PSYCH Exam 1

Psychology

study of human behaviors and mental process

Science of pyschology

Uses systematic methods to observe and draw conclusions

Structuralism (Perspectives)

Created by William Wundt. First person to create lab of psychology

William Wundt published a book in Germany 1873

Focuses in consiousness

Introspection

Explaining conscious experiences as objectively as possible (Example: show each person a metronome and have them describe it - looking for structure of consciousness like elements in a period table)

Functionalism

Started by William James. Had a different idea. More important to study how people function in the world (How mental activities help humans adapt)

Psychodynamic Approach

Sigmund Freud. Unconscious motives and experiences in early childhood govern personality and mental disorders (Layers of consciousness)

Behavioral Approach

Watson and Skinner. Only observable events can be studied scienftifically. Study how people/animals learn. The study of consciousness, thoughts, feelings should be abandoned. How organisms learn new behaviors change exisiting ones due to rewards/punishments

Humanistic Approach

Rogers, Maslow. Humans are free, rational beings with potential for positive growth and are different from other animals. Humans have free will. Not potential growth, but desirable growth.

Maslow’s Needs

Physiological → Safety → Love → Esteem → Self - actualization

Biological Approach

An organism’s functioning can be explained by bodily structures (brain) and biochemical processes that underlie behavior

Neuroscience

Scientific study of nervous system

Cognitive Approach

Human behavior cannot be fully understood without examining how people acquire, store, and process information (like a language)

Sociocultural Approach

Understood human behavior we must examine influeces of social/cultural environment (people/environment impacting us)

Margaret Floy Washburn

First woman to get PhD in Psych (1894)

Anna Freud

Freud’s daughter worked on his theories, expanding his ideas on women

Mary Whiton Calkins

First female president of APA

Leta Stetter Hollingworth

Challenged idea that women are intellectually inferior to men and unable to function while on their period

Inez Prosser

First black woman to ear PhD in Pysch

Martha Bernal

First latina to earn PhD in Psych

Phipps Clark

Created famous “Clark Doll Study”, insturmental in court cases about school segregation

Kenneth Clark

Married to Phipps Clark; first black president of APA

Francis Cecil Sumner

First to earn Psych PhD (Father of Black Psychology)

Robert Williams

Found NABP, challenged idea of racial intelligence differences, created Black Intelligence Test of Cultural Homogeneity, coined “Ebonics”

Clinical and Counseling Psychology

Focus on diagnosis, treatment, and understanding of psychological disorders and problematic behaviors.

Psychology is often considered to be a union of what two fields?

Physiology and Philosophy

Dualism is the belief that the body and _ are separate. Psychologists instead believe that these two things are in fact one and the same.

mind

Because the study of psychology is empirical, the field does which of the following?

Uses inferential reasoning based on observation and analysis

Empiricism

Provides the standard philosophical view for how knowledge about psychology as a science should be gathered and understood

Embodied mind theory

Provides a framework for how psychologists understand the link between unobservable mental processes and the physical world

Physiology

Provides evidence about the biological functioning of bodies and brain

Inferential reasoning

Provides a process for how observable evidence should be used to draw conclusions about psychological processes

Behavior

Provides a definition of the kinds of observable evidence used to draw conclusions about psychological processes

Mind

Provides a definition of the kinds of unobservable phenomena psychology is interested in understanding

A psychologist gives Alex a diagnosis of ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder). How might this category impact Alex’s life? 

It may allow Alex to access therapy or medication, but could also cause others to view Alex only through the lens of having ADHD. 

Nativism is best contrasted with which of the following?

Empiricism

Which of these describes a "fixed" mindset? 

Vita is a big fan of astrology, and knows that they are a Gemini. Because they are a Gemini, they believe that their strengths are in being social and quick-witted, but that Geminis also struggle with anxiety and indecision; these are things Vita can't help. 

How did cognitive psychologists like Kahneman and Tversky refine the debate on unconscious versus conscious processes?

By introducing the dual-process model, distinguishing between automatic and controlled processes

Jennifer grew up in a culture that emphasizes worrying and values complaining.

Social

Danny has had a lot of negative personal experiences with public speaking, making it difficult for him.

Psychological

Theo has a genetic predisposition toward autism; people in his family tend to be on the autism spectrum.

Biological

Most of the discoveries made by behaviorists are no longer considered valid today.

False

Early functionalists were heavily influenced by which of the following?

Darwin’s evolutionary theory

Behaviorism

A psychologist trains pigeons to peck a button for food by rewarding them every time they succeed.

Functionalism

Researchers study how feelings of fear help students respond adaptively during fire drills in school.

Structuralism

Participants are asked to carefully describe their immediate sensations and thoughts while tasting an unfamiliar fruit.

Cognitive revolution

Scientists use brain scans to examine how people store and retrieve information when solving logic puzzles.

The humanist movement in clinical psychology was largely a reaction to which of the following?

Freud’s psychoanalysis

Positive psychologists focus on which of the following?

Improving human functioning and the positive side of human nature

Order the movements in the scientific study of psychology chronologically.

Structuralism

Functionalism

Behaviorism

The cognitive revolution

What was the fundamental disagreement between the psychoanalysts and the humanists?

The capacity for free will and change

From where did Freud believe psychological problems originate?

The unconscious mind

Cognitive

Studying how much information people can remember over the short term

Comparative

Drawing links between addictive behavior in rats and in humans

Social

Determining how people compare themselves to their peers

Developmental

Investigating the nature of declining mental ability with age

Psychopathology

Describing the chemical imbalances in the brain that produce debilitating anxiety

Which of these examples is basic research?

Attempting to understand the causes of depression

Political

Researching ways to frame a ballot measure so that it will be more likely to pass

Industrial & organizational

Helping a business improve employee satisfaction

Forensic & legal

Helping a defense attorney dismiss jurors who will likely vote to convict the accused

Educational

Researching effective ways to insert questions into a course to optimize learning

Health

Researching the best ways to convince people to comply with regulations regarding wearing face masks

Which is the best description of translational research?

Using basic research findings to guide research on applied solutions

What is the primary difference between clinical psychologists and psychiatrists?

The kinds of training they receive

Which of these best describes clinical psychology?

It is a form of applied psychology.

Which degree(s) are required to qualify as a clinical psychologist?

PsyD or PhD

Basic research

Psychologists who do this are interested in understanding the root causes and describing the mental and physical processes of psychological phenomena.

Applied research

Psychologists who do this are interested in describing problems with psychological components and figuring out how to solve them.

Evidence-based practice

Psychologists who do this are interested in making sure that the techniques they use in their work are grounded in the best available data.

Clinical psychology

Psychologists who do this are interested in figuring out the best way to solve mental, emotional, and behavioral problems, or actually helping people solve them (or even both!).

Translational research can be thought of as the bridge between what and what?

Basic research and applied practice

Psychologists studying cognitive influences on psychology typically investigate which of the following?

The role of information processing on a problem or situation

Ultimate explanation

Language exists because it was adaptive for humans to be able to communicate with one another over the course of evolutionary history.

Functional explanation

Language can be used to explain how people deceive one another to gain an advantage in a trade.

Process-oriented explanation

Language is produced and understood by portions of the temporal lobe of the brain.

Which influence would we most likely be studying if we tried to understand whether different groups of the same species of monkey had different rules regarding what was fair?

Cultural influences

Which influence would we most likely be studying if we tried to understand how a "sense of fairness" developed in humans compared to capuchin monkeys?

Evolutionary influences

Which influence would we most likely be studying if we tried to understand the hormones and neurons involved in activating a "sense of fairness?"

Physiological influences

Psychological Research

Ethics in research

Tuskegee Syphilis Study (1932-1972)

Appeared on NYT about victims going untreated for years after experiment

Institutional Review Board (IRB)

Review board at any federally funded institution responsible for reviewing all research to determine if it is ethical (People outside the psych field watch the research)

Ethical Research

Benefits of research outweigh the harms caused to participants

Informed Consent

Research must be explained in detail before participant agrees to take part

Voluntary participation

Participant must agree to participate and understand they can quit at any time

Right to privacy

Right to participants to not have data shared without consent

Anoymity

Researcher did not collect any identifying info from participants

Confidentiality

Researcher knows who you are but they don’t share it

Deception

Must have good reason. Has not been found to cause lasting harm. Must be explained to participant afterwards.

Debriefing

After study, participant must be given details of what just happened

Middlemist, Knowles, Matter 1976

Personal space Invasion in the Lavatory. How long does it take for someone to pee?

Using non-human animals in research

Only small percentage of psychological research

Must have a good reason

Must justify any harm/pain to animal

Must keep animals in good living conditions

Steps to Scientific Method

1. Prediction

2. Design the study

3. Analyze Data and Draw Conclusions

4. Report Findings

Prediciton

Formulate a hypotheisis. Hypothesis - a tentative statement about relationship between two variables (Characteristics/behaviors in study). Theory - a system of interrelated ideas used to explain observations. Good theory - testable, falsifiable, and fits evidence.

Operational defintions

Statement takes a theoretical construct and turns it into something you can observe, measure, or manipulate

Replication

Repeating a research study with different participants to see if the results are the same

Design the study

Research methods: differeing approaches to the observation

Analyze data and draw conclusions

Use statistical tests to determine math/scientifical importance of data. Interpet those findings

Report Findings

Must share with others. Publish in journal. Peer-review - article is read and examined by several other expertss before being published

Ways to Collect Data

Ways to Collect Data