Untitled Flashcards Set

General Psychology Final Guide

• Psychology: the scientific study of the mind and behavior

• Behavior: something you do that’s directly observed

• Mental processes: not directly observed; happens in the mind

• Wilhelm Wundt
  o Father of psychology
  o German, 1800’s
  o Brought objectivity and measurement into psychology 

• o Introspection: examining your own thoughts/life
  3 Basic Schools of Psychology
  1. Psychoanalytic

  • Sigmund Freud, Austrian neurologist

  • He thinks our mind is part conscious and part unconscious, which is what
    you’re born with.

  • He thinks we are born bad, irrational, and conflict constantly.

  • Your unconscious determines your will.
    2. Behavioral

  • Ivan Pavlov, a Russian Soviet Experimenter

  • Scientific study of behavior (observable)

  • JB Watson- American Psychologist

  • Controlled environment=controlled behavior

  • Born neutral

  • Decisions, thinking, and behaviors depend on the environment

  • B.F Skinner- American Psychologist

  • Social learning theory- observation and imitation

  • Albert Bandura- Canadian American Psychologist
    3. Humanistic

  • Personal growth, free will, positive qualities

  • Rational effects

  • Carl Rogers- American Psychologist

  • Abraham Maslow- American Psychologist

  • Human potential is limitless if we have basic needs

  • Self-perception, un-conditioned positive regard

  • Genuine, nonjudgmental, warm environment

Personality and the 3 Basic Schools

1. Psychoanalytic- Freud

• Personality is un-conscious

• Behavior is a surface characteristic

• Every behavior has a reason to be revealed

• Lives are filled with tension and conflict that’s locked into our unconscious

• Ego=rational, decision maker, reality principle

• Superego= conscience morals

• Defense Mechanisms (Freudian)

o Denial: refusing to acknowledge anxiety-producing realities
o Rationalization: covering one motive with another to make it more

acceptable to the ego
o Displacement: shifting feelings from one object to another
o Sublimation: socially accepted action replaces an unacceptable

impulse
o Projection: attributing your own shortcomings, problems, and

faults on to others
o Reaction formation: expressing an unacceptable impulse by

changing it to its opposite
o Regression: behaving developmentally lower than your age
o Repression: pushing impulses out of your awareness back to the

unconscious
o Compensation: making up for a perceived inferiority by becoming

superior in another area
o Identification: trying to become like someone else

• Stages- Freud

• 1)  Oral: 0-18 months

• 2)  Anal:11⁄2years-3yrs

• 3)  Phallic:3-6yrs

• 4)  Latency:6yrs-Puberty

• 5)  Genital:Pubertyandonward

- Fixation: stuck in a stage even as you age past it 2. Behavioral

• Personality=behavior=environment

• Classical conditioning (Pavlov):
  o Neutral (conditioned stimulus) + unconditioned stimulus= reflex response
  o NS (conditioned)+US=reflex response (involuntary)

• Extinction: classical conditioning trailing off

• Spontaneous recovery: condition coming back suddenly

• Generalization: generalizing to several things that cause fear (voluntary)

• Operant Conditioning, B.F. Skinner- personality has the capacity to change

3. Humanistic Perspectives- born good, good at core

• • • •

• • - - - - -

Health and

• 66% -

Carl Rogers
Feelings
Unconditional positive regard- warmth, affection, non-judgment Conditional regard: no love, low self-esteem, hindered relationships, people pleaser
Self-concept: perception of themselves, ideal self and a real self Abraham Maslow- Hierarchy of needs
Self-actualization
Self-esteem
Love and belonging
Safety and Security
Physiological needs

Stress Psychology

or 2/3 of doctor’s office visits come from stress
Major causes of death all have a stress component to them

Unit 2

• Stress: response of individuals to the circumstances and events that threaten them

- Tax coping abilities: “stressors”

• Habits contribute to stress

• Trauma response: flight, fight, freeze, fawn

• The most resilient people listen to their bodies and cope with stress

• Factor

  • -  Biological: the immune system is affected, and physical symptoms

  • -  Cognitive: perspective

  • -  Environment: burnout, frustration, difficult decisions

  • -  Personality: type A, type B, type C

• Coping mechanisms

o Process of managing taxing circumstances, reducing stress and conflict

• -  Develop self-efficacy: the belief that you can master a situation

• -  Problem-focused: facing a problem and trying to solve it; head-on

• -  Emotion-focused: responding to stress emotionally

• -  Self-talk: silent mental speech used to solve problems

• -  Social support: getting feedback from others who love and care for you

- Cognitive restructuring: modifying the thought that maintains the problem

• Assertive behavior
o Not assertive...

• -  Acting aggressively

• -  Acting manipulative

• -  Acting passive

• -  Acting passive aggressive

o Become more assertive...

• -  Set a time to discuss what you need

• -  State problem in terms of consequences for you

• -  Express feelings

• -  Make request
  Unit 3
  Life Span Development

• Development: pattern of change from conception through life - Not just an uphill climb

• Processes: biological, cognitive, socioemotional

• Biological
  o Height
  o Hair
  o Bones
  o Teeth
  o Weight
  o Hormonal/puberty o Menopause
  o Wrinkles

• Cognitive
  o Knowledge
  o Beliefs
  o Imagination
  o Problem-solving o Decision making o Reason
  o Intellect
  o Memory

• Socioemotional
  o Beliefs o Morals

o Self-esteem
o Interacting
o Recognizing
o Dependent-independent o Self-regulation

o Attraction

o Aggression
• Nature vs. Nurture controversy

- Heredity gives the potential that the environment makes possible

• Prenatal

  • 1)  Conception: A single sperm cell penetrates the female’s ovum

  • 2)  Zygote:fertilizedegg

  • 3)  Germinalperiod:first2weeksafterconception

  • 4)  Embryonicperiod:first2weeksafterconception

  • 5)  Fetalperiod

• Child Physical Development

- Infancy: birth to two years. Brain development, reflexes, senses • Childhood: 2-6yrs

• -  75% of brains weight by 3 and 90% by 5

• -  Motor development
  Cognitive Development

• Piaget’s Theory

• -  Assimilation: gathering new info

• -  Accommodation: adjusting to new info

1) Sensorimotor thought: birth to 2yrs

• -  Object permanence: objects and events still exist even if they can’t be
  sensed
  2) Preoperationalthought:2-7yrs

• -  Cannot yet reverse mental representations

• -  Use of language

• -  Symbols

• -  Pretend play

• -  Egocentrism: inability to distinguish between your perspective and
  someone else’s
  3) Concreteoperational:7-11yrs

• -  Logical reasoning replaces intuitive thought

Socioemotional Development

• Attachment: the emotional bond between infant and caregiver; grows through the response of parents

• Erik Erikson- psychosocial stages

  • 1)  Trust vs. Mistrust: birth-1yr

  • 2)  Autonomyvs.ShameandDoubt:aroundage2

  • 3)  Initiativevs.Guilt:preschoolyears

  • 4)  Industryvs.Inferiority:elementaryyears

  • 5)  Identityvs.Confusion:adolescence

  • 6)  Intimacyvs.Isolation:earlyadulthood

  • 7)  Generativity vs. Stagnation: middle age

  • 8)  Integrity vs. despair: old age

• LIFESPAN
  Moral Development
  Kohlberg’s Stages

  • Preconventional – no internalization of morals (ex: decisions based on externals – rewards and punishments)

  • Conventional – intermediate internalization of morals [ex: want to be a good citizen (internal) and will not speed so they won’t get a ticket (external)]

  • Postconventional – complete internalization of morals (ex: regardless of what people think or consequences of their decisions, they stick to their moral code)
    Adult Development
    Early Adult (20s/30s)

  • Physical - reach peak performance and are at our healthiest (ex: 18-25 – strength, quick reflexes, chances of dying from disease is slim, reproductive capabilities)

  • Cognitive – more systematic in approaching problems as adults; less idealistic; think logically and adapt to life as circumstances come

  • Socioemotional (Erikson) - Intimacy vs. Isolation – after identity is well developed, intimacy can occur – developing close and loving relationships
    o If intimacy doesn’t develop, a deep sense of isolation and impersonal feelings overcome the individual – loneliness, fear of close relationships

Middle Adult (40s-60s)

• Physical - see some bodily changes, weight gain and slowing of reflexes, menopause

• Cognitive - memory is more likely to decline when organization and imagery is not used

• Socioemotional (Erikson) - Generativity vs. Stagnation (middle adulthood) o Generativity - Feeling of needing to assist the younger generation in
  leading useful lives
  o Stagnation – Feeling of having done nothing for next generation
  Late Adult (60s/70s – death) – longest period of the lifespan

• Physical – the more active older adults are, the healthier and happier they are; increase in health problems, decrease in reaction time, and stability in intelligence and memory

• Cognitive – outperform younger adults with general knowledge and wisdom, but score less high on intelligence tests when speed of processing is involved

• Socioemotional (Erikson) - Integrity vs. Despair – looking back at what we have done with our lives (need to reflect) – the perspective of a life well lived or not; sense of accomplishment or regret
  Death
  Elisabeth Kübler-Ross – 5 stages in facing death:

1. Denial & Isolation

2. Anger

3. Bargaining

4. Depression

5. Acceptance

Psychological Disorders

• Abnormal behavior: maladaptive and harmful; its interpreting your life

• Can be caused by a biological approach (chemical imbalance) or a
  psychological/sociocultural approach

• DSM-V: diagnostic or statistical manual of mental disorders

• Anxiety Disorders

o Motor tension
o Hyperactivity
o Panic attacks
o Apprehensive expectations and thoughts

1) Generalized anxiety: persistent fear for at least a month and uncontrollable worry. Cannot give a reason.

2) Panicdisorders:panicattacks,notcomingfromaphobia;happenrandomly

3) Phobicdisorders:irrational,overwhelming,persistentfear

• Obsessive-compulsive disorder: anxiety-provoking thoughts that won’t go away
  (0bsessive) urges to perform repetitive, ritualistic behaviors

• Trauma-related disorders

- PTSD: exposed to a traumatic event; overwhelming anxiety because of something traumatic

• Major Depression
  o Deeply unhappy, demoralized, self-derogatory, bored, changes in appetite
  and sleep, decreased energy, worthlessness, concentration on problems,
  guilt, possible suicidal thoughts

• Suicide

o Look for symptoms: talking about death, giving away prized possessions, obsessed with death

• -  Girls attempt more and succeed less

• -  Boys attempt less and succeed more

• Dysthymic disorders: lasts 2yrs; low level depressed

• Bipolar

  • -  Extreme mood swings

  • -  Extremely depressed-manic

  • -  Extreme exuberance, tireless stamina, elation

• Schizophrenic Disorders

o They are not out to harm
o Disturbance in one or more of the following...

• -  Perception

• -  Language and thought

• -  Affect emotion

• -  Behavior

• Personality Disorders o Borderline

• -  Lack of sense of self and severe insecurity lead to manipulation, control and attention-seeking

• -  Want others to define who they are

• -  Extreme lies to get attention

o Antisocial (sociopath)

• -  Resorting to criminal violence

• -  Intelligent and charming

• -  Serial killers

• -  No remorse

o Narcissistic

- Big ego

• -  Need admiration

• -  N0 empathy

• -  No self-worth

• -  Disregard for others

• -  Intelligent

o Dissociative identity disorders

• -  2 or more personalities

• -  Trauma causes the brain to dissociate

• Substance abuse disorders
o Pathological use- have to have it daily
o Impairment of functioning- social and occupational. o Physical dependence

• Eating Disorders
o Binge Eating

• -  Eating fast

• -  Hiding it

• -  Not stopping in full

o Anorexia Nervosa

• -  Relentless pursuit of thinness through starvation

• -  “accidentally” miss a meal

• -  Push food around, cut food, avoid eating

o Bulimia Nervosa

• -  Pursuit of thinness through binge and purge pattern

• -  Throw up the food they eat

• -  Acid causing trouble

• -  Eat a lot, then go to the bathroom
  Social Psychology

• Scientific study of people’s behavior, feelings, and thoughts affected by others

• Attitudes: evaluation of person, behavior, or belief-perception

- Changing our attitudes

• 1)  Who’s doing the persuading? – status

• 2)  Whatthemessageis–givingbothsides

• 3)  Whoreceivesthemessage?–intelligentpeoplearemoreresistantto
  persuasion

• Routes to persuasion

  • -  Central route: logic and reasoning

  • -  Peripheral route: persuasion

• Social Influences and Groups
  o Groups hold norms

o Conformity: change in behavior or attitude based on a desire to follow the influence/standard of someone else

o Factors...

• -  Characteristics of the group

• -  Situation in public vs. private

• -  Task being performed

• -  Unity of the group
  o Compliance: behavior that occurs in response to direct social pressure

• -  Foot-in-the-door

• -  Door-in-face

• -  That’s-not-all

• -  Not-so-free-sample

• -  Obedience (Milligram): change in behavior from a command