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Psychology in Action (8th Edition)
Chapter 1
61
Psychology
Undergraduate 1
07/10/2010

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Term
Psychology is
Definition
the scientific study of behavior and mental processes
Term
mental processes are
Definition
our private, internal experiences - thoughts, perceptions, feelings, memories, or dreams
Term
behavior is
Definition
anything we do - talking, sleeping, blinking, or reading
Term
critical thinking is
Definition
the process of objectively evaluating, comparing, analyzing, and synthesizing information
Term
The 4 Psychology Goals are
Definition
Describe, Explain, Predict, Change (DEPC)
Term
The Description goal
Definition
Tells "what" occured - usually the first step in understanding behavior
Term
The Explanation goal
Definition
Tells "why" a behavior or mental process occured - Depends on discovering and understanding a behavior or mental processes causes
Term
nature-nurture controversy
Definition
Are we controlled by biological and genetic factors? Or by environment and learning?
Term
interaction
Definition
multiple factors mutually influence one another and the outcome (ex. interaction between heredity and environment)
Term
Psychology (like all sciences) generally avoids what?
Definition
"either-or" positions
Term
Change
Definition
applying psychological knowledge to prevent unwanted outcomes or bring desired goals - change is positive in most psychological cases
Term
Difference between "Psychologist" and "Psychiatrist"
Definition
Psychologist study human behavior and methods of therapy - Psychiatrist are medical doctors
Term
Sigmund Freud
Definition
Believed early childhood experiences help shape our adult personalities and behavior
Term
Freud's "talk therapy" or "psychoanalysis"
Definition
psychotherapy developed to deal with the unconscious conflicts and early childhood influences
Term
The Behavior perspective
Definition
emphasizes object, observable environmental influences and overt behavior
Term
Founder of "Behaviorism"
Definition
John B. Watson
Term
Humanist Perspective
Definition
emphasizes free-will, self-actualization, and human nature as naturally positive and growth seeking
Term
Cognitive Perspective
Definition
focuses on thought, perception, and information processing
Term
Behaviorist focus on...
Definition
stimulus, response, and the environment
Term
Humanist emphasized....
Definition
Our unique ability to make voluntary choices about our own behavior and life
Term
Cognitive Perspective mental processes: (8)
Definition
perception, memory, imagery, concept, problem solving, reasoning, decision making, and language
Term
Neuroscience/Bio-psychology Perspective
Definition
emphasizes genetics and other biological processes in the brain and other parts of the nervous system
Term
Evolutionary Perspective
Definition
focuses on natural selection, adaptation, and evolution of behavior and mental processes
Term
Sociocultural Perspective
Definition
emphasizes social interaction and cultural determinants of behavior and mental processes
Term
Wilhem Wundt
Definition
Credited with the birth of psychology
Term
7 Perspectives
Definition
Psychoanalytic/psycho-dynamic
Behavior
Humanist
Cognitive
Neuroscience/bio-psychology
Evolutionary
Sociocultural
Term
The Predict goal
Definition
identifying the conditions under which a future behavior or mental process is likely to occur
Term
The Change goal
Definition
means applying psychological knowledge to prevent unwanted outcomes or bring about desired goals
Term
Bio-psychological model
Definition
combines and interacts with the seven major perspectives
Term
Basic Research
Definition
research conducted to advance scientific knowledge
Term
Applied Research
Definition
Research designed to solve practical problems
Term
Scientific method's six steps
Definition
1. Identify questions of interest and review the literature
2. Develop a testable hypothesis
3. Select a research method and collect the data
4. Analyze the data and accept or reject the hypothesis
5. Publish, replicate, and seek scientific review
6. Build a theory
Term
meta-analysis
Definition
statistical procedure for combining and analyzing data from many studies
Term
Theory is
Definition
an interrelated set of concepts that explain a body of data
Term
Informed consent is
Definition
a participant's agreement to take part in a study after being told what to expect
Term
Debriefing is
Definition
informing participants after the research about the purpose of the study, the nature of the anticipated results, and any deceptions used
Term
Voluntary participation is
Definition
Participants free to decline to participate or to withdraw from the research at any time
Term
Alternative activities
Definition
research alternatives of equal values
Term
The 4 Research methods are
Definition
1. Experimental
2. Descriptive
3. Correlation
4. Biological
Term
Experimental research involves
Definition
manipulation and control of variables
Term
Descriptive research involves
Definition
naturalistic observation, surveys, and case studies;
Term
Correlational research involves
Definition
statistical analyses of relationships between variables
Term
Biological research involves
Definition
studying the brain and other parts of the nervous system
Term
3 types of correlation are
Definition
1. positive (positive direction of correlation between 2 variables)
2. negative (negative direction of correlation between 2 variables)
3. zero (intelligence and shoe size, no correlation)
Term
lesioning techniques
Definition
involve systematically destroying brain tissue to study the effects on behavior and mental processes
Term
tools for biological research
Definition
1. brain dissection
2. ablation/lesions
3. clinical observations/case studies
4. electrical recordings (electro-encephalogram EEG)
5. Electrical Stimulation of the brain (ESB)
6. CT Computed Tomography Scan Xray-Photo)
7. PET Positron Emission Tomography Scan- video
8. MRI (magenetic resonance imaging scan)-static picture photo
9. FMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging scan)-video
Term
survey
Definition
survey is research technique that questions a large sample of people, assesses behaviors/attitudes
Term
Components of an experiment
Definition
1. Independent Variable- factor manipulated to determine its casual effect on a dependent variable
2. Dependent variable: factor that is measured; it is affected by the independent variable
3. Control Groups: group receiving no treatment in an experiment. Assigned to a zero or control condition.
4. Experimental Group: group receiving treatment in experiment
Term
Hypothesis
Definition
specific prediction about how one variable relates to another
Term
operation definition
Definition
precise description of how variables in a study will be observed and measured
Term
naturalistic observation
Definition
observation and recording of behavior in participants natural state or habitat
Term
descriptive research
Definition
research methods that observe and record behavior without producing casual explanations.
Term
double blind study
Definition
procedure in which both the researcher and the participants are unaware "blind" of who is in the experiment/control group
Term
experimenter bias
Definition
occurs when researcher influences research results in the expected direction
Term
placebo
Definition
inactive substance or fake treatment used as a control technique
Term
ethnocentrism
Definition
believing that one's culture is typical of all cultures. viewing one's own ethnic group as the correct and judging others to one standard
Term
sample bias
Definition
occurs when research participants are not representative of the larger population
Term
random assignment
Definition
using chance methods to assign particpants- minimizing the possibilities of biases.
Term
participant bias
Definition
occurs when experimental conditions influence the participants behavior or mental processes
Term
mis-attribution of arousal
Definition
physiologically aroused individuals make mistaken inferences about what is causing the arousal.
Term
deception
Definition
one of the most effective ways to prevent participant bias.
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