Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM


Top Flashcards (Certified)
All Flashcards

Psychology 1200 > Unit 1 > Flashcards

Unit 1 Flashcards

1
Q

Define psychology

A

the study of behavior, thoughts, & experience

Uses the scientific method

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

Define scientific method

A

A way of learning through observations

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

Define hypothesis and the guidelines to one

A

A testable prediction about processes that can be observed & measured
Must be falsifiable
Do not prove hypothesis, only support it
Must be stated in precise & relevant terms
Leads back to theory upon which it is based

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

Define theory

A

an explanation for a broader range of observations that also generates new hypothesis & integrates numerous findings into a coherent whole

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

Requirements for a theory

A

Built from a hypothesis
Must also be falsifiable
Has room to be possibly wrong
Can be updated to be more accurate

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

Define critical thinking

A

exercising curiosity & skepticism when evaluating the claims of others, and with our own assumptions and beliefs

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

Why is critical thinking important to psychologists?

A

Psychologists must

  • apply the scientific method
  • examine the biases of ourselves and others
  • Consider other perspective
  • tolerate ambiguity when results are inconclusive
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

Principle of Parsimony

A

the simplest of all competing explanations of a phenomenon should be the one we accept

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

What are the 2 fundamental beliefs of scientific principles?

A

Empiricism and determinism

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

Define empiricism

A

Philosophical tenet that knowledge comes through experience

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

Define determinism

A

The belief that all events are governed by a lawful cause & effect relationship

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

Define zeitgeist

A

refers to a general set of beliefs of a particular culture at a specific time in history
- this delays the advancement of science

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

Define materialism

A

the belief that humans & other living beings are composed exclusively of physical matter

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

Hippocrates

A 
Father of western medicine
4 humors (fluids in body)
- blood
- yellow bile
- black bile
- phlegm
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

What did Hippocrates theorize

A

If a person’s humors were out of balance, it would affect them physiologically and behaviourally

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

Galen of Pergamon

A

4 temperaments based on the humors

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

Sanguine (blood)

A

a tendency to be impulsive, pleasure-seeking, and charismatic

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

Choleric (yellow bile)

A

a tendency to be ambitious, energetic, and a bit aggressive

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

Melancholic (black bile)

A

a tendency to be independent, perfectionist, and introverted

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

Phlegmatic (phlegm)

A

a tendency to be quiet, relaxed, and content with life

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

Aristotle

A

Wrote para psyche, the first text in psychology

believed that man started from the blank slate and gains knowledge through experience

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

Rene Descartes

A

Mind was seen as spiritual
Problem of interactionism
Pineal gland glad was the translator between mind and body

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

Gustav Fletcher

A

Psycho-physics

weight experiment

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

define psychophysics

A

the study of the relationship between the physical world and the mental representation of that world

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
Charles Darwin
Evo. by natural selection | Evo can select for behaviors like reading emotional expression
26
Influential psychologists from medicine
Franz Mesmer, Sigmund Freud, Francis Galton, Wilhem Wundt, Edward Titchener, William James, and Edwin Twitmyer
27
Brain localization
certain parts of the brain control specific mental abilities
28
Phrenology
Franz Gall & Joseph Spurzhein Brain consisted of ‘organs’, associated with a personality trait Size of organs corresponded to a trait Organs then produced bumps on the skull which were felt by a phrenologist
29
Brain Injury
Broca's area - Production but not comprehension of language Wernicke's area - Comprehension but not production of language Can speak but could not make meaning or sense
30
Franz Mesmer
Magnets cure disease | mesmerized patients and induced trances
31
Freud contributions
potential for unconscious processes Medical model to treat psychological disorders experiences during childhood affect adult behavior
32
defintion of psychoanalysis
a psychological approach that attempts to explain how behvaiour and personality are influenced by unconscious processes
33
Galton
Nature and nurture relationships | promoted use of statistical methods to quantify psychological traits
34
Eminence
combination of ability, morality, and achievement resulting from good genes
35
Wilhem Wundt
Opened first human behaviour laboratory | introspection, structuralism, and reaction time methods
36
Introspection
a process of “looking within” to describe psychological sensations
37
Structuralism
analyzing conscious experience by breaking it down into basic elements & to understand how these elements work together
38
Reaction Time methods
Participants asked to react to the sounds of metal balls hitting one another - showed that mental activity is not instanttaneous
39
Titchener
Described mental experiences as composed of elements
40
William James
Wrote first modern textbook in psychology | Proposed functionalism
41
Functionalism
the study of purpose & function of behaviour & conscious experience
42
Twitmyer
Discovered conditioned reflex (knee reflex)
43
Behaviorists
Pavlov, John B Watson, BF Skinner
44
Classical Conditioning
a learning process that occurs when 2 stimuli is repeatedly paired
45
Behaviourism
the study of observable behaviour with little or no reference to mental events or instincts as possible influences on behaviour
46
John B Watson
All behaviour could be explained by conditioning
47
BF Skinner
Skinner box | operant conditioning
48
Operant conditioning
strengthening or weakening a behaviour with reward or punishment
49
Humanistic Psychology
focuses on the unique aspects of each individual human, each persons freedom to act, his/her rational thought, & the belief that humans are fundamentally different than animals - self actualization
50
Brain and behaviour
karl lashley, donald hebb, and wilder penfield
51
Lashley
tried to locate engram (memory storage non localization principle of mass action
52
non-localization
exact location of damage was not important
53
Principle of Mass Action
the size of the damage corresponded with the level of impairment
54
Hebb's law
ong term potentiation | Cells that fire together, wire together
55
Penfield
electrically stimulated paitents brains
56
Cognitive revolution
Herman ebbinghaus, Frederick Bartlett, Gestaly and cognitive psychology
57
Ebbinghaus
forgetting curves
58
Gestalt psychology
Emphasized the need to focus on the whole of perception & experience, rather than its parts
59
Cognitive psychology
Modern perspective that focuses on mental processes such as memory, thinking, & language
60
Social and cultural influences
Norman Triplett and Kurt Lewin
61
Normal Triplett
Studied social influences | - cyclists alone vs in groups
62
Kurt Lewin
Founder of social psychology | - behavior is a function of an individual and their environment

Psychology 1200 (16 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2025 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions