Psychology Flashcards
What is hindsight bias?
Hindsight bias is a “I knew it all along” kind of bias. It’s where the person believes the outcome is obvious or more predictable than it was.
What is Psychology?
Psychology is the study of mental processes and behaviour.
What is a theory?
A theory organizes and explains various observations and predicts outcomes.
Why did structularlism not work out?
The method involved a lot of introspection to the point where it became too subjective. Also, psychologists cannot observe our thoughts and feelings.
What did Freudian figure about our personalities?
He figured that our personalities are shaped by unconscious motives.
William James proposed what kind of different question?
In functionalism, he proposed the question of why we think and feel. He focused on the function of behaviour and defined Psychology as the science of mental life.
Discovered by Freud, what is the talking cure?
The talking cure is when the more you freely associate the more your symptoms decrease.
What is operationalizing?
Operationalizing is when you figure out how to ask general questions about your subject, and you turn it into a measurable, testable proposition.
What’s a hypothesis?
A hypothesis is a testable statement or predication about the relationship between two or more variables.
Why is it important to use clear language?
So that other scientists can replicate the experiment.
What’s the problem with case studies and the benefit?
By their nature, case studies cannot be replicated so they run the risk of over-generalizing, but they are good at showing us what can happen and end up framing questions for more extensive and generalized studies.
What is naturalistic observation and what’s its con?
Naturalistic observation is where scientists watch their subject in their natural environment without controlling any aspect of it. Naturalistic observers are great at describing behaviour but limited at explaining it.
Is correlation causation?
Correlation is not causation, correlation predict the possibility of cause-and-effect relations but they cannot prove them.
What is an independent and dependant variable?
Independent variables are what you change, dependant variables is what you measure, and is affected by the independent variable.
What do experiments do?
Experiments allow investigators to isolate different effects, by manipulating an independent variable, and keeping other variable constant.
How many groups does an experiment need?
They need two groups, the experimental group which gets manipulated, and the control group which does not get manipulated
What are the parts of a neuron and what do they do?
The cell body is the neuron’s life support, dendrites receive messages from other neurons, and the axon is the talker
When do neurons transmit signals?
When stimulated by sensory input or being triggered by other neurons
How are neurotransmitters released?
An action potential runs down to the end of an axon, and activates chemical messengers that jump the synaptic gap onto the receptor sites of the receiving neuron
What is the endocrine system?
The endocrine system is the body’s slow chemical communication system; a set of glands that secrete hormones
What can some neurotransmitters be?
Both inhibitory and excitatory
Are Hormones like Neurotransmitters?
Not in the fact that they tend to linger, and that explains why it takes time to calm down.
What do hormones help with?
attraction, appetite, and aggression
Multiple sclerosis is what?
a chronic disease involving damage to sheaths of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, leading to lack of muscle control.
