psych unit 1

Question 1

define psychology

Answer 1

the scientific study of behavior and mental processes

Question 2

what is behavior

Answer 2

any action that other people can observe or measure such as laughing, heart rate

Question 3

what are cognitive activites

Answer 3

private, unobservable mental processes such as sensation and thought

Question 4

what is a psychological construct

Answer 4

a theoretical concept that enables people to discuss abstract things that cant be measured such as emotion, motivation, perception

Question 5

what are the 4 main goals of psychology

Answer 5

1. observe/describe behavior
2. explain behavior
3. predict behavior
4. control behavior

Question 6

what is a survey? adv/dis?

Answer 6

asking questions of randomly sampled people in a specific group
adv: fast way to collect a large amount of data
dis: volunteer bias, poorly worded questions

Question 7

what is a case study? adv/dis?

Answer 7

an in-depth investigation of an individual or a small group, can go on for many years
adv: unique situations can be studied to find new information
dis: small sample size, hard or unethical to replicate

Question 8

what is naturalistic observation? adv/dis?

Answer 8

study of behavior in natural situations, without the observer controlling anything
adv: can be replicated, shows behavior in “real life”
dis: biased researchers, small sample size

Question 9

what is an experiment? adv/dis?

Answer 9

study in a controlled environment with independent and dependent variables
adv: can create specific situations, can easily control other variables, only way to prove causation
dis: easy to become unethical

Question 10

what is the scientific method?

Answer 10

observation -> define problem -> propose hypothesis -> gather evidence/test hypothesis -> either reject hyp and try again or retain hyp as a theory

Question 11

what were the 6 main schools of thought in old psychology?

Answer 11

structuralism, functionalism, psychodynamicism, gestaltism, behaviorism, humanism

Question 12

what is structuralism? who is associated with it?

Answer 12

analyzing how simpler thoughts and sensations fit into larger systems/structures, wilhelm wundt and ed titchener

Question 13

what is functionalism? who is associated with it?

Answer 13

study the purpose of rational thoughts and human capabilities, william james

Question 14

what is psychodynamicism? who is associated with it?

Answer 14

study of human functions based on aggression and sex drive, proved false by more modern psychologists, SIGMA FREUD

Question 15

what is gestaltism? who is associated with it?

Answer 15

human mind is greater than the sum of its parts, religion and morals are part of us, immanual kant and max wertheimer

Question 16

what is behaviorism? who is associated with it?

Answer 16

study of observable behavior, mainly learning and reinforcement, BF skinner and ivan pavlov

Question 17

what is humanism? who is associated with it?

Answer 17

study of individual human needs from water to fulfillment, abe maslow and carl rogers

Question 18

what are ethics?

Answer 18

standards/guidelines for keeping experiments from harming participants

Question 19

what are the ethical guidelines for human experimentation?

Answer 19

confidentiality: records kept private
informed consent: aware that they are participating, can opt out
free from harm: cant be harmed unnecessarily, mentally or physically
debriefing: all info revealed at end of experiment

Question 20

what are the ethical guidelines for animal experimentation?

Answer 20

can only be used if there is no alternative, and if the potential benefits for humans outweigh the harm to the animal (ex. testing cancer cure medicine).

Question 21

what is an ethical guideline used in all experiments?

Answer 21

all evidence must be presented, even if it contradicts the hypothesis

Question 22

who is the father of psychology? why?

Answer 22

VVilhelm VVundt is widely considered to be the first psychologist to distinguish it as a proper science, like chem or bio. Also formed the first lab for psychological studies in 1879.

Question 23

what are the 6 modern perspectives of psychology?

Answer 23

biological, cognitive, evolutionary, humanistic, sociocultural, behavioral

Question 24

what is the difference between correlation and causation (give example)

Answer 24

correlation shows that 2 things are connected, not the same as one thing causing another, ex. as ice cream consumption increases, so does drowning. 2 things are correlated, but ice cream does not cause ppl to drown, both things are caused by warm weather.

Question 25

what is the biological perspective in modern psychology?

Answer 25

study of how biology (genes, hormones, nervous system) influences personality

Question 26

what is the evolutionary perspective in modern psychology?

Answer 26

study of the evolution of behavior and mental processes (survival of the fittest -chuck darwin)

Question 27

what is the cognitive perspective in modern psychology?

Answer 27

study of the influence of personal values and perceptions on behavior

Question 28

what is the humanistic perspective in modern psychology?

Answer 28

study of human self-fulfillment and free will, view people as fundamentally good

Question 29

what is the behavioral perspective in modern psychology?

Answer 29

study of the effects of experience on behaviors, as well as how people learn behaviors from other people

Question 30

what is the sociocultural perspective in modern psychology?

Answer 30

study of the influence of gender, race, culture, and socioeconomic status on behavior