Psychology
The study of behavior of individuals and their mental processes
Behavior
observable reaction to an adjustment in their environment
Applied Research
studying some practical problem that is of interest
Empirical Evidence
evidence collected based on what you see
Cognitive Psychologist
study of the mind and its processes. They study things like learning, memory, decision making and are interested in problem solving
5 goals of psychology
1. Describe what happens- through Empirical evidence
2. Explain what happens- observing the response to stimuli through descriptive data
3. Predict what will happen- make predictions on what will happen if variables are manipulated (hypothesis)
4. Control what happens- try to help keep people under control with medication to control behavior
5. Improve the Quality of life- do no harm but try to improve their life
clinical psychologists
find was to treat abnormal behaviors
Community psychologists
work with minorities and poor people
Biological psychologist
study the biological basis of our behavior
pyschopharmacologists
study the effects of drugs on behavior
psychopharmacology
medicine used to control an individuals behavior
Experimental psychologist
study behavior of human and animal subjects
developmental psychologist
study how human functions change over time and the factors that shape our behaviors throughout our life
social psychologist
study behaviors of groups rather than people
Industrial psychologist
study what makes people fit into their occupation and help people become pleased with their work
Human factors
the connections between humans and machines
Environmental psychologist
study how environmental actions stress human behaviors
Wilhelm Wundt
known for creating the 1st psych labs ever.
Rationalism
belief that somehow we have to make sense of everything we encounter. There exists basic ideas that order all of us
Associationism
the changing of ideas becomes associated with each other.
Jon Locke
founder of associationism
Tabula rasa
means "blank slate" and is used to define how we begin to associate things with each other as we begin to fill our "blank brain" with knowledge and observations
Temporal contiguity
using your past experiences to associate with others
Elementalism
process of taking the whole and breaking it into its smallest parts
Evolutionism
how we are evolving and changing overtime. is the opposite of creationism
Determinism
behaviors are determined by certain factors
Functionalism
individuals adjust and adapt to their environment
William James
the father of American psychology and led to studies around the 1900's about individual psychology
Current perspective in psychology
approaches that guides the way
Biological approach
the causes of behavior is the function of our genes, nerves, brain, hormones that tells how to respond to our environment
Pyschodynamic approach
the mind and our instinct drive our decisions
Sigmund Freud
Neurologist that studies the mind and believed behavior was driven by carnal instinct and internal conflicts and are all unrational.
Internal conflicts
conflicts between our own needs and what society demands in relation to those needs
Behavioristic approach
Rewards and punishments determine our decisions
Cognitive approach
mental process and how the mind works like human thought
Humanistic approach
understanding we are all struggling for growth and improvement
Abraham Maslow
created Maslow's higher archie which says that self-actualization is the highest need on a pyramid
Self-actualization
becoming all you can be
Carl rogers
a founder of humanistic approach to pyschology
Rollo may
american existential psychologists that wrote influential book Love and Will
Evolutionary approach
environmental factors naturally select certain behaviors. Features are passed down to offspring because they were sucessful. (Darwin)
Socio-cultural approach
shared concepts, values, and assumptions of life and how society influences us to cultivate certain habits and reject others.
Eclectic viewpoint
taking the best part of many different viewpoints and combing them to form your own
Empirical investigations
research that relies on observation that are recorded
Phenomenon
some event or process which we can't explain
theory
a set of related principles to explain a pheonomenon
context of justification
number of references and communicating with other researchers to form a research review, includes:
1. objectivity safeguards: following instructions exactly and the operational definitions
2. Operation definitions: the process for doing the experiment
3. blind/double blind: blind- subject doesn't know and double- researcher doesn't know
4. confounding variables: intervening variables that interfere with dependent variables but aren't what we planned to change. Must be recorded
Overcoming Biases
Need to overcome them to see view clearly
1. external influences
2. personal biases
3. observer biases
4. expectancy biases
5. placebo biases
self report
answering questions that the researcher designed but answering them about themselves
physiological measures
collecting data that are based on biological data
correlation studies
there is not cause and effect just correlation linking 2 separate things together through inference and research
Randomization
gives a baseline and ensure that their are no biases with participants spread evenly
Informed consent
statement of willingness to participate in research
deception and debriefing
if deception is used in research it must be followed by debriefing to explain the deception to participants
Human use of animals
make sure that animals are treated correctly and are not harmed
Empirical evidence
evidence collected based on what you see
Operational definitions
description of how you will carry out the research so someone else could replicate it
response
the behavior caused by the factor. What we are actually interested
stimuli
whats going on to provoke a response
objective research
as free from bias as possible by not making inferences
S-R
stimulus response- the connection between the stimulus and the response
casual prediction
predicts what causes the response
overt behavior
response that are visible
covert behaviors
response that you cant see. Internal response that is going on in the thought process that still affects behavior