PSYCH 110 - Exam #1 Group Review

Feelings Chapter One

• Overview: Discusses influences and guidelines to become an individual.

• Key Guidelines:

  • Question Reactions: Analyze why you react and if your response is appropriate.

  • Responsibility: Take ownership of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors; recognize that no one controls your feelings.

  • Choices: Life involves numerous choices, which are essential for personal growth.

Feelings Chapter Two: Critical Thinking

• Definition: Critical thinking involves examining evidence, interpreting it, and making judgments.

• Basic Activities:

  • Investigation: Seek out relevant and reliable evidence.

  • Interpretation: Understand and assign meaning to the evidence.

  • Judgment: Create conclusions based on logic and evidence.

• Importance of Intuition: Intuition is gut feelings or assumptions that can lead to poor decision-making if not backed by evidence.

Feelings Chapter Three: Truth

• Beliefs Formation: Personal experiences significantly shape our beliefs.

• Limitations in Discovery:

  • Misjudging probabilities and perceptions can hinder objective truth-seeking.

  • Confirmation Bias: Seeking information that aligns with preconceived beliefs.

• Key Factors to Consider:

  • Avoid jumping to conclusions without sufficient evidence.

  • Recognize that being unaffected by a problem does not negate its existence.

• Living Without Certainty: A lack of certainty hampers critical thinking skills.

SENSE Chapter One

• Critical Thinking Goals and Requirements:

  • Requirements: Careful reading, listening, observation, effective questioning, and the ability to distinguish relevant from irrelevant information.

  • Types of Intelligence: Education, experience, and common sense.

  • Openness to new ideas, self-awareness, and empathy are crucial.

• Cynicism vs. Skepticism:

  • Skepticism: Questioning to seek clarity; focuses on understanding different perspectives.

  • Cynicism: Mistrust and negativity; aims to dismantle arguments without understanding.

SENSE Chapter Two

• Accountability: Accepting responsibility for one’s thoughts, feelings, actions, and outcomes.

  • Key Characteristics: Humility, self-awareness, empathy, and a growth mindset.

• Introspection vs. Metacognition:

  • Introspection: Awareness of personal feelings and beliefs.

  • Metacognition: Reflecting on one’s own thinking processes.

• Locus of Control:

  • Internal: Belief that personal efforts determine success and failure.

  • External: Belief that external factors control outcomes.

• Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs:

  • Layers: Physiological, safety, belongingness, esteem, and self-actualization.

  • Importance of meeting lower-level needs to achieve personal and academic growth.

SENSE Chapter Nine: Higher Education

• Benefits: Enhances communication skills, commitment, and critical thinking skills; teaches delayed gratification.

• Questioning Authority: Approach with respect, aiming for understanding rather than challenges.

• Opinion vs. Judgment:

  • Opinion: Objective conclusions based on evidence.

  • Judgment: Evaluating others based on subjective criteria.

SENSE Chapter Twelve: Religion

• Ideologies: Religious beliefs are often indoctrinated, discouraging questioning and promoting a limited worldview ("Don't ask, don't think").

• Cafeteria Religion vs. Cafeteria Science: Selectively believing aspects of religious doctrine or scientific evidence.

• Religious vs. Spiritual:

  • Religious: Adherence to specific beliefs and rituals.

  • Spiritual: Emotional connection with a higher power without strict adherence to rituals.

• Cognitive Dissonance: The discomfort experienced when actions contradict beliefs.

• Differences in Methodology:

  • Science: Dynamic, evidence-driven, and encourages questioning.

  • Religion: Often static, based on fixed beliefs with less room for inquiry.

• Effective Study Strategies: Use flashcards for definitions and concepts; avoid cramming; focus on understanding rather than memorization.

• Exam Structure: Expect multiple-choice questions primarily based on definitions and core concepts; be prepared for some application questions.

• Keyword Recognition: Be aware of key terms in exam questions that can influence your understanding.