Practice Guide - Midterm

  1. What is psychology?

    • Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior.

  2. Summarize the history of psychology:

    • The history of psychology has evolved a lot over time.

    • The discipline used to be considered philosophy, but as it evolved it became its own discipline.

    • Father of psychology is William Wundt.

  3. Describe the early schools of psychology:

    • Structuralism: focuses on the conscious experience, by using introspection (William Wundt)

    • Functionalism: studying the “outside” of the body (observable behavior) (William James)

    • Psychoanalysis: Focus on the unconscious to explain behaviors (Freud)

  4. What are the approaches, fields, and sub fields of contemporary psychology?

    • Five Domains of Psychology (Biological, Developmental, Mental and Physical Health, Cognitive, Social and Personality)

  5. What major concepts are part of each field?

    • Biological: Biopsychology, neuroscience, genetics, consciousness

    • Cognitive: thinking and intelligence, memory, sensation and perception

    • Developmental: learning, lifespan

    • Social and Personality: social, personality, emotion, motivation

    • Mental and physical health: disorders, therapy, treatment, stress, lifestyle, health

  1. What are the basic elements of a statistical investigation?

    • Planning the study (testable research question and how do you want to collect data?

    • Examining the data

    • Inferrring from the data

    • Drawing conclsuions

  • Hunger and thirst: hypothalumus