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Psych Exam 1
Exam 1
25
Psychology
Undergraduate 1
02/02/2010

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Cards

Term
How old is the field of psychology?
Definition
Psychology has its roots in philosophy, which has existed for 2,000 years.
Term
What is the definition of psychology?
Definition
The scientific study of behavior and mental processes.
Term
What is included in this definition besides overt behavior?
Definition

Mental processes:

-Thoughts (beliefs and attitudes) and feelings (anger, jealousy, etc.)

Scientific

Term
What do we mean by "scientific" study?
Definition
Psychologists use objective, standardized methods to collect data.
Term
What was Wundt's contribution to psychology?
Definition
Wilhelm Wundt is generally credited with the official emergence of psychology. Taught first course in physiological psychology at Univ. of Heidelberg in 1867.
Term
Can you define structuralism? Who developed it and when?
Definition
Structuralism is the analysis of the basic elements that constitute the mind. Wundt developed it between 1860-1870 while teaching at Univ. of Heidelberg
Term
What is functionalism and how does it differ from structuralism?
Definition
Functionalism is the study of the purpose mental processes serve in enabling people to adapt to their environment. Functionalists view consciousness more as a flowing stream than a bundle of separate elements.
Term
Who was the person most closely associated with functionalism?
Definition
William James developed the functionalist theory and outlined its principles in his masterpiece The Principles of Psychology.
Term
What was Margaret Floy Washburn's major professional accomplishment?
Definition
Washburn was the first woman to receive a PhD in psychology.
Term
Biological Perspective
Definition

Views behavior from perspective of biological functioning

-Includes genes, brain chemistry

Term
Cognitive Perspective
Definition
Explains behavior in terms of how people process, store, and retrieve information they gather from the world around them.
Term
Behavioral Perspective
Definition
Describes behavior as function of learning and conditioning, involving rewards and punishments.
Term
Psychodynamic Perspective
Definition
Believes behavior is caused by inner, unconscious forces over which a person has little control.
Term
Humanistic Perspective
Definition
Sees behavior as a result of a person's natural attempt to reach their full potential
Term
What is the difference between basic and applied research?
Definition
Basic research is done out of curiosity, its goal being to acquire knowledge for knowledge's sake. Applied research is designed to solve practical problems of the modern world.
Term
What is a theory?
Definition
A theory is a hypothetical account of how and why a phenomenon occurs, usually in the form of a statement about the causal relationship between two or more properties.
Term
What is a hypothesis?
Definition
A hypothesis is a specific and testable prediction that is usually derived from a theory.
Term
What is operationalization?
Definition
The process of translating abstract or hypothetical variables into observable ones.
Term
What is the goal of experimental research?
Definition
To make a causal relationship about the effects of X on Y.
Term
Independent Variable
Definition
A variable manipulated by the experimenter to see its effect on another variable.
Term
Dependent Variable
Definition
A variable measured by the experimenter to see the effect of the independent variable.
Term
What is meant by experimental control?
Definition
Attempts to predict events that will occur in the experimental setting by neutralizing the effects of other factors.
Term
Why is it important to randomly assign participants to groups?
Definition
So there is no bias and all the data is able to be used from the experiment.
Term
What are the major strengths of doing experimental research?
Definition
The strengths are that we have a lot of control over the four main things.
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