Ch1: Introduction to Psychology – Flashcards
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psychology
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the scientific study of behavior and mental processes
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behavioral neuroscience
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a subfield of psychology that mainly examines how the brain, nervous system, and other biological processes determine behavior
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experimental psychology
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a branch of psychology that studies the processes of sensing, perceiving, learning, and thinking about the world
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cognitive psychology
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a branch of experimental psychology that focuses on higher mental processes, including thinking, memory, reasoning, problem solving, judging, decision making, and language
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developmental psychology
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a branch of psychology that studies how people grow and chnge from the moment of conception through death
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personality psychology
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a branch of developmental psychology that focuses on the consistency in people's behavior over time and the traits that differentiate one person from another
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health psychology
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a branch of psychology that studies the relationship between psychological factors and physical ailments or disease
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clinical psychology
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a branch of psychology that deals with the study, diagnosis, and treatment of psychological disorders
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counseling psychologists
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a branch of psychology that focuses on educational, social, and career adjustment problems
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social psychology
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a branch of psychology that studies how people's thoughts, feelings, and actions are affected by others
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cross-cultural psychology
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a branch of psychology that studies the similarities and differences in psychological functioning in and across various cultures and ethnic groups
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evolutionary psychology
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a branch of psychology that studies how behavior is influence by out genetic inheritance from our ancestors
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behavioral genetics
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seeks to understand how we might inherit certain behavioral traits and how the environment influences whether we actually display such traits
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clinical neuropsychology
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unites the areas of neuroscience and clinical psychology
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Ph.D
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doctor of philosophy: a research degree that requires a dissertation based on an original investigation
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Psy.D
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doctor of psychology: obtained by psychologists who wish to focus on the treatment of psychological disorders. This is different from a physician.
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structuralism
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Wundt's approach, which focuses on uncovering the fundamental mental components of consciousness, thinking, and other kinds of mental states and activities
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introspection
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a procedure used to study the structure of the mind in which subjects are asked to describe in detail what they are experiencing when they are exposed to a stimulus
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functionalism
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an early approach to psychology that concentrated on what the mind does-- the functions of mental activity-- and the role of behavior in allowing people to adapt to their environments
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gestalt psychology
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an approach to psychology that focuses on the organization of perception and thinking in a "whole" sense rather than on the individual elements of perception
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neuroscience perspective
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the approach that views behavior from the perspective of the brain, the nervous system, and other biological functions
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psychodynamic perspective
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the approach based on the view that behavior is motivated by unconscious inner forces over which the individual has little control
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behavioral perspective
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the approach that suggest that observable, measurable behavior should be the focus of study
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cognitive perspective
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the approach that focuses on how people think, understand, and reason about the world
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humanistic perspective
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the approach that suggests that all individuals naturally strive to grow, develop, and be in control of their lives and behavior
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free will
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the idea that behavior is caused primarily by choices that are made freely by the individual
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determinism
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the idea that people's behavior is produced primarily by factors outside of their willful control.
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scientific method
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the approach through which psychologists systematically acquire knowledge and understanding about behavior and other phenomena of interest
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theories
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broad explanations and predictions concerning phenomena of interest
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hypothesis
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a prediction, stemming from a theory, stated in a way that allows it to be tested
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operational definition
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the translation of a hypothesis into specific, testable procedures that can be measured and observed
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archival research
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research in which existing data, such as census documents, college records, and newspapers, are examined to test a hypothesis
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naturalistic observation
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research in which an investigator simply observes some naturally occurring some behavior and does not make a change in the situation
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survey research
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research in which people chosen to represent a larger population are asked a series of questions about their behavior, thoughts, or attitudes
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case study
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an in-depth, intensive investigation of an individual or small group of people
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variables
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behaviors, events, or other characteristics that can change, or vary, in some way
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correlational research
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research in which the relationship between two sets of variable is examined to determine whether they are associated, or "correlated"
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experiment
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the investigation of the relationship between two or more variables by deliberately producing a change in one variable in a situation and observing the effects of that change on other aspects of the situation
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experimental manipulation
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the change that an experimenter deliberately produces in a situation
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treatment
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the manipulation implemented by the experimenter
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experimental group
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any group participating in an experiment that receives a treatment
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control group
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a group participating in an experiment that receives no treatment
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independent variable
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the variable that is manipulated by an experimenter
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dependent variable
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the variable that is measured and is expected to change as a result of changes caused by the experimenter's manipulation of the independent variable
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random assignment to condition
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a procedure in which participants are assigned to different experimental groups or "conditions" on the basis of chance alone
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significant outcome
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meaningful resulrs that make it possible for researchers to feel confident that they have confirmed their hypothesis
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replication
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the repetition of research, sometimes using other procedures, settings, and groups of participants, to increase confidence in prior findings
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experimental bias
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factors that distort how the independent variable affects the dependent variable in an experiment
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placebo
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a false treatment, such as a pill, "drug", or other substance, without any significant chemical properties or active ingredients
