Test 1 Flashcards
What makes something a science is not ______ is studied, but _____ it is studied.
What makes something a science is not WHAT is studied, but HOW it is studied.
What are the 5 areas of psychological research?
- Psychobiology
- Cognition
- Human Development
- Social Psychology
- Psychotherapy
________ Conducts research on the physical, social, and cognitive development period throughout the life span.
Human Development
______ is interested in how we view and affect one another. It combines the disciplines of psychology and sociology; howbeing part of a group affects the individual.
Social psychology
______ is designed to access whether a therapy is effective in helping individuals.
Psychotherapy
________ combines biology and psychology. Researchers in this area typically study brain organization or the chemicals within the brain (neurotransmitters).
Psychobiology
_________ is the study of the mind, how humans process, store, and retrieve information; solve problems, use reasoning and logic, make decisions, and use language.
Cognition
Because of the research in the area of ___________, a link was discovered between schizophrenia and Parkinson’s disease and various neurotransmitters in the brain, leading to research on possible drug therapies for these illnesses
Psychobiology
Research in the area of ________ led to better understanding of prenatal development and hence better prenatal care, knowledge of cognitive development and limitations in children and greater awareness of the effects of peer pressure on adolescents.
Human Development
Research in the area of ________ led researchers to develop methods of how memory works, ways to improve memory, methods to improve problem solving and intelligence, and theories of language acquisition.
Cognition
Milgram’s classic experiments on obedience to authority and Zimbardo’s classic prison simulation are both examples of experiments conducted in the area of _____________.
Social Psychology
‘Would improvements have occurred without the therapy, or did they improve simply because they thought the therapy was supposed to help?’ Is an example a researcher in the area of ____________ would ask.
Psychotherapy
What are the 7 sources of knowledge?
SIATRES
- Superstition
- Intuition
- Authority
- Tenacity
- Rationalism
- Empiricism
- Science
Knowledge is gained without being consciously aware of where the knowledge came from.
Intuition
Knowledge gained from repeated ideas that are stubbornly clung to despite evidence to the contrary. Not empirical or logical; authority figure may not be an expert in the area.
Tenacity
knowledge gained through logical reasoning. Logical but not empirical.
Rationalism
Knowledge gained through a combination of empirical methods and logical reasoning. A merger of rationalism and empiricism. The only acceptable way for researchers/ scientists to gain knowledge.
Science
Acquiring knowledge that is based on subjected feelings, interpreting random events as nonrandom events, or believing in magical events. Can be based on fear and ignorance.
Superstition
Knowledge gained through objective observations of organisms and events in the real world/ experiences of your senses. Empirical but not necessarily logical or systematic. Too casual. Not connected to an objective well enough to give it focus.
Empiricism
Knowledge gained from those viewed as authority figures, or anybody who is credible.
Authority
The perception of a relationship that does not exist.
Illusory correlation
A prediction regarding the outcome of a study involving the potential relationship between at least two variables. Testable.
Hypothesis
An event or behavior that has at least two values.
Variable
The goal of testing a hypothesis is to arrive at or test a ______.
Theory
TRUE OF FALSE
Many hypothesis may be tested before a comprehensive theory is put forth. A theory may aid in generating future hypothesis.
TRUE
TRUE OR FALSE
Theories help us to organize and explain the data collected in research studies
TRUE
TRUE OR FALSE
A theory is only scientific if it is irrefutable.
FALSE
A theory is NOT scientific if it is irrefutable.
The scientific method involves invoking an attitude of _______..
skepticism
A _______ is a person who questions the validity, authenticity, or truth of something purporting to be factual.
skeptic
A _______ rejects things before evidence can prove right or wrong.
cynic
Being a skeptic and using the scientific method involve applying 3 important criteria that help define science. They are :
1) systematic empiricism
2) publicly verifiable knowledge
3) empirically solvable problems
Presenting research to the public so that it can be observed replicated, criticized, and tested. (ex- submitting to research to a scientific journal for possible publication) Necessary because it aids in determining the veracity of a theory.
Publicly Verifiable Knowledge
Making observations in a systematic manner to test hypotheses and develop or refute a theory.
Systematic empiricism
Questions that are potentially answerable by means of currently available research techniques.
Empirically Solvable Problems
Empiricism alone is not enough. It must be ________________.
systematic empiricism
Systematic Empiricism and logic = __________.
hypothesis testing
__________ are necessary because they aid in determining whether a theory can potentially be tested using empirical techniques and whether it is falsifiable.
Empirically Solvable problems
Submitting research to a scientific journal for possible publication is an example of __________. This is necessary because it aids in determining the veracity of a theory.
Publicly Verifiable Reseach
When empirically solvable problems are studied, they are always open to the __________.
principle of falsifiability
A theory is not scientific if it is _______.
irrefutable
__________ is the idea that a scientific theory must be stated in such a way that it is possible to refute or disconfirm it.
principle of falsifiability
_______ claims that appear to be scientific but that actually violate the criteria of science.
Pseudoscience
__________ Is usually irrefutable and is also often confused with science.
Pseudoscience
Those who believe in extrasensory perception (ESP) often argue with the fact that no publicly verifiable example of ESP has ever been documented through systematic empiricism. They say that ESP doesn’t work in a lab setting, just as little green men disappear out of a persons brain when they detect an intrusion!
Both examples do not demonstrate the ______________.
principle of falsifiability
the study of psychological issues to seek knowledge for its own sake. The intent is not immediate application but the gaining of knowledge.
Basic Research
Examples of ___________ include: identifying differences in capacity and duration in short-term memory and long-term memory, identifying whether cognitive maps can be mentally rotated, how various schedules of reinforcement affect learning, and how lesioning a certain area in the brains of rats affects their behavior
Basic Research
_________ is the study of psychological issues that have practical significance and potential solutions. Scientists who conduct applied research are interested in finding an answer to a question because the answer can be immediately applied to some situation.
Applied Reseach
Examples of ________ include identifying how stress affects the immune system, determining the accuracy of eyewitness testimony, determining the relationship between watching violent TV and aggression in children, and determining whether cell phone use while driving negatively affects driving performance
Applied research
The problem with ____________ is that much of what started out as basic research eventually led to some sort of application. If researchers stopped asking questions simply because they wanted to know the answer (stopped engaging in basic research), then many great ideas and eventual applications would undoubtedly be lost.
Applied Research
The doctrine that all events, including human action, are ultimately determined by causes external to the will.
Determinism
______ tells us that there are no unknowables.
Discoverability
What are the 5 requirements of the Scientific Method?
1) systematic Empiricism
2) Must be publicly verifiable
3) Empirically solvable
4) Parsimony
5) Self-corrective
definition of what you are observing.
Operational Definition
Theory –> hypothesis –> _____
observations
To be empirically solvable means to be ________.
testable
Attendance in 1700: reading an experimental psychology syllabus will result in class attendance. This is not testable because experimental psych did not exist in 1700. This experiment is not \_\_\_\_\_\_.
empirically solvable
Students who read experimental psychology syllabus will attend more class. Why is this Not testable?
One-group posttest only. Does not allow any kind of comparison. (we wouldn’t know if any would have attended if they would not have read the syllabus.) Must have a comparison group to support or refute the hypothesis.
We want to accept the simpler explanation.
Parsimony
Why is the science of psychology self-corrective?
If something is wrong i.e. observation or the key results, sooner or later a replication effort will prove it to be wrong and thus the scientific record will be corrected. Due to the competitive nature of the scientific community, misconduct and or deception can be self-regulated. Scientific and governmental organizations along with peer review have come through as important aspects for investigating and detecting scientific deception.
Who conducted the “Executive Mokey” experiment? Why? What was his hypothesis?
Brady - He believed that people in highly pressurized jobs will experience stress, leading to health problems and other issues. His hypothesis was that the monkey would get ulcers from stress. The one with the lever that worked and that had the most responsibility to prevent shock got the ulcers.
Who conducted the “learned helplessness” experiment on rats?
Seligman
In Seligman’s experiment, which rat got the ulcers? The “executive” rat or the “subordinate” rat?
The subordinate rat ended up with the ulcers, because he gave up.
What were the differences in Brady’s Executive monkey experiment and Seligman’s learned helplessness experiment?
Brady tested reaction time of monkeys. He always put the faster monkey in the one with the working lever. Seligman flipped a coin to choose.
Brady and Seligmen’s experiments demonstrates the Scientific Method requirement of being ________.
Self-Corrective
