Thorough UC Scout APPSYCH Semester 1 Final Review

psychology

the study of the mind and behavior (psykhe + logia)

nature vs nurture

Is our behavior more related to our genes or the environment we were raised in?

psychologist's objective

understand the source of behavior & the who, what, when, and why of behavior

biopsychosocial approach

combines nature and nurture, examining biological influences (genes, brain chem, hormones) with psychological (emotions, thoughts, learned behaviors) and sociocultural (family, traditions, culture) influences

Hippocrates

Father of Medicine, viewed source of melancholia as being caused by a physical origin, the imbalance of the four humors (blood, yellow & black biles, phlegm)

Socrates

questioning everything, socratic method

Plato

dualist, rationalist

dualism

the belief that the mind and the body were two separate entities and that the mind will continue to live on after the body has died

rationalism

belief that all ideas are innate and logic + reason is needed to develop thoughts

Aristotle

monist, empiricist

monism

the belief that the mind and body are one entity

empiricism

belief that ideas are developed only through experience

thesis

statement of opinion

antithesis

alternate belief/opinion of a different perspective

synthesis

selective combining of two opinions to reach resolution

atheoretical

without a theory

Sir Francis Bacon

believed science should be empirical

empirical

without a guiding theory, based on observation

René Descartes

rationalist, "Cogito Ergo Sum", believe the mind is greater than the body

Cogito Ergo Sum

I think, therefore I am

John Locke

empiricist, "Tabula Rasa"

Tabula Rasa

Blank Slate

Immanuel Kant

believed in a combination of rationalism and empiricism (nature and nurture) - a priori & a posteriori

a priori; a posteriori

from the earlier; from the latter

structuralism

uses techniques of introspection to determine the structure of the mind - Wilhelm Wundt, Edward Titchener

Wilhelm Wundt

father of psychology, founded first laboratory for psychology

introspection

examination of one's own thoughts and feelings

functionalism

belief that humans are actively engaged in their sensations and thoughts - William James, Charles Darwin

Mary Whiton Calkins

first woman president of the APA, got denied a PhD from Harvard due to her gender

Margaret Floy Washburn

first woman to receive a PhD in Psychology, second woman president of the APA

associationism

examination of how ideas can link in our heads to result in learning - Herman Ebbinghaus, Edward Lee Thorndike

Law of Effect

Thorndike's law - punished behaviors are less frequent, rewarded behaviors are more frequent

psychoanalytic perspective

emphasis on unconscious conflicts in the mind, repressed urges, childhood experiences, and symbolism in dreams

psychoanalsysts

Sigmund Freud - determinism

humanistic perspective

emphasis on free will, self-esteem, and overall human potential

humanists

Abraham Maslow - self actualization, Carl rogers - unconditional positive regard

cognitivism

focus on individual thoughts (how you think, process, and store information)

cognitivists

Allen Newell and Herbert Simon - modeled thinking and processing, Ulric Neisser - father of cognitive psychology

behaviorism

continuation of associationism, emphasis on concrete, observable aspects of humans

behaviorists

Ivan Pavlov - classical conditioning, John B. Watson - Little Albert, B.F. Skinner - operant conditioning

sociocultural perspective

focus on social environment surrounding the individual (culture, social norms)

biologicists

Roger Sperry - hemispheric specialization

subfields of biological psychology

molecular genetics & behavioral genetics

biological perspective

focus on brain chemistry, functions, structures, and anomalies

evolutionary perspective

focus on how humans adapt

evolutionists

Charles Darwin

psychometrics

the study and measurement of the human abilities, attitudes, and traits

biological psychologists

studying the function of the brain, NTs, and the body

developmental psychologists

focusing on human development from birth to death

cognitive psychologists

study of how we think and perceive and problem solve and plan

educational psychologists

study of how to improve teaching and learning

personality psychologists

studying how to better understand personality traits and testing

social psychologists

studying how we interact in groups

industrial/organizational psychologists

use applied research to find ways to improve the workplace

human factors psychologists

use applied research and looks at how humans and machines interact to find ways to improve the workplace environment

applied research

using scientific practices to solve practical life problems

counseling psychologists

help people through general life problems

clinical psychologists

asses and treat people with psychological disorders

psychiatrists

medical doctors trained to work with patients with psychological disorders and provide medical interventions and treatment

sports psychologists

helping athletes to improve performance and overcome mental setbacks

forensic psychologists

work primarily in the courts and legal system

dialectic

the thesis, the antithesis, and the synthesis

scientific method

theory, hypothesis, operational definition, research, conclusion

theory

and explanation that uses principles to organize observations and predict behavior or events

hypothesis

a prediction that can be tested

operational definition

a precise explanation of the terms of your research

case study (clinical method)

an in-depth look at all aspects of a single case (one group/person with a rare disorder or unique sets of behavior)

Phineas Gage

severe brain damage case study

naturalistic observation

observing a person or an animal in the environment in which they live

Jane Goodall

used naturalistic observation on chimpanzees

observer effect

where there are changes in the behavior of your subject caused by an awareness that they are being observed - skews research

observer bias

when the observers of the subject see what they expect to see or only record selected details - skews research

survey method

uses public polling techniques to answer psychological questions

sampling bias

when the survey produces an unrepresentative sample (few/ too many of the same kind of responses) - skews research

representative sample

a small grou that accurately reflects a larger population

courtesy bias

the tendency for respondents to give polite or socially acceptable answers rather than the truth - skews research

response bias

when not all surveys are returned (only the least/most favorable respond) - skews research

correlational study

when researchers are looking for the existence of a relationship between two events, measures, or variables

correlation coefficient

a number that ranges from -1 to 1 and indicates a stronger relationship when closer to a whole number

positive correlation

found when increases in one variable are matched by the other

negative correlation

found when increases in one variable are matched by decreases in the other

correlation does not demonstrate...

causation

illusory correlations

when we believe a relationship exists and are more likely to remember instances when this happened in the past

controlled experiment

when researchers directly vary a condition to watch and measure the results

independent variable

IV - the condition you are varying

dependent variable

DV = the outcome or result of the varied condition

confounding variable

anything other than the IV that could affect the DV

experimental group

group with IV

control group

group with everything except the IV

_ and _ are necessary for accurate and controlled experiments.

random assignment into groups; a representative sample

placebo effect

changes in behavior that result from the belief that one has receive a specific substance or condition

the placebo effect can be avoided by...

blind experiments or double blind experiments

blind experiment

when the subjects don't know if they are receiving the real substance or condition or the placebo

double blind experiment

when the experimenters also don't know whether the subjects are receiving the real substance or condition or the placebo

descriptive statistics

numbers used to describe and summarize data taken directly from research

measures of central tendency

mean, median, mode

mean

the arithmetic average of the distribution

median

the middle score in a distribution

mode

the most frequently occuring score in a distribution

to ensure statistical reasoning accuracy...

more than one measure of central tendency must be used