Unit 1: Foundation and Research Methods Flashcards
What is psychology?
The study of behavior through understanding the brain and a person’s environment
Phrenology
study of lumps on the head (original attempt at “psychology”)
Who was Wilhelm Wundt?
Known as the “Father of Psychology” he opened the first psychology research lab in Germany
Who was Sigmund Freud?
Known as the “Father of Psychoanalysis”, focused on “talk therapy” and offered controversial sexual notions for explaining behavior and desires
Psychoanalysis
method of treating people with emotional problems connected with the exploring of the unconscious
Biological Perspective
method of studying psychology through focusing on the brain and bodily functions to understand behavior
Evolutionary Psychology Perspective
method of studying psychology through focusing on ancestral past alongside genetics brain to understand behavior
Learning Perspective
method of studying psychology through focusing on understanding how and why we learn to understand behavior
Behaviorists
people who believe behavior can be modified once they are understood
Social-Cognitive Learning Theorists
They look at the environment, values and morals to understand how and what we learn and how it affects behavior
Cognitive Perspective
method of studying psychology through focusing on understanding how and why we learn and use language, memory and intelligence
Sociocultural Perspective
method of studying psychology through focusing on understanding cultural expectations in an effort to understand behavior
Psychodynamic Perspective
method of studying psychology through focusing on understanding the unconscious (including dreams and hypnosis) to understand behavior
Humanistic Perspective
method of studying psychology through focusing on understanding motivation and ambition to understand behavior
Positive Psychology
focuses on optimism and being resilient in efforts to alter behavior
Psychological practice
emphasizes getting scientific research or knowledge to help mental health issues
Basic Pyschology
research and knowledge gained for one’s own sake
Applied Psychology
applying and using the study of psychology to understand behavior
Counseling Psychologists
general help of everyday life
School Psychologists
offered in educational settings to work specifically with students, families and teachers
Clinical Psychologists
have medical degrees that include being able to diagnose and treat mental disorders; can offer medication if applicable
Psychotherapists
someone who works specifically with psychotherapy as a form of treatment
Psychiatrists
similar to Clinical Psychologist in methods, but has a medical degree
variable
part of an experiment that is changed to determine an end result
hypothesis
an idea that is arrived at logically from a theory prior to being tested
data
information that is gathered as evidence
survey
consists of questions about a person that are self-reported; not an accurate way of getting information
case study
conducted when a researcher takes an in depth look at a topic, person or a group; often involves tracking information and following participants over a period of time
experiment
includes a researcher manipulating a variable to see if it influences a behavior or change in question
random assignment
method to divide a study’s participant in randomly selected groups; attempts to limit bias
independent variable
part of the experiment that is being manipulated or changed
dependent variable
the end result that occurs due to the manipulation of the independent variable
control group
group that is used for comparison, does not get manipulated and is instead used as a baseline
naturalistic observation
when observation occurs in a natural setting
directed observation
when observation occurs in a controlled setting
standardized tests
consists of norms and standards that can be compared to; for example SAT’s, GRE’s, CMT’s
Stanley Milgram
Yale Psychologist; conducted the “obedience experiment” (Shock Experiment)
Philip Zimbardo
Stanford University Psychologist; conducts the “conformity” experiment (Stanford Prison Experiment)
Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment
U.S. military sanctioned case study from 1932-1972 following a group of African Americans in Macon County, AL who may have received the syphilis virus
