Psychology Chapter 1: Psychology in Your Life

What is psychology?

The scientific study of mental behavior, which depend on processing in the brain

What does the mind consist of?

All the mental activity that lets us experience the world using out senses

What is behavior?

All actions that result from sensing and interpreting information

What is empiricism?

Conducting psychological research using an objective, evidence-based approach

How does intuition differ from empirical evidence?

Intuition is based on gut feelings, while empirical evidence is based on objective research

What is the science of learning?

Psychological principles to improve study skills, learning, and academic performance

What is the “IMPACT” learning method?

Improving, Monitoring, Practicing, and Connecting Deeply

What questions should you ask when evaluating a claim?

Is the source credible? Who provides the information? Is there strong empirical evidence?

What is intuition?

A personal, instinctive gut feeling that is not scientific

How do beliefs and opinions differ from facts?

Beliefs are personal but not necessarily accurate; opinions are judgements not always based on scientific evidence

How does psychology benefit your personal and professional life?

It enhances understanding of mental processes,decision-making, and interactions with others

Who established the first psychology laboratory?

Wilhelm Wundt in 1879

What are the five domains of psychology?

Biological, Mental & Physical Health, Social & Personality, Developmental, and Cognitive

What methods did Wundt use?

Reaction time experiments and introspection methods

What is diversity in psychology?

Characteristics that make people different in specific contexts, including race, gender, age, and socioeconomic status

Who was Mary Whiton Calkins?

The first woman to receive a doctorate in psychology (1890)

Who was Francis Cecil Sumner?

The first Black person in the U.S. to be awarded a doctoral degree in psychology (1920)

What are Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)?

Groups that review research proposals to ensure ethical standards are met

What are the four man ethical concerns in research?

Privacy, Confidentiality, Informed Consent, and Protection from Harm

What are the four goals of science?

Describe, Predict, Control, Explain

What are the five steps of the scientific method?

Formulate a theory, Develop a testable hypothesis, Test with a research method, Analyze data, Share results

What are three main research methods?

Descriptive. Correlational, and Experimental

What are the three types of descriptive methods?

Case studies, Observational studies, and Self-reports

What is observer bias?

When researchers’ expectations influence their observations

What is the Hawthorne Effect?

Changes in behavior due to awareness of being observed

What do correlational methods examine?

How variables are naturally related without assigning causation

What is the difference between correlation and causation?

Correlation shows a relationship, but does not prove one variable causes another

What are two issues in correlational studies?

The directional problem and the third variable problem

What are the two types of variables one experiments?

Independent (manipulated) and Dependent (measured)

What are operational definitions?

Descriptions that qualify and quantify variables for objective understanding.

What are the two types of experimental groups?

Control Group (no intervention) and Experimental Group (receives intervention)

What is a confound?

A factor that unintentionally influences results

What is the difference between population and sample?

Population is the general group of interest; Sample is the subset chosen for the study

What is random assignment?

A method ensuring each participant has an equal chance of being assigned any experimental condition