Gen Psych Final

Psychology

The scientific study of behavior and mental processes.

Four Goals of Psychology

Describe, Predict, Explain, and Change behavior

Who is the founder of Psychology?

Wilhelm Wündt (1879)

The Biological Approach

Focusing on the body especially the brain and nervous system.

Tammy is a psychologist that studies why your heart may race when you lie. What approach to psychology is tammy practicing?

Biological Approach to Psychology

The Behavioral Approach

Focusing on observing behavioral responses and environmental determinants.

Dan says that he focuses on what people do versus how they are feeling to determine his psychological diagnosis. What approach to psychology is Dan practicing?

The Behavioral Approach

The Psychodynamic Approach

Emphasis unconscious thought and the battle between biological desires and society's demands.

Your psychologist tells you that the root of your problem is from your sexual and aggressive impulses within yourself influences the way you've been feeling and thinking. What approach to psychology is this?

The Psychodynamic Approach

The Humanistic Approach

Emphasizes positive qualities, capacity for positive growth and the freedom to chose your own destiny.

Your Psychologist often tells you that you are in total control of your own destiny and only you can shape your bright future. What approach to Psychology does this demonstrate?

The Humanistic Approach

The Cognitive Approach

Emphasizes how we think, remember, store and use information using mental processes.

Solving a math problem and remembering how to so is an example of something this Psychologist would focus on.

Cognitive Approach Psychologist

The Evolutionary Approach

Using evolutionary ideas such as adaptation, reproduction, and natural selection to explain behavior.

The Sociocultural Approach

Examines the influence of social and cultural environments on behavior.

Descriptive Research

Describing a phenomenon and determining it's basic dimensions.

Researching the "Average level of happiness in America" would be what type of research method?

Descriptive

Correlation Research

Predicts behavior and observes the relationship between two things.

Researching how class attendance affects overall grades is an example of what type of research?

Correlation

Strong Correlation

Foot to shoe size

Weak Correlation

Shyness to low self-esteem

Positive Correlation

Both variables go in the same direction.

How much you drink to how loud your voice gets

Negative Correlation

Both variables go in different directions.

Experimental Research

Explains behavior in a cause and effect manner.

Naturalistic Observation

Observing behavior in a real world setting.

Independent Variable

Whats being manipulated

Dependent Variable

Whats being measured

Awareness

Subjective state of reflection on yourself, your thoughts or your experiences.

Arousal

Psychological state of being engaged with the environment.

Higher-Level Conciousness

Controlled processing in which you actually know what you're doing.

What state of consciousness do you use while driving and what brain waves are being exhibited?

Higher-Level Consciousness (Beta Waves)

Lower-Level Consciousness

Automatic processing and daydreaming which requires very little attention or focus.

What state of consciousness do you use while walking and what brain waves are exhibited?

Lower-Level Consciousness (Alpha Waves)

Subconscious Awareness

When you are asleep and dreaming.

Circadian Rhythms

Behaviors that align with the 24 day and night cycle

Your sleep/wake cycle is set to what kind of rhythm?

Circadian

Biological Clock

Brain system that detects the passage of time using internal and external factors.

Where is your Biological Clock located?

The Hypothalomus

Sleep Stage 1

Drowsy sleep where an individual can be easily woken up.

Myoclonic Jerks (Feeling of falling)

Sleep Stage 2

Decreased muscle activity, low sensitivity, and irregular EEG patterns.

Sleep Spindles

High frequency burst of waves

K Complexes

High amplitude waves

Sleep Stage 3 & 4

Deep sleep where an individual is difficult to rouse and the sleep is restorative.

REM Sleep

When an individual is dreaming comes with muscle paralysis.

Insomnia

Inability to fall asleep or stay asleep

Narcolepsy

The sudden erge to fall asleep

Cataplexy

Paralysis that accompanies REM sleep is suddenly activated while the person is still awake

REM Sleep Disorder

Paralysis during REM sleep fails to work and the individual will act out their dreams.

Nature vs Nurture

Inherited characteristics vs Environmental Influences

Have an impact on our development

Cross-Sectional Design

Several age groups are studied at the same time.

Longitudinal Design

One group of participants are studied over a long period of time.

Germinal Stage

Conception to 2 weeks where massive cell division occurs ending with the implication of the egg into the uterine wall.

Embryonic Stage

Between two to eight weeks where massive cell differentiation occurs as well as, the development of the umbilical chord and placenta.

Fetal Stage

Between two and nine months where massive physical growth takes place.

Full Term Pregnancy

36 to 40 weeks

Teratogens

Any agent introduced during pregnancy that can cause a birth defect.

Reflexes

Survival skills infants become equipped with from birth.

Sensorimotor Development

Birth to two years where infants obtain a small understanding of the world through their senses.

Pre-Opperational Development

Between two and seven years where the child develops the ability for symbolic though and pretend play.

At what stage of early childhood development does language come into play?

Pre-Opperational

Concrete Operational

Between seven and eleven years where the child uses operations and replaces heuristic strategies.

At what stage of childhood development do logical thinking and mathematics come into play?

Concrete Operational

Formal Operational

From eleven on the child gains the ability to think about concepts that aren't concrete. (think about thinking)

Attachment

The close bond an infant has with it's caregiver.

Authoritarian Parenting

The parent is strict in which limits and controls aspects of the child's life without much verbal communication.

Your parents often say "Do this or else" or "because I said so" what type of parenting would you say this is?

Authoritarian Parenting

Authoritative Parenting

The parent controls and limits aspects of the child's life however, there is room for give-and-take.

Your parents often respond to bad behavior by saying "Now you know you shouldn't of done that." what type of parenting would you say this is?

Authoritative Parenting

Neglectful Parenting

The parent isn't really involved with the child's life because other things are more important.

Permissive Parenting

The parent has very little limits on the child's behavior and allows him/her to basically do whatever they want to do.

Your parents allow you to smoke cigarettes and stay out past curfew what type of parenting would you say this is?

Permissive Parenting

Adolescent Egocentrism

Inability of teenagers to distinguish between what they believe people think about them and what people actually think about them.

Learning

A relatively permanent change in behavior or mental process resulting from practice.

Classical Conditioning

A neutral stimulus is associated with a meaningful stimulus and continues to get the same result.

Bob's wife flushed the toilet when he was in the shower causing the water to turn hot and for bob to scream. Now every time his wife flushes the toilet bob flenches what is this an example of?

Classical Conditioning

Operant Conditioning

A behavior becomes associated with a consequence.

Observational Learning

Acquiring skills, knowledge, strategies, beliefs by watching others.

Unconditioned Response

A stimulus that gets a response without prior learning.

In Pavlov's dog experiment the dog salivating at the food was the?

Unconditioned Response

Conditioned Response

A learned response to a stimulus.

In Pavlov's dog experiment the dog associating the ringing of the bell with food was the?

Conditioned Response

Positive Reinforcement

Presenting a motivating item after a desired behavior.

Every time Sara does a chore she gets a dollar what type of reinforcement is this?

Positive

Negative Reinforcement

A behavior is strengthened or stopped by taking something negative away.

When it is raining you turn on the windshield wipers which then results in their being no rain on your windshield what type of reinforcement is this?

Negitive

Positive Punishment

Getting something negative when a negative behavior is exhibited.

You were told to not touch the filling cabinet after doing so you received a shock what type of Punishment is this?

Positive

Negative Punishment

Taking away something positive after a negative behavior is exhibited.

You decide to stay out past curfew and in result get grounded what type of punishment is this?

Negative Punsihment

Pavlov

Classical Conditioning

Watson

Behaviorism

Skinner

Operant Conditioning

Bandura

Observational Learning

Memory

The retention of information and experiences over time.

Short-Term Memory

Limited capacity and only holds information for thirty seconds without actually thinking about it.

Rehersal

Saying something over and over so you don't forget

Chunking

To remember long lists we often remember them in easy segments.