Chapter 1 Flashcards
(21 cards)
Psychological Science
The study, through research, of the mind, the body, and behavior.
The Mind
1) Mental Activity
2) Perceptual Experiences
3) Memories, Thoughts, Feelings
4) Results from biological processes in the brain
The Brain
1) the biological organ
Behavior
1) the totality of observable human actions.
Critical Thinking
1) Systematically questioning and evaluating information using well-supported evidence.
Ignoring Evidence (Confirmation Bias)
1) Ignoring evidence that does not support your theory by focusing on the evidence that does.
Gut bias
1) ignoring statistics
Hindsight Bias
1) Explaining why an event happened after it did. Predicting something that already happened.
Self-serving bias
1) seeing your self in a favorable bias
The Nature vs Nurture Debate
1) Nature: psychological characteristics through Biological make-up, genetics
2) Nurture: psychological characteristics through Culture, education, experience
3) Both Nature and Nurture extensively studied for their impact on psychological behavior
Adaptive Problem Solving
Using evolutionary theory and natural selection to solve various psychological problems.
Introspection
1) examination of relative mental experiences that requires individuals to self-report.
2) Wilhelm Wundt L 19th founder of modern psych
Structuralism
1) Titchner
2) Conscious experience can be broken down into its underlying components.
Functionalism
1) James, L 19th
2) concerned with the adaptive purpose, or function, of mind and behavior.
3) Stream of consciousness–each persons never ending ever-changing thoughts
4) opposition to Structuralism
Gestalt Theory
1) Wertheimer E 20th
2) the whole of personal experience is different from its parts
3) opposition to structuralism
4) perception of objects is subjective and dependent on context
psychoanalysis
1) Freud E. 20th
2) Studying the parts of the unconscious an their affect on the conscious to reveal conflict.
3) free Association–patients talk about whatever they wantfor as long as they want.
Behaviorism
1) Watson E 20th
2) study of environmental affects on mental behavior
3) nurture psychology
Cognitive Psychology
1) Miller M 20th
2) concerned with mental functions like intelligence, thinking, language, and decision making
Cognitive Neuroscience
1) study of neural mechanisms underlying thought, learning, perception, language, memory
Social Psychology
1) Lewin M. 20th
2) how people influence the actions, thoughts, and feelings of others
3) personality psychology–personality in social situations
4) rejected Freud
Levels of Analysis Psychological Science
1) Biological (brain systems, neurochemistry, genetics)
2) individual (individual differences, perception, cognition, behavior)
3) social (interpersonal behavior, social cognition)
4) cultural (Thougths, actions, behaviors–in different societies and cultural groups)
