psychology chapter 1

scientific assumptions and attitudes of psychologists

Assume that... 1. events are lawful (behavior etc. follows patterns) 2. events are explainable (there is a cause) Attitudes... 1. Open-minded 2. Skeptical (critically evaluate evidence) 3. Cautious (don't exaggerate or jump to conclusions)

Role of Wilhelm Wundt in establishment of psych as a separate scientific discipline. How did he define psychology?

Wilhelm Wundt was a physiologist who had a strong influence on psychology's development as an experimental science. He defined psychology as the study of consciousness.

representative sample- what is it and how is it obtained

a group of people to be surveyed that represents the larger group accurately. Matches age group, sex, or race being studied.

random assignment

all participants have equal chance of getting the drug

expectancy effects

apparent effects that are only seen because people expect them- double-blind studies guard against this

behaviorism's basic assumptions and goals

behaviorism believed that external causes shape human's personality and behavior and only measurable, observable behavior should be used in scientific investigations. rejected the emphases on unconscious and consciousness.

correlation, correlation coefficient

correlation is when 2 variables are related. correlation coefficient is the number that shows how strong the relationship is. Closer to +1 or -1 is better relationship

functions and limitations of correlational research

correlational research can help rule out some factors, or identify certain things to be studied more/ make predictions limitations are that correlations aren't proof

what is empirical evidence

evidence that is result of objective observation, measurement and experimentation

describe the ginkgo biloba experimental design

experiment to see if herb improves memory, concentration and focus

importance of operational definitions

explains precise terminology and methods that scientist used. There are multiple ways to define and study certain things, so it's important for everyone to know what exactly you did

purpose of placebo-control groups

group that gets fake treatment, in order to see if it actually works or if it is the person "thinking themselves better"

experimental group

group that receives independent variable

difference between humanistic psych and behaviorism + psychoanalysis

humanistic psychology focused on conscious experiences of the individual, and each individual's unique psychological experiences, growth, free-will, and choices. behaviorism believed that humans don't really have a choice and their behavior and personality are based on external events in their past. However, consciousness and unconsciousness don't play a role. psychoanalysis also believes humans' personalities are shaped by other events, but are primarily influenced by sexual and aggressive tendencies. These are present in the unconscious.

difference between hypothesis and theory

hypothesis is ONE specific question to be explored. Theories take results from multiple studies and try to put them together to make a possible explanation

what does the experimental method involve

it's a research method to find cause and effect relationships between variables by using independent and dependent variables

importance of statistical significance

it's important that results weren't just found by chance, because then they wouldn't be reliable

double-blind studies

neither the participant nor the researcher knows who gets the drugs

influences of philosophy and physiology in shaping course of psyhology

philosophy influenced psychology because it introduced topics that would be studied. Physiology revealed that scientific methods could be used to find answers about behavior and mental processes (studying the body and brain could help understand)

difference between positive and negative correlations

positive correlations increase and decrease together. negative correlations - 1 increases other decreases

importance of replication

replication allows more confidence in results. if they are repeated many times, they are more accurate

survey research and its strengths +weaknesses

set of structured questions. Adv. are that you can interview a larger group of people. Disadv. are that some people won't be honest.

how naturalistic observation and case studies are conducted

they are in natural settings where the researcher isn't known to the subjects

dependent variable

variable that changes depending on independent variable ex: whether memory/focus improved or not

independent variable

variable that is manipulated ex: whether they got the herb or not

method of meta-analysis

when results from multiple studies are pooled together. helps find trends and more accurate results- bigger groups mean more people were studied

4 goals of psychology

1. describe 2. explain 3. predict 4. control

compare and contrast Titchener's structuralism and James' functionalism (ideas and goals for psych)

Both structuralism and functionalism thought psychology should study consciousness. Titchener's structuralism used introspection only to study and believed that consciousness could be broken down into components of emotions and sensations. James' functionalism thought consciousness was more of a stream and it used many methods of study (not just introspection). -neither school of thought exists anymore.

2 advocates of humanistic psychology

Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow

what does statistically significant mean

statistically significant means that the data is unlikely to have been caused by chance

descriptive research methods

strategies for observing and describing behaviors

demand characteristics

subtle cues or signals that would communicate to the participant what kind of response is expected from the participant

define psychology

the scientific study of behavior and mental processes

strengths and limitations of experimental method

-can be used to show cause and effect -limitations-- there are many factors that may skew results that must be taken into consideration

8 major perspectives in contemporary psychology

1. Biological- studying physical bases of behavior 2. Psychodynamics- importance of unconscious influences, early experiences, relationships, in explaining behavior 3. Behavioral- how behavior is acquired and changed by environment 4. Humanistic- motivation of people to grow psychologically, importance of self-concept, free-will, choice in striving to reach one's potential 5. Positive- importance and influence of positive states of mind and communities on behavior and personality 6. Cognitive- emphasized role of mental processes in how people think 7. Cross-cultural- difference of behavior in diff. cultures 8. Evolutionary- using principles of evolution to explain psychological processes and phenomena

Ways to approach psychology in the media

1. Don't take stories as facts /evidence 2. Dramatic headlines are just hooks 3. Read actual summary 4. Evaluate design of study 5. Distinguish between correlation and causality 6. Have skepticism

4 steps of scientific method

1. Formulate testable hypothesis 2. Design study and collect data 3. analyze data and draw conclusions 4. Report findings

5 major provisions of the APA's code of ethics for research with human participants

1. Informed consent 2.use of deception 3. Students ad research participants 4.confidentiality 5. Information about the study is available to participants

control

Factors that stay the same

key assumptions of Freud's psychoanalysis

Freud's psychoanalysis believes that unconscious conflicts influence behavior and personality. These can be seen in dreams, slips of tongue, memory blocks, and humor.