Psychology - Unit 1

how did the greeks use humorism to explain behavior?

if your humors were out of wack you would act weird

what is psychology?

what people SHOULD do

what is philosophy?

who does what and why

what does psychology study?

why people do what they do

why is William Wundt so important to the history and study of psychology?

founded first Lab dedicated to psychology, author of first psychology textbook, first to scientifically test behavior, and separated psychology from philosophy

experimental psychology

conducts experiments and publishes articles on how humans behave

applied psychology

apply psychology in fields like sports, school, and businesses to make their environments better

clinical psychology

treat people who suffer with mental illnesses

nature theory

believes we inherit our behaviors from our genes or evolution

nurture theory

believes our behaviors are learned through our experiences and environment

which schools of psychology lean towards the NATURE side?

evolutionary and biological

which schools of psychology lean towards the NURTURE side?

humanistic, socia-culture, behavioral, psychoanalytic, and cognitive

how and why have twins been used in nature vs nurture studies?

if twins are raised separately they will have different traits like religion but they will have the same traits like a dominant hand and movements

what has research shown us is the truth regarding nature vs nurture?

none are 100% correct

empirical evidence

can be observed by the five senses or proven through experimentation

independent variable

can be changed

dependent variable

depends on the independent variable

descriptive studies

researchers cannot change the variable

naturalistic observation

observing people in their natural environments

sampling bias

a group of people/things you are studying doesn't accurately represent a larger population you're interested in

case studies

studying one person or a small group throughout a period in their life

surveys

collecting responses to seek out a correlation between two variables

positive correlation

two variables in an experiment go up or down

negative correlation

if one variable increases the other decreases

field experiment

experiment takes place in a natural environment like a shopping mall or school

control group

does not receive the treatment in an experiment

experimental group

receives the treatment in an experiment

mean

the average

mode

most common

median

the middle

expectancy effect

causes us to act or do things based on how we are expected to behave, even without knowing it

double blind experiment

both the test subjects AND researchers do not know who is getting the treatment or not

how are descriptive studies different from experiments?

in an experiment, researchers can control the independent variable and change it while in descriptive studies. researchers cannot change the variables

what is the difference between a control group and an experimental group in an experiment?

a control group does not receive the treatment while the experimental group does

how do traditional prisons vs. the prisons in Norway show different approaches to nature vs. nurture?

in Norway, the prisons focus on rehabilitation, have a humanistic environment, and allow prisoners to maintain social connections while in traditional prisons they focus on security and control, have limited rehabilitation programs and socially isolate prisoners

how does having a growth or fixed mindset relate to the nature vs. nurture debate?

a fixed mindset believes that you are born with unchangeable traits like nature. a growth mindset believes that you develop through learning and effort like nurture

confirmation bias

only paying attention to information that supports what you already believe in and ignoring any opposing information

statistics

tools used to collect, organize, analyze, and interpret numerical data from psychological data

why is scientific research so important in psychology?

helps separate fact from opinion and provides evidence

what is the difference between a lab observation and a naturalistic observation?

naturalistic observations are held in a natural environment but with little control and a lab observation is held in a artificial and controlled space

what is the difference between a positive correlation and a negative correlation?

a positive correlation is when data moves in the same direction while negative correlation data moves in opposite directions

why do scientists use statistics to measure their results or data?

to avoid bias, generalize findings, and sort a ton of information

what roles does the APA play in research?

makes sure research is clear, ethical, and consistent

what are some ethical guidelines researchers must follow when conducting research?

informed consent, do no harm, confidentiality, and anonymity