Unit 1: Scientific Foundations of Psychology

the scientific study of behavior and mental processes

the debate whether our behavior is inborn or learned through experience

mind must be broken into elements to understand the brain and its functions

“father of psychology”, established 1st psychology lab, helped develop structuralism

helped develop structuralism, used introspection (looking inward), investigated consciousness in its basic elements at Cornell

opened 1st psychology lab in US at Johns Hopkins, 1st American with a doctorate in psychology, 1st president of the American Psychological Association, structuralist

mental processes can be best understood in terms of their adaptive processes and function

founder of functionalism, believed in a stream of consciousness (mental operations adapting to the environment in a continuous, dynamic flow)

focused on the study of observable events and shifted psychology to a more scientific study

science flourishes through observation and experiment

the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, looking at the mind and behavior as a whole

behavior is explained by previous learning, focuses on how we learn through rewards, punishments, and observations

antecedent environmental conditions, the behavior, and consequences/effect of behavior

founder of behaviorism, studied only observable and objectively described acts in Little Albert experiment

emphasized the study of observable behaviors, discovered classical conditioning

focused on the role of responses in learning (rewards and punishments), modern-day behaviorist

came up with the law of effect, behaviorist

behavior is explained by brain chemistry, genetics, hormones, etc., focuses on how our biological structures and substances underlie a given behavior, thought, or emotion

behavior is explained by how a person interprets a situation, focuses on how people think and process information

developed stage theory of child cognitive development (how thinking develops)

behavior is explained by natural selection favoring behavior that allows us to adapt and survive, focuses on how behavior may have helped our ancestors survive long enough to reproduce successfully

argued that our behaviors and bodies were shaped through natural selection (traits that help an organism survive will be passed on to the next generation, while traits that are no longer useful will die off)

behavior is explained by being motivated by satisfying needs with the goal of reaching one’s full potential (self-actualization)

rejected the idea that behavior is controlled by rewards and punishments (too limited in scope), stressed free will in decision making

behavior is explained by unconscious motivation and unresolved inner conflicts from one’s early childhood, focuses on how behavior is affected by unconscious drives and conflicts

founder of psychodynamic approach, used free association

saying 1st idea that is in head, non-linear association

behavior is explained by the influence of other people present, focuses on how thinking and behavior change depending on the setting or situation

combines biological processes, psychological factors, and social forces

1st woman to complete the requirements for a PhD in psychology, 1st woman president of the APA

1st woman to receive a PhD in psychology in the US, studied animal behavior

1st African American to receive a PhD in psychology, father of “black psychology,” researched racial bias

educational psychologist who studied institutionalized racism, doll studies used in Brown. Board of Education

1st African American woman to receive a PhD in psychology, educational psychologist

created 1st generation of American mental asylums, advocate for humane treatment of the mentally ill

purpose is to increase knowledge

basic research

explore relationship between the brain/nervous system and behavior

basic research

study psychological development (changes or consistencies) throughout the lifespan

basic research

focus on how we think, problem-solve, and perceive

basic research

focus on how effective teaching and learning take place

basic research

focus on individuals feelings, actions, and overall characteristics

basic research

analyze the ways individuals impact one another in society

basic research

focus on individuals and societal well being

basic research

focus on methods of acquiring and analyzing psychological data to assess abilities needed to work in a specific field

purpose to help people in practical problems

applied research

aim to improve productivity and the quality of work life

applied research

help people overcome and cope with life challenges and crises

applied research

evaluate and treat mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders

applied research

provide psychotherapy and are medical doctors licensed to prescribe drugs and treat psychological disorders

applied research

apply psychological principles to legal issues

manipulates an independent variable (IV) under controlled conditions to measure its effect on a dependent variable (DV)

a testable prediction, an assumption, that is made before any research has been completed, “If …, then …” statement

an organized set of concepts that explains a phenomena

a description of procedures, actions, or processes used in a study that allows replication

a method of selecting a sample from a population so that every member of the population has an equal chance of being selected

assigning participants to the experimental and control groups to minimize the existence of preexisting differences between the groups

when not possible it is a quasi-experiment

receives the treatment

doesn’t receive the treatment, comparison group

everything is similar between the experimental and control group except for the independent variable

differences between the experimental and control group other than those resulting from the independent variable

a method of collecting self reported data on participants’ opinions, thoughts, and experiences

all the individuals in the group to which the study applies

those selected to be part of the study

the way in which the questions are worded, presented, or ordered can influence a participant’s response

each individual has an equal chance of being selected

dividing a population into subgroups with similar characteristics and then randomly sampling from each group

a sample group that represents all the different people in the population and that were selected in an unbiased way

when the sample doesn’t represent the population

an in-depth investigation of a single individual, group, or event

subjects alters their behavior because they know they are being observed

observes the relationship between variables and its strength and direction

when an observed correlation can actually be explained by a third variable that hasn’t been accounted forn

observing behaviors as they happen in a real-world setting (no lab used or staged study)

examines people of different groups at the same time

follows one particular group or individual over a long period of time

when a study prevents other variables other than those being studied from affecting the outcome

those kept the same throughout an experiment

when a participant acts differently because they expect a certain outcome that they have received the treatment

a substance that seems like the IV but doesn’t have an effect

researcher’s expectations or preferences about the outcome of a study influence the results

cues that might indicate the research objectives to participants (ex. wink or smile)

used to eliminate effects of demand characteristics, participants don’t know which treatment group (experimental or control) they are in

used to eliminate effects of experimenter bias and demand characteristics, neither experimenter nor participants know who is in which treatment group

uses each participant as their own control (matched pairs)

different orders so order effects do not arise

tendency to think one could have anticipated the outcome of an event or experiment after it has already occurred

tendency to seek information that aligns with our point of view or belief and dismiss information that challenges our beliefs

tendency of participants to skew their answers to create a more favorable impression of them

the consistency or repeatability of a test

the extent to which an instrument measures or predicts what it is supposed to

how generalizable the findings are

whether there is a truthful cause-effect

numbers, fact, and information not up for interpretation

information and data in word form (categories)

a way of describing data without inferring it to a population

researchers make inferences about a population

arrangement of scores indicating the frequency of each score or group of scores

bar graph (bars connected)

line graph that connects points

average of the data set