Psychology Flashcards

Flashcards generated from lecture notes on various psychology topics.

Psychology

The science of mind and behaviour, using scientific methods to understand mental and behavioural processes.

Wilhelm Wundt

Established the first psychological laboratory in 1879 in Germany and is regarded as the founder of scientific psychology through systematic self-observation (introspection).

Paradigm

A broad system of assumptions, methods, and theoretical frameworks guiding scientific inquiry.

Behaviorism

Focuses solely on observable behavior as a product of environmental interactions.

Conditioning

Learning through associations between stimuli.

Cognitive Perspective

The mind is likened to a computer, processing information through mental schemas.

Self-Actualization

The realization of one's potential, where individuals achieve personal growth.

Evolutionary Psychology

Human behaviors have evolved to solve adaptive problems faced by our ancestors, aligning with principles of natural selection.

Critical Thinking

The structured evaluation of information, allowing individuals to make well-reasoned decisions and judgments.

Folk Psychology

Refers to everyday, intuitive theories about the self and others, explaining behaviors based on personal experiences and cultural norms.

Scientific Psychology

Encompasses the systematic study of behavior and mental processes using objective, empirical methods informed by research science.

Confirmation Bias

The tendency to seek out or interpret information in a way that confirms pre-existing beliefs, potentially leading to a distorted understanding of situations.

Implicit Bias

Unconscious biases influencing decision-making regarding different racial groups.

Argument

A structured set of statements, known as premises, that support a conclusion.

Culture

The complex system of shared rules, norms, values, and practices that dictate behavior and provide a framework for understanding the world.

Individualistic Cultures

Primarily focus on the individual over the group (e.g., Western countries such as the United States and Canada).

Collectivist Cultures

Emphasize the group over the individual, valuing community, teamwork, and familial loyalty.

High Context

Nonverbal cues, context, and relationships carry more weight than the literal meaning of words

Low Context

Emphasizes explicit verbal communication, where clarity and directness are valued, and less attention is given to nonverbal cues.

Cultural Psychology

Investigates how culture shapes psychological processes and influences mental activities, emphasizing the role of culture in shaping thoughts and behaviors.

Cross-Cultural Psychology

Focuses on comparing specific constructs (such as behaviors, cognition, or personality) across diverse cultures, revealing how cultural contexts affect psychological phenomena.

Multiculturalism

The existence and acknowledgment of multiple distinct cultures within a single country or society.

Cultural Identity

An integral part of personal identity, deeply influencing one's worldview, self-perception, and interactions with others.

Racism

Involves systems, policies, and attitudes that result in inequitable opportunities based on race.

Critical Thinking

Structured evaluation of information, scientific thinking to avoid myths/biases, and ability to question assumptions.

Indigenous Psychology

Focuses on understanding the psychological principles and practices that are relevant to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Australia.

Cultural Competence

Effective ability to engage with diverse cultural backgrounds, applying knowledge and understanding of different cultural norms and values in practical settings.

Critical Thinking (Definition from week 2 material)

Structured process of evaluating information for well-reasoned decisions, questioning assumptions, and challenging preconceived notions.

Consciousness

Remains one of the most significant mysteries in both philosophy and science and is central to psychology and our understanding of the mind, fielding questions about the nature of reality and personal identity.

Pre-Conscious

Thoughts and memories that are easily retrievable, such as information from short-term memory or concepts we can bring to the forefront when needed (e.g., to-do lists).

Currently Unattended Information

Elements of our environment that are not in conscious focus but can be recognized if directed towards (e.g., background sounds in a café, subtle emotional undercurrents).

Unconscious

A deeper level of mental function containing instincts and memories that are often inaccessible but can profoundly influence our behavior, decisions, and subjective experiences, including fears and biases shaped by prior experiences.

Cocktail Party Effect

Refers to the ability to focus one's attention on a single conversation amongst a multitude of background noises. Despite this selective attention, individuals can still become aware of significant stimuli, such as their name, illustrating the dynamics of conscious focus versus ambient awareness.

Blindsight

An intriguing condition where individuals with visual field deficits can respond to visual stimuli without having conscious visual experience, raising profound questions about the nature of awareness and perception.

Anton Syndrome

A rare neurological condition where individuals who are blind due to brain damage deny their blindness. This condition challenges our understanding of self-awareness and reality conception.

Top-Down Processing

This processing is influenced by existing knowledge, context, and expectations, directing conscious perception.

Bottom-Up Processing

This approach originates from sensory input, constructing perception from the ground up based on direct experiences.

Systems Theory of Consciousness

Tart’s perspective posits that conscious awareness is the result of complex interactions among mind-body systems and the external environment. This model integrates components like memory, identity, skills, emotions, and subconscious processes that generate behavior.

Altered states of consciousness

Are characterized by marked changes in perception, cognition, and self-awareness. They encompass a wide range of experiences, from nuanced emotional fluctuations to profound transformations induced by psychedelics and other substances.

Personality psychology

The study of individual differences in consistent patterns of thinking, feeling, and behaving. It encompasses various subfields including developmental, cognitive, and social psychology to comprehend the various dimensions of personality.

Person Approach

Emphasizes the study of individual traits and characteristics that define a person’s unique behavioral tendencies. It seeks to understand how stable these traits are over time and across various situations.

Situational Approach

Focuses on how external circumstances and contexts influence individuals’ behavior, suggesting that personality cannot be fully understood without considering the impact of the environment.

Interaction Approach

Proposes a synthesis of both person and situational perspectives, arguing that behavior is a result of the interplay between stable personality traits and variable situational factors.

Traits

Stable psychological characteristics that consistently guide individuals' thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.

Mischel’s Critique of Trait Theory

Overestimation of Consistency, Measurement Challenges, Reductionism

Core Components of CAPS Theory

Cognitive and Affective Units, Interaction of Units

Deductive Arguments

Aim for truth certainty; if the premises are true, the conclusion must necessarily follow and be true as well. This type of argument is often characterized by its structured formality and logical rigor.

Global History

Emphasizes the interdisciplinary study the evolution and expansion of human societies, focusing on migration trade patterns. This can be relevant to understanding social psychology.

Interpersonal Perspective

This perspective recognizes one’s cognitive and social awareness, with emphasis on the importance of interpersonal relationship, particularly in relation to early life experiences. Key figures include Harry Stack Sullivan (Sullivanian perspective).

Mischel's CAPS theory

The CAPS theory offers a more nuanced understanding of personality that harmonizes stable cognitive and affective patterns with situational variability, suggesting that to fully grasp human behavior, one must consider both aspects.

Genetics vs Environment in Intelligence

Ongoing debate over the influences of genetics versus environment on intelligence. Aims to debunk myths associated with intelligence disparities, particularly in relation to race and gender.

Heritability of Intelligence

Refers to the proportion of observed variation in a trait attributable to inherited genetic factors.

Closing the Gap Initiative

The Closing the Gap Initiative represents a national framework established to tackle systemic inequities affecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Australia.

Classic Definitions of Intelligence

These definitions are typically found in dictionaries and emphasize mental abilities that individuals utilize to solve various challenges and adapt to their environments.

Operational Definitions of Intelligence

These refer to practical applications and measurements of intelligence, which are essential for empirical research. They provide a framework for understanding how intelligence is quantified through tests and assessments, considering factors such as creativity and emotional intelligence alongside cognitive abilities.