Psychology 1000- Exam 1 (Chapters 1 & 2)

What does psychology study?

The mind and behavior.

What does the Dualism perspective suggest?

That the mind and the body are fundamentally different things.

Who was the father of psychology? What was his approach?

Wilhelm Wundt, his approach was structuralism which focused on breaking down mental processes into their basic components.

What is psychoanalysis?

A therapeutic approach developed by Sigmund Freud that emphasizes the importance of unconscious processes and childhood experiences in shaping behavior and personality.

What is behaviorism?

A psychological approach that emphasizes the study of observable behavior and the role of the environment as a determinant of behavior.

What is evolutionary psychology?

A branch of psychology that examines psychological traits as adaptations influenced by natural selection, focusing on how evolution shapes behavior and mental processes.

What is the Gestalt approach?

A psychological perspective that emphasizes the holistic nature of perception, suggesting that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

Who was Lillian Gilbreth?

An industrial psychologist and engineer known for her work on time and motion studies, and for being one of the first to apply psychological principles to the workplace.

Who were the Drs. Clark?

Psychologists known for their research on racial identity and self-esteem in African American children, particularly through the use of dolls in experiments.

What are the 4 “direct” careers in psychology?

Clinical psychologist, psychiatrist, experimental psychologist, and mental health counselor.

What are the 3 main categories of research and what do they cover?

The three main categories of research are descriptive, correlational, and experimental. Descriptive research focuses on observing and describing behavior, correlational research examines the relationship between variables, and experimental research tests causal relationships through controlled experiments.

What is a correlation coefficient and what does it mean?

A statistical measure that describes the strength and direction of a relationship between two variables. It ranges from -1 to +1, indicating negative, no, or positive correlation.

What are demand characteristics and external validity?

Demand characteristics refer to cues in a research setting that may influence participant behavior, while external validity pertains to the extent to which findings can be generalized to real-world settings.

What is an independent variable?

An independent variable is a factor that is manipulated or changed in an experiment to observe its effects on a dependent variable. It is considered the cause in a cause-and-effect relationship.

What is a dependent variable?

A variable that is measured in an experiment to assess the effect of the independent variable. It is dependent on changes made to the independent variable.

What are the basics of research ethics?

Research ethics involve guidelines that ensure the dignity, rights, and welfare of research participants are protected. This includes informed consent, confidentiality, and minimizing harm.

What are the two main categories of statistics?

Descriptive statistics and inferential statistics.

What are replication and reliability in psychological research?

Replication refers to the ability to repeat a study and obtain similar results, while reliability indicates the consistency of a measure or finding over time.