Psychological Science 7th Edition- Chapter ,1 The Science of Psychology

psychology

the scientific study of behavior and mental processes

psychologist

someone who's career involves understanding peoples minds or predicting their behavior

Psychological Science

the study, through research, of mind, brain, and behavior

mind

mental activity: perceptions, thoughts, memories, and feelings

brain

mental activity: biochemical processes which take place

behavior

observable actions of human beings and nonhuman animals

critical thinking

systematically questioning and evaluating using well-supported evidence

amiable skepticism

the combination of openness and skepticism

Why should you be suspicious of after-the-fact explanations

Once people know an outcome, they interpret and reinterpret old evidence to make sense of that outcome, giving a false sense of predictability.

Hypothesis Generation

Taking time to consider some possibilities that explain why people may be unaware of their weakness.

Why should we be skeptical of people's descriptions of their personal strengths?

Because people often lack the expertise to accurately evaluate and compare their ability.

Mind/body Problem

A fundamental psychological issue: Are mind and body separate and distinct, or is the mind simply the physical brain's subjective experience?

Dualism

The hypothesis that the mind and body are seprate yet intertwined.

Nature/Nurture Debate

The arguments concerning whether psychological characteristics are biologically innate or acquired through education, experience, and culture.

Culture

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

Why is it important for psychologists to pay attention to both nature and nurture?

They both contribute to mental activity and behavior, individually and with each other.

William James

He moved psychology beyond considering minds as sums of individual units and into functionalism.

Stream of Consciousness

A phrase coined by William James to describe each persons continuous series of ever-changing thoughts.

Functionalism

An approach to psychology concerned with adaptive purpose, or function, of mind and behavior.

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.

According to Willam James's functionalism, why should psychologists focus on the operations of the human mind

The mind is too complex to understand as a sum of separate parts.

Diversity and Inclusion

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

Which Idea of Psychology specializes in understanding the thoughts, feelings, and behaviors of daily life.

Social-Personality Psychology

Clinical Psych

A branch of psychology that studies, assesses, and treats people with psychological disorders

Cognitive Psych

Area of psychology which aims to understand the basic skills and processes that are the foundation of mental health and behavior.

Developmental Psychology

An area of Psychology which studies how humans grow and develop from the prenatal period, through infancy to old age.

Health Psychology

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

Industrial /Organized Psychology

Exploring how psychological processes carry out in the workplace.

Relationships Psychology

Researching our intimate relationships, properties that make them succeed or fail, and the two-way affects between intimate relationships and other aspects of our lives.

Social Personality Psychology

The study of everyday thoughts, feelings and behaviors and the factors which give rise to them.

Electrocencephalograph (EEG)

Recording the electrical activity of the brain via electrodes on the scalp.

Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI)

Reveals changes in the brains activation in response to different mental processes.

Human Genome

the basic genetic code, or blueprint, for the human body

Epigenetics

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

Why does brain imaging help Psychologists study?

Localization of mental avtivity

Behaviorism

A psychological approach that emphasizes environmental influences on observable behaviors.

George A. Miller

Launched the cognitive revolution by establishing the center for Cognitive Science at Harvard University.

Big Data

Science that was very large data set as and advanced computational methods to discover patterns that would be difficult to detect with smaller sets

Data Ethics

The branch of Psychology that addresses ethical issues in data accessibility, identifiable and autonomy.

Replicaabiloty

The likelihood that results of a study would be very similar if it were to run again.

Open Science Movement

A social movement among scientists to improve methods increase research transparency and to promote data sharing.

What is Data Ethics?

The branch of Psychology examining ethical questions around the collection, us, and sharing of human data.

Norms

Specific ways people ought to behave in certain situations

What are Cultural Norms?

Socially upheld rules regarding how people ought to behave in certain situations.

Biopsychosocial Model

An approach to psychological science that integrates biological factors, psychological processes, and social contextual influences in showing human mental life and behavior.

Ethnomusicology

the study of music in cultural context

Interdisciplinary

Psychologist collaborating with researchers from other scientific fields.

Suppose a research study explores peoples memory for song lyrics. At what level of analysis are the researchers working.

The Individual Level

Distributive Practice

the spacing of study sessions over days or weeks

Retrieval-Based learning

Learning based on the act of retrieving or recovering previously stored information.

EX: test.

Elaborative Interrogation

Learning to ask yourself why a fact is true or how a process operates the way it does.

Self Explanation

Reflecting on your learning process and trying to make sense of new material your own words.

Intervalled Practice

Switching between topics during studying

Biological Level of analysis

brain systems, neurochemistry, genetics

Individual Level of Analysis

individual differences, perception and cognition, behavior

Social Level of Analysis

interpersonal behavior, social cognition

Cultural Level of Analysis

thoughts, actions, behaviors in different societies and cultural groups