AP Psych: Unit 1

Empiricism

The idea that what we know comes from experience, and observation/experimentation enables scientific knowledge.

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Structuralism

to identify what the mind and consciousness were (understanding elements of the structure of the mind.) through introspection

Functionalism

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how mental and behavioral processes function (understanding the WHY). to identify how the mind and consciousness worked. 

Experimental Psychology

Applying experimental methods to psychology

uses scientific methods to study human behavior and mental processes through controlled experiments.

Behaviorism

Studying how people act and behave in a scientific way; watch and write down how people's actions change as they are taught

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Humanistic Psychology

our ability to develop and grow as individuals. Looks at self-potential.

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Cognitive Neuroscience

Blending (cognitive psychology) with (neuroscience) to understand things like seeing, thinking, memory, and language.

Psychology

Science of behavior and mental processes

Nature/ Nurture issue

Do our human characteristics come from our genes, or do they form because of what we go through?

Natural Selection

Traits that give an organism an advantage in surviving and reproducing are more likely to survive.

Levels of Analysis

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biological, cognitive, sociocultural

Biopsychosocial Approach

An approach thats considers biology, thoughts and feelings, and social-cultural viewpoints.

Behavioral Psychology (Biopsychosocial)

Scientific examination of actions we can see, and understand through learning rules. (figure out what situations make people react angrily or act aggressively.)

Biological Psychology (Biopsychosocial)

Explores the connections between biology (genes, nerves, hormones) and thoughts/feelings. (the brain pathways responsible for red ears)

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Psychodynamic Psychology (Biopsychosocial)

how hidden desires and internal struggles impact behavior, using this insight for therapy. (\*Could show an emotional outburst as a way to release hidden anger.)

Social-cultural Psychology (Biopsychosocial)

Explores how surroundings and cultures impact how we act and think. (how displays of happiness differ in different cultural settings.)

Cognitive Psychology

The scientific study of all the mental activities associated with thinking, knowing, remembering, and communicating

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Evolutionary Psychology

Using the principles of natural selection studying the evolution of behavior and the mind

Psychometrics

Concerned with numerical methods of measuring psychological variables by creating valid and reliable tests.

Basic Research

True/pure science that seeks to increase the scientific knowledge base. (biological, developmental, educational, personality, social)

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Applied Research

Wanting to solve practical/real-world issues/ problems. (counseling, clinical, psychiatrists)

Developmental Psychology

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The study of how humans grow, change, and develop across their lifespan. It examines changes from infancy to old age.

Educational Psychology

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Studies theoretical issues related to how people learn and effective teaching practices.

Personality Psychology

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Personality Examines our stable personality traits and factors that influence temperament. Develop methods of personality assessment.

Social Psychology

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Studies the impact of society on individuals and how a person’s life and behavior is shaped by interactions with others.

Industrial/Organizational (I/O) Psychology

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Concerned with psychological issues related to the work environment; employee motivation and selection.

Human Factors Psychology

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Use psychological knowledge to increase efficiency between humans and machines.

Counseling Psychology

Practitioner that works with people coping with everyday problems, including making career decisions, marriage counseling, and social skills training.

Clinical Psychology

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Practitioner that works with the diagnosis, causes, and treatment of mental disorders.

Psychiatry

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Psychiatry is a medical field that deals with mental disorders. It involves diagnosing, treating, and preventing these disorders.

Positive Psychology

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The study of human flourishing, seeking to uncover and improve strengths and virtues that contribute to individual and community thriving.

Community Psychology

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Develops and presents programs to help maintain mental health and the relationship between individuals and their community. Prevent/System issue

Testing Effect

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You will have better memory when retrieving rather than rereading.

SQ3R

Survey, Question, Read, Retrieve, Review.

Hindsight bias

Tendency to believe, after learning the outcome, that this knowledge was already known

Coincidence Error

Mistakenly thinking a random sequence of events has a pattern

Overconfidence

tendency to think we know more than what we actually know

Random event

People find a random world unsettling so we look for order and patterns

Confrimation Bias

The tendency to favor info that confirms to our beleifs and is difficult to change when affirmed

Theory

Explains certain events through organized observations and ideas

Operational Definitions

A carefully worded statement of the exact procedure used in a research study

Replication

Repeating the original observations with different participants, materials circumstances to see if the basic finding can be reproduced

Test theories by:

Descriptive

Correlation

Experimental

Case study

Examines one individual or group in depth to reveal thing s applicable to all of us

Naturalistic observation

Descriptive technique of observing and recording behavior in naturally occurring situations w/o trying to control the situation or be manipulative

The survey

Looks at many cases in less depth asking people to report their behavior or opinions

Sampling Bias

Generalize from a few but unrepersentative cases

Population

The whole group you want to study and describe

Random Sample

fairly represents a sample because each member has an equal chance at inclusion

Meta Analysis

Comparing Data from numerous studies on the same topic to generalize a hypothesis based ona a large sample

Longtiudinal Time

Studies the same individual or group of them over a length of time to examine changes in the devolopment of behaviors relates to growth and aging

Correlate

A measure of the extent to which two factors vary together and how well either factor predicts the other

Correlational coefficinet

Scatter Plot

Perfect Positive correlation

Perfect negative correlation

No correlation

Correlation coefficient

Illusory correlation

Perceiving a relationship when none exisits or a stringer than actual relationship

Random Assignment

Assigning people to groups by chance, minimizing the differences between the two different groups

Regression toward the mean

Tendency for extreme or unusual events to fall back toward the average, when behavior returns to normal it is usually regression towards the mean is at work.

Double Blind procedure

Neither the participant nor the administrator will know which group is receiving the treatment

Placebo

Just thinking you are getting a treatment can boost your spirits and relieve your body of symptoms

Confouding variables

Factors other than the ones being studied that might influence the studies result.

Informed consent

Telling participants enough of the study to let them choose to participate or not

Debrief

Post experimental explanation of the study including descriptions and deceptions

Descrptive Statistics

Mean

Average ( add scores and / by # of scores)

Median

middle score

mode

most often apaearing number in data set

range

differnece between highest and lowest #

Standard Deviation

Computed measure of how much scores vary arounnd the mean score

Inferential Stats

Data that lets one generalize

Statistical Significance

Statmemnt of how likely it is that a result occured by chance. Typically reported by P value

Generalizabilty

Surverying ever tenth student in the yearbook

Wilhelm Wundt

Father of modern psychology, established first psychology laboratory in 1879 at the University of Leipzig, Germany. Focused on studying conscious experience through introspection. Pioneered structuralism as a psychological approach. (STRUCTURALISM)

Stanley Hall

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Stanley hall established the first U.S. psychology laboratory at Johns Hopkins University: in 1883

worked with Wundt and help founded the APA American Psychological Association).

Edward Titchener

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Psychologist who founded structuralism, a school of psychology that focused on analyzing the structure of the mind through introspection.

William James

ather of American psychology. Pioneered functionalism, focused on practical psychology. Studied consciousness, free will, and emotions. Wrote "The Principles of Psychology."

Mary Wilton Calkins

Denied Ph.D. from Harvard First APA female president (1905)

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Margaret Floy Washburn

First female psychology Ph.D. Wrote The Animal Mind Second APA female president (1921

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Sigmund Freud

Created the psychoanalytic approach

John B. Watson

Psychologist who founded behaviorism. Believed all behaviors are learned through conditioning. Famous for "Little Albert" experiment, demonstrating fear can be conditioned.

B.F. Skinner

Behaviorist psychologists emphasizes the role of consequences in shaping behavior. Skinner introduced the concept of reinforcement and punishment to modify behavior. He believed that behavior is influenced by the environment

Carl Rogers

Psychologist known for his humanistic approach to therapy, emphasizing empathy, unconditional positive regard, and genuineness.

Ivan Pavlov

(physiologist) = pioneer of the study of learning

behaviorist

Jean Piaget

Swiss psychologist known for his theory of cognitive development.  most influential observer of children (development)

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Charles Darwin

Darwin, scientist who proposed evolution through natural selection. Book "On the Origin of Species" published in 1859, revolutionized biology and challenged religion. Theory explains species adapting to environment, leading to diversity of life on Earth.

Dorothea Dix

American social reformer and activist during the 19th century. She advocated for improved conditions and treatment of the mentally ill in the United States. Dix's efforts led to the establishment of numerous mental asylums and the reform of existing institutions.