Chapter 1 Flashcards
(48 cards)
Anecdotal Evidence
First-hand accounts that vividly describe the experiences of one or a few people, but may erroneously be assumed to be scientific evidence.
Applied Psychologists
Area of psychology where the psychologist practice in many specialties, such as industrial/organizational, sports, school, rehabilitation, clinical and counseling, forensic, and environmental psychology.
Confirmation Bias
The tendency to gravitate to evidence that complements and confirms our beliefs or expectations, while ignoring evidence that does not.
Critical Thinking Skills
When confronting new claims, these 6 scientific questions should be asked: What is the source? Is the claim reasonable or extreme? What is the evidence? Could bias contaminate the conclusion? Does the reasoning avoid common fallacies? Does the issue require multiple perspectives?
Emotional Bias
The tendency to make judgments based on attitudes and feelings, rather than on the basis of a rational analysis of the evidence.
Experimental Psychologists
Psychologists who primarily do research, but often teach as well.
Pseudo-psychology
Psychology that does NOT have solid evidence to back up its claim
Psychiatry
A medical specialty that deals especially with mental disorders.
Psychology
A science of behavior and mental processes.
Teachers of Psychology
Psychologists who teach in a variety of settings, such as colleges, universities, and high schools.
Psychology’s 6 Main Perspectives
biological, cognitive, behavioral, whole-person, developmental, and sociocultural perspectives
behavioral perspective
A psychological viewpoint that finds the source of our actions in environmental stimuli, rather than in inner mental processes.
behaviorism
A historical school (as well as a modern perspective) that has sought to make psychology an objective science by focusing only on behavior—to the exclusion of mental processes.
functionalism
A historical school of psychology that believed mental processes could best be understood in terms of their adaptive purpose and function.
cognitive perspective
Psychological viewpoint distinguished by an emphasis on mental processes, such as learning, memory, perception, and thinking, as forms of information processing.
cross-cultural psychologists
Those who work in this specialty are interested in how psychological processes may differ among people of different cultures.
culture
A complex blend of language, beliefs, customs, values, and traditions developed by a group of people and shared with others in the same environment.
developmental perspective
A psychological viewpoint, distinguished by its emphasis on nature and nurture and on predictable changes that occur across the lifespan.
humanistic psychology
A clinical approach emphasizing human ability, growth, potential, and free will.
Necker cube
An ambiguous two-dimensional figure of a cube that can be seen from different perspectives: The Necker cube is used to illustrate the notion that there is no single “right way” to view psychological processes.
psychoanalysis
An approach to psychology based on Sigmund Freud’s assertions, which emphasize unconscious processes. The term is used to refer broadly both to Freud’s psychoanalytic theory and to his psychoanalytic treatment method.
psychodynamic psychology
A clinical approach emphasizing the understanding of mental disorders in terms of unconscious needs, desires, memories, and conflicts.
sociocultural perspective
A main psychological viewpoint emphasizing the importance of social interaction, social learning, and culture in explaining human behavior.
trait and temperament psychology
A psychological perspective that views behavior and personality as the products of enduring psychological characteristics.
