Psychology Lecture Notes - Flashcards

A set of practice flashcards covering key concepts from the psychology lecture notes.

What is Psychology?

The scientific study of behavior and mental processes, applicable to humans and nonhuman animals.

What are the two main components of mental processes?

Mental processes are internal activities such as thinking, feeling, and remembering; behavior is observable actions.

What is a hub science in psychology?

Psychology influences many fields beyond its own domain (cancer research, health, migration, climate change).

Why do psychologists use scientific methods?

To avoid bias and ensure precise, reliable observations and to distinguish between expectations and actual behavior.

List the five steps of the basic scientific method as described.

Ask questions from observations, develop a testable hypothesis with specified variables, test the hypothesis, draw conclusions (retesting if needed to check luck), and report results.

Who founded psychology and established the first psychology laboratory?

Wilhelm Wundt in Leipzig, 1879.

What is objective introspection?

Systematic examination and measurement of one’s own thoughts and mental activities.

What is structuralism?

An approach by Edward Titchener focusing on the structure of the mind; used introspection to analyze emotions and sensations.

Who was the first woman to earn a Ph.D. in psychology?

Margaret Floy Washburn.

What is functionalism and who developed it?

A perspective by William James focusing on how the mind helps people function in daily life; influenced fields like educational psychology, I-O psychology, and evolutionary psychology.

Mary Whiton Calkins — what is notable?

Completed Ph.D. requirements but denied the degree; first woman president of APA.

Francis Cecil Sumner?

First Black American to earn a Ph.D. in psychology; founder of Black American psychology.

George Sanchez?

Hispanic psychologist who studied cultural bias in intelligence testing.

Gestalt psychology core idea?

The whole is greater than the sum of its parts; experiences should be understood as organized wholes.

Psychoanalysis founder?

Sigmund Freud; unconscious motives and early experiences shape personality; therapy aims to uncover unconscious motives.

Key Freud followers mentioned?

Carl Jung, Alfred Adler, Karen Horney, Anna Freud, Erik Erikson.

Behaviorism — key figures?

Ivan Pavlov, John B. Watson, Rosalie Rayner, Mary Cover Jones.

Core ideas of Behaviorism?

Psychology should focus on observable behavior; behavior is learned through conditioning.

Give examples of classic conditioning experiments mentioned.

Pavlov’s dogs (classical conditioning); Watson & Rayner’s Little Albert (conditioned fear); Mary Cover Jones’s Little Peter (counterconditioning).

What is the 'third force' in psychology?

Humanistic perspective emphasizing free will, self-actualization, and personal growth (Maslow and Rogers).

Humanistic perspective pioneers?

Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers.

Cognitive perspective focuses on?

Mental processes like thinking, memory, problem-solving, language; Piaget; cognitive neuroscience with brain imaging.

Sociocultural perspective studies?

Culture and social context influence behavior; cross-cultural research; Lev Vygotsky.

Biopsychological perspective studies?

Biological bases of behavior including brain chemicals, hormones, and genetics; overlaps with neuroscience.

Evolutionary perspective?

Universal mental traits shaped by natural selection; e.g., fear, mate selection, altruism.

Diversity in Psychology — notable specializations?

Feminist Psychology and Multicultural Psychology; eclectic approach combining perspectives.

Psychologist vs Psychiatrist?

Psychologist holds a doctorate and generally cannot prescribe; Psychiatrist is a medical doctor who can prescribe.

Psychiatric Social Worker?

MSW; focuses on community factors affecting mental health.

Basic vs Applied Research?

Basic expands knowledge; Applied solves real-world problems.

What is critical thinking?

Making reasoned, logical judgments; asking questions, seeking evidence, evaluating claims.

Why is critical thinking important?

To evaluate claims and avoid pseudoscience; assess media, advertising, and scientific claims.

Four Basic Criteria for Critical Thinking?

Most truths are testable; not all evidence is equal; authority ≠ truth; keep an open mind.

Goals of Psychology?

Describe behavior, explain behavior, predict behavior, and control behavior.

What is correlation?

A statistical method to determine the relationship between two or more variables; r indicates direction and strength; ranges -1 to +1.

Correlation ≠ causation.

Correlation does not prove causation; third variables may influence both.

Visual aids: scatterplots?

Scatterplots show direction and strength of relationships between variables.

Experiments — why are they essential?

They are the only method to determine causal relationships; IV manipulated, DV measured, with controls and random assignment.

Operational definitions?

Clear, specific definitions of how variables are measured or manipulated.

Random assignment?

Participants randomly assigned to experimental or control groups to distribute extraneous variables.

Placebo effect?

Improvement due to expectation rather than the actual treatment.