Psychology U1P1 and U1P2

Specific thinking style

Critical thinking

Aspects of critical thinking

curiosity + skepticism + humility

Critical Thinking: Examines

assumptions

Critical Thinking: Appraises

The source

Critical Thinking: Discerns

Hidden biases

Critical Thinking: Evaluates

Evidence

Critical Thinking: Assesses

Conclusions

Socrates and Plato

1.) Drafted the idea that the mind is separable from the body and continues after the body dies 2.) The knowledge within the mind is born within us

Rene Descartes

Agreed with the ideas of Socrates and Plato, through animal dissections discovered the nerves flowing through the brain

Francis Bacon

One of the founders of modern science, who also made the scientific method

John Locke

Created "An Essay Concerning Human Understanding" and argues that the mind at birth is a blank slate.

Wilhelm Wundt

Credited with "the birth" of psychology, and established the first psychology laboratory at the University of Leipzig.

G. Stanley Hall

In 1883, Hall established the first formal U.S psychology laboratory, at John Hopkins University

Edward Bradford Titchener

Wundt's student who introduced structuralism and introspection

William James

Influenced by Darwin, James promoted and introduced functionalism, and also wrote "Principles of Psychology"

Charles Darwin

Evolutionary theorist

Mary Whiton Calkins

James's student who became a pioneering memory researcher and first woman to be president of the American Psychological Association

Margaret Floy Washburn

Second APA female president, first woman to receive a psychology Ph.D, and wrote "The Animal Mind"

John B. Watson

With Skinner redefined psychology as "the scientific study of observable behavior", and promoted behaviorism

B.F. Skinner

With Watson redefined psychology, and promoted behaviorism.

Sigmund Freud

Developed psychoanalytic psychology, and is known for his theories of personality.

Carl Rogers

Rogers alongside Maslow rejected behaviorism and Freudian psychology, but supported humanistic psychology.

Abraham Maslow

Alongside Rogers, rejected behaviorism and Freudian psychology, but supported humanistic psychology.

Empiricism

The idea that knowledge comes from experience, and that observation and experimentation enable scientific knowledge

Structuralism

An early school of thought promoted by Wundt and Titchener; used introspection to reveal the structure of the human mind.

Introspection

The process of looking inward in an attempt to directly observe one's own psychological processes.

Functionalism

An early school of thought promoted by James and influenced by Darwin; explored how mental and behavioral processes function (adapt, survive, and flourish)

Behaviorism

The view that psychology should be an objective science that studies behavior without reference to mental processes

Humanistic Psychology

A historically significant perspective that emphasized human growth potential

Freudian Psychology

Emphasized ways unconscious thought processes and emotional responses to childhood experiences affect later behavior

What are the different branches/schools of thought in psychology?

Structuralism, Functionalism, and Behaviorism

Cognitive Psychology

The study of mental processes, such as when we perceive, learn, remember, etc

Cognitive Neuroscience

The study of the brain activity linked with cognition

Psychology

The science of behavioral and mental processes

Cognition

All the mental activities associated with thinking, knowing, remembering, and communicating

Nature/Nurture Issue

The controversy over the contributions that genes and experience make to the development of traits and behaviors. Today's science sees traits and behaviors from the interaction of nature and nurture.

Evolutionary Psychology

Uses the principles of natural selection to study the evolution of behavior and the mind

Behavior Genetics

The study of the power and limits of genetic and environmental influences on behavior

Positive Psychology

The study of human functioning, with the goals of discovering and promoting strengths that help people to thrive

Biopsychosocial Approach

An integrated approach that incorporates biological, psychological, and social-cultural viewpoints

Behavioral Psychology

The study of observable behavior, and its explanation by principles of learning

Biological Psychology

The scientific study of the links between biological and psychological processes (more fact based)

Psychodynamic Psychology

A branch of psychology that studies how unconscious drives and conflicts influence behavior, and uses that information to treat people (EX: Random outbursts in behavior)

Social-Cultural Psychology

The study of how situations and cultures affect our behavior and thinking

Psychology's Theoretical Perspectives

Different ways of understanding and explaining human thoughts, behaviors, and emotions

Psychometrics

Study of the measurement of human abilities, attitudes, and traits

Basic Research

Builds psychology's knowledge base

Developmental Psychology

A study of our changing abilities from womb to tomb

Educational Psychology

Study of how psychological processes affect and can enhance teaching and learning

Personality Psychology

The study of a person's characteristic pattern of thinking, feeling, and acting

Social Psychology

Study of how we think about, influence, and relate to each other

Applied Research

Study that aims to solve practical problems

Industrial-Organizational (I/O) Psychology

Applications of psychological methods to improve human behavior in workplaces

Human Factors Psychology

Study of how humans, machines, and physical environments interact

Counseling Psychology

A branch of psychology that assists people with challenges/crisis and in achieving greater well-being

Clinical Psychology

Branch of psychology that studies and treats people with psychological disorders

Psychiatry

Branch of medicine dealing with psychological disorders; practiced by physicians who may provide medical treatments as well as psychological therapy

Community Psychology

Branch of psychology that studies how people interact with their social environments and how they are affected by social institutions

Dorothea Dix

Pioneer for therapy, and pushed for gentler and more humane treatments + constructing mental hospitals

Experimental Psychology

Investigate a variety of basic behavioral processes in humans and other animals.

Psychometric/Quantitative Psychology

Study the math-related methods used to acquire psychological knowledge

Forensic Psychology

Apply psychological principles to legal issues. Ex: Create public policies related to mental health

Environmental Psychology

Study the interaction of individuals with their natural and built environments

Health Psychology

A subfield of psychology that provides psychology's contribution to behavioral medicine/promotes health

Neuropsychology

The study of functions and behaviors associated with specific regions of the brain.

Rehabilitation Psychology

Work with people who have lost ideal functionality after an accident, illness, or other event

School Psychology

Assess and intervenes for children in educational settings

Sports Psychology

The study of psychological factors in sports and exercise (Educate coaches, prepare athletes, or work with individuals)

Hindsight Bias

The tendency to believe after learning an outcome that one would have foreseen it (I knew it all along phenomenon)

What are the roadblocks to critical thinking?

Hindsight bias, overconfidence, perceiving patterns in random events

Overconfidence

Tendency to overestimate our ability to make correct predictions

Perceiving Order in Random Events

People perceive patterns to make sense of their world (Even in random, unrelated data people often find order)

Psychological Science

The study, through research, of mind, brain, and behavior

The Scientific Method

A Self-correction process of asking questions and observing nature's answers

Theory

Explains behaviors or events by offering ideas that organize observations

Operational Definition

A carefully worded statement of the exact procedures used in a research study

Replication

Repeating a research study, usually with different participants in different situations, to see whether the basic findings can be reproduced

Descriptive Methods

Case studies, naturalistic observations, and surveys and interviews

Case Study

Examines one individual or group in depth, revealing universal principles

Naturalistic Observations

A descriptive technique of observing and recording behavior in naturally occurring situations without trying to manipulate/control the situation (EX: Social Media)

Surveys

Research in which a representative sample of people are asked (often anonymously) questions about their attitudes or behavior

Sampling Bias

A flawed sampling process that produces an unrepresentative sample

Population

Those in a group being studied

Random Sample

A sample that fairly represents a population because each member has an equal chance of inclusion

Hypothesis

A testable prediction, often implied by a theory

What can descriptive methods do and not do?

Can: Show us what can happen and provide future ideas for study. Cannot: Explain behavior

Correlation

A measure of the extent to which two factors vary together, and how well either factor predicts the other

Correlation Coefficient

A statistical index of the relationship between two things (from -1 to +1)

Variable

Anything that can vary and is feasible and ethical to measure

Scatterplot

A graphed cluster of dots, each of which represents the values of two variables

Illusory Correlation

Perceiving a relationship where none exists, or perceiving a stronger-than-actual relationship

Regression Toward The Mean

The tendency for extreme or unusual scores to fall back (regress) toward their average.

Correlation and Causation

Correlation suggests a possible cause-effect but does not prove it.

What is the difference between positive and negative correlation?

Positive correlations tend to rise or fall together, while negative correlations have one set going up as the other goes down.

What is the difference between correlation studies and experiments?

Correlation studies uncover naturally occurring relationships, while experiments manipulate a variable to determine its effect.

Experiment

A research method in which an investigator manipulates one or more factors to observe the effect on behavior or mental processes

Experimental Group

The group that is exposed to the treatment (or to one version of the independent variable.)

Control Group

The group that is not exposed to the treatment; contrasts with the experimental group and serves as a comparison

Random Assignment

Assigning participants to experimental and control groups by chance, thus minimizing preexisting differences between them

Double-Blind Procedure

An experimental procedure in which both the research participants and the research staff are ignorant (blind) about whether the research participants have received the treatment or a placebo. (drug-evaluation)