Intro to Psych

Question 1

What is psychology?

Answer 1

Scientific study of the mind, brain, and behavior

Question 2

What are the levels of analysis in psychology?

Answer 2

1. Molecular Level - variations in people’s genes
2. Neurochemical Level - differences in levels of the brain’s chemical messengers
3. Neurological/Physiological Level - differences among people in the size and functioning of brain structures
4. Mental Level - Thoughts, feelings
5. Behavioral Level - The behaviors that come as cause

Question 3

What is naive realism?

Answer 3

Error of believing that how we see the world is precisely as it is

Can lead to false beliefs about ourselves and our world.

Question 4

What is a scientific theory?

Answer 4

Explanation for a large number of findings in the natural world that requires empirical evidence.

Question 5

What is a hypothesis?

Answer 5

Testable prediction derived from a scientific theory.

Question 6

What is confirmation bias?

Answer 6

Tendency to seek out evidence that supports our hypotheses and deny, dismiss, or distort evidence that contradicts them.

Seen often in political sphere.

Question 7

What is belief perseverance?

Answer 7

Tendency to stick to our initial beliefs even when evidence contradicts them.

Example: Link between autism and vaccines, comes from a fraudulent study.

Question 8

What is pseudoscience?

Answer 8

Claims that lack empirical support and often use anecdotes as evidence.

Example: Using only this dietary supplement I lost 75 pounds!

Question 9

What are the six principles of scientific thinking?

Answer 9

1. Ruling out rival hypotheses
2. Correlation vs. causation
3. Falsifiability
4. Replicability
5. Extraordinary claims
6. Ockham’s Razor

Question 10

What is structuralism?

Answer 10

Psychological approach that uses introspection to identify basic elements or structures of experience, Edward Titchener

Question 11

What is functionalism?

Answer 11

Focuses on understanding the function of thoughts, feelings, and behavior. William James, influenced by Darwin.

Question 12

What is behaviorism?

Answer 12

Psychological approach that focuses on observable behavior and empirical methods, Skinner and Watson

Question 13

What is cognitivism?

Answer 13

Focuses on the role of mental processes in behavior, emphasizing thinking about thinking, Piaget and Neisser

Question 14

What is psychoanalysis?

Answer 14

Psychological approach that uncovers unconscious psychological processes and the impact of early life experiences, Freud

Question 15

What is basic research?

Answer 15

Research focused on how the mind works.

Question 16

What is applied research?

Answer 16

Research that examines how to use basic research to solve real-world problems.

Question 17

What is the nature vs. nurture debate?

Answer 17

Debate on whether behaviors are attributable mostly to genes (nature) or to rearing environments (nurture).

Question 18

What is scientific skepticism?

Answer 18

Evaluating all claims with an open mind but insisting on persuasive evidence before accepting them.

Question 19

What is a clinical psychologist?

Answer 19

Perform assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of mental disorders. Conducts research on people with mental disorders

Question 20

What is counseling psychology?

Answer 20

Work with people experiencing temporary or relatively self-contained life problems

Question 21

What are school psychologist?

Answer 21

Work with teachers, parents, and c children to remedy student’ behavioral, emotional, and learning difficulties

Question 22

What is a developmental psychologist?

Answer 22

Conduct research on infants’, children’s, and sometimes adults’ and elderly people’s emotional, physiological, and cognitive processes and how these change with age

Question 23

What are experimental psychologists?

Answer 23

Use research methods to study memory, language, thinking, and social behaviors of humans

Question 24

What are biological psychologists?

Answer 24

Examine the physiological bases of behavior in animals and humans (health psychologists)

Question 25

What is a forensic psychologist?

Answer 25

Some work in prisons, jails, and other settings to assess and diagnose inmates and assist with their rehabilitation and treatment

Question 26

What are Industrial-Organizational Psychologists?

Answer 26

Work in companies and businesses to help select productive employees, evaluate performance, and examine effects of different working conditions

Question 27

What is reciprocal determinism?

Answer 27

the fact that we mutually influence each other’s behavior, can make it challenging to isolate the causes of human behavior

Question 28

What is scientific theory?

Answer 28

An explanation for a large number of findings in the natural world, including the psychological world. Offers an account that ties multiple observations together into one pretty package

Question 29

What is confirmation bias?

Answer 29

The tendency to seek out evidence that supports our beliefs and deny, dismiss, or distort evidence that contradicts them

Question 30

What is belief perseverance?

Answer 30

The “don't confuse me with the facts” effect. No one wants to think they’re wrong, so they are reluctant to give up cherished notions

Question 31

What are metaphysical claims?

Answer 31

Include assertions about the existence of God, the soul, and the afterlife. These claims differ from scientific claims in that we could never test rhythm using scientific methods

Question 32

What is pseudoscience?

Answer 32

Lacks the safeguards against confirmation bias and belief perseverance that characterize science

Question 33

What are signs of pseudoscience?

Answer 33

Overuse of ad hoc immunizing hypothesis Exaggerated claims Over Reliance on anecdotes Absence of connectivity to other research Lack of review by other scholars or replication by independent labs Lack of self-correction when contrary evidence is published Meaningless “psychobabble” that uses fancy scientific-sounding terms that don’t make sense Talk of “proof” instead of “evidence”

Question 34

What is patternicity?

Answer 34

Tendency to see patterns in meaningless data

Question 35

What is terror management theory?

Answer 35

Awareness of our own inevitable death leaves an underlying sense of fear. We cope with these feelings of terror by adopting cultural worldviews that reassure use that our lives possess a broader meaning and purpose

Question 36

What are logical fallacies?

Answer 36

Traps in thinking that can lead to mistaken conclusions

Question 37

What is Emotional Reasoning Fallacy?

Answer 37

“The idea that day care might have negative emotional effects on children gets me really upset, so I refuse to believe it”

Question 38

What is a Bandwagon Fallacy?

Answer 38

“A lot of people I know believe in astrology, so there’s got to be something to it”

Question 39

What is a Not Me Fallacy?

Answer 39

“My psychology professor keeps talking about how scientific methods are important for overcoming biases. But these biases don’t apply to me because I am objective”

Question 40

What are the six principles of scientific thinking?

Answer 40

1. Ruling out rival hypotheses 2. Correlation vs. causation 3. Falsifiability 4. Replicability 5. Generalizability 6. Extraordinary claims