Psychology: Chapter 1 Flashcards
the scientific study of the mind, brain and behavior
Psychology
rungs on a ladder of analysis, with lower levels tied most closely to biological influences and higher levels tied most closely to social influences
Levels of Analysis
caused by many factors
Multiply Determined
variations among people in their thinking, emotion, personality, and behavior
Individual Differences
belief that we see the world precisely as it is
Naive Realism
explanation for a large number of findings in the natural world
Scientific Theory
testable prediction derived from a scientific theory
Hypothesis
tendency to seek out evidence that contradicts them
Confirmation Bias
tendency to stick to our initial beliefs even when evidence contradicts them
Belief Perseverance
assertion about the world that is not testable
Metaphysical Claim
set of claims that seems scientific but aren’t
Pseudoscience
escape hatch or loophole that defenders of a theory use to protect their theory from falsification
Ad hoc Immunizing Hypothesis
tendency to percieve meaningful connections among unrelated phenomena
Apophenia
tendency to perceive meaningful images in meaningless visual stimuli
Pareidolia
theory proposing that our awareness of our death leaves us with an underlying sense of terror which we cope by adopting reasuring cultural worldviews
Terror Management Theory
approach of evaluating all claims with an open mind but insisting on persuasive evidence before accepting them
Scientific Skepticism
set of skills for evaluating all claims in an open minded and careful fashion
Critical Thinking
error of assuming that because one thing is associated with another, it must cause the other
Correlation - Causation Fallacy
anything that can vary
Variable
capable of being disproved
Falsifiable
when a study’s finding are able to be duplicated, ideally by independent investigators
Replicability
method by which trained observers carefully reflect and report on their mental experiences
Introspection
school of spychology that aimed to indetify the basic elements of psychological experience
Structuralism
school of psychology that aimed to understand the adaptive purposes of psychological characteristics
Functionalism
principle that organisms that possess adaptations sruvive and reproduce at a higher rate than other organisms
Natural Selection
shcool of psychology that focuses on uncovering the general laws of learning by looking at observable behavior
Behaviorism
school of psychology that proposes that thinking is central to understanding behavior
Cognitive Psychology
relatively new field of psychology that examines the relation between brain functioning and thinking
Cognitive Neuroscience
school of psychology, founded by Sigmund Freud, that focuses on internal Psychological processes of which we’re unaware
Psychoanalysis
discipline that applies Darwin’s thoery of natural selection to human and animal behavior
Evolutionary Psychology
research examining how the mind works
Basic Research
research examining how we can use basic research to solve real-world problems
Applied Research
exicitatory; increases the chance neurons will communicate
Glutanate
inhibitory; decreases liklihood of an action potential
GABA
arousal, selective attention, sleep, and memory
Acetycholine
influences arousal and response to stimuli
Norepinephrine / Seratonin
plays a role in response to rewarding experiences
Dopamine
