Study unit 1.1 Psychology as a science

Question 1

Psychology

Answer 1

A science that studies behavior + physiological + cognitive processes that underlie behavior.
Profession that applies accumulated knowledge to practical problems

Question 2

Developmental (research area)

Answer 2

Human development across lifespan

Question 3

Social (research area)

Answer 3

Interpersonal behavior and role of social forces

Question 4

Educational (research area)

Answer 4

How to learn and the best ways to teach

Question 5

Health (research area)

Answer 5

How psychological factors relate to promotion + maintenance of physical health
Causation, prevention + treatment

Question 6

Cognitive (research area)

Answer 6

“Higher” mental processes

Question 7

Psychometrics (research area)

Answer 7

Measurement of behavior and capacities
Developmental and psychological tests
It assesses personality, intelligence and a wide range of abilities

Question 8

Physiological (research area)

Answer 8

The influence of genetic factors on behavior

The role of the brain, nervous system, endocrine system, and bodily chemicals

Question 9

Experimental (research area)

Answer 9

Sensation, perception, learning, conditioning, motivation, and emotion

Question 10

Personality (research area)

Answer 10

Describing and understanding an individual’s consistency in behavior as it represents a personality.

Question 11

Clinical psychology

Answer 11

The evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment of psychological disorders.
It is the treatment of less severe and involves psychological testing, interviewing and group or individual psychotherapy

Question 12

Counseling

Answer 12

Share similar activities with clinical, but different in clientele and involves the treatment of struggles with everyday problems of moderate severity.

Question 13

Industrial/organizational psychology

Answer 13

Involves the running of the HR department, improving staff morale and attitudes, increasing job satisfaction and productivity, examining organizational structures and procedures and making recommendations for improvement

Question 14

School psychology

Answer 14

Promoting cognitive, emotional and social. development.

Question 15

Psychologist

Answer 15

Goes to graduate school (Ph.d, Ed.D or Psy.D)
It is an academic, non-medical field involving learning, perception, human development, memory, intellegence and social behavior.

Question 16

Psychiatrist

Answer 16

Goes to medical school for postgraduate education, receives general training in medicine, has an M.D. degree and completes residency training in a hospital.
It is a branch of medicine involving diagnosis and treatment of psychological problems and disorders, almost exclusively mental disorders.

Question 17

Empiricism

Answer 17

Knowledge acquired through observation

Question 18

Theory

Answer 18

System of interellated ideas used to explain a set of observations

Question 19

Sociohistorical context

Answer 19

Dense interconnections between what happens in psychology and what happens in society

Question 20

Multifactorial causation of behavior

Answer 20

Behavior governed by complex network of interacting factors

Question 21

Culture

Answer 21

Widely shared customs, beliefs, values, norms, institutions and other products of community transferred across generations.

Question 22

World subjective

Answer 22

Actively process incoming stimulation selectively focusing and imposing organization on stimulation paying attention to make perception that is personalized and subjective.

Question 23

Measurement and description (scientific enterprise goal)

Answer 23

Measure phenomenon under study.

Question 24

Understanding and prediction (scientific enterprise goal)

Answer 24

Understanding the events and explain the reason for the occurence

Question 25

Hypothesis

Answer 25

Tentative statement about relationship between two or more variables. It is a prediction.

Question 26

Variables

Answer 26

Any measurable conditions, events or characteristics or behaviors controlled or observed.

Question 27

Application and control (scientific enterprise goal)

Answer 27

Understanding a phenomenon, means that there is more control over it. Intergarting unrelated facts and principles into coherent whole, theories permit leap from description to understanding. Enhanced understanding guides future research generating new predictions and suggesting new lines of inquiry.

Question 28

Operational definitions

Answer 28

Describes actions or operations that will be used to measure or control variables.

Question 29

Journal

Answer 29

Periodical that publishes technical and scholarly material in a narrowly defined area of inquiry.