Psychology Concepts & Approaches

Explain the concept of bias

Flaws, distortions, or systematic errors in thinking, sampling, or conducting research.

Explain the concept of causality

Establishing a clear cause-and-effect relationship between independent and dependent variables

Explain the concept of change

Alterations in human behavior, cognitive processes, or biology over time—whether gradual, sudden, planned, or unplanned

Explain the concept of measurement

Observing, defining, and quantifying psychological behaviors or constructs objectively

Explain the concept of perspective

The theoretical framework—biological, cognitive, or sociocultural—used to explain human behavior

Explain the concept of responsibility

Ethical and social obligations psychologists hold toward participants, society, and application of findings

Explain the biological approach

The body (brain, nervous system, genetics, neurochemistry, hormones, neurotransmitters) are major factors of behavior. Behavior, feelings have direction physical, biological root. Actions shaped by brain structures.

Explain the cognitive approach

Internal mental processes (thinking, memory, perception, attention, problem-solving) contribute to behavior. Like a computer, the mind takes info from environment, process, store, and produce behavior. Thinking or interpreting dictates feelings and actions

Explain the sociocultural approach

Social interactions, cultural norms, family background, social environments contribute to behavior. Emphasis on the groups, communities, and cultures of an individual. Values, expectations, and roles shape behavior.

Learning

Acquisition of new knowledge, behaviors, and skills through study, teaching, and direct experience

Cognition

Mental process of gaining knowledge and understanding through thought, experience, senses

Bottom-Up Processing

Data-driven. Starts at sensory receptors, raw data without prior expectations (color, shape, sound, texture) and builds to higher-level understanding in the brain.

Top-Down Processing

Theory-driven. Starts in brain using pre-existing knowledge, memories, expectations, contexts. Brain forms hypothesis of what it is seeing or hearing, filters incoming data to fit that expectation

Explain why top-down processing occurs.

Brain is cognitive miser (lazy), so it takes heuristics (shortcuts) due to lack of knowledge, lack of motivation, or lack of time/resources

Explain classical conditioning

Explain operant conditioning