PSY 2012 General Psych Study Guide What is Psychology How does it differ from other areas of science The scientific study of the mind brain and behavior o Psychology o Psychology differs from other areas of science because a host of uncontrollable challenges makes studying psychology complex Psychology studies living organisms that are difficult to derive direct answers from since a multitude of factors influence every decision Identify the main levels of analysis in psychological science and consider how the focus of attention changes across levels o Psychology has multiple levels of analysis molecular neurochemical neurological physiological mental behavioral and social o Ascending the levels of analysis there is a gradual transition from biological to social influences How has the definition of psychology changed from the time of the first psychology lab 1879 through today o Psychology in 1879 became a laboratory science and experienced a multitude of eras discussed below which altered psychology s scientific aim repeatedly Currently psychology focuses more on the objective analysis of the mind brain and behavior but some research still focuses on the subjective analysis due to the limitation of other options Know structuralism and functionalism How do they differ from each other Who were key figures in each movement o Structuralism o Functionalism An era of psychology aimed to identify the basic elements or structures of psychological experience contributed systematic data collection and empiricism to the psychology realm An era of psychology aimed to understand the adaptive purposes of psychological characteristics thoughts feelings and behaviors influenced evolutionary perspectives in modern psychology o Structuralism dealt more with what what are our thoughts and feelings etc While functionalism dealt more with why why do we have these thoughts and feelings etc o Structuralism focused on introspection the examination or observation of one s own mental and emotional processes Functionalism focused on consciousness o Structuralism Edward Titchener Wundt s student Wundt launched psychology as a lab science o Functionalism William James influenced by Charles Darwin Know why the behaviorists sought to change the focus of psychological research o Behaviorists believed that psychology was too focused on the study of consciousness and therefore subjective research that could never actually be proven Behaviorists changed the research from subjective to objective o Behaviorism An era of psychology focused on uncovering the general laws of learning by looking at observable behavior contributed by helping to understand how we learn and improving psychology s scientific rigor o Behaviorism Watson and Skinner Know what the cognitive revolution beginning around the 1950s 1960s reintroduced to psychology o Recaptured the importance of mental processes o Cognitive Psychology thinking is central to understanding behavior the relation between brain functioning and thinking o Cognitive Neuroscience A type of psychology that proposes that A newer field of psychology that examines o Contributed to modern psychology by highlighting the role of thought and influencing our interpretation of behavioral events o Some contributers Jean Piget and Ulric Neisser Most important info from Chapter 1 SFBC Structuralism Functionalism Behaviorism Cognitivism Know the major subfields of psychology and how do they differ from each other o Main 5 subfields focus on for exam Social Psychology Clinical Psychology Cognitive Psychology Study of individuals in groups and social The research and treatment of behavioral disorders phenomenon Study of the mental processes including memory perception language thinking and learning behavior emotion memories and sensory functions Study of the brain and body s influence on Study of lifespan changes in Developmental Psychology Neuroscience o Other subfields in the ppt that aren t that important for the exam Personality Psychology Study of individuality and prediction of behavior Forensic Psychology Focuses on making decisions involving psychological issues and the law Industrial Organizational Psychology Studies ways to improve the efficiency productivity and satisfaction of workers Be able to compare and contrast basic and applied research o Basic Research knowledge research examining how the mind works Tests theories and seeks to build a foundation of Why are do some people have OCD o Applied Research foundation revealed by basic research Strives to solve real world problems using a What treatments can help people with OCD Know the two great debates that have shaped the field of psychology o Nature vs Nurture Are our behaviors attributable mostly to our genes nature or to our rearing environments upbringing nurture o Free Will vs Determinism To what extent are our behaviors freely selected rather than caused by factors outside our control Know the 5 factors that make Psychology challenging and fascinating o Human behavior is difficult to predict because almost all actions are multiply determined Multiply Determined Caused by many factors o Physiological influences are rarely independent of each other making it difficult to pin down which cause or causes are operating o People have individual differences Individual Differences thinking emotion personality and behavior People differ from each other in o People often influence each other often making it difficult to pin down what causes what o People s behavior is often shaped by culture cultural differences place limitations on the generalizations psychologists can conclude about human nature With reference to na ve realism contrast intuitions versus scientific o Na ve Realism o Intuition The ability to understand something immediately without Belief that we see the world precisely as it is inquiry the need for conscious reasoning The activities through which students develop knowledge and understanding of scientific ideas as well as an understanding of how scientists study the natural world o Scientific Inquiry o Intuition represents our guttural instincts that may lead to naiive realism while scientific inquiry represents the process by which evidence is analyzed to make intelligent fact supported conclusions Understand how the representativeness and availability heuristics can cause us to underestimate or ignore important information Identify the pros and cons of heuristics o Heuristic o Availability Heuristic A mental
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