Unit 1 Study Guide

Wilhelm Wundt

Founder of psychology, made the first lab in 1879 and trained some of the first psychologists

Structuralism

everything in the human experience can be broken down into basic elements such as senses, feelings, and images. founder is Edward Titchner

Functionalism

The mind’s purpose was solely for survival. founder is William James

Psychoanalytic theory

Behaviors are determined by the subconscious. Mental illness is caused by blocked out childhood trauma and inappropriate sexual urges. Sigmund Freud

Gestalt

Literally means “To Form”, this believes that the perception of an object is a personal experience and a whole. Max Wertheimer and Wolfgang Kohler

Behaviorism

The idea that observable stimuli in the environment directly impact behavior. Founders are John Watson, Ivan Pavlov, B.F. Skinner, and Edward Tolman

Humanism

Believed that people are inherently “good” and had the free will to choose behaviors that will benefit themselves and others. Founders are Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers

Cognitive psychology

Believed that mental functions such as intelligence, thinking, memory, language, and attention were all important in understanding behavior. George A. Milner and Ulric Neisser

Biopsychology

studies how biology influences our behavior

Evolutionary psychology

Looks at the way environment impacts the emergence of genetics

sensation and perception

studies how we sense and perceive information

Cognitive Psychology

Studies our thoughts and their relationship to our experience and actions

Developmental Psychology

studies the process of maturation in three areas-physically, cognitively, and socially

Social Psychology

how we interact with and relate to others

Industrial Organizational Psychology (IO)

studies issues related to personnel, management, and workplace environment

Health

focuses on how health is affected by the interaction of biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors

Sports Psychology

Psychological aspects of sports, like motivation

Clinical Psychology

focuses on the diagnosis and treatment of psychological disorders

Forensic psychology

deals with questions in Psychology as they arise within the context of the justice system

Critical thinking

the objective analysis and evaluation of information in order to form a judgment

Nature v.s. Nurture

The debate over whether human behavior is influenced by biological factors, such as genetics, or environmental factors like nutrition and parenting style

Scientific method

Formulate a theory-Develop a testable hypotheses-Test with a research method- Analyze the data-Share with others

Deductive Reasoning

Ideas are tested in the real world

Inductive Reasoning

real world observations lead to new ideas

Descriptive Method

A research method that provides a systematic and objective description of. what is occurring. There are 3 ways to do it

Clinical or Case studies

Intensive examination of a few unique people or organizations. Gives us an unmatched amount of information but is limited by its lack of generalization and subjective view

Naturalistic observation

Systematically assessing and coding observable behavior in a lab or in nature. It requires no interaction with the subject but is limited by observer bias and subjects might behave differently if they are aware they are being observed

Self reports

people self reporting with surveys typically, gives a lot of general information but people will lie in order to keep themselves in a positive light

Correlational method

Examines how variables are naturally related in the real world with no attempt to alter the variables or assign causation. It relies on naturally occurring relationships and can take place in a real world setting but you cannot determine causation or the direction of the relationship between the two variables. You could also have a confounding variable.

Correlational Coefficient

A number between -1 and +1 that shows how strong a relationship is between two variables.

Positive Coefficient

moves in the same direction, both increase or decrease

Negative coefficient

moves in opposite directions, as one increases the other decreases and vice versa

Illusory Correlations

when people believe a relationship exists between two variables but it does not

Experimental Method

Research methods that test causal hypotheses by manipulating independent variables and measuring effects on dependent variables. Control is necessary to determine causality.

Independent variable

The variable that the researcher is controlling

dependent variable

the variable that is affected by the independent variable

Operational Definitions for Variables

You must operationally define your independent and dependent variables. Measure quality and quantity

Confounding Variable

An unmeasured third variable that can affect the results of an experiment

Random sampling

a sample that fairly represents the population by allowing each member of the population an equal chance of being included

Convenience Sampling

a sample of the people available to participate

Institutional review board (IRB)

Groups of people responsible for reviewing proposed research to ensure it meets accepted standards of science and provides for the physical and emotional well being of the participants

Ethics To Consider

Privacy, Confidentiality, Informed Consent, and protection from harm