Psych Final Flashcards
(261 cards)
Name the seven schools of psychology
- Structuralism
- Functionalism
- Psychodynamic Psychology
- Behaviorism
- Humanistic Psychology
- Cognitive Psychology
- Gestalt
Structuralism
Wilhelm Wundt
Focused on understanding the conscious experience through introspection(the examination or observation of one’s own mental and emotional processes)
breaking down mental processes into the most basic components. Researchers tried to understand the basic elements of consciousness using a method known as introspection..
Functionalism
William James
Functionalism focuses on understanding mental processes and behavior by examining their purpose or function in adapting to the environment. Instead of analyzing the structure of consciousness into its basic elements, as structuralism does, functionalism seeks to explore how mental processes help individuals adapt to their surroundings and fulfill their need
Psychodynamic Psychology
Sigmund Freud, Erik Erikson
Focuses on the role of the unconscious thoughts, feelings, memories, and childhood experiences in shaping behavior
Behaviorism
Ivan Pavlov, John B. Watson, B. F. Skinner
Focuses on observing and controlling behavior through what is observable
Humanistic Psychology
Ulric Neisser, Noam Chomsky, Jean Piaget, Lev Vygotsky
emphasizes the study of human potential, personal growth, and the inherent value of individuals, focusing on subjective experiences and the role of free will in shaping behavior
Gestalt Psychology
Looks at the human mind and behaviors as a whole
emphasizes the importance of perceiving and understanding the whole of an experience or phenomenon, rather than analyzing it into its individual components
exImagine you see a drawing of a circle, but a small section of the circle is missing or incomplete. Despite the gap in the circle, your brain tends to perceive it as a complete circle rather than a broken one. This ability to mentally fill in the missing parts and perceive an incomplete figure as a whole is an example of the Gestalt principle of closure
Current theories
developmental, social, personality, abnormal, clinical, health
What is a hypothesis?
Tentative and testable statement about the relationship between two or more
variables
Worded as an if-then statement
ex: If I study all night, then I will get a passing grade on a test
Bridges the gap between the realm of ideas and the real world
What is a theory?
A well-developed set of ideas that propose an explanation for observed phenomena
What is the relationship between a hypothesis and theory, and how do they fit into the scientific method?
Hypothesis are tested, theories are modified and refined to reflect and incorporate the results of the tests
What is the Institutional Review Board (IRB)
Committee of administrators, scientists, and community members that reviews proposals for research involving human participants
Approval generally required to proceed with experiment
Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC)
Committee of administrators, scientists, veterinarians, and community members that review proposals for research involving non-human animals
Charged with ensuring experimental proposals require the humane treatment of animal subjects
Conducts semi-annual inspections of all animal facilities to ensure that research protocols are being followed
No animal research project can proceed without committee’s approval
Deception
Purposely misleading experiment participants to maintain the integrity of the experiment, but not to the point to cause harm
Debriefing
Informing participants, the complete and truthful information about an experiment at its conclusion
Only occurs when an experiment involves deception
Informed consent
Process of informing a research participant about what to expect during an experiment, any risks involved, and the implications of the research, and then obtaining the person’s consent to participate
Also lets participants know their involvement is completely voluntary and can be discontinued without penalty at any time
Guarantees any data collected in the experiment will remain completely confidential
What is descriptive or qualitative research?
Research studies that don’t test specific relationships between variables
Three main types:
1. Naturalistic observation
2. Case studies
3. Surveys
-Used to describe general or specific behaviors and attributes that are observed
-Sometimes difficult to form a hypothesis
Let’s say you’re interested in understanding how students experience stress during exam periods. If you were to use qualitative research:
You might conduct interviews with a small group of students to hear their personal stories and feelings.
You could observe students in their natural environment to see how they cope with stress.
You might analyze personal journals or reflective essays to gain insight into their thoughts.
In the end, instead of providing statistical data like “80% of students feel stressed during exams,” qualitative research might offer a more nuanced understanding of how and why students experience stress, exploring the emotions, coping mechanisms, and social contexts involved.
What is correlational research?
Research investigating the relationship between two or more variables
-Formally tests whether a relationship exists between variables
-Can find a relationship between to variables but the only way to claim there even is a relationship is by performing an experiment
What is experimental research?
A research method that uses hypothesis testing to make inferences about how one variable impacts and causes another
-Randomly assigns people to different conditions, using hypothesis testing to make inferences about how these conditions affect behavior
-Aims to determine if a variable directly impacts and causes one another
What is naturalistic observation?
(A type of description research method)
- Observation of behavior in its natural setting
-Critical for observers to be as unobtrusive and inconspicuous as possible
-People are less likely to behave naturally when being watched
Pros:
▪ Validity (accuracy) of information collected unobtrusively in a natural setting
Cons:
▪ Often difficult to set up and control
▪ Observer bias
What are case studies?
(Observational research studies focusing on one or a few people)
-Typically common with studying rare characteristics in people
Pro:
▪ Focuses attention on a special group of people
Con:
▪ Difficult to generalize any findings to the population as a whole
What is a survey?
(List of questions to be answered by research participants, given as paper-and-pencil questionnaires, administered electronically, or conducted verbally, allowing for researchers to collect data from large number of people)
Pro:
▪ Collects information from larger samples of people
Con:
▪ Larger sample sizes do not provide the same depth of information in comparison to a case study
What is archival research?
(Relies on looking at past records or data sets to look for interesting patterns or relationships)
Pro:
▪ Less of a money and time investment
Con:
▪ Questions have to be tailored to be answered within the structure of the existing data sets
▪ No guarantee of consistency between records
What is longitudinal research?
data-gathering is administered repeatedly over an extended period of time