Introduction to Psychology: Lesson 1 - The Science of Psychology

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering the foundations, schools of thought, modern perspectives, professional roles, and research methodologies of psychology.

Psychology

The scientific study of behavior and mental processes.

Behavior

Includes all of our outward or overt actions and reactions, such as talking, facial expressions, and movement.

Mental processes

Refers to all the internal, covert (hidden) activity of our minds, such as thinking, feeling, and remembering.

Description

The first goal of psychology, which involves observing a behavior and noting everything about it, including what, where, to whom, and under what circumstances it happens.

Explanation

The goal of psychology focused on finding the reasons why a behavior is happening, which helps in forming theories.

Theory

A general explanation of a set of observations or facts.

Prediction

The goal of psychology concerned with determining what will happen in the future.

Control

The goal of psychology focused on the modification of behavior to change it from an undesirable one to a desirable one.

Wilhelm Wundt

A physiologist known as the father of psychology who established the first true experimental laboratory in Leipzig, Germany, in 1879.

Objective introspection

The process of objectively examining and measuring one's own thoughts and mental activities, introduced by Wilhelm Wundt.

Objectivity

The importance of remaining unbiased so that observations are clear and precise, unaffected by individual beliefs and values.

Structuralism

Edward Titchener's viewpoint focusing on the structure of the mind, believing experiences could be broken down into individual emotions and sensations.

Functionalism

William James's viewpoint focusing on how the mind allows people to function in the real world—how they work, play, and adapt to their surroundings.

Gestalt psychology

A perspective, meaning 'an organized whole' or 'configuration,' focusing on studying whole patterns rather than small pieces, founded by Max Wertheimer.

Psychoanalysis

The theory and therapy based on Sigmund Freud's ideas, emphasizing the unconscious mind and early childhood experiences in the first 6 years of life.

Behaviorism

John B. Watson's 'science of behavior' that focuses only on observable behavior that can be directly seen and measured, ignoring consciousness.

Psychodynamic Perspective

A modern perspective focusing on the unconscious mind, early childhood experiences, and the development of the sense of self.

Behavioral Perspective

A modern perspective focusing on how behavioral responses are learned through classical or operant conditioning.

Humanistic Perspective

A modern perspective focusing on human potential, free will, and the possibility of self-actualization.

Cognitive Perspective

A modern perspective focusing on memory, intelligence, perception, thought processes, problem solving, language, and learning.

Sociocultural Perspective

A modern perspective focusing on how the behavior of individuals is influenced by the presence of others, groups, or larger culture.

Biopsychological Perspective

A modern perspective focusing on the biological bases of behavior, including hormones, brain structures, and chemicals.

Evolutionary Perspective

A modern perspective focusing on the biological bases for universal mental characteristics, such as mate selection and the universality of fear.

Psychologist

A professional with a doctorate degree (Ph.D., Psy.D., or Ed.D.) who works in specialized settings and must be licensed to practice independently; typically does not prescribe medication.

Psychiatrist

A medical doctor who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of psychological disorders and can prescribe medication.

Basic research

Research conducted for the sake of gaining scientific knowledge.

Applied research

Research aimed at answering real-world, practical problems.

Scientific method

A way to accomplish the goals of psychology through five steps: perceiving the question, forming a hypothesis, testing the hypothesis, drawing conclusions, and reporting results.

Hypothesis

A tentative answer or explanation for a behavior, put into the form of a statement that can be tested.

Confirmation bias

The tendency to notice only things that agree with one's view of the world, often leading to selective perception.

Replication

The process of doing exactly the same study over again to see if the same results are obtained, providing more support to findings.

Naturalistic Observation

A descriptive method where researchers watch behavior in its natural setting to get a realistic picture of how it occurs.

Observer effect

The tendency for animals or people who know they are being watched to not behave normally.

Observer bias

Happens when the person doing the observing has a particular opinion about what he or she expects to see.

Laboratory Observation

A descriptive method in an artificial setting; its main advantage is the high degree of control given to the observer.

Case Studies

A descriptive method where one individual is studied in great detail.

Surveys

A descriptive method where researchers ask a series of questions about a topic; requires selecting a representative sample.

Correlation

A statistical technique and measure of the relationship between two or more variables.

Variable

Anything that can change or vary, such as scores on a test, temperature, or gender.

Correlation Coefficient

A number representing the direction and strength of the relationship between variables.

Positive correlation

Exists when increases in one variable are matched by increases in the other variable.

Negative correlation

Exists when increases in one variable are matched by decreases in the other variable.

Experiment

The only method that allows researchers to determine the cause of a behavior by deliberately manipulating a variable.

Independent variable

The variable in an experiment that is manipulated or changed by the researcher.

Dependent variable

The variable in an experiment that represents the measurable response or behavior of the participants.

Experimental group

The group in an experiment that is exposed to the independent variable or experimental manipulation.

Control group

The group in an experiment that receives no treatment or a treatment with no effect, used to control for factors other than the independent variable.

Random assignment

Process of assigning participants to conditions by chance to ensure each has an equal chance, helping to control extraneous variables.

Placebo

A treatment that does not have active properties or is 'fake.'

Single-blind studies

Experiments in which the subjects do not know if they are in the experimental or control group.

Double-blind studies

Experiments in which neither the experimenters nor the subjects know who is in the experimental or control group.

Critical thinking

The ability to make reasoned judgments based on evidence and keeping an open mind.