Chapter 1: Psychology in Your Life - 50 Q&A Flashcards

50 Question-and-Answer flashcards covering key concepts from Chapter 1 notes.

What is psychology?

The scientific study of mental activity and behavior, which depend on brain processing; the mind is the set of mental activities that lets us experience the world; behavior is the actions that result from sensing and interpreting information; the brain coordinates mental activity and behavior.

What is the difference between subjective and objective in psychology?

Subjective refers to personal thoughts on topics; objective refers to impersonal, scientific insight into understanding people’s behaviors and thoughts.

What does the mind refer to in psychology?

The mind is the mental activity that lets us experience the world through our senses.

What does behavior refer to in psychology?

All actions that result from sensing and interpreting information.

What is the brain’s role in psychology?

The brain is responsible for mental activity and behaviors.

What is intuition in psychology?

A personal, instinctive, gut feeling about something, not scientific evidence.

What is empirical evidence?

Evidence obtained through observation or experimentation.

What is the intuitive claim about calorie labeling on fast-food menus?

People order healthier meals when calories are included on the menu.

What did empirical evidence show about calorie labeling?

Seeing calorie information on menus is not related to long-term changes in purchases.

What are the three steps in critical thinking?

1) Is the source believable? 2) Is there strong evidence? 3) Do other believable sources agree about the claim?

What makes a source credible in psychology?

Experts with advanced degrees in psychology and professionally published scientific journals.

Do beliefs and opinions differ in psychology?

Beliefs are personal ideas that may not be factually accurate; opinions are personal judgments not necessarily based on scientific evidence.

Do other believable sources agree about a claim?

Check whether other credible sources also agree about the empirical evidence.

Who established the first psychology laboratory and when?

Wilhelm Wundt, in 1879.

What was the purpose of the first psychology laboratory?

To identify the basic parts, or structures, of the conscious mind.

What methods were used in early psychology experiments?

Reaction time experiments and introspection.

What are the five domains of psychology?

Biological, Cognitive, Developmental, Social and Personality, Mental and Physical Health.

What does the Biological domain study?

How activity in the brain and body gives rise to thoughts, feelings, and actions.

What does the Cognitive domain study?

How mental activities affect thoughts, feelings, and actions.

What does the Developmental domain study?

How you change from birth through old age in terms of thoughts, feelings, and actions.

What does the Social and Personality domain study?

How social factors and your personal characteristics impact thoughts, feelings, and actions.

What does the Mental and Physical Health domain study?

What affects your mental and physical health, and how you can develop healthy behaviors.

What is diversity in psychology?

Differences among people that matter in a given context, including race, ethnicity, sex, language, religion, gender, age, socioeconomic status, etc.

Who was Mary Whiton Calkins?

One of the first females to receive a doctorate in psychology (1890).

Who was Francis Cecil Sumner?

The first Black person in the United States to earn a doctoral degree in psychology (1920).

What percent of psychologists identified as women in 2019?

70 percent.

What is notable about Sumner’s PhD achievement in psychology?

Francis Cecil Sumner became the first Black person in the United States to earn a doctoral degree in psychology (1920).

How many Black people earned a doctorate in any field between 1876 and 1920?

Eleven Black people.

What percent of psychology research participants lived in Western, industrialized countries?

About 96%.

What does the Western-world participant statistic imply about population coverage?

These participants represent about 12% of the world’s population.

What is culture in psychology?

The beliefs, values, rules, and customs that exist within a group sharing language or environment; culture can affect psychological processes.

What is an Institutional Review Board (IRB)?

A group responsible for reviewing proposed research to ensure it meets accepted scientific standards and protects participants’ well-being.

What are the four main ethical issues in research?

Privacy, Confidentiality, Informed consent, and Protection from harm.

What does privacy mean in research?

Researchers must respect participants’ privacy.

What does confidentiality mean in research?

Participants’ information must be kept secret.

What is informed consent?

Participants must be told about the research and can choose whether to participate.

What is protection from harm in research?

Researchers cannot ask participants to endure unreasonable pain or discomfort; risk/benefit ratio must be considered.

What are the four goals of science in psychology?

Describe, Predict, Control, Explain.

What is the scientific method?

A systematic procedure of observing and measuring phenomena to answer questions, involving a dynamic interaction between theories, hypotheses, and research methods.

What are the five steps of the scientific method?

Formulate a theory; Develop a testable hypothesis; Test with a research method; Analyze the data; Share the results and conduct more research.

What is a theory in psychology?

An explanation of how a mental process or behavior occurs, formed by reviewing scientific articles and literature.

What is a hypothesis?

A testable prediction that should be observed if the theory is correct.

What are descriptive methods in psychology?

Methods that describe what is happening; three types: Case studies, Observational studies, Self-reports.

What is a case study?

An intensive examination of a few unique people or organizations.

What is an observational study?

A descriptive method that systematically assesses and codes observable behavior, with potential observer bias or reactivity.

What is the Hawthorne Effect?

Being observed can lead participants to change their behavior.

What is a self-report method?

Using questionnaires or surveys to gather data from many people; self-report bias must be considered.

What are correlational methods?

Examine how variables are naturally related in the real world; measure two variables and determine the degree of association; do not infer causation; issues include directionality and a possible third variable.

What are experimental methods?

Research methods that test causal hypotheses by manipulating an independent variable and measuring effects on a dependent variable; often involve random assignment to conditions.

What is random sampling?

A sample that fairly represents the population by giving every member of the population an equal chance of being included.

What is random assignment?

Placing participants in the conditions of an experiment so that each participant has an equal chance of being assigned to any level of the independent variable.