Chapter 1 - Psychology and Scientific Thinking

ad hoc immunizing hypothesis

escape hatch or loophole that defenders of a theory use to protect their theory from falsification

individual differences

variations among people in their thinking, emotion, personality, and behaviour

naïve realism

belief that we see the world precisely as it is

Psychology

the scientific study of the mind, brain, and behaviour

behaviourism

school of psychology that focuses on uncovering the general lows of learning by looking at observable behaviour

natural selection

principle that organisms that possess adaptations survive and reproduce at a higher rate than other organisms

replicability

when a study’s findings are able to be duplicated, ideally by independent investigators

evolutionary psychology

discipline that applies Darwin’s theory or natural selection to human and animal behaviour

cognitive psychology

school of psychology that proposes that thinking is central to understanding behaviour

falsifiable

capable of being disproved

applied research

research examining how we can use basic research to solve real-world problems

metaphysical claim

assertion about the world that is not testable

terror management theory

theory proposing that our awareness of our death leaves us with an underlying sense of terror we cope with by adopting reassuring cultural worldviews

Hypothesis

testable prediction derived from a scientific theory

scientific theory

explanation for a large number of findings in the natural world

confirmation bias

tendency to seek out evidence that supports our hypotheses and deny, dismiss, or distort, evidence that contradicts them

risky prediction

forecast that stands a good chance of being wrong

scientific skepticism

approach of evaluating all claims with an open mind but insisting on persuasive evidence before accepting them

functionalism

school of psychology that aimed to understand the adaptive purposes od psychological characteristics

introspection

method by which trained observers carefully reflect and report on their mental experiences

levels of analysis

rungs on ladder of analysis, with lower levels tied most closely to biological influences and higher levels tied most closely to social influences

correlation-causation fallacy

error of assuming that because one thing is associated with another, it must cause the other

multiply determined

Caused by many factors

belief perseverance

tendency to stick to our initial beliefs even when evidence contradicts them

pseudoscience

set of claims that seems scientific but isnt

patternicity

tendency to detect meaningful patterns in random stimuli

critical thinking

set of skills for evaluating all claims in an open-minded and careful fashion

variable

anything that can vary

structuralism

school of psychology that aimed to identify the basic elements of psychological experience

cognitive neuroscience

relatively new field of psychology that examines the relation between brain functioning and thinking

psychoanalysis

school of psychology founded by Sigmund Freud, that focuses on internal psychological processes of which we’re unaware

basic research

Research examining how the mind works

Gestalt Psychology

the study of how elements experience are organized into wholes

socrates

suggested an unexamined life is not worth living --- “Know thyself”

plato & aristotle

debated the nature of human knowledge, and the relationship between body, mind and soul

descartes

began critical examination of the mind-body distinction

empiricists (locke & hume)

insisted that all of our knowledge is linked to experience and comes from our senses

brenda milner

first woman in canada to earn her PhD in physiological psychology in 1952

hysteria

label used to describe unmanageable fear or emotional excesses

transference

(a)emotions are passed on or displaced from one person to another

sociocultural perspective

examines cross-cultural differences in the causes and consequences of behaviour

Evolutionary perspective

assumes  behaviours that help organisms adapt will be passed on to successive generations

based on the ideas of charles darwin

Biological perspective

Focus on the functioning of the genes, nervous system, and endocrine system

cognitive perspective

Focuses on  perception, memory, and thinking

Behaviour is more than stimulus and response

humanistic

developed by Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow

emphasized each person’s unique experiences

behaviourist perspective

Founded by John Watson

focused on measuring only what is observable