Week 1 Flashcards
What is the scientific method?
a way of learning through collecting observations, and developing theories and predictions
What are the first three steps to the scientific method?
Develop theory –> develop hypothesis —> test hypothesis
All hypothesis are required to be “falsifiable”, what does this mean?
that the hypothesis must be precise enough that it could be proven false
What is the difference between a theory and a hypothesis?
A theory is an explanation for observations that can generate a hypothesis
True or False: A theory is an opinion or belief
False
Describe the biopsychosocial model
a way of explaining behaviour as a product of biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors
What is the principle of parsimony?
the idea that the simplest of all competing explanations should be the one that we accept
Define Empiricism.
A philosophical tenet that knowledge comes though experience
Define Determinism.
the belief that all events are governed by lawful, cause-and-effect relationships
Who developed the world’s first personality classification scheme?
Hippocrates
Describe Hippocrates’ beliefs that were applied to the world’s first classification scheme.
- health and personality was influenced by four humours in the body
- these humours were blood, yellow bile, black bile, and phlegm
How did Galen of Pergamon contribute to the development of psychology after hippocrates?
he suggested that the four humours combined to create temperaments blood - implusive, charismatic yellow bile - ambitious, aggressive black bile - perfectionist, introverted phlegm - relaxed, content
What is the idea of materialism?
the beliefs that humans and other living beings are composed exclusively of physical matter
What is the idea of dualism?
the belief that there are properties of humans that are not material
How did Gustav Fechner contribute to psychology?
he developed the concept of psychophysics
Describe the concept of psychophysics.
the study of the relationship between the physical world and the mental representation of that world
What is clinical psychology?
a field of psychology that concentrates on the diagnosis and treatment of psychological disorders
How did Gall and Spurzheim contribute to the field of clinical psychology?
Gall and Spurzheim developed phrenology and believed that the brain had 27 organs that each control a human trait
What is psychoanalysis?
a psychological approach that attempts to explain how behaviour and personality are influenced by unconscious processes
What did Sir Francis Galton do for psychology?
believed that hereditary explains psychological differences - his thoughts relate to many fascist movements
How did Wilhelm Wundt contribute to psychology?
he established psychology as an independent scientific field
Describe the aspects of structuralism.
developed by Edward Titchener; the concept that conscious experiences can be broken down into basic elements working together
What did William James do?
Wrote the first psychology textbook, developed functionalism
Describe the aspects of functionalism.
developed by William James, studies the purpose and function of behaviour and conscious experience
Who developed behaviourism?
Watson
What is behaviourism?
a concept which studies the development of observable behaviour with little reference to mental instincts as possible influences
Who was Edward Thorndike?
A psychologist who determined that the frequency at which certain behaviours are preformed is dependant on the positive or negative consequences
State and explain the concept developed by B.F. Skinner?
Radical behaviourism; the foundation of behaviour is based on how an organism responds to rewards and punishments
What is social psychology?
developed in nazi Germany; the study of the influence of other people on behaviour
What is personality psychology?
the study of how different personality characteristics can influence how we think and act
What did Kurt Lewin do?
created this: Behaviour = f (individual, experience)
What is Gesalt psychology?
an approach emphasizing that psychologist need to focus on the whole of perception and experience, rather than individual parts
What is humanistic psychology?
developed by Rogers and Maslow; an approach to psychology which focuses on the unique aspect of every individual human, and the belief that humans are different from other animals
What is Hebb’s Law?
memory: cells that fire together, wire together
What did Wilder Penfield do?
he mapped out brain region by electrically stimulating areas of the brain
What are the five characteristics to quality scientific research?
1) it is based on measurements that are objective, valid and reliable
2) it can be generalized
3) it uses techniques that reduce bias
4) it is made public
5) it can be replicated
Define variable.
the object, concept, or event being manipulated or measured by a scientist
Define validity.
the degree to which an instrument or procedure actually measured what it claims to measure
Define reliability.
the degree to which an experiment provides consistent and stable answers across multiple observations and points in time
What are the three types of reliability?
inter-rater, test retest, and alternate forms reliability
Define generalizability.
refers to the degree to which one set of results can be applied to other situations, individuals, or events
Define ecological validity.
meaning that the results of a lab study can be applied or repeated in the natural environment
Define placebo.
a measurable and experienced improvement in health or behaviour that cannot be attributable to a medication or treatment
What are demand characteristics?
inadvertent cues given off by the experimenter or content that provides information about how participants are expected to behave
What are naturalistic observations?
the unobtrusive observations and recording of behaviour as it occurs in the subjects natural environment
Define random assignment.
a technique for dividing samples into two or more groups in which participants are equally placed in any condition of the experiment
What is the difference between the independent and dependent variable?
independent - manipulated by researcher
dependent - studied/ observed
Describe the quasi-experimental research technique.
the two or more groups that are compared are selected based on predetermined characteristics
What are the aspects of informed consent?
freedom to choose, equal opportunities, the right to withdraw, and the right to withhold responses
What is scientific literacy?
the ability to understand, analyze, and apply scientific literacy
