Psychology

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Psychology

the scientific study of behavior and mental processes.

Difference between psychology, psychiatry and social work

Psychology focuses on understanding behavior and mental processes, psychiatry involves medical treatment of mental disorders, and social work supports individuals through social systems.

Mind-body problem + relevance to psychology studies

questions whether the brain is a separate entity to our body or not; monism and dualism - it raises fundamental questions and helps to determine diagnoses

Nature v. Nuture debate

discusses the relative contributions of genetic and environmental factors to human development and behavior.

How twin studies contribute to the influences of genetics and environment

help determine the relative impact of genetics vs environment by comparing similarities and differences in traits between identical and fraternal twins, providing insights into hereditary and environmental influences.

Relationship between the brain, memory and learning

examines how brain structures and functions affect the processes of memory formation and learning, highlighting the role of neural connections in acquiring and retaining information.

Wilhelm Wundt’s approach to psych

Structural; involves reducing our experiences into basic elements

William James’ approach to psych

Functional; focuses on people’s adaptations to physical and social environments

Aristotle’s theory

believed reasoning and thinking took place in the heart and the brain was a gland to cool down body from heavenly forces

Hippocrates’ theory

believed the human body consisted of blood, phlegm, yellow and black bile and had to be balanced for a healthy body

Statistics

a way to analyse, interpret and create meaning to data

Types of data in psych

Quantitative and qualitative data

Quantitative data

data that can be measured or counted (ex. scores on test)

Qualitative data

descriptive data that can’t be measured numerically (ex. interview responses)

Types of stats

descriptive and inferential

Descriptive stats

summarise and describe the patterns (features) of data set (sample) - ex. mean, median, mode, variability charts like histograms

Inferential stats

used to make predictions or generalisations about a larger population based on sample (ex. hypothesis testing, correlation)