Test One Flashcards
(151 cards)
the science of behavior and mental processes
psychology
knowledge must be acquired through careful observation rather than from logic or intuition
empiricism
a collection of interrelated ideas and observations that together describe, explain, and predict behavior or mental processes
theory
this type of research involves describing existing events rather than performing a manipulation of an independent variable and observing changes
descriptive research methods
focus on one person-one case-which receives intense study
case studies
a technique in which researchers collect data about people in natural surroundings
naturalistic observation
research involves constructing questionnaires and administering the survey to a group of people
survey
attempt to establish the degree of a relationship between two variables
correlation studies
this school of psychological thought argued that it is necessary to study a persons total experience, not just parts of the mind or behavior
gestalt psychology
only a small segment of mental functioning
conscious
also contributes to thought and behavior by provoking slips of the tongue and by sending symbolic messages in dreams
unconscious
watson argued that psychology should focus on describing and measuring only what is observable, either directly or through assessment instruments
behaviorism
a reaction to behaviorism and its emphasis on the mechanistic nature of behavior
humanistic psychology
held that behaviorism was too restrictive in concentrating exclusively on overt behavior
cognitive psychology
emphasizes the positive values of optimism, joy, well-being, and psychological health
positive psychology
adaptation and survival of the fittest are mechanisms that produce the evolution of species
evolutionary psychology
the nervous system and heredity affect behavior and mental processes, including emotions, thoughts, and sensory experiences
biopsychology
social and cultural context influences a persons behavior, thoughts, and feelings
social and cultural
over the course of generations, the human brain and behavior have adapted in ways that allow the species to survive
evolutionary
a tendency of individuals to believe that their own ethnic or cultural group is the standard, the reference point against which other people and groups should be judged
ethnocentrism
the unwritten social and psychological guidebook that each of us learns and uses to interpret our world
culture
stress personal rather than group goals and value individual freedom and autonomy
individualist culture
favor group needs over individual ones
collectivist culture
the extent to which an individual identifies with one sex or the other
gender identity