Chapter 1 Flashcards
LO: Define psychological science
The study, through research, of mind, brain, and behaviour
Mind
Mental activity
- memories, thoughts, feelings, perceptual experiences, etc.
Brain
Mental activity is a result of chemical processes within the BRAIN
Behaviour
Observable actions
LO: Define critical thinking and describe what it means to be a critical thinker
Systematically questioning and evaluating information using well-supported evidence
Q: How do the mind and brain relate?
The mind (mental activity) is the result of chemical processes in the brain
Q: What is amiable skepticism?
Being open to new ideas but carefully considering the evidence
LO: Identify major biases in thinking, and explain why these biases result in faulty thinking
(4 biases)
1) ignoring evidence (confirmation bias)
2) seeing causal relationships that don’t exist
3) Accepting after-the-fact explanations (hindsight bias)
4) Taking mental shortcuts (heuristics, availability heuristics)
Confirmation Bias
Only paying attention to evidence that directly supports an argument and ignoring evidence that opposes that view (ex. selective sampling, selective memory)
Seeing causal relationships that don’t exist
- desire to find predictability in the world around us
- always looking for trends and patterns even when they don’t actually exist
- giving us a false sense of understanding
Accepting after-the-fact explanations (hindsight bias)
Once people know an outcome, they interpret and reinterpret old evidence to make sense of that outcome, giving a false sense of predictability
Taking mental shortcuts (heuristics)
- availability heuristic: (ex. always ordering the same thing at a restaurant because it is familiar and easy)
- heuristics: mental shortcuts that allow us to make decisions quickly and easily
Q: Why should you be suspicious of after-the-fact explanations?
People think that knowing the outcome to one event can help them predict other events which gives them a false sense of security (ex. criminal profiling). This can be problematic: fail to notice the real signs when trying to identify expected trends
Q: Why should you be skeptical of people’s descriptions of their personal strengths?
People often aren’t able to accurately evaluate and compare their abilities
Mind/Body Problem
Fundamental psychological issue: are mind and body separate and distinct or is the mind the subjective experience of physical brain activity?
Dualism
(Rene Descartes)
Rene Descartes promoted the theory of dualism that suggests the mind and body are in fact separate yet intertwined
- psychologists reject this theory because the mind is the result of brain activity
Culture
Shared beliefs, values, rules, norms, customs, language, environment etc. within a group of people
Nature/Nurture Debate
Are psychological characteristics the result of biological factors or are they gained through experience, education, and culture?
Q: Why is it important for psychologists to pay attention to both nature and nurture?
They both contribute to psychological characteristics
- can’t be separated
Who coined the term stream of consciousness and what does it mean?
- William James suggests that the mind is far to complex to be broken down
- Stream of consciousness: a persons continuous, ever-changing, thoughts
Functionalism
- Also William James - thought psychologists should study the “functions” of the mind and how it operates
- An approach to psychology concerned with the adaptive purpose, or function, of mind and behaviour
Natural Selection
- evolutionary psychology
- idea that those who inherit characteristics that help them adapt to their environment have a selective advantage over those who don’t
Q: According to William James’ functionalism, why should psychologists focus on the operations of the mind?
The mind is too complex to be able to examine it as a whole without understanding the separate parts
Diversity and Inclusion
The value and practice of ensuring that psychological science represents the experiences of all humans
