Practice Guide - Midterm

What is psychology?

• Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior.

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.

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)

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)

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

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