PSYC 100 Chapter 1 Flashcards
Psychology
the scientific study of the mind, brain, and behavior.
Psychological science
the scientific study of the mind, brain, and behavior.
Confirmation Bias
The tendency to seek out, pay attention to, and believe only evidence that supports what we are already confident we know.
Empirical
based on observation
Objective
Based on fact
Subjective
Based on feeling or personal opinion
Systematic
done️ or️ acting️ according️ to️ a️ fixed️
plan️ or️ system️
Self-Correction
when the evidence says you are wrong, you have to admit it and change your ideas
Critical thinking
The purposeful reasoned, and goal-oriented process of exploring a situation or problem; is an essential component of psychological literacy.
Evolutionary Perspective
The psychological perspective on behavior that seeks to identify how humans’ evolutionary past shapes certain universals that all human beings share.
Cultural Perspective
The psychological perspective that seeks to understand how cultural context affects people’s thoughts and
preferences.
Evolutionary vs Cultural
Biology and Nature vs Nurture and Environment
WEIRD
White, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, Democratic
Biological-neuroscience perspective
Studies the biological underpinnings of how we think, act and behave
Developmental perspective
Examines how people change physically, cognitively, socially, and
emotionally as they age
Personality Psychology vs Social Psychology
“Do some people possess
traits that make them more socially skilled?” VS “Are people more socially
skilled in some situations than in other situations?”
Educational Psychology
study of teaching and learning.
School Psychology
applying psychology in the schools to deal with academic problems, mental
health problems, to improve
student achievement, etc.
Industrial/Organizational Psychology
study of factors that influence efficiency, productivity, and satisfaction of workers and organizations
Quantitative Psychology
study of statistics and how they
can be used to analyze data from all subfields of psychology.
Cognitive perspective
Studies the mental processes that underlie perception, thought,
learning, memory, language, and creativity
Emotional Perspective
Examines how the human capacity to feel, express, and perceive
emotions plays an important role in decision-making, behavior, and
social relationships
Personality perspective
Seeks to understand aspects of behavior that are relatively stable
over time and situation
social perspective
Considers the ways in which immediate social contexts influence thoughts, feelings, and behaviors
clinical perspective
Focuses on the causes and treatments of psychological disorders, with the goal of improving human well-being, daily functioning, and
social relationships
pseudoscience
A collection of beliefs or practices mistakenly thought to be based on valid
science
3 critical thinking questions
-What scientific evidence supports this claim?
-Has this topic been studied empirically?
-Am I listening to (or reading) someone else’s opinion, or is this information based on facts that are accepted by unbiased experts?
unconscious
The part of our mental life that influences our thoughts, feelings, and actions that we cannot directly observe and of which we are unaware.
growth mindset
The belief that human personality and behavior can be changed.
positive psychology
the scientific study of the factors that make people happy, keep them healthy, and help them manage stress; includes the study of important human experiences, such as hope, courage, and creativity.
metacognition
An awareness and understanding of your own thought processes.
