Introduction to Psychology and Scientific Thinking

Comprehensive practice flashcards covering introductory psychology concepts, scientific thinking, psychological theories, and APA report writing as discussed in PSY102 Lecture 1.

How is psychology defined in the provided notes?

Psychology is defined as the scientific study of the mind, brain, and behaviour.

What are the six levels of analysis that psychology spans, from broadest to most specific?

The levels are Social, Behavioural, Mental, Neurological/physiological, Neurochemical, and Molecular.

Why is human behaviour difficult to predict in psychology?

Human behaviour is difficult to predict because it is multiply determined, meaning it is influenced by many factors that are rarely independent.

What is naïve realism?

Naïve realism is the belief that the world is exactly as we see it.

What is a paradigm shift and what is an example provided?

A paradigm shift occurs when new findings challenge old frameworks and new ideas gain support; an example is the shift from an Earth-centered to a Sun-centered model of the universe.

What is scientific scepticism?

Scientific scepticism is an approach of evaluating all claims with an open mind, but insisting on persuasive evidence before accepting them.

In the context of scientific scepticism, what is reflexivity?

Reflexivity is the act of critically examining one’s own attitudes, values, and biases to ensure cultural safety and avoid racism or attitudes of superiority.

What are two common misconceptions about scientific theories?

The misconceptions are that a theory explains one specific event (misunderstanding it as a single explanation) and that a theory is 'just an educated guess' (misunderstanding its evidence-based nature).

What is confirmation bias?

Confirmation bias is the tendency to seek out evidence that supports our beliefs and to deny, dismiss, or distort evidence that contradicts them.

What is belief perseverance?

Belief perseverance is the tendency to cling to one's initial beliefs even when presented with evidence that contradicts or disconfirms them.

What is pseudoscience and what is one example of indirect harm it can cause?

Pseudoscience refers to claims that seem scientific but are not; an indirect harm is that using harmless methods like Homeopathy can lead to delays in seeking effective medical care.

What are some warning signs of pseudoscience?

Signs include overuse of ad hoc immunising hypotheses, exaggerated claims, overreliance on anecdotes, lack of peer review, absence of connectivity to other research, and use of meaningless ‘psychobabble.’

Explain the principle of 'Extraordinary claims' in scientific thinking.

The more a claim contradicts what is already known, the more persuasive the evidence must be before the claim is accepted.

Explain the principle of 'Replicability' in scientific thinking.

A finding must be capable of being duplicated by independent researchers following the same ‘recipe’ or methods.

What is the difference between correlation and causation?

The fact that two things are associated with each other (correlation) does not mean that one causes the other (causation); both could be caused by a third variable.

How long has psychology existed as a science?

Psychology as a science has existed for only about $140$ years.

Who was the leading figure of Structuralism and what was its scientific goal?

The leading figure was Titchener ($1867-1927$) and the scientific goal was Introspection.

What was the scientific goal of Functionalism and which figure influenced this perspective?

The goal was to understand the functions of thoughts, feelings, and behaviour; it was influenced by Darwin and led by W. James.

Name the leading figures and the scientific goal of Behaviourism.

The leading figures were Pavlov, Watson, and Skinner; the goal was to uncover general principles of learning.

What is the primary focus of Cognitivism?

Cognitivism focuses on the role of mental processes on behaviour; led by Piaget and Neisser.

What is the core idea of Psychoanalysis?

The goal is to uncover the role of unconscious processes and early experiences on behaviour; its leading figure was S. Freud.

What is the Nature v Nurture debate?

It is the debate over whether behaviours are attributable mostly to genes (nature) or to rearing environments (nurture), though modern insights suggest an interaction between both.

What is the difference between basic and applied research?

Basic research examines how things work, while applied research examines how basic research can be used to solve real-world problems.

What are the eight main components of a psychological research report?

The components are Title, Abstract, Introduction, Method, Results, Discussion, References, and Appendices (optional).

What is the suggested length for a report Title and an Abstract?

A Title should be under $15$ words and an Abstract is usually no more than $250$ words.

What are the three subsections usually included in the 'Method' section of a report?

The subsections are Participants, Materials, and Procedure.