Psych 1 - Exam 1 Flashcards
Confirmations Bias
The tendency to test one’s own belief or conjectures by seeking evidence that may confirm or verify them and ignoring evidence that might disconfirm or refute them
Phrenology
A discredited doctrine of mental faculties supposedly located in specific and detectable bumps at the corresponding points on the external skull
Germany, early 19th century
Franz Joseph Gall and Johann Kasper Spurzheim
Franz Joseph Gall
Germany, early 19th century
Known for:
- Phrenology
Three Early Psychologies
- Trained Introspection
- Functionalism
- Psychoanalysis
Trained Introspection
Method by which individuals were taught to carefully observe, analyze, and describe their own experiences
Many early North American psychologists were trained this way
Wilhelm Wundt, Germany, 1879
Wilhelm Wundt
Germany, 1879
Known for:
- Trained Introspection
- Training many North American psychologists
Functionalism
An early psychological approach that emphasized the function or purpose of behavior and consciousness
William James, US, 1896
William James
US, 1896
Known for:
- Functionalism
Psychoanalysis
A theory of personality and method of psychotherapy that emphasizes unconscious motives and conflicts
Sigmund Fraud, Austria, 1896
Sigmund Fraud
Austria, 1896
Known for:
- Psychoanalysis
- Theory that we are torn between the animalistic side of us and the side of us that wants to be a good member of society
5 major theoretical perspectives
- Biological Perspective
- Learning/Behavioral Perspective
- Cognitive Perspective
- Sociocultural Perspective
- Psychodynamics Perspective
Biological Perspective
A psychological approach that emphasizes bodily events and changes associated with actions, feelings, and thoughts
Includes:
- Hormones
- Brain chemistry
- Genes
- Evolutionary Influences
Learning/Behavioral Perspective
A psychological approach that emphasizes how the environment and experience affect a person’s actions
Includes:
- Behaviors
- Social-cognitive learning theories
Cognitive Perspective
A psychological approach that emphasizes mental processes in perception, memory, language, problem solving, and other areas of behavior
Focuses on inferring mental processes from observable behaviors
Sociocultural Perspective
A psychological approach that emphasizes social and cultural influences on behavior
Psychodynamics Perspective
An approach that emphasizes unconscious dynamics within the individual, such as inner forces, conflicts, or the movement of instinctual energy
Rooted in Freud’s psychoanalysis and has evolved into several variations
Critical Thinking
The ability and willingness to assess claim and make objective judgements rather than ones based on emotion and anecodotes
8 Critical Thinking Guidelines
- Ask questions/be willing to make mistakes
- Define your terms precisely
- Examine the evidence
- Analyze and be aware of assumptions and biases
- Avoid emotional reasoning
- Consider other interpretations
- Tolerate uncertainty
- Don’t over simplify but do pick the explanation with the fewest assumptions
Principle of Falsifiability
The principle that a scientific theory must make predictions that are specific enough to expose the theory to the possibility of disconfirmation
Representative Sample
A group of individuals, selected from a population for study, which matches that population on important characteristics such as sex, age, demographic, etc.
Descriptive Method
A method that yields descriptions of behaviors but not necessarily causal explanations
Types of Descriptive Studies
- Case Studies
- Observational Studies
- Psychological Tests
- Surveys
Case Studies
A study which yields a detailed description of a particular individual being studied or treated
Most commonly used by clinicians, but occasionally used by academic researchers
Limitations:
- Limited to a single occurrence
Observational Studies
A study in which researchers carefully and systematically observe and record behavior without interfering with behavior
Guidelines:
- May not expose person
- May not ID person
- May not lead to any negative consequences
- It is best to always get approval after
Types:
Naturalistic Observations and Laboratory Observations
Naturalistic Observations
A study in which researchers observe how people or animals behave in their natural environment