Define Psychology.

• The Science of behavior and mental processes.

Significance of Wilhelm Wundt

• Opened the first Psychology lab in Germany and is therefore considered the father of psychology.

Significance of William James

• First American Psychologist and • author of the first Psychology textbook.• Believed Psychology should study the

functions of consciousness.

Significance of G. Stanley Hall

• Opened the first Psychology lab in the U.S.

Significance of Martin Seligman

• Believed Psychology should emphasize making human life more productive and fulfilling.

• Founded positive Psychology.

Describe the psychodynamic perspective of Psychology.

• How are we affected by unconscious drives and conflicts.

• Unresolved inner conflicts can affect whether we help others.

Who is considered the founder of the Psychodynamic Perspective?

• Freud

Describe the behaviorist school of thought.

• How we learn through rewards, punishments, and observation.

• psychology should only study observable and objectively described acts.

Describe the cognitive school of thought.

• How we process information.• how people memorize facts, and what

changes our thinking structure.

Describe the humanist school of thought

• How healthy people strive to reach their full potential.

What is the difference between applied and basic research?

• Applied: study that aims to solve practical problems.

• Basic: pure science that aims to increase the secientific knowledge base.

What is a case study?

• A research technique where one person is studied in depth in the hope of revealing universal principles.

What is a longitudinal study?

• Studies the same group of individuals over a long period of time.

What is a cross-sectional study?

• Compares individuals from different age groups at one time.

Describe naturalistic observation.

• Observing and recording behavior in naturally occurring situations without trying to control the situation.

Give an example of how a study could be biased.

• In our head phone study example: students may study harder if the principal is in the room.

• As a researcher, your observations could be influenced by what you want to discover.

What is a correlational study? Can it prove cause and effect?

• A research project designed to discover the degree to which tow variables are related to each other.

• No, it does not prove cause and effect. Only if the variables are related.

Define experiment. Can it prove cause and effect?

• The researcher manipulates one or more factors to observe the effect on other variables while controlling for confounding variables.

• Yes, experiments prove cause and effect.

Define independent variable.

• The variable that is manipulated, causes a change in the dependent variable.

Dependent Variable

• Influenced by the independent variable.

What are confounding variables?

• A variable, other than the independent (cause) variable that could influence the dependent variable.

What happens to the control group in an experiment?

• The group not exposed to the independent variable.

• Used as a measure• In a medical study, may be given a placebo.

What happens to the experimental group?

• They are exposed to the independent variable.

What is a placebo?

• A nonactive substance or condition that may be administered instead of a drug or active agent.

What are the four basic principles for human participation in an experiment?

• Informed consent• The right to be protected from harm and

discomfort• The right to confidentiality• The right to debriefing

Define environment.

• Every non-genetic influence, from prenatal nutrition to the people and things around us.

How many chromosomes in each human cell?

• 46• 23 from mom and 23 from dad

Chromosomes are made up of ____________________.

• Molecules called DNA

What does having a predisposition to a disease mean

• The possibility of for a disease exists.

Will you certainly develop the disease if you are predisposed?

• No, environment also plays a role.

Identical twins are monozygotic, what does that mean?

• Means the babies develop from one egg.• More genetically alike than any others.• Twin studies are important in the study of

behavior genetics

What is natural selection?

• The principle that, among the range of inherited trait variations, those contributing to survival will more likely be passed on to succeeding generations.

• Survival of the fittest.

Fraternal twins are dizygotic, what does that mean?

• Means developed from two eggs, but gestate at the same time.

• No more alike than siblings.

What does heritable mean?

• The degree to which our traits are inherited.• EG. One study showed that genes influence

divorce risk (identical twins were studied). Shoed if one twin was divorced, the odds of the other twin divorcing went up 5.5 times.

• The behavior is not inherited but the genetic predisposition that leads to the behavior is inherited.

Define culture.

• The shared attitudes, beliefs, norms, and behaviors of a group communicated from one generation to the next.

Define individualization

• Giving priority to one’s own goals over group goals, and defining one’s identify in terms of personal attributes rather than group identification.

Define collectivism.

• Giving priority to the goals of one’s group and defining one’s identify accordingly.

Societal Norms

• Understood rules for accepted and expected behavior, norms prescribe “proper” behavior.

What is the focus of positive psychology?

• Movement that focuses on optimal human functioning

What is Gestalt Psychology?

• Early psychological perspective that emphasized our tendency to integrate pieces of information into meaningful wholes.

Describe evolutionary psychology.

• The study of the evolution of behavior and the mind, using principles of natural selection.

What was structuralism?

• Early theory that analyzed the basic elements of thoughts and sensations to determine the structure of conscious experience.

Describe the scientific method.

• Method of learning about the world through the application of critical thinking and tools such as observation, experimentation, and statistical analysis.

What are studies of identical twins so important?

• Because identical twins are also genetically identical and research helps behavior genetics field.

Does the text say nature or nurture plays a bigger role in development?

• The text argues that both nature and nurture are equally important.