Psychology and Scientific Thinking - Chapter 1 Flashcards
What is Psychology?
the science of the behaviour of individuals and their mental processes
What is Naive Realism?
the belief that “seeing is believing”
belief that the world is exactly as it appears
can be useful (car coming at you) or detrimental
What is Reciprocal Determinism?
The fact that Humans influence each other
Eg. if you are around outgoing people then you will become more outgoing
2 Approaches to Studying Cultural Influences
- Cross-cultural: compares experiences in different cultures and attempts to identify the cultural variables that influence its nature
- Cultural: within a particular culture
What is Confirmation Bias
the tendency to seek out evidence that confirms our initial beliefs, ignoring any evidence that contradicts such belief
What is Belief Perseverance?
the tendency to stick with your initial beliefs even when evidence contradicts such belief
What is a Metaphysical Claim?
claim that cannot be tested by science (afterlife, god, soul)
What is a bias blind spot?
recognizing the impact of bias on others judgement, but failing to recognize the impact of bias on yourself
What is Pseudoscience?
claims that seem scientific but lack defence from bias
What are some signs of Pseudoscience?
exaggerated claims, no connection to research, “psychobabble”
Why do we cling to Pseudoscience?
we want to make sense of our world, sense of control, finding comfort within our own beliefs
What is the emotional reasoning fallacy?
using emotions to evaluate validity of arguments
eg. scientific claim makes a person upset and so they refuse to believe it
What is the bandwagon fallacy?
believing something because lots of people believe it
What is the not me fallacy?
belief that that you are immune to errors of thinking that other people are prone to
Eg. debaters pointing out each others biases believing that they themselves couldn’t have bias
What is Scientific Skepticism
to be open minded about all claims but insisting on persuasive evidence in order to accept them
Who began the first Psychology Lab in 1879?
Wilhelm Wundt
Which school of thought relied on introspection?
Structuralism
What is Intropsection in Structuralism?
examination of individuals reports of their own thoughts and feelings
Which School of Thought was influenced by Darwin and aimed to understand how and why the mind functions?
Functionalism
Which school of thought only studied objective, observable behaviours?
Behaviourism (John B. Watson)
Which school of thought aimed to examine the role of mental processes on behaviour? thinking affects behaviour in powerful aways
Cognitivism (Jean Piaget)
Which school of thought wants to uncover the role of unconscious psychological processes?
Psychoanalysis
What type of Psychologist assesses, diagnoses and treats patients with mental disorders?
Clinical Psychologist
What type of Psychologist deals with patients temporary problems?
Counselling
Which type of psychologist does research to understand thinking, memory and social behaviours?
Experimental
What psychology debate discusses whether our behaviour is a result of our genes or environment?
Nature vs Nurture
What Psychology Debate discusses whether we have control over our behaviours?
Free Will vs Determinism
What are the 3 Levels of Analysis?
- Sociocultural
- Psychological
- Biological
How can you avoid pseudoscience?
- Think scientifically
- be aware of logical fallacies
What School of Thought would believe “the basic elements of sensation can reveal the underlying structure of the mind”?
Structuralism
Who are the key figures in Structuralism?
Wilhelm Wundt
Edward Tichener
James Baldwin
Which School of Thought believes “conscious experience is more then the sum of its parts”?
Gestalt Psychology
Who is the key figure behind Gestalt Psychology, the alternative to Structuralism?
Max Wertheimer (Germany)
What field, much older then Psychology, heavily inspired it?
Philosophy
What is Gestalt Psychology’s key principle?
the whole is greater than, and different from, the sum of its parts.
Which school of thought does this question align with; “What is the purpose of any behavioural act?”
Functionalism
What is the name of therapy which involves one person passing on their feelings about one person onto the therapist?
Transference
What is Transference
When one transfers emotions or feelings from one person to another.
eg.
What is Freud best known for?
Theory of unconscious thought
Which close friend and supposed protege left Freud due to disagreements?
Carl Jung
What did Freud propose?
That unconscious mental processes direct behaviour
What is a freudian slip?
unintentionally revealing one’s subconscious feelings through a slip of the tounge
What is the humanistic perspective emphasis on?
each individuals unique experiences
The major contribution of the humanistic perspective…
is the development of the “hierarchy of needs” aka Maslow’s Pyramid
The Cognitive Perspective focuses on..
perception, memory and thinking
Biological perspective focuses on…
the functioning of genes, nervous system and endocrine system
The Evolutionary Perspective beleives …
behaviours that help organisms adapt will be passed on to successive generations
The sociocultural perspective…
examines cross-cultural differences in the causes and consequences of behaviour
Five Main challenges of psychology?
1. Human behaviour…
2. Psychological influences are…
3. individuals…
4. people influence…
5. behaviour is shaped by….
- human behaviour is difficult to predict
- psychological influences are rarely independent
- individual differences among people
- people influence each other (reciprocal determinism)
- behaviour is shaped by culture
What is the scientific method?
set of steps used to analyze and solve problems
Behaviour is…
the observable actions by which an organism adjusts to its environment
What is behavioural data?
reports of observations about behaviour and the conditions under which they occur
What are the 6 principles of scientifc thinking?
- ruling out rival hypothesis
- correlation vs causation
- falsifiability
- replicability
- extraordinary claims
- occam’s razor
Which school of thought emphasizes the “what” of mental behaviour?
structuralism
Which structuralist began the first canadian psychology lab at the University of Toronto in 1889?
James Baldwin
What is consciousness?
ongoing stream of mind in constant interaction with the environment
Who are the key functionalists?
William James and John Dewey
What does Functionalism study?
how and why the mind functions
When was the Canadian Psychology Association (CPA) formed?
1939
What is hysteria?
label used to describe unmanageable fear or emotional excesses
What theories was Freud known for?
Theory of unconscious mind and theory of repression as a defence mechanism
Does therapy = psychoanalysis?
yes
What does the behaviourist perspective focus on?
measuring only what is observable
Who developed humanistic psychology?
Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow
When and where was the first Psychology department established in a Canadian University?
1924 at McGill University
