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Psychology
The scientific study of behavior and mental processes
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T or F: everybody dreams during a normal night of sleep.
True
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T or F: as the number of bystanders at an emergency increases, the time it takes for the victim to get help decreases.
False; increases
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T or F: eyewitness testimony is often unreliable.
True
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Scientific method
Consists of the orderly, systematic procedures that researchers follow
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Steps of the Scientific Method
- 1. Identify a research problem
- 2. Design a study to investigate the problem
- 3. Collect & analyze data
- 4. Draw conclusions from data
- 5. Communicate your findings
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Theory
A general principle or set of principles proposed to explain how a number of seperate facts are related
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Goals of Psychology
- 1. Describe
- 2. Explain
- 3. Predict
- 4. Influence
- .... Behavior & mental processes
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Describe
Tell what happened
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Explain
Tell why something happened
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Prediction
When explanations lead to hypothesis
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Influence
When research is applied to a problem
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Basic research
Seek knowledge and gain a general scientific understanding; research that produces new knowledge
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Applied research
Specifically trying to solve specific problems; helps determine how theories & research findings can be used to solve practical problems
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Wilhelm Wundt
"father of psychology" - founded structuralism
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Introspection
Look within yourself
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Structuralism
First formal school of thought; The view that the purpose of psychology it to identify the basic elements of conscious mental experience
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Functionalism
Concerned with how humans & animals use mental processes in adapting to their environment
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William James
Founded functionalism
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Charles Darwin
Looked at how the evolutionary theory applies to psychology
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Mary Whiton Calkins
Completed requirements for a doctorate at Harvard but Harvard refused to grant the degree to a woman
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Francis Cecil Sumner
1st african american to recieve a PhD in psychology; considered father of African American psychology
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Kenneth Clark
Gained national recognition from his writings of harmful effects on children from racial segregation; his research helped desegregate schools
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George Sanchez
Hispanic american psychologist; studied bias & intelligence testing
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Behaviorism
Views observable, measurable behavior as the only subject matter for psychology
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Behaviorists helped to solidify:
Psychology as a science
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B.F. Skinner
Founded Operant conditioning; Believed that you can understand behaviors by analyzing conditions before they occur & the consequences that follow them
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Psychoanalysis
Freud's theory of personality & treatment disorders; primary focus on the unconscious
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Humanistic psychology
Focuses on a positive view of human nature - "all people are good & possess free will"
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Cognitive psychology
Focuses on mental processes such as memory, problem solving, language, decision making & perception
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Gestalt psychology
Believes that the mind interprets experiences in patterns
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Information-processing theory
The brain processes info one step at a time
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Useful theories lead to:
Testable hypothesis & the development of solutions to real world problems
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Critical thinking
A process of objectively evaluating prepositions and conclusions to determine whether they follow logically from the evidence presented
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Independent thinking
Not automatically accepting what you read or hear
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Suspension of judgement
Gather info on all sides before taking a position
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Willingness to abandon prior judgement
When evidence contradicts what you believe
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Descriptive research methods
Yields descriptions of behavior
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Naturalistic observation
When we observe & record behavior in its natural setting without influencing or controlling it
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Case study
On one person or small number of people & use things like interviews, observations, or psychological testing
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Survey research
Has to have a population (entire group of interest)
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Sample
Part of a population that is studied in order to reach conclusions about the entire population
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Representative sample
One that mirrors your population of interest & includes subgroups in the same proportion as found in the population
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Interviews & questionnaires
The results can be affected by wording, content, and the interviewers characteristics
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Correlation method
Established the degree of relationship between two variables
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Experimental method
Only research method to identify cause and effect relationships between two or more variables
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Independent variable
Can be deliberately manipulated to determine whether it causes changes in another behavior or condition
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Dependent variable
The end result, what you measure at the end of an experiment
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Experimental group
The group that is given the independent variable
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Control group
Exposed to the same experimental environment but not given the independent variable
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Confounding variables
Variables that can influence without you wanting them to
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Placebo effect
When the response to treatment is due to a persons expextations and not the actual treatment
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Double-blind procedure
Neither the experimenter or participants know who is getting the treatment
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Legality
Research has to conform to the law
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Informed consent
Informed of the purpose of the research and any potential harm that could comr from it
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Publication
Make findings available to others so they can replace it
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Clinical psychologists
Specialize in the diagnosis & treatment of mental & behavioral disorders
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Counseling psychologists
Deals with less severe psychological issues
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Developmental psychologists
Study how people grow, develop, & change throughout life
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Social psychologists
Study how individuals feel, think, and behave in social settings
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