims

1. Very few “truths” that do not need to be subjected to testing - everything’s needs evidence
2. All evidence is not equal in quality
3. Authority does not make somebody’s claims true
4. Open mind requires

Question 36

First psychology lab

Answer 36

Wilhelm Wundt in Leipzig, Deutschland