Chapter 1 - Introduction to Psychology Flashcards

Flashcards based on lecture notes from Chapter 1: Introduction to Psychology, covering key concepts, perspectives, research methods, and ethical considerations.

What are the goals of psychology?

To control behavior and mental processes.

What is a theory in the context of psychology?

Sets of hypothesized statements about relationships or principles that explain observed behaviors.

What is the Biopsychosocial Model?

An integrated approach to understanding behavior & mental processes by including aspects of other broader perspectives.

What does it mean to be skeptical in critical thinking?

Keep an open mind and accept nothing as the truth until you have examined the evidence.

What does the Evolutionary Perspective study?

Evolution of behavior + mental processes

What does the Biological Perspective seek to find?

The links between the activity of the brain, the activity of the hormones, & heredity on one hand & behaviour + mental processes on the other

What is the focus of the Cognitive Perspective?

How people process info from our environment, such as sensation, perception, memory, intelligence, language, thought, & problem solving

What does the Humanistic-existential Perspective stress?

The human capacity for self-fulfillment & the roles of consciousness, self-awareness, & decision making.

What is the main idea of the Learning Perspective?

People can modify + create their environments rather than just passively learning it

What influence does Sociocultural Perspective study?

The influence of culture such as ethnicity, gender, socioeconomics status on behaviour + mental processes

What is the first step in the scientific method?

Formulating a research question

What is the purpose of descriptive methods of research?

Controlled way of observing others

What is the goal of using case studies in research?

Goal is to uncover details of behaviour + understand the potential nature of it

What is the purpose of survey research

Learn about behaviour or beliefs that cannot be observed in a natural setting or studied experimentally

What behavior is emphasized in the Functionalism psychology?

Adaptive

What is behaviorism the study of?

Study of observable behaviour & the relationship between stimuli & its responses

What does Random Sample do?

Rids of any sort of bias

What does Gestalt Psychology Emphasize?

The technology to organize perceptions into wholes & to integrate separate stimuli into meaningful patterns

What point does Psychoanalysis propose?

Most of the mind is unconscious with conflicting desires, impulses, and urges

What is the purpose of the experimental method?

Answer cause-and-effect questions

What does the Independent variable manipulate?

So that its affects may be observed in the experiment

What is a dependant variable?

That is measured as an assumed effect of an independent variable in an experiment

What is important to control in Experimental & Control groups?

Selection bias

What is the placebo effect?

Occurs when the expectations of the participants influence their behaviour

What do blind and double blind studies do?

Help minimize expectation biases

What type of questions can Correlation research answer?

Determine the relationship between two or more variables

A correlation suggests that 2 variables are related in some way but what does it not have?

Cause + effect

What do Ethical standards promote?

Individual dignity, human welfare, scientific integrity.

What does responsible caring do in Ethics?

Maximizing benefits, & minimizing risks/harm analysis for patients