Psychology Chapter 1 Flashcards

Flashcards based on lecture notes for Psychology Chapter 1, focusing on key vocabulary and concepts.

Psychological Science

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

Mind

Refers to mental activity, including memories, thoughts, feelings, and perceptual experiences.

Behavior

The totality of observable human (or animal) actions.

Amiable Skepticism

One who remains open to new ideas but is wary of new "scientific findings" when good evidence and sound reasoning do not seem to support them.

Critical Thinking

Systematically questioning and evaluating information using well-supported evidence.

Confirmation Bias

Individuals are inclined to overweigh evidence that supports their beliefs and tend to downplay evidence that does not match what they believe

Hindsight Bias

Our tendency to look back at an event that could not be predicted at the time and think the outcome was easily predictable.

Heuristics

Mental shortcuts that often produce reasonably good decisions without too much effort, but can lead to inaccurate judgments and biased outcomes.

Availability Heuristic

A mental shortcut that helps people make judgments based on what's most easily recalled.

Dunning-Kruger Effect

A phenomenon that people lack the ability to evaluate their own performance in areas where they have little expertise

Mind/Body Problem

Are the mind and body separate and distinct, or is the mind simply the subjective experience of ongoing brain activity?

speaks to the separation of mental life and the body

Dualism

The idea that the mind and the body are distinct entities

Culture

The beliefs, values, rules, norms, and customs that exist within a group of people who share a common language and environment.

Nature

The psychological characteristics that are biologically innate.

Nurture

The characteristics acquired through education, experience, and culture.

Stream of Consciousness

A phrase coined by William James to describe each person's continuous series of every-changing thoughts.

Functionalism

An approach to psychology concerned with the adaptive purpose, or function, of mind and behavior. It also helps humans adapt to enviornmental demands

Natural Selection

In evolutionary theory, the idea that those who inherit characteristics that help them adapt to their particular environments have a selective advantage over those who do not.

Diversity and Inclusion

The value and practice of ensuring that psychological science represents the experiences of all humans.

Clinical Psychology

The area of psychology that seeks to understand, characterize, and treat mental illness.

Cognitive Psychology

Laboratory research that aims to understand the basic skills and processes that are the foundation of mental life and behavior, such as attention, memory, sensation, and perception.

Cultural Psychology

Studies how cultural factors such as geographical regions, national beliefs, and religious values can have profound effects on mental life and behavior.

Developmental Psychology

Studies how humans grow and develop from the prenatal period through infancy and early childhood, through adolescence and early adulthood, and into old age.

Health Psychology

Concerned with how psychological processes influence physical health and vice versa.

Industrial/Organizational Psychology

Explores how psychological processes play out in the workplace.

Social-Personality Psychology

The study of everyday thoughts, feelings, and behaviors and the factors that give rise to them. Focuses on the situational and dispositional causes of behavior and the interaction between them.

Electroencephalography (EEG)

Measure changes in electrical activity and other devices that measure subtle changes in the magnetic field caused by changes in blood flow have significantly accelerated progress in brain science

Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI)

Enables researchers to study the working brain as it performs its psychological function in close to real time.

Human Genome

The basic genetic code for the human body.

Epigenetics

The study of biological or environmental influences on gene expression that are not part of inherited genes