AP Psych Unit 1

Historical Approaches and Research Methods

What is psychology based in?

Philosophy (e.g., Socrates, Plato, Arsitotle)

John Locke

Philosopher- wrote a paper in which argued that the mind at birth is a blank slate (Tabula Rasa.)

Rene Descartes, Frances Bacon, John Locke

og philosophers, helped form empiricism

Empiricism

the view that knowledge originates in experience and that science should rely on observation and experimentation

Willian Wundt

Father of Psychology: established the first psychology lab in Germany, sought to measure "atoms of the mind" (the fastest and simplest mental processes.)

Edward Titchener

Student of Wilhelm Wundt; founder of Structuralist school of psychology.

Structuralism

mind looking at what it's made of; used introspection (examining and observing your own mental processes) to reveal the structure of the human mind

William James

influenced by Charles Darwin; founder of functionalism; taught the first ever Psych class at Harvard

Funtionalism

how the mind works, what the mind can do; explored how mental and behavioral processes function- how they enable the organism to adapt, survive and flourish. Functionalism is more focused on visible behavior.

Mary Whiton Calkins

joined William James class at Harvard; became a distinguished memory researcher and first female president of the American Psychological Association

Margaret Flay Washburn

first female Psychologist; first female PhD

Dorthea Dix

helped found the first public mental hospital and advocated for the rights of mentally ill people.

B.F. Skinner (also lwk John B Watson)

developed the theory of operant conditioning by training rats (dropped a food pellet every time rat pressed lever)

Ivan Pavlov

discovered classical conditioning; trained dogs to salivate at the ringing of a bell

Sigmund Freud

focused on how childhood experiences shape our behavior. He believed that there is the conscious mind (thoughts you are aware of) and the unconscious mind (thoughts that we are unaware of but that influence our behavior and feelings.) Freud developed the theory of psychoanalytic theory

Stanley Hall

first president of the APA, helped with the development of Educational Psychology.

Jean Piaget

known for his theory of cognitive development in children

Carl Rogers

one of the founders of the humanistic approach in psychology.

humanistic psychology

Instead of focusing on what happened in a person's childhood or their observable behavior, humanistic psychologists focus on a person's growth potential and their environment.

evolutionary psychology

study of behavior and the mind incorporating principals of natural selection

psychodynamic approach

Freud, unconscious that psychologists figure out

Behavioralism

pavlov, tangible, operant and classical

classical conditioning

a type of learning in which one learns to link two or more stimuli and anticipate events

operant conditioning

a type of learning in which behavior is strengthened if followed by a reinforcer or diminished if followed by a punisher

Cognitive Approach

flexible thoughts; An approach to psychology emphasizing the mental processes involved in knowing: how we direct our attention, perceive, remember, think, and solve problems.

Biological Approach

mind is what the brain does

humanistic approach

how people are unique and special

Sociocultural Approach

what the cultures have taught us

operational definitions

exact descriptions of how various operations of the experiment were conducted and labeled

Types of research methods

experiments, correlational, survey, naturalistic observation, case studies, longitudinal studies, cross sectional studies

population

all the people that you are studying in your research who are your target group

sampling bias

when sampling is flawed because it is not representative of the population

critical thinking

thinking that does not blindly accept arguments and conclusions. Rather, it examines assumptions, assesses the source, discerns hidden values, evaluates evidence, and assesses conclusions.

correlation

a measure of the extent to which two variables change together, and thus of how well either variable predicts the other.

correlation coefficient

a statistical index of the relationship between two variable i.e. a statistical measure of the strength of the relationship between the relative movements of two variables.

experimental group vs. control group

EXPERIMENTAL GROUP is the group receiving the independent variable

CONTROL GROUP does not receive anything, in order to act as a comparison

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. Commonly used in drug-evaluation studies.

Placebo

effect experimental results caused by expectations alone; any effect on behavior caused by the administration of an inert substance or condition, which the recipient assumes is an active agent.

independent variable

The experimental factor that is manipulated; the variable whose effect is being studied.

confounding variable

a factor other than the independent variable that might produce an effect in an experiment

dependent variable

The outcome factor; the variable that may change in response to manipulations of the independent variable.

Things College Board wants you to know

Experiments are useful for determining cause and effect. The use of experimental controls reduces alternative explanations. Random assignment is needed to demonstrate cause and effect. Correlational research can indicate if there is a relationship or association between two variables but cannot demonstrate cause and effect

Validity

the extent to which a test measures or predicts what it is supposed to

statistical significance

a statistical statement of how likely it is that an obtained result occurred by chance. When sample averages are reliable, and when the difference between them is relatively large, we say the difference has statistical significance.

the domains

biological, clinical, cognitive, counseling, developmental, educational, organizational/industrial, personality, psychometric, social, positive