Flashcards about the Scientific Foundations of Psychology

Flashcards about the Scientific Foundations of Psychology

What is Psychology?

The scientific study of behavior and mental processes.

How do psychologists study behavior and mental processes?

Collecting data and making observations about the ways in which humans and animals behave and think in order to understand behavior and mental processes.

From which two parental disciplines did psychology emerge?

Physiology (Biology) and Philosophy

What is Empiricism?

The view that knowledge originates in experience and that science should, therefore, rely on observation and experimentation.

Which philosophers believed the body and mind were separate and that only the mind survived after death?

Socrates and Plato

Which philosopher disagreed with his mentors, suggesting that the mind could not be separated from the body?

Aristotle

Which philosopher was interested in how the physical body and non-physical mind work together and dissected animals to view their brains and nerves?

Rene Descartes

Who is known as the father of modern science for using the scientific method to conduct experiments?

Francis Bacon

Who wrote that people are born with minds that are a “blank slate” (tabula rasa)?

John Locke

In what year did Wilhelm Wundt open the world’s first Psychology research lab?

1879

Who is generally considered the “Father of Psychology”?

Wilhelm Wundt

Who was Mary Whiton Calkins?

Studied psychology under William James, was denied a PhD at Harvard, and was the first elected female president of the APA (American Psychological Association).

Who was Charles Darwin?

A British naturalist whose theory of evolution and ideas of “natural selection” continue to influence the modern evolutionary perspective.

Who was Dorothea Dix?

An American activist who successfully pressured lawmakers to construct and fund asylums for the mentally ill.

Who was Sigmund Freud?

The founder of the “psychoanalytic” school of psychology, emphasizing the role of the unconscious and how childhood experiences influence adult personality.

Who was G. Stanley Hall?

Studied under William James, established the first psychology lab in the U.S., and was the first president of the APA.

Who was William James?

A Harvard professor who played a key role in establishing psychology in the U.S. and emphasized the purpose, or “function,” of behavior and mental experiences.

Who was Ivan Pavlov?

A Russian physiologist known for his experiments in classical conditioning; his experiments with dogs led to the formulation of the principles of “classical learning.

Who was Jean Piaget?

A Swiss psychologist focused on cognitive development; his “Stage Theory of Development” describes how infants, children, and adolescents use different cognitive abilities.

Who was Carl Rogers?

A Humanist with an optimistic view that people are innately good, who believed that the “self-concept” is the cornerstone for personality, and that people are motivated to achieve their full potential (self-actualize).

Who was B.F. Skinner?

A “Behaviorist” focusing on the observable and objective, who formulated the principle of “operant conditioning” and is known for the Skinner box.

Who was Margaret Floy Washburn?

The first American woman to be awarded a PhD in Psychology and is best known for her experimental work in animal behavior.

Who was Wilhelm Wundt?

Was a German scientist; opened the first psychology laboratory; and pioneered the method of “introspection.

What is Structuralism?

An early psychological perspective that emphasized units of consciousness and identification of elements of thought using introspection.

What is Functionalism?

An early psychological perspective concerned with how an organism uses its perceptual abilities to adapt to its environment.

What is Gestalt Psychology?

Refers to form, or organization, of consciousness, rather than the content of behavior; the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.

What is the Behavioral approach?

Psychological perspective concerned with behavior reactions to stimuli and learning as a result of experience.

What is the Psychoanalytic/Psychodynamic approach?

Psychological perspective concerned with how unconscious instincts, conflicts, motives, and defenses influence behavior.

What is the Humanistic approach?

Psychological perspective concerned with individual potential for growth and the role of unique perceptions in growth towards one’s potential.

What is the Biological approach?

Psychological perspective concerned with physiological and biochemical factors that determine behavior and mental processes.

What is the Cognitive approach?

Psychological perspective concerned with how we receive, store, and process information; think/reason; and use language.

What is the Evolutionary approach?

Psychological perspective concerned with how natural selection favored behaviors that contributed to survival and spread of our ancestors’ genes.

What is the Sociocultural approach?

Psychological perspective concerned with how cultural differences affect behavior.

What is the Eclectic approach?

Use of techniques and ideas from a variety of approaches: BIOPSYCHOSOCIAL.

What do Clinical psychologists do?

Evaluate and treat mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders.

What do Counseling psychologists do?

Help people adapt to change or make changes in their lifestyle.

What do Developmental psychologists do?

Study psychological development throughout the lifespan.

What do Educational psychologists do?

Focus on how effective teaching and learning take place.

What do Experimental psychologists do?

Do research to add new knowledge to the field.

What do Forensic psychologists do?

Apply psychological principles to legal issues.

What do Health psychologists do?

Concentrate on biological, psychological, and social factors involved in health and illness.

What do Industrial-Organizational psychologists do?

Aim to improve productivity and the quality of work life by applying psychological principles and methods to the workplace.

What do Neuropsychologists do?

Explore the relationships between brain/nervous systems and behavior.

What do Personality psychologists do?

Focus on traits, attitudes, and goals of the individual.

What do Psychometricians do?

Focus on methods for acquiring and analyzing psychological data.

What do Rehabilitation psychologists do?

Help clients with mental retardation, developmental disabilities, and disabilities resulting from stroke or accidents adapt to their situation.

What do School psychologists do?

Assess and counsel students, consult with educators and parents, and perform behavioral intervention when necessary.

What do Social psychologists do?

Focus on how a person’s mental life and behavior are shaped by interactions with other people.

What do Sports psychologists do?

Help athletes refine their focus on competition goals, increase motivation, and deal with anxiety and fear of failure.

What are Theories?

Organized sets of concepts that explain phenomena.

What is a Hypothesis?

Prediction of how two or more factors are likely related.

What is Replication?

Repetition of the methods used in a previous experiment to see whether the same methods will yield the same results.

What is an Operational Definition?

A description of the specific procedure used to determine the presence of a variable.

What is the Independent Variable (IV)?

The factor the researcher manipulates in a controlled experiment (the cause).

What is the Dependent Variable (DV)?

The behavior or mental process that is measured in an experiment or quasi-experiment (the effect).

What are Confounding Variables?

Factors other than the independent variable that may cause a result.

What is the Population?

All of the individuals in the group to which the study applies.

What is the Sample?

The subgroup of the population that participates in the study.

What is Random Selection?

Choosing of members of a population so that every individual has an equal chance of being chosen to participate in a study.

What is Random Assignment?

Division of the sample into groups so that every individual has an equal chance of being put in any group or condition.

What is the Experimental Group?

A subgroup of the sample that receives the treatment or independent variable.

What is the Control Group?

The comparison group; the subgroup of the sample that is similar to the experimental group in every way except for the presence of the independent variable.

What is a Single-Blind Procedure?

Research design in which participants don’t know whether they are in the experimental or control group.

What is a Double-Blind Procedure?

Research design in which neither the experimenter nor the participants know who is in the experimental group and who is in the control group.

What is a Placebo?

A physical or psychological treatment given to the control group that resembles the treatment given to the experimental group, but that contains no active ingredient.

What is the Placebo Effect?

A response to the belief that the independent variable will have an effect, rather than the actual effect of the independent variable, which can be a confounding variable.

What is Reliability?

Consistency or repeatability of results.

What is Validity?

The extent to which an instrument measures or predicts what it is supposed to measure or predict.

What is Experimenter Bias?

A phenomenon that occurs when a researcher’s expectations or preferences about the outcome of a study influence the results obtained.

What is Hindsight Bias?

The tendency upon hearing about research findings (and many other things) to think that one knew it all along.

What are Demand Characteristics?

Clues participants discover about the purpose of the study that suggest how they should respond.

What are Statistics?

A field that involves the analysis of numerical data about representative samples of populations.

What are Descriptive Statistics?

Numbers that summarize a set of research data obtained from a sample.

What are Measures of Central Tendency?

Average or most typical scores of a set of research data or distributions (mode, median, mean).

What is the Mode?

Most frequently occurring score in a set of research data (“quick and dirty”).

What is the Median?

The middle score when a set of data is organized by size.

What is the Mean?

The arithmetic average of a set of scores.

What are Measures of Variability?

The spread or dispersion of a set of research data or distribution (range).

What is the Range?

The difference between the largest score and the smallest score (“quick and dirty”).

What is the Standard Deviation (SD)?

Measures the average difference between each score and the mean of the data set.

What is a Normal Distribution?

Bell-shaped curve that represents data about how lots of human characteristics are dispersed in the population.

What is a Percentile Score?

The percentage of scores at or below a particular score (from 1 to 99).

What is a Correlation Coefficient (r)?

A statistical measure of the degree of relatedness or association between two sets of data that ranges from -1 to +1.

What are Inferential Statistics?

Statistics that are used to interpret data and draw conclusions.

What is Statistical Significance (p)?

How likely it is that an obtained result occurred by chance; statistical significance indicates a high probability that the independent variable caused the change in the dependent variable

What are Ethical Guidelines?

Suggested rules for acting responsibly and morally when conducting research or in clinical practice.

What must you obtain from research participants?

Describe procedures, risks, benefits, and the right of the participant NOT TO PARTICIPATE or to withdraw from the research study without penalty at any time.

What happens when research participants are Debriefed?

The nature, results, and conclusions of the research are revealed.