Psychology Unit 1 Scientific Foundations

Flashcards generated from lecture notes on psychology.

Psychology

The science of behavior and mental processes.

Behavior

Anything an organism does.

Psychology

The science of behavior and mental processes.

Behavior

Anything an organism does.

Mental Processes

Internal experiences we infer from behavior.

Behavioralism

An objective science that studies behavior without reference to mental processes.

Humanistic Psychology

Emphasizes the importance of current environmental influences on growth potential and the need for love and acceptance.

Cognitive Neuroscience

How we perceive, process, and remember information.

Nature-Nurture Controversy

Debate over the contributions of biology and experience.

Biopsychosocial Approach

Influence of biological, psychological, and social factors.

Neuroscience Perspective

How the brain and body enable emotions, memories, and sensory experiences.

Evolutionary Perspective

Natural selection promotes the survival of genes.

Behavioral Perspective

How we learn observable responses; behavior is learned.

Psychodynamic Perspective

Behavior springs from unconscious drives and conflicts (childhood/memories).

Cognitive Perspective

How we encode, process, store, and retrieve information.

Social-Cultural Perspective

How behavior and thinking vary across cultures.

Introspection

Looking within/brain.

Structuralism

A theory that utilizes introspection to explore the mind's structural elements.

Functionalism

Considers the functions of thoughts and feelings.

Gestalt Psychology

Emphasizes the whole of the experience rather than the parts.

Psychoanalysis

Focuses on the unconscious mind.

Hindsight Bias

Realizing/knowing what to do after an event has occurred ('I knew it all along').

Overconfidence

Dramatizing one's ability; humans tend to be overconfident.

Barnum Effect

Tendency to accept general/vague characteristics of selves and take them to be accurate (horoscopes, MBTI, etc.).

Theory

Organizes observations and predicts behaviors.

Hypothesis

Testable predictions produced by 'good' theories.

Operational Definitions

Statements of procedures used to define research variables, helping replicate studies with clear predictions that are testable.

Confounding Variables

Anything that could impact the dependent variable that is not due to the independent variable.

Random Sampling

Everyone has an equal chance of participation, making results unbiased.

Wording Effect

Different wording holds different impacts on people.

Case Study

Observational technique where one person is studied in depth to reveal universal principles.

Naturalistic Observation

Watching subjects in their natural environment.

Correlation

How one trait is related to another.

Correlation Coefficient

r (ranges from -1 to +1).

Illusory Correlation

Non-existent trend (only has association).

Standard Deviation

How far scores vary from the mean.

Z-score

Measures the distance of a score from the mean.

Normal Distribution

68-95-99.7 rule.

Statistical Significance

Probability that results are due to chance; less varying observations = reliable data set.

Inferential Statistics

Discover whether findings can be applied to a larger population.

P-value

< 0.05 for statistical significance.

Hawthorne/Observer Effect

If people know they are being studied, they don't act natural.

Experimenter Bias/Expectancy Effect

Experimenter looks for certain effects.

Informed Consent

Participants must be informed about the research and potential risks.

Confidentiality

Researchers must not release personal data.

Debriefing

Participants must receive a full explanation of the research when their involvement is done.