EXAM #1: Thinking Critically with Psychological Science
What does the acronym "W.E.I.R.D" stand for? (Chapter 1.4: Cross-Cultural and Gender Psychology)
"WEIRD" Cultures: W: Western E: Educated I: Industrialized R: Rich D: Democratic
Identify the three attitudes that helped make modern science possible. (Chapter 1.1: The History and Scope of Psychology)
1. Curiosity ("Does it work?") 2. Skepticism ("What do you mean? How do you know?") 3. Humility ("I am comfortable admitting I am wrong and someone else is right.")
Identify the 9 KEY ways to live a long, healthy life. (Chapter 1.7: Predicting Everyday Behavior)
1. Getting a full night's sleep 2. Making space for exercise 3. Setting long-term goals with daily aims 4. Having a growth mindset 5. Prioritizing relationships 6. Distributing your study time 7. Learning to think critically 8. Processing class information actively 9. Overlearning
Define "psychiatry." (Chapter 1.4: Cross-Cultural and Gender Psychology)
A branch of medicine dealing with psychological disorders; practiced by physicians who sometimes provide medical treatments, as well as psychological therapy.
Define "counseling psychology." (Chapter 1.4: Cross-Cultural and Gender Psychology)
A branch of psychology that assist people with problems in living and in achieving a greater well-being.
Define "community psychology." (Chapter 1.4: Cross-Cultural and Gender Psychology)
A branch of psychology that studies how people interact with their social environments and how social institutions affect individuals and groups.
Define "clinical psychology." (Chapter 1.4: Cross-Cultural and Gender Psychology)
A branch of psychology that studies, assesses, and treats people with psychological disorders.
Define "operational definition." (Chapter 1.6: The Scientific Method)
A carefully worded statement of the exact procedures (operations) used in a research study.
Define "survey." (Chapter 1.6: The Scientific Method)
A descriptive technique for obtaining the self-reported attitudes or behaviors of a particular group.
Define "case study." (Chapter 1.6: The Scientific Method)
A descriptive technique in which one individual or group is studied in depth in the hope of revealing universal principles.
Define "naturalistic observation." (Chapter 1.6: The Scientific Method)
A descriptive technique of observing and recording behavior in naturally occurring situations without trying to manipulate and control the situation.
Define "confounding variable." (Chapter 1.6: The Scientific Method)
A factor other than the factor being studied that might influence a study's results.
Define "correlation." (Chapter 1.6: The Scientific Method)
A measure of the extent to which two factors vary together, and thus of how well either factor predicts the other.
Define "experiment." (Chapter 1.6: The Scientific Method)
A research method in which an investigator manipulates one or more factors (independent variables) to observe the effect on some behavior or mental process (the dependent variable).
Define "random sample." (Chapter 1.6: The Scientific Method)
A sample that fairly represents a population because each member has an equal chance of inclusion.
Define "applied research." (Chapter 1.4: Cross-Cultural and Gender Psychology)
A scientific study that aims to solve practical problems.
Define "meta-analysis." (Chapter 1.6: The Scientific Method)
A statistical procedure for analyzing the results of multiple studies to reach an overall conclusion.
Define "SQ3R." (Chapter 1.7: Predicting Everyday Behavior)
A study method incorporating five KEY steps: S: Survey Q: Question 3R: Read, Retrieve, and Review
Define "hypothesis." (Chapter 1.6: The Scientific Method)
A testable prediction, often implied by a theory.
Who was "Mary Whiton Calkins?" (Chapter 1.2: Psychological Science is Born)
Admitted by William James into his Harvard graduate seminar in 1890, she faced sexism throughout her years in school, was denied her legitimate degree, and went on to become the first female president of the American Psychological Association (APA) in 1905. She passed the Harvard Program with the highest marks of any student to that date but was denied her rightful degree by the Hardvard College.
Define "population." (Chapter 1.6: The Scientific Method)
All those in a group being studied, from which samples may be drawn.
Define "functionalism." (Chapter 1.2: Psychological Science is Born)
An early school of thought promoted by James and influenced by Darwin; explored how mental and behavioral processes function—how they enable the organism to adapt, survive and flourish.
Define "structuralism." (Chapter 1.2: Psychological Science is Born)
An early school of thought promoted by Wundt and Titchener; used introspection to reveal the structure of the human mind.
Define "double-blind procedure." (Chapter 1.6: The Scientific Method)
An experimental procedure in which both the research participants and the research staff are ignorant (blind) about whether the research participants have received the treatment or a placebo.
Define "theory." (Chapter 1.6: The Scientific Method)
An explanation using an integrated set of principles that organizes observations and predicts behaviors or events.
Define the "Biopsychosocial approach." (Chapter 1.4: Cross-Cultural and Gender Psychology)
An integrated perspective that incorporates biological, psychological, and social-cultural levels of analysis
Define "random assignment." (Chapter 1.6: The Scientific Method)
Assigning participants to experimental and control groups by chance, thus minimizing preexisting differences between the two groups. Random assignment in experiments gives everyone in the sample an equal chance.
Who was "B. F. Skinner?" (Chapter 1.2: Psychological Science is Born)
Burrhus Frederic Skinner, commonly known as B. F. Skinner, was an American psychologist, behaviorist, author, inventor, and social philosopher. He was the Edgar Pierce Professor of Psychology at Harvard University from 1958 until his retirement in 1974. He is famous for rejecting introspection and having studied how consequences shape behavior.
Define "correlation coefficient." (Chapter 1.6: The Scientific Method)
Coefficient that describes the relationship between two variables and is stated as a number between .1.0 and +1.0. It is a statistical index of the relationship between two things (from -1.00 to +1.00)
Who was "Edward Bradford Titchener?" (Chapter 1.2: Psychological Science is Born)
Edward Bradford Titchener was an English psychologist who studied under Wilhelm Wundt for several years. Titchener is best known for creating his version of psychology that described the structure of the mind: structuralism.
Define "testing effect." (Chapter 1.7: Predicting Everyday Behavior)
Enhanced memory after retrieving, rather than simply rereading, information.
Define "placebo effect." (Chapter 1.6: The Scientific Method)
Experimental results caused by expectations alone; any effect or behavior caused by the administration of an inert substance or condition, which the recipient assumes is an active agent.
TRUE or FALSE: "n" = population, and "N" = sample.
FALSE! "N" = population and "n" = sample (KNOW THE DIFFERENCE)
TRUE or FALSE: Aristotle believed in innate ideas, suggesting that the brain is the seat of mental processes.
FALSE! Plato believed in innate ideas, suggesting that the brain is the seat of mental processes.
TRUE or FALSE: Causation has the ability to prove correlation.
FALSE!!!
Who was Franz Gall? (Chapter 1.2: Psychological Science is Born)
Franz Josef Gall was a german neuroanatomist, physiologist, and pioneer in the study of the localization of mental functions in the brain. Claimed as the founder of phrenology, Gall was an early and important researcher in his fields.
Define "informed content." (Chapter 1.7: Predicting Everyday Behavior)
Giving potential participants enough information about a study to enable them to choose whether they wish to participate.
John Locke published "An Essay Concerning Human Understanding," which stressed empiricism over speculation. He is particularly famous for which set of published ideas?
He is famous for "tabula rasa," meaning "blank slate."
Define "experimental group." (Chapter 1.6: The Scientific Method)
In an experiment, the group exposed to the treatment, that is, to one version of the independent variable.
Define "control group." (Chapter 1.6: The Scientific Method)
In an experiment, the group is NOT exposed to the treatment; contrasts with the experimental group and serves as a comparison for evaluating the effect of the treatment.
Define "critical thinking." (Chapter 1.1: The History and Scope of Psychology)
It examines assumptions, appraises the source, discerns hidden biases, evaluates evidence, and assesses conclusions.
Define "basic research." (Chapter 1.4: Cross-Cultural and Gender Psychology)
It is pure science that aims to increase the scientific knowledge base.
Who was "John B. Watson?" (Chapter 1.2: Psychological Science is Born)
John Broadus Watson was an American psychologist who established the psychological school of behaviorism. Watson promoted a change in psychology through his address Psychology as the Behaviorist Views it, which was given at Columbia University in 1913.
Identify psychology's first TWO schools of thought. (Chapter 1.2: Psychological Science is Born)
Psychology's first schools of thought were: 1. Structuralism (created by Edward Bradford Titchener) 2. Functionalism (created by William James)
Who was "Rosalie Rayner?" (Chapter 1.2: Psychological Science is Born)
Rosalie Alberta Rayner was a research psychologist, and the assistant and later wife of Johns Hopkins University psychology professor John B. Watson, with whom she carried out the famous Little Albert experiment. In the experiment, the presentation of a white rat was paired with the striking of a steel bar, which induced fear in the little boy.
What does the acronym SPA stand for? (HINT: Think of people)
SPA: Socrates, Plato, Aristotle o Socrates taught Plato o Plato taught Aristotle
Define "humanistic psychology." (Chapter 1.3: Psychological Science Matures)
School of psychology that focuses on the uniqueness of human beings and their capacity for choice, growth, and psychological health. This school of thought popularized client based and group therapy. It is a historically significant perspective that emphasized human growth potential.
Who was "Sigmund Freud?" (Chapter 1.2: Psychological Science is Born)
Sigmund Freud was an Austrian neurologist and the founder of psychoanalysis, a clinical method for treating psychopathology through dialogue between a patient and a psychoanalyst. Freud developed the psychoanalytic theory of personality development, which argued that personality is formed through conflicts among three fundamental structures of the human mind: the id, ego, and superego. Perhaps the most significant contribution Freud has made to modern thought is his conception of the unconscious. During the 19th century the dominant trend in Western thought was positivism, the claim that people could accumulate real knowledge about themselves and their world, and exercise rational control over both.
TRUE or FALSE: "Either-or thinking" emphasizes that John Locke was wrong; "Both-and thinking" acknowledges Locke's findings appropriately by saying he was right AND wrong.
TRUE!
TRUE or FALSE: According to class lecture, it has been determined that without science, "psychology" is simply known as "philosophy."
TRUE!
TRUE or FALSE: Aristotle denied the existence of innate ideas, believing the heart is the seat of mental processes.
TRUE!
TRUE or FALSE: Behaviorism works.
TRUE!
TRUE or FALSE: Correlation NEVER proves causation.
TRUE!!! (EXAM Question!)
Define "introspection." (Chapter 1.1: The History and Scope of Psychology)
The careful, systematic self-observation of one's own conscious experience. Titchener and Wundt emphasize the aspects of "introspection" (self-reflection, self-inventory, and experience of yourself.)
Define "phrenology." (Chapter 1.2: Psychological Science is Born)
The detailed study of the shape and size of the cranium as a supposed indication of character and mental abilities.
Define "culture." (Chapter 1.4: Cross-Cultural and Gender Psychology)
The enduring behaviors, ideas, attitudes, values and traditions shared by a group of people and transmitted from one generation to the next.
Define "independent variable." (Chapter 1.6: The Scientific Method)
The factor that is being manipulated; the variable whose effect is being studies.
Who was "Margaret Floy Washburn?" (Chapter 1.2: Psychological Science is Born)
The first woman to receive a psychology Ph.D., she synthesized animal behavior research in The Animal Mind (1908.) She went on to become the second female APA president in 1921.
Define "cognitive neuroscience." (Chapter 1.3: Psychological Science Matures)
The interdisciplinary study of the brain activity linked with cognition (including perception, thinking, memory, and language).
What are the "levels of analysis?" ***IMPORTANT! (Chapter 1.4: Cross-Cultural and Gender Psychology)
The levels of analysis are the differing complementary views, from biological to psychological to social-cultural, for analyzing any given phenomenon.
Define the "nature-nurture issue." (Chapter 1.3: Psychological Science Matures)
The longstanding controversy over the relative contributions that genes and experience make to the development of psychological traits and behaviors
Define "dependent variable." (Chapter 1.6: The Scientific Method)
The outcome that is measured; the variable that may change when the independent variable is manipulated.
Define "debriefing." (Chapter 1.7: Predicting Everyday Behavior)
The post experimental explanation of a study, including its purpose and any deceptions, to its participants.
Define "natural selection." (i.e Charles Darwin) (Chapter 1.3: Psychological Science Matures)
The principle that inherited traits that better enable an organism to survive and reproduce in an environment will (in competition with other trait variations) most likely be passed on to the succeeding generation.
Define "post-truth." (Chapter 1.5: Research Strategies: How Psychologists Ask and Answer Questions)
The process of describing modern culture where people's emotions and personal beliefs override their acceptance of objective facts.
Define "replication." (Chapter 1.6: The Scientific Method)
The process of repeating the essence of a research study, usually with different participants in different situations, to see whether the basic finding can be reproduced.
Define "psychology." (Chapter 1.3: Psychological Science Matures)
The science of behavior and mental processes.
What are the 3 MAIN aspects of the "Scientific Attitude?" (Chapter 1.1: The History and Scope of Psychology)
The scientific attitude—curiosity + skepticism + humility—prepares us to think harder and smarter. To sift reality from fantasy and fact from fiction, one must acquire a scientific attitude: being skeptical but not cynical, open-minded but not gullible.
Define "positive psychology." (Chapter 1.4: Cross-Cultural and Gender Psychology)
The scientific study of human flourishing, with the goals of discovering and promoting strengths and virtues that help individuals and communities to thrive.
Identify "Psychology's 7 MAIN Theoretical Perspectives." (Chapter 1.4: Cross-Cultural and Gender Psychology)
The seven types of perspectives are: 1. Neuroscience 2. Evolutionary 3. Behavior genetics 4. Psychodynamic 5. Behavioral 6. Cognitive 7. Social-cultural
Define "cognitive psychology." (Chapter 1.3: Psychological Science Matures)
The study of mental processes, such as occur when we perceive, learn, remember, think, communicate and solve problems.
Define "evolutionary psychology." (Chapter 1.3: Psychological Science Matures)
The study of the evolution of behavior and the mind, using principles of natural selection.
Define "behavior genetics." (Chapter 1.3: Psychological Science Matures)
The study of the relative power and limits of genetic and environmental influences on behavior.
Define "hindsight bias." (Chapter 1.5: Research Strategies: How Psychologists Ask and Answer Questions)
The tendency to believe, after learning an outcome, that one would have foreseen it. (Also known as the I-knew-it-all-along-phenomenon) Point to remember: Hindsight bias, overconfidence, and our tendency to perceive patterns in random events tempt us to overestimate our intuition.
Define "behaviorism." (Chapter 1.3: Psychological Science Matures)
The term behaviorism refers to the school of psychology founded by John B. Watson based on the belief that behaviors can be measured, trained, and changed and based on the proposition that all things that organisms do—including acting, thinking, and feeling—can and should be regarded as behaviors. According to behaviorist theory, our responses to environmental stimuli shape our behaviors. Important concepts such as classical conditioning, operant conditioning, and reinforcement have arisen from behaviorism. The view that psychology (1) should be an objective science that (2) studies behavior without reference to mental processes. Most psychologists today agree with (1) but not with (2).
Who was "William James?" (Chapter 1.2: Psychological Science is Born)
William James was an American philosopher and psychologist, and the first educator to offer a psychology course in the United States. James was a leading thinker of the late nineteenth century, one of the most influential U.S. philosophers, and has been labeled the "Father of American psychology".
